Episode 142
“The Minister Wesley is away on a business trip?”
“Yeah. He said he’d be gone for a few days.”
“Captain Hale usually doesn’t see much of Wesley, though.”
“Why would they meet often?”
Hale replied indifferently, but Ian couldn’t bring himself to believe the excuse of a business trip. Given the timing, it seemed unlikely Wesley would leave the palace so casually.
‘That’s why it’s been so quiet these past few days. Maybe Gale, after confirming the forbidden necromancy, is holding him back—or…’
Escape? Or perhaps he went straight to Karenna himself, to clean up the undead mess. Ian had no way of knowing what Gale was doing, so his mind kept spinning with possibilities.
“So, I’ll be attending today’s personnel meeting in Wesley’s place. Everyone else, you’re free to leave early.”
Usually, when Wesley was absent, his aide would step in, but this time even the aide had left, so the heads of each department had to gather. Nakina gathered the documents and asked,
“Is the head of the Magic Support Department not coming?”
“All the department heads are going. I’ll just be sitting there without a word.”
It was a kind of courtesy, a show of solidarity under the banner of the Ministry of Magic. They gathered to demonstrate some semblance of respect at the personnel meeting.
“Then we’ll go too.”
“The Magic Support guys always follow their head, right? We can’t leave Captain Hale standing there all alone!”
“Go home, you lot.”
“I’m fine. What about you, Nakina?”
“I don’t have any work either.”
Tommy and Nakina glanced slowly at Ian. With all the seniors going, they were asking what the youngest would do. Ian smiled and nodded.
“I’m happy to go as well.”
“Only his mouth’s smiling, right?”
“No, his eyes are smiling too.”
“Hey, when else will you get to see a personnel meeting? The atmosphere’s kind of fun, you know?”
Ian knew exactly why. This was the first political move of the year, the moment to set the course. For those confirmed as nominees, it was a celebration; for those fighting tooth and nail, it was a battlefield.
‘Normally, the Ministry of Magic’s personnel meetings are just formalities…’
But this time, it would be different.
It had to be.
Because there was bait set for Marib.
“Then let’s hurry. Time to head out.”
Hale stubbed out his cigarette and checked his watch. It was time for everyone who had staked their lives on this meeting to head to the main conference room.
“Minister! This way!”
“Oh, isn’t that the next Minister of the Interior?”
“Ha ha, you flatter me.”
“The painting you showed last time, a friend of mine knows it well…”
“Long time no see. Why is it so hard to catch you these days?”
“How much longer until retirement for that person?”
“Shh, be careful what you say. I heard the Foreign Ministry spent a fortune to get Chirio in.”
The front of the conference hall was packed with carriages. Only about half the attendees could actually enter the hall, but everyone was either escorting their superiors or waiting to congratulate them as they left.
“Ian!”
“Ah, Romandro.”
Romandro was in the same boat—an administrative official, jostled by the crowd, wandering the lobby. He glanced around and whispered,
“No word from Beric yet?”
“If there was, you’d be the first to know.”
“Ugh, this is maddening. Where the hell is that guy? No news for almost a week! We even sent dogs to find him, and now we have to send people to find the dogs.”
Ian patted Romandro’s shoulder and muttered,
“He’s not the type to die out there, nor would he just run away.”
“True, he’ll come back for the food eventually. The question is when. Should’ve set a time. Beric only knows one thing at a time, I forgot that.”
The only relief was that no incidents had been reported anywhere in the capital. If Beric had swung his black sword even once, it would have been a disaster.
Crack!
At that moment, a massive carriage pulled up in front of the conference hall, proudly bearing Bariel’s banner.
“His Majesty the Emperor!”
“The Emperor approaches!”
“Clear the way!”
“Bow your heads!”
The Emperor staggered but climbed the steps on his own. Ian, Romandro, and all the officials bowed deeply. Behind him followed the two princes—Marib and Gale.
Swish.
As they passed, the two princes glanced down at Ian’s back. They didn’t show their faces, but their gazes locked in a tense, unyielding stare.
Bang!
As the three royals entered the hall, the lobby erupted into chaos again. With the Emperor and princes present, the meeting was about to begin.
Some clasped their hands in desperate prayer; others swaggered loudly as if already appointed. The ranks of subordinates shifted according to their superiors’ status—another fierce political battlefield.
“…?”
Ziiing!
At that moment, Ian, Nakina, and Tommy all looked north simultaneously. It wasn’t just them—mages from other departments who had sent their heads inside also flinched.
“What was that just now?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Tommy, Nakina, did you feel that?”
“Yeah. You too, rookie?”
“Hey, I’m not the only one who felt it, right?”
“That’s strange. If it’s the north…”
“No, what is it? Ian, tell me.”
“Romandro, stay close to me.”
The mages tensed, but the non-magical officials had no clue. It was a calm amid the chaos. Confused, Romandro looked around nervously and stuck close behind Ian.
Boom!
A loud explosion sounded.
