Episode 528
An ordinary afternoon.

Acorella had her feet up on the desk, flipping through the report with a bored expression. It was dull and tedious, but without completing this, she wouldn’t get approval for her research—so there was no choice.

As soon as she roughly signed and closed the report—

knock knock.

“Captain. The mana stones sent abroad have been retrieved.”

“Come in. Everyone’s quick with their replies.”

“Yes. Seems like they all had their own plans.”

A mage entered, carrying the mana stones and some letters. These were items that had been sent overseas during the tense lead-up to war. Acorella needed to check that none of them had been tampered with or cursed. She grabbed one visible mana stone and tapped it lightly with her fang.

“What about the response from the Transcription Bureau?”

“Here it is. Should I send it directly to Lord Ian?”

“Do that. While you’re here, have a sip of that mana restorative.”

“Ah, no thank you. I’ll pass.”

“Come on, no side effects! Really.”

Acorella pulled her feet off the desk in disbelief, but the mage was resolute.

“You said the same thing a few days ago. The others just ate their meals and fell asleep right after. With the coronation so close, there’s a mountain of work to do. If they all fall asleep here, we’re done for. Until Lord Ian guarantees it’s safe, no one’s even going to sniff the stuff.”

“Idiots. So full of themselves. After the coronation, you won’t get to drink it even if you want to. Try surviving a proper war first!”

“Honestly, rolling around is probably safer than falling asleep in the middle of a battlefield.”

“Get lost, you little—”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The mage gave a brief salute and hurried out of the lab. Watching the retreating figure, Acorella clicked her tongue and glanced up at the wall lined with countless potion bottles, her eyes softening.

“My precious little ones… Those ignorant fools don’t even realize your worth and treat you so poorly. It’s all because I’m too good for them! Tsk tsk.”

“Oh, right. This needs reworking too.”

Clink. In Acorella’s hand was an old vial of oblivion potion, something she had made long ago during a near-death encounter with the dragon Kaglin.

The problem was that, due to its nature, she couldn’t test it herself, and other mages had vehemently refused to experiment with it, so the research had stalled.

Acorella tapped the bottle gently, then unfolded the letters. They were replies from various countries regarding the invitation to Jin’s coronation.

“Oh ho, look at these.”

With each page she turned, her brow furrowed deeper. When she reached the last letter, she stuffed them all into her pocket and stormed out of the lab.

Bang!

“Captain, where are you going?”

“To the minister’s office. To report.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

‘For someone who limps, she sure knows how to kick a door open.’

‘I even saw her kick Beric mid-air last time.’

The mages whispered quietly among themselves, then suddenly remembered they also needed Lord Ian’s approval and hurried to their tasks. Since Captain Acorella was personally moving, it seemed an important report was coming through—and if so, Ian might have to go out on official business.

Meanwhile, in Ian’s office.

knock knock knock.

“Acorella? Come in.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“You’re the only one who makes that much noise.”

Ian was sitting across from Romandro, working on documents. The scratching of his pen filled the room, surrounded by half-used nibs and empty coffee cups piled high.

With the coronation approaching, most departments probably looked like this. Acorella pulled a chair next to Romandro and immediately pulled the letters from her pocket.

“These are the replies from Havan, Luswena, and other countries.”

“Early responses.”

“They all say they’ll send representatives?”

Sending representatives to the empire’s coronation was tantamount to supporting Burgos’s side in the political struggle.

“Not a single one missing?”

Surely not.

Romandro’s eyes widened, and Acorella gave a reluctant smile, waving two sheets of paper.

“Clifford and Astana say their kings will attend personally. Especially Clifford—the entire royal family seems to be coming.”

“That’s right! That’s how it should be! That’s Hashara for you!”

“But doesn’t this look like a slap in the face? I don’t know what those idiots with holes in their heads are thinking. I want to dice them all up.”

Romandro’s eyes went wide. This language was no different from Beric’s long-haired rants.

Acorella began reading the replies aloud.

“Havan Kingdom says: Greetings and all that. Uh… we wish Bariel eternal glory and look forward to it… but the king is feeling unwell and can’t attend personally… instead, we’ll send a seasoned prime minister? Damn it! Our prime minister has survived two king changes, so it’s about time we keep an eye on him. We’re sending him to Bariel. Do whatever you want with him.”

