Mircea Marwick sat down on the throne in the Pisces Palace.
This throne was a symbol of royal authority, used by Rosalian kings across generations. Sitting here had always been Mircea’s greatest wish.
So this is what kings see, he thought to himself, looking over the audience chamber from the throne and smiling.
He’d planned on giving the throne to Liedis, but perhaps he ought to take it for himself first.
The king had to support the country with his powerful mana. As Mircea was past his prime, he probably couldn’t handle all of it, but he could have Liedis help with the rest. The prince could surely be persuaded if Mircea told him about his passionate attachment to the throne.
He smiled as Liedis’s face appeared in the back of his mind. Since the prince was born with features so similar to his, Mircea loved him so much more than Truteliese or Silvio, both of whom resembled his late wife.
Liedis had been rather shaken up by the news of Sachis’s and Arcrayne’s poisoning. Truteliese must’ve been doing a good job calming him down right about now. His daughter had been born a failure and used to be rebellious at one point, but by now, she was a talented and loyal pawn.
Closing his eyes, Mircea imagined himself bearing the regalia. He was immediately pulled back to reality, however, when the light he could see through his eyelids vanished and a strange sensation came over him.
When the revolting sensation of a thin membrane enveloping his body made him open his eyes, all the lights in the chamber had gone out, and it was quite dark.
“What is going on?!” he shouted.
“I-I do not know...!” replied one of his aides who stood nearby, restlessly looking around with a pale face.
Mana lamps were set up all over the palace and were powered by mana stones embedded in the walls. Another of Mircea’s aides went over to one of these. “It doesn’t seem to be absorbing my mana,” he said after a moment. “It might be broken...”
Sighing, Mircea got up from the throne. His good mood was now ruined.
“Hurry up and call a repairman,” he commanded and left the attendance chamber.
As he walked through the long corridor, heading back to the Leo Palace, he noticed another change—the servants looked restless and pale.
“What’s the matter?” Mircea asked, frowning in displeasure.
It was only common sense to him that servants should do their best not to get noticed by nobles and royals.
“I shall go ask,” replied his aide who’d been by his side. Upon his return, he said, “We have a situation, Your Grace! They say mana objects everywhere have stopped working!”
The report was astonishing to the duke.
It wasn’t only mana objects that weren’t working anymore.
I can’t use my power, realized Mircea. He was of direct royal descent and an Awoken who wielded telekinesis.
He took out his pocket watch from his waistcoat and tried making it float, but he couldn’t release his mana properly.
So this is the cause of the strange feeling I’ve been getting... he concluded. Mircea stared at his palm, then gripped it into a fist. He could only think of one person capable of such a feat. Sachis...!
After calling his nephew’s name in his mind, Mircea walked briskly to the bedroom where the king was supposed to be sleeping.
But the room was deserted.
“Where is Truteliese?!” Mircea shouted in rage.
His aides bolted. And just as they left, a unit of stern-faced soldiers shuffled in—soldiers clad in the royal blue uniforms of the Sovereign’s Guard.
✦ ✦ ✦
Though Arcrayne kept offering to spare those who surrendered, there was no end to the soldiers standing in his way. He swung the Holy Sword at them, trying his best to aim in such a way that he wouldn’t inflict lethal wounds.
“Why won’t they surrender...?” he wondered aloud.
“They seem to think they would rather be cut down here if the alternative is to be executed anyway,” said Pascar next to him.
“But I’m telling them I’ll spare them.”
“They must think you’re lying...”
I’m not like you people. Arcrayne frowned, then looked over the defeated private soldiers of House Marwick.
At that point, a member of the Sovereign’s Guard came running to the prince.
“We have captured Queen Truteliese, Duke Marwick, and Lord Silvio!”
The report made Arcrayne widen his eyes.
“We found His Highness Prince Liedis in Her Majesty’s bedroom... For some reason he has shackles that seal his powers, and he is unconscious. Though, he must be only asleep, since his breathing and pulse are normal...”
“Sounds like we should ask him what happened once he wakes up,” said Pascar.
Arcrayne was dumbfounded—things were over too soon. “Let’s go see the queen for now,” he finally said, after he’d recovered from stupefaction. But as he began to slowly walk...
“Um... It has been a while since we last saw His Majesty...” a member of the Sovereign’s Guard said hesitantly.
He had a point. They’d agreed to meet up here after the king had put the mana restriction into place.
A commotion began to spread.
“Your Highness, His Majesty might be stuck down below and unable to move,” said Pascar after a short while. “His Majesty headed to the Shrine, correct? Could it be that he had to channel a vast amount of mana into the altar to activate the mana restriction? And while His Majesty told us to keep quiet about it, he has been rather unwell as of late...”
Pascar’s words made Arcrayne recall Sachis coughing up blood during the fight with the dragon.
“How is he? Is he sick with something?” asked the prince.
“Well... I am afraid I cannot speak of it.”
Arcrayne knew that Pascar was right to keep it to himself. He gave up trying to get more out of the man and put the matter behind him.
“I’m going to the Shrine,” said the prince.
He wanted to deal with the traitors too, but for the time being, he put them out of his mind.
For whatever reason, the Shrine only permitted the entry of either royals or those with special approval from the king, so Arcrayne had to go there in person.
“Please let us come with you,” said a member of the Sovereign’s Guard.
“Bring the court physician just in case,” commanded Arcrayne and he hurried to the entrance to the underground passage.