Chapter 339
Eriphoni, queen of Luswena, pulled back the bowstring with all her might. Her tall, lithe arms stretched out gracefully, making her stance look both fluid and striking.
Steeling her core, she closed one eye. A deer, grazing nearby, sensed something amiss, and a faint smile curved Eriphoni’s lips.
Perfect. If she released the bowstring now, the arrow would pierce the prey’s neck in a single shot. Exhaling the breath she’d been holding, she let the string go.
“Your Majesty.”
Whoosh!
The sudden call made her shoulder twitch involuntarily. Eriphoni glanced through her telescope just in time to see the deer bounding away, then turned her head in irritation.
Eldert was looking at her with a worried expression. Couldn’t he wait a few seconds and ruin the hunt? She handed the bow to her attendant and tied her long hair back in a single sweep.
“Eldert, what is it? I was about to grant my attendants some venison today, but thanks to you, that’s ruined. Handle it yourself.”
The sofa had been painstakingly carried out by five attendants just for her. There was something different about lying outdoors, so whenever she went hunting, she always brought a sofa or bed along.
Eriphoni threw herself back onto the sofa, and the attendants fanned her gently to help her rest. In the distance, a deer was racing across the horizon—the next quarry, released from the opposite side for the king’s hunt.
“Tell me before the deer gets too far.”
“A letter has arrived for Alenara.”
“…Alenara? Ah, that adorable young lady.”
Eriphoni clearly didn’t recall the name Alenara immediately. After moistening her lips with wine, she nodded as if a realization dawned. At her gesture, Eldert handed over the letter.
“Let’s see how much affection our dear little lady has poured into this.”
Rustle.
There had been a couple of previous letters requesting asylum in Luswena, but Eldert had promptly disposed of them. This was the first time Eriphoni had received direct contact from Alenara.
The queen, who had been humming happily in the thrill of the hunt, gradually fell silent, her expression hardening. The attendants stepped back cautiously, and Eriphoni raised her eyebrows, a strange smile playing on her lips.
“Is this for real?”
“Our informants in Bariel have reported the same information. It seems quite credible.”
“Ha, ha! Impressive!”
Eriphoni lay back again, holding the letter up to the sunlight. The carefully penned script revealed the pure and unmistakable desire of the young lady—to survive, burning with a passion fierce enough to consume everything.
Hmm, not bad, but isn’t it always more fun and safer to watch a fire from across the river? There’s no guarantee Alenara won’t come into Luswena and eat away at the country just the same. Anyway…
“The Magic Department has vacated the palace except for two or so personnel?”
“It seems they’ve moved to Cliford. There are rumors that Lord Ian is unwell, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
“No, he must be. Otherwise, why would all the mages relocate there? They say their magic depends on mutual exchange.”
“Then we can assume Cliford harmed Lord Ian.”
“That’s unlikely. If Ian had been taken out, Bariel wouldn’t have sent mages. If their leader is incapacitated, what use are the others? They’d have sent troops instead.”
Cliford had no mages at all, but Luswena still had a few. The problem was that their numbers were so small they didn’t receive special privileges at court.
The last report placed them in the eastern forests of Luswena, but now no one knew where they were.
“Hmm. Interesting.”
She gazed toward the horizon, lost in thought. Though she couldn’t fully piece together the whole story, one thing was certain: this was an excellent opportunity.
The mages who had been guarding the palace so securely had all disappeared, and they had all gone to Cliford, of all places. Eldert carefully folded the letter and made a suggestion.
“Did King Burgos foresee this situation?”
When they met at the Crown Prince Jin’s appointment ceremony, Burgos had mentioned the popularization of Idgal. At the time, it sounded like nonsense, but seeing how things were unfolding, the situation was serious.
Instead, they requested the collection of Dragon Kaglin, apparently aware of the black armor crafting method used by the Haiman family.
“Enough talk. How can I just sit and watch the world turn? I’ll return to the palace. There’s no time to waste—hurry.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Eriphoni sprang to her feet, urgency in her movements. She had expected this from what King Burgos had said, but she hadn’t anticipated things moving so quickly.
Eldert added with a suspicious look, “Your Majesty, I find that man rather suspicious.”
A merchant affiliated with a caravan from the Hwan Kingdom. Reports had come up from below that he wanted to trade Idgal, comparable to a magic-sealing stone. Eriphoni hadn’t seen it herself, as she was verifying the truth. The price was suspiciously low, and they were still in the process of checking for problems.
“Offering Idgal at that price, and at such a perfect time—when the mages are moving en masse to Cliford. No merchant sells at a loss.”
Eriphoni laughed it off. The magic-sealing stone was the highest grade of magic stones. Bringing something comparable without any special requests was naturally suspicious. But combined with what King Burgos said, and if they understood their counterpart, it wasn’t a problem.
“After all, they’re in the same position as us.”
“What do you mean?”
