Polena’s words suggested that this incident might be related to the Dragona Empire.
Even though it was merely speculation and not very likely considering the evidence, listening to her made me think there might be some credibility to it.
The mages in this world can use various types of magic, and I’ve heard that new magic is being developed even at this moment.
Among them, there are spells that deal with basic “elements” like water, wind, fire, and lightning, as well as types of magic that impose restrictions on specific objects to enhance their power.
For instance, the mages affiliated with the northern Kalmar Kingdom, which could be considered the headquarters of mages, were known for their ability to freely manipulate paper or for being high mages who specialize in using corpses, as had been mentioned in the original work.
However…
It was a fact I had momentarily forgotten, but the magic that deals with souls felt fundamentally different from these commonly used spells, as Polena said.
The so-called “Holy Scripture,” which serves as the ideological foundation for the Church in this world or our Heretic Alliance, generally held a negative view toward magic that goes against the will of God. However, these perceptions have somewhat softened over time as their usefulness was proven.
Still, even under these circumstances, there remained a few types of magic that were still considered taboo according to doctrine.
Blood and souls, as well as living humans, were among those ethically questionable entities.
Humans in this world surprisingly did not show much resistance toward rotting corpses or rice.
According to the Scripture’s doctrine, the human body is merely a temporary shell, and what truly matters is the spirit that animates it, i.e., the soul.
In contrast, there was a typical sensitivity to living humans and their spirits—souls—and to things like blood that sustain them, as mages’ society still considers research into such matters taboo even today.
However…
Taboos exist to be broken.
Even if these taboos were suitably observed at first, as time passed, those seeking greater power and abilities began to openly conduct dangerous experiments, including so-called human experimentation.
As a result, those who violated these taboos were officially expelled from the world of mages, and those expelled came to be known as witches and wizards.
And so, the Dragona Empire could be considered the homeland of those witches and wizards expelled from the realm of mages. Therefore, Polena’s assertion that this incident might be related to the Dragona Empire was indeed quite reasonable.
“Of course, since some mages have been gradually breaking taboos lately, I can’t be entirely sure… but it’s clear that if they could easily kidnap a sixth-grade high mage like Queen, they are not just ordinary experts.”
Importantly, the current Emperor Sijip Ferdinand was a person with an almost pathological level of faith.
No matter the political reasons, the possibility of him working with witches or wizards, strictly prohibited by doctrine, was quite low.
So, while I thought about Polena’s words indicating a surprising likelihood that this incident was related to the Dragona Empire, at that moment, I was confronted with another question.
“But… if that’s the case, why would the Dragona Empire do such a thing?
The Emperor of the Sacred Empire certainly had enough reason to instigate such actions.
Having successfully united the power of the rebel forces within his borders, the Heretic Alliance would undoubtedly pose a burden simply by existing.
However, the Dragona Empire had no real connections to us.
If there were any, it would be limited to just the neighboring Rhapsody Region…
‘…Huh? Wait a minute… Could it be…’
Just as that thought crossed my mind, one idea automatically began to form in my head.
The Rhapsody region has been connected to the Dragona Empire since the past.
And currently, the person in control there, Estelle, was my fiancée.
Although it was a contractual relationship, thanks to our strong alliance with Bohemia based on this engagement, the Rhapsody region could be said to occupy the substantial second-in-command position within the Heretic Alliance.
Under such circumstances, it seemed reasonable for them to try to solidify my standing within Bohemia, so perhaps this incident might be related to that.
‘Certainly… when thinking about potential internal threats to my standing right now, the only one I can think of is my big sister, the Queen. Our relationship has become pretty tense lately…’
Of course, proposing the idea of kidnapping an allied noblewoman was quite extreme, but still, nothing else came to mind under the circumstances.
This much was clear; I had no idea why the Dragona Empire would commit such an act against us.
So, I decided to share my flimsy hypothesis born from my poor imagination with Polena, and surprisingly, she nodded slowly in agreement.
“Umm… it is indeed a stretch, but honestly, I can’t say it’s completely impossible. Furthermore, it’s a bit awkward to say this, but since they are also in a contractual engagement, they might have a motive to tighten the strings around you, Master.”
“Certainly, if my sister doesn’t show up, the one who benefits the most from this situation would ultimately be me. I could also draw suspicion on myself.”
Depending on how you looked at it, it could be a move to bolster my position while simultaneously tightening some sort of leash around me.
However, given my current position, I couldn’t just run off and tell my father about this circumstantial evidence.
If our closest ally, Rhapsody, were to fracture, it could trigger cracks across the entire alliance.
Thus, while realizing that resolving this incident publicly would be out of the question, I came to the conclusion that I needed to make a choice.
Honestly, given my poor relationship with her and the fact that my big sister was eyeing my position, I didn’t care what happened to her.
Even though I was in the body I possessed, unlike with my other family members who made me feel the bonds of “blood ties,” my interactions with the Queen led to nothing but cold indifference that fostered hostility instead.
I didn’t want to add any political burden. However, if this were merely a prank from within, I could see it positively, depending on the circumstances.
‘This could end up being a landmine that could blow away everything I’ve worked so hard to build… then again, eliminating this threat could be for the best.’
Considering the last time I suffered from a betrayal from an internal enemy, I was inevitably sensitive to the hindrances from within.
However, whether for better or worse, if this situation went wrong, it could cause major chaos and might even push Rhapsody to pressure me, so I needed to take preemptive measures.
‘Whatever the case, I can’t just sit idly by. If Estelle is behind this, I must meet her directly to sort the situation out.’
Having made that decision, I resolved to take action.
I intended to use the excuse of seeking cooperation in regard to my sister, the Queen’s search and travel directly to the Rhapsody region.
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