Episode 521
A hectic Monday morning.

The bureaucrats sat around, sighing deeply, their gazes fixed blankly on the empty air. Surely they had come in here and there over the weekend, yet how had the workload piled up so much? Or rather, was it only because they’d worked through the weekend that it was this bad now?

About half a dozen of them gathered, but all they did was sip their coffee quietly, as if even small talk was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

“Ah, um…”

At that moment, someone muttered, turning their head to the left. It was Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic. He had just arrived at the palace, still in his traveling clothes, accompanied by a group of wizards.

I wondered where it had all gone wrong, but seeing his face, I began to understand.

“I’m Ian Hielo.”

“Ever since the author returned, the palace atmosphere has been strange. The department head, who usually barely signs off on anything, has been rifling through documents like a man possessed.”

“See this? I’m losing handfuls of hair here.”

“Sigh, Minister of Magic. You’re young, so you can pull all-nighters, but isn’t this workload way too much for us old-timers?”

“Old-timers? I’m only five years older than Sir Ian.”

“…By the way, the minister’s been out a lot lately.”

A brief silence followed the colleague’s reply, but the conversation naturally shifted back. One of them stretched and responded.

“Didn’t they set up a weapons manufacturing facility near the palace lands? They’ve been bringing in molefolk to work on it. The minister goes back and forth there three or four times a day.”

“Really now, the Ministry of Magic involved in defense projects.”

“Well, they did secure the territory of Holrin. They’re also redoing the quality inspections for regular weapons. If they fail, the entire contract will be reconsidered.”

“What? If they fail there too, Holrin will be completely ruined. Then the next empress will definitely come from Davion.”

Davion. Not a bad choice. If they gain power, the bureaucrats will likely benefit, and our treatment might improve.

Even though bureaucrats are among the highest ranks in the empire, the exponentially increasing workload has sparked new complaints. Strictly speaking, the work hasn’t increased—it’s just returned to what it should have been—but no one remembers that.

“It seems the Ministry of Magic favors Davion over Holrin. They even said they’d help if Holrin was reported at the grand hall.”

“That’s just smoke and mirrors. Didn’t you hear? They washed their hands of the territory purchase. And if they were truly supporting Davion, they wouldn’t even mention that blasted evaluation system.”

“That’s true.”

“Whoever becomes empress, I hope they care about human rights.”

“Oh, please.”

One by one, the bureaucrats lifted their heavy eyelids and drained their coffee cups.

As they sat there, a group followed in Ian’s footsteps. They wore Ministry of Magic uniforms too, but their attire was unusual.

“Oh? Who are they?”

“Looks like wizards from Clipford have arrived.”

“Finally, the Ministry of Magic is fully assembled.”

The wizards’ robes fluttered energetically as they ran, and the bureaucrats sighed deeply, their faces drained of life.

A fully assembled Ministry of Magic. It’s hard enough to handle now—how much worse will it get? They didn’t even want to imagine.

---

Knock, knock.

“Ian.”

“Come in.”

When a wizard made a sound, Ian didn’t look up from his documents but gave a brief command.

Romandro, who was assisting nearby, glanced over, curious. A wizard peeked through the door, looking quite excited.

“The wizards who went down to Clipford have returned.”

“Oh? They’ve all arrived at the palace?”

“Yes, Romandro. They’re right outside the Ministry of Magic. They flew here ahead of the carriage.”

“It’s been a long time. Ian, let’s go out. Everyone will be glad to see you.”

The Bariel wizards who had been held in Clipford had all come home. Ian nodded, setting down his pen.

“Mostly wizards from Luswena, right?”

“Seems so. When Zaira was going, all the exiled wizards from Luswena volunteered. There are a few from Bariel too.”

Unlike the Ministry members who had come up from the borderlands and shared hardships with Ian, these newcomers were somewhat distant. The bonds hadn’t fully formed yet.

When Ian stepped outside, he saw small groups gathered at the foot of the stairs. They were warmly welcomed by Ministry members, exchanging greetings.

Some recognized Ian and called out.

“Oh, Minister Ian!”

“The news was true! We heard you returned safely—thank goodness.”

Ian smiled, brushing off the noisy reunion, and offered words of comfort.

“You must be tired from the long journey.”

“No, honestly, leaving was harder than the journey itself. Ugh, the king was so clingy.”

“Ha ha ha. We heard about that. Something about the carriage wheels disappearing?”

“Just in case, as soon as the order to return came, we sent the carriage separately and flew here ourselves.”

“I’m exhausted.”

“Don’t say that here. Captain Akorella might be listening.”

“Hey! Over here! Minister Ian is here!”

Amid the bustling crowd, Ian immediately spotted Zaira. Her hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and glasses covered half her face. She had grown into an adult since they last met, but her childhood features remained.

Zaira, laughing and chatting with the wizards, turned her head up the stairs and then widened her eyes.

“…Minister Ian.”

“Oh? Minister Ian!”

“R-Really? I couldn’t quite picture it from the letters!”

“We’re back! Both you and we!”

“Seeing you like this brings back memories. Right, Zaira?”

The moment they first met during the war.

Instead of answering, Zaira dashed up the stairs toward Ian. Romandro stepped back in surprise, but Ian met her gaze with a gentle smile.

