Chapter 294

“Your Highness, the Clifford carriage has been spotted.”

“Is that so? No time to rest, then. How long did they say it would take?”

The news reached Jin, who was resting back at the residence. He had been debating what to do about lunch, but if Clifford was arriving, it would be appropriate to prepare a place for them along with Eriphony.

It was inconvenient, but what choice did he have? This was a duty Jin had to bear. Yet, curiously, no reply came.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, it looks like it’s going to take a bit longer.”

“Why?”

If the carriage was visible from the outskirts, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours at most. Could something have happened at the palace where Clifford was staying? When Jin urged the messenger to hurry, the attendant bowed awkwardly.

“The carriage is moving very slowly.”

“What? Why?”

“Lord Ian has gone out with the mages to check the outer walls. He suggested that if there’s a problem with the carriage, we should go out to meet them. But from what I hear, it doesn’t seem to be a physical issue.”

Not a physical problem? Jin tilted his head in confusion. He glanced at Sia, but he had no idea either. It would take a long time to go back and forth to the outskirts…

“Since he went out with the mages, they must have taken the sky route, Your Highness.”

Siaoshi noticed Jin’s concern and added that it was the only option. The streets were so crowded that barely a horse could pass.

Jin looked up at the sky outside the window. Had they gone out unarmed to avoid drawing attention?

“Was it only Lord Ian who went?”

“Romandro and Beric went with him.”

“The two of them… how are they flying?”

Just as Jin wondered, a distant, piercing scream seemed to echo faintly. It was drowned out by the continuous bursts of fireworks, cheers from the crowd, and street music.

---

Meanwhile, at the outer walls.

The soldiers stepped back, eyeing the group of mages with curiosity.

Though the messenger who had been running between here and the palace all day was also a mage, they had never seen such a large group gathered like this before. Moreover, they were all standing in formation, peering through telescopes.

The soldiers whispered among themselves.

“Is that the blonde Minister of Magic? And who’s that beside him?”

“No idea. The person lying behind looks like an aide.”

Ian was peering through a fixed telescope, tilting his head. Next to him, Beric was mimicking him, holding a small telescope upside down. Romandro was sprawled on the ground, groaning continuously.

“See anything, Ian? I can’t see a thing.”

“Ugh… ugh…”

“Romandro, stop choking and get up.”

“You… you fool. We flew through the sky like a cannonball, and now this… ugh…”

“Is this thing broken?”

Beric frowned and raised his own telescope, but the mages were too focused on Clifford’s direction to respond. Ian lowered the telescope and asked the outer guard captain.

“They stopped over there?”

“They staggered and barely made it, then just stopped right there.”

Ian stepped aside, and Beric quickly leaned in to check. Far off, a massive carriage stood at the front.

Behind the ridge, there was probably a long procession like the one at Luswena. For some reason, they had stopped without crossing the hill.

“I see it! Oh! I see someone getting out. Checking the horseshoes, then turning back?”

“Better to go check in person.”

“Ian! I! I—”

At Ian’s words, Romandro sprang up, clasping his hands together. Some might find flying exhilarating, but he was just an ordinary man. His heart was pounding wildly, and he couldn’t handle the rush of blood surging through his body.

“Romandro, stay here. We can’t send all the carriages flying, and once they reach here, they’ll take the central side path anyway. You can return with us.”

“R-right?”

“The rest, follow me.”

“Yes, Lord Ian.”

“Ian! Let’s go!”

Ziiing. Ziiing.

Ta-at!

As the mages unleashed their magic, Beric was the first to leap off the wall. Without hesitation, decisively and smoothly.

Just as the startled soldiers were about to rush forward, the mages all dashed off and threw themselves down the wall.

Shiiik! Shiiik!

In an instant, they soared into the air. Two mages grabbed Beric upside down and flew toward the Clifford carriage.

It must be fun to see the world flipped upside down. Beric waved his arms wildly, shouting.

“Waaah! This is awesome!”

“Crazy bastard. You won’t live to see tomorrow.”

Swoosh.

Ian gave Romandro a look to stay put, then lightly leapt forward.

As the mages disappeared into dots in the sky, the soldiers cast sympathetic glances at Romandro. They thought he was brave to be handling things alone among those people.

“Hey? Something’s coming.”

“Stop! We are Clifford—”

“They’re mages. They’re people!”

“But who’s that flying upside down in the middle?”

“It’s the Clifford delegation! Stop!”

“Bring Lady Mei. They’re mages from Bariel!”

As they drew closer, the massive procession came into view. The delegation looked up at the mages in wonder, and the mages looked down at them.

All of them had reddish hair. Since they held important positions in the kingdom, it seemed the delegation was made up only of pureblood families with legitimate lineage.

Led by Ian, the mages touched down on the ground.

“Who’s in charge?”

Ian looked around and asked. A short-haired woman hurried forward. This was the ‘Mei’ everyone had been searching for, the aide to Prince Noah and head of the delegation.

“Ah, pleased to meet you. I’m Mei, chief coordinator of the Clifford diplomatic delegation and aide to Prince Noah.”

“Thank you for your hard work coming here. I’m Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic of Bariel. We heard there might be a problem with the carriage and came out to check.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Ian and Mei exchanged a brief handshake. She glanced around, shrugging awkwardly as if surprised to meet here in the middle of the street.

