Chapter 262
“Ian, can we slow down a bit? And just in case you don’t know, I’ll tell you—this isn’t the way to the dining hall. It’s the complete opposite direction. Have we really come this far?”
Ian glanced back at Beric, who was trailing behind him with a puzzled smile. Even though Beric was a prince, he’d been sprawled out on the sofa earlier. His body was still in bad shape, so seeing him push himself like this meant there was something else going on beneath the surface.
Without slowing his pace, Ian asked, “Did the person in charge say the dining hall is off-limits?”
He didn’t bother adding the unspoken thought: why not just sneak a little meat? It wouldn’t make much difference to Beric either way.
If there was time for regrets or second thoughts, Beric’s way was to find another entrance to the dining hall.
“How did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face.”
“My face?! Huh?!”
Ian tried to remember the last time he’d been to the dining hall. Usually, his workload was so heavy that he rarely had time to eat properly, and lately, confined to his sickbed, he hadn’t even left his office.
So being led repeatedly toward the dining hall naturally raised suspicion. But Beric seemed genuinely flustered, peering out the window and touching his own face as if to confirm.
“Where are we going? We’re getting farther and farther from the dining hall!”
“To the Imperial Palace Central Archives.”
“Why that boring place?”
“Have you ever been? It’s surprising.”
“Huh? What do you mean? That’s where the black boxes are stacked, right?”
“That’s the Magic Department’s archives. The place we’re heading to is the palace’s—more precisely, the Administrative Department’s archives.”
Ian had something to check. Timothy—the reason Ian remembered him even after a hundred years.
As they neared the archives, more people recognized Ian. They exchanged quick nods as Ian turned the corner.
“Ah.”
Ian stopped when he spotted a familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction. It was Quintana, moving boxes alongside other administrative staff. She greeted Ian warmly upon seeing him.
“Minister, what brings you here?”
She looked genuinely pleased. Ian suddenly realized that most of the smiles Quintana had shown before were forced. Aside from the occasional kindness she showed Jin, she was usually the one challenging and countering opinions in meetings, pushing hard to get her way.
“These are the property deeds of the seven families, including the Haiman clan. Impressive, right? Just the land deeds alone are this thick. The arrogance of calling their mansion the ‘Second Imperial Palace’ wasn’t unfounded.”
The ownerless mansion, its grounds, and various jewels and assets would now belong to the palace, gaining new value. Whether to dispose of them or keep them under palace ownership would be decided through discussions between the Administrative Department, the Prime Minister, and Jin.
“By the way, where were you headed?”
“To the Imperial Palace Central Archives. I have something to verify.”
“Oh, I heard some ancient books are arriving soon. If you have time, you should visit the Ministry of Culture with His Majesty Jin. The artworks have probably arrived first. They’re worth seeing.”
This was one of the rare moments Quintana showed a softer side.
With the recent seizure of noble family assets following the tax revenue from the trials, the treasury was not only replenished but even had surplus funds. For someone managing the national coffers, this was a rare joy.
“Oh, and the Prime Minister plans to convene a grand assembly tomorrow. Not sure if you’ve heard.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Then you might also know that Captain Jarrett has proposed reorganizing the Imperial Palace Guard to the Administrative Department. The Imperial Defense Department is doing the same.”
Two of the three captains of the Imperial Palace Guard, who served close to the Emperor, had died—one in the rebellion, the other at the hands of monsters. Even if the Emperor was bedridden, the number of captains had to be maintained appropriately.
“They’ll probably start recruiting and selecting talent soon. All magic swordsmen in the empire will have a chance, I suppose?”
Quintana glanced at Beric standing behind Ian. Rough and unrefined, he didn’t seem to fit the palace at all, but Ian and Jin trusted him. Curious, Ian had looked into it and was surprised to learn Beric was a magic swordsman—one skilled enough to draw out magic power from Captain Jarrett himself.
“Is the Imperial Defense Department doing the same?”
“Yes. Their approach is similar. I suspect they’re hoping to benefit from the overflow of applicants to the Palace Guard. The former minister of the Imperial Defense Department sided with the first prince during the rebellion. Although someone else is temporarily in charge, it’s the right time to reorganize and replenish forces.”
Having purged the central nobility, now was undoubtedly the best moment. Besides, Jin’s appointment ceremony as the next heir was imminent. With the dawn of a new era approaching, everything was aligning perfectly.
‘Especially the Imperial Defense Department will want to wrap things up before Jin officially becomes heir. Their position hasn’t been great since the rebellion and the Melania incident. They want to consolidate before Jin forms his cabinet.’
“Everyone’s busy preparing for their own appointments.”
Quintana seemed to sense Ian’s thoughts and added quietly, smiling as if to say she agreed.
“Well then, see you at the assembly tomorrow.”
“Indeed. Take care.”
The staff bowed their heads and followed Quintana away.
Ian’s mind grew complicated. There was a mountain of administrative and procedural matters to sort out. Although departments divided the work, most of it, especially related to the Magic Department, ultimately required Ian’s final review.
Because he was Jin’s guardian, reviewing every signature alongside him, there was no difference between what Ian saw and what Jin saw.
