Chapter 238
“Everyone, clear the way!”
“Go fetch a doctor! Hurry!”
“Lord Ian! Please, open your eyes. Lord Ian!”
Xiaoshi hoisted Ian onto his back and dashed forward. The chaos was already overwhelming, but their lord’s collapse only deepened the unease. Determined to keep the panic at bay, he circled the building and sprinted toward the study—moving as swiftly and discreetly as possible.
“Ian! Please, ah, the bleeding won’t stop!”
Pilia, following desperately, cried out in alarm. At that moment, Xiaoshi felt his shoulder grow damp—his lord was unconsciously coughing up blood.
Nersarn caught Pilia as she nearly stumbled, while Romandro and Jin, tears streaming down their faces, hurried ahead to clear the path.
Bang!
The main hall was eerily quiet. Most of the mages had been conducting the mana verification ceremony with Ian; half had been knocked out by Arsen, and the rest were busy managing the aftermath. Despite bursting through the main doors, Xiaoshi saw no one to call for help except the servants.
“Gasp, Lord Ian?”
“What about the mages? Are there any left in the main hall?”
“There should be someone on duty…”
“Bring them here quickly! And get a doctor!”
“Y-yes!”
“Warm water and towels, now!”
Pat-pat-pat!
Xiaoshi laid Ian down in the small bedroom adjacent to the study—a space meant for brief rests during long hours of work. Usually, Berrick used it, and lately, Romandro had taken to it as well.
“Careful, slowly now.”
Ian’s head was twisted awkwardly, his shirt soaked red with no trace of white left, and his pale face betrayed the severity of his condition.
“Is there anything to cover him with…?”
Romandro scanned the room for a blanket or something similar. Then it struck him—Ian had never made this place a true refuge. When he collapsed like this, the only place to lean on was this tiny room attached to his office. And all the furniture and trinkets here had belonged to former Minister Wesley.
“Here it is.”
“Oh, good.”
“Lord Ian? Gasp! What’s wrong with him?”
A servant arrived, carrying a thick blanket and accompanied by Akorella. Judging by her protective goggles, she must have slipped away from the underground lab where she’d been conducting experiments.
She examined Ian with wide eyes. There were no major external wounds, but the relentless coughing up of blood indicated an internal problem.
“Captain Akorella! Please, do something for Ian.”
“J-just a moment. You! Go downstairs and bring everything from the second shelf on the right side of my office cabinet. And you, um, send a message to the storage room—request a mana amplifier! Oh, and syringes!”
Akorella, usually unflappable, stammered as if frozen in shock. While the servants hurried to obey, Jin clung to Ian’s right arm, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Lord Ian, you can’t die.”
“Your Highness, please don’t worry. Minister Ian is…”
Romandro tried to comfort Jin but suddenly clutched his nose. Blood dripped through his fingers.
He wasn’t the only one running on empty after days of sleepless toil. Romandro had been relying on magical potions to artificially boost his stamina. Now, his body was sending clear signals that he’d reached his limit.
Viviana, who had just arrived, noticed immediately and pressed a towel to his face.
“Honey!”
“I’m fine, Vivi. Don’t worry.”
“Oh my, haah… really…”
Romandro smiled and gently stroked Vivi’s back, trying to reassure her that it was just a nosebleed. Xiaoshi wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at him.
“Romandro, you should rest too.”
“I’m fine. If I leave while Ian is lying here, who will handle things?”
“…With all due respect, you should prepare for the possibility that Ian won’t be able to get up for several days. Since you ordered the cleanup, wouldn’t it be better for those who were on site to take charge for a few hours?”
If the Ministry of Magic needed to convene, it would be a real problem without Romandro, the aide. So the suggestion was to rest briefly and conserve strength.
Romandro tried to refuse with a wave of his hand, but as if in protest, blood suddenly poured out again.
“Ahhh! Honey!”
“Alright, alright. Vivi, please don’t panic. I’m really okay.”
“Romandro, Xiaoshi’s right. There were many casualties, but the Prime Minister is safe. Captain Jaret of the Imperial Guard too. Just for a few hours, trust them.”
Jin nudged Romandro’s back. After glancing repeatedly at the lying Ian, Romandro finally stepped away reluctantly, muttering that he’d be back soon—just after a short rest.
“Captain Akorella, the items you requested have arrived. The doctor is on the way.”
“Place them here. Haah, I told you, the potion I made is flawless—no margin for error in effect or side effects. Hahaha. If only I’d trained my mana a bit more. Your Highness, I’m more of a desk person… brains over brawn.”
“Enough talk, hurry!”
“Yes, Minister Ian. Brace yourself. I’m starting now.”
Akorella injected the mana amplifier into her own arm and bit down hard. Though still experimental, what choice did she have? Their superior was dying. She opened her mana and channeled power into Ian.
Ziiing… ziiing!
Ian’s breathing seemed to calm, just barely. But Jin wasn’t sure if it was real—hope often tricks the mind. He pressed his ear tightly against Ian’s chest and whispered,
“Keep going, keep going…”
Ian suddenly coughed up blood. Jin, Xiaoshi, and the servants all reached out to catch it.
