Chapter 429
“Beric.”
“Yes?”
Romandro sensed an unusual tension from inside and grabbed Beric’s arm, pulling him along.
Beric, who had been idly fiddling with his belly, turned his ear toward Romandro.
“What is it? You want to eat something?”
“No, you fool. Is that all you have on your mind? Don’t you see what’s going on in the palace?”
“I just got here. What do you expect? I’ve been through the battlefield, rolling around, and just got back.”
“Go to the mansion immediately and meet with Lady Philia. Tell her there are questions being raised in the palace about Ian’s origins. It’s better to address it openly since he’s not alone. But warn her not to act rashly or go into hiding. And if there’s anything she wants to say, have her send me a small note.”
“Me? Why don’t those lazy guards do it?”
Smack!
“Ah!”
“This is a serious matter! It’s better to send someone trustworthy. What if Lady Philia’s message gets leaked?”
“Oh, trustworthy, huh? Me?”
“…You’re a bit directionally challenged, but if you get a carriage, it should be fine.”
Beric rubbed the back of his head after Romandro’s light smack and grinned, raising his eyebrows. Even in the middle of a hassle, he never missed a compliment.
Romandro glanced around nervously and led Beric out of the Magic Department. He signaled to the waiting coachman to bring their personal carriage, and Beric kept smiling brightly, circling around Romandro.
“You think I’m trustworthy? You really know how to size people up. Glad I’m not just freeloading off the government.”
“You’re the one freeloading off the government, Beric.”
“Hey, what are you saying? I got a few holes in my belly from the war!”
“Beric, before I met Ian in Bratz, you two already had some connection, right? Anything strange?”
“What do you mean?”
Romandro watched a carriage approaching as he pressed Beric.
He had seen Ian from his lowest moments as a bastard, back when the territory was ravaged by clashes between the Central and Derga armies. Ian was just a boy then, backed by Cheonryeo.
Romandro had always laughed off the rumors about Ian’s origins circulating in the palace. After all, he was one of the few who had seen ‘Bastard Ian’ before ‘Ian Hielo’—the powerful minister who had taken control of the palace. He knew Ian as the man who had struggled on the frontier.
But now that he thought about it, there were definitely odd things.
“When he first came to the capital, he used administrative terms like those from the commercial district, and he knew old palace etiquette. Even I, a bureaucrat, didn’t know half of that.”
Over the past six months, there had been countless instances. At the time, Romandro had let them slide, but with so many doubts piling up, he couldn’t ignore them anymore.
“He’s always been like that. Why are people making a fuss now?”
“Really?”
“He knows a ton, acts a bit arrogant, does whatever he wants. Sometimes he’s annoying, but he feeds us well.”
“…Go. Go meet Lady Philia, send her Ian’s regards. Don’t eat while you’re there. Viviana’s about to give birth, so she really shouldn’t move. Mini’s busy taking care of Viviana, so don’t bother her!”
“What? No food and work too? Isn’t that against palace labor laws?”
“Where did you hear that? There’s no such thing as palace labor laws.”
“Caught me. Never mind then.”
With a quick pat, Beric dashed down the stairs and slipped into the carriage. Soon, he pressed his forehead against the window, waving goodbye. Romandro waved back, urging him to be careful, and then heard the door slam shut behind him.
Bang!
“Oh dear.”
Curious, Romandro turned around and saw Jin pushing open the main gate with his own hands. His face was flushed red with anger.
It was the first time Romandro had seen the Crown Prince so furious, so he instinctively hid behind a pillar—a survival tactic he’d learned in the administration: when your superior is upset, stay out of sight.
“Your Highness, please walk slowly.”
“He’s despicable. Lord Ian is truly despicable.”
“Why do you say that?”
Xiaosi followed behind Jin, looking puzzled. The boy bit his lip hard, glancing toward the quiet office.
“Ian isn’t the only one thinking about Bariel.”
“Your Highness?”
“Let’s go. I’ll stay in my chambers until the conference.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Xiaosi hurried ahead to ready the carriage, making sure Jin’s pace didn’t slow.
As the Crown Prince’s carriage left the Magic Department, dozens of attendants followed. Romandro peeked from behind the pillar and clicked his tongue.
“What on earth did Ian say to make him this angry? Whatever it was, Ian probably messed up. Poor Your Highness, he must be really hurt.”
Romandro was about to say something to Ian when he saw Ian crossing the corridor, wearing a hastily thrown-on coat and carrying a couple of document folders. Without hesitation, Ian entered the basement where Damon was being interrogated. Soon, all the mages, including Akorella, poured out.
“Hey, why are you all coming out?”
“Oh, Romandro. Ian told all Magic Department members to leave.”
“Huh? The royal secretaries are still inside, right?”
“Yes. Only us were told to leave.”
That was unusual.
Normally, you’d want your own department close and send others away. But Ian had specifically ordered only Magic Department members out.
The secretaries belonged to the royal household, so Ian had no authority over them anyway.
“Romandro, did you hear anything?”
“Hear? What would I hear?”
A couple of mages gathered around Romandro, whispering. Others pretended not to listen but were clearly eavesdropping.
When Romandro tried to brush them off, one mage smiled slyly.
“Why? You know. Ian’s origins.”