“You seem to have been well, Zaira.”

“…Minister Ian. You said you came up from the Abyss, right?”

“Yes.”

Zaira’s voice trembled slightly.

“I’m sorry to ask this right away, but…”

“Your grandmother didn’t make it.”

“……”

Zaira’s inner turmoil was painfully transparent as she struggled to find the right words. Ian calmly told her, and he saw the hope drain from her face.

“But don’t be disappointed. Because of the time difference between the Abyss and here, I wasn’t there as long as you might think. Still, your grandmother is definitely alive in the Abyss.”

Though she must be endlessly reliving the moment of death—that was another matter.

Zaira rubbed her forehead in frustration, and Ian spoke calmly.

“If you want to meet her, the surest way is to go to the Abyss yourself. But I would advise against it. I can’t help you with the return trip.”

Ian had been able to come back only thanks to divine intervention.

That didn’t mean there was no way at all. The secret-eating gypsy, Melania, and Clark had found another path up. If someone truly wanted to find her, there was a way. But—

“If Zaira tries to bring her grandmother out of the Abyss, it will cause problems.”

Hadn’t he faced the same dilemma with Naum? He wanted to save Naum from eternal death, but the moment Naum ascended to Gaia, who knew what chaos it might unleash? For the sake of a whole Bariel and Gaia, those trapped in death in the Abyss had to remain.

“Why can’t you help?”

Even after coming back like this.

Even looking just as he did before.

Ian himself was proof that it was possible for her grandmother to return intact. There was a big difference between falling into the Abyss by forbidden magic and just falling, but still.

“I have no memories. When I woke up, I was near Rajasan.”

“Damn it.”

“Zaira, watch your tone. That’s Minister Ian.”

“I know! I know, it’s just… it feels weird.”

Both his grandmother and Ian had chosen to go to the Abyss, but only one had returned. If only the shackles of forbidden magic could be broken, there might be a way. The frustrating reality was just out of reach.

Ian gestured to the wizards, signaling it was okay.

“That’s understandable. I get it. Zaira, come with me to the minister’s office.”

At Ian’s command to rest and recover, the wizards stepped back, and Zaira slowly climbed the stairs.

Sliding inside the minister’s office, Ian sat on the sofa and gestured for Zaira to take the seat opposite.

“I feel like there’s a lot to talk about.”

“Sorry for being rude, meeting you like this. I wasn’t going to bring up the same thing again.”

“Oh, so you know how to apologize.”

“Do you still think I’m a troublemaker?”

Zaira adjusted her glasses with a tap and sighed.

“I’m really glad you’re back, Minister Ian. It’s proof that the Abyss and here are connected.”

“Zaira, I want to ask you something first.”

“Go ahead.”

“You want to bring your grandmother out of the Abyss, don’t you?”

It was an obvious question, and Zaira blinked. She hadn’t experienced it herself, but she knew it was a painful hell. She wanted to save her grandmother as soon as possible, even if a day there equaled a year here.

“I have someone precious too.”

“Did you meet them there?”

“Yes. But I couldn’t save them. Or rather, I didn’t. I was afraid that saving one person would plunge the world into unpredictable chaos.”

“I—”

Zaira suddenly stood up, having caught on to what Ian was trying to say. For ten years, she had lived with a single mission: to save her grandmother. And now, if he told her she couldn’t do it, what was she supposed to do? What about her grandmother?

“Calm down and hear me out. I didn’t rescue him from the Abyss, but I have no intention of leaving him there forever.”

“…How?”

I’ll use time. Let the world’s gears keep turning as they are, and reach Bariel a hundred years from now. There, Naum Obia will still exist.

But in Zaira’s case, she had to go to the past.

“King Damon holds the key, and Rutherford carries the matching lock.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You’ll understand soon enough, Zaira. One thing I want to ask of you: if you want to save your grandmother, you’ll have to change your approach. For your sake, and for the world’s.”

Zaira parted her lips a few times, then let out a bitter sigh.

“Ian, it’s too late to change the method now. Do you know how much I’ve suffered over these ten years?”

She stacked two books lying beside her and tapped the top one lightly.

“This is Gaia. The book beneath it is the Rift, and the next one down is the Abyss. The world is made up of these layers. That means if you can break through the layers, you can move freely between the Rift and the Abyss.”

They say you can find the way down, but not the way back up—so from the very first step, you have to carve a path as you descend. Like the warrior who entered the labyrinth with a red thread tied around his waist.

“The Rift is where monsters are born, the very foundation of their existence. It takes an enormous effort.”

“It won’t be as difficult as you think, as long as we have Idgal.”

“But—”

“And if it’s absolutely necessary—”

“Zaira.”

Ian called her name and looked at her, signaling her to calm down.

Zaira forced herself to erase the thought that had flashed through her mind.

If it’s absolutely necessary, can’t we just create a small opening and pull the monsters out?

To think she’d had the same idea as Rutherford. Startled by her own thought, Zaira clenched her fist beneath her collar. Ian noticed her tension and placed his hand gently on the back of hers.

“Zaira, stop thinking and breathe. When you’re agitated, you risk losing yourself.”