9 Extra: Situation at Olinthus

Bang!

A loud explosion echoed throughout the castle, bringing a wave of panicked shrieks and yells from the surrounding area. Maids and butlers fleed to inform their masters of the situation, while the more powerful nobles that can use magic gathered at the scene.

An ominous premonition filled the nobles as they head deeper and deeper into the castle as they head closer to the most isolated room in the area. One could only find it if they knew precisely where to go and keeping a clear mind. The difficulty in finding the room is due mainly due to the meticulous magical arrays and hidden carved runes within the floorboards to intentionally lead any passersby or spies from entering that certain area.

However, currently, only the sounds of their hasty footsteps could be heard, heavily suggesting that the perpetrator of the explosion had long escaped. So, who led the stranger into 'that' room?

They soon got their answer in the form of a corpse of a skinny noble dressed in a garish white suit laying in the entrance of an isolated room. The back of the old man's neck was stabbed, leaving a clean fresh wound. Blood slathered the noble's chin and suit and he laid on his stomach with his eyes opened in horror. His mouth gaped open, either to say his last words or last scream of terror.

No one concerned themselves with the body, however. They were looking in the open room with only a small window shining a little natural light into it. It was peaceful despite the nobles crowding the entrance to peek into it. It was dreadfully peaceful.

Why? Well, it was simply empty. The mirror that had stayed in there for a year had finally escaped their grasp. The knowledge that they have monopolized within that mirror, or specifically, the man in the mirror, for eleven years, is now in the hands of possibly a different country.

The nobles murmured uneasily amongst themselves.

"Who took the mirror? Why is it gone!?"

"Shouldn't we be more concerned with the fact that our defenses are too weak!"

"Save that for another time! Where is it!? We must inform the Emperor immediately!"

"What're we going to do? Without it, we wouldn't gain more prestige!"

"If it weren't for a certain someone's idea of putting no guards as it would 'put too much attention here,' this wouldn't have happened!"

Soon the voices began from panicked to angry as the volume steadily increased, before being suppressed by a dominant force.

Emperor Jove's to be precise as he released his magical aura to pressure the nobles into being silent. At his side was a doting Empress Juno clinging to his arm. Both their faces were ignorant of the current matters and seemed to not feel the gravity of the situation.

One of the more brave and higher status nobles stepped up and offered his apologies.

"Y-your Majesty, the criminal who started the explosion, h-he took the mirror!" Emperor Jove showed no fluctuation of emotion. In fact, he did not seem worried at all!

Causing the nobles to become bewildered, Emperor Jove simply laughed out loud while his hand wandered on the waist of his wife.

"Don't fret, we don't need the mirror anymore!" The Emperor brazenly exclaimed and his wife nodding in vigorous agreement. The nobles were left baffled.

Was their ruler senile? He hasn't reached his 30s and he's already losing it?

Seeing the confusion in his people, the Emperor attempted to clear things up. "Our country is already one of the strongest and prosperous, we don't need that thing anymore!"

Slowly, the crowd began to realize that perhaps the Emperor was correct. Even without the mirror right now to ask questions, we would still be rich and prestigious.

The nobles began to regain their vigor and color, becoming convinced that they no longer need that dingy mirror.

Within a few months, the upper class of Olinthus would begin a nationwide search for the mirror as they started to get suppressed by other nations and their wealth had rapidly depleted due to low management.

If Rowan knew, he would be laughing gleefully while in the mirror, only mourning that he was not personally there to oversee Olinthus burning itself down.