Fire Mage-Chapter 713: Path of Monarch

Chapter 713: Path of Monarch

Duke Andy Griffon stood abruptly, anger flashing across his face.

"Who are you? Captain William, why did you bring strangers into this hall without my permission? Can’t you see we’re discussing how to stop the Tyrant’s invasion?"

Jessie muttered under her breath, a trace of pity in her voice. "So they made a child the family head—a scapegoat."

As Andy prepared to erupt, Captain William bowed low and said, "My lord, these guests are no ordinary visitors. They are led by Queen Rhea herself, alongside powerful allies. They come in peace to resolve past grievances."

A hush fell over the hall.

"She’s Queen Rhea?" Andy’s eyes widened as recognition finally dawned.

With a stiff expression, he stepped away from the table, walked toward Rhea, and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty," he said, his voice laced with surprise and respect. "Please forgive my earlier words. I didn’t recognize you."

"Hmm," Rhea said, her tone frosty. "Calling me a tyrant, colluding with the Iron Tower, and causing harm to the Kingdom—that’s treason, Duke Andy."

She raised her hand and conjured a sword of pure ice, pointing it at his neck.

The gesture was elegant, almost gentle, yet the pressure it emitted made Andy’s knees buckle.

He tried to resist the crushing power pressing down on him, but his legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.

For the first time, he felt the unmistakable presence of death. He tried to call out for help, but no sound left his lips.

All around the hall, nobles and members of the Griffon Family stood and knelt, their faces pale.

"The only reason you’re still alive is because you’re just a puppet in someone else’s game," Rhea said coldly. Her gaze shifted across the assembly.

"The Griffon Family—and every house that supported them or the Iron Tower—will be stripped of their noble status. You are now commoners. All your lands will be seized, and your wealth will be taken as compensation for defiling the Kingdom’s name."

Her declaration sent a wave of shock and dread through the room.

"Furthermore," she continued, "the Griffon Family’s patriarch, its elders, and all Mystics ranked above Rank-3 will be executed a month from now in the Capital—an example to every noble. The remaining members of the Griffon Family, and their supporting houses, will be exiled from the Kingdom for the next two hundred years."

"What about the Iron Tower?" Jessie asked. "Didn’t their Mages play a major role in this as well?"

Rhea opened her mouth to speak, but Runeth stepped forward.

"Mages don’t usually meddle in the affairs of mortals, lass. If not for that white-haired man and Sasha, the Tower wouldn’t have cared about this conflict. I intend to recruit the Mages from there into Rhea’s forces."

Rhea hesitated, considering his words, then gave a slight nod.

"Captain William, I’m appointing you as the temporary Governor of this city. Arrest everyone connected to this incident and imprison them," Rhea said calmly, her gaze steady. "As long as you do your job, I may reward you handsomely."

She turned to Charles.

"We can go find the Destiny Tower now, Mr. Charles."

Charles gave a silent nod and turned around without a word.

At that moment, Runeth retrieved a communication ring from his space ring and contacted Zera.

"Send all the Rank-4 Mages to Dreamforge City immediately. Also, inform the Royal Knights and the High Priestess to assist the new Governor, William, in securing full control over the city."

"Let her handle it on her own, old man," Charles said, glancing at him.

"It’s not that I don’t trust this girl’s control over her kingdom," Runeth replied. "But this city is the stronghold of the rebels. We’ve taken it by force, yes, but hearts don’t change overnight. Once we leave, the people may rise again. And what do you think Captain William would do if that happens? Remain loyal to Rhea?"

He snorted.

"Of course not. That man was the first to switch sides when things turned sour. He even helped us subdue the Griffon Family without bloodshed."

He paused, looking toward Rhea, then shook his head.

"She’s a kind-hearted monarch, no doubt. But she knows little about politics. She lacks trusted aides and loyal subordinates. If not for the Rebirth Tower’s power and our intervention, she would’ve been a puppet Queen of Iron long ago. Even without that Divine’s interference, the nobles would’ve eaten her alive."

Though harsh, his words rang true. Rhea’s face flushed with embarrassment.

"I—I’ll do my best to become a good monarch, Sir Runeth," she said, following closely behind him.

"A monarch doesn’t strive to be a good person," Runeth said coldly. "That may sound cruel, but a ruler must look far ahead and crush anything that blocks their path. If I were king, I’d unite the nearby kingdoms by any means necessary, form an empire, and then conquer the rest of the world while I’m still strong."

"World domination?" Even Charles was taken aback. "You do realize that’s nearly impossible, right?"

"Hmph. You’ll regret it if you don’t act when the opportunity comes. Give your enemies the slightest opening, and you’ll lose everything—your people, your kingdom, your life. There’s a legend... those who conquer the world will unlock a new path. But I never had that chance when I was young."

