The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 33, Section 32: His Majesty is in danger!
"Alright. Gret, from now on, you will be my first disciple."

Elian spoke in a calm, even tone.

"Now, I swear here that from this day forward, you will be forever loyal to me, loyal to Eldoron, and loyal to this land that belongs to mankind!"

"The direction of the Empire is your direction, and the enemies of the Empire are your enemies. You will use all your strength to protect this land and people of Eldoron, and guide other sorcerers born on the land of Eldoron in the future, giving them the right guidance, just as I am guiding you now."

“I swear,” Little Gretel excitedly raised his fist, imitating the heroes in the bards’ poems, and made a vow:

"I will forever be loyal to His Majesty El-Erian, loyal to Eldoron, and loyal to this land that belongs to mankind!"

"The Empire's direction is my direction, and the Empire's enemies are my enemies. I will use all my strength to protect this land and its people, and guide other sorcerers born on the land of Eldoron in the future..."

Everyone around, whether they were mages or villagers watching from a distance, couldn't help but feel envious of little Grete.

"Little Gretel, are you going to the heavenly kingdom? Or even become His Majesty's student!"

Her older sister, Shiluka, was extremely envious; this was something she could hardly even dream of.

Grete's parents were equally excited, unable to imagine how proud they would be in front of their neighbors in the future.

Standing at a distance, Mr. Joseph pushed up his glasses, which had cracked from the fall earlier, and looked at the student who had consulted him about problems that afternoon, now soaring to great heights. He felt a sense of detachment, as if from another world.

Elion turned to his mage attendants behind him and gave them his final instructions:

"Tonight's orc attack caused some casualties among the undead in Rolling Stone Village. You're in charge of contacting them about replacements..."

"There should be no remnants of orc clans left on the empire's lands now, but it would be best to check again..."

"In addition, give the Grete family some money so they can live a relatively affluent life..."

Then, Elian looked at the child in front of him:

"Alright, Gret."

"Soon, I will take you to the floating city, and we may not be able to return to the surface for a long time."

"Is there anything you'd like to do on this last night?"

“I…” Gret choked up, as if he were still in a dream, “I’ll say goodbye to my mom, dad and sister first.”

He ran back and threw himself into his family's arms, laughter and tears mingling together.

After a series of cliché farewell words, little Greta obediently returned to Elian's side.

"Is there anything else you wish for before you leave this land?" Elian asked.

“Uh…” Little Gret was stunned, looking a little bewildered.

"I……"

The boy stammered, as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped himself from speaking.

“Speak freely,” Elian said.

“I,” Little Gretel mustered his courage, “want to see what this land called Eldoron is really like!”

That was the land he swore to protect.

"I've never left the village since I was a child, and I've never seen what the world outside Rolling Stone Village is like!"

"In fact, I had never known the name Eldoron before."

“It wasn’t until class that Mr. Joseph told us that we were part of the Empire.”

"Our teacher taught us that this land is called Eldoron. On this land, there are hundreds of villages and settlements like Rolling Stones..."

What Gretel said also reflects the perception of most civilians on Earth.

In the era of the ancient magical empire, the mage nobles in the floating city high in the sky unilaterally claimed to rule over all humans on the land below, collectively referring to the lower lands and the sky city as "Eldoron".

Most ordinary people on the surface of the earth have lived in their own little plot of land for generations, and may never have heard of the name "Eldoron" from birth to death.

Until about half a year ago, when the teachers from the heavens came to the village and taught them about Eldoron, telling them about the hundreds of villages on this land, about the Elven Royal Court in the west of the empire and the Green Dragon Lord's village in the south, the people on this land finally had their first sense of belonging.

—The concept of distinguishing between "them" and "us".

"Okay. That's a very reasonable wish."

"How can you protect this land if you've never seen or known its entirety?" El-Erian said.

The imperial monarch extends a hand:

“Come, child, take my hand. I will show you the real Eldoron.”

Little Gretel also cautiously reached out and grasped Elian's right hand.

boom!
With a crisp popping sound and a flash of teleportation light, the two figures disappeared simultaneously.

"Where did they go?"

The older sister, Shiluka, stared wide-eyed in surprise and tugged at her mother's hand.

"In the sky. They're in the sky!"

Teacher Joseph had somehow wandered into the village, stood beside Shiluka, and pointed to the vast night sky.

Hiluka, her parents, and many villagers all looked up at the same time, following Joseph's finger, and gazed at the vast, boundless night sky.

Against the backdrop of the night sky, amidst countless stars, two tiny figures were flying at an incredible speed, piercing the night sky.

The larger figure had one arm linked with the smaller figure's arm, while the other hand pointed at the ground below, as if describing something on earth.

"They are in the sky, looking down at the earth!"

Under the watchful eyes of the monks and villagers, Elian carried little Grete and flew further and further away.

It flew over quiet villages, over babbling brooks, and over silent hills.

Finally, it disappeared completely into the night...

As he watched them leave, General Saul reflected on the events of the night and felt a pang of emotion.

"【Warlock】, what a special profession."

“Let’s go back and report the appearance of the warlock and what happened tonight to the floating city.”

Thor, along with several battle mages who had come with him, was teleported back to the floating city amidst a dazzling flash.

……

High in the sky, in a floating city shrouded in layers of clouds.

The howling evening wind swept by, and drifting clouds passed over the fences and towers of the Sky City.

"Summon all the chief members of the Imperial Diet other than His Majesty for a brief meeting."

Thor instructed his men.

He was not only a general of the empire, but also the chief of the spellcasting school of the Imperial Magic Council, with the authority to convene the council.

"What happened tonight is too shocking. I need to inform the other chiefs about the existence of the warlock."

"Books and knowledge are not the only way for humans to master arcane magic."

"This is another force that could change the fate of the empire!"

Thor waited patiently for a while.

Soon, a reply was received from the subordinate:
"Three of the chiefs are currently not in the floating city and are unable to attend the meeting in time."

"What? Why are all three of them missing at the same time?"

Thor frowned.

But the next moment, his hair stood on end.

I felt a chill run down my spine, and my back felt slightly numb.

"Yes, it's been more than half a year, so much so that I've forgotten..."

“Back then, I clearly warned His Majesty El-Erian…”

"He cannot leave the protection of the guard of mages and act alone!"

(End of this chapter)