Chapter 166:
"My Lord, you have to go now."
As always, Jade Harper had bad timing. He came in just as Ethan was about to say something more to Sarah and cut off the conversation.
"......"
Ethan narrowed his eyebrows and expressed dissatisfaction, but he kept his mouth shut as he looked at Sarah's flushed face. He couldn't believe Sarah, who he didn't know what she was thinking, was showing her true feelings. It was clearly intentional. The current topic of discussion was not pleasing to her, and her refusal to tell him important stories were all ways of conveying her will to him. Apart from the settlement of this Alton Estate, something would happen and it was never pleasant to him.
"I'll be there soon."
"Yes, you have to come quickly. Everyone is about to jump into the barrier now."
"Sure."
Ethan nodded and placed the robe's hat on Sarah's head. Sarah's troubled face was easily hidden by the large hat.
"I'll go first. Follow me, please."
With that said, Ethan turned his back on Sarah. Ethan's step to get out of his seat was unexpectedly impatient. It was because he thought he could press her if he stayed a little longer. As Ethan left the tent, his face was terribly distorted.
"Duke-nim, hold on a second."
Then Sarah, who rushed after Ethan from behind, grabbed the hem of his robe. Ethan held his breath for a moment but soon managed to control his expression and looked back with a softly relaxed expression.
"Do you have anything left to say?"
"......"
Sarah looked at Ethan's face and said nothing for a moment. Her expression was not visible because of the robe covering her face, but he smiled slightly as he saw the hand gripping the hem of his robe a little stronger.
"I'm not angry, I'm just over-worrying. So you don't have to worry about it."
"......How can I not care? I said openly that I would use Duke-nim's power."
"Didn't you promise that it wouldn't hurt you? That's enough."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Ethan did a great job tricking her and smiling. Sarah was silent for a moment as she looked at Ethan, who smiled as if he was blinding the onlooker as usual. But she said in a low voice as if crawling.
"In fact, Duke-nim will be angry with me when this is over."
"Then tell me. If you tell me now, I promise not to be angry."
"I can't do that."
"......Fu."
Sarah had never been easy, but this time Ethan thought she was even more so. Sarah trembled when she heard Ethan's sigh, but she shook her head stubbornly.
"If I tell you now, I'm sure you'll stop me."
"Don't I have to do something to stop you from doing it in the first place?"
"It's a must. That's all I can say."
At Sarah's words, Ethan's head tilted slightly to the side. She wouldn't divulge the details, but what was her intention to declare war on him to do something he couldn't stop? Her honesty was good, but he thought that Sarah's half-candid appearance was somehow her. He finally swallowed a laugh and asked.
"I don't understand. It would be better to hide it from me perfectly."
"......I thought you would be less angry if I told you this sooner."
"That being said, I know one thing, even if I don't know anything else."
"About what?"
"I'm not going to cooperate nicely with Sarah this time."
"......Urk."
Ethan said, placing a hand on Sarah's head, who swallowed a small moan.
"So try to get what you want without my cooperation."
"......"
Ethan didn't listen to Sarah's answer and turned around. Sarah no longer followed him. It felt like she was just standing there, but he didn't dare look back. After a certain distance, Ethan called for Jade, who was waiting for him.
"Sir Harper."
"Yes."
"No matter what happens, never take your eyes off Sarah. If you see any suspicious movements, hold on to her by any means you can."
"......Me?"
"Yes, you."
"How could I treat Countess Millen-nim, who is a great magician......"
"Block her by using your body. Because of Sarah's personality, she will never be able to turn away."
"I understand."
Jade made a grim face and nodded. However, as soon as he turned his back from Sarah, Ethan's face, which had hardened terribly, did not know how to straighten. The faint uneasiness seemed to squeeze his neck even more.
* * *
Meanwhile, Sarah, who was left alone, muttered, exhaling her breath she had been holding back.
"Calm down my heart. Why are you beating so fast?"
Although Ethan smiled as beautifully as before, her keen senses knew he was angry the whole time. Seeing the duke who smiled at her until the end while being angry with her, instead of terrifying her, it made her heart beat wildly.
"What if he looks cool when he's angry? It's a sin to look like that that when he's not meant to be my man."
She walked slowly, muttering that if this was Korea, she would have filed a complaint a million times. He said he would not cooperate with such confidence, so it was clear that he would be quite uncomfortable to use Ambrosia's power. However, she liked the way Ethan looked at her, even though he thought it was a headache. Her heart was fluttering with his sincerity. 'You can't do that without liking me!' was her idea. She had been suspicious little by little, then gave up, doubting, and then giving up, saying that there was no way. But at this moment Sarah felt a subtle conviction. Her mind was saying that this wasn't just a one-sided feeling.
