A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 471 Wearing Out Straw Sandals

Was Richard acting on a whim?

Yes and no, after witnessing the uprising, he was not "dumbfounded" as Libs thought, but rather pondered several questions.

He is an officer, a nobleman, and a spellcaster, but it is precisely these three identities that allow him to transcend the limitations of viewing the status quo from the perspective of a single identity.

He was well aware that the Imperial Army was not as pure and innocent as those retired officers believed, nor could turning the entire empire into a giant military camp solve the various problems of society at present.

What if these people succeed?

The Imperial Diet and the civil service, headed by the Chancellor, will be subdued by the Imperial Army. While they may indeed be more effective in the war, they will certainly not bring happiness to the people of the Empire.

It is crucial to thoroughly investigate how those minor nobles treat serfs. The numerous soldiers who will then distribute the spoils will transform the southern part of the empire, the former Valois-occupied territories, into something akin to Simalin, rife with slave production and a crude plantation economy.

The entire empire has lost the ability to stop the war. In fact, this is already the case, and the Chancellor's reforms are an attempt to restore the mechanism for voluntary truce.

No, this situation seems to overestimate these officers; they were incapable of proposing any decent plans and simply believed that the emperor was being misled and that treacherous officials were in power.

The solution is to eliminate the physical body.

Therefore, he must stop them; this is a responsibility bestowed upon him by his three identities.

Soldiers, nobles, and citizens of the empire must oppose this frenzied wave at this time, because he has realized that these disillusioned and dissatisfied soldiers will not bring a better future to the empire.

The Crown Prince's travels are protected by his own guards, and the military police in the capital should have already taken action—they can basically distinguish themselves from the imperial soldiers involved in the operation, since the two are not even in the same league in terms of manpower and pay.

Richard's real concern was that spellcasters might join the operation, including his former teacher, the necromancer, who had once served under him.

Like the spellcasters who were just killed, what will those members, who have lost the leadership of the necromancer and whose thinking is even more extreme than that of the retired officers, do?

The key figures of the empire, the Crown Prince, must be stopped from being held hostage by these people. This is the only crucial link Richard can intervene in.

The first thing Richard did after making his decision was to stop the fight. He didn't care whether they were friends or foes, and he put the threat of "I'll make you vomit until you die" on several people around him.

Fortunately, his understanding of "spell chain" was not thorough enough, and its power was not brought to its normal level, but it was still enough to make the Concentrator start spraying filth.

Because many people had been drinking, the room suddenly smelled extremely pungent. In such an atmosphere, vomiting was contagious, and those who were drunk were all club members.

So the fighting not only stopped, but also conveniently allowed most of Hench's friends to gain the upper hand.

"Henry, do you know where the Marshal's Mansion is?"

"He hosted me at his home."

"Alright, now you and the others go find him and report the emergency. I'm going to find His Highness the Crown Prince. As for Libs, you..."

"I'm in danger no matter where I am, but you're the safest person around." If it were any other noble girl, she would have to be more shy saying this, but she boldly quoted a line from "The Overbearing Mage Falls in Love with Me".

Fortunately, Libs quickly added, "Now do you believe in my prophetic abilities? I can help you find His Highness the Crown Prince."

Hench seemed to remember something and took out a medal from his pocket: "This was personally awarded to me by His Highness. Having it might help you verify your identity."

Two horses galloped through the ominous night shrouding the capital. Libs' eyes shone brightly, almost glowing, as she led Richard and successfully evaded the marching troops.

Military police have already reacted and begun to deploy, with some confronting the rioting Imperial soldiers in the streets.

In the darkness and with nerves on edge, it was unclear who fired the first shot, or even if it wasn't a gunshot at all, but once it was fired, a firefight ensued, and the resolute faces of the operatives were reflected in the firelight.

They also tried to persuade the military police by shouting, but the military police even brought out field artillery.

However, another group of rebelling soldiers achieved their goal—the empire's den of iniquity was set ablaze. It was magnificent, but it was a den of corruption, embezzlement, insider trading, and a scourge on the war, so it was nothing to regret for the soldiers who started the uprising.

A military headquarters and a supreme command are sufficient.

As the two rode their horses, they saw the Imperial Parliament building engulfed in flames between the buildings.

"Oh my god." Before Libs could finish her exclamation, they were discovered by the military police.

Clearly, the military police were unaware of the two men's intentions. They first issued a warning before aiming, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

"Hold me tight!" The colonel acted decisively and risked getting close to Libs. Just as the two horses were about to collide, he grabbed her and lifted her up. Then, he used [Mage's Hand] to help her sit behind him.

The reason for this is that his spellcasting ability has not fully recovered. Even with the help of the spell cloud, the shield he deployed could not protect the two horses.

Gunfire erupted quickly. Libs's original mount neighed, rolled, and knelt on the ground, while they broke through the encirclement despite the bullets.

"Oh no, that's your horse. It must be very expensive, right?"

Richard was in no mood for jokes or replies; the exchange just now proved one fact: the military police had no way to stop the magician's surprise attack.

Perhaps there are sorcerers around the Crown Prince; hopefully they can protect him well.

"You don't know teleportation magic?"

"Wow, Richard, you smell so good. The dry down is cedar and musk mixed with sweat. It's a pity that it's ruined by the drunkard's vomit in the room."

The experience of being ruined by vomit annoyed her.

"I think my mother is sometimes very good at judging people."

"What?"

She praised you for being brave and fearless, and for not being bound by common sense and worldly views.

"It doesn't feel like a good word."

With Libus's magical navigation, the two quickly approached the western gate of the imperial capital, named after Saint Clay, the northern guardian of the old empire.

At this time, with the military police heavily guarding the area, they could theoretically escort His Highness into the palace.

But as Richard and his companion approached on horseback, chaos erupted near the city gate. The attackers had chosen their moment perfectly—to create a disturbance as the convoy passed through the gate, leaving it in a precarious position.

The Crown Prince's carriage should be among them now. Neither the military police reinforcements nor the imperial soldiers involved in the operation have arrived yet; it is the magical glow that is flashing in the darkness.

As expected, the attackers were all mages, as were the defenders. They tried their best not to involve the vehicle, but they disregarded the military police and scattered the guard team.

"We can't ride horses here anymore." Richard dismounted, gritted his teeth, and raised the barrier again. He looked at the chaotic, forced-to-stop convoy: "Where is His Highness?"

This is also a problem that has plagued the attackers.

Libus unfastened her riding boots and took out a pair of straw sandals from a storage bag in an undisclosed location and put them on.

Richard was puzzled, but Libs' demeanor changed drastically after putting on the straw sandals; her eyes went from sparkling to seem to shimmer with endless light.

"Found it." She pointed to a simply decorated carriage.

"Is there no limit to your prophecies?" He felt that Libs could only see a vague destiny one moment, and then she could predict things with uncanny accuracy the next.

"According to the records of my ancestors, I must keep my eyes closed for two weeks starting the day after I wear straw sandals, otherwise I will go blind permanently."

"I haven't finished reading the new novel yet, so I need a handsome guy to read it to me. Hey, wait for me!"

At the critical moment, Richard had already rushed out, and Libs gritted her teeth and ran wildly behind him in her prickly straw sandals, heading towards the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)