Something had detonated where the strange magical energy had been sensed. Everyone stopped and looked up. Black smoke billowed into the sky. It was a sight never seen in the palace, and no one seemed to fully grasp what was happening.
“…Fire?”
Impossible.
The palace never caught fire thanks to the Ministry of Magic’s control. Maybe a research department had an accident, but all the key officials were gathered here in the conference hall lobby. What research could be going on without them?
“What is that?”
“Better call the palace guard.”
“Wait, hold on.”
The palace guard answered only to the Emperor’s command, so it wasn’t part of the meeting agenda. Someone went to fetch the guard captain, and soon Jaret appeared, leading his men—including Varsabe, though he was low-ranking.
“The smoke’s getting closer.”
“Everyone, move to your posts and assess the situation.”
“Yes, Captain.”
It wasn’t just their imagination. Something with powerful magic was approaching. Jaret asked the mages,
“Have all the department heads entered the meeting room?”
“Yes, they have.”
“Better cast protective barriers, just in case.”
“Hey, stop dawdling and gather! Draw the magic circle!”
“Who do you think you are, ordering us around? Magic Support, gather here! We’ll draw the circle around us!”
“Crazy bastards, seriously.”
Even now, it was a turf war. Nakina was so annoyed she flipped them the middle finger, but Tommy covered it with his palm. As the mages moved, the other staff panicked and scrambled.
“Shouldn’t we suspend the meeting?”
“Are you kidding? Who gave you that right?”
“The Emperor’s inside. If anything happens, who’s responsible?”
“I heard your faction’s going down this time. Don’t use this as an excuse to stop the meeting.”
“What are you saying?”
“Mark my words! Anyone who tries to stop the meeting won’t be seen in the palace again this year! Ha ha ha!”
“That’s not the intention!”
Once a year, this meeting laid the foundation for politics. Those who lost here would try to delay or reschedule it to buy time. So the newly appointed couldn’t afford to stop it, no matter who fell.
“No more disturbances will be tolerated. Everyone, be quiet and cooperate. The Ministry of Magic will set up a defensive formation. Wait here and stand by.”
Jaret’s authoritative words calmed the crowd somewhat. Unlike the Magic Support Department, who were drawing circles on the floor, Tommy and Nakina slowly stretched their limbs and looked up at the black smoke.
“What’s north of here? Could it be something gone wrong in the Monster Research Department?”
“That’s north of the Ministry’s main building, not here. Hmm. If you go straight that way… you reach the Administration, Support Department, the Grand Garden, and Prince Gale’s residence.”
“The closest is the Support Department?”
Ziiing. Ziiing.
Tommy and Nakina’s eyes glowed gold. They bent down, lightly rubbing their Achilles tendons and ankles. Following their gestures, magic began to bubble up, filling their feet.
“Rookie, keep a close watch here.”
“We’ll go check it out.”
Snap!
Whoosh!
With a tremendous gust of wind, the two bodies shot up into the sky, as if pulled by invisible strings.
Romandro gawked at them with his mouth wide open, while Ian shielded his face from the wind with his arm. The streaks of magical light couldn’t keep up with their speed, leaving behind afterimages—like a monochrome rainbow.
“Oh wow, so this is it. Wizards really do fly.”
“Have you never seen the Magic Operations Unit fight in battle before?”
“…Ian, everyone who’s seen that ends up dead.”
“Ah, I see.”
They were deployed only when the tide of battle had turned against their side. The Magic Operations Unit’s job was to use their power to swing the momentum back in their favor. It was a feat impossible without divine power.
‘So the Gale Palace is over there—’
Ian immediately recognized the black smoke infused with magic.
‘Is that Wesley?’
He wasn’t sure what had happened, but if it was really Wesley, they had to be on high alert. She was a prodigy, the youngest ever to be appointed court countess and a formidable sorceress.
Ian glanced down at the ground as he approached the wizards.
“Don’t get in the way. Step aside, noble sir.”
“The formula’s reversed. If you do that on the field, everyone dies. Senior sir.”
“…What?”
“Ah, right. Hey! Lee, who wrote this here?”
“And these parts here shouldn’t be in Alehaman, but in Bariel. It’s more effective that way. Who’s in charge of activating this section of the magic circle?”
“I was going to do it.”
“Then rewrite it yourself. The formula goes like this.”
Without hesitation, Ian slipped between them and began correcting the magic circle. It stretched long across the wide lobby entrance, from one end to the other. All the wizards were crouched down, designing the protective barrier.
“Move aside! We have to stop this meeting immediately!”
“Who gave you the right? Oh, this is just a last-ditch effort. Palace Guard Captain, arrest these heretics for sacrilege!”
“Notify the inner chambers at once!”
“Absolutely not! Not before the seal is stamped inside!”
Those trying to halt the meeting clashed with those defending it, crowding the entrance in a scuffle. Ian clicked his tongue and looked up, quickly spotting Tommy and Nakina standing dazed in midair.
Snap!
Ian shot a burst of magic into the sky, signaling them to respond if they could see anything. But the two remained frozen, staring blankly at the smoky figure, seemingly stunned into immobility.