Chapter 343
Something serious must have happened.

Despite the night having fully fallen, the people of Clipoford gathered in front of the royal palace showed no sign of leaving. Instead, they grew even more tightly united. For farmers to spend a grueling night like this, it was a tremendous act of resolve—proof that their concern for the kingdom was genuine.

The soldiers stood firm, faces hidden behind their helmets, offering no messages or updates. Occasionally, palace staff came and went, hinting at the bustle inside, but no official announcement was made.

Suddenly—boom! Bang! Crackle!

“Huh?”

From the palace’s spire, fireworks exploded into the night sky. Brilliant, multicolored lights spread out with thunderous sounds in all directions.

It looked like an explosion, but there was no fire or smoke. Above all, the dazzling beauty was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. The crowd stared up, mesmerized.

Even the street musicians seemed moved, beginning to play the traditional Clipoford instrument, the Brakui. People swayed slowly to the deep, resonant music, then raised their voices in song. It was a kind of protest, but their earnest hearts made the melody sound especially mournful.

“O King in the palace, if you hear the voices of your people, please come forth and assure us that the peace of the vineyards remains. We will fashion a crown of fresh leaves and offer it to you—please cross the river of wine flowing through the earth and sing with us.”

Meanwhile, at that very moment—

The sudden explosion startled Hale, who began pounding on a door. The palace attendants were equally flustered, unsure what to do. Was the palace about to be blown to bits?

Boom! Crash!

“Akorella! Akorella!”

“Ma—Mage, are you really okay?”

“Can you hear me? Akorella!”

Though the light outside was beautiful, it could just as easily swallow the spire whole. Hale’s frantic knocking finally forced the door open.

Bang!

“Ugh—this is unacceptable. Didn’t I say no one was to come near until I’m done? You want to see me lose it? Huh? If you want to die, just say so. I’ll make it happen.”

Akorella stomped in, clutching a half-shattered flask. Hale hesitated, noticing she was already half out of sorts—her hair singed to a crisp, her face smudged with soot.

She threw off her protective goggles and pointed accusingly at Hale.

“I’m the world’s top researcher, Akorella, trying to focus in these terrible conditions! We’re short on magic stones—20 grams of Kaklone, 15 grams of Tapicorn! Kaklone can be partially replaced with Rakalocle, but even that’s five grams short! You crazy Hale! I’m about to lose my mind calculating this, so why the hell do you keep knocking and making a fuss?”

Hale tried to calm her, quickly slipping a cigarette into her mouth. The wild barking stopped instantly as she inhaled deeply. After all, this was the kingdom—they hadn’t expected to run out of magic stones.

“Can’t be helped. For a country without mages, this is still impressive. The Clipoford National Research Facility is on the outskirts, so the supplies should arrive soon.”

“Unbelievable. You said the same thing an hour ago.”

In the makeshift lab, blue smoke curled upward. Hale covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve as he stepped inside. The place was a mess, as if a small war had broken out.

Akorella shook a flask filled with a blue liquid, tilting her head back in frustration. The attendants outside didn’t dare enter, wearing worried expressions by the door.

“The color’s different.”

“Of course. No damn Rakalocle. But why? I hope this is for a good reason. Nothing pisses me off more than poor research conditions.”

“Ian said it’s okay if there are side effects, as long as it works.”

“What?”

Akorella snapped her head up sharply.

Was that a sign she could finally stop? That she wouldn’t have to waste her innate talent in this hellish environment anymore?

Her eyes sparkled, and Hale stroked his beard thoughtfully. Something must have gone wrong during the research. Otherwise, why would it look more dangerous than usual?

Crash! Bang!

“Why didn’t you say so earlier! Even if I’m a creator from nothing, I can’t stand working without magic stones!”

Akorella dashed off, still clutching the flask of blue liquid. The attendants screamed and scrambled out of her way. Hale hurried after her, warning those ahead to be careful.

“Watch out! Watch out! She’s crazy!”

“Move aside! Hahaha!”

“Ahhh!”

Akorella slid down the railing with reckless joy. Though unfamiliar, she skillfully found her way to the basement, and the soldiers recognized her, clearing a path.

Deep inside the cellar, built large for wine storage, voices echoed.

“Ian!”

“Akorella.”

Ian sat at a desk, sleeves rolled up, flipping through documents. The papers contained information on the emissaries from Burgos, investigated by Clipoford.

The Burgos emissary was gagged and bound, while Clipoford soldiers tidied the ropes.

“Ta-da! I present a potion with unknown side effects but guaranteed effectiveness!”

“Good work.”

“But, I really don’t know what will happen.”

“It’s fine. We just need to find out the truth.”

“Did you learn anything?”

The Burgos emissary’s eyes bulged in terror. The blue liquid was clearly undrinkable, yet they were about to force it on him? He struggled desperately, but there was no escape.

Ian ignored him, flipping through the papers.

“The other emissaries are being investigated by Clipoford. Prince Noah confessed he didn’t know he would die, but this one seems different.”

“Akorella’s special potion will definitely be needed.”

Akorella stroked her own head, unabashedly proud. Her confidence was well-founded, though Hale just chewed his cigarette with a scowl.

Creak.

“Prince Noah.”

“Sir Ian. Any progress?”

