Chapter 9: CH 9

Why is Siara there?

Without knowing what to do, the female magician hurriedly ran towards Siara, passing by the frozen Adandito.

“Hierian! What took you so long? What is this appearance? Can’t live like this!”

“Siara is Hierian?”

At the magician’s shout, Dianel and Adandito’s expressions stiffened simultaneously.

* * *

[The trip is over].

“Well, where am I?”

It seemed like I had arrived in Hyregia. The sudden release of Adandito’s barrier and my unexpected arrival in Hyregia were confusing enough, but there was something even more bewildering.

As soon as I arrived, an unidentified woman grabbed me and began incessantly scolding me.

“Hierian! What took you so long? What is this appearance? Can’t live like this!”

“What?”

“Why are you suddenly hiding your magic? You went to repair the magic pillar, so what happened?”

“…Well, I’m not a magician, you see.”

“Oh, it seems like there are issues with your memory… It’s an emergency.”

The woman made her judgment and muttered strange words.

“Emergency, emergency! Requesting support to the top floor!”

What was she saying? But more importantly, where was Hierian? As I tried to stand up to find him, suddenly, the magicians appeared one after another.

They were all wearing purple robes.

Hierian had said that only elite members who received the title of Grand Magician could wear purple robes, but all the magicians in front of me were wearing them.

In other words, these monsters, like Hierian, were blocking my path.

“Eek!”

They rushed towards me with a terrifying step backward. As I tensed up, expecting something terrible to happen, someone said with a sigh.

“I can’t sense any magic power!”

“Even if you’re an ordinary person, I can believe it, but…”

“I can sense the power of the fairy race.”

“Is this really Hierian, Izaya?”

The woman who had initially rushed towards me nodded with a serious expression.

“The magic power used during the movement belonged to Hierian. If you don’t believe it, measure the residual magic power.”

At that moment, someone cast a spell into the air. The magic power twisted and distorted, forming illegible characters. Immediately, sighs came from all around.

“…So it really is Hierian.”

“Hierian, what on earth happened to you!”

“Ah, to lose one’s magic power like this..”

Someone collapsed with a thud. The rest of the people either held their heads or murmured while looking at the ground, seemingly out of their minds. It seemed like a serious misunderstanding, so I quickly extended my hand.

“Hey, wait! I’m not Hierian, I-“

“Could it be that your memories have been manipulated?”

“Maybe Prince Dianel is behind this deception!”

“First, let’s take you to the infirmary! Your well-being is our priority.”

Deception? Infirmary? What are they talking about? I couldn’t make sense of the torrent of words pouring out.

Meanwhile, the magicians were preparing to cast magic on me.

Feeling overwhelmed by the situation, Izaya whispered to me as if to comfort me.

“Don’t worry, we’ll handle you gently so you don’t feel any pain, Hierian.”

Even a child wouldn’t fall for such words.

I felt a chill down my arm. I tried to think of a way to rebel, but I didn’t have the confidence to defeat dozens of archmages.

‘Any ideas?’

I intended to briefly investigate the whereabouts of Adandito and Dianel, but things got complicated. Absentmindedly, I touched the ring, the blessed relic of Eora that I had taken from the temple.

‘Yes, this is it!’

Divine power and magical power were opposites. So, if I truly were a Hierarchy, the moment I put on the ring, magical power, and divine power would clash.

To think I could make use of this ring in such a way. I had half a mind to show it to the mages in triumph.

A deep, composed voice came from behind the mages surrounding me.

“Stop it, please.”

“Adandito!”

Has his face ever been so welcome? I waved my hand towards him, raising my heel. Adandito also smiled gently at me, then regained his composure.

“Lady Siara is under protection at the temple.”

However, his words were immediately interrupted by several objections.

“Lies! Are you saying that Adandito kidnapped HIerian?”

“Of course it’s Hierian! He used the teleportation chamber that was designed for the administrators to use exclusively.”

“Yes, unless you provide us with the evidence we can accept.”

At that moment, Adandito walked briskly toward me and spoke.

“Lady Siara, would you kindly show them the ring for a moment?”

I nodded and showed them my left hand. The ring on my index finger emitted a faint light.

The mages seemed to recognize the ring, as their eyes subtly changed and murmurs spread among them.

However, the leading mage, Izaya, who still couldn’t let go of her suspicions, asked while adjusting her glasses.

“…There’s still a possibility that it’s a fake, isn’t there?”

She was persistent, and not just her, all the mages had their stubbornness. Even the silent mages behind them added their words one by one.

“We need to verify the authenticity of the ring.”

“And how were you able to teleport through the teleportation chamber?”

“Please provide proof of your identity.”

Izaya looked back at us and asked.

“Can you explain everything? Until you provide proof, the mages of the tower won’t budge from their positions.”

