Chapter 422

Chapter 422: The Traitor

Inside the royal palace.

“Kill! Kill him! He is no longer our beloved Master Merleau; he is nothing but a traitor who has defected to the enemy!”

“Damn him!! To betray our trust like this—we must execute this traitor and avenge His Majesty!”

Knights clad in armor and mages robed in spellcaster attire roared as they launched a furious assault of charges and magical attacks against the expressionless elder before them.

The man was emerging from the king’s bedchamber, behind which lay a scene of utter devastation. The royal quarters stood half-destroyed, scarred by charred remnants of fire magic and smoldering ruins. Corpses and bloodstains of guards and maidservants were plainly visible within.

Every living soul in the king’s bedchamber had been slaughtered by him.

Merleau’s robes were stained with crimson blood. Witnessing the blood on him and the carnage behind, the knights and mages who had arrived too late burned with greater fury.

Merleau—who had relinquished his roles as the kingdom’s Chief Mage and Dean of the Magic Academy just over a year prior—had suddenly returned to the palace. Summoned by the king, he had instead murdered His Majesty and reduced half the bedchamber to ruins…

Why had this happened?

Amid their rage, knights and mages alike were baffled. Why would Master Merleau—always kind-faced and smiling—commit such treasonous atrocity? His bond with the king had been brotherly, and the elder Merleau had never seemed the type to be bribed by wealth or power.

Had his entire persona before us been a facade?

Regardless, his actions were unforgivable!

A revered figure throughout the kingdom had transformed into the arch-criminal who assassinated the king… This shift from admiration to hatred was as incomprehensible as it was infuriating.

Driven by these emotions, knights attacked with bloodshot eyes while mages unleashed spells of every element…

The magic surged toward Merleau, only to collide with a transparent Magic Shield. Upon impact, spells dissolved into rippling layers of energy that spread across the shield’s surface before vanishing completely…

It was the skill “Magic Transform Shield.” Mrs. Ada, the Magic Academy’s Vice Dean, had learned this magic from Merleau during his tenure as Dean. And as its creator… Merleau wielded it with far greater mastery than Mrs. Ada.

The combined assault of over a hundred mages failed to produce even a hairline fracture in the shield, let alone shatter it.

After the mages’ volley, knights finally closed in on Merleau.

Just as they thrust spears and slashed swords in rage, the elder finally moved.

With a tap of his magic wand, violent winds erupted around him.

The gale’s force sent knights hurtling backward. The impact crushed chests and reverberated through bodies, leaving most coughing blood and collapsing, their vitality extinguished…

After all, this was the former Chief Mage—a being capable of facing a thousand foes single-handedly. Though the palace knights and mages were formidable, most were merely low-tier Class C or Class B combatants. Against him, they stood no chance.

Following the wind magic, hundreds of flame spears materialized midair, radiating searing heat.

“Fall back! Now!”

Recognizing the spell’s terrifying power, several mages screamed warnings to the knights.

But it was too late. Knights still reeling from the gale had no time to recover before meter-long flame spears tore through the sky toward them—

*Thud—thud—*

With sickening crunches, spears pierced chests, incinerating vital organs.

Most struck knights perished instantly; survivors suffered grievous wounds.

The power disparity was overwhelming—victory impossible. As this realization dawned, despair washed over the defenders. They instinctively retreated.

When the first broke ranks and fled, others followed.

Yet Merleau showed no mercy. Raising his wand again, he summoned another wave of flame spears…

Under his onslaught, fleeing knights and mages alike fell dead or wounded. Only a handful escaped.

Merleau did not pursue. Instead, he turned toward another section of the palace: the princes’ and princesses’ quarters.

Augmented by speed-enhancing magic, he arrived swiftly.

Other palace guards encountered en route proved no match for him.

And as Merleau rampaged through the palace—even targeting royalty—

“Mage Merleau, have you lost your mind?!”

A young woman in opulent attire arrived, her stern demand betrayed by trembling hands gripping a magic wand. Behind her stood reinforcements: palace soldiers and mages.

“Third Princess Silvia. Perfect timing.”

Merleau’s voice remained icy. Without further words, he raised his wand to attack.

“Protect Her Highness! Eliminate the traitor!”

Soldiers and mages summoned by Silvia surged forward to intercept.

“Stand down. You cannot defeat him.”

As combat loomed, space warped nearby, twisting into a translucent portal. A voice echoed from within its forming structure.

The familiar tone stunned all present—even Merleau’s expression flickered.

All turned as the portal solidified. Through it stepped a statuesque, breathtakingly beautiful woman.

“Teacher!”

Princess Silvia recognized her first, crying out in exhilaration.

Within three years, Magic Rainbow had risen to Chief Mage while forging close bonds with most royal heirs.

Silvia was among her dearest, having become her formal student.

The portal was a “Space Gate”—a spell allowing travel anywhere on the continent. Magic Rainbow had mastered it through years studying the Magic Academy’s ancient archives.