Prince Noah entered, bloodied from head to toe. The Burgos emissary squeezed his eyes shut. At least he was being interrogated humanely by Ian.

“I can’t speak for the others, but this one seems to know the signal system. He trusts Burgos quite a bit. As I said, it’s likely a setup.”

Signaling the death of emissaries within Clipoford to justify war.

“Clipoford will panic and notify Burgos of the sudden deaths. The moment they report a few sudden deaths, Burgos gains insight into Clipoford’s internal affairs.”

“Then, before any discussion on how to handle the situation, they can prepare and seize the advantage.”

“More precisely, they probably never intended to negotiate. Their goal is to strike while Clipoford is off guard. Hmm.”

Ian muttered as he flipped through the messy notes.

“One emissary’s death signals the presence of mages in Clipoford. It would be good to identify signals for two, three, or more deaths.”

Ian and Prince Noah exchanged glances, then slowly turned to the trembling Burgos emissary. Noah wiped blood from his gloves and stepped closer.

“We’ll find out. What’s the problem?”

“Wait, Your Highness.”

Ian blocked his way with the papers. Noah nodded, asking if there was a problem.

“Reporting the sudden death of an emissary gives Burgos a pretext for war.”

“My father understood the gravity of the situation and ordered the armies to unite.”

“What about the difference in strength? Be honest, don’t sugarcoat it.”

Though Ian was helping them, it was out of goodwill assuming a future alliance. If a turning point came that benefited or harmed Bariel, the mages would not hesitate to turn their backs on Clipoford.

Noah hesitated.

“We have a slight advantage in troop numbers.”

“Because of population. I asked about overall strength, not just numbers.”

“…”

“Numbers matter, but strength isn’t determined by that alone. Burgos is determined enough to sacrifice even palace personnel. Are you sure there won’t be problems?”

The choices of the privileged would decide the fate of the entire nation. Instead of wine, blood of agony would flow, and the vines would grow twisted and monstrous, nourished by corpses.

“There can’t be no problems. But judging by Burgos’s actions, war is inevitable.”

“Unavoidable, yes—but it can be delayed.”

“Delayed? What?”

“Justification.”

Ian tapped the papers with his pen.

War is about gathering lives and sending them to the slaughter.

So those in power must appeal—asking you to lend your flesh and blood to the guise of justification. It’s trivial, invisible, and insignificant, but in the end, it’s the very backbone that holds everything together.

“The key is to pin the cause of the war on Burgos. That way, Bariel gains a legitimate reason to support Klipford. Under the banner of a just cause, forming an alliance becomes much easier.”

“I know that. But one envoy is already dead, and we’ve stepped into this mess.”

They’d bitten the bait. Even now, Burgos must be anxiously awaiting news of the envoy’s sudden death. At a moment when war could break out any second, what could Klipford possibly do?

“Don’t think of it as just stepping in—”

Ian smiled slightly, as if urging caution.

“Think of it as stamping down and crushing them.”

With a sharp sound—

Ian poured out the water from his cup onto the floor, then half-filled it with the bile potion Akorella had brought. The foul smell and bubbling foam rose up. It was truly not something fit for human consumption.

“We can’t be sure what side effects this might have. But it will definitely get us the information we need. Would you like to try it?”

“This is a bit different from the bile potion you mentioned before.”

“No, that one—”

“I understand how difficult it is to acquire a mana stone of this caliber in a country without a single mage. Thank you, Prince Noah.”

As Akorella bristled, Ian deftly deflected her reaction, as if to say, “What can we do? Klipford’s magical research is so underdeveloped.”

Prince Noah sighed and took a step back. Since drinking it could be fatal, he thought it better to conduct a final interrogation first.

“It wouldn’t hurt to see what side effects it has. Administer it first. I’ll interrogate the other envoys and return.”

“Very well, Your Highness.”

“Just one question.”

“Anything.”

“What if all the envoys die?”

That would be the perfect justification for Burgos. Ian closed the file with a relaxed smile.

“I’m not from Klipford, so all decisions rest with the royal family. You understand that, right?”

“So, if you were in my position…?”

“I’d remain silent.”

The one thing that drives those waiting on the other side crazy is not knowing how many envoys have died. When they make their next move, we can intercept their signals and disrupt them. That’s the plan.

Prince Noah seemed to realize something and left, leaving only Ian’s group in the interrogation room. Ian slowly stood and brushed off his collar.

“Well then—”

“Get some rest. We’ll finish this.”

“No. The more precise the questions, the better. I’ll stay. Let’s begin.”

At Ian’s gesture, Akorella’s eyes lit up as she untied the envoy’s gag. This method, slightly different from the original recipe, would surely reveal what side effects and effectiveness it had.

Though she’d been annoyed while making it, now that the experiment was about to start, her heart raced with excitement. Akorella gently held the envoy’s cheek and looked at him affectionately.

“Alright, Mr. Envoy.”

“Please, spare me—”

“Come on, drink up. Ah~”

“Have mercy! I’ll tell you everything!”

“Ah, drink this and then talk. One more time—ah! Don’t spill it. This was painstaking to make.”

“AAAAAAAH!”

It was like pouring it straight onto his face. Ian watched calmly, then picked up his pen and began the interrogation in a low voice.

“Same questions as before, but it would be a shame if the answers changed. Now, tell me—did the envoys come knowing the entire death signal system?”