In a cold voice, Adandito spoke on my behalf.

“We can explain everything. First, let’s verify the authenticity of the ring. Lady Siara, would you mind?”

He gestured towards the ring with his eyes. In response to his question, I handed him the ring.

Adandito placed the ring on his large palm and took a deep breath.

A golden divine power rose from his palm like a flame. The small explosion caused by the residual magical power reacting to the teleportation chamber was a bonus.

The mages skillfully dissipated the aftermath of the explosion and sighed. Their murmuring voices were audible.

“The ring is genuine.”

“The divine power is substantial. It can’t be a fake.”

Izaya nodded and spoke again.

“Then how did you use the teleportation chamber?”

Adandito looked at me as if to ask for an honest answer. Since it seemed pointless to make feeble excuses, I spoke honestly.

“There was a magical surge in the underground of the temple. I was caught up in the surge.”

As soon as I finished speaking, sighs could be heard from various places.

“It might be a sign that the magical pillar is about to go out of control.”

“We need to investigate further.”

“Why was Hierian’s magic used?”

“He disappeared… What happened?”

Listening to their conversation, I also became puzzled.

“Hierian disappeared?”

“Yes. He suddenly vanished a week ago. And during that time, the magical pillar showed signs of going out of control, putting us in a difficult situation.”

So, that’s what this chaos was all about. I could understand their desperation.

“He valued the Pillar more than his own life, and now he’s gone.”

It was a voice smaller than the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, but instantly, the atmosphere turned chilly. The mages looked at me with sharp gazes, as if asking when I had sighed. One of them asked me with a voice filled with caution.

“Do you know Hierian?”

Oops, without realizing it, I acted too familiar. I made a mistake because he seemed so familiar. But there was a way out.

I smiled broadly and replied with an enthusiastic voice.

“Well, he’s a famous figure! I read about him in his autobiography.”

It was all thanks to Hierian’s insistence on reading his autobiography.

‘Read it.’

‘No, why would I!’

‘Won’t you read it?’

‘Of course not.’

‘….So you won’t read it? …I see. That’s a shame, you shouldn’t regret it.…’

His eerie laughter seemed to warn that something terrible would happen if I didn’t do as he said. When I accepted the book in an instant, Hierian patted my head and whispered.

‘Read it carefully. You’ll have a test.’

After that, he did give me a test. The questions were so difficult that I had to read the book a hundred times to pass the test.

Every time self-doubt crept in, a sinister laugh followed from behind.

Finally, after memorizing the book inside out, I managed to pass the test. The reward I received was candy.

‘You did well, Siara.’

The unwanted memory made my expression involuntarily grimace.

‘Just thinking about it makes my head ache.’

…Anyway, I should be grateful that I was able to escape this crisis thanks to it. I recited the memorized content one by one.

“Regarding the Loneliness of Administrators,’ on page 267, it says, ‘The Pillar of Magic is more precious than my own life.'”

With as much respect and awe as possible, I sparkled my eyes, and even the gaze of the mages became calm.

Even Izaya held my hand and sparkled her eyes.

“You are a unique person. I thought I was the only one who memorized his autobiography.”

I felt a sense of pride hidden in her expression.

A desire to correct the misunderstanding surged up within me, but I barely nodded my head.

“Well… That’s right! How annoying… No, I mean, how great you are, haha.”

“I’m glad to meet someone like me. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Izaya. I’m currently acting as the Magisterial Representative, but originally, I’m a mage who assists him.”

“I’m Siara. I’m currently staying in the temple.”

“The temple, oh, by the way, I still need proof of identity.”

I nodded my head with a troubled expression. I had never experienced a situation where my identity was unclear, so I didn’t know how to prove it to the world.

‘Even if it’s not in the family registry.’

As I was about to swallow a bitter laugh, Adandito stepped forward.

“You can prove it at the temple. Please give us some time.”

“Yes, of course. I apologize on behalf of misunderstanding you, Siara. I thought you were someone as brilliant as Hierian in the field of transformation magic.”

I knew better than anyone that Hierian was a genius in transformation magic. He could not only mimic the appearance but also the powers of the subject being transformed.

It was possible because almost all ancient races were under the domination of dragons.

‘Of course, including the fairy race.’

Moreover, this teleportation chamber could only be used by Hierian, so it was reasonable for them to mistake me for him.

‘But more importantly, where did Hierian go?’

I couldn’t understand what the kid who was always stuck in the tower was thinking. I furrowed my brows, worried, but Izaya took a step back from me and said.

“By the way, you’ve been standing for too long. As an apology, I would like to offer you accommodation in the tower. Is that okay?”

Without a chance to refuse, she smiled at me.

“I would like to provide you with a special room, Siara.”