Chapter 498

“Romandro, we have a problem.”

“You mean that tremor just now? Yeah, I felt it too.”

“It doesn’t seem like something simple.”

“Hm? Wait a moment. Not here—let’s step outside and talk. Tell all the mages to gather.”

Just as the Crown Prince’s coming-of-age ceremony was reaching its peak, an unexplained tremor? Romandro saw the mages stationed throughout the banquet hall converging toward the entrance, and he quickly followed them out.

Once the area quieted down, the mages lowered their voices to hushed whispers. A deep, resonant hum filled the air, and a powerful force was palpable.

“That tremor just now—it was magical energy.”

“Magic energy? What kind?”

“It happened too fast to analyze in detail.”

Romandro’s face paled as he froze. He had expected at worst a structural issue with the building or a servant’s mistake, but magic? Right in the heart of the palace? The nightmare from ten years ago flashed through his mind—the time they failed to stop an intruder and lost someone precious. That nightmare.

With a pale face, Romandro gave orders to the mages.

“First, set up a protective barrier around the banquet hall. The rest of you, search the nearby area. If you find anything suspicious, report it to the palace immediately.”

“Yes, understood.”

“You’re in charge of the barrier! Everyone else, be careful. Don’t get hurt. You know what I mean—we can’t afford to scatter.”

“Romandro, should we mobilize the soldiers?”

“Siaoshi will handle that separately. Let the soldiers take care of it. The ceremony just started. If we cause a commotion now, we’ll ruin it ourselves. Everyone, move carefully and stay coordinated.”

The mages nodded in agreement. But where was Akorella at a moment like this? Probably still in her lab?

Just as Romandro reached up to rub his forehead, Akorella slid down the railing, her robe billowing as she swept past the mages.

“C-Captain?”

“What are you all just standing around for? Hurry up and follow me!”

“Y-You really are the captain! I’m sorry for thinking you were just coasting all this time!”

“What the hell are you saying? You’re dead meat later.”

“Captain! Let’s go together!”

Except for the mage assigned to the barrier, the entire magic department dashed off in the same direction as Akorella—toward the inner garden of the banquet hall, where the magical energy had been sensed.

Romandro hurried after them, pushing his short legs as fast as he could. If this was Rutherford’s doing again, he wouldn’t let it slide. He would protect the palace at all costs. Suddenly, a deep longing for his wife and daughter welled up inside him, but he clenched his teeth and pushed it down.

Tap, tap, tap.

The well-kept garden was empty. Only the thick foliage swayed gently in the breeze.

The mages noticed one patch of bushes moving suspiciously. They crouched low and approached cautiously. Akorella placed her hands on her hips and called out loudly.

“Hale!”

“Yes?”

Why call for Captain Hale all of a sudden? The mages turned around in surprise—and at that moment, two hands shot up from the bushes. Romandro grabbed Akorella’s collar and let out a sharp scream.

“Gahhh!”

“Ahhh! Wh-what is that?!”

Startled, the mages stumbled backward.

Only Akorella limped forward and pulled on the hands. One by one, the people tangled up inside spilled out—they were all those who had been dispatched north.

“Phew!”

“Ugh, my back!”

“Damn it, I told you to open the portal properly!”

“The portal was fine! The problem was a miscalculation in height. And the one who didn’t add any magic is the loudest—right?”

“Didn’t add magic? Said it was useless!”

“Who said it was useless? I said it wasn’t necessary!”

“Everyone shut up! You’re making my head ring!”

What on earth was going on? Romandro blinked in surprise, but quickly recognized the voice cursing so loudly—it was Beric.

Beric? If Beric was here, then surely—

“So it was too much after all.”

“No, Ian, it was just a tiny mistake.”

“Ha ha, are you okay?”

“I had your back from below, idiots! Otherwise, Ian would’ve gotten hurt!”

“Okay, okay, we get it! But why are you yelling? If Ian was scolding, fine, but you?”

Ian. Ian was stepping out from the bushes, slowly revealing himself—the green-eyed boy with golden hair.

Romandro held his breath without realizing it. He had imagined countless times how Ian might have grown over the years. But all those thoughts suddenly felt meaningless. Ian looked exactly the same as in his memories—unchanged.

“Ah, Romandro.”

“…I-Ian? Is it really you?”

Ian smiled, brushing leaves from his hair, and reached out his hand. Romandro couldn’t help himself and threw his arms around Ian.

“What happened? Why do you look just like before? Have you been well? Are you hurt anywhere? Ian, I’ve waited so long for you!”

Romandro clung to the frail boy and burst into tears. Ian didn’t know what to do but gently pat his shoulder. The palace mages, having caught up, crowded around them.

“Ian!”

“By the gods, it really is Ian!”

“Do you remember me? Do you know who I am?”

“Look at these guys! Watch your size! Ian’s going to get crushed!”

As Romandro and the mages held Ian tightly, Beric grabbed at Ian’s collar, trying to pull him free. The force backfired, and Ian tumbled back into the bushes.

Lying beneath the pile of people, Ian just smiled softly.

Akorella crouched down to look closely at Ian’s face. Ian met her gaze. Though upside down, the surprise and warmth in his orange eyes were unmistakable.

Akorella hesitated for a moment, then grinned mischievously.

“So, you’re alive after all. I thought I’d never see you again.”