Jin stared at the blood-soaked Ian with a face full of despair. Was death really this close? It was almost unbelievable.
“Iaaan. Ian.”
“…I told you to be quiet.”
“No, I’ve flipped my insides a few times, so I know. You gotta stay alert to recover faster. Ian, get up. My lord? My lord?”
A whisper came through. Jin jolted awake, sitting up, and realized he was on the study’s sofa. Ian must have fainted and fallen asleep without realizing it.
Turning toward the noise, Jin locked eyes with Berrick, who grinned, baring his teeth.
“Berrick?”
“Not my lord, but His Highness is awake.”
Was this a dream? Berrick, wrapped in a blanket, was being carried by Xiaoshi.
“Can you move?”
“Uh, if I could, I wouldn’t be like this.”
Despite being unable to take a single step, Berrick had somehow caught the scent of blood and was asking what had happened. The servant had no reason to lie and told him the truth: Ian had collapsed. So the burden fell back on Xiaoshi.
“Iaaan~ We’re just gonna eat meat together, okay? The one we had last time—I’m ordering double this time! If you don’t get up, I’ll triple it!”
Berrick chattered nonstop, trying to coax Ian awake. Ian’s brow twitched slightly in response. Berrick gleefully took it as a sign his plan was working.
“How’s Lord Ian?”
“He’s out of danger.”
Xiaoshi answered and turned away. Breaking his promise to just look at Ian’s face quietly, he was about to put Berrick back in his place. Berrick twisted and squirmed in protest.
“Just a little longer, come on, just a little!”
“Shh.”
“Quiet! So let me down, okay?”
While Berrick fussed, Jin checked Ian again. His complexion had definitely improved. His clothes were changed, neat and clean. At a glance, he looked like he was simply in a deep sleep.
Jin exhaled in relief and gazed out the window. The sun was setting.
“How much time has passed?”
“Three hours.”
Three hours. The world without Arsen had already stretched that long. The demon who had tried to kill his very soul, who looked exactly like him, had left countless scars too numerous to count. Those days had been unbearably heavy, making this moment feel strangely unfamiliar.
‘It’s strange.’
Arsen’s shadow had been so dark. Jin thought the world would look different once he was gone.
But the sunset was still red, the wind still blew, and the clouds still drifted. In hindsight, Arsen had been nothing.
Clenching his hands tightly on his knees, Jin vowed not to forget this moment, no matter what hardships lay ahead. Even the heaviest burdens, seen from afar, were trivial—just as Arsen had been.
Knock knock.
“Your Highness Jin, did you cough?”
“What is it?”
A servant cautiously made his presence known, standing at the door as if waiting for Jin’s voice. If more time had passed, he would have come in to wake him.
“The Prime Minister has called an emergency meeting. Minister Ian and Romandro cannot attend due to their conditions. The Ministry of Magic is still handling the aftermath, so only Captain Hale will attend. The captain has already left, and your carriage is ready.”
“…Understood.”
Jin slowly rose and straightened his clothes. This was no time to falter. He was the only prince left in the palace. With Ian down, he had to pull himself together.
Jin gave Xiao Xi a subtle nod—a signal to follow.
Thud.
“Ah! Ouch!”
Xiao Xi roughly set Beric down under the bed and hurried after Jin. The Ministry of Magic was still quiet. A few wizards were around, but they all looked frazzled, as if they’d just stopped by briefly during some ongoing chaos.
“This way, Your Highness.”
“And Romandro?”
“Lady Viviana is tending to him.”
Jin hesitated for a moment, then climbed into the carriage. This was the first time he was heading out without Ian. Uneasy and nervous, but it was something he had to do eventually.
‘They want to find out what happened inside the conference hall. After all, I was the last one to walk out. Is there anything else I should know? Anything I need to watch out for?’
Tap, tap, tap.
Whether it was the carriage’s movement making his stomach churn or just nerves, Jin wasn’t sure. He had to avoid any mistakes—especially if Ian was going to get up without trouble…
“Ian, that’s royalty! Hahaha!”
Arsen’s last words suddenly echoed in his mind. Jin jolted and shook his head, but strangely, the rest of the message wouldn’t fade.
“Jin, you didn’t know, did you? Why would Ian help someone like you? There’s always an ulterior motive! Only royalty are blessed enough to resist mental control!”
Jin had experienced it himself. When the wizards and priests clutched their heads and collapsed, he stood firm, facing Arsen. Gale was the same—he had entered the poisonous zone where soldiers couldn’t go without issue.
So why was Ian different…?
‘No way.’
Ian is royalty? Then what about Filia? And the former Count Derga? Arsen, that devil, had clearly been toying with him until the very end.
Biting his lip tightly, Jin’s carriage slowly came to a stop. They had arrived in front of the main conference hall of the First Imperial Palace.
“We’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
Xiao Xi, sitting in the back, opened the door and gestured for him to step out. Jin carefully descended, his heart pounding as he climbed the stairs. Then, it slowly dawned on him.
Glances from nobles who weren’t exactly friendly, whispers sharp as blades, and guarded postures flashing from every direction—he was surrounded by suspicion on all sides.