“They don’t want payment in Idgal—they want us to hold the Idgal. All the neighboring countries under mage surveillance want to be free of that power.”
Cliford was a mystery. If the attack on Ian’s procession was due to Cliford’s preemptive seizure of Idgal… that would be even better for Burgos and Luswena.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since they don’t seem to welcome the mages either, we should accept their offer. Arrange an audience this afternoon. Also, contact the dragon breeding grounds. I wonder if we’ll finally see that little king from Burgos smile.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
“Such a pity. Should I take one more shot before I go?”
Eriphoni roughly threw on her coat and picked up her bow. The foolish deer was still grazing in the same spot as before, likely where the scent had been laid to lure it.
Humming a tune, she drew the bowstring lightly, more comfortably than before.
Swoosh!
The arrow flew straight and pierced the deer’s head. Applause erupted nearby, flags fluttering to signal a hit. Eriphoni shrugged with a very amused expression.
“Are you saying Cliford might be in danger?”
Hale hesitated, repeating Ian’s words. He couldn’t understand it. The only way Cliford could be in danger was if Bariel, mistaking Ian’s injury, sent troops.
But since it was revealed to be a misunderstanding caused by magical interference at the border, everything should be fine, right?
“There’s a high chance Idgal has flowed not only into Cliford but also into Burgos and Luswena.”
“How can you be so sure? And even if it has, how much could there be? Considering what Prince Marib used in the civil war… I don’t know.”
“Does the palace think the same?”
Ian frowned and looked up. He was puzzled by Hale’s assumption, since the amount of Idgal was unknown.
Hale nodded and recounted the details of a recent palace conference. Ian’s eyebrows twitched.
“…That’s a fatal mistake.”
Underestimating the circulating amount is a blunder. Ian muttered this, and Hale pressed on, since their conversation concerned Cliford’s safety.
“Cliford is the only stronghold left before Burgos and Luswena enter Bariel. See? The mages who had been firmly stationed at the palace are all lying here.”
Burgos and Cliford already had tense relations. They could manufacture dozens of justifications for conflict. If the disappearance of the jewels became known, it would be even better.
This would provide a meaningful motive to punish Cliford for defying Bariel’s orders and to mobilize their nobles to retrieve the jewels.
“It’s a rare chance to suppress the mages more easily than ever. If we stay here, we’ll only provoke conflict between Burgos and Cliford. The best way to maintain peace is to return to Bariel quickly and strengthen the alliance with Cliford.”
All wars are fought over greed disguised as just cause. They had only verbally agreed to cooperate; nothing formal had been established. Even if Burgos attacked Cliford, Bariel had no reason to intervene. If Bariel joined for an unjust cause, Luswena would likely enter the fray as well.
At this point, it was truly an uncontrollable tragedy unfolding. With Vargas holding Idgal and facing off against Luswena, it was uncertain whether the mages could even muster their full strength. In short, they were plunging headlong into chaos itself.
Hale chewed thoughtfully on his unlit cigarette.
“I understand what you mean. But it didn’t seem like King Clifford thought that way. He seemed to want us to stay longer.”
“…Is that your impression?”
“Yes, it was my feeling, and he actually suggested it.”
“Then this is even more serious.”
Ian muttered, covering his eyes with his arm. Perhaps the Clifford side was already anticipating a clash with Vargas.
If the mages left and Vargas launched an invasion, it would take longer to request support from Bariel. That would exponentially increase the damage, and if Bariel used past incidents as an excuse to cut ties, it would be a real disaster.
So, the king wanted to keep the mages here, to get them involved in the conflict—to have them help repel Vargas’s attack alongside Bariel. A true dilemma.
‘If the mages stay, Vargas’s attack becomes inevitable. But if the mages leave and the attack comes, it’ll be even harder.’
“But Ian,” Hale said cautiously, still chewing on his unlit cigarette. He had heard Prince Noah’s account of Felic’s confession.
“You said this all happened because of a contract magic, right? Could you tell me what exactly happened?”
“……”
If Ian had made a contract—especially one that forbade double contracts—he wouldn’t have forgotten it. So why did he try to make a contract magic with the king as if he’d forgotten the restrictions on his own body?
“And about Felic’s claim that you’re connected to Idgal. We all know that’s nonsense. But just in case—really just in case—is there anything else we should know?”
Hale’s question was careful. Everyone was exhausted and collapsed, but only Akorella pretended to be unconscious, ears perked up. The sound of Ian pulling back the blanket was heard. Akorella squinted, frowning with curiosity. Ian, crouched down, was looking at her.
“Gasp!”
“Akorella, come with me for a moment. You and Hale.”
“I just woke up, you know. Wow, I fainted. Ahem.”
“Can you help support him?”
Ian reached out his hand to Hale, who gladly took it.
Since Hale and Akorella were the two destined to lead the next Mage Department, Ian decided it was time—just a little—to reveal his secret.