I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The meeting resumed after the break. The discussion that had been taking place before the rest was hardly appropriate to ignite the same atmosphere again. Therefore, the first to gain the right to speak and rise from his seat was none other than Jeongjae.

“Esteemed members of the Imperial Assembly, I would like to first remind you that I am here not on my own merit but as a substitute for the esteemed members in the absence of their qualifications.”

Jeongjae bowed his head towards the left and right. The nobles showed no particular reaction to his words.

“However, I believe that the time has come for me to speak not as Harker’s or Jeffrey’s representative but as Grand Mage Park Jeongjae. May I do so, please?”

Jeongjae looked around, seeking permission, but naturally, no one opposed him. Rose, who held a position akin to chairperson in this unofficial Imperial Assembly, raised a hand and nodded.

“It seems there are no objections, Baron. Please, proceed.”

“Thank you, everyone. The reason the Assembly hesitates to reach a conclusion on this matter is clear. Even if it is concluded that there is no fault, the stain of disgrace that lingers behind could lead our Imperial Assembly to be seen as having not achieved a successful outcome.”

At Jeongjae’s words, those nobles who had just a moment ago argued against concluding the matter regarding Jenis began to nod one by one.

“Thus, I would like to bring a very distinguished observer into this discussion. I have urgently summoned someone during the break. May I introduce the Great Sage of the Magic Tower, Gwen Markelus?”

While there was some surprise at the appearance of an observer, there was no one to protest, and thus the attendance of the Sage in the Imperial Assembly was acknowledged. The doors of the Assembly opened, and Gwen, holding a staff adorned with a red orb in one hand, walked slowly to the center platform. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Gwen Markelus and the Great Sage’s staff she carried.

A moment of silence fell. Many members needed time to understand and process the situation that had just unfolded. Soon, the hall was filled with the hushed voices of nobles muttering among themselves rather than making official remarks.

“What she’s holding right now…”

“Wasn’t that the permission to export from the Magic Tower?”

“If she rises to the position of Great Sage, I believe there’s no need for separate approval…”

“At this moment, Gwen Markelus’s position is…”

“Of course, there wasn’t a declaration of her becoming the Great Sage. If there had been, everyone would know.”

Gwen cleared her throat loudly to calm the atmosphere in the hall. The members seemed to have collectively decided to stop whispering and turned their focus to the leader of the Magic Tower standing on the platform.

“Esteemed members of the Imperial Assembly, I am Gwen Markelus, the Great Sage of the Magic Tower. I suspect many of you are surprised by my presence here today. However, even if you are not surprised by that, most of you will surely be amazed at the staff I am bringing with me today.”

Gwen raised Reina’s red orb high, declaring. It was the powerful red eye of the Magic Tower, capable of piercing anywhere in the world outside the Demon King’s strongest barrier.

The radiant colors and mysterious aura emitted from the orb. There was no need for a mage to realize that this was the ‘real’ staff of the Magic Tower.

“As you all know well, I am certainly not the Great Sage of the Magic Tower. The only one eligible to claim the title of Great Sage is the one recognized by this staff. During my lifetime, no one who could do so existed. Not yet, at least.”

Nobles began to appear who were slowly starting to understand the reason for Gwen’s appearance in this place.

As they tensed, trembled with surprise, Gwen gestured for Jenis, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, to come up to the platform. Jenis stood awkwardly and slowly approached Gwen Markelus.

“And today, I declare to you. I, Gwen Markelus, will retire from the position of head of the Magic Tower as of this moment. Furthermore, I would like to announce something else to you here today.”

Gwen handed Reina’s staff to Jenis, who still seemed tense and dazed as she reached out towards the staff.

Everyone held their breath and watched the two. Jeongjae, Rose, and Margaret, who were already convinced of the results, couldn’t hide their tension when Jenis received the staff.

“It is my honor to introduce you to the new Great Sage and the new master of the Magic Tower.”

With Gwen’s words, the staff was passed into Jenis’s hands. The moment Jenis grasped the staff, her hand shot up as if pulled by the heavens.

Gwen stepped aside slightly to allow Jenis to stand in the center of the platform. At that moment, as the orb shone a bright red, dark wings unfurled behind Jenis.

Some members, seeing the wings of a vampire, gasped and prepared to flee. However, the truly smart nobles remembered that three of the strongest heroes were present in this gathering, and they realized that there was no need to be alarmed given that the three remained calm in their seats.

Jeongjae watched with a complex expression as Jenis withstood the powerful forces emanating from the orb, his hands clasped together. Rose seemed to have completely relaxed, sitting cross-legged and leaning back, watching as if it were some sort of theater while Margaret quietly scanned the entire hall for any humans making unnecessary commotion.

Jenis remained silent, still holding the staff high, her gaze locked on the orb resting at the staff’s end. The red light from the staff grew stronger, casting a red hue over the entire assembly.

Jeongjae felt as if he had entered a military base during a crisis akin to an alien invasion in an SF movie. The flickering red light that radiated throughout the assembly felt quite similar to the sound of sirens signaling a state of emergency.

“You are… you are…”

Jenis muttered softly to herself, a voice suddenly coming to her. A whispering voice, that of the staff.

