"Yes," he said. "Lady Georgiana Ambrose and her husband. They're from the Southern Territories."
"You mentioned the South has.….a complicated history with the Empire?"
Another sigh. The Emperor rubbed his temples. "That's putting it mildly."
He leaned back in his chair, clearly trying to figure out how to explain this.
"Decades ago," he began, "the Southern Territories experienced a catastrophic mana disaster. An explosion at one of their research facilities. It killed hundreds. Contaminated entire regions. The magical fallout was... devastating."
Oh god
"The Empire," he continued, his voice heavy, "did not respond as quickly or as generously as we should have. There were political complications at the time. Disagreements about jurisdiction. By the time we sent aid, much of the damage was irreversible."
"The Southern mages developed their own methods of dealing with mana contamination," Cassian added quietly. "Methods the Empire considers.….unorthodox.
