Glass Casket

"We are surrounded by demon beasts stronger than all the monsters they summoned in the morning. And Yebersol's troops have also surrounded the encampment. They are just hiding from a distance ready to swoop in when our troops are diminished. We have fallen for their trap since the beginning," Frederick sighed.

They had been overconfident due to the fact that Evymeria was evidently larger and stronger than Yebersol.

They had anticipated that Yebersol might be hiding traps and tricks since they were suddenly so confident despite years of being friendly to Evymeria. They had expected that there may be summoners.

But who would have thought they would have so many high-level summoners that can call forth monsters and demon beasts to such extent.

Yebersol must have been preparing for this for years, perhaps generations. They may have had a grudge somewhere.

"Indeed. And they may be able to summon again even after we kill those demon beasts," Nicholas agreed as he used magic-enhanced eyes to look up at the demon beasts trying to break Frederick's defensive barrier.

"I will take care of all the demon beasts currently surrounding us before I go to Evymeria," Frederick offered.

If others heard him, they would have thought he had lost his mind. But to those close to him, they knew it was not impossible.

"You leave that to me. I shall chop them all off," Anthony butt in.

"No, you have another task, Anthony. You have to do it as soon as possible," Duke Cedric scolded his son for still trying to compete at such a time.

"Frederick, my sisters' wellbeing is the most important. You have no time to dawdle here either. You have to go this instant or I will kill you even after I die if something happened to my sisters," Anthony pressured.

"Yes, I know. I shall do it quickly then," Frederick assured his friend.

"Annientare," Frederick cast a spell.

The people in the room gawked as they all used enhanced vision and saw a gargantuan magic circle appear above the encampment.

It glowed and light enveloped all the demon beasts hovering in the air. They all vanished within seconds. Gold dust rained down once again and vanished into the air.

"Did you have to show off? You might have to fight upon arrival in Evymeria so you should not exhaust yourself, you idiot!" Anthony glared.

"I can use that spell a hundred times and still have plenty of mana to spare," Frederick nonchalantly replied. "Now then, I shall for depart for Evymeria."

"Then please take my sisters to safety," Anthony tightly gripped Frederick's shoulder.

"I will do everything in my power," Frederick promised.

"Then I have nothing to worry about. I believe in you," Anthony grinned at Frederick and they nodded at each other.

With that, Frederick took his most trusted retainers Fidel and Veryll, and teleported to Evymeria castle.

. . .

The sight that greeted Frederick made him tense up.

A part of the castle was burning and Evymeria knights were trying to douse the fire. The other knights were fighting men dressed in full black. Assassins.

He doused the fires with a single flick of his fingers and left his retainers to fight with the knights and understand the situation.

Frederick teleported right in front of Lumina's room and his stomach churned when he saw that the door was wide open.

She was the eldest now so he must prioritize her since she would be the next in line.

Servants and knights surrounded the bed where a lifeless maiden soaked in blood was lying. Her color was gray and her lips were purple. Her throat was cleanly cut with a sharp sword or knife.

There was also wine spilled on the floor. It was obvious that the lady was poisoned but to make sure she truly dies, assassins were also sent.

With gritted teeth, Frederick teleported to Francesca and Diana's rooms and the sight was the same.

Frederick left the room of the youngest in despair and he held his head in fury and grief.

'Those kind and gentle ladies were all dead. I was too late!'

He had promised to save them and yet he was too late.

'What face would I have to look at Anthony now, and Nicholas, and Duke Cedric?'

Frederick would be so ashamed to even show his face to his own brothers and his father.

He was supposed to be the most powerful magician in the Kingdom but he could not even save a soul when it mattered. He thought that a useless person such as himself should just die.

As Frederick was wallowing in sorrow, anger, and self-blame; someone suddenly appeared in front of him. He blinked repeatedly. It was Lumina.

'Wasn't she dead?'

Or was his mind playing tricks on him. She looked pale and her eyes were red from crying.

"I thought you were all - " he did not continue as he realized that it was the real thing in front of him.

"Those were body doubles," Lumina explained that the three sisters had secretly gone to the forests to collect materials for special potions.

Apparently, they left servants to pretend as them so the others would not know that they went out.

They used magic to make the servants look like them and it would wear off after a few hours more. They even made fake duplicates of the necklace that every daughter of Duke Cedric wore to make things seem real.

