Chapter 179
KABOOM!

An explosion echoed from the Ministry of Magic side. Beric, who had been running ahead, suddenly stopped, causing Akorella to stumble forward and nearly faceplant. She quickly adjusted her glasses and snapped irritably,
“Ow! What the hell was that!?”

“Looks like something’s going down at the Ministry.”

“Of course! Marib took the soldiers with him. The Third Imperial Palace is bound to erupt soon too, so we need to move fast.”

“Damn it. Shouldn’t have followed you. Is Ian really okay on his own?”

Akorella let out a dry chuckle at Beric’s muttering. It wasn’t just anyone—they were talking about Ian Hiel, Minister of Magic. The man who appeared like a comet and snatched the fourth highest rank in the great empire of Bariel. Ian Hiel!

“Who’s worrying about who? And ‘following’ me? There’s a difference! You were assigned to guard me.”

“By the way, hey. Who are you exactly? You’ve been bugging me since earlier.”

“You? Me? I’m Akorella! Captain of the Mana Stone Management Division!”

“Yeah, but isn’t Ian your boss? Same here.”

“Both of you, shut up already!”

Tommy, who had been scanning the area ahead, finally lost patience and scolded them. A pack of mad dogs, as expected, but even more exhausting than anticipated. The thick smoke was already making it hard to see, and their bickering wasn’t helping.

“There’s a fire near the Third Imperial Palace. Soldiers or not, they said they’re after the paintings. If the fire spreads, it’ll be a disaster. Enough chatter—let’s hurry.”

“This isn’t chatter, it’s discipline!”

Akorella shouted again, but Beric just stuck out his tongue and sprinted toward the Third Palace. More precisely, he was chasing after Tommy’s shadow.

Pat-pat-pat!

“Tommy! What’s the situation at the Ministry?”

“Can’t see much from here.”

The portal slicing through the sky obscured half the Ministry. Judging by the explosions, something serious was definitely happening. Tommy sighed and glanced back at the grim scene.

Just one day.

The chaos had started barely twenty-four hours ago, practically overnight. How could they not have realized that centuries of history could be destroyed so utterly and so quickly?

Did Marib and Gale even understand what they were doing right now?

“Beric, I see Marib’s soldiers up ahead.”

“Kill them on sight?”

“No. We’ll probably get there first. It’ll be a pain when they try to haul the paintings out.”

Tommy pointed out the banners of the approaching soldiers. Beric didn’t answer but swung his black sword and pushed off with renewed energy.

Swish!

“Let’s go, you bastards!”

If not for Akorella’s shout, they might have run even faster. As soon as they reached the Third Palace, she dropped to the ground and started retching. For a researcher who spent most of her time in labs, this was brutal exercise.

“Ugh.”

“Hey, didn’t they say we only need to grab one painting? Come on, pick one. There’s a ton here.”

Maps of the building, geometric wall decorations, a portrait of the Third Palace’s overseer, flower paintings lined up beside a massive window—paintings filled every visible space, each a masterpiece.

Akorella wiped her mouth and muttered,
“It’s probably not that simple.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shortly after the Liquistone was smuggled out, mana-stone-coated paintings became a trend among the high nobles. The royal family probably pushed the trend to hide the Emperor’s secret passages.”

If that’s true, it’s faster to look for the kind of paintings the nobles would favor.

“Big, flashy, and with a sacred aura—those are the most likely candidates. I’ll check the right corridor, Beric, you take the left and grab anything similar. Tommy, watch my back.”

Akorella’s orders aimed to save time. Beric dashed down the left hallway, shouting,
“This way?!”

“Yeah. Tear them off and pile them here.”

Pat-pat-pat!

Watching his figure vanish like the wind, Akorella opened her mana. Her senses sharpened, but her face twisted in discomfort. The dizziness was back, and nausea threatened to overwhelm her again.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

“Can you tell if there’s Liquistone mixed in? Even a tiny amount would be bad, especially if it’s mixed with lower-grade mana stones.”

Akorella pushed her crooked glasses up and smiled faintly. She was curious too.

“Let’s see. Heh heh.”

She had handled mana stones every day for years—touching, feeling, even tasting them. It felt like a lifetime of research was on the line. Her low chuckle made Tommy step back nervously.

…That laugh. That’s the one mages make when experimenting with potions.

Just as Tommy considered switching places with Beric, Beric was already running down the corridor, glancing over the paintings. Big, flashy, sacred…

“Huh?”

At the end of the hall, a painting taller than a person caught his eye. A dozen or so angels smiling brightly. Beric crossed his arms and groaned thoughtfully.

“Hmm. This one’s too big.”

How would he carry it? Well, if he had to, he could manage—twice or thrice the trouble of carrying Dilaina on his back.

“Pass!”

They only needed one painting anyway. Beric turned sharply, but the angel’s eyes suddenly shifted.

“No!”

Beric spun around just in time, and the movement stopped. He closed his mouth, deep in thought.

“If I bring a huge one, maybe they’ll reward me with extra meat for the trouble!”

Grinning, Beric reached out to tear the painting down—but something felt off.

“…?”

It was only for a few seconds, but something seemed different. Beric frowned and stepped back.

