Chapter 440
On the left sat Ian, on the right, Jin.

Noah had nowhere else to look; his gaze was fixed solely on the wizards visible outside the window. Whether the Crown Prince knew he had come to the Magic Department or not, he couldn’t tell. All he could do was watch the occasional bright flashes of magic, as if trying to hold his attention.

Watching that, it was clear—the Crown Prince was opposed to Ian’s resignation. If the royal family wanted to keep the Magic Department in check, there would be no better opportunity than this.

‘Completely dismissing Ian would be a national waste, given his innate talent. But if they use dereliction of duty as a pretext to demote him from minister to a lower commander position, and promote someone loyal to the royal family in his place, they could both keep him in check and control the Magic Department like a puppet… If the Crown Prince were even a little sharper, he might have done just that.’

There were many ways for the royal family to control the Magic Department—both institutional and inhumane, like the magical power-sealing stones.

Humans harbor the root of evil; if they wished, they could restrain the Magic Department by means unrecorded in history.

Hadn’t the King of Luswena, Eriphoni, done just that? Amid the wave of strikes by the wizards, Prince Noah recalled the flames that had consumed the old man that day.

“Prince Noah.”

“Ah, yes, Your Highness.”

It was Jin who broke the silence. He stared quietly at the teacup Ian had personally handed him before speaking.

“Did you lose your way? Was your guide incompetent? I cannot understand why you came to the Magic Department instead of the First Imperial Palace. I ask you directly.”

“My apologies, Your Highness.”

Ian answered for Noah, bowing deeply in apology. Each time Jin furrowed his brow, the long scar on Ian’s face seemed to shift with the movement.

“I thought it urgent to check on the progress of the Cliffford Rift, so I took the liberty of requesting this meeting first. I heard Your Highness was in class and thought I could adjust the timing accordingly, but I suppose that was my mistake.”

“You knew he was in class?”

“Yes. As you can see, the Magic Department staff are unable to perform their duties due to personal reasons, so we are receiving assistance from the royal family and the administration. Beric informed me.”

“I see. Even so, I had you come here personally, so this must be your fault, Ian.”

Jin’s words were meant to scold and assert dominance, but Ian just smiled faintly and admitted it.

“Yes. It was my mistake. Therefore, I will resign.”

“No!”

“Pfft—!”

At Ian’s calm reply, Mei suddenly coughed. She kept apologizing as she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the moisture away.

“Prince Noah.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Fortunately, it worked out well. Though you and Ian clearly erred, the situation in Cliffford is urgent, so I will overlook it generously.”

“Your grace is as vast as the summer sea.”

“The rift appeared near the capital, not far from the palace, correct? What is the current evacuation status of the people in that area?”

At Jin’s question, Mei hurriedly pulled documents from her leather bag.

Thousands of refugees’ daily lives were neatly recorded in brown envelopes. Though palace officials knew they might not receive their salaries, they devoted themselves to rebuilding the country, and the people pooled their efforts to manage the crisis.

But the limits were clear. They desperately needed the help of wizards—no, Bariel’s help. Countless people on the streets couldn’t even eat one proper meal a day. Cliffford truly hoped for Bariel’s humanitarian aid.

Of course, such things rarely come easily.

“Therefore, any grain, clothing, or whatever else can be sent immediately from Bariel to Cliffford. Please, just tilt your head a little in our direction so we can hold onto hope.”

“As for grain, we can request it from Luswena. I will propose that they release several thousand sacks as war reparations. But negotiations will take time. How about Bariel provides the grain first, and in return, we claim the rights to it?”

Jin made the suggestion to Noah based on discussions with the administration. Luswena had admitted some fault but insisted they were also victims.

To ‘balance’ the interests regarding war reparations, it was easier if Bariel held most of the rights. If they were divided, they’d have no choice but to comply.

“The details will be decided by my father, the King of Cliffford, but I find this reasonable. The lives of the starving are burning away; we must extinguish that fire quickly.”

“Very well. I will instruct the administration to calculate the exact amount of grain we can provide and report back by tonight. Xiao.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Xiao took down Jin’s orders and signaled the attendants below. They moved with such precision and coordination that there was not a hint of hesitation.

Noah looked down at his now-cold teacup and bowed his head. The gap between emperor and king, empire and kingdom, was painfully clear.

To be honest, he felt deep sorrow for the current state of Cliffford, but what could he do? If he bowed, the people would live.

“Please, have a seat.”

“…Thank you. Cliffford is an agricultural country, so the damage is significant. The Burgos side even released monsters that destroy farmland. Though winter seems far off, it will come in the blink of an eye.”

Worried about famine, Noah spoke, and Ian suddenly straightened up as if recalling something.

“…Do you know of Gula?”

When he came from the border to the center, Ian had brought with him the possibility of Gula as an edible resource.

But after many incidents and as the land stretched awake into spring and summer, the palace’s worries about famine had naturally subsided.

Above all, strangely, the palace’s own resources were abundant.

Though the civil war seemed to have strained the budget, looking back now, it was a turning point. Marib and Gale, who had exhausted their energies vying for power, had fallen. The emperor was bedridden, and all those who had been allocated royal funds, including his consort Dilaina, had disappeared.

