Chapter 518

The atmosphere in the grand conference room was unusually tense. Normally, the officials would be bustling about, reviewing the agenda or preparing for anticipated questions, but all that filled the air now were words laced with anger and humiliation.

Bang!

“You’ve crossed the line!”

“Absolutely. I wholeheartedly agree. No matter how noble the Duke may be, this is simply unacceptable. How dare anyone from outside order the removal of an imperial court official?”

“Moreover, openly targeting the Davion family only stirs unnecessary unrest within the central government.”

“Honestly, I’ve never experienced such a disgraceful insult in all my life.”

“Has His Highness given any response yet?”

“I heard he’s left the palace. It might take some time.”

“The Minister of Magic was absent too. Perhaps he left with His Highness? The palace is in such chaos! What on earth is going on?”

“And you all are just as bad.”

A Davion official glared at the others from a distance and shouted.

“As fellow bureaucrats, even if you can’t immediately refute this external overreach, how can you just submit the report to the Ministry of Magic exactly as the Duke wrote it?”

“Why are you taking it out on us? Even if we say something, do you think the Duke will listen? Besides, regardless of the content, the report must be submitted! We don’t hold the decision-making power here.”

These were the officials who had gone to the Duke’s faction. They were tied to the Ministry of Magic’s funds and leaned more toward the Duke’s side—the Holin faction.

The Davion faction raised their voices in disbelief.

“You went begging for mercy because your position was precarious, didn’t you? Yet instead of results, you’re just passing along nonsense to the palace. It’s deplorable!”

“Begging for mercy? Nonsense? That’s harsh!”

“We were the ones insulted first. Do you expect us to respond politely?”

“Enough, everyone. This is the solemn imperial palace. Honestly, I can understand why the Davion side is so upset, but you were just watching from the sidelines earlier. Now, suddenly trying to bond over being ‘fellow officials’—it’s a bit much.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“When we were being dragged into the Daegum issue, you stood by and watched. Whether we got cut down or the Holin faction gave up their lands, Davion had nothing to lose. And now—”

“You’re the ones who caused the Daegum problem, so why are you blaming us?”

“If you say that, then this whole mess is Holin’s problem, not ours.”

“What did you say? How old are you?”

Things had escalated to the breaking point. Papers flew everywhere, and fingers were pointed wildly amid the chaos.

Maxim Tweller, who had been silently sitting through the uproar, finally sighed and lit a cigarette. Had everyone forgotten that war was looming? Honestly, he wanted to cut down these fools before facing the enemy.

Across from him, the Minister of Technological Development silently rubbed his forehead.

“His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived!”

At that moment, a servant’s announcement cut sharply through the commotion.

Tweller stubbed out his cigarette and stood, and the officials, on the verge of a brawl, straightened their collars and returned to their seats—though their eyes still burned with resentment.

As Jin entered, he paused, sensing the overheated atmosphere. But only briefly. He took his seat and gestured for everyone to sit.

Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic, followed closely and took his place.

“Gathering here even on a day off, and all of you look quite spirited.”

“Your Highness, this is truly infuriating and humiliating!”

“Yes. Did I not put aside all my work to come here because you were so angry? So stop the noise.”

Those with keen senses immediately noticed the Crown Prince was in a foul mood. Whatever ‘work’ he had been doing, it was clear this meeting was an unwelcome interruption.

When Jin announced the start of the meeting, Ian flipped through the documents and spoke first.

“Is it true that the counterproposal from the Holin Duke is causing controversy?”

“Yes! Precisely. They proposed selling the land on the condition that Sir Macro from the Administration and Sir Childs from the Interior Ministry be dismissed. Are they insane?”

“Please restrain yourselves. This is in the presence of His Highness.”

Someone warned, but the Davion faction, already furious, paid no heed.

“Sir Macro was appointed by the late Emperor, and Sir Childs by His Highness the Crown Prince himself. To dare remove such men under the guise of a deal—if that’s not madness, what is?”

“Exactly. This is tantamount to challenging His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Other departments glanced at the Davion faction. If just those two officials were removed, the Daegum issue would be resolved smoothly. Yet they shouted and resisted stubbornly. The Davion faction returned the gaze with narrowed eyes.

Then—

“As for the department with the frozen funds—”

Ian continued, flipping to the next page.

“You have yet to produce any results.”

His tone was soft and gentle, but in the heated room, it felt jarringly out of place. The Holin faction hesitated but quickly retorted.

“There’s still time, Sir Ian.”

“About twenty-one hours left. Do you think it will make a difference?”

“Of course. While we haven’t achieved results yet, we’ve opened a path. Considering this, wouldn’t it be possible for the Ministry of Magic to extend the deadline?”

“Apparently, the noise you’re making doesn’t reach your ears or eyes. You’re causing chaos in the palace and yet act so boldly.”

“Indeed! Ahem!”

“Yes, quite bold!”

The Davion faction agreed with Ian’s rebuke and added their own remarks. They may have refused the Count of Davion’s meeting, but at least they knew how to pick their battles.

Jin stroked his chin thoughtfully and glanced around the room.

“Your Highness must not take sides. This is a matter of fairness. Taking sides only breeds resentment and causes us to lose the benefits that balance could have brought. It’s not a balance between Your Highness and the officials, but between Your Highness, Davion, and Holin. If we tip the scales, one side rises at the other’s expense.”

