“Then, I’ll take you to them.”

Ethan tried to walk while holding Sarah, who was speechless, in his arms. Then, when he found Claude sitting on the bed looking up at the two, he asked in a low voice.

“Will you come with me?”

“Yes!”

Claude nodded his head as if he had waited, got out of bed and stood next to Ethan.

“……”

There were no more words between the father and son, but the meaning contained in the gaze of Ethan and Claude was the same.

‘Sarah can’t be taken away by those disgruntled disciples.’

* * *

Sarah’s disciples were in a secret room in the underground of Ambrosia’s mansion. When she entered the secret room in Ethan’s arms, three disciples appeared right in front of her. Oliven, Benjamin, and Belluna were each imprisoned with their limbs bound in a magic circle that glowed with silver-gray mana. Sarah unconsciously stretched out her hand. Then with a cracking sound, she made a collision with the magic circle and it bounced off Sarah’s hand.

“Benjamin, Oliven, Belluna……”

The magic circle was made with Belluna’s magic. That meant that her disciples had locked themselves in that circle of magic. If they went inside, their bodies were asleep, but their mind was awakened clearly. And their souls were thrown right into a terrible nightmare. Into the nightmare that kept them going through what they feared the most. That was the ‘Swamp of Eternal Sleep’.

“They promised themselves that they would pay for their sins against their master.”

Sarah’s face distorted at Ethan’s words. The disciples, whom she cherished and loved the most, were asleep with painful faces in the ‘Swamp of Eternal Sleep’. Sarah said as she struggled to organize her complicated mind.

“Why are they doing this here, not in the magic tower?”

“Because I made it impossible to return to the magic tower.”

“What?”

Ethan briefly explained the current situation in the magic tower to Sarah. The magic tower was clamoring to bring out those troublemakers. This was because lazy magicians poured out of the magic tower for the first time in a long time because they blocked supplies flowing from Ambrosia to the magic tower. The anger of the magicians who came out to buy only food, drink, and clothes to wear was great. It was truly tremendous for magicians who had thorns in their mouths if they didn’t do research on magic even for a moment.

“Heaven.”

Sarah covered her mouth and moaned a little. While she was away, the magic tower was shaken helplessly by the Duke of Ambrosia. It was very humiliating for Sarah, the master of the magic tower, as well, so she narrowed her forehead.

“Several times a day, people are sent directly from the magic tower to ask us to hand them over.”

“……I’m not going to leave those children alone in the magic tower.”

The magic tower was a very closed place. It was not easy for that secret and mysterious group to erase its presence on the continent. It was possible for Ambrosia to find such a magic tower in a very short period of time and block supplies because Sarah’s disciples were active outside. She took out the pocket watch artifact she had always carried in her arms.

[Whatever Great Elder says, I’ll take them with me!]

[Wow, Great Elder is an aristocrat? Really awesome.]

[It’s all because of the Great Elder! Why did you disappear without a word and make them sad!]

[I thought the Great Elder was young, but you’re of the same age as my daughter. Of course, I knew you were younger than me, but something is bitter.]

[I can’t stand it anymore. The magic tower cannot be played like this in the hands of an imperial nobleman! The disciples of the Great Elder will have to pay for the disgrace that the magic tower suffered.]

[Great Elder, is your mansion big? Can I go play?]

There were countless messages piled up that led to her. There was a wide variety of messages, from just bright messages to angry warnings.

“Ah, I’m doomed.”

The identity of Sarah Millen, who had been secretly hidden until now, was known because of the disciples who like to cause troubles, as well as the backlash from inside the magic tower. Sarah rested her head on Ethan’s shoulder in despair. Now that she was just relying on him, Ethan’s arms were more comfortable than any other chair.

“……”

It was an added bonus that Ethan’s body stiffened slightly at the gesture of Sarah leaning on him. Even knowing that Sarah’s actions have no meaning, his body stiffens with tension. When Ethan realized it, he exhaled deeply and said.

“The Imperial family is also asking for the identity of the olive-haired man who left the magic stone in the Imperial Palace.”

“Oliven?”

“He is the one who carried out the terrorist attack at a party hosted by the Second Prince himself. Of course, the Emperor is looking for him.”

The Emperor learned that Oliven was in Ambrosia. What he really wanted was not to impose Imperial punishment on Oliven. The existence of a magician was attractive. He would probably try anything in order to keep him by his side and could fully control him. Or he could offer Ambrosia a very expensive deal.

“In addition, that guy approached the First Prince.”

“……Why of all people!”

Sarah touched her stinging forehead. It seemed that she would have to make a very expensive deal with the Imperial family for Oliven. All of the accidents her disciples had made were all great things, so her mind was spinning. It was very difficult to deal with each one. The magic tower was angry, and the Imperial family was also furious. But there was something more serious than the two groups.

“What is Duke going to do with these children?”

“I’m thinking of tearing them apart and handing them over to the magic tower and the Imperial family, respectively.”

“……”

It was the fact that the Duke of Ambrosia, who could control both groups at the same time, was also angry. Sarah had no idea where to start to solve this problem. So she looked at the faces of her disciples one by one with a desperate heart.

“It’s all my fault.”

Saying that, Sarah once again reached out toward the magic circle. Then, once again, with a cracking sound, the magic circle tried to flick her hand. Sarah put more strength into her hands and tried to wrap mana around them.

“Ugh!”

Then she felt a strong pain in her heart and her body tilted forward.

“Sarah!”

“Nanny!”

Ethan and Claude, who were watching Sarah, shouted in surprise.

“You can’t use magic yet. You received Ambrosia’s power with your whole body, so your body was strained……”

As Ethan hugged Sarah tighter, he saw her eyes, wet with pain, fixed on the three disciples. He could tell just by looking at that desperate face. How precious those three disciples were to Sarah. Realizing this, deep inside Ethan, something soggy and old, filled with emotions.

“……Nanny, do you like those people?”

Then Claude pulled Sarah’s hem and asked. It was an incomprehensible emotion to the child. Obviously, those people hurt his nanny, and they tried to take her by force. Nevertheless, he didn’t understand why his nanny could see them with such a precious look.

“Why?”

At the child’s innocent question, Sarah lowered her hand and gently stroked Claude’s hair.

“They’re all the children I’ve taught. There were times when I served as their master, but what I learned from them was greater. Therefore……”

Sarah couldn’t continue to talk and bit her lips. Therefore she didn’t want to get them involved in this. Because it was so dangerous. Even her, who has the most powerful power in the world, was so overwhelming. It was said that tigers drop their cubs off the cliff, but she didn’t even want to take her disciples near the cliff because they were so precious.

“I wanted to save those children.”