“How have you been, Akorella?”

“Great! I’ve been living well, sucking on mana stones in the palace. How about you, Ian? Eating well?”

“Hmm, so-so.”

Ian motioned for the others to get up, and Akorella kicked the mages’ backsides.

“Get up, everyone! What are you doing lying on the ground?”

“Ow! That hurts!”

“Hale, why did you fall here? Come to the magic department.”

“I was going to, but there were some problems.”

“Problems?”

Hale straightened his collar with a snap. Setting aside the minor issues, the biggest problem was the magic. Because Ian had absorbed almost all the power, the portal was unstable. Beric had been nagging about it nonstop even before they left.

“Ian’s portal was huge and black—it was amazing. But the one they made was narrow like a rabbit hole and weird. I was worried from the start. Told you so! My back hurts!”

“Shut up. At least you made it here safely.”

“And it was calculated that way on purpose. Do you know how sick the empire’s citizens are of portals? We had to make it small to avoid drawing attention.”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it—enough excuses.”

Beric helped Ian to his feet and sneered as if to make a point.

Watching this, Romandro laughed through tears. After all this time, he really got to see this again! He hugged Beric and praised him proudly.

“You little troublemaker. You pulled it off!”

“Ugh, stop it, you’re gross. Let me go.”

“Ian, when will you meet with Prince Jin? The nobles are currently receiving audiences in the banquet hall. It’d be good to greet him now.”

“The coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Yes, it just started.”

Ian hesitated. The royal coming-of-age ceremony wasn’t just a celebration of the nineteenth birthday. It was a declaration to the nobles who had held power until now that a new era had arrived, and an opportunity to meet the future noble heirs. Ian knew well the complex and fierce politics involved.

“No, I think—”

He was about to decide it was better to wait until the ceremony ended, to avoid disrupting Jin’s plans.

Romandro gripped his hand tightly.

“Prince Jin has been staring out the window the whole time.”

“……”

“It’s no secret he’s watching for the old pigeon to fly by again. Do you think Prince Jin is alone in there? Your mother, Lady Philia, is there, as is your brother Roel. Prince Noah of Cliffford is also present. The nobles and officials who were spreading rumors of your death are mixed in as well.”

Romandro’s earnest plea was clear: it’s been long enough, don’t make us wait any longer. Ian patted Romandro’s hand and nodded.

“Understood. I’ll go greet them now.”

“Good choice. This way, everyone!”

Romandro eagerly led Ian down the corridor, stealing glances at him all the while. How had Ian never outgrown this appearance? Was there some problem?

But judging by Captain Hale and the other northern mages not making a fuss, it didn’t seem like a big deal. I could always ask about it later, once everything was settled!

“Heh, well.”

Still, Ian suddenly felt how young he was. After all, he now had a daughter just about ten years old.

Was the one who had protected the empire and upheld the imperial palace really such a young boy? Looking back on the past, everything felt like a fairy tale.

Ian gave his robe one last adjustment at the entrance to the banquet hall, then noticed that the air inside was surprisingly calm.

“Is it because the mages are absent?”

“Absent? What do you mean?”

“The banquet hall. For a coming-of-age ceremony, it’s unusually quiet.”

“Ah, well, the number of mages has dwindled, so managing the event was a bit difficult. His Highness Jin understood, but there was no other choice.”

Romandro straightened Ian’s robe buttons neatly as he spoke, wearing an apologetic smile for not being able to properly lead the Mage Department while Ian was away.

As he brushed a leaf from Ian’s hair to finish tidying him up, the mages began pulling out pieces of red cloth from their pockets. Some wrapped them around their forearms, others around wrists and backs of hands, steeling themselves with quiet determination.

“The Mage Department is truly back now.”

“Yeah. You’ve worked hard. Captain Hale, welcome back. How was the north? I heard it wasn’t great.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t. The taverns were the worst.”

“And Captain Akorella? How have you been?”

“What do you think?”

“Sounds like you’ve been living the sweet life.”

“Bingo! Hahaha.”

As the mages gathered again, the attendants looked flustered. But that only lasted a moment. When they caught sight of the familiar green-eyed blonde boy, they looked up in stunned silence.

“Phew…”

Ian took a deep breath and slowly released his magic. His green eyes instantly turned golden.

Zzzzz! Zing!

Softly, petals began to fall like rain. The mages joined in, their eyes glowing gold as they smiled. It had been so long since they’d all gathered—this was nothing.

Creak.

The doors opened, and a wave of sweet aromas and rich music spilled out. Leading the way, Ian and the mages strode resolutely into the beauty before them. Their robes billowed freely, petals swirling in a storm around them.

“Ah…”

The banquet hall felt frozen in time. Everyone present was captivated by Ian’s arrival.

As Ian knelt on one knee, the mages behind him lowered themselves simultaneously, showing everyone exactly who they served.

“Is that… Sir Ian?”

“The Minister of the Mage Department…!”

“Who? That kid in front?”

“Isn’t that Ian Hiel, Minister of the Mage Department!?”

“That’s impossible. How could a child be—”

“He hasn’t changed. Not one bit since then.”

“What are you saying?”

Ignoring the murmurs of nobles and officials, Ian bowed his head slightly and spoke quietly.

“Ian Hiel, Minister of the Mage Department, has returned.”