“You are in love, little one.”

The staff spoke to her.

“That’s a bad sign. Love for a being of great power and wisdom is dangerous. It leads one to foolish deeds, and that doesn’t end as merely one’s own problem.”

“You, the ancient Great Sage, Reyna Serim, you are…”

Jenis spoke. Her whispered voice trembled lightly, only loud enough for her to hear.

“Whom did you love?”

“The most wonderful person in the world…”

“And what did you do?”

“I did the worst thing in the world.”

Jenis shook her head at the staff.

“So you choose only those who already carry darkness in their hearts. That’s why you don’t trust anyone too brilliant or too bright at all.”

The staff did not respond. Jenis exerted all her strength and struck the staff firmly to the ground.

Now, no red light remained. What stood there was only a half-vampire lady with wings spread wide and the staff of the Great Sage held in her hand.

Jenis boldly declared from the platform.

“Then this is mine!”

The atmosphere of the assembly flipped entirely. Now, it was no longer a matter of whether Jenis Harker should be punished. The very subject of the assembly was flipped to ‘the emergence of a new Great Sage,’ and in the face of this monumental incident, whether she possessed the blood of the demon race became a secondary issue.

As the nobles whispered in utter shock, the previously arrogant Rose leaped up from her seat and began to clap.

“Congratulations, Jenis Harker. This is not just a joyous occasion for you, but a grand celebration for our entire empire as we gain a new Great Sage.”

Recognizing the shift in atmosphere due to Rose’s actions, the nobles began to stand one after another to give Jenis a standing ovation. In an instant, she transformed from a subject of judgment into an object of reverence. Jenis adeptly looked around and bowed her head in acknowledgment. The little girl who had worried about not being recognized in the waiting room was nowhere to be found.

It was as if she had suddenly realized she bore the blood of a vampire; it was undeniably and evidently clear that the staff in her hands belonged to her.

She may be a bit young, but it was no one’s place to question whether that was indeed a problem—the staff had no business being judged by mere mortals.

They say turbulent times yield heroes. Or perhaps the heavens sent some revelation to stop the ever-more malevolent forces of the Demon King’s Army.

Everyone present instinctively sensed it. Another figure capable of entering the ranks of humanity’s final blessing—a grand hero leading this war—had now been publicly declared in this meeting. The fact that she, having survived against Rose while unarmed, now wielded the most powerful artifact in the world was clear.

“Is she someone I could possibly contend with…?”

Jeongjae muttered quietly. Margaret perked up her ears, heard Jeongjae’s muttering, and turned her head towards him. Jeongjae’s eyes widened as he realized that the Elven Princess had caught on to his gaze.

Jeongjae barely managed to whisper in a voice so low that even the person right next to him wouldn’t hear.

“Are we not focused too much on this side? How did you hear my voice amid the applause?”

Of course, it was possible that Margaret had not turned her head because she heard Jeongjae’s voice, but even if she didn’t, he thought it was no big deal considering he would have felt embarrassed if she did.

However, it seemed Jeongjae’s whispered words struck a chord, as Margaret suddenly flushed and turned towards him, visibly expressing her dissatisfaction.

Of course, Jeongjae wasn’t an elf, so he couldn’t penetrate the applause to hear Margaret’s words. The Grand Mage merely smirked and turned his head, looking at Jenis, who was bowing deeply and skillfully, all while folding her wings.

According to Rose, Jenis possessed her own physical abilities and was certainly not weak. No, even having endured multiple hits from Rose—who was quite powerful—without being harmed suggested that her resilience could even surpass that of the high-ranking officials of the Demon King’s Army.

Evaluating Jenis’s capabilities coolly, Jeongjae thought that while she hadn’t yet grown powerful enough to contest with him, with adequate practice and adaptation, reaching a similar level was not far-fetched.

And if Jenis solidified her position as the Great Sage of the Magic Tower and secured her status within the Hero Party…

“What will happen to my role…?”

Jeongjae found himself unable to suppress the words that slipped from his mouth. Even though he knew very well that Margaret would listen to those words.

Margaret glanced up at Jeongjae, who was sitting in a guest seat once again. The applause began to dwindle, and nobles were starting to take their seats one by one. Realizing that Margaret was about to open her mouth to say something, Jeongjae hurriedly conjured a sound amplification magic circle with his left hand, covering his ear.

In the now quiet assembly hall where the applause faded away, only Margaret’s voice could be heard clearly.

“Even if that girl surpasses you and becomes the most powerful being in the world, and even if you, for whatever reason, lose all your strength and can’t use magic…”

The Elven Princess slowly settled into her seat. Of course, her eyes were still locked on Jeongjae.

“There will be someone in this world who acknowledges your irreplaceable value. Even if you return to your original form, there will still be people who think highly of you. And I won’t be the only one among them.”

Margaret muttered expressionlessly, but to Jeongjae, it felt quite flustering. Since when had she been so proactive in saying such things? Overcome with sudden embarrassment, Jeongjae pulled the hood of his robe deep over his face, even though he knew full well there was no way to evade Margaret’s sharp gaze.