The Empire, which primarily nurtured and operated the Knights while engaging in a continental conquest war through strategic tactics, suddenly encountered a shift in dynamics.
The Witch Camilla.
It all began when she entered the palace as the Emperor’s third Empress.
Camilla gathered wizards scattered throughout the continent and established a system to utilize magic in battle.
She installed Teleport Gates all over the Empire, allowing the Knights to advance anywhere in an instant.
This gave the Empire a chance to take the upper hand in the war against the kingdom, which already employed numerous adventurer wizards.
The war lingered on, thanks to the long mountain range between the two nations. In light of this, Camilla intended to offer her unborn child as a magical weapon to the Empire.
Everything was for the Emperor, who had saved her from hell.
However, around the time the magical weapon she had planned was about to be born, the Emperor met the sage Seymour.
After witnessing Seymour overwhelming the battlefield with Seventh-Tier Magic, the Emperor changed his mind.
Magic is dangerous.
Even if the continent is unified, it means nothing to take over lands ruined by magic.
However, proceeding with the war now without wizards would take far too long.
The Empire had already grown great enough. The Emperor realized it was time for him to step down.
The negotiations for peace with the kingdom ended uneventfully.
Magic was not forbidden, but the units were disbanded. Camilla passed her position of court magician to Seymour and returned to being an ordinary Empress.
“It turned out for the best,”
Camilla thought. She didn’t want the proof of the Emperor’s affection for her to be wasted as a mere weapon.
“I shall live for this child.”
Her child, who inherited the Emperor’s blood.
By chance, she resembled her mother in beauty from her youth. Her hair was a rich blonde, just like the Emperor’s.
To survive in such a grand Imperial family, strength was necessary.
Camilla had a sinister side. She decided to plant her forces throughout the Empire for her own benefit.
“When Acella grows up, her talented brothers will have already occupied the noble families and merchant guilds. But the underbelly of the state is equally important.”
Camilla planned to expand her influence starting from the underworld for Acella.
In the vast Empire, there were black markets, mercenaries, crime organizations, and noble families that did not become mainstream.
The strong ruler, the Emperor, would soon topple them as well. By networking with them early, she could store wealth and resources that Acella could use anywhere in the future.
Contact with the noble families in the open should be done after gaining power. She could also find a good betrothed for Acella.
She had a means to move without being noticed.
Clone Magic.
It creates an identical version of herself. When they merge again, they absorb all experiences from both.
Since it had only been used for training to enhance her magical realm, the casting time wasn’t overly long. The longest it had been was about three months.
“To manage the underworld directly would take at least several years.”
Camilla cast the spell.
It was as though she placed a mirror in the air, making her twofold as they pressed their palms together.
“Go, my clone. Gain power.”
“Of course. I’m looking forward to it.”
“For Acella.”
Without answering, the clone departed.
Camilla then focused on Acella’s upbringing while discreetly communicating with her clone.
From the time she was a newborn, she gently taught her basic etiquette. Acella was a smart child, quickly grasping any lesson she received and behaving properly.
She also had a talent for magic. Even as a baby, she played with mana between her palms.
As Acella was about to turn five, there was talk of her having to move to Moonlight Palace.
‘It seems like Charlotte, the First Empress, is keeping an eye on things.’
Demanding the Emperor place the talentless Gunter as Crown Prince, she too had a strong desire for her children.
She had viewed Camilla as a thorn in her side for ages. Jealousy arose from her husband’s young and capable consort.
‘This is a perfect opportunity. Acella can stand confidently as the true owner of the palace like her brothers.’
Moonlight Palace was small, but Acella could grow it immensely.
Camilla believed in her daughter.
Then one day.
Camilla took Acella on a tour of Moonlight Palace, where they would soon move.
While they were exploring the still-empty interior.
Wham!
Suddenly, a hidden magic trap went off on the floor, knocking everyone down except for Camilla.
The escort knights, attendants, even Acella, collapsed.
“Acella!”
Camilla immediately checked on her daughter. Black Mana flowed into the unconscious Acella.
“It’s a curse; she’s designated as the target. Who did this?!”
Camilla hastily cast Dispel, but the spell rebounded. It was a curse of significant power.
Clack, clack.
Shadows moved as figures walked out alongside dark magicians.
“It’s been a long time, third Empress of the Empire.”
None other than her own clone appeared.
Realizing something was off, Camilla immediately dispelled her Clone Magic and canceled the casting.
“Ah…!”
Yet instead, she was repulsed, and the mana from her clone surged through her magical circuit, igniting.
“What a pity. You developed Clone Magic but didn’t even understand it,”
“Y-you… how…!”
“I created an identical version of myself with magic. Then, when the casting is finished, who defines which is the main body and which is the clone?”
The clone smiled brightly.
“No, was I truly a perfect replica of you from the start?”
While Camilla thought she, as the caster, was the main body, it was not true.
“Let me tell you the answer. When the casting concludes, the one with the higher level of magical power becomes the main body.”
