First Move, Checkmate: How Will You Respond?

“The Royal Magic Academy has been sealed off!”

A cry of surprise from somewhere sent the students into a flurry of panic.

Several students could hardly believe it, dragging themselves to the school’s main gate.

The gate could be opened, but a barrier had cut it off from the outside world.

No matter how the students pounded, the barrier remained unmoved.

The sudden appearance of a black barrier over the academy quickly spread throughout the Royal Capital, its influence extraordinary.

Countless journalists and mages gathered in front of the barrier.

The black barrier emitted wisps of black air, as if it had dyed half the sky black.

Its complex patterns, full of intricate details, filled every direction.

Inside the barrier, it seemed to be filled with filth and darkness, constantly sapping people’s energy.

Darkness swallowed everything cleanly, leaving only the panicked voices inside and outside the barrier, carrying a strong sense of weakness.

“What exactly is this thing?”

“Such an exquisite magic array… What kind of formation is this?”

Many headlines had already been reported, all without exception, related to the black barrier enveloping the Royal Academy.

What’s more, rumors have begun to circulate that this incident is related to Victor.

Although the academy was completely sealed by the barrier, communication was impossible between inside and outside.

But before the blockade, news of Victor kidnapping and intending to murder Professor Devon had leaked out.

This news quickly spread to the Duquois family.

Upon hearing this, Erica was bewildered. She had heard from Hennie just yesterday that Victor was not at the academy, so how could such a big event happen today?

More importantly, the leaked news stated that Victor had made his move against Devon Raser at the academy yesterday.

This was completely different from what Hennie had said.

“What exactly happened?”

“Did Hennie deliberately hide it? Could she be an insider?”

The more Erica thought, the more confused she became. She just wanted to go and see for herself what had happened.

But she couldn’t be reckless. The matter of urgency was to confirm whether her father knew about this.

She hoped her father could help Victor in this matter and suppress the impact of this incident!

Because Victor really made a big mistake this time!

Who is Devon Raser? Even in the noble circles, very few people know about this.

The Raser Family has a great influence in the south, they practically monopolize most of the businesses in the southern part of the empire.

This family has a strong ability to amass wealth, and those who are well-informed like the Duquois family, who hold high authority, understand more clearly the significance of the Raser Family to the entire Royal Family.

That is the main source of the royal economy.

Half of the money in the national treasury each year is given to the Raser Family, who in turn give back even more each year.

In other words, all the businesses that the Raser Family develops in the south are with the tacit consent of the Royal Family.

Because the Raser Family is related to the Emperor, the Emperor’s sister was married to the Raser Family.

The Royal Family granted the Raser Family privileges, and the Raser Family returned the favor with money.

It’s a win-win situation.

Erica didn’t know why Victor would attack Devon Raser, but she understood politics.

As the only daughter of the Duke, her father had always been training her as his successor.

Regardless of Victor’s motives, the fact that he had hurt Devon Raser was a reality.

To protect Victor, it’s necessary…

Not to let this matter reach the Emperor before the academy’s barrier is broken.

“The person who has the motive and status to let the Emperor intervene in advance…”

“Lady Cassana!”

Cassana Raser, after marrying the head of the Raser family and changing her surname, was the Emperor’s sister before that.

Although the Raser Family had a considerable amount of business to conduct every year, the lady of the house was not involved in commerce and lived in a city not far from the Royal Capital.

If the news had been received yesterday and time was spent travelling,

“She could reach the Royal Capital today and have an audience with Your Majesty!”

Thinking about this, Erica Duquois immediately set off to find Duke Rivierre. The maid, seeing her with a heavy expression and in a rush, stopped her.

“Miss, please don’t worry.”

“His Grace the Duke left a message for you this morning. If you were planning on going out to find him, he wanted me to tell you that he has already reached the city gate.”

“The city gate?”

Erica paused, somewhat puzzled.

What was her father doing outside the city so early?

Could it be… that he already knew?

Her heart was uneasy. At this moment, she felt like the only person kept in the dark.

Erica wanted to know more. Suddenly, she thought of someone.

Someone who might be related to this matter and who might deliberately be hiding something.

It had to be Hennie!

“She must know something!”

Erica thought to herself and quickly said to the maid:

“Prepare the carriage! Quickly! I need to go to the back hill of the academy immediately!”

She still remembered the place where she had a conversation with Hennie yesterday.

Erica had told Hennie that she would come again the next day.