"......You'll have to wait and see, Duke-nim. In relationships between men and women, it's more advantageous to realize it first."
Sarah hummed confidently.
* * *
Under the barrier of the Alton Estate, the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Duke of Ambrosia all gathered. The long wait had finally come to an end. Ilior, the Second Prince, approached Ethan and asked him, trying to hide his tension.
"Duke Ambrosia, could the magician who accompanied you this time remove that barrier?"
"Of course."
Although Ethan confirmed it, Ilior, who had never actually experienced magic, still could not shake his anxiety.
"If she fail, the alternative is......"
"If you leave it to her, shouldn't you trust her, Brother?"
The Third Prince, Eleon, saw Ethan Ambrosia's forehead narrowing with annoyance and quickly responded instead. Eleon, who vividly heard from Penelois and Elexa's testimony how great magic was, had a relaxed expression on his face.
"That's right, but."
Ilior nodded as he looked at Ethan, who was not pleased, but somehow looked down. Even if that barrier was resolved, it wasn't just the monters lurking in there. It was said that there were a lot of black magicians out there who claimed to take people's lives and increase their power. His soldiers and knights had never faced a magician. He had only learned the words of the magician that had been passed down through the records. Ilior leaned back quietly and tapped Eleon's arm.
"Eleon."
"Yes, Brother."
"Have you prepared for the black magicians in there?"
Eleon's eyes widened at Ilior's question. To say such a blatantly weak thing was tantamount to showing weakness. They were competing for the throne, so it was obvious that even if there was any information that Eleon knew, he would not give it to him, but there was earnestness in his attitude when he asked. The desperation of not being able to lose his people.
"I did."
"......!"
Ilior's eyes widened at Eleon's answer. Eleon smiled a little as he could see the friendly big brother playing with him before joining the race for the throne.
"Doing nothing is my contrast."
"I know well that you are wary of me. But aren't the people I lead also the people of the Crombell Empire? So......"
"It's not that I don't tell Brother because I'm wary of you. I'm telling you that it's not up to us to fight the black magicians."
Eleon's gaze turned to the magician approaching from afar.
"That magician will deal with everything."
"......I heard there's more than one black magician in there. There's only one person on our side."
"This is what Duke Ambrosia said. In the world of magicians, winning or losing is not divided by the number of heads."
At the words of Eleon, Ilior gradually got closer and looked at the wizard, whom he could see through the lower part of the robe. He could see the corners of her mouth raised with confidence. It was a mouth that reminded him of someone even though it couldn't be. As Ilior's eyes narrowed, he barely took his eyes off the magician when Eleon put his hand on his shoulder.
"Do you know who that magician is?"
"Yes. She's called the Great Elder of the magic tower. The actual Master of the magic tower."
"So, have you heard of how the magic tower decides the Master of the tower?"
"......I haven't heard of that."
Ilior's face hardened heavily. The magic tower was a mysterious organization that most people believed existed only in legends. It meant that the information about that place was very valuable. But it seemed that Eleon knew more than that.
"Woww!!"
"It's the magician! The magician is here!"
Then a shout of admiration was heard from among the soldiers. When he turned his head, a magician standing on top of a magic circle emitting azure light was floating in the air.
"......!"
Not only the soldiers but also the knights were watching the scene with their mouths open at the wonderful sight they saw for the first time. As the magician swung her hand, mystical runes erupted from her fingertips like chains. They came together to become one huge sword.
"It's magic! This is the magic to save Crombell!"
How strong was the pressure it exuded. Even those who did not know magic could easily understand it. It wasn't from the human realm.
Dudududu.
The ground vibrated. The horses on which the soldiers were riding were frightened and ran amok. Nevertheless, people forgot to panic and looked ahead blankly.
"......The, the barrier!"
It was because the black barrier, which had pushed everyone into despair so far, was vibrating as if it was trembling with fear. As if it knew what kind of ending it was going to face.
"How can a mere human have such power......"
Eleon smiled and spoke next to Ilior, who was muttering in disbelief.
"Do you understand now?"
"What do you mean?"
"This is how that person became the Great Elder of the magic tower."
"......"
Eleon continued, looking at the azure sword that slowly cut through the barrier.
"It is said that only those who can make all the magicians in the magic tower kneel down can rise to the position of Great Elder."
"......All the black magicians in there are from the magic tower."