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The room, which had been completely empty, was still warm.

It felt just like someone had been there only moments ago.

“There definitely was someone here in the morning, right?”

“Yes, I checked while delivering the meals.”

The time was just a bit early for lunch; it was around 11 AM. So someone had certainly been there 3 to 4 hours ago… and had then vanished without a trace?

How on earth did that happen? This room was hastily converted from a warehouse, with no windows whatsoever.

Moreover, the entrance was guarded by an elite Elf Spirit Swordsman and a Dwarf Warrior. They must have deceived their senses and slipped away?

That doesn’t make any sense!

“Hmm. Let me take a quick look around.”

Even if I had been careless, it’s strange for someone to just vanish from a room.

The only possible way out would be using spatial movement magic… but is there even a mage capable of that?

If anything, it would have to be a creature like a Dragon or a God, beyond the realms of ordinary beings…

Did such a being really get away with abducting the Emperor? How bizarre!

“Let’s see…”

I gingerly surveyed the empty room. There was still warmth lingering, yet an odd discomfort filled the air… Hmm.

There was a sense of disturbance that could only be seen through the eyes that perceive magical power, something undetectable by regular sight.

Factors like the density and flow of magical power typically vary, yet the magic in this room was incredibly organized.

An almost uniform amount of magic. If a person had been in this room for days, there would surely be some areas of concentrated magic.

Unless that person had been moving just enough at regular intervals to keep the magic balanced…

In the end, this meant someone had artificially manipulated the magic in this room.

It indicates that an entity was involved, one more skilled than your average mage, who secretly entered this room, abducted the Emperor, and even concealed their own traces.

It was an extremely meticulous and cunning act, so subtle that it would be hard to catch under normal circumstances.

But if I had been here, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed!!!

“Is there any clue?”

“Unfortunately, none at all.”

The only trace left was a slight warmth.

But…

“Still, it’s not entirely hopeless.”

Even without clues or remains, the space itself still existed.

I quietly conjured magic, spreading it throughout the room, trying to reveal the past. A magic that manifests a blue glow to recreate what once happened…

Can this even be called magic? If it’s successfully conjured through magic, that would be quite impressive.

Anyway, particles of glowing magic began forming hazy shapes in the room, causing those present to gaze in wonder.

“What is this… magic?”

“It’s on an entirely different level from the spells I know!”

As the magical particles took shape, they morphed into the image of the Emperor, perched on the bed.

[How… did this happen? The one holding the undefeated flag, and yet I’m so helpless…]

The magic vibrated, recreating even the Emperor’s voice. The others in the room hushed their breaths to hear him speak.

[How could my guards betray me? This cannot be! It must be a misunderstanding! There’s surely something wrong!]

The Emperor squirmed on the bed, shouting wildly. I frowned slightly at his disheveled state but soon lost interest in him.

In a dark corner of the room, something began to materialize.

The shadow slowly expanded, eventually taking on a human form.

[Your Majesty. What’s going on?]

The being, draped in a black cloak and hood that only partially revealed its face, approached the Emperor.

It had the visage of an old man. Though it bore a human shape, it felt far from human.

Seeing such a figure, the Emperor brightened and stood up.

[Master! What is happening? Why aren’t my guards following my orders?]

Master? The Emperor’s master? It’s already suspicious just being a master, and now appearing from the shadows like a mage?

This is beyond suspicious!!! Extremely questionable!

Ahem. For now, I’ll suppress my doubts about the old man and observe the situation further.

[Hmm… this is odd. The guards only follow your commands, Your Majesty. To betray you is unthinkable…]

The old man spoke after deep contemplation.

[It seems there may have been some external manipulation involved… but we don’t have time, so let’s exit this place.]

[Exit? From here?]

[Yes. First, we’ll leave this place and return to Sirius. This room isn’t fit for your stay.]

[Agreed! I don’t want to stay even a moment longer in this dump!]