If Hennie did not break her word, she should be waiting for her at the back of the academy.

If Victor really wanted to do something and seal off the academy, he wouldn’t let Hennie get locked in with it.

“Damn it! What is his motive?”

Erica clenched her fist and bit her lip.

She couldn’t understand and couldn’t investigate personally.

She hated this feeling of powerlessness.

It was exactly like the time on the volcano.

……

Meanwhile, outside the city gate.

Duke Rivierre stood at the city gate, hundreds of knights in silver armor stood behind him, and a few dozen people dressed like mages, carrying Magic Spheres and wearing hoods, stood by his side.

A strong sense of danger filled the area outside the city gate, as if war was about to break out.

Soon, a carriage surrounded by many guards arrived and slowed to a stop.

A knight opened the carriage door and laid out a stepping stool. A woman dressed in noble attire gracefully descended from the carriage.

She was very beautiful and well-preserved, but one could still see faint traces of age.

However, this did not diminish her extraordinary elegance.

As soon as she got off the carriage, she glared at Rivierre and questioned:

“Rivierre! What is the meaning of this?”

“Bringing your private soldiers and Mage Corps to block me at the city gate of the Royal Capital? You are quite bold!”

Duke Rivierre smiled kindly and nodded at her.

“Lady Cassana, nice to see you again.”

“I brought so many people here just to ask you to stay here a little longer.”

“I will let you into the city, but not now.”

Although Rivierre smiled kindly, there was a clear tension between them.

“Rivierre, don’t forget my status.”

“I have never forgotten, Lady Cassana, ever since you used your status to force me to marry you, I have remembered it up to now.”

Underneath Rivierre’s kind face, he spoke of explosive past events.

This story, which could almost be considered a secret of the Royal Family, was casually mentioned by Rivierre. The guards around Lady Cassana looked at each other in shock, not knowing whether they should continue listening.

However, upon hearing Rivierre mention this, Lady Cassana was suddenly furious and shouted:

“What do you mean by bringing this up now? Are you just trying to humiliate me?”

“I merely wanted to stop you for a moment to catch up, and to remind you, your last name is no longer Saul.”

Duke Rivierre waved his hand and a Mage Knight behind him stepped forward, infusing magic into the orb in his hand.

The magic energy swirled chaotically within the orb for a moment before materializing.

A table and two chairs appeared out of thin air from the ground.

“Please, have a seat.”

Rivierre extended his hand in invitation, taking the first seat himself.

Cassana looked at the Mage Knight, her excited emotions calming somewhat.

Duke Rivierre’s Mage Corps.

Strictly speaking, Mage Knight is a profession.

They are not mages, but becoming a Mage Knight is much more difficult than becoming a Mage.

They use costly magical tools to support their use of magic, and they also have to train their physical strength for a long time to assist in combat. This is what a Mage Knight is.

Even the cost of training one Mage Knight is a price that ordinary nobles cannot afford.

In the entire Royal Capital, only Duke Rivierre has such sufficient wealth and status to train such a corps under the Emperor’s watch.

In short, if Cassana wanted to force her way in.

She wouldn’t make it.

“I know why you’ve come to the Royal Capital, Lady Cassana. You want to seek an audience with His Majesty.”

The knight behind him had already prepared tea for Duke Rivierre, setting it in front of Cassana and Rivierre.

Only Duke Rivierre could entertain guests with tea at the city gate.

Cassana picked up the teacup with grace and said calmly:

“Devon is my son, and he is his own nephew.”

“He won’t just sit back and do nothing when something like this happens.”

“Don’t be impulsive, my lady.”

Duke Rivierre has not been in politics for so many years for nothing.

He continued to persuade her, his extremely affable demeanor easily calming Cassana’s emotions.

“First of all, you need to know who your son has offended.”

“Victor Clayvin, you must have heard of this name.”

Upon hearing this name, Cassana’s face flashed with a few traces of troubled unease.

No one knows a child better than their mother; she of course knew to what extent her son was arrogant.

“But Victor is just a Viscount…”

“He is now a Fourth Order Mage.”

Lady Cassana’s eyes widened instantly, wearing an unbelievable expression:

“No, how is this possible, even you haven’t…”

Duke Rivierre shook his head, chuckling bitterly.

“But the fact is indeed so.”

“If Victor is in the wrong, the Emperor will naturally punish him severely. But if the problematic person is Devon Raser.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but you should prepare for the possibility of losing him.”