Maybe it was his innocent, untrained eyes. Instead of interpreting or assigning meaning, he just saw what was there.

“Oh!”

All the angels were smiling down at him, except one on the left.

Beric snapped his fingers as if he’d just realized something.

“Why does this one’s eye look like that?”

He stepped closer to examine the angel’s face. The pupil…

Blink.

It blinked! Quick and subtle, like it lost an eye battle. Shocked, Beric shouted and struck the painting’s face.

“Gyaaaah!”

KABOOM!

“Damn it. What the hell was that?”

“Beric! Beric! What happened?”

Tommy rushed over, pale as a ghost. Beric gasped for breath and looked at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“The painting’s eyes moved!”

“What?”

“I’m serious! It just blinked!”

“That’s impossible…”

Pat-pat-pat!

“Tommy! I told you to watch me!”

Akorella appeared, clutching a painting nearly as big as herself. She tossed aside a smaller one and approached the angel painting.

Ziiing. Ziiing.

She summoned her mana more intensely, searching for traces of Liquistone. The power of the mana stone was palpable beyond the five senses—Akorella pressed her face against the painting, barely hiding her excitement.

“Ahaha! This is it! This is the Liquistone for sure!”

“R-Really?”

“Absolutely. Ten years as a junior in the Mana Stone Management Division, three years as a squad leader, five years as captain—my experience speaks for itself! Liquistone: 210 grams, Allatum: 15 grams, Coridosia: 150 grams…”

Tommy moved Akorella aside and carefully took the painting down. The alloy frame alone weighed over ten kilograms, so Beric and Tommy gripped it firmly from both ends.

“If it’s confirmed, no time to waste. Let’s go. Beric, hold tight.”

“Got it! Damn right!”

“…It’s ‘sip-si-il-ban,’ not that.”

The three of them cautiously but swiftly exited the Third Palace.

Outside, the acrid smell of smoke hit them hard—fire must have spread nearby. Akorella adjusted her glasses and looked up at the sky.

“Why isn’t there a portal?”

“Huh?”

The two men looked up too. The sky was clear and blue. No trace of the Black Moon. Beric frowned in confusion.

“Where did the Black Moon go? Does it disappear this fast?”

“…Either it was activated, or the magic circle vanished.”

Tommy’s voice was tinged with disbelief. Either way, it meant trouble for the mages.

“Are we sure it’s safe to return to the Ministry building? If the portal’s active, the mages evacuated. If the magic circle’s gone, then they’re probably all dead—”

Akorella caught herself, horrified at the words she’d just spoken. Suddenly, Beric dropped the painting and drew his sword.

Shhhhk.

Without hesitation, he pulled mana from his core. A violet aura swirled around his black blade.

“Beric! No! If something’s happened to the mages, we might be their last hope!”

Akorella grabbed his arm desperately, but Beric calmly brushed her hand away.

What did it matter? Last hope or not—that was a judgment made by Ian.

Beric’s mission was clear: save his master.

“I’m going ahead.”

Swish!

“There they are! The mages, over there!”

“Get them! Kill them if you have to!”

Clatter, clatter!

At that moment, Marib’s soldiers spotted the three and charged forward. In the brief instant that Akorella reflexively raised her shield, Beric swung his sword in a wide arc and plunged into the formation.

Whoosh!

Crack!

“Argh!”

“Don’t fall back! There’s only one of them!”

“Damn it—ah! Mercy! My eye! My eye!”

“Is that a magic swordsman? Hold the line!”

“Attack all at once! All at once!”

“Waaah!”

This wasn’t swordplay—it was slaughter. Beric stabbed mercilessly at exposed faces and necks, striking without hesitation, his sole intent to kill.

The only difference from usual was that Beric didn’t seem to be enjoying himself.

“I’m busy right now—!”

Thud!

“I’ll kill them all.”

Even Tomi and Akorella couldn’t get close to Beric. He showed no distinction between friend or foe, cutting down anything that got in his way.

Whoosh!

Huff, huff…

“Ugh!”

The soldiers, seeing their comrades torn apart, fled. They hesitated briefly about whether to give chase, but Beric gripped his black sword and dashed back toward the mage division.

“Damn it, what if Ian’s dead?”

“Why would Ian be dead? He’s practically the only one who can fix this mess right now!”

“I don’t know! I’m leaving first!”

“You idiot! Take the painting with you! Damn it!”

Akorella punched Beric hard on the back of the head. But he vanished in an instant, leaving only the groans of dying soldiers nearby.

“Someone who has a lunatic like that as a subordinate? There’s no way he’s going to die. What an idiot.”

With no choice, she grabbed the edge of the painting instead. It was huge—and incredibly heavy.

“Tomi, do you have any magic that could help move this?”

“Evacuation’s Nakina’s job. Should I give it a try?”

“No, forget it. If the mana stones react, it’ll just cause more problems. Ugh… I’ll try. One, two, three! Ugh!”

Akorella grimaced, her hands trembling. The vast palace grounds already felt overwhelming, but today the mage division seemed especially far away.

Just as she struggled to take a step—

Thwack.

Someone grabbed her arm.

“Gah!”

“Stay away from Captain Akorella, Your Highness!”

Looking every bit the worse for wear, Gale had survived—just as the phrase fit perfectly.