Frederick felt immense relief that the sisters were still alive.

"More importantly, I need your help. Please follow me," Lumina said and took off before Frederick could say anything. They headed to the forest and he saw Francesca there as well.

'Where's the youngest? Where's the cute little girl that Anthony favored the most?'

His eyes narrowed at what looked like a beautiful glass casket that Francesca and their servants were guarding.

Lying there was Diana Rose, the youngest.

She was deathly pale and her lips were purple.

Frederick's eyes widened when he realized that Diana looked like she was dead.

The girl was not breathing at all.

'Was I too late yet again?'

He recalled the cute little girl that always smiled and laughed with Anthony.

It was a painfully warm memory compared to the ghastly pale girl that looked like a corpse.

"Lord Frederick I am truly relieved that you are here. Please save my little sister!" Francesca instantly rushed to him.

"Please save Diana! You are the best magician in the country. If it's you, you may be able to do it," Lumina also pleaded.

"Our special potions did not work at all," Francesca lamented.

Frederick's pulse quickened.

'I could still do something? I could help? I could still fulfill my promise?'

He quickly walked to the glass casket. Lumina uncovered it and let him check Diana.

Frederick gritted his teeth in disgust and fury. It was the same poison used in the food and wine taken by Duke Cedric, Nicholas, and Anthony.

Perhaps it was also what was used to poison the Queen and the Duchess.

Thankfully, according to Francesca, Diana had not even swallowed the poisoned food. She just took a bite and spat it out when she felt something was weird.

However, with the poison already in her mouth, it spread quickly.

Lumina had apparently made Diana take a special potion immediately.

When it did not work Lumina and Francesca had no choice but to use their family's last resort and froze their sister.

They contained her in the magic tool that only someone of the Evymeria ducal family could use and magically open.

He was fascinated by the said magic tool that could even stop time for someone inside it. But he had no time to satisfy his curiosities. The young girl's safety comes first.

Still, Frederick's magic could not heal Diana nor detoxify the poison. They still needed the antidote.

As insurance, despite Diana remaining frozen, he also delayed the effects of the poison for as long as he could so he would have time to gather ingredients and make the antidote.

Lumina explained that the magic tool was the last resort that the Evymeria family does when healing magic and even their special potion do not work.

It keeps a person magically frozen in time until the person was returned to its natural state. It also keeps the person safe from any outside interference for as long as it was not opened.

And most importantly, only someone who had the blood of the Evymeria ducal family could open it with their mana.

It was apparently not used for centuries since the special potion always worked.

Frederick eyed all the maids and knights who accompanied the sisters.

There were six in all. Three maids and three knights since at least one maid and one knight were required to accompany a daughter of the Duke wherever they went. One or two of them could be moles.

"It is not them," Lumina said, understanding what Frederick was suspecting.

Lumina and Francesca had immediately isolated their sister Diana from everyone to protect her from harm and stop the poison.

They had questioned all the servants with them when they were sure no further attempts could be made to Diana.

"I see. Then that's good. I would rather not eliminate all the trusted maids and knights here when it's not necessary."

Frederick glared at the maids and knights as he let a bit of his mana and bloodlust ooze.

All of them kneeled instantly as the strength of his mana overwhelmed them. He used enhanced vision to observe all their movements including the flow of their mana.

None seemed to have any ill intent to the sisters and to him despite the fact that he was pressuring them with his mana to the point that they were close to death.

"That is enough," Lumina stopped him when one of the servants coughed up blood. Francesca then healed all the servants.

"Forgive me. I had to ensure none of them were moles," Frederick clarified.

"We understand," Lumina and Francesca answered at the same time. The maids and knights agreed as well.

"I must first bring you sisters to a safe place. If you truly trust all these maids and knights, I will bring them along." Frederick asked for final confirmation.

"Yes we fully trust them," Lumina and Francesca nodded. He then teleported them to his secluded mansion in Varondel where they would remain for the meantime.

A/N: I feel bad for the maidservants who were poisoned and yet still had their throats slit.

New Characters:

Fidel and Veryll - Frederick’s most trusted retainers

Lumina - second daughter of Duke Cedric

Francesca - third daughter of Duke Cedric

Diana Rose - fourth daughter and youngest child of Duke Cedric, Anthony’s favorite sibling

*Annientare = annihilate / destroy