The Victor Empire has mages, something Perfikot has always known, and the mages are fairly active within the Empire. In addition to maintaining the palace's thermal barrier, the palace mages are responsible for security tasks in Langton City and the palace, dealing with matters that ordinary security measures cannot handle.
If we look back two hundred years, the palace mages of the Empire were undoubtedly powerful and noble entities, as they indeed possessed the strength to repel an entire army single-handedly.
But with the mysterious decline, the whole world has gradually become an environment of low magic or even no magic power. The widespread practice of alchemy and technological advancements have made mages outdated relics of the past.
Royal mages still uphold their ancient duties, and the distinguished among them still hold the noble title of palace mage, but that's about all there is to it.