Though he tried to hold back, the situation made his tongue itch to lash out. Ian seemed to sense this and quickly added.

“By the way, I heard the Davion faction is threatening to strike. Is that true?”

“It’s not exactly a strike. They’ve declared they won’t resume work until Your Highness punishes the Holin faction and restores discipline. This is also a matter of honor. Ahem. Until the issue is resolved, normal operations are impossible.”

“How can the palace be held responsible for that? The Ministry of Magic made the initial proposal.”

Ian smiled wryly and looked straight ahead. Everyone tacitly acknowledged that the royal family and the Ministry of Magic were aligned in this.

“Even if responsibility falls somewhere, it should be on the Ministry of Magic. Perhaps times have changed, but discussions about accountability in previous meetings have been quite strange.”

“The Ministry of Magic? What do you intend to do?”

They had no authority over personnel matters.

Ian lifted his chin slightly, paused as if pondering, then broke into a sly grin.

“Ah, it’s difficult. Honestly, I’d like to accept the Holin Duke’s proposal.”

“What did you say? Sir Ian Hielo!”

“Do you realize what you’re saying?”

“You’re defending Holin’s overreach?”

As voices rose, ready to storm out, Ian waved a lazy hand.

“Calm down. I said ‘honestly.’ You all know the purchase price and the Ministry’s annual budget, right? The Duke wants five times the original price. I question whether those two officials are worth that much. After all, I haven’t been outside for ten years.”

Cutting just two officials would save an astronomical budget, but are they really worth it?

Ian’s blunt question silenced the Davion faction. It was clear that even combining all the Davion family’s wealth wouldn’t match that value.

“They’ve served a long time but don’t seem to have any significant duties. I wonder if they even show up to work properly. Isn’t Sir Macro over seventy? I suspect he’s aiming for the next ministerial post.”

“Minister Quintana is holding firm, though. Ha.”

“Exactly. I agree. She’s capable and, most importantly, still young.”

When other departments subtly supported Ian, the Davion faction’s anger flared again. So now, they’re suggesting we just cut them? Even though it’s clearly noble overreach, we’re supposed to bow before money?

Just as the Davion officials were about to storm out, declaring they wouldn’t listen any longer—

“But we cannot remove a member of the palace based on the Duke’s word alone.”

Ian’s addition left everyone puzzled.

…Is he on our side or theirs?

“Sir Ian, what exactly is your position?”

“The current victims are the two officials nominated for removal by the Holin Duke. They should file formal complaints themselves. The Ministry of Magic will support them.”

“A complaint?”

“Regarding the overreach. The charges—”

Ian paused thoughtfully, then smiled.

“There are many, but as you initially requested relief from the palace, we can focus on violations of imperial law as the main charge.”

At that moment, the judiciary side, which had been quietly listening, suddenly jolted upright in surprise. If the trial proceeded under imperial law violations, any compensation awarded would all go directly to the Imperial Palace. Although the victims were Lord Markro and Lord Charles, the reparations would be paid to the palace.

Were they fully aware of this and still acting this way?

“Is there a problem?” Ian asked, locking eyes with the Minister of Justice.

Ah. So they do know.

“No, no problem at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

In the minister’s mind, a scenario took shape. There was a high chance the compensation would be claimed as territory belonging to the Hollin family. In that case, the profits would flow straight into the Ministry of Magic’s coffers. Truly, a tangled mess.

“For now, the Ministry of Magic’s official stance is as stated, but I want you to understand this: in terms of value, I would accept Duke Hollin’s proposal immediately if I could.”

“What exactly do you base that value on, Ian? You’re indispensable to the executive branch, and the same goes for the Ministry of the Interior. Other departments—”

“Oh, right. There’s no standard, is there?”

Someone mentioned this, and Ian seized on the point without hesitation.

“If we had a quantifiable standard, everyone could understand and accept it. Your Highness, I have a suggestion.”

“Speak.”

Jin, who had been resting his chin on his hand, straightened up and gave permission.

“Though this is a conflict between the Davion and Hollin families, a huge budget is at stake. The Ministry of Magic wants to accept the duke’s offer to purchase the territory, but since that would be unfair, I propose a compromise.”

“A compromise? What kind?”

“How about introducing an evaluation system that quantifies the ‘value’ of all officials, including Lord Markro and Lord Charles?”

Everyone’s eyes widened as if they might pop out, then all turned toward Ian. Was he truly mad?

“If we do that, it would be easier for the palace to judge who is more valuable. With regular evaluations determining rank and assignments, the Hollin family would feel their proposal was at least partially accepted, making negotiations smoother.”

“W-wait a moment, Ian.”

You’re one of us, an official. Do you even realize what you’re saying?

“If the deal is negotiated, there’s no immediate need for payment—”

Ian calmly surveyed the relevant departments. If payment wasn’t made within 21 hours, it would be grounds for a complaint. Either the accused would be forced to resign or be put under strict control—those were the only two options Ian was implying.

“Also, I wouldn’t have to turn against the two officials by calling for their dismissal, so wouldn’t that be better all around?”

From the Ministry of Magic’s perspective, cutting loose two troublesome officials and saving the payment was far more economical and beneficial. They would side with Davion by the book, which meant the other side would have to be restrained.

“What do you all think?”

Jin asked indifferently, but no one answered. Silence meant consent, so Jin shrugged once and replied,

“Very well. We’ll proceed as you suggest.”