Episode 335
“Mom, look at that.”

Following the fingertip of a child, the adults’ gazes lifted toward the sky. There it was again—the black moon. It had appeared briefly a week ago but vanished quickly each time.

It would probably disappear again this time. Since it only appeared whenever there was turmoil in the royal palace, it was worrisome, but with no official announcement, people just shaded their eyes from the sunlight and frowned.

“Has something happened?”

“The palace gates are still open. Maybe the mages are conducting some kind of experiment.”

“Yeah, it can’t be anything serious. It’ll be gone soon enough.”

“Let’s just get back to what we were doing!”

The black moon filled the sky, growing larger without anyone noticing. People turned away casually, indifferent. Only the children, staring up helplessly, sensed the change.

At that moment—

“Lady Alenara, look outside.”

“Outside? Why?”

When Alenara of the Serro family drew back the curtains, the black moon seemed to swallow the entire palace. Unlike the startled servants, she hesitated for a moment before rushing downstairs to call her brother.

Tap, tap, tap!

“Brother! Brother!”

“Lady Alenara, be careful! You’ll fall.”

“Go get Brother’s coat! Hurry!”

“Alenara, what’s all this commotion?”

Serro, lounging lazily on the sofa, smoking a cigarette, was abruptly grabbed by Alenara and pulled to his feet.

At her gesture, the servants brought a coat and draped it over Serro’s shoulders. He fumbled to button his shirt and brushed back his hair in confusion.

“Why the sudden fuss?”

“You remember Lord Ian went to the border a week ago to meet the Clifford carriage, right? We haven’t heard from him since.”

“Right. There’s a rumor that the messenger pigeons aren’t getting through. Not sure if it’s true, but probably is. A friend who runs a company supplying the palace told me.”

“The black moon has appeared again. I think it means the remaining mages are leaving the palace.”

“What? The black moon?”

Only then did Serro draw the curtains and look outside. The townsfolk had stopped in their tracks, all eyes fixed on the sky.

Alenara grabbed her brother’s shoulder firmly and straightened his tie—a gesture that clearly showed who was holding their nearly fallen family together.

“Go to the palace immediately and find out what’s going on. Why did the mages open the portal again? Any news about Lord Ian? Everything you can find out.”

“Y-yes.”

“Hey! Bring back a messenger pigeon!”

“Ah, yes, milady. Where should I send it…?”

“Do I have to say it out loud?”

The messenger pigeon was destined for Eriphoni, the royal palace of Luswena.

Alenara had already sent a pigeon when Ian left the palace. Though no reply came, the safe return of the bird meant King Eriphoni was aware of the situation.

“As soon as Brother returns, I’ll send another pigeon. Hurry and get moving, understood? Oh, and while you’re out, run an errand. Ask Lady Camia and Miss Joan if they’ve heard any rumors from the palace.”

They were the wife of the Imperial Defense officer and the niece of the Minister of Justice—two socialites who got along especially well with Alenara. They might know something.

“Move! Quickly!”

With a sharp clap and a shout from Alenara, Serro hurriedly tidied his hair and prepared to leave. The servants followed suit. No one knew what the black moon had to do with the Serro family, but when the lady gave orders, they obeyed.

Alenara rested her hand on the window frame, eyes fixed on the sky.

‘Of all places, the Mage Department.’

If King Eriphoni found out, maybe this time they’d get a reply.

She clenched the window frame tightly and stared at the fluttering Bariel flag. Though the black moon seemed to be swallowing it whole, the white emblem still waved proudly—almost as if to defy the darkness.

With a sharp snap, she drew the curtains closed and turned away. If the Serro family couldn’t be at the palace, what meaning did Bariel have?

---

“Relax, pretty one.”

“Captain Akorella, you scare me every time you say that.”

“So what? You gonna refuse the shot?”

“Not exactly, but… could you just go easy on me?”

“Fine, fine. Roll up your sleeve! Hurry!”

Unable to resist Akorella’s insistence, the mage squeezed his eyes shut as the needle plunged into his arm. It stung briefly, but compared to what he feared, it was barely anything. That was, until Akorella muttered under her breath.

“Hmm. But you do have allergies, don’t you?”

“…What?”

“You’ll have to report back to me later. Sorry, but I’m not confident about this part.”

“Ah, Captain Akorella!”

“Next!”

“Move aside, will you? Help me with the magic circle!”

Grumbling, the mage stepped back under the pressure of his comrades.

In the Mage Department’s garden, all the mages who had received the enhancer gathered. A massive magic circle covered every inch of the ground, and intricate spells were being woven between its lines, carefully refined.

Without Ian to judge right or wrong, they decided to adjust the position of the black moon they’d summoned. If Ian were here, he’d have told them to stop worrying about the people, but what could they do? Even with the enhancer, this was the best they could manage.

“Hmph, doesn’t something feel off?”

“Didn’t they say there was a magical anomaly at the southern border? That’s why. We should lower the position.”

“I’ll recalculate. Check the left side again.”

“Man, I miss Ian. It’d be so much easier if he just gave us the answers.”

“Focus! We’re going to see Ian soon!”

“Let’s hurry. The effect’s wearing off, seriously.”

Just then, a group of visitors arrived, breaking the noisy atmosphere of the garden. Jin, Jarrett, and Volv—along with other officials from various departments—had come from the Prime Minister’s office.

They had entered the Mage Department building, found it empty, and hurried back to the garden. Volv looked around in disbelief and shouted.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

His booming voice made the mages stop and look toward the garden entrance. They bowed only to Crown Prince Jin, then resumed their work.

Only Hayl stepped forward to greet the visitors. What nonsense was it to accuse others of meddling in their department?

“Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“Hayl, what is this…?”

