"What is this supposed to mean?" Bart trembled as he held a stack of personal files.

"Young Master, you’re being targeted," the young assistant concluded.

Rorschach ushered the young assistant out of the guest room and said to the servant at the door, "He’s Mr. Bart’s assistant. He’s had a bit of a mental shock, so please take this young man to get some rest."

As he closed the door and returned to Mariano’s bedside, he felt himself pass through a Barrier. Elizabeth must have cast another ward on the room.

Bart looked as if he wanted to take the Curved Saber and skewer the list and all the documents. "Is it the Empire Council or His Majesty the Emperor? Who is it?"

"I don’t think this is coming from the top—at least not from either of them," Rorschach analyzed. "If the Emperor or the Empire Council wanted to sideline Mages from the south, they could just use official procedures to reassign you all. Besides, an assassination list targeting Mages like this... it’s too amateurish."

Rorschach suspected it was the work of some secret society or underground organization. The brutish attempt to eliminate southern Mages was a radical and childish act, almost laughable. Just as Bart had taken over for the deceased Finn, as long as the council didn’t change the appointment system for Town Mages, these assassinations were a futile effort against the Empire as a whole. They only served to accelerate the rate at which Casters were being depleted.

’Of course, I can’t pin all the blame on the Holy Mother Order.’ Rorschach recalled the Half-Elf who fought like a Gypsy Girl. Her style was more like that of a professional assassin who specialized in killing Mages up close.

Rorschach took the Curved Saber and examined it closely. Its design suggested it was from the Kingdom of Sand. The Enchantment was unusual, utilizing a technique reminiscent of gold-and-silver inlay; perfectly set Secret Silver Threads formed an exquisite Magic Circuit, and the blade was embedded with an exceptionally high-grade Energy Storage Crystal.

"This Mr. Mariano still hasn’t woken up, so we have no more leads," Ouyeni concluded after examining him.

Rorschach was troubled. "The question now is, should the wedding still go on?"

Bart was silent for a long moment before letting out a long sigh. "Whether it goes on or is canceled isn’t for us to decide."

Rorschach pressed the back of his hand to Mariano’s forehead and felt a slight warmth. ’Just as I thought. The Resuscitation Skill pulled him back from the brink, but it also gave an infection an opportunity to take hold. He’s running a low-grade fever now.’

Elizabeth promised, "I will inform the Secret Magic Tower Wertzburg of what has happened."

’To get our key witness back on his feet, we’ll need a real healer,’ Rorschach thought. He then said aloud, "Mage Mariano’s condition isn’t good. I’ll write to the Mages at the Tower of Forest." He was counting on Master Humboldt, who was known for his healing abilities, to have a solution. Whether he could be persuaded to come or would simply offer advice, however, remained to be seen.

The three Mages couldn’t stand guard over Mariano indefinitely, of course. Elizabeth, who seemed particularly skilled in Domain and Barrier Magic, dipped her Magic Staff in Yellow Crystal powder and drew a Barrier, then had everyone exit the room.

The lights in the room flickered once, and the atmosphere inside instantly shifted. Though nothing appeared to have changed to the naked eye, Rorschach’s intuition told him that stepping through the doorway would leave him frozen in place.

Mariano’s wound was already nearly healed, but the blue light from the Resuscitation Skill remained, forming thin, glowing strips. After Elizabeth finished her Casting, the pulsation of the blue light and the rhythm of Mariano’s breathing came to a complete halt.

"Time Magic?"

"No, I haven’t changed the flow of time, but everything inside the Barrier has been slowed to an absolute crawl. It can be maintained for over a day, and since I’ll be around, I can keep renewing it."

...

「Less than three days remained until the wedding.」

In the palace Meeting Room, Bart sat with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped together, not saying a word.

Rorschach was also present, both as a witness to the event and a friend of the groom, to give his report to Prince Otto, who had rushed to the scene.

"Only three days left, and something like this happens!" Otto slammed his fist on the table. His eyes were wide with fury. "We must postpone the wedding!"

Bart shook his head. "That’s impossible, Your Highness. There’s no such thing as ’postponing.’ A stop means an end to everything. You might as well just say cancel the wedding!"

"Let me ask you, you bastard, are you in love with Amelia or with her title? If you love her, how dare you put her in danger!"

Bart wanted to say that he could protect Milly, but the words wouldn’t come out. Over the past year, he truly hadn’t been a competent Caster. Without Rorschach’s special training, he would have just been treading water on his magical path.

He always made excuses about how busy he was, that he had no time for research and practice. Now, a sudden wave of helplessness washed over him.

Also at the round table was the representative from the Tower of Secret Techniques, Elizabeth, who was dressed in black gauze and a veil. "The Tower of Secret Techniques is willing to provide the highest level of protection for the wedding of Mr. Bart and the Princess," she stated.

The assassination attempts by unknown assailants targeting southern Mages had sparked immense outrage throughout the Tower of Secret Techniques. The majority of its members hailed from Bayern and the surrounding regions, and many Middle Level Mages and Great Mages were demanding a swift counterattack.

"Great Mage Humboldt von Alexander from the Tower of Forest is also scheduled to arrive in Wertzburg today. After treating the witness, Mariano, he can also help guard the wedding."

Rorschach had already contacted Master Kou Bo and Master Humboldt. The Tower of Forest, being located near the southern Black Forest, was also interested in the intelligence. Humboldt would be arriving via teleportation today.

The Prince was taken aback by the... caliber of Bart’s connections. His expression softened slightly. "And what about after? Will the death threats just disappear after the wedding? Will my sister not be affected?"

Bart, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Since the list targets Town Mages, I am willing to resign from my post after the wedding."

This way, his nomination as a trade representative shouldn’t be affected, but his hope of securing a seat in the Empire Council would become slim. By daring to resign from a council appointment, he would surely face retaliation when his qualifications as a candidate were reviewed.

Otto sneered. "You think it’s that simple? People are trying to kill you, your friend just killed one of them in response, and now you’re just going to quit?"

"I’m afraid the list is still out there, and there will be other assassins," Rorschach conceded.

Bart’s hands clenched into tight fists. The Magic Power in his body began to seethe as regret and anger surged through him, rushing to his head.

However, he didn’t lash out. Instead, through gritted teeth, he said earnestly, "After I resign, I will part ways with Milly for a time. I’ll apply to train at a Magic Tower and won’t return until I’m strong enough to protect her."

This was tantamount to giving up his future. Whether he would ever advance, and how long it might take, were complete unknowns.

’I really need to get out of here...’ Rorschach just wanted to escape the suffocating atmosphere. It wasn’t that he was turning his back on Bart, but that this was a decision he couldn’t make for him. If anyone were to ask for his opinion, Rorschach would only say one thing: ’Have you all forgotten about someone very important in all this?’

Just as he was thinking that, the person in question pushed the door open and entered. Amelia, dressed in a riding habit, had burst in past the servants who couldn’t stop her.

"Amelia? When did you get here?"

"I’ve been here since the beginning. I wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts first, so I waited outside for a while." The Princess’s aura at that moment was completely different from anything Rorschach had seen before. She must have just finished riding; she was covered in a light sheen of sweat, with damp strands of hair stuck to her face. The rest of her hair was tied back, giving her a strikingly resolute appearance. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

She stood tall, stepping up to the table like a Monarch announcing an irrevocable decree to her subjects. "Nothing will stop my wedding to Bart!"