The Unified Empire's Seventh Fürst, Kristin.
AN: Prince = Fürst
At this moment, he was departing from the Imperial Capital, heading toward the City of Magic, Kribi. Surrounding him were elite warrior-guards, each powerful enough to fight a First-Class Mage to an even match—so long as it was at close range.
Kristin could feel the overwhelming bloodlust and vitality radiating from the warriors escorting his carriage. Although he knew he was traveling into the heart of humanity's magical power—the mage-filled city of Kribi—the presence of these elite warriors gave him some comfort.
He believed that even if those mages wanted to attack him, they would have to consider the strength of the warriors beside him who could hold their own against the strongest mage at close range.
As for why Kristin kept emphasizing close range…
Why not consider their odds at long range against a First-Class Mage?
Kristin could only say this—Christine could only say, "Don't insult the profession of warrior, and don't insult the profession of mage."
At long range, a warrior had absolutely no chance of defeating a mage.
In truth, when magic first developed, the gap between warrior and mage was not so vast.
Mages had mastered many marvelous spells, but because of casting delays, cooldown time between spells, and poor targeting precision, magic in real combat was… awkward at best.
It had firepower.
But not much.
As long as a warrior wore leather armor, they could withstand part of a spell through sheer physical toughness. Mounted on horseback, they could dodge spells while quickly closing the distance to the mage. A powerful warrior with a steel bow could even suppress mages from afar.
But this balance collapsed completely the moment some unknown idiot spread the knowledge of a certain spell—Offensive magic: Zoltraak.
Offensive magic: Zoltraak was swift, capable of single shots, rapid bursts, or wide-area suppression.
It possessed terrifying piercing power, and its casting delay had been reduced to the level of the simplest spells—almost no different from the moment one pulled the trigger of a crossbow.
Not only flesh and blood, but even a city wall several feet thick would be instantly pierced by a spell.
In this era, Zoltraak is a complete game-changer for combat classes other than mages.
Yet despite the overwhelming power of mages, Kristin felt no fear.
Because he was here as the Empire's representative. The Magic Association, no matter how mighty, had to show deference to the Empire. If not for the Empire's army of a million soldiers, then at least for the fact that the Empire was the first to support Serie in creating the Continental Magic Association—even donating an entire city as its headquarters.
Although that was thirty years ago, the Continental Magic Association is now training the most court mages among all kingdoms for the Empire in accordance with the contract, so on the surface, no one owes anyone anything.
Still, Kristin had not come with goodwill this time. The Empire disapproved of the Association's recent centralization of authority. They sent Kristin to negotiate, demanding that the Association President restrain herself.
But Kristin believed the situation would not spiral out of control.
After all, the Empire controlled the Association's primary funding. With a single decision, they could sever the Association's economic lifeline. Using this as leverage, the Association would not dare act recklessly.
Kristin's mission this time was to threaten budget cuts—to remind the Continental Magic Association who the true master of this land was.
Before sending him out, Imperial officials repeatedly warned Kristin to be cautious and composed—
to give the Association a lesson, but not to go too far.
They told him, as a Fürst, he must show the Association a cold, stern face, and never a friendly one, lest the association think the royal family was easy to mess with.
Kristin could hear the hidden message beneath those diplomatic words:
'Show displeasure all you want.'
'But do not attack.'
'Under no circumstances should you attack.'
Kristin let out a bitter smile.
He had never imagined that one day, he would be the one sent to Kribi.
In the past, to display the Empire's dignity and strength, every envoy to Kribi had been a towering general, riding horseback and brandishing steel.
But after the spread of Ordinary Offensive Magic…
They began sending the gentle, tolerant, singing-and-dancing Seventh Fürst instead.
The reason it was the Seventh Fürst, and not the First Fürst with the strongest succession rights, nor the Third Fürst who commanded the army against demons—was not because the Seventh Fürst excelled at diplomacy.
It was because he could endure.
Right now, the Empire had the advantage in public opinion. The Association had abruptly reorganized its branches across various nations without prior notice, implying interference in domestic affairs. Meanwhile, the Empire had always supported the Association without fail.
Even the Kaiser himself would have the upper hand arguing directly with Serie about this matter.
AN: Kaiser = Emperor
As long as Kristin can be patient and avoid making any diplomatic mistakes this time, the Empire can use public opinion to put the Continental Magic Association in a difficult position and unite with other kingdoms to suppress the Magic Association.
The method of suppression is also very simple: just withdraw funding, and the expansion of the Continental Magic Association can be slowed down while avoiding direct conflict.
All it required was the Empire to lead the way. Other kingdoms would follow, cutting funding to the Association.
At the very least, the Continental Magic Association would be forced into chaos, unable to manage its branches for twenty years.
Twenty years was enough. Enough for kingdoms to reclaim or absorb their regional branches one by one.
So he simply had to endure.
If public opinion dragged the Association down, its influence would weaken naturally.
Kristin had full confidence in his self-control. No one had ever made him lose his composure.
To pressure the Association, however, he needed an entry point. He could not walk in and immediately discuss cutting funds.
He needed a soft target.
After reviewing the Association's roster, Kristin immediately noticed the newly appointed Minister of Education.
Perfect.
Newly appointed meant unstable authority. Young meant inexperienced—easy to pressure. And she had been the instigator of the recent court mage repatriation incident, giving him a legitimate excuse to reprimand her.
After arriving in Kribi, Kristin quickly entered the Ministry of Education as the Empire's representative to begin his "visit."
To call it a visit was generous. He was here with hostile intent.
The moment he met her, he brought up the forced repatriation of court mages.
"Minister Aura, why did you insist that those court mages go to rural villages to teach? Do you not realize this is a grave waste of talent?!"
"What talent can a group of people who break their promises have?"
When Kristin arrived, Aura had been working. Kristin originally intended to reprimand her for slouching in her chair with her feet propped up on the desk, dozing off without any decorum. But he reconsidered—this was an internal matter of the Association.
Still, he did not expect that when questioned, this girl—this Minister of Education who behaved more like a lawless demon than a mage would merely glance at him with utter disinterest.
'This is how she treats the representative of the Empire?!'
Kristin's expression darkened, but he held himself back. His mission required patience and restraint. Victory was in controlling the narrative, not nitpicking over minor etiquette.
"Minister Aura, do you realize those court mages represent the dignity of royal families across nations? By ordering their reassignment, where are you placing the honor of the nobility?!"
"Merely insects. What dignity?"
Aura chuckled—light, disdainful, and arrogantly amused. Kristin's face turned pale. No matter how he studied her expression, he saw not a trace of deceit.
She wasn't pretending to provoke him.
She genuinely believed what she said.
Kristin was furious.
This wasn't how Kribi's mages behaved. This was how demons looked at humans.
And not even ordinary demons—this was the arrogance of high-ranking demons, the Great Demons.