Chapter 22
“I have a favor to ask,” Ian said.
The tutor hesitated at Ian’s words. He was penniless, with nothing to offer. Even as a bastard, he was less significant than Ian, who was essentially a hostage. What could Ian possibly expect from someone like him?
“A favor… what kind?”
“Arrange a meeting with your father sometime next week. The topic doesn’t matter, but it must be held in the garden, not the study. And it should last about thirty minutes.”
Ian’s tone was deliberately vague, allowing plenty of time to sneak into the study unnoticed. He needed to melt wax to stamp the seal, after all.
The tutor looked utterly confused.
“You don’t need to know the details,” Ian added.
“W-will you keep the circumstances of the incident secret if I do this?”
“Of course. Even the fact that you tried to break into the steward’s room.”
“No! That’s a misunderstanding!”
The tutor jumped up, waving his hands frantically. Given how exposed he already was, his reaction suggested he had something to hide.
“Then?”
“I wasn’t trying to steal the heirloom—”
The tutor’s mouth opened and closed, as if the confession was stuck in his throat. When Ian gave him a sharp look, he sighed and finally blurted out, “I needed a pass.”
“A pass?”
“The front lines of the Bratz territory are off-limits to civilians. For me, it’s the only place where I can observe the Great Desert with my own eyes. Especially the area between Tower 3 and Tower 4—I need to monitor that, but the count won’t grant permission for safety reasons.”
But if the steward’s pass was in his possession?
Since Derga personally stamped it, there were no restrictions. After all, if anything happened to the count, the steward would have to act as his proxy. The tutor had tried to steal the steward’s pass to complete his research.
“I see.”
Ian rested his chin on his hand, pondering. He’d met many people obsessed with a single subject. Even if their lives fell apart, their will to research rarely broke.
“How far along is your study?”
“I’ve been here for quite some time. I’ve measured most of the climate changes in Bratz, and now I plan to head to Blaster to continue my research.”
His thesis was on the correlation between the Great Desert’s climate changes and the Blaster Sea. Naturally, he’d spend more uncertain time there.
An interesting thought struck Ian.
“Really? Then let me ask you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“In late spring, I’ll be leaving here to enter the Great Desert, the territory of the Cheollyeo tribe. Can you predict the climate then?”
The desert wasn’t just hot day and night all year round. With extreme temperatures came fierce sandstorms.
The tutor muttered awkwardly, “It’s difficult to be precise. It also takes time.”
“That’s fine. I just need to know before I leave. There might be maps of the desert, too.”
“There are, but they’re from ten years ago.”
“I’d like you to prepare those. In that case, I’ll get you the pass.”
“The pass?”
Since the pass required a seal, it would be easy to stamp another one while sealing the Molin case.
The tutor blinked at Ian’s confident attitude. He’d heard of this but didn’t quite understand.
“How about it? If you tell me everything about the desert, I feel like I can give you everything in return.”
“I’d be grateful if you did.”
Ian smiled brightly and extended his hand.
“Good. Then let’s make a deal.”
The tutor stared at the boy’s hand.
Should he take it? Was there another hidden motive? Ian’s life was in Derga’s hands, and if he cooperated, would he be punished with execution instead of exile? As a scholar, he had no clue about such matters.
“I want to live my life, and you want to live yours. You’ll cross the border as soon as you use the pass, right?”
“…That’s true.”
Then there was no reason to hesitate. Even if something went wrong, Ian would be crossing the Great Desert.
With determined eyes, the tutor grasped Ian’s hand. Who would have thought a deal between a middle-aged man and a child could feel so grave? Ian smiled and pointed toward the desk.
“Then, teacher, shall we discuss the details while we study?”
The tutor now had a reason to summon Derga.
He could say he was suddenly quitting as a tutor. Since he would leave Bratz as soon as he got the pass, it wasn’t a lie.
Ian tucked a damp cloth into his pocket and glanced at Hana. Thick leather gloves were essential, too.
“Hana, did you bring what I asked for?”
“Here it is.”
Her voice was hushed and cautious, only Beric was nearby. Hana pulled out a small wooden key that fit in her hand—one for the study, one for the drawer safe.
“I told the carpenter I’d pay by next week. He’d probably accept a bottle of liquor if it was late, though.”
Since that day, Hana had sneaked into the steward’s room again. She made a mold of the key using clay and commissioned a copy from a master woodworker. The surface was even coated with rubber.
“Good work.”
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
Creak.
After Hana left, Ian checked the time. The meeting with the tutor was about to start. While Derga’s study was empty, Ian had to quickly stamp two seals.
“Ready?”
“Haah. Why do I have to do this?”
Tap tap tap!
Beric grumbled but followed behind Ian. His skill at moving quietly was impressive. They avoided everyone while moving from the annex to the main building’s upper floor, thanks to Hana’s knowledge of the staff’s schedules.