“The carriage wheel got stuck in soft ground and was delayed.”

“Is that so?”

A faint smile played on Ian’s lips as he replied dryly.

It hadn’t rained for days. Moreover, this was a road used by countless people all day to enter the central city. They knew the ground was solid—so how did soft patches appear?

“Then let’s depart immediately. His Highness is waiting. I’ll instruct the outer gate to be opened in advance.”

“Wait!”

As Ian turned to leave, Mei grabbed his arm urgently.

“Apologies, but may we enter the palace first to rest a bit before meeting the prince?”

“Is there a valid reason?”

“The prince has fallen ill from the long journey.”

“Oh dear. I’ll summon the palace physician immediately.”

“No, we have our own doctor. We’d just be grateful for a little time before meeting His Highness.”

Clifford was a guest in Bariel. Jin understood well that the grueling schedule had taken its toll.

But something felt off.

After a moment’s thought, Ian found the carriage where Prince Noah was likely staying. It was unmistakably Clifford’s, adorned with exotic decorations and heavy curtains drawn tight.

“I will report to His Highness.”

Ian nodded, and one of the mages flew back.

The delegation buzzed with excitement at the sight. Truly, the great empire of Bariel—humans who could fly freely through the sky!

“You’ll hear the reply from the palace. For now, let’s depart. Everyone is waiting.”

If they were this late after announcing their arrival, they wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the festive atmosphere upon entering. That would be a disappointment both for the long-traveled Clifford and for Bariel, which should be filled with cheers without pause.

From sunrise to sunset, until everyone was exhausted, the blessings and cheers for Jin must never cease.

“We’ll lead the way through the sky route first. Inside the walls, the guards will flank you on both sides, so please keep the formation tight.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Beric.”

“Huh?”

Beric was poking at the unfamiliar decorations on the carriage when Ian called him. His hair was wild from flying. Ian beckoned, and Beric hurried over, sniffling.

Ian gave instructions quietly, so no one else could hear. The more thorough the investigation, the better.

“Escort the carriages and check if any wheels are muddy. If you find anything suspicious, investigate, and retrace the procession’s path to look for soft ground.”

“Okay, okay. But what about on the way back?”

“You like running, don’t you?”

“Damn you!”

“Just kidding. I’ll send cavalry to Romandro.”

If he stayed silent, he’d probably run all the way to the distant walls alone, then walk back to the palace. Beric’s jaw dropped in shock, then he sighed in relief when he realized it was a joke.

“Alright. Let’s hurry.”

“Lady Mei! Are you ready to depart?”

“…Yes. Let’s go. As slowly as possible!”

“Widen the carriage intervals. We’re moving out!”

“Load the luggage again! Those resting, return to your positions!”

Following Mei’s orders, the delegation bustled about, preparing to depart. There was nothing particularly problematic, and the wizards had no need to intervene. From all around, the members of the Cleaford party offered their apologies for causing unnecessary trouble.

“No, it’s nothing. You’re esteemed guests, so this is only natural. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s any issue.”

“Yes, thank you! The wizards are so impressive!”

Probably because this was the farthest country from the capital. Unlike Ruthwena, which was politically entangled, this place had the least interaction among the three nations. As a result, goodwill born of curiosity was the default attitude here.

Thud!

Screech.

After the wizards vanished, Mei climbed back into the carriage. Prince Noah was curled up on a makeshift bed, wrapped in a blanket. Mei drew the curtains tightly and checked on him.

“Your Highness, are you feeling alright?”

“Are you from the palace wizards?”

“Yes. We came to see what was going on when the carriage stopped.”

“Ah, this is really troublesome.”

As the blanket slipped down, a pair of animal ears poked out from his orange hair, twitching slightly. It was impossible to tell where his hair ended and the fur began. Noah absentmindedly touched his ears and muttered,

“I can’t let anyone from another country see me like this.”

“I told them it’s just fatigue from travel. The Crown Prince’s closest aide, the Minister of Magic, is sympathetic. I think we can postpone any formalities.”

Even his pupils were slit like a fox’s eyes. Mei handed him the blanket again, trying to soothe her pounding heart.

At least, thankfully, his tail hadn’t appeared yet. Even if the request was denied, she could still manage to hide the ears.

“When we get back to Cleaford, I’m going to kill that shaman. How could he miscalculate the manifestation date? And yet he acts so high and mighty all the time.”

“Cleaford and Bariel are different countries. It seems the problem arose crossing the border.”

Noah flicked his elongated, beast-like tongue out in irritation, scowling. Then, resting his face on Mei’s shoulder, he let out a long, lazy yawn.

At that moment, faint voices drifted in from outside—guards and an unfamiliar person.

“Stop. This is the prince’s carriage.”

“Oh, really? My mistake!”

Noah’s ears twitched, but that was all. Whoever it was, they had surely been stopped by the guards.

“Hmm.”

Beric, who was stepping back, couldn’t take his eyes off the prince’s carriage.

Though the people preparing to depart wanted him to move along, Beric planted his feet firmly and stared hard at the carriage, sniffing deeply without pause.

‘That’s strange. For a prince’s carriage, it smells awful. Is that… an animal scent?’

It felt oddly familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d smelled it before.

Beric tilted his head and examined the carriage wheels. They were covered in dust, but there wasn’t a trace of mud anywhere.