A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 469 A Group of Insects

"Farewell." Richard silently nodded to himself, realizing that his mother was right.

"Wait a minute, you're a mage, right? I'm a witch."

Richard noticed that this person always had the ability to make him stop: "Madam, only female spellcasters exist. 'Witch' is a negative term." But if that's the case, does that mean the other person is also a spellcaster?

"That's your custom here. In my homeland, witches are very powerful figures. My ancestor, the first Grand Duke of Bohemia, was a witch with prophetic abilities! I inherited my ancestor's name and her abilities!"

A prophetic talent? Before Richard could react, Libs immediately pulled out another stack of cards from a place that couldn't be said outright. Richard couldn't help but want to complain, "Is that an alchemical storage bag sewn into there?"

Soon the girl insisted he participate in her card trick. Richard drew a card, and Libs stared at it for a moment, then looked at the back of her card: "Three of Swords, right?"

"This doesn't prove anything. There are people all over the place who can do this kind of trick. And isn't it time for the fortune telling and analysis next?" Richard had already unknowingly sat down next to Libs.

"Boring! You're just like everyone else!" Libs tossed the cards aside, pointing to her eyes. "My dad said you're a powerful spellcaster. Can't you see the special qualities of the Bohemian Witch?"

"Hmm, it looks very nice." He originally wanted to brush off this crazy woman, but then he couldn't say anything, because there really was a magical glow shimmering on his iris.

Libs continued speaking, but this time her voice became softer, and her tone changed from boisterous to coquettish, making Richard involuntarily want to lean closer to hear what she was saying: "Next, there will be an invitation for you to leave the ball. Refuse it, don't go."

Why?

"If you go, you will be in great danger."

The young man's expression turned serious: "I need to know why, how big is 'extremely'? Will it affect my parents and you?"

"What I mean by 'extremely large' is that it affects everyone! Everyone I've seen since the airship landed."

The entire capital? Richard wanted to ask more, but the only response he received was, "The true goddess of fate must blind herself."

Richard carefully considered Libs's words and then concluded, "Then you shouldn't have come."

"Only my father, Duke Crocker, will believe my prophecy! Everyone else is much the same as you, either laughing it off or being skeptical! Well, actually I came because I foresaw that the danger I was in was acceptable, and I came to see you at my mother's request. As soon as the ball ends tonight, I'll make a quick getaway."

She took out Richard's miniature bust—the first step in arranged marriages among the nobility was exchanging portraits of the man and woman, so Libs also had a "mini Richard." She stacked the miniature oil painting next to the domineering wizard romance novel published by Byrne, as if Richard were the cover character:

"Regardless, I must see for myself if you are worth saving. If you are as handsome in person as in the portrait, then even if there is no future for us, it would be good to take one last look before we part."

"So the evaluation results are out?"

"Not bad, he's qualified to be my designated male lead image template."

Richard's mother arrived quickly and separated the two with a few words—it wasn't a good thing for her son to spend too much time with this "wild barbarian girl".

"You old hag, I'm saving your son!" Libs said, stuffing dessert into her mouth while secretly making a face.

However, Libs's plan failed, and she never saw Richard again.

A bad feeling arose, and the duchess couldn't help but ask the servants in the castle. She finally learned from a doorman that Richard had slipped out.

Where did he go?

"It seems the young master rode there by himself. He left a message for the master and mistress saying he was going to the retired officers' club in the south of the city."

Damn it, only my father believed my prophecy after all. No, the prophecy was just an excuse for him not to go abroad. If he really believed it, he wouldn't have let my mother and me come here! Libs angrily pulled out Richard's portrait, but she froze, because what she saw through the "Witch's Eye" was no longer the menacing red light, but a chaotic mess.

He accepted the invitation, but his fate was altered? Was it because of my interference or some other factor?

Libs was still hesitating when Richard's vision faded and his face was perfectly revealed again.

"My prophecy has never changed like this before. No, I have to go and see!" Under the doorman's dumbfounded gaze, Libs directly ripped off the skirt that was in the way, revealing her hunting pants, and then tied up her long, curly hair.

She rushed straight to the stables: "Grand Duke Crocker's daughter requests a fast horse from the Dahlberg family!"

With a pull of the reins and a squeeze of the legs, man and horse galloped off and disappeared into the night of the manor.

The doorman felt a sense of déjà vu as the scene of the young master's departure unfolded before him.

Veterans Club, second floor.

A group of officers, some retired and some active duty, were making a deafening racket, their voices filled with the smell of strong liquor. All of them were wearing military uniforms.

The party was decorated with sabers, spears, and a huge map of the continent of Ferroren.

The organizer of the reception, retired Colonel Reuben, gave a passionate speech: "Our army is invincible! Our soldiers are unstoppable!"

Everyone cheered excitedly. But Ruben changed the subject: "But recently, we've suffered a series of defeats! This is unbelievable! Back then, my brothers and I fought against those arrogant barbarians! We even defeated short people with cannons and man-eating weapons, so why did we lose to the Valuans, whom we used to laugh at the most?"

Immediately, everyone else fell silent.

Ruben hiccuped. "Because...someone is holding us back, because someone doesn't want to see our soldiers continue to bring victories to the Empire! They are the civil servants, the corrupt elites, the parasites in our army."

He brandished his sword, pointing it out the window where a corner of the Imperial Parliament building could be seen: "The enemy is in the capital!"

Recently, a draft of what is said to be a reform of single-member constituencies has been released, and some details have drawn interpretation from some military officers. First, the constituencies of the Kingdom of West Marin are to go against the trend and not be split up but merged. This is a place where the fiefdoms of meritorious nobles and retired soldiers are concentrated, which is actually reducing the number of seats representing the will of the military.

At the same time, it also attempted to redefine the command of the army, requiring the Imperial Army Command to be accountable not only to the Emperor but also to the War Committee of the Diet.

"His Majesty the Emperor's health is no longer suitable for leading us. Now all power is in the hands of that prime minister! And behind him is a swarm of scoundrels, causing chaos in the empire. How can those pot-bellied, greasy-mouthed idiots govern the empire well?"

"To restore our glory, we must support His Highness the Crown Prince's early ascension to the throne, and return the Great Power, the Imperial Court, and the Imperial Household Agency! Furthermore, we must purge the scourges surrounding His Majesty the Emperor!"

In the midst of the commotion, combat hero "Colonel Turtle" Richard Hench was being held down, his face bruised and swollen, clearly having received a good beating.

Before him was an imperial military flag, its black, white, and red cloth covered with signatures and bloody handprints.

"The fate of the empire rests on this!" Ruben shouted, raising his arm. He then quickly drew his sidearm, loaded it, and pressed it against Hench's head. "You've only made a name for yourself before. You'll sign whether you want to or not! Think of your family, think of the mission of our Imperial Army!"

Hench spat out a blood-stained, broken tooth: "You son of a bitch!"

boom!

A shot rang out, and the second Richard arrived.

(End of this chapter)