Published at 27th of April 2026 6:56 am

Chapter 1698 Weight of History

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Amberfall, Ignisra Kingdom.

Beneath the royal palace lay a network of passages and tunnels, vast and cavernous, stretching far deeper than anyone would expect.

The ceilings arched high above, surrounded by thick stone pillars, blackened with age. Several centuries ago, King Maximillian's predecessor had them built to enable him to make a quick escape, should any harm befall him or his family.

These tunnels were full of traps. Some of them were so tiny that an adult would have to crawl through them, while others were as big as the main hall of the palace above. Some of these tunnels pass behind rooms in the palace, forming a secret network of corridors within the palace walls.

The previous king was a very cautious man. His reign saw a great uprising of slaves, and then their brutal slaughter. Fearing that another uprising might occur in the future, he had these secret networks built to ensure that even if the palace or the city fell, at least he and his family would have a way out. Only the members of the Ignisra family knew about the secret passages. One might wonder, what about the builders who constructed the sprawling network? Well, the previous king severed their heads after they had finished their work.

The knowledge of the underground tunnels was then passed down to his children. The secret remained only within those who carried the blood of fire.

Centuries later, King Maximilian became the last of the previous monarch's line. And now, he too had passed this secret down to his children.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the underground cavern. It was dark, but not for long. A torchlight illuminated the passageway. It moved, shedding light on more and more parts of the humongous tunnel.

Some of the walls had crumbled, revealing a dark bedrock beyond. While others depicted faded murals of the kingdom's past.

"Do you remember how we used to sneak down here when we were young?" Marlow asked with a reminiscent smile on his face. He held the torch firmly in his hand, leading the way.

Beside him, walked a woman whose facial features were uncannily similar to Marlow's.

"How could I forget?" Anna scoffed. "You used to leave me here and run away. I would cry for hours, until Mother came and rescued me."

Marlow's lips twitched. "Surely that is an exaggeration! I only left you here for a few minutes."

Anna rolled her eyes. "It felt like hours, I assure you."

Marlow displayed an awkward look on his face. A moment later, he sighed with a light smile. "How time flies, eh?"

Anna couldn't help but smile as well. "It does."

She paused for a moment and said with the same smile, "I remember Mother used to scold me for running after you into the training yard, instead of sitting with her and learning how to knit and sing and dance."

Anna had never wanted to do any of those things. She had never wanted to be a proper lady. She had never wanted to be just a princess. She had always wanted to be more.

In her youth, she used to don an oversized armor and sneak into the training yard. There, she would copy the guards swinging their swords. Until one fine day, the king instructed Kasper York to personally teach her how to wield the blade as well as cast spells.

"Yes!" Marlow smiled warmly as they headed deeper into the tunnels. "Mother was so enraged when she learned that Father had agreed to give you proper combat training"

He then suddenly burst into laughter. "I still remember how she used to scream at Kasper."

Anna couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Poor Kasper. He always bore the brunt of Mother's rage."

The pair soon arrived at a sprawling wall that was relatively intact. It contained a mural depicting the first king settling down in Amberfall and establishing the Ignisra Kingdom.

There was a painting of slaves bowing in deference at the bottom of the mural. Above them, several noble houses stood proudly, including House York. And above them was a valiant man with crimson hair and a blood-red cape, pointing his sword to the sky.

Ignisra Kingdom's history stretched for more than a thousand years. King Maximillian was already the third monarch. Throughout its history, the kingdom had faced several threats, some from rebellions of slaves and lesser noble houses, others from orc raiders in the north.

But for the first time in its history, they were facing a threat greater than anything they'd ever faced before.

A large naval fleet was approaching them from the south, led by at least two Mana Core Magi.

Losing was not an option, as that meant death.

As the weight of history settled on the siblings' shoulders, their expression

grew solemn as they realized just how much was at stake.

Anna turned to Marlow and could plainly see the nervousness flickering in her ruby eyes. The corner of her lips curled into a slightly mischievous smirk. She gently clasped his shoulder and said:

"Don't worry, sweet brother. I won't let them hurt you."

Marlow felt a little flabbergasted hearing those words. He quickly turned and walked away, hiding the embarrassment on his face. "Oh, fuck off!"

Anna covered her mouth and giggled. She then followed her brother. "So how

far is it?"

"A few minutes more," Marlow said, scanning his surroundings.

It was like a maze down there. One wrong turn, and they'd end up emerging far away from the city. But thankfully, he knew the secret passages like the back of his hand. He'd bring Marcus down here frequently and have him memorize the

layout.

"It is said that the first king had a mad court Magus in his employ," Marlow began. "The man was obsessed with fire that never died."

"Ah, yes." Anna nodded. "I've heard about that one. Mother used to tell us bedtime stories about that man. I think his name was..."

"Mikael," Marlow continued for her.

"Yes." Anna nodded as they finally arrived before a pair of giant wooden doors.

"Mikael the Mad."

Marlow retrieved an iron key and unlocked the doors. He turned to his sister and said with a smirk. "His stories were supposed to scare us, but right now, I suppose we should thank him for all that he's left behind."

He pushed open the giant doors all by himself. The eerie creaking of doors echoed through the underground. As the doors finally opened, Marlow extended the torch forward with slight apprehension. The light illuminated

what lay beyond.

"Be careful," Anna whispered, pulling her brother behind her and keeping the torch's flame slightly back.

"So?" Marlow gulped subconsciously. "What do you think?"

Anna scanned the vast chamber beyond the doors, her ruby eyes gleaming sharply. She slowly nodded. And even she couldn't help but nervously gulp.

"Yes... this will work."

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