Chapter 16: The gray mages

Tall perilous tower painted in a stunning gray, a color that did not go unnoticed in a castle that was covered in bright colors like blue, emerald and gold.

The palace had colored glass windows and doors carved out of the finest trees.

There were ornaments all over the palace. Most of the palace was so lavish that anyone looking at it would instantly want to admire it.

There could be thoughts of theft as well, but anyone who tries it would have to go through the complex security system that’s been in place since the olden times.

Touch the ornaments with an ill intent and you’ll be electrocuted on the spot.

The royal palace certainly had its preferences when it came to tormenting individuals.

But that was the brighter, lighter side. What stood before them was the darker side of the royals.

The gray tower of mages who, unknown to the world, had been carrying out different kinds of experiments that’d make the drug-but look pale in comparison.

’We have seen the work of mages all too well.’

It’s not that one needs human sacrifices to obtain, learn, and grow magical knowledge.

Sacrificing something to the true demons of hell who own that magic is the basic foundation.

But what is being sacrificed varies greatly: the assassins and dark mages of Elision give their blood and lives of beasts. The evil mages of the underworld kill humans and other intelligent species.

The people of Pantheon also have mages: but they do not pray to just any god.

In the pantheon which has many deities, there is one who used to rule over a part of the demonic realm before their ascension.

’They are called the Demonic God.’

A god who is demonic and yet holy at the same time, a contradiction that has the world’s largest cult following their doctrines.

’The demonic cult is a scary place.’

We, as a group, have yet to deal with them but I know all too well just what kind of people they actually are.

’We are going to cross paths inevitably. And since the Red Artifact is their holy relic, I’m uncertain what will happen when they find out someone like me has it.’

But Andrew knew all that was for the future. For the time being, there was something more important that he needed to worry about.

< "They are no different." >

The royal family was of a blessed bloodline. They were no ordinary people in a society where gods actually exist.

They are people of a different class than even the other nobles, and yet, in their own house, they have labs with people and children of different kinds trapped in prisons.

Mages with dark eyes were performing strange experiments on them, cutting their body parts, sacrificing it all to the flames of different colors.

They get a strange energy in exchange, and when they aren’t doing it, they do maths.

Complex maths that helps them use their powers in a more effective manner.

Sometimes, they use the human body to find their so-called twisted truths, and sometimes, they use drugs of varying effects to see what might happen to the body.

If there were strange drugs being circulated inside the palace secretly, there were also experiments happening out in the open.

But, that was a common sight in every place that belongs to the dark mages.

-Swish.

With their presence concealed, they moved through the tower systematically, their steps, their breaths, their movements unknown to the enemy standing right besides them.

They searched through the different halls and rooms, collected the evidence of the mages’ doings to use them later, and finally, at the top of the tower, they found people walking into a simple looking room with a weird feeling to it.

< "Split up." >

Spot felt a strange aura from the inside. She knew there were several mages in there. And there weren’t only the mages.

As the two of them went inside, they saw the room filled with mages wearing black robes. Some were covered in tattoo-like markings that actually signified their allegiance to certain demons while some of them were simple looking people.

Still, if one looked closely enough, they would see the unique darkness or shadow that was present inside the iris that should only have had their certain colors.

This darkness didn’t seem to be part of the eyes themselves. It was a foreign element that one can only understand as something beyond one’s understanding. Something that was, as they knew, demonic.

"It is time already."

"Where is that girl?"

"We shouldn’t be following someone who doesn’t even respect our time."

The princess wasn’t present here just yet. But the two knew she’s already inside the tower.

Wherever she was, she should be here soon.

< "Do you see that marking down there?" >

Andrew spotted something and pointed it out to his partner observing the same thing from the off side of the room.

She had seen these things, it was a spell circle. The lines were faint and it seemed like it had not been used in a long time, it was most certainly a spell circle that was inscribed on the floor a long time ago.

< "It doesn’t seem like they know about this." >

The people here, the dark mages who worship the demons for their powers, would not know the true powers that the spell circles contained.

Only those who understood the spells can draw out their true power and in this entire room, maybe this entire capital, the only one who could do it was the concealed man impersonating a drug dealing butler.

"She needs to be here soon."

"She asked us to find out anything about her missing brother and now she’s not here. Haa, all these royals are the same."

The mages weren’t happy that she was late right now, but the fact that they were waiting for her in the first place meant she was a significant individual to them.

Also, if the mages gathered here were her retainers, then the question of whether the princess was actually aiming for the throne would become more significant to them.

"She’s here."

-Step. Step. Step.

They all heard footsteps that were unmistakable to them. The way they rang in the halls and the way they fell on their ears was something they cannot mistake even if they wanted to.

They were unique... and they weren’t afraid.

"Gather around."

The voice that addressed the mages contained a unique authority as well.