“What?!…”
The clone admitted her level was higher than Camilla’s.
During the years apart, she had been plotting something else.
“Why?!”
“To think you brought me into this world, fated to disappear as a mere clone, isn’t this a bit too much of a deception?”
The clone glared at Camilla with malice.
Until now, clones had never yielded their own ego.
The length of time apart had exceeded her expectations that they would diverge this far.
“Even if that were the case, you’re still me! We could work together for Acella! Why betray me?!”
At Camilla’s rage, the clone subtly hardened her expression.
“That child of yours isn’t my blood, is she?”
Camilla overlooked one critical detail.
Her overflowing maternal instinct meant nothing to that clone.
“…Is that so.”
Camilla felt the mana of the clone surging back through her circuits.
Though similar in essence, the detailed differences echoed through. The fact that her magical circuit could not accept it was proof.
The mana was different; in other words, they were not the same person.
The clone was never a perfect replica of her. There was a subtle divergence at the root.
Perhaps, from the beginning, Camilla had used Creation Magic rather than Clone Magic. She had just created a being that replicated herself.
“I have been in contact a lot with the back of the Empire as you commanded.”
The clone raised her arm. A rope shot from a magic circle, binding Camilla’s body.
“Dark magicians, assassins, crime organizations. Though weak for now, over time, I’ll have a few useful pawns. From there, I can also acquire the public face.”
“I never told you to use them directly! What do you intend to achieve?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? Dark magicians are supposed to spread dark magic.”
“You…!”
Camilla shivered. This was an action principle unimaginable to her.
If she had turned into such a person, the reason was one.
“You made a pact with a demon…!”
She had certainly been consumed by dark magic roaming the underworld.
The clone only smiled in response, dropping her hand. Camilla’s leg was severed in an instant.
“Ahh!!”
It wasn’t merely a physical separation; even her soul was violently torn from her.
“The blood bond of kin cannot be ignored. When your daughter becomes Empress, she’ll be my puppet, spreading dark magic.”
“No! I won’t give you Acella!!”
Slice, slice, slice!
With every movement of the clone’s hand, bits of Camilla’s soul were shredded, diminishing in size.
“I acknowledge your magical talent that has reached this level. I will use it particularly.”
Wham!
The spell was cast.
The clone – no, now the dark magician Camilla – pressed down on the remnants of the soul barely clinging to corporeal form, compressing it into a curse.
“Become your daughter’s talent. It would be a joy to aid your blood to become Empress.”
The curse seeped into the unconscious Acella.
What remained of Camilla’s soul lost its recognition system and ego and could only flail and scream in darkness.
No, no!!
Give her back! Give my daughter back!!
Acella, Acella…!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh…!!
Silence.
In Moonlight Palace, only the small unconscious girl and the silence remained.
“For a while, the escort knights will disguise until we can get new ones.”
“What about the princess?”
Camilla raised the corners of her mouth.
“We must educate her thoroughly, so she cannot rebel.”
*
Give her back! Give her back!
Acella, I want Acella back!!
Ignoring the evil spirit choking me while screaming, I replaced the apparatus.
There was a small amount of blood loss during the peeling process. I clean it with gauze. The cut surface of the blood vessel has already been sutured; only the film treatment remains.
Just a little bit of time is all I need.
Ahhhhhhhh!!
The evil spirit was too noisy.
“Teacher…!”
“Your Majesty…!”
The other team members held their breath and watched us.
“Phew.”
Hugo used the rope from the trap to tightly bind the head and neck of the evil spirit. It couldn’t lunge at me, but that was about all it did.
He couldn’t fully transition into the control stage, failing to turn it into a spell.
Fortunately, Chloe stood right next to him, perfectly maintaining her hold, allowing me to find the right angle to finish the work.
I just needed 40 seconds, simply 40 seconds.
Ahhhhhhh! Acellaaa!!!
“Be quiet, Third Empress Camilla.”
Unable to hold back any longer, I fixed my gaze on the status window while addressing the evil spirit.
“I’m fixing your daughter right now.”
Did it understand my words? For a moment, the evil spirit’s momentum diminished.
Snap!
Hugo didn’t miss the chance. He put strength behind the pull. The curse lost its vigor and Hugo wrested control away from it.
Whoosh!
Holy power began to gather before Hugo, forming into a spell.
“Film adhesion,”
I attached the film not only to the arteries but also to the bile duct. As the wound heals, it will dissolve and function like a part of the body.
All procedures have been completed. Essentially, the surgical process ends here.
“Done. Remove the equipment.”
“Remove the equipment.”
Chloe loosened her grip, returning the organs to their original positions. She pulled out the apparatus and normalized the air pressure, removing the three remaining cylinders.
“Hmm.”
Above us, Camilla’s soul struggled with Hugo, trying to escape.
Sweat beads dripped off Hugo as he tried to rotate the top of the spell.
Since Camilla was fixated on Acella, there was no way she could flee at this point.
In this situation, there was no choice but to push through to the end.
“Suturing,”
I threaded the needle.
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