The Emperor expressed his relief at the old man’s words. He didn’t want to remain in this cramped, dark room without a single window, where breathing was uncomfortable.

Compared to the Emperor’s usual chambers or audience halls, this place was worse than a prison.

“These are furniture pieces crafted by Dwarf artisans…”

With that remark from the Emperor, the Dwarf Representative had a mildly wounded expression, but I decided to move on.

[Then… please come closer. We should leave here and head to Sirius.]

[Yeah! I will hunt down anyone who played a part in this plot against me and take their heads! I will spare no one!]

[Yes, do that.]

Thus, the shadow that arose at the old man’s feet began enveloping both him and the Emperor, disappearing into the ground shortly after.

With that, no one was left in this room.

“That old man… a mage…?”

“Quite an extraordinary individual…”

Did he utilize shadows as a medium to implement spatial movement? Modern mages are really getting impressive…

You might think that, but honestly… he doesn’t seem human at all.

Thanks to the books written by Sia, magic has become much more systematic and has steadily progressed, yet I’ve never seen someone use magic on the scale of spatial movement.

It could only be someone of Dragon caliber or a being using divine powers… hmm… who knows…

I can’t say for sure. So for now, I should track the old man down. Chasing after him might lead to more clues.

What could the old man be aiming to accomplish?

“Hm… the Emperor has vanished. This is troublesome.”

“Damn it! I should have just taken that bastard’s head sooner! Didn’t you all realize what was happening in this room?”

The Dwarf Representative scolded the two Elves and the Dwarf who had been on guard. It’s natural for him to be furious, given his desire to personally behead the Emperor himself.

However, blaming the guards for something that slipped away like a shadow without making a sound is a bit unreasonable.

“It’s hard to call it their fault. Who could have imagined the Emperor’s master was such a formidable mage capable of spatial movement through shadows?”

“Ugh… I had sharpened my axe’s edge just for this…”

Ignoring the disappointed Dwarf Representative, I turned to the Elf Representative.

“I’ll try to track him down. I don’t know how far I can get, but I still need to gather more clues.”

“Is that really possible? He’s a high-level mage who sneaks around unnoticed…”

“As long as he hasn’t burrowed deep underground, I can track him down somehow. So, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Upon hearing my words, the Elf Representative nodded slightly.

“Understood. I will proceed with the remaining tasks on my own. Now, you there, don’t sulk too much; we have plenty to do.”

“Hmph. You don’t even have to say it! Munyeonim, please find that guy. I won’t be satisfied unless I take his head!”

“I’ll give it my best effort.”

What a complete reckless fool!

After sending off the representatives of the Elves and Dwarves…

“Oh, you guards can disband now. There’s no one left to guard against.”

At my words, the two guards bowed slightly before departing.

Now that I was alone…

“What kind of bastard could he be… Shall I take a look at his face?”

I lightly placed my finger on the Sephirot, where the shadow had swallowed up the old man and the Emperor, and pushed in a healthy dose of my magical power.

Through my magic, I sensed the faint traces of magical power lying beneath the floor, almost on the verge of vanishing.

If I had been even slightly late, I would have lost those traces forever, but upon touching them with my power, they ceased their retreat. I basically devoured them as mere pure magic, extending my lifespan by a little.

Perfect! I didn’t think I’d manage to catch onto these faint magical traces! Now, shall I follow this magic as a guide?

It seems that he hadn’t sunk deep into the earth but moved just below the surface. The magical traces led out of Betelgeuse, heading northward.

The traces stretched quite far. A considerable distance from Betelgeuse, towards the mountains in the north.

Hmm… that’s a route taking us further away from Sirius? What’s going on? The old man definitely said he was heading to Sirius!

After pinpointing the coordinates of where the magic led, I used spatial movement to travel to those coordinates.

“Good grief… am I already too late?”

Deep within the mountains, I discovered the gruesome corpse of the Emperor.

 

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