‘Moreover, with the purge of central nobles, those below rose to the surface. It’s like opening the Hayman family’s granary, causing the nearby forests and beasts to thrive.’

In short, the royal family was so well-off that awareness of Gula had nearly vanished. Ian smiled faintly and waved his hand at Noah, who was puzzled.

“We’ll talk about it later, another time.”

In many ways, it would be a good case study—the historic first appearance of Gula, and if it could resolve famine in Cliffford, it would naturally be a propaganda victory for other nations and Bariel.

“Why not now?”

“No, it’s irrelevant to the current matter.”

Jin shot Ian a sharp look, but Ian kept smiling and said nothing more. It was almost like a gentle pat—this didn’t seem like a power struggle between a Crown Prince and a minister rooted in a strike.

As Noah and Mei exchanged glances, Xiao cleared her throat—a formal signal for Jin to continue the conversation.

“The urgent matter is that, yes. Hmm. We will also send medical supplies and essentials for daily life. Some of these will be thanks from Bariel, and the rest can be considered debts owed to Luswena. That should ease your minds. After all, you are receiving what you rightfully deserve.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Whatever it takes, we will fill the blood we shed with that of the invaders.”

“Do not worry. That will not be a problem.”

“But may I ask one thing? Food and medical aid are like a ray of light for Cliffford, but the real issue is the rift itself disappearing so Cliffford can return to normal, isn’t it?”

Noah spoke cautiously.

“Therefore, we would also like to request the help of the wizards.”

Why was there no mention of the most important magic? He knew they didn’t want to send Ian to Cliffford, but shouldn’t they at least promise support from other wizards first?

With a clink, Jin set down his teacup and shook his head.

“I have that in mind as well. There are still Bariel wizards in Cliffford, aren’t there? Each one is nearly godlike and would be a great help. During negotiations with Burgos and Luswena, I will demand the deployment of their wizards. Every single one, without exception, will be used as relief personnel for Cliffford.”

On the surface, it sounded very reasonable and like a helpful proposal for Cliffford. That was until Noah and Mei carefully considered it and noticed the flaw.

“Ah, Your Highness, I apologize, but could the Magic Department’s support be provided in advance, like the other supplies?”

“Wizards are living beings, unlike grain or essentials, and their numbers are limited. And haven’t you seen? Many are on strike due to issues within the Magic Department. Forcing them to serve by imperial decree would require a significant price.”

“Ah, that is…”

Noah fiddled with his sleeve, trailing off.

Redirecting wizards from Luswena and Burgos meant potentially more support than Bariel’s own Magic Department could provide.

But the wizards from Luswena and Burgos, who opposed this, could renounce or feign renunciation of their nationality before negotiations concluded, thus avoiding deployment. If he were king, he would do the same. Rather than send precious wizards abroad, it was better to record none and operate them secretly behind the scenes.

“Burgos and Luswena wizards were the main culprits in destroying Cliffford. It would be emotionally difficult for the people to accept them working alongside them to repair the rift. Human emotions are not so easily calculated.”

“All soldiers from the defeated nation are conscripted and sent to rebuild the territory. How is this any different? Even if more mages are mobilized, in the end, they get the job done, don’t they? They’re the main culprits of the defeated country. They’re also responsible for bearing the resentment of the victims’ people.”

“But—”

“I’m sorry, Prince Noah, but I have no intention of compromising on this. It’s already been decided in the internal meetings, so I must politely decline any further discussion.”

And above all, Ian isn’t here.

Noah swallowed the urge to shout this out and sealed his lips with a smile. Ian, quietly observing from beside him, set down his teacup as well.

Clink.

“Your Highness.”

Over the past week, many have come and gone day and night at the First Imperial Palace. It seems the strategy is to consolidate power by fully acquiring the rights to Luswena that Clefford will take over…

“If I may add, I believe it would be better to also take over the rights related to magic. Mages have reliable means of transportation, so traveling between Clefford and here won’t take long. Magic can’t be weighed or counted, so having rights over the mages themselves is crucial. Wouldn’t it be better to hand over Bariel’s mages now, and later have Burgos and Luswena’s mages absorbed for Bariel’s benefit?”

“Is this something the minister who’s resigning should be saying?”

“More importantly, the cracks are only widening and deepening with time. It means the situation could be more dangerous later than it is now. If you value Bariel’s mages, you’ll need personnel ready to send when the time comes.”

Ian spoke clearly, and Jin bit his lower lip sharply.

“And Prince Noah seems concerned about the mages who will be excluded from the negotiations.”

“Ah, yes. Especially the Luswena mages—they’re not affiliated with any nation and tend to stick together in their own groups. Conscripting them won’t be easy.”

“Just as I will no longer be the Minister of Magic once I resign, if they abandon their country and disappear, even Bariel won’t be able to account for them.”

Ian smiled as he poured fresh tea into Jin and Prince Noah’s cups. Warm steam rose, but perhaps because of Jin’s tense energy, Mei rubbed the back of her hand, feeling an unexpected chill.