The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

The powerful strength of the new Queen Lena Ardenia was the most important factor in surviving the attack of the huge herd of monsters and changing the owner of the crown. It was also of great help to the Sages of Hildebrunn in destroying the magic circle that connects the monster realm to this world.

Lena and Kahel, not forgetting the help of the Sage’s village including Dashar, sent a lot of support to them, and Luahalla, who became Kahel’s strong ally and new Crown Prince, also recognized the Sage’s village as an autonomous territory, as promised. Thanks to this, the villagers of the Sage’s village were finally living peacefully.

Elder Hersh and others built a magic line to defend the territory, and those who like small things created new medicines by mixing raw materials that can be obtained from nature. Some studied the interaction with animals, others studied the weather.

However, Dashar, the most outstanding wizard in the Sage’s village, has been researching monsters, monster realm, and black magic since that day. Despite Hersh’s insistence that it was too dangerous, he was immersed in research, saying, ‘We must make sure that no one tries to seize the monster’s power again.’

And the people who helped the research the most was none other than the Queen of Logos.

“How have you been?”

“Sage, Dashar! Thank you for coming all the way here.”

“Long time no see.”

Dashar, who stopped by the Royal Palace after a long time to extend the study period in Revanas, recalled ‘that day’ while looking at the royal couple who seemed to have grown stronger in the meantime.

Even after sending a letter saying that the great magic was heading towards the Capital from the northeastern part of Logos, when he couldn’t contain his anxiety, he unexpectedly received a reply from Kahel. He asked Dashar to call him whenever Dashar needed to, but he never thought that the noble Duke Luave would be so willing to ask for help.

-As you said, there is a high probability that the swarm of monsters is moving. However, since it is difficult for me to move, there is something I want to ask of you. I have requested troops from Crown Prince Luahalla, so I hope that you and the Sages will search Revanas and destroy the place where this magic is starting. I don’t know exactly where it is, but there must be an important point of interest related to monsters in Revanas.

I’m sorry for making such a difficult request. I will never forget this kindness.

Kahel seemed to be genuinely sorry, but Dashar was more than willing to answer his request. In return for defeating the herd of monsters attacking the Sage’s village, he had alleviated some of his curses, but he thought that the price was too light compared to everyone’s lives.

Dashar and Hersh, who had chosen the Sages who were relatively strong in the village, left the maintenance and defense of the village to Alcantura, Hersh’s teacher, and headed to the border. The soldiers sent by Luahalla were waiting there.

They entered Logos through the Sharden Territory and attacked Revanas with the troops in Sharden. At that time, the capital had already been attacked by the hordes of monsters.

Kahel didn’t mention any specific points, but as soon as Dashar stepped into Revanas, he immediately knew there was something in the land. It was because he could see with his own eyes the flow of magic that flowed throughout Revanas. Seeing his eyes gleaming silver, Hersh tensed.

“There really is something here.”

“Magic energy that is not of this land is flowing through the territory. It’s from over there.”

Dashar pointed to a dense forest. However, they entered the forest and soon engaged in a battle with the troops garrisoned in Revanas. It meant that something was hidden there. It was only natural when that many soldiers came out of the seemingly quiet and ordinary forest.

However, quite a number of soldiers also fell helpless in front of the magic wielded by the Sages. And at the end of it all, seeing a different scene, Dashar and all of his companions were shocked to the point that they were unable to speak for a while.

At the bottom of the huge cave, a large magic circle was swirling in purple, and next to it were two Santella family members, who had exhausted all their magical powers. Even the cave was divided into two floors, and on the lower floor where the magic circle was, the monsters called by the magic circle were jumping into another portal magic circle. It was clear that that was the portal to Ardennes.

“First, we must destroy the magic circle that summons the monsters!”

Dashar, who was the first to come to his senses, summoned the Sage’s, positioned them around the purple circle of black magic, and began the purification ritual. However, because the magic circle that summoned the monsters was an old magic, the rate at which it lost power was too slow. The cry of the knights who had gone to see the situation underground was even more desperate.

“The monsters keep coming out of the portal! It’s almost like the magic circle and the underground portal are connected! If we don’t destroy the magic circle soon, Ardennes will be in chaos!”

“What? This is going to be a big problem!”

It was when Hersh was thinking of risking her life to reverse the magic circle’s magic.

“Take down the cave.”

“Dashar…… ?”

“If the ground collapses, the magic circle will also be disturbed, so it will stop working. It would be best to leave it as it is and use it as evidence of the crimes of the Santella family, but I don’t think now is the time to argue about that.”