A faint note of regret crept into his tone.

"Now that I think about it—your real name was Runeth Axius Rit’zyk, right?" Charles asked. "You were an emperor once?"

"No," Runeth replied with a bitter smile. "I was the fifth prince of an empire called Zeon. But conflict with the elves, and other human nations, tore it apart. The empire became history. I lost my wife and left the Easica Plane for good. I only returned to retrieve a few items and rebuild my spell model."

As he finished, they arrived at the mansion’s entrance. He shook his head and added, "No point digging into my past. Let’s go take over the Destiny Tower."

Charles and the others nodded and began releasing their wisdom power.

"Do you know where the Destiny Tower is located?" Runeth asked.

"Yes." Charles nodded and slowly ascended into the sky, flying toward the northeast.

The group soared above the landscape. Below, the city faded into the distance, replaced by thick, sprawling forests.

Soon, they spotted it—a towering white pillar-like structure rising over 400 meters into the sky.

But something about the scene felt wrong. There was no sound, no movement. Not even birds.

Charles narrowed his eyes.

"There are seven small beings wandering in the woods," he said. "Nothing else."

Runeth and the others also sensed them and frowned.

"Hmm. Strong magical radiation is coming from the tower’s top. That could explain the absence of birds and animals. As for those seven creatures, they may have mutated to survive this environment."

As they flew closer, they saw the tower resembled an ancient metallic pillar, spanning over a hundred square meters in width.

It was in poor condition. Cracks ran across the upper and middle sections.

A strange circular pattern lay a few dozen meters from the tower, drawing their attention.

"This looks like a teleportation circle..." Runeth muttered, lowering himself for a closer look. "No—this is a ritual circle."

Thirteen stone pillars surrounded the circle. His brow furrowed.

"I’m certain of it. It’s definitely a ritual circle."

As he scanned the area, Jessie pointed at the base of the tower.

"Something’s over there!"

They approached and saw a closed metal gate at the tower’s bottom. Though the surface bore sword marks, it didn’t appear to have ever been opened. No lock. No gap. Just an unbroken metallic surface.

Strange symbols and depictions of bizarre creatures were engraved across the gate.

"How do we open it?" Charles asked, frowning.

"Maybe this book can help?" Rhea suggested, pulling out a golden-covered book and the Ruler’s Key.

"I don’t think so," Jessie interrupted. "Didn’t Titus say we should only open that book after reaching the final layer of the Destiny Tower?"

Charles stepped closer to the gate. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Hmm, this holds some secret from the past." Placing his hand on the surface, he activated his Past Time ability.

He closed his eyes and peered into the past—one year, a decade, a century, a millennium...

Then, suddenly, an invisible force blocked his vision.

"I can’t see its past," he said quietly, stepping back.

"Let me try something new." Charles moved forward again and activated [Mythos Decoding].

His Sage’s Eye revealed the engravings in a new light. Among hundreds of symbols, thirteen stood out, along with seven clear carvings of animals.

"Thirteen symbols... and seven animals," Charles murmured.

Runeth’s eyes widened. "Those seven creatures we saw earlier... they might be sacrifices to activate the tower. But what do the symbols mean?"

Charles examined them carefully.

"The first one represents... the Sun?"

He moved to the next. A circle with six dots.

"These dots... they resemble stars. A symbol of the Circle of Life... Life?"

Next, he studied a symbol depicting a divided sun.

"No, that’s not a split sun. It’s Day and Night... a symbol of the Goddess of Day and Night?"

The next was a blood moon.

"Moon God Anos..."

He continued decoding:

"An Eye—probably the God of Wealth.

Then Truth... Order... Wisdom... Dream... Death... Storm... Earth... Twilight Sky."

"What do they represent?" Rhea asked.

"I doubt the man who orchestrated all this did it without reason. If I’m right, he wants you to gain control over the entire world before entering the Destiny Tower. You’ll likely need Divine Badges from all thirteen churches."

"World domination...? You’re not joking, are you?" Charles asked, frowning.

"I told you—a new path opens to those destined to dominate. I believe Rhea’s ancestor wants her to walk that path. The Pathway of Monarchs."

"Monarchs..." Charles recalled the Star Monarch and felt a connection. "This must be the same pathway."

"I’m getting more interested in this unique path," he said thoughtfully.

"Don’t ask me. I don’t know much either," Runeth admitted. "But from what little I know, the Monarch Pathway is incredibly rare. And we shouldn’t blindly trust this ’Ledger’ just because Rhea is his descendant. Worst-case scenario, he might backstab her at the last moment to steal everything."