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Inside the small storeroom within the Duke’s manor courtyard.
“You’re here,” Queen Isola said, standing before a full-length mirror. She turned to face the Duchess and Alice as they entered the storeroom.
“Your Majesty, is the magic mirror ready?” The Duchess surveyed the full-length mirror, then clicked her tongue in admiration. “Your Majesty’s craftsmanship has truly advanced. What a dazzling work of art!”
“Enough,” Queen Isola replied with a faint smile, dismissing the Duchess’s jest. “This is merely the mirror you purchased; enchanting it won’t change its appearance.”
“Your Majesty, have you dispatched any spies to other nations besides myself?” the Duchess inquired.
“So, you’ve already guessed,” Queen Isola responded.
“Indeed. You must have provided that spy with a magic mirror to maintain contact.” The Duchess nodded. “It’s quite disheartening that Your Majesty didn’t prepare one for me.”
“Magic mirrors crafted by the same person can communicate with each other,” Queen Isola explained calmly. “If I were to give both of you magic mirrors simultaneously, you would become aware of each other’s existence. Should one spy be captured, the other would also be imperiled.”
“Her mission is far more perilous than yours,” Queen Isola continued. “Moreover, that individual is not as trustworthy as you, so I only provided her with a magic mirror as both support and supervision.”
“May I ask, Your Majesty, who is this person undertaking the mission?” the Duchess pressed.
“The Wild Witch, Samira of Lily of the Valley Hills.”
“A Wild Witch?” Alice instinctively questioned.
“A Wild Witch refers to a witch without national allegiance, not listed in the Starry Night Kingdom’s Witchcraft Registry. You, for instance, could loosely be considered one,” the Duchess explained to her.
“They typically become witches by inheriting knowledge from older Wild Witches, then, once independent, they construct their workshops in remote wilderness areas to live in seclusion. Hence, they are called Wild Witches.”
“Wild Witches are not under the jurisdiction of the Starry Night Kingdom, yet many still worship the Witchcraft Sect’s Goddess of Fate. They regularly attend the witch gatherings held in Starry Night City. As I’ve told you before, the Starry Night Kingdom occasionally employs Wild Witches for various tasks.”
The Duchess then turned back to Queen Isola. “I never imagined you would employ Samira for a spy mission. That woman is notoriously ambitious and utterly untrustworthy.”
“Precisely because of her ambition, I can utilize her,” Queen Isola stated.
“And what is her mission? Is it perhaps similar to mine?” the Duchess asked.
As spies, witches possess two formidable weapons: the precognitive ability to evade danger, and the charm to sway hearts. Employing charm to conquer a high-ranking official and then exploit their resources, much like Patra does, is the most efficient method.
“The content is similar, but the stakes are different,” Queen Isola said, pausing. “Her target is the King of the Winter Kingdom.”
“She… she wants to become queen?” Patra’s eyes widened. “Wait, I recall the King of the Winter Kingdom remarried last year. Could she be the one?”
“Yes,” Queen Isola confirmed. “Samira didn’t initially undertake this task due to my employment. The Winter King’s queen passed away five years ago, and Samira, upon learning of this, set her sights on the position of his new consort.”
“She intended to manipulate the king and seize control of the nation. She proactively sought me out, offering her services and hoping I would provide resources to help her ascend. In return, once she controlled the Winter Kingdom, she would secretly become an ally of the Starry Night Kingdom.”
“So, you invested in her?” Patra asked.
“Precisely. And she succeeded,” Queen Isola replied. “Unfortunately, when the Empire took action, she hadn’t yet amassed much power, rendering her largely ineffective.”
“In terms of sheer audacity, one truly must admire her. I recall the King of the Winter Kingdom is famously suspicious,” Patra nodded. “If she now controls the Winter Kingdom’s resources, she would be a steadfast ally for us. However, with Your Majesty now departed from Starry Night City, whether she will uphold her promise remains a question mark.”
“It was precisely to ascertain that point that I created the magic mirror to contact her. If she fails to uphold her word, we will threaten her by exposing her identity,” Queen Isola stated calmly.
“I see. In that case, there’s no time to lose…” A hopeful smile spread across Patra’s face. “Your Majesty, it’s not yet advisable for you to perform divination, so allow me to do so on your behalf.”
Queen Isola nodded, yielding her spot before the mirror. Patra stepped forward and placed her hand upon the mirror’s surface.
The image within the mirror was suddenly engulfed by a layer of mist, rendering the entire surface a blurry white.
“Watch closely, Alice. Witches of the Eighth Order, ‘Diviner,’ and above are capable of performing divination,” the Duchess instructed, not forgetting her teaching duties even at this moment.
“Divination, simply put, is the active exercise of precognitive ability to glimpse fragments of the future or uncover a truth from the past. Lower-order divination can only gain precognitive revelations through astrological rituals.”
“However, those of mid-order and above can directly perceive the results of divination through a reflective surface—be it a mirror, a water surface, or a crystal ball. But if it’s a magic mirror crafted by a witch of the Divine Order, even you could directly perform mid-to-high order divination.”
Alice gazed silently at the magic mirror. The white mist within churned ceaselessly, completely obscuring any reflection. This swirling fog seemed like an unseen hand representing the laws of the world, concealing an unpredictable future and unknown truths. The witch’s divination was an act of pushing that hand aside through sheer will.
Soon, the Duchess’s face lost its color, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Alice realized that divination indeed seemed to demand a significant toll.
“Did we not receive a response?” Alice whispered. The Duchess had already explained the function of the magic mirror to her.
“Divination is quite time-consuming. The fact that divination can be performed here indicates the other magic mirror exists. Even if there’s no response from the other side, the magic mirror can still divine the reflection of the other mirror at this moment,” Queen Isola clarified for her. “Be patient.”
Approximately two more minutes passed, and finally, the mist within the mirror ceased its churning, beginning to dissipate little by little.
Seeing the divination successfully performed, the Duchess exhaled a long breath of relief, removing her hand from the mirror’s surface.
She stepped back, allowing Queen Isola to return to her position before the mirror.
The gazes of all three women converged on the mirror. A blurry figure appeared in the center of the mirror, vaguely discernible as a long-haired woman.
As the mist cleared, the figure became increasingly distinct.
As they watched, Queen Isola and the Duchess simultaneously furrowed their brows.
“Something is wrong!” the Duchess suddenly whispered.
No sooner had she spoken than the figure finally materialized from the fog.
A girl, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen, stood with her hands behind her back, poised before the mirror. She was richly dressed, adorned with a silver-white crown, and a rapier hung at her waist.
Queen Isola and the Duchess became alert simultaneously—this person was clearly not Samira, the witch!
You’ve got to see this next! Ignition will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Ignition