‘First, propose the distribution of authority over the magic sealing stones. Fifty percent to the Emperor, thirty percent to the rest of the royal family, and twenty percent to the Magic Department.’
The key was that this authority covered the entire quantity of magic sealing stones. That way, even if the number of stones increased or decreased, the balance of power would remain proportionate.
‘The problem is Idgal…’
An alchemical creation with abilities similar to the magic sealing stones.
To prevent confusion, a law officially excluding Idgal would inevitably follow. Ian, as a royal bastard, being connected to that was the biggest concern right now.
But it couldn’t be helped. For the healthy balance between the royal family, the Magic Department, and Bariel, this was a necessary step.
‘Next up is the sale of Haiman Bank, and the Imperial Defense Department…’
“Ian! What are you thinking about so hard?”
“Ah.”
Beric grabbed Ian’s arm, pulling him back. Lost in thought, Ian had reached the end of the corridor, passing the archives by several steps. Ian smiled faintly and shook his head.
“No, I was worried whether you’d be able to join the Imperial Palace Guard. If the best fighters from across the country apply, Captain Jarrett might reject you.”
“Come on! Don’t worry about that. Just worry about what we’re eating today. I’ll take care of anyone who comes here—huh? Half of them will be dead, and I’ll eat the captain.”
“The captain? Ha ha ha.”
Ian laughed genuinely. It was an unexpected combination—Beric and the captain of the Imperial Palace Guard.
Beric was momentarily surprised but, intrigued by Ian’s laughter, he smiled too.
“You’ll become captain if you beat Jarrett, right?”
“What would I do as captain?”
“Hmm. Maybe order the subordinates to bring me meat? If I become captain, how about you? Sounds good, right?”
“Well, probably. The captain of the Palace Guard is close to the Emperor, so it would make cooperation easier.”
“There are two spots open, so maybe it’s doable?”
“Maybe. But I think Jarrett will try to kill you before that.”
Clack!
The door swung open, and the archives attendant stood up to greet Ian. The atmosphere was much like a library—musty but oddly calming with the scent of paper, sunlight pouring in from the ceiling, and near silence.
“Minister Ian Hielo, isn’t it?”
“I need to check some records.”
“Of course. Please tell me what you need.”
“From the present day back ten years, all records of Bariel’s interactions with the Kingdom of Burgos.”
“All of them? That’s quite a lot.”
“Then five years, or even three years is fine.”
“One moment. We haven’t received a formal request for removal. You’ll be reviewing them here, correct?”
“Yes.”
To take documents out of the Administrative Department archives, a formal request was required. The process was strict, involving several staff members, and unless it was urgent, it took time.
Rustle.
The attendant muttered while flipping through thick files.
“Neighboring country index 0423, classification Burgos… Ah, please follow me.”
They followed the attendant deeper into the archives, the smell of yellowed paper growing stronger. Beric wrinkled his nose, while Ian looked up at the towering ceiling dozens of meters above.
The place spanned over ten floors, connected by wooden stairs that moved smoothly—another magical aid.
‘A hundred years ago or now, it hasn’t changed much.’
“Ian, here are five years’ worth of economic and political records from Burgos. The cultural and social records are in the basement; I’ll bring those shortly. Please take your time.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Beric’s mouth slowly dropped open. Five massive bookshelves taller than himself, packed tightly with bundles of paper.
You want to read all this here?
And there’s more on culture and society?
“Ian, are you crazy?”
“I didn’t tell you to come along.”
“You’re going to read it all here? You’ll get a nosebleed again. No doubt.”
“Beric, reading isn’t as hard as you think. You should study with Xiaoshi a bit.”
Ian flipped through the cover without hesitation, pulling out the documents he needed. He settled comfortably into his chair and began skimming through the papers. He wasn’t reading every word from start to finish—just searching for the information he required, so there was no need to strain himself.
“Looks intense,” Beric said, sitting beside him with his chin resting on his hand, waiting.
“What are you digging for? Still looking for that prince Timothy from that country?” Beric asked.
“Timothy isn’t royalty,” Ian replied. “He’s part of the Vargas Kingdom’s diplomatic corps. It’s rare for actual royals to attend the heir appointment ceremonies—Clifford was an exception. Usually, they send delegations like Luswena did.”
“Is that so? But you are looking for Timothy, right? That big guy with the broad shoulders? He looks like he could throw down. Does their foreign ministry know how to fight? Maybe we should have a friendly match if he shows up. What do you think?”
Ian ignored Beric’s chatter and kept flipping through the files. Timothy, Timothy, Timothy…
Ah. Found him.
Timothy had officially visited Bariel five times. Each visit ranged from a week to as long as six months, so there were solid records. Ian traced his movements, comparing them to what he already knew to see if anything was different.
“Development of the Lorant Plains, formation of a cultural envoy… hmm, this visit coincided with Gale’s coming-of-age ceremony. The Magic Cooperation Exchange Group was established then…”
Rustle.
“Just as I thought,” Ian muttered under his breath. From what he knew, Timothy was an immigrant from a foreign delegation—not originally from Vargas, but from Bariel.
There had been countless immigrants over the past hundred years, but there was only one reason Ian remembered Timothy.
“…He’s an ancestor of Naum.”