The child muttered, glancing between the mages and the empty air. Unlike the flustered Prime Minister and Volv, he looked almost pleased.

They had said opening the portal was impossible earlier—how had they managed this? The child’s eyes sparkled brightly as Hayl nodded toward Akorella and explained.

“Captain Akorella developed a magical enhancer.”

“What? You mean they took it?”

“Don’t worry. They say it has no side effects.”

Akorella, who had administered the injections, caught Jin’s eye and waved her hands repeatedly. The mage complained of pain, but she seemed not to hear.

Volv, trying to grasp the situation, barked at them to stop.

“What are you all doing? Injecting something untested? What if the mages start having problems all at once? What reckless nonsense is this?”

“Volv’s right. Hayl, this kind of matter should be discussed at the council. Stop the injections immediately.”

There were still mages waiting in line. Hayl stood firm, refusing to back down.

How typical. Even though they instinctively knew the palace couldn’t function without the Mage Department, they still dared to act like this in the council. Hayl took a drag from his cigarette and replied.

“Opening the portal is the most effective method, isn’t it?”

“That’s only if there’s no problem! Previous reports said a mage nearly died from the enhancer. Right now—”

“Yes! That mage who almost died is alive and well here!”

“…There’s no problem. Captain Akorella is a recognized researcher and intellectual in the Mage Department. If she says there are no side effects, then there aren’t any.”

Akorella, overwhelmed with joy, blew kisses and made a fuss. The Prime Minister and Volv, unfamiliar with magic, were left speechless.

“Hayl, even if the Mage Department goes to the border with the Imperial Defense, the palace won’t be able to provide support.”

Taking advantage of the moment, Jin whispered a warning. Even if the Mage Department’s numbers dwindle, the palace won’t interfere under the pretext of manpower support. So don’t overextend yourselves; distribute your forces wisely. Hayl understood and nodded.

“I see, Your Highness. Understood. I don’t know how many mages will be mobilized, but our priority is rescuing Lord Ian and his companions.”

“Speaking of which, Hayl, isn’t this an emergency? The council is in session, yet you’re acting unilaterally? Do mages think they can break palace order just because they have magic? Huh? Is that it?”

They had hoped to take advantage of Ian’s absence, but the Mage Department’s actions complicated things. The Prime Minister motioned for calm, but Volv only grew more agitated, pleading with him.

“The Prime Minister is currently acting as the proxy for His Majesty the Emperor’s authority. There was a matter clearly decided at the Grand Assembly, yet the mages are going off on their own like this?”

“Ah, wait a moment!”

At that moment, Romandro came rushing over, panting, clutching a thick stack of papers. Volb frowned deeply, shooting him a sharp look. What on earth was this now?

“Romandro, what is it?”

“These are the fieldwork permits.”

“Fieldwork permits?”

Romandro caught his breath after running the short distance, then steadied his voice as he waved the papers at the mages.

“Just as the Prime Minister is the acting authority, when Ian is absent, I serve as his proxy. I’ve issued fieldwork permits to the mages, so there’s no cause for complaint.”

Fieldwork permits—these were only issued under Ian’s and the palace’s authority, meaning that anyone holding one was officially on duty.

So even if the mages left the palace grounds en masse, there was no real way to stop them. Even if the Prime Minister ordered them to return, they could easily claim it took time to get back from afar.

“Eh, Nakina!”

“Yes, here.”

“Tommy!”

Romandro called out the mages’ names one by one, handing out the permits. Volb watched the scene in disbelief.

The Prime Minister’s expression turned grave, as if realizing he’d mishandled the situation. He hadn’t expected the Magic Department to respond with such unilateral action.

“Uh, last one, Akorella?”

“Yes, yes, yes! I’m coming too!”

Akorella stepped forward to receive her permit. She scanned Volb up and down, then flashed a mischievous smile and whispered sweetly.

“Minister, if you’re worried about the enhancer, want to try it yourself?”

“W-what?”

“It hasn’t been tested on civilians yet—”

Hale grabbed her by the nape, silencing her with a sharp tug.

Just then, as if a missing piece had fallen into place, one of the mages exclaimed.

“It matches, Captain Hale! The location aligns with Clifford’s side!”

“Everyone, activate your magic!”

Zzzzzing! Zzing!

At Hale’s command, the waiting mages hurriedly found syringes and injected themselves. A sudden gust of wind whipped through the air. The mages had only activated their magic, but the impact was tremendous.

“Whoa!”

“Akorella! What is this?”

“See? I’m crazy, right? Heh, it’s killer stuff.”

Akorella laughed proudly, flicking her nose.

Tiny particles of magic flowed into their veins, making their hearts feel like they might burst. The mages’ eyes all glowed gold at once. Overwhelmed by the spectacle, Volb took a step back, frozen in place.

“Oh right, I should get a shot too.”

Akorella injected the enhancer into her own forearm, nodding confidently. The Crown Prince was watching them with bright eyes. Akorella winked at him in greeting.

“I’ll bring Ian back safely, Your Highness.”

“…Be careful. Please, be very careful.”

“Everyone, send the teleportation scrolls immediately! Got your magic stones?”

“Of course! Romandro, keep the house safe!”

“Hey, with that tone! Make sure Ian comes back alive!”

“Ahaha! Wow! What a mood killer!”

Whoosh!

Swish!

The mages leapt into the air, shouting with exhilaration. The black moon vanished in an instant. The Magic Department’s garden fell silent, as if the commotion had been a mere illusion. Outside of wartime, there had never been a time when all the mages were absent simultaneously.

Volb stared up at the sky in despair, muttering to himself.

“What is this…?”

Since Ian took office, the Magic Department had become… strange.