The Beginning of the End of Magic

Grimoire 01 - Chapter 02 - The Aptitude Test [Part 01]

It had been roughly 17 hours from the moment the girl disappeared.

A mercenary trembled in fear.

He had gone through countless numbers of harsh training just so he could fight on the front lines. Though he was not a specialist in any way, he was proficient in his combat skills and was especially adept with the use of his semi-automatic rifle. As a testament to that, he was the captain of the team and the presence of various battle scars throughout his body separated him further away from the rest.

A true veteran of war.

Yet such a person was trembling in fear.

Lying down lazily on a long sofa in front of him was a young lady. Her ice blue long hair that was tied in the shape of a dolphin tail fell to her side and touched the floor as she flipped the page of the book she was currently reading. She also wore a ridiculous outfit that had an extravagant design, somewhat resembling what knights of the past would wear but it was not really armoured in any way. The outfit revealed her shoulders, much of her arms, her navel and most of her legs. It was custom designed for her frame and it can be said that it only looked natural and elegant because she was the one wearing it.

"One simple job. That's all it was."

Her clear and melodic voice pierced through the silent atmosphere. The mercenary stood at his position unmoving and did not reply. The young lady proceeded to slam the book close and threw it overhead, onto a small table nearby. She then blinked twice, exhaled deeply before tilting her head to look straight at the mercenary while still remaining lying down.

Flawless golden eyes stared straight into his soul.

Anyone who lived or even just passed by the Empire will know, that those eyes are the mark of royalty in the Empire.

The Empire was once a country built from an extensive group of over thirty nations, spread across the continent of Erebia, ruled under stratocracy. For centuries, the Empire had been at the forefront of magic technology and their advancement on that front was what propelled them to become one of the superpowers. The Empire boasted the largest military strength in the world and was feared for the most elite of their soldiers, the Imperial Magus.

But that was all in the past.

After the Akashic War, the Empire suffered extremely heavy losses and several nations broke off to ultimately become independent. Due to this, the Empire became split and with it, also their status of a superpower. The remaining bulk of the Empire had been thoroughly rebuilt from the ground up and was now ruled under a constitutional monarchy ever since then.

The Reis Royal Family.

With a history of more than a hundred and fifty years, the Reis Royal Family could be easily distinguished by their golden eyes. However, there was another fact which made them recognizable, and that same fact earned them both respect and fear.

All members of the Reis Royal Family were highly capable and talented Gifted.

This meant that even though the Empire was just a fragment of what it once was, the existence of the Reis Royal Family itself was enough to place them on the same level as other countries in the world.

The mercenary swallowed his saliva and remained unmoving.

The young lady in front him right now was none other than the third princess of the Empire.

Celeste Neves von Reis.

She stared at him for at least a couple of seconds before letting out a light sigh.

"Die."

She said plainly.

The mercenary instantly trembled violently. His eyes widened in fear. Slowly, his right hand reached down for the pistol attached to a holster on his right thigh and grabbing onto it firmly, he pulled it out. Holding it up to chest level, his other hand moved and grasped the slide.