I made up magic and taught a world-destroying witch?

Chapter 100 Freedom Begins with a Caged Bird

"Power will not remain confined to the academy forever. What Grantham can teach you today, he may teach someone who wants to overthrow the throne tomorrow," the king said.

"Professor Grantham wouldn't do something like this for no reason," Grace said softly.

"No?" The king chuckled. "How long have you known him?"

"I can't say I fully understand Mr. Grace," Grace said, "but I believe he has his own judgment."

The king looked at her, and after a while, he turned his gaze back to the chessboard.

"Joseph Grantham is young, capable, and renowned; he's also the youngest archmage in the Empire. The more one has, the more one usually desires."

Grace lowered her eyes. She wanted to say that the Master was not that kind of person. The Master was probably most concerned about the projects and students at the academy. He didn't seem like the kind of person who was taking students to buy fish cakes today and was going to overthrow the throne tomorrow.

But these words obviously couldn't be said directly, and her father didn't need her to prove anything for Joseph.

"The Empire still appears stable," the King said. "The army guards the borders, the nobles manage the lands for the royal family, the church appeases its believers, and the Magic Association maintains the old magical facilities that haven't completely become obsolete."

But you should understand that stability only exists because everyone is currently in their own position.

The king looked at Grace and said, "The royal family controls the army and the law, but cannot command every church. The church has churches and believers throughout the empire, and cannot mobilize the army at will."

"The Magic Association controls mage qualifications, magical facilities, and most of the old-era technology. Although the Royal Academy carries the name of the royal family, it's often unclear, even to themselves, who the professors actually listen to."

Grace listened quietly.

She certainly knew some of these things. Border nobles relied on the royal army and also had their own territories and private armies. The church swore an oath to the royal family but would not allow any king to change its doctrines at will. The Magic Association took a lot of money from the empire every year and always said that the old facilities needed maintenance, so the treasurer continued to hand over the remaining money.

As for the Royal Academy —

The academy is nominally training mages for the empire, but its professors come from different noble, church, and association factions. Many programs cannot even be stopped by the king, because if the royal family gets too involved, the other parties will feel that the royal family wants to completely control magic.

Behind her older brother and sister, there were also different people standing.

Grace used to have no magic and no real right to participate in these things. But now things are different; she has learned new magic and become one of Joseph Grantham's students.

"Your older brothers and sisters were exposed to imperial affairs much earlier than you," the king said. "If they can also master new magic, the royal family will at least have its own power in the future, whether it's the army, the church, or the magic association."

It is important to know that the old magic is declining, the church's blessings are weakening, and the association has been unable to find a real solution.

No one will allow this power to remain solely in your hands.

"I will summon Grantham in a while," the King said. "A wise man should know how to choose."

"You want me to persuade the gentleman?"

"You are his student," the king said casually, picking up another black piece and standing in front of the white king. "He values ​​you, and that's your purpose."

Grace looked at the White King, who was almost at the end of his rope, and after a while, she said softly, "I understand your concerns."

"That's enough for today," the king said.

Grace stood up and bowed to the king. Just as she was about to leave the greenhouse, she heard the king's voice behind her again.

"Grace, don't mistake the little bit of trust between teachers and students for something that will never change in this world."

""

"I see.

"6

Grace stepped out of the small chess room. In the garden outside, there were many flowers she couldn't name. Some were sent from the south, some from the elven realm, and there were a few old-fashioned varieties that were said to require magic to bloom. But now the magic was insufficient, and those flowers hadn't truly bloomed for many years. Only the gardener continued to water and prune them every day, as if as long as they were cared for, they would one day bloom again.

As Grace passed a low, white pavilion, a series of hurried bird calls suddenly came from above. She stopped and looked up to see a blue-tailed finch flapping its wings vigorously above the pavilion, about to rush out of the garden, when it suddenly crashed into an almost invisible magical barrier.

The blue-tailed finch lost its balance and fell a short distance, then quickly flapped its wings and took flight again. It seemed not to understand why it couldn't get past the wall ahead, so it changed direction and crashed into that invisible wall again.

This is an invisible birdcage in the palace gardens, where many rare birds from all over the world are kept. The cages shelter the birds from the wind and rain, and also block out the sunlight. It's really hard to spot them from the outside; you only notice them when the birds inside try to fly out.

Grace stood there for a while, and suddenly felt as if she had always lived in such a cage.

Her father allowed her to do what she wanted, but there was always an invisible limit to that permission. Whenever she tried to fly a little further, the hidden fences would reappear, reminding her that she was still in a cage.

Just then, a long-winged seabird flew over the greenhouse. It probably flew from the direction of the distant bay, skimming over the glass roof. It used the wind to soar into the higher sky, as if nothing could stop it.

Grace kept looking up until the seabird disappeared from sight.

She felt that her husband should be like that too, able to walk freely in his own light, a path that no one in the world had ever walked before, without being constrained by others' disbelief.

Grace did not believe that the gentleman was someone who would willingly be controlled, nor did she believe that he would betray the empire for no reason.

The gentleman rescued so many people from the well and also saved the patrol team members who were bitten in Yachao Bay. Although he sometimes said things that were hard to understand and sometimes did things that were different from his own explanation.

Mr. Ke never truly gave up on those who needed help.

But my father didn't believe in these things, or rather, the person in that position wouldn't rely solely on belief.

That's probably how power works: when you see a bird, the first thing you think about is what kind of cage to use to ensure it doesn't fly off to places it shouldn't go.

What if one day she could have a sky of her own? A sky that didn't need her father's permission, nor the approval of the church or association.

A place that only she can control, where her husband can freely choose to soar.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Grace herself paused for a moment. Why would she want to have a sky she could control?

She was just a princess who couldn't even sense magic before, and until recently, the thing she thought about most every day was how to prove that she wasn't a completely useless person.

But now, she actually felt that if there wasn't a place in this world where her husband could fly freely—

Could she create one?

>