Supreme Magus novel Chapter 1626

Chapter 1626 - Golden Cage (Part 2)

"What if I told you that I can teach you the secrets that made the past Magi great and that they kept for themselves?

"That what you know as the lost city of Huryole is actually the Golden Griffon, the seventh great academy? If you come with me I'll give you a second youth and all the means you need to get your revenge on the those who turned their back to you without any regard for your decades of loyal service." Thrud said.

"What do you mean?" Linnea asked.

"My name is Thrud Griffon, daughter of Arthan Griffon, the Mad King, and I've come to take back what's mine." She stood up while opening a Warp Steps leading to a nearby mana geyser where she had moved the lost city of Huryole.

"Follow me and bathe into my glory or stay here and rot. The choice is yours."

"It's not much of a choice since you are as mad as your father!" Linnea replied. "How could you be so stupid as to make your grand speech in the presence of so many witnesses?

"What point does it have to give me a new face just to reveal it to the whole Mogar along with my name? You can't kill so many people nor make them disappear without alerting the authorities.

"The Orthan region is crawling with Spellbreakers looking for the Talons and the undead. How long do you think it will take them to find and siege your precious academy?"

"The line between madness and genius is often paper-thin." Thrud snapped her fingers and suddenly the eyes of all those present lit up with mana from red to yellow.

"All the people here are my accomplices and I chose this place for our meeting to show you what I'm capable of. My men have already infiltrated many cities of the Kingdom and are ready to act on my command."

It was actually a blatant lie. Thrud had arrived a few days ago, just in time to capture and enslave enough criminals to pull the stunt necessary to impress Linnea. Getting the Headmistress' trust was but the first step of her plan.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get out of this sh*thole." Linnea stood up, eager to get the first decent meal and good night's sleep in days.

'I have nothing to lose by accepting Thrud's offer. If she somehow wins, I'll become one of the founding pillars of the new Kingdom and reform the academy system as I see fit. If she fails like I expect her to, I just need to bail out before it's too late.

'If what she said about magic is true, I'll use my stay in her academy to build a small force of mages loyal only to me. Then, when Thrud and the Royals are busy fighting each other, we'll pillage her treasury and escape from the Kingdom.

'I just need to reach one of the free countries to live for the rest of my life as a Queen. With a new face, a clean slate, and enough powerful mages at my command, becoming an important noble again will be a cakewalk.'

Linnea had already tried to leave the Kingdom on her own terms, but no one trusted a traitor. Every country that she had contacted had either refused, afraid of the political consequences, or asked her to reveal to them everything she knew about the academies in exchange for asylum.

Yet Linnea knew that the moment she spilled her last secret, she would also outlive her usefulness. Once she learned how to shapeshift, however, recognizing her would be impossible.

"Not so fast." Thrud's grip on her wrist was as delicate as a feather, yet Linnea froze in fear. "An army needs soldiers just like an academy needs students. Raising powerful mages takes years that I don't have.

"I heard about the Talons and I know you are one of their members." Thrud took out an official document listing the identities of the known Talons along with their bounty.