Lord of Charm



Kyojuro and Gyutaro were both True Magi and were pillars of the dynasty. Their deaths were a huge loss for the Nikkokuni Dynasty. They were around 600-700 years old and still had a few centuries to live. 

Coupled with the deaths of other 2 magi lately at Elizabeth's hands, the dynasty lost 4 magi in under a year. Every magus had many responsibilities, and the death of four magi at once created a gap in the dynasty's forces.

"The enemy's Expert Mages, disguised as normal merchants, launched an attack simultaneously around the border. Since they all sneaked attack, they killed hundreds of Expert Mages at once, and next massacred the lower stages. Around 60% of our casualties happened on the border."

"I assume they canceled the magic circles?"

"Yes. They destroyed them from the inside, and the three of us came to stop them. However, we were held back by 10 True Magi and 3 Grand Magi. At first, we could resist with the help of the magic circles, but after the mages destroyed them, Gyutaro and Kyojuro sacrificed their lives to allow me to escape and warn the palace."

"What about the other magi of our empire? Did you ask for reinforcements?"

The Empress could guess the answer but asked anyway.

"We couldn't, they had one Darkness Magus that jammed the mana, and it was impossible to send any messages outside. We couldn't stop him because of the other magi."

"How many of our potential magi did we lose?"

Potential magi were mages who were deemed to have the potential to advance to the Magus Phase. Out of the potential magi, only 10% or so would actually become a magus.

"217 out of the 420 potential magi got killed. It means they killed around 20 future magi. 5 of the dead were Low Elite Humans and one was Intermediate Elite Human."

Elite humans eventually became magi at least 50% of the time, so they were a great asset that was worth investing in and had much better chances of becoming Grand Magi in the future.

"I see. Everyone, I'm sorry for your loss. Did they break the rules of war?"

The main rule of war was that magi couldn't massacre mages and magicians. 

"No. They only used mental pressure on our Expert Mages and trapped them from running away."

"Damn them. I will take revenge; I will speak to the other dynasties to plan it. Did the Assassin Order participate in the attack?"

The Order was forbidden from participating in wars between empires. If they did, she could recruit the Incan Empire to her side.

"No."

She sighed in disappointment. She couldn't say that her fight with Sukehiro was the Order's intervening in the war because she was the one to initiate the attack on their base.

"All right. I want you to check the ID and the real stage of everyone who joined the military and the Imperial Guard in the past year. If anyone seems suspicious, run a background check."

"Yes, Empress."

The meeting was over, and everyone dispersed. Everyone was in a heavy mood; they knew there was going to be a war soon. Even as magi they could die in a full-scale war.

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Kisuke and Hanako ate lunch together silently. They lost their libido after hearing about the nearing war, and Kisuke was quite upset about Tanjirou's death. He was in the palace when the attack started and was slayed easily as a magician.

"So it's only me and my two brothers left in the race to the throne. But first, we need to survive this war."

Hanako said without much enthusiasm in her voice. She was playing with the food on her plate with her chopsticks without eating it.

"I'm sure we will survive. Isn't our empire the strongest empire out of the three?"

"It is, but it's also the weakest at the same time. We are the strongest because we have the most magi in the continent, but we are the weakest because we are three empires in one. We only help each other when we are in dire straits."

The Chijakor Empire had 140 magi, and that's the number on the surface. It was twice the number known in the Amistrys Empire. Because of the relative strength of the three dynasties, none of them agreed to be one under the other, and they only agreed to cooperate to survive against the other 2 empires.

There were a few more dynasties in the Chijakor Empire, but the three big ones didn't take them seriously; they mainly saw them as colonies. Those small dynasties would have to obey their commands anyway, so it was difficult to see them as independent.

"What about the Third Princess? I heard she was powerful, why didn't she come with us to the mission?"

"My sister is special. Unlike ours, her father lives in the Xia Dynasty. When my mother visited there for a few weeks many years ago, she fell in love with a prince there. When the prince found out that Mother has many husbands, he refused to go with her to Nikkokuni."

"Why didn't she agree to give them up like you did for me?"

"I'm afraid my mother isn't the romantic type, and that prince wasn't as important to her as you are to me."

She smiled at him, and they rubbed their knees against each other under the table.

"She refused to give up the rest of her harem, and the prince remained there. My sister, Kagura, has moved there to compete for the throne under Mother's encouragement. They rarely have an Empress there, and Mom wants her to change it."

"I see."

"By the way, there will be a search on everyone who joined the Imperial Guard in the past year, and you will probably be checked too. Apparently, the Amistrys Empire infiltrated our dynasty and there are many spies now. Do you need me to cover for you and prevent them from checking?"

Hanako asked him in an uncertain voice. She realized that he came out of nowhere. The possibility that he was a spy who was above the third stage when he joined the Imperial Guard was more likely than that a commoner became an Intermediate Elite Human with neither guidance nor resources.

By offering to cover up for him, she meant that he could confess to her if he had to. She will make sure he will be fine as long as he truly becomes hers and forgets his origins.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. They can check me."

"Okay, prepare your ID then. Because you're so close to me they might check your background too. If you change your mind, I just want you to know that you can come to me any time."

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

His plan was simple. He could just charm the ones who come to check his ID if they weren't magi. As for the background check, his contact from the empire already told him that his fake mother really existed and will be killed to hide his lies if needed.

If those guys weren't completely stupid, then they have already killed her. Since he was covered from all fronts, he didn't fear an investigation.

He did feel bad about the old woman's death, but he didn't know her and never met her. He was also not the one who killed her, so he could close an eye and pretend he had nothing to do with it.

'I'm not the one who killed her, and I never asked someone to kill her. It's not my fault.'

He thought to himself and quickly changed the subject.

"How about we go on a date tonight?"

Hanako looked at him in surprise. They didn't do anything other than training ever since they came back and learned of what happened in their absence.

"Sure, it can be a nice change of pace."

She wore a happy smile and agreed.

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The two lovers came out of a theme park after having fun together. It was quite exquisite; they rode on Kamikaze water slides made and maintained by True Mages.

The mages there created all kinds of fun rides as slides, hot springs, pools, roller coasters, and obstacle courses. They had fun for 3 hours and never had to wait in line thanks to Hanako's status as a princess. Her bodyguards made sure of that.

They dried themselves by making the water float away and went to have dinner in a restaurant in the city.

"Gale, come meet me in the herbs shop three hundred meters from you to the east."

Kisuke barely stopped himself from looking around in surprise. It has been a while since he heard his real name, and the owner of this voice was even more surprising. It was none other than his missing mother!

"Sweetie, I want to buy some herbs for my magic practice. Do you mind if I stop by and buy some?"

"Why do you need to buy them? We have many at the palace."

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, so the bodyguards won't hear.

"I don't want the guards to know I take resources for the Darkness element. I can buy some anonymously here, so it will be much better."

She thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"You can go. I will make the guards stay with me. Do you need coins?"

"No, I'm good. I received a large amount from the palace when I moved in with you."

They shared a kiss and Kisuke left to meet his mother again.

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