Chapter 49: The White House

In the central region of Serdes, in the middle of a uniform plain, a single fortress stood.

The land was so fertile and open that it would have been perfect for cultivation, yet all that existed was a green prairie covered in grass.

There were no traces of people or creatures living nearby.

It looked like an island placed upon a green sea.

That place was the territory of Blancaros and, at the same time, the headquarters of the Grand Council that handles all matters of the continent.

Commonly known as the White House.

Perda had arrived there.

‘Is this it?’

Perda raised his gaze toward the entrance of the fortress.

The gate was already open.

For an ordinary person, that would be all they could see, but someone familiar with magic like Perda could perceive more.

In front of the gate, there was a translucent white barrier, extended in the shape of a dome.

Order and territory.

If those two conditions were met, within Blancaros’s domain no one could oppose him.

Not even a god.

“You can be at ease.”

A young voice was heard from the other side of the gate.

When Perda turned his gaze, he saw a man standing there.

“Lord Blancaros is benevolent toward those who respect rules and order.”

Perda examined his appearance.

He was dressed entirely in white, and his skin was also white.

His pale appearance resembled that of a vampire, if not for the pair of horns and his eyes.

The man placed his hand over his chest and introduced himself.

“Forgive the delay in introducing myself. I am the Hand of Blancaros and I will be your guide, Lord Perda.”

As expected, he was one of Blancaros’s spawn.

Blancaros had three spawn in total—the Hand, the Mouth, and the Eye.

Each specialized according to their name.

Unlike other dragon spawn, they were gentle.

“Please, come in. I will guide you.”

And none of them could leave Blancaros’s territory.

“Understood.”

Perda extended his hand toward the interior.

At that moment, he felt as if tiny particles were seeping into his skin.

Shortly after, he noticed something strange in the movement of his circle in the dantian.

It was becoming slower.

But it wasn’t as if something were obstructing it, rather as if he himself were naturally reducing its force.

‘Impressive.’

Absolute domain.

So absolute that it even applied to himself, which made it incredibly precise and solid.

But that suppression did not nullify it completely.

The message was clear.

‘If you can cause harm, try it.’

But Blancaros’s punishment could not be avoided.

With no possibility of excuses.

It was a warning.

‘At least I can use Shadow Hand.’

The concentration required to form magic circles was also interfered with, but if he didn’t create them, it didn’t matter.

That was why he had learned Shape of Shadow.

Perda glanced slightly back.

Zed and Arwen, who were following him, also showed discomfort.

“How does it feel to enter this domain?”

“Not very good… it’s like a sense of weakness. Even the eyes feel heavy.”

“I feel it too. It’s like I’m lacking strength… I don’t think I can use aura.”

The knight could not use aura, and Zed had his racial abilities blocked.

“Ruri, what about you?”

“No problem.”

“I see.”

The conversation ended just like that.

But to someone observing, it would seem strange.

Arwen slightly tilted his head toward Zed.

“Did something happen between that spawn girl and the regent?”

“I don’t know. I decided not to get involved in that.”

When dragons fight, humans suffer.

Zed had already experienced that.

“There are five hours left before the council begins. Would you like to go to your room or to the banquet hall?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Rest or social interaction. Right now, many are gathered in the hall.”

“Obviously we should go to the hall, right?”

Zed shone with excitement.

Perda looked at him with disdain, and Zed hurried to justify himself.

“Think about it. Knowing the enemy is half the battle won.”

“I was thinking the same.”

“Then why that look?”

“Because you weren’t thinking that.”

Zed looked indignant, but couldn’t deny it.

“Guide us to the hall.”

“Understood.”

The Hand of Blancaros began to guide them.

Before following him, Perda patted Zed on the shoulder.

“Enjoy the banquet.”

“Eh? Ah… yes. Thanks.”

As he walked, those words kept echoing in his mind.

‘No way.’

But maybe yes.

If it was Perda.

Zed asked cautiously.

“You’re not planning to use this banquet as my knighting ceremony… right?”

“……”

“Right…?”

Perda did not say no.

***

Banquet hall of the White House.

Only 5 hours remained before the start of the Grand Council, so the place was already full of nobles.

If there were no limit on the number of companions per person, the hall would have already been completely crowded.

The large white doors opened softly, letting out music and laughter from inside.

“Ho…”

It was the first time Perda set foot in the Grand Council.

Even he, who was not someone sentimental, could not help but let out an exclamation.

He had thought the Empire’s buildings were luxurious, but in the end, they were still human creations.

The constructions of the dragons were on another level.

Inside, people accustomed to that environment laughed and conversed.

And they were not only humans.

Races that normally did not coexist with human society were also present, such as the great chief of the elves, dwarves, and gnomes.

“Wow…”

The one who could not contain his amazement was Arwen.

Seeing him, Zed smiled with amusement.

“It looks like it’s your first time at a party, huh, knight?”

“No, I’ve attended several for work, accompanying the count.”

“Then drop that peasant face. It shows.”

“Ah… yes…”

At Zed’s warning, Arwen nodded obediently and fixed his gaze forward.

But his discomfort did not disappear.

‘Consilus was right.’

He was someone who needed experience.

Unlike Arwen, Zed and Ruri were not carried away by the atmosphere.

Zed was too accustomed to this type of gathering, and Ruri simply moved at her own pace.

And what Perda felt beneath that luxury was—

‘It’s like entering a nest of snakes.’

Disgust.