“But it is not easy to find traces of ancient magic this old! Apart from being a product of black magic, it is a very important relic.”

But Dashar shook his head.

“No matter how important it may be, it cannot be more important than the countless lives of people living in the present. So, let’s call it an ancient greed, not an ancient relic.”

With those words, the Sages suppressed the curiosity that was rising within them. They wanted to sit down here and study the principle of that magic circle, but as Dashar said, this could not be more important than the lives of people or the survival of this country.

And fortunately, it was much easier to destroy the cave than to extinguish the magic circle through the purification ritual.

“Everyone get out! We will destroy the cave soon!”

Dashar evacuated the Sharden knights, the troops sent by Luahalla, and even the villagers. Then, he began to slowly look over the old incantations supporting the cave, with his eyes gleaming silvery.

A rustling sound was heard, and the ground shook, and cracks began to spread over the magic circle that had not yet extinguished the purple light. And after a while, the cave floor cracked and collapsed with a roar. The black magic circle that summoned monsters, as well as the portal to Ardennes, broke, and the cave, where Margella poured all her energy into it, vanished in vain.

Margella, who was not aware of this fact, poured even her own magical powers into the portal as the hordes of monsters that no longer come no matter how many times she called, and she drained herself.

Rather, she had lost her magical power to protect herself, and Margella was only seen as a delicious snack to the summoned monster.

The dark magic circle, unknown how long it had existed, was destroyed. But in order to prevent this from happening again, Dashar was researching the dark magic circle in the cave he had destroyed. He would not be allowed to do so without the strong trust of the Queen and her husband.

The reason Kahel and Lena allowed such a dangerous research was because they knew Dashar’s sincerity. The boy, who originally loved small animals and nature, saw for himself how dangerous magic could be, and thought that such a thing should never happen again. Now that Lena’s power is strong, the same thing won’t happen, but even if the Queen in future generations had weaker powers, there must be a way to stop the monsters.

“Did you find out anything?”

“The level of research is still minimal, but it is certain that the magic circle was created at least 2,000 years ago. Personally, probably…… I wonder if that magic circle was the channel that brought the first two beasts to this earth.”

The white-winged beast and the black-winged beast were monsters. In order for them to appear in the human realm, when they should exist only in the monster realm, there must be a passageway through which they can move between dimensions, and the magic circle in Revanas’ cave was sophisticated and huge enough to summon such a huge power.

“Are you sure the magic circle will never work again?”

“That is for sure. Even if someone glued together all the fragments of the cave’s ground, it would be impossible. Once cracked, even if glued together, it cannot be the same as before it was broken.”

“That’s good then. Perhaps…… Is there any other place like that in this world?”

“I don’t know. And that’s why I’m continuing this research.”

Lena nodded her head at Dashar’s words, and she agreed to extend his stay in Revanas. Meanwhile, Dashar, who was looking at Lena and Kahel with silver eyes, said,

“Both of you are very stable.”

“Hmm? Well, we don’t feel it much, but if you say that, maybe it is.”

Kahel replied with a happy expression. The bright expression he had never seen in them before was proof that they had changed. Dashar smiled happily.

At one time, they were two people wrapped in mysterious seals and curses, but now they are coloring the surroundings brighter than anyone else with a dazzling power. Magical power, ancient words, and formulas danced happily over their bodies and flowed freely without stopping anywhere.

And most of all, it was really nice to see the magic of the two of them blending together so smoothly as if they were longing for each other. The wave of golden power emanating from Lena and the wave of purple power emanating from Kahel intertwined and melted, dispelling the surrounding insidious energy and protecting the other. It didn’t seem like it was meant to be. Unconsciously, their heart for each other always kept some of their strength away from each other.

‘Beautiful…….’

It was an enchanting scene enough to look at for hours. Others would have agreed with Dashar’s opinion if they could see all the flow of power in this world.

“The Revanas residence permits will come out tomorrow morning. Would you like to have dinner with us tonight?”

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

“We are honored to be with the famous wizard.”

“Thank you. To Logos be infinite glory.”

Dashar bowed his head to the benevolent Queen Lena and followed the attendant to his room. As she walked down the sunny hallway, Dashar followed with silver eyes as a ray of the woman’s divine favor and concern revolved softly around his body.

She was such a powerful, benevolent and wise Queen that at least during the reign of this woman Logos would be full of glory, Dashar had no doubts.