I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 218

“Then please consider me as a wizard.”

“I’ve never heard that the Lady is a wizard before. Hmm.”

“I kept it a secret because I didn’t want to attract attention. I’m still not officially registered as a wizard.”

“Given the internal collaborator we’ve recently discovered, that’s fortunate. By the way, do you have any idea of your skill level since you haven’t taken the wizard exam?”

It seemed that General Panet and those around him were not very optimistic. They appeared to think of me as just a naive noble girl showing off a bit of magic.

“I’m above level 7. Just to clarify, I specialize in large-scale magic and tend to avoid delicate spells.”

“What!”

“Level 7? Is that even possible?”

“You can test my abilities by having me perform magic directly.”

Since levels 7-8 correspond to the expertise of a high-level wizard in both mana and technique, it was no surprise that everyone was shocked. After all, I was merely pretending to be humble; they shouldn’t be so surprised just yet.

Perhaps due to my confident demeanor, no one dared to refute me. General Panet spoke on behalf of the silent crowd.

“I would love to trust the Lady and include her in our full force immediately, but considering the stakes—hundreds, even thousands of lives—it seems a verification process is necessary.”

“Of course.”

General Panet appeared slightly relieved by my quick affirmation.

“First, please check the current situation.”

The General pointed to the map in front of us with his command baton.

The Northern and Southern Empires were facing each other, each based around their respective castles.

“Here, centered around the Senn River, our troops are facing the Southern army. While it’s not very high, this area is mountainous and serves as our border.”

“To launch an attack, we’d have to cross both the mountains and the river, making it difficult to engage in fierce combat.”

“That’s how it should be. However, the Southern Empire has been remarkably adept at avoiding our watch, launching attacks day after day.”

“It’s a simple thought, but could they have moved in using a magic circle?”

“That’s not something we overlooked. The Grand Wizard has been scouting the area, but nothing has been found.”

That was the expected answer, and it seemed General Panet wasn’t looking for my input on this matter, so he moved on.

“Here, there are two islands in the center. One is closer to our side, while the other is nearer to the Southern Empire. The island closer to the Southern Empire is likely being used as their base.”

“The problem lies with the other island.”

“That’s right. They have brought more troops than we can station on a single island. The Southern Empire has fortified this area so heavily that we haven’t been able to scout it, but I suspect they have a significant number of soldiers stationed there.”

“So they’ve claimed it first. The chances are high that the wizard is on the island closer to us, then?”

“Yes. To maximize the effects of magic, they would need to be nearby.”

Hmm, so the immediate concern is that island.

“If you understand, I’ll show you our position.”

General Panet got up to lead the way, and I followed him, with Tess trailing behind.

“Everyone else, carry on with your business.”

He waved off a few of his staff and the guards waiting by the door, walking beside me.

When he reached for my hand again, I nudged him with my elbow.

It’s inappropriate to do that in front of others.

Especially not during wartime.

Tess seemed to understand, pouting slightly before breaking into a smile again. His joy was so cute, even if it was a bit misplaced.

“The soldiers are stationed over there, and the supplies are in that visible warehouse. The heavy armaments are stored separately, and the wizard, knights, and soldiers are all stationed apart.”

“The base of the Southern Empire is hidden from view because of the mountains?”

“Exactly. Even during the day, mountains are still mountains, so it’s only natural.”

It’s likely the Southern troops can’t see us either.

“We’re heading to the watchtower now.”

After arriving at the watchtower, a fierce wind hit us mercilessly.

“I thought it would be warm, but it’s actually quite cold.”

“Still, the days with snowfall are few and far between, so it is relatively warm here.”

General Panet, who hails from Hollen, chuckled. He guided me through the castle.

As we passed by, Tess offered words of encouragement to the soldiers and knights we encountered, and their expressions noticeably brightened. If Tess hadn’t later claimed otherwise, I would have thought he had somehow brainwashed them.

As we entered a secluded area, the general asked,

“I’ve heard that the Lady possesses quite excellent qualities as a swordswoman. To what extent…?”

“She can easily defeat me.”

Before I could even speak, Tess replied proudly.

“Uh, um…”

General Panet looked somewhat taken aback. It was understandable; after all, he was up against Tess, whose swordsmanship was indeed impressive. Yes, it’s surprising.

“Thanks to His Majesty’s guidance.”

“She can easily defeat me. When Euseniel sets her mind to it—”

I added a humble comment, but Tess immediately contradicted me. He even flushed slightly this time and I elbowed him in the stomach.

The thud made a sound, but I chose to ignore it.

“Haha, hohoho.”

The general chuckled while stroking his short beard.

“This is quite something; the public’s evaluation of the Lady has been very lacking.”

He raised his faded golden eyebrows.

“Could it be that not registering as a wizard was part of your intention?”

“If you want to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies.”

When Tess mentioned that there were spies from the Southern Empire, I had put off registering as a wizard. Who knows? They might extract all the wizard information too.

“Hahaha!”

After a hearty laugh, the general leaned against the castle wall.

“It is an honor to meet the clever future Empress.”

I sensed that I would be staying here for a while, but I was relieved that the actual commander seemed to have a favorable opinion of me.