"Corneillia Hugo, you are found guilty for the crime of betraying the royal family, selling state secrets, and almost killing the Queen and the princess. By the order of the King, you are to be put to death." Everyone in the court shouted, disbelief and shock written in their faces. She sighed, tired of the numerous accusations that they have been throwing to her.

And truth to be told, she doesn't know why they would even hold a trial for her if they didn't even make any investigations. It's basically just framing her and showing it to the people.

"As I stated before, I am not guilty and I have not done anything that would warrant my death." She said, exhaustion written all over her face, and she is sure that it is showing in her stature and body as well.

"My king... we do not have enough evidence to even jail her..." But the noble who spoke out suddenly stopped talking. Corneillia turned around, her eyes wide at what is happening. She dissolved the magical cuffs around her hands, which was as easy as breathing to her since she made it, and rushed towards the chocking man.

"What are you doing?! This is not the reason why I supported you and your family as the ruler of the kingdom!" She began to chant, slowly stopping the spell that was directed to the poor nobleman that was under the harsh taunting of the magic that she knows all too well. She never thought that the king that she envisioned to be the future of the kingdom will turn out to be like this.

"Tyrant! You are a tyrant!" She knows that voice, it was someone from her entourage. It was one of her many students that she have taught, drilling into them to always stand up for injustice and as such.

"L-Leonard, no, stop." She called out turning towards where her students are. But, even before he could register what she said, a ball of fire came hurling down towards him. She quickly put up a magical shield, absorbing the fire ball that almost killed her students.

"These magicians have betrayed the King! They must be punished! Death to these demons! Death!" A knight that she very well knows, started shouting. She turned towards the voice, betrayal sinking into her face as she watched the knights that they helped, they healed, they befriended, started surrounding them.

'Of all the times that I could be out of mana!' She thought, as she slowly walked towards her students, shielding them away from the sharp swords and hardened shields that they themselves have made and forged.

"Why?" She chocked out, not wanting to believe that the people that they have fought with, have struggled with, are now trying to kill them without remorse. A few of them looked conflicted, which showed that at least it was gnawing in their consciousness.

But, amongst these knights, she knew one person that would not stand for this.

"I am sorry, Corneillia... I tried talking to the King. I know how much faith you have put in him... but he is not the king that you thought he was." He brandished his sword, swinging it towards his own men, trying to make them back down.

"You-!"

"You have always been a tyrant. You just had us fooled!" The Sword Saint, the greatest swordsman and Knight of the whole kingdom... and her childhood friend Fernando; the only one that she can truly say cannot be bought by any riches in the world. His morals are more powerful than any shiny gold or diamond, his belief cannot be shaken by anything.

Which is the reason why she now feared for his life.

"I will buy you sometime! I know you developed magic that can take them all out of here!" Them meaning the students and other people who have started hiding behind her.

"Yes!"

She ran towards Fernando's sword, slicing her palm open and started chanting the ritual that she have just made.

"Don't let them get away!" The King shouted, his young voice echoing throughout the place. Maybe later, she is going to lament the foolish choices that she have done, maybe later she is going to cry for the kind of person that the young king have turned out to be, but not now. The lives of the people that believed in her is in her hands, and she is in no position to do all of those things.

"M-Master... your mana..." She knows. Her whole body is fatigued by what happened in the last few weeks, and staying in the filthiest cellar with just stale bread and water is not helping her take mana from her surroundings or generate her own.

"I'm fine..."

She was a bit sluggish, thankfully Fernando is living up to his name as the Sword Saint and is knocking those bastard knights that tried running towards them.

Or... are some of the knights really sluggish in hitting? No, no, some of them are smiling, smirking even at the chance of wounding both her, the Ethereal Mage, and Fernando, the Sword Saint. But... a few of them aren't even trying.

'The vice captain isn't even trying...' He was just standing there, staring at her as she chanted on, writing on the ground with her blood.

"I'm done!" She immediately activated her array, watching as the blood started seeping towards the people that she intended to transport towards her secret manor.

"Good! Let's get in the circle-" But before he could even finish talking, he was pushed towards the array, the magic wall starting to enclose around them...

...leaving her outside.

"Corneillia!" Fernando shouted, banging his hands on the magic wall. Some of her students started doing that as well, even using their own magic to reach her.

"The array needs an outside source, I cannot go with you." The knights started rushing towards her, pinning her down, and trying to reapply the magical cuffs. But, the ritual is still continuing no matter what they did.

"Soul m-magic..." Forbidden magic.

"I don't have enough mana. Besides, I'm going to die anyway. I leave everything to you..." She said, as she started coughing up blood.

"Corneillia! Illia, please, don't leave us!" Fernando started crying, so unbecoming of the Sword Saint, she thought. She smiled towards his way, feeling half of her soul being snatched away with the ritual.

"Live your life, yeah?" Some knights tried striking the wall down, some tried rubbing the array off, but it didn't do anything.

The last thing that she saw of her students and her dearest friend are them crying her name.

Now, with them gone. It is time for her to meet the Goddess in the afterlife.

"Behead her!"

"No! Burn her at the stake!"

"Traitorous beings like her should not just die quickly!"

Figures. The majority that remained are up on the king's ass.

"Settle down, good people!" The bastard king shouted, trying to calm down the people that was shouting for her blood. She scoffed, figuring out what he is going to suggest.

"I have the perfect thing to do to her."

He walked towards her, his hands glowing with the magic that she herself have helped him train. On his hand is another spell that she have developed for the sole reason of saving someone from their rotting magic, not for torturing someone.

It was designed to burn away the magic inside someone's body, burning away their reserve, but not their physical veins which is connected to how magic is produced.

But, with increased magic? Yes, her spell could kill as the person is slowly tortured.

'Goddess help me... I am no stranger to pain but... if I am going to die by his hands, please let me die peacefully.' She prayed, knowing that because she have sacrificed half of her soul to her, there is a chance that she might hear her.

But, the closer the king came to her, the more she lose hope that the Goddess may hear her.

"This is retribution." And the King shoved his hand towards her abdomen.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the excruciating pain that is going to come... only to feel the warmth of magic and nothing more.

'I have heard you, my daughter.'

Warmth began to spread throughout her body. She could akin it to a mother's hug. And for long last, she felt peace.

Corneillia's body started glowing white. Numerous people expected for her to shout and trash in pain, they knew what that spell does to a magician's body, they have seen it numerous times when the king is interrogating the enemy's magician.

There should be painful screams, her body convulsing, then a purple aura escaping from her body, as observed from past accounts. But, no...

White...?

"The Goddess." Someone stated. White and black aura are two of the purest forms of magic. Only a blessed person of the Goddess or the Goddess herself can produce it.

"Have we wronged her...?"

The mage's body started floating, the white magic completely devouring her. But before the white magic disappeared, they heard words being spoken out, echoed in their souls.

'My daughter is coming to rest.'