"We don't have much information at the moment."

  "That's alright. Please share whatever you do know."

  "About three hours ago, Lord Gaius entered the chamber with four soldiers to begin the summoning ritual…"

  Celia's expression darkened at Rolf's words.

  "Three hours... Typically, preparation for the ritual takes around two hours, and the incantation itself lasts about thirty minutes. So what happened during the remaining thirty minutes?"

  An uneasy feeling settled in Celia's chest.

  "According to the guards, they felt a strong tremor from the room about half an hour ago, which prompted them to report to me. I then contacted you, Lady Celia, and came here."

  "I understand."

  "The guards stationed outside the door were instructed not to enter or make any noise during the ritual. They were waiting for orders... Is that correct, you two?"

  Rolf turned to the two soldiers standing behind him.

  "Yes... Your decision was correct," Celia said, addressing the soldiers who stood at attention.

  "Yes, ma'am!"

  The soldiers faces showed a hint of relief. They took pride in their duties but often faced misunderstandings from nobles, fearing blame if something went wrong.

  Knowing they wouldn't be blamed this time, their tension eased.

  "However, it's clear this has taken longer than anticipated. I decided to knock on the door myself..."

  Rolf continued.

  "And no one answered?"

  "That's correct."

  Celia pondered deeply.

  "Preparing for the summoning ritual and reciting the spell typically takes two to three hours. My grandfather has performed this ritual over a hundred times without incident."

  "Indeed. He has summoned 119 beings without a single failure or issue," Rolf confirmed.

  "But if everything went as planned, the tremor the guards felt remains unexplained. There shouldn't be anything in a summoning ritual that would cause such a tremor."

  "Are you suggesting an accident?" Rolf's face grew somber at Celia's words.

  Just because something hadn't happened before didn't mean it couldn't happen now. Rolf wasn't naive enough to ignore the possibility of a mishap, knowing that any issue with magic could have dire consequences. At worst, it could destabilize the entire nation. However, Celia dismissed Rolf's concerns with a shake of her head.

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  "No, I suspect it's more likely that an offensive spell was used."

  Rolf's eyes sharpened at her words. If Gaius had used an attack spell, it suggested he had been engaged in combat with someone.

  "An attack spell... But why hasn't Lord Gaius emerged from the room?"

  Rolf struggled to dismiss the possibility of an accident. There was no one on the continent who could withstand a spell from Gaius, the court mage of the Ortomea Empire. While Rolf knew nothing was certain in battle, imagining Gaius being bested by someone seemed implausible.

  "Or perhaps he's unable to leave."

  "That's impossible. Someone of Lord Gaius caliber—"

  Rolf's expression shifted as Celia's suggestion resonated with him, confronting a possibility he had tried to avoid.

  "We need to consider even the worst possible outcome…"

  Celia's face was taut with worry, reflecting the fear of potentially losing a loved one.

  "My apologies!"

  Rolf suddenly bowed his head.

  "What—what are you doing, Lord Rolf?"

  Celia was taken aback.

  "Lady Celia, my judgment was mistaken."

  If he had entered the room sooner, perhaps they could have saved Gaius.

  These thoughts raced through Rolf's mind, but Celia shook her head.

  "No, Lord Rolf. It's a matter of national law that no one can interfere with a summoning ritual, regardless of who they are. If you had acted hastily, it might have triggered a disaster. I believe waiting for me was the right choice under the circumstances. However, I still don't think an accident is likely. If it were, we would have seen some fallout by now."

  In truth, the prohibition against entering or leaving during a summoning ritual was to prevent secondary disasters. Such precautions were necessary due to the delicate nature of the ritual.

  "Lady Celia..."

  Rolf noticed a slight tremor in Celia's shoulders. She was trying to hold back her emotions, thinking of her only remaining family member.

  "What I mentioned is just the worst case scenario. Regardless, we need to enter and see what's happening!"

  "The door is solid steel and barred from the inside. We are preparing a battering ram designed for fortress gates. We just need a bit more time."

  But Celia had no intention of waiting for Rolf's plan.

  "No, Lord Rolf. We don't have time to spare. I'll take care of it myself."

  Rolf was alarmed.

  "Th-That's—"

  "O spirits of fire! Answer my call and grant me your power!"

  "Lady Celia! No! Everyone, move back—!"

  Rolf's voice echoed as he saw Celia begin her incantation, disregarding his attempt to stop her.

  "Shatter my target! Flame Bomb!"

  A swirling ball of fire formed in Celia's hand, and she thrust it toward the steel door.

  A thunderous blast reverberated through the steel door.

  Yet, the door remained intact for a moment before it started cracking, then shattered with a resounding crash.

  "Now! Move in, everyone!"

  Celia's commanding voice rang out.

  The soldiers following her command surged into the room.

  "Impressive use of thermal expansion to breach the door," Rolf observed, to which Celia gave a small nod.

  Initially, when Celia employed a fire spell, Rolf had feared she intended to melt the door with overwhelming heat, a move that could have caused a perilous blaze.

  However, Celia had considered the potential dangers. Melting the door would have ignited the air around it, creating a dangerous inferno.

  While Celia and Rolf, adept in magic, could handle the heat, the ordinary soldiers would be at risk of severe burns or worse. They wouldn't have been able to enter the room until the heat dissipated.

  Instead, Celia applied intense heat to the door and then quickly used an ice spell to cool it down, leveraging thermal expansion to shatter it.

  "Let's go in."

  Pushing past the soldiers near the entrance, Celia and Rolf were met with a grim scene.

  The acrid scent of blood, reminiscent of rusty iron, filled the air.