Chương 52: The Magic Tower's Specimen

One door of the queen's reception room still stood open. The queen remained hidden beyond the screen, and the jewelry was still in her confidant's hand. Kichan stood before the low table. The Tower Master had stepped in as though to block the space between the table and the door. The queen's confidant straightened at once. The queen's hand, which had emerged beneath the screen, stopped above the jewelry. The Tower Master, however, asked permission from no one.

Without even asking Kichan's name, he drew a short sigil in the air with a gloved finger. The small magic formulas above his gloves lit one by one.

"A zero-mana magical manifestation. Temporary isolation followed by a thorough examination would be prudent." The sigil floating in the air tilted toward Kichan.

"If it resists, sedation and sealing procedures will be applied together. The Tower will settle ownership afterward." Ren's face hardened with each sentence. The skin beneath his eyes went pale. The queen's confidant tried to cut in twice, but the Tower Master stopped her with a single finger. A small flame appeared at its tip, then vanished. Kichan asked,"Did anyone ask me?" For the first time, the Tower Master looked Kichan in the eyes. Not an eyebrow moved. There was no intention of answering in that gaze.

He raised a gloved finger. The magic circle on the floor lit first, its glow spreading from beneath the thick carpet toward Kichan's feet. The pattern widened into a circle, then closed in as though it meant to swallow the place where he stood whole. Kichan grimaced.

"Oh, come on." Just as the pattern was about to close around his ankles, the water droplet at the end of his sleeve moved first. It spread thin and round like a shield. Dust flattened itself behind his shoulder. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The queen's confidant finally spoke. For the first time, the softness of her face cracked.

"Stop." The Tower Master did not stop. Kichan raised the wake-up rod. In the middle of the magic, he could see one point that felt strangely unpleasant. He brought the wake-up rod down on it. Boom. There was only one impact. The mana-light flooding the reception room went out in an instant. It did not come back on. The binding formula folded in on itself. The characters suspended in the air fell like decorations with their strings cut, then melted away before they touched the floor.

One of the Tower Master's knees nearly buckled. He barely held himself upright. He raised his gloved hand again, but his fingertips were trembling. Gritting his teeth, he tried to rebuild the magic formula. Nothing appeared. The color drained from the Tower Master's face. His lips parted, but no words came out. Kichan saw his expression. The wake-up rod in his hand lowered a little.

"What." The Tower Master took one step back. That movement made it certain. He had tried to use magic, and he had failed. Ren saw it. The queen's confidant saw it. So did every guard in the room. Kichan looked at his own hand.

"Did I do that?" No one answered. That was when Dust moved. It had been hiding behind Kichan's shoulder, but somehow it had already slipped beneath the table and reached the Tower Master. Now it came back with one of the document bundles he had dropped clamped in its mouth, dragging it across the floor. Kichan stared for a moment.

"You're still looting at a time like this?" Dust flicked one leg. Yes. Kichan tried not to look at the documents. But the first line caught in his throat. `Temporary Transfer of Ownership. ` Kichan's expression hardened.

"Of who?" The Tower Master could not answer. He was still staring at his own hand. The queen's confidant drew a quiet breath. At that moment, commotion broke out beyond the room. Footsteps approached, and someone ran deeper into the palace to deliver a report. Kichan crumpled the documents. The water droplet at the end of his sleeve spread like a shield in front of him, then narrowed into a blade. Mana from the shattered magic circle streamed toward it. Kichan saw that and backed away even farther.

He had struck only once. Somehow, he had touched the mana and broken it. He did not know what that meant yet. He did not want to know. A shout rang out from the end of the corridor.

"Report this to His Majesty the King!"

"Did I cause another mess?" Kichan tightened his grip on the wake-up rod.