After receiving everyone's approval, Roman wasted no time.
Together with Jeremiah and Tower Master Velkan, he left Duke Jacob's estate and headed straight toward the Presia Magic Tower.
Every passing moment meant more lives lost somewhere in the kingdom.
There was no luxury of delay.
The teleportation project had officially begun.
The towering halls of the Presia Magic Tower bustled with activity.
Under Velkan's orders, messengers had already been dispatched across the Great Presia Dukedom.
Every available mage was summoned.
Not only the researchers of the Presia Magic Tower but also the mages stationed in the Ephor Magic Tower answered the call.
By evening, the enormous conference hall was filled with robes of every color.
Veteran scholars.
Magic engineers.
Rune specialists.
Spatial mages.
Mana researchers.
Young apprentices.
Every seat had been occupied.
At the center of the hall stood Roman.
Beside him were Jeremiah and Tower Master Velkan.
The room gradually fell silent.
Roman looked across the sea of mages before speaking.
"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice."
"As everyone here already knows, the Second Dungeon Breakout has begun."
"The casualties continue to rise."
"Our current defensive measures are functioning as intended."
"The Barrier Magic Orbs are working."
"The bunkers are protecting the people."
"But despite all of that..."
"...people continue to lose their lives."
He paused briefly.
"The reason is simple."
"We lack mobility."
A large magical map appeared behind him.
Several glowing points marked the locations of shelters.
Red symbols marked the areas where civilians had died.
Roman pointed toward the routes connecting them.
"Most casualties occur while civilians are trying to reach safety."
"So instead of improving our defenses..."
"We will improve our movement."
A murmur spread throughout the hall.
Roman continued.
"I intend to create a magical device capable of transporting large numbers of civilians directly to designated safe zones through teleportation."
For a moment...
The hall became completely silent.
Then questions erupted from every direction.
"A mass teleportation device?"
"Is that even possible?"
"How will the mana remain stable?"
"What about ordinary civilians without mana?"
"If the teleportation fails halfway..."
"The spatial distortion alone could kill people."
"And how do we maintain such an enormous amount of purified mana?"
The discussion quickly became heated.
Velkan quietly observed the room.
Jeremiah also listened carefully.
Roman raised one hand.
Immediately, the hall became silent once more.
"I expected every one of those questions."
He smiled faintly.
"And they're all valid."
He walked toward a large magical board and began drawing several mana circles.
"First..."
"We won't use raw mana."
"Raw mana is unstable."
"It contains countless impurities that make large-scale teleportation dangerous."
"We'll use purified mana."
"Mana that has passed through multiple purification stages until it reaches complete stability."
Several mages slowly nodded.
Roman continued.
"Second..."
"We aren't teleporting people immediately."
"We begin with objects."
"Then materials."
"Then living creatures under controlled conditions."
"Only after confirming complete stability will we attempt human transportation."
One elderly mage raised his hand.
"But maintaining a continuous teleportation channel requires enormous mana."
Roman nodded.
"That's why we won't rely on a single core."
"We'll distribute the burden through multiple synchronized mana cores."
"The output will remain balanced while reducing the strain on each individual core."
Another mage asked,
"What about destination accuracy?"
Roman answered without hesitation.
"We'll establish fixed spatial anchors."
"The device will never teleport randomly."
"It will only connect to predetermined locations that have already been calibrated."
The hall gradually became quiet.
One by one...
The doubts disappeared.
In their place
Excitement slowly emerged.
Roman looked toward everyone.
"This project won't be completed overnight."
"But every life we save will make these time worthwhile."
Silence.
Then
Tower Master Velkan slowly stood.
"I have nothing further to add."
He looked around the hall.
"From this moment onward..."
"This project becomes the Magic Tower's highest priority."
Jeremiah stepped forward.
"I'll personally oversee the spatial calculations and prototype development."
The gathered mages nodded one after another.
Soon...
The entire conference hall erupted into activity.
Research teams began forming.
Blueprints were unrolled across large tables.
Mana engineers started discussing purification methods.
Spatial mages gathered around Jeremiah.
Velkan immediately began assigning responsibilities.
Watching everyone move with renewed purpose, Roman allowed himself a small smile.
The first step had finally been taken.
Hours later...
The meeting finally came to an end.
Roman rubbed his temples.
Even for him, explaining dozens of complex theories without pause had become mentally exhausting.
He quietly left the Magic Tower and walked toward his room.
The corridors of the estate were unusually peaceful.
For the first time that day...
There was silence.
However
It didn't last long.
"Young Master Roman!"
A knight came running down the corridor.
He stopped in front of Roman before bowing quickly.
"The communication orb."
"His Holiness Pope Lucius Serapheal wishes to speak with you immediately."
Roman's expression became serious.
Without another word, he changed direction and walked toward Duke Jacob's office.
When Roman entered the office, Duke Jacob and Selena were already there.
The communication orb floated above the table.
Within it appeared the familiar figure of Pope Lucius Serapheal.
Jacob had already greeted him.
The moment the Pope noticed Roman, a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Greetings, Roman."
Roman bowed slightly.
"Greetings to you as well, Your Holiness."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Roman spoke first.
"What has happened?"
The Pope's smile disappeared.
His expression became grave.
"As you're already aware..."
"Our diplomatic discussions with the eastern territories have completely collapsed."
"They've officially rejected every proposal we offered."
"They've declared they require no assistance from either the Holy Empire or its allies."
The room grew quiet.
The Pope continued.
"We attempted to send several Holy Paladin units disguised as ordinary travelers."
"They were discovered."
"They were captured..."
"...tortured..."
"...and executed."
A heavy silence filled the office.
"They now believe the Holy Empire intends to invade them."
"They've severed all diplomatic ties."
The Pope lowered his gaze.
"The tragedy is..."
"Their situation continues to worsen."
"Reports indicate civilians are being slaughtered by corrupted creatures."
"Entire settlements have disappeared."
"Their casualty numbers continue rising every day."
"We even offered them Barrier Magic Orbs..."
"...construction materials for emergency bunkers..."
"...and medical supplies."
"They refused everything."
Roman remained silent.
His fingers gently tapped the armrest of his chair.
Finally, he spoke.
"Your Holiness."
The Pope looked up.
"I'll take responsibility for my kingdom ."
"There is no need to divide our strength."
The Pope listened quietly.
Roman continued.
"Send Captain Gabriel to reinforce the eastern territories instead."
"They'll need every capable warrior they can get."
"And as for diplomacy..."
Roman's eyes became calm and determined.
"I'll go there myself."
The room fell silent.
Jacob looked toward his son.
Even Selena's expression changed.
Roman continued,
"I'll travel as an official envoy representing both the Holy Empire..."
"...and the Clover Kingdom."
"If words from emperors and popes have failed..."
"Then perhaps it's time they heard someone else."
The communication orb flickered gently.
For several long moments
No one spoke.
Because everyone understood one thing.
Roman had just taken the first step toward a land that had remained isolated from the rest of the world for generations.