It was completely different from the tensions with provincial nobles.

From the moment he met their eyes, everything felt like a battle.

Friendly gazes were, in reality, constantly analyzing weaknesses.

Even a simple greeting felt like an evaluation.

‘That’s why they are high-ranking nobles—that’s why they can be kings.’

They had power.

The power to remain in that place.

The power to rise.

The power to bring others down.

And what should one do when surrounded by people like that?

The answer was simple.

Perda walked with his back straight, unfazed.

As he advanced, he met each gaze, reading the flow.

Although it appeared to be a social gathering, everyone eventually grouped into their own factions.

He thought—

If I had to join someone where would I go?

And then someone caught his attention.

“Haha! So you came, regent of Valdrova!”

Among a group of humans, a man and several women dressed in extreme luxury stood out.

They were at the center, as if dominating the place, gesturing to Perda.

On the man’s shoulder was the emblem of the Arken Empire.

‘Alexander Arken.’

The first prince of the Arken Empire.

***

The incompetent emperor, Godfrey Arken.

His two sons, the first prince Alexander Arken and the second prince Ureas Arken, had attempted to overthrow him.

They called it the beginning of a new era for the Empire.

But the result was disastrous.

Godfrey remained on the throne, and they became a laughingstock.

‘They couldn’t even bring down a useless emperor…’

That only strengthened the emperor’s power further.

For Perda, who desired the fall of the Empire, those two were nothing more than useless.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Alexander Arken.”

The firstborn.

A man in his thirties, with an elegant beard that seemed to proclaim his ambition to be emperor.

“Perda Valdrova. It is an honor to meet you, Crown Prince.”

“I sent you a letter before, but I couldn’t reply. I was too busy with official matters.”

Yeah, right.

While Perda thought that, the woman beside him interjected.

“Ha ha! He has a hundred million subjects! Not even two bodies would be enough for him!”

Unlike the prince’s golden brilliance, she wore blue.

She looked young, but her brazen laughter was insolent.

However, Alexander could do nothing to her.

Because, despite her appearance, she was over a hundred years old.

“Who is this handsome boy? Aren’t you going to introduce him to me?”

“Ah, right! My apologies for the lack of manners. Allow me to introduce her. She is the president of the Serdes Human Magic Academy, Erdes Roton.”

Erdes Roton.

The last lineage of a family that had once been the greatest of alchemists and also the worst of swindlers.

She had no land or title.

She only possessed the seventh circle.

But under her name, all human mages were controlled by her.

Or rather, they were supposed to be.

She was that kind of woman.

“I am Perda Valdrova. It is an honor to meet a great Archmage.”

“Haha. I wanted to see the face of the Grand Duchess, but I ended up seeing her fiancé first.”

“I heard it was not easy for you to attend this place.”

“Of course I know. This is a place for mortals, not for immortals.”

She smiled.

It was not a joyful smile, but an almost automatic one.

Her eyes fixed on Perda.

“Regent of Valdrova… no, I’d rather call you Regent Perda. I’m not very used to directly mentioning Valdrova’s name. Is that fine with you?”

“As you wish.”

“How old are you?”

“18 years old.”

“A family of mages?”

“No. I was the third son of a knight named Rosnova.”

Her eyes widened like full moons.

“Hmm, how curious. I’ve heard that knights also train mana, but only as something secondary. Yet from you, I can clearly feel that of a mage.”

“I trained as a mage.”

“Oh, I see! Did you achieve something great at such a young age? Ha ha!”

As she laughed, she continued speaking.

“The prince told me. They said you made a great contribution by catching some rats in the Empire.”

“Rats?”

“Black mages.”

He remembered.

She was referring to the group of black mages hidden in the sewers.

In reality, Perda had eliminated them because they would interfere with his plans to destroy the Empire.

But he did not lie.

“I only contributed a little to a larger plan.”

“Don’t be modest. Your achievements don’t end there. You also handled the matter of Tesalos Wolcher, didn’t you?”

That happened before the engagement, when he gathered all the lords.

A man he had no intention of killing, but had to.

“That bastard was researching black magic, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“It was interesting. According to the records, he was a mediocre mage without talent, but after being consumed by rage, he mutated into a Red Circle. After that, it seems he made progress.”

Erdes leaned her body forward.

“After falling into black magic.”

The wine in her glass swirled slightly.

“You know? I hate practitioners of black magic.”

It was well known.

She showed no tolerance toward those who practiced it.

She stripped them of their status and destroyed their circle, condemning them to never be able to become mages again.

“I hate them so much that if they breathed the same air as me, it would make me want to strangle them.”

“I see.”

“Useless people without talent sell their souls to demons and then call it effort. Without realizing they will end up as puppets worse than beasts, wandering as miserable souls.”

Her narrowed eyes shone blue.

“And what do you think, Perda? What is your opinion of those who practice black magic, hmm?”

What could be felt in her gaze was absolute contempt.

That gaze was directed at black mages.

“Especially if someone were to inherit that kind of necromancy using demonic beasts—what do you think would happen?”

That contempt was now directed at Perda.

The meaning was clear.

‘I know who you are.’

She knew that Perda possessed a Red Circle.

And that he had learned black magic.

That was why she despised him like that.

As the strongest mage of humanity, her hatred was something to be feared.

‘But do you know that much?’

That it was that very hatred that ended up strangling you.

That you fell into the grave you dug with your own contempt.

And that the one who pushed you there was me.