“There they are.”
Through the window, Ian spotted familiar backs: Derga leading, the tutor beside him, and the steward all gathered. The tutor stammered something, and Derga immediately looked displeased.
“You stay here and guard this place. Don’t let anyone up until I return.”
Ziiing—
He sent a flow of magic to him. Ian’s golden eyes glowed as his hair fluttered. Beric felt the blood rushing and chuckled.
“You look like you want someone to come.”
“Does it show? Good eye.”
“This is serious, Beric. If you cause trouble, we won’t be able to handle it.”
“If I get caught, you’ll cut me loose anyway.”
Beric waved his hand dismissively. If someone tried to approach, he’d cause a commotion to draw attention. The natural story would be that someone tried to steal gold coins from Chel’s room downstairs.
“He’ll be out soon.”
For that reason, Ian pushed Beric’s magic to the limit, so he could escape easily or recover quickly even if whipped.
Tap tap tap!
Creak.
Ian used the prepared key to unlock the study door. Though he hadn’t been here much lately, nothing had changed.
Thud!
Without hesitation, he went straight to Derga’s desk and opened the largest drawer.
‘Here it is.’
A groove inside the gap. A hole positioned so he could easily slide in a diamond. Ian carefully took out the wooden key he’d prepared.
Ziiing—
He gathered all his magic defensively, just in case. Even rubber-coated wood could be dangerous if the voltage was high. If any foreign energy touched his fingertips, he’d instinctively cast a shield. He wasn’t sure if it would work well with his bastard body, but…
Click—
The key fit smoothly into the hole. Sliding it in revealed a secret drawer.
“Ah.”
Inside were a seal, a magic brooch, two gold bars, and some old letters. Ian knelt and examined them.
He placed a wax stand on the candle. While the spoon heated, he looked over the letters.
‘…Are these correspondences with the Cheollyeo tribe?’
Damn it, they were all written in the Cheollyeo language, impossible to decipher. He recognized a few scattered words, but it was too fragmented.
‘Next… female king… after that?’
What on earth did it mean? Even if it were a foreign language, the dialect of a border tribe was beyond Ian’s ability. Instead, he copied the words onto parchment to study later.
Swish swish!
The spoon heated, melting the wax into liquid. Ian poured the wax and stamped the seal.
Bang! Bang!
Once on the letter to send to the capital, once on the pass for the tutor. After stamping, he skillfully cleaned the wax with a damp cloth before it hardened.
Screech.
The heated metal spoon emitted faint smoke as it cooled rapidly. Ian blew on it carefully, not wanting Derga to notice the heat when he returned.
“Done.”
Everything was in order. He returned the items and confirmed the seals were clear. Now all that was left was to leave…
Clatter—
Footsteps echoed somewhere.
Ian froze instinctively. Was it outside the door? No, that would be louder and more careless—Beric causing a ruckus. Then the only place left was one…
“Count? Are you there?”
The steward’s office adjoining the study. Ian suppressed his presence and slipped behind the curtain. Why was the steward here alone? He never stayed in the room without Derga.
“Count?”
Creak.
The door to the small inner office creaked open, revealing the disheveled aide. Thankfully, the blackout curtains were drawn. If they’d been sheer chiffon, he might have been caught immediately.
“That’s strange. I just heard a noise…”
His eyes were puffy, as if he’d just woken up. Looks like he’d crashed here after last night’s overtime—of all places.
“…?”
Sensing something off, the aide glanced toward the curtain where Ian was hiding. Then, cautiously, he took a few steps closer.
Rustle.
The parchment in Ian’s hand was so thin that even his breathing made it rustle. That only made the aide more alert, and Ian more uneasy.
“Is someone there?”
Ian turned his head and looked out the window. The sky was bright and clear, sunlight pouring in warmly. Strangely, everything felt calm. It was his habit, his way of coping.
Calm instead of panic. Action instead of worry.
Mistakes can be fixed, but failure cannot.
Zzzzz—
“Ugh!”
The moment the aide grabbed the curtain, Ian unleashed his magic. The pent-up wind burst forth, energy swirling wildly around him.
At the same time, the aide’s nose started bleeding as he collapsed backward. The curtain slipped from his grasp and fluttered behind him, but he never saw who was standing there.
Thud!
He fell back, eyes rolling white, sprawled out on the floor. Ian carefully gathered the curtain and quietly slipped out of the office.
“Done?”
Berrick, sitting on the stairs, jumped up when he saw Ian. Ian just nodded briefly and led the way, sprinting down the steps. Through the window, the backs of three men were still visible. One of the teachers glanced up, locking eyes with Ian.
The calm expression on the boy’s face was all the confirmation needed—everything had gone according to plan.