“Ian’s from Bratz originally, now Hielo. That’s all there is to it. And honestly, do you trust what a former enemy general says? Even smart people can be so gullible. How can you entrust him with anything?”
“Whoa, that’s harsh. Why so defensive all of a sudden?”
“Calm down, calm down. Let’s breathe and talk.”
“Whispering is pointless. Romandro, lower your voice a bit, okay? Royal household people might overhear.”
Romandro deliberately spoke loudly to throw them off, worried they might get ideas.
“Everyone knows Ian isn’t the scheming type. He’s defended the palace from the rebellion without wavering. These rumors are nonsense!”
“Yeah, but we don’t really care about that.”
“Right. Honestly, even if Ian is royal-born, we’d just be surprised, not disbelieving. He seems… well…”
“Like royalty.”
“Exactly. Elegant, graceful. Probably didn’t even cry when he was born.”
“The problem is Idgal. Romandro, when you were in Bratz, did you ever see Idgal? We’re curious about that.”
That was what Damon had hinted at. It left the mages deeply puzzled. From Damon’s tone, Ian seemed closely connected to Idgal, but no one knew if it was true.
It made sense, since Ian had been tough on Idgal within the Magic Department.
When Akorella and other mages submitted reports analyzing Idgal, Ian acted as if he was seeing the data for the first time. No matter how meticulous Ian was, he wouldn’t have reacted like that otherwise.
“Idgal?”
“Yes. A beautiful amber-colored gem.”
“……”
Romandro pressed his lips shut. Of course it existed! The amber gem Lady Rien had given him was brought from Bratz. It was handed over to the Magic Department and identified as the same substance Marib used during the rebellion.
Some mages who hadn’t been involved grew curious and kept pestering, while Akorella, Romandro, and the relevant department mages just exchanged awkward glances.
“If Ian really made Idgal—”
Romandro squeezed his eyes shut at the mage’s muttering.
The one who created a substance that suppresses mages—that was a betrayal of mages and a grave threat to Bariel.
It made sense, since all incidents linked to Idgal endangered Bariel’s safety: the princes’ rebellion, the collapse of the Clifford region in the south, and so on.
“He’s crazy.”
“Huh?”
“Right? Crazy. I knew he was a genius, but this is beyond genius.”
“You—you’re Akorella’s subordinate?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Just the way you talk—it’s obvious.”
“…Honestly, I don’t really get it. Genius or not, why on earth would a mage create something like that?”
“This was long before joining the Magic Department, back when Ian was just a kid, right? Even if you don’t understand, you should at least pretend to. What could a child possibly know? It’s a relief he came to the palace and kept things steady, even if it’s only now.”
“Hey, you crazy idiots, get a grip. This isn’t something we can just overlook because it’s Ian. On the contrary, how would you feel if Filic had created Idgal?”
“He’d be a damn bastard. How could he put his own people in danger like that?!”
“Exactly. Ah, everyone’s under Ian’s spell. This is a crime so serious that even a joint signature from all the mages wouldn’t be enough to punish him.”
“Watch your words. It’s Ian.”
Even among the mages, opinions were sharply divided. They argued under the guise of debate, trying to gauge whether Ian was truly connected to Idgal.
In the corner, Akorella chewed on a cigarette with her eyes closed, pondering how to navigate this mess.
“Ah, but where the hell is that useless idiot Hail right now?!”
Bang! Crash!
Boom!
The deafening noise erupted from the basement just as they realized Hail was missing.
The mages flinched and ducked instinctively. Smoke began to rise, and they crowded around the stairs leading down.
“Ian, are you alright?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Anyone want to go check it out?”
“Ian said it’s off-limits.”
“Exactly, so someone needs to step up and go!”
All eyes turned to Romandro.
“…Me?”
“You’re the assistant!”
“No, wait, aah!”
Before he could refuse, the mages pushed Romandro down the stairs. He slowly grasped the doorknob and turned it, revealing a hallway thick with smoke.
Tap.
“I-Ian?”
As the smoke cleared, the basement came into view.
The attendants shielded their faces with papers, startled, while Ian stood holding the unconscious Damon by the scruff of his neck. Blood stained Ian’s mouth and chin so heavily that anyone unfamiliar might think Damon’s tongue had been severed entirely.
“Ding-dong! Hey! Open up! Mini!”
Meanwhile, Beric arrived at Romandro’s mansion.
He mimicked the doorbell sound with his mouth and shouted, but instead of Mini, Philia answered the door first. Her face was a mix of joy, worry, and surprise.
“Beric!”
“Oh, hello there.”
“My goodness, it’s so good to see you again! I heard you returned from the battlefield! Are you hurt anywhere? And Ian—is he safe?”
Philia threw her arms around Beric. He clenched his fist confidently and shouted back.
“Of course! I smashed the enemy’s heads and came back in one piece!”
“Good, good. You’ve been through a lot. But what brings you here? Did Romandro leave some documents behind?”
“No, it’s not that—”
Beric frowned as he looked into Philia’s green eyes, which were the spitting image of Ian’s. No matter how he looked at it, they were identical.
“There’s trouble at the palace. Ian’s really your son, right? Philia, do you have any ties to the royal family? Like, maybe Ian’s father wasn’t actually Derga or something?”
“…What?”
The question was innocent but blunt and borderline rude.
Philia’s eyes widened in shock as she tried to grasp what Beric was implying.