A fortune-telling princess Chapter 139

Bang!

“Duke, Lady Camilla is here.”

Without knocking, Count Althon opened the door to the Duke of Escra’s office and stepped inside.

“Take a seat.”

The Duke gestured to Camilla without any additional commentary.

“What’s this about?”

Sensing a subtle heaviness in the atmosphere, Camilla got straight to the point.

“Do you know of the Tower of Guardians?”

“The Tower of Guardians? The one managed by the Mage Tower?”

She’d never been there, but it was a famous place.

The sacred site of mages, wasn’t it? Supposedly, the mana concentrated there was equivalent to the total mana spread across the entire empire.

“Why do you ask about it now?”

“It just collapsed.”

“…What?”

Camilla’s eyes widened slightly. How? The Tower of Guardians was treasured by the Mage Tower, and she had heard they maintained it with utmost care.

“There was an explosion.”

“An explosion?”

“The cause hasn’t been determined yet.”

“Wow…”

Her brother would be incredibly busy for a while, that much was certain.

Wasn’t the tower supposed to be indestructible?

She recalled someone mentioning that any damage to it would disrupt the quality and flow of mana, causing operational issues for the Mage Tower.

“What a mess.”

Still, the speed of this news was astounding. The explosion had apparently just occurred, and word had already reached here. The rumors about nations being riddled with informants must be true.

“It is indeed a mess—especially for the House of Sorpel.”

“Our house? Why?”

Because of Ravi? Had he sought help from the Duke of Sorpel?

As she mulled over the Duke’s words, she noticed his piercing gaze fixed on her, deepening her confusion.

“What is it?”

It felt as though something significant had happened.

“They say Ravi Sorpel was inside the collapsed tower.”

“…What?”

“He was inside, along with other mages.”

“Ravi…”

Unconsciously, Camilla clenched her fists.

“Is he… badly injured?”

“…”

“How badly is he hurt?”

“They haven’t found him yet.”

“What…?”

“The tower collapsed completely. They’re still searching.”

Camilla froze. For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped. Then, she exhaled deeply, breaking the silence.

“And?”

She raked a hand through her hair in frustration.

“What exactly is the situation?”

“We’re still gathering more precise information.”

“I see.”

Camilla rose from her seat.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“I have to go.”

“I’ll arrange the fastest way.”

“Thank you. But…”

Camilla shook her head gently.

“From here on, I’ll handle it myself.”

“…”

The Duke of Escra watched as Camilla left the room after a polite bow. Her calm demeanor only deepened his unease.

“Prepare a teleportation circle to the border immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Request cooperation from the Imperial Palace.”

“Understood.”

Issuing quick orders to Count Althon , the Duke cast his gaze toward the door Camilla had exited.

“…Handle it yourself, she says?”

Her decisive tone, as if drawing a line, prompted a short sigh from him.

***

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Jaynor, who had been resting in his room while Camilla met with the Duke, looked up as someone entered. It was Camilla.

“What brings you here?”

The fact that she’d sought him out first brought a reflexive smile to his face.

“I need help.”

“Help?”

Jaynor immediately stood and approached her.

“I need to get home right away. I thought you might have a way. Can you do it?”

For a moment, Jaynor studied her silently. Then, he walked to his desk and retrieved something—a mana stone.

Approaching her again, he shattered the stone and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Woosh!

In an instant, both of them vanished. When they reappeared, they were in a dimly lit underground space.

“Where is this?”

“This is a teleportation circle connected to the Fable Empire.”

Jaynor had brought her to the Kan branch.

“Should I take you to the Sorpel estate?”

It seemed there was more than one teleportation circle. Camilla looked at him in mild surprise. She had expected him to ask more questions, but he was helping her without hesitation.

“The Tower of Guardians.”

“Over there. Fortunately, there’s a branch nearby.”

Jaynor strode confidently through the expansive underground space, which contained dozens of doors. He opened one of them, revealing a glowing teleportation circle on the floor.

“Step into the center.”

“Wait.”

“What now?”

“The Tower of Guardians in Fable collapsed. Could the teleportation circle be unstable?”

Jaynor chuckled at her concern.

“Our circles are completely isolated from external mana flows. Don’t worry.”

Leading her onto the circle, he opened a small vial and let a single drop of liquid fall onto the floor.

The faint light of the teleportation circle intensified, swiftly engulfing them.

****

When Camilla opened her eyes again, they were in another underground space. Jaynor smiled at her dazed expression.

“Welcome to the Kan branch in the Fable Empire.”

“…We’ve arrived?”

“Yeah. Normally, outsiders aren’t allowed this deep inside. You’re the first.”

Jaynor took her hand and led her out of the space.

“Lord Kan!”

As they emerged, several individuals standing outside immediately bowed in haste.

“Prepare a carriage.”

“Yes, sir.”

At his command, someone quickly departed to make arrangements. Jaynor followed, with Camilla beside him.

By the time they stepped outside, a carriage was already waiting.

“The Tower of Guardians.”

“Understood.”

The carriage departed swiftly as soon as they climbed aboard.

Jaynor glanced at a document handed to him earlier, scanning through it quickly.

“So that’s what happened…”

“What is it?”

“Ravi Sorpel is inside the collapsed tower.”

“And no further news?”

Camilla’s question was met with a nod from Jaynor.

“We won’t be able to go much farther,” the driver said after a while.

The carriage stopped as they neared the Tower of Guardians. It seemed the area was under strict control.

Camilla stepped out immediately and gasped.

“…!”

She bit her lip at the devastating sight. The once-mighty tower was reduced to rubble.

Ravi is in there?

Her steps were heavy as she approached the site.

“You can’t go any closer!”

Soldiers stationed around the perimeter stopped her. It was a necessary precaution against further collapses.

“Maybe we should head to the estate for now,” Jaynor suggested. It didn’t seem like they could do much at the moment.

“No.”

Camilla shook her head firmly. She hadn’t rushed here just to wait idly for news at home.

***

“Camilla?”

A familiar voice called out to her. Looking up, she sighed in relief.

“Brother.”

It was Ludville. As he approached, the soldiers stepped aside, allowing Camilla to move toward him.

“What about Ravi?”

“Not yet.”

“No one else has been found?”

“There’s a problem with the mages.”

“What problem?”

“They can’t control their mana properly.”

The sudden shift in mana flow had thrown the mages into disarray, leaving them unable to assist effectively in the rescue effort.

“Even if we just knew where they were…”

Nodding at Ludville’s words, Camilla turned to Zeno beside her. He seemed to understand her unspoken request and nodded.

“Ravi…”

[Got it.]

Though humans couldn’t enter the rubble safely, ghosts faced no such barriers. If Zeno could locate Ravi and the other survivors, it would make their rescue significantly easier.

Wooong!

Just as Zeno was about to step into the ruins, a hum filled the air, followed by a burst of light.

Everyone froze as figures began to emerge from the glow.

“See? I told you! Changing the teleportation formula works.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re amazing, too, Senior! Adjusting to the mana flow and applying the formula like that!”

A mix of chipper and exhausted voices echoed.

“We’re alive.”

“Gods, I thought we were done for.”

Behind the chatter, more voices followed. Nine figures stepped forward—missing mages, now found.

“Report to the Mage Tower immediately—”

Ravi’s voice trailed off as he noticed the crowd staring at them. His eyes landed on one person, widening in shock.

“…Camilla?”

“…”

“How did you—wait, when did you—HEY!”

He couldn’t finish his question. Camilla had collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

“I thought you were dead!”

“…I’m sorry.”

For a long time, Camilla sobbed uncontrollably, like a child reunited with a loved one.