The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 41

Chapter 41: In My Chambers

Three days had passed since the attack, but it felt like the situation in the Empire had changed significantly.

Emperor Victoria, at daybreak, had executed Fullod’s entire clan and supporters as rebels who had attempted to overthrow the state. Furthermore, she had her titled knights investigate those who had secretly shown suspicious movements, and they were also arrested.

Analysis of the magic used by those who had attempted to assassinate the Emperor revealed that they had been given large sums of money and magical artifacts that the attackers had likely created. Consequently, they were punished severely as co-conspirators in the rebellion.

The attempted assassination of the Emperor and the attack on the palace had become major events, and no one dared to challenge the Emperor’s judgment. As a result, the Emperor’s faction and authority appeared to have become even more entrenched.

“Regardless, the fact that you were used, unrelated though you may be,” Emperor Victoria remarked while maintaining her dignified aura, as she sat in a chair, elegantly sipping from her glass. On the table were fine wines and snacks. I sat facing her, with Philia and Aria on either side.

“Um, Your Majesty…”

“Call me Victoria.”

“What?”

“Only you and my sisters are present here. It’s my private chamber, not a public setting. Therefore, you can address me by my name. No need for formalities or titles, especially at a gathering like this, right?”

“Uh… okay.”

For some reason, Aria and Philia had been led to this chamber along with me, and it had led to the current situation.

“Why did you summon me here?”

I broached the subject, and Victoria put down her glass, turning her gaze directly toward me.

“I have many reasons, but first, I want to express my gratitude. Thank you for defeating Fullod. If you hadn’t, many more knights would have perished. You’ve saved my valuable subjects.”

“…I couldn’t just stand by and watch.”

I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed, and all three of them smiled in their own unique ways. However, Victoria soon regained her composure.

“Next, I want to apologize. Due to my absence, you were inadvertently caught up in the Empire’s affairs, putting you in danger and using you for our purposes. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize…”

I genuinely meant those words. I had been annoyed with Fullod alone, and defeating him had allowed me to harness the Chaos Crusader’s power. I didn’t harbor any feelings of disdain towards the Emperor or the Empire.

“I’m grateful for your generosity. Now, I’d like to keep this matter confidential. However, we’ve learned something about the person who attempted to assassinate me.”

Victoria said this and turned her gaze towards Philia, who nodded in response.

“We examined the helmet that person was using… and the person who made that helmet is quite insane.”

“Made it? Isn’t it a rare drop?”

“Well… it gets a bit technical.”

Philia said this and began drawing a diagram in the air with magical light.

“Normally, when creating magical artifacts, you inscribe ‘lines’ for the flow of magic and ‘points’ for the spells. Usually, ‘lines’ are inscribed on the base, such as a weapon, and ‘points’ are inscribed on magical stones, and combining the two creates a magical artifact. Berg, you know this basic process, right?”

Philia was explaining the fundamental process of creating magical artifacts. Typically, once the ‘lines’ and ‘points’ were combined, further modifications were made to make the enchantment semi-permanent. In my case, I had only inscribed the spell on the magical stone, making it disposable.

“In the case of rare drops, the structure is more akin to humans. There are ‘lines,’ but there are no ‘points’… and the ‘lines’ are incredibly complex and numerous.”

“…More akin to humans?”

“Human magic is activated by the user’s intention, but magical artifacts are activated through the inscribed spells on magical stones. On the other hand, rare drops respond to the owner’s will and activate their abilities. That’s why I hypothesized that rare drops possess a consciousness or soul of some sort.”

“I see…”

“…So, getting back to that helmet.”

Philia continued drawing in the air.

“It has a completely different structure from either of those. To put it bluntly, that helmet is like the worst kind of magical artifact.”

Her voice carried a hint of anger.