“Is that really what it says, Acorella?”

“Are you crazy? Of course not. But that’s how it reads. Next is Luswena.”

rustle.

Acorella read clearly and loudly.

“Time has passed, it seems. That little child is now the empire’s emperor. As you know, I have unpleasant memories there, so I don’t want to make the trip. I trust you understand. Especially since Ian Hielo, the Minister of Magic, has returned alive after ten years, I’m too scared to go to Bariel. I’m sending my subordinates instead, so please treat them well for the sake of the country. Damn it!”

Romandro, just to be sure, picked up the letter Acorella had skipped over and checked it again. Official letters should be polite and formal—how could she read them like that?

But Ian, as if expecting this, just kept his ears open and continued writing.

“The petty northern states are even worse. They say it’s too far to come! Idiots. We even offered to open portals at the Bariel border to guide them, but this is their excuse? They’re basically handing us a gift. What kind of country do they think we are?”

“B-Bariel Empire, right? Acorella, calm down for now.”

“I’m too angry to stay quiet. I need to meet this Rutherford in person and hear what sweet talk he used to fool the neighboring countries. I was going to break one leg, but now I think I’ll cut off both.”

Bang!

Acorella slammed the desk, and ink splashed. Only then did Ian put down his pen and say to her:

“Acorella, I understand your feelings, but the more we react strongly, the more Bariel’s dignity suffers. Control yourself.”

Especially in front of His Majesty.

“It was our mistake. We allowed the scales to tip in Rutherford’s favor, letting them think they have the upper hand.”

Ian smiled faintly, and Romandro stepped back, hesitant. Compared to Acorella’s harsh words, Ian’s calm smile felt like a blade ready to tear someone apart. At least, that’s how Romandro felt.

“Mistakes must be corrected. Through the coronation and the upcoming war, we will show them how wrong their choice was and make them reconsider. So set aside personal feelings and focus on preparation.”

Acorella sighed and shrugged.

“Yes. Then I’ll prepare to open the portals soon. Since no one except the north is completely absent, we’ll need to open at least four portals. Is that alright?”

“Of course. No problem.”

“Be a good example and take some restorative potion in front of the others.”

“No, I’m fine. Really.”

Ian tidied the papers with a chuckle. Whether his refusal was playful or serious, it was hard to tell. Acorella nagged that the side effects were almost gone, but Ian’s answer remained firm.

“If Ian doesn’t take it, the others just shut up and eat their bread! If they’re all groggy at the coronation, who’s going to do the work? Huh?”

“I’ll handle opening the portals, so tell everyone to take care of themselves. There can be no mistakes at the coronation.”

“What? You’re opening them yourself? Alone?”

“Yes. Alone.”

“Opening and closing the magic circles is a lot of work.”

“I’ll open them all at once.”

Acorella’s mouth dropped open. What was Ian saying? Portals were usually opened with great effort by multiple mages using amplifiers. The distance from the center to the border was huge. Opening multiple portals simultaneously? By himself?

“Acorella, you’re drooling.”

Only Romandro, unaware of how outrageous Ian’s claim was, gently closed her jaw and comforted her.

“No, Ian! Ian!”

For some reason, whether it was because this body—meaning the illegitimate Ian’s body—had awakened as a divine vessel, or due to the abyss’s influence, or perhaps a blessing from the gods…

Whatever it was, since taking the restorative potion, Ian felt his entire body overflowing with mana like never before. He couldn’t even recall his former self.

---

Chloe frowned as she examined the deep scar still marking the corner of her mouth. It had been nearly ten days, but every time she looked at the wound, a surge of anger welled up inside her.

“Miss Chloe, how is the wound healing?”

“Did you just ask if I’m okay? Do I look okay to you?”

“Yes. From the way you speak, you seem to have no problem. Wounds on the skin may heal with time, but the wounds of the heart don’t mend so easily. Both you and I have suffered deep pain from being humiliated in front of others. So, perhaps it’s time we come to an understanding. Even if you were to cut me, you couldn’t change anything. Isn’t it better for both of us to find some benefit in this? As a businessperson, I calculate things quickly—though I’m sure you don’t want me to explain that in detail, right?”

“Is that how you apologize? I will make you—!”

“Oh, my lady, I didn’t come here just to apologize.”

With that, she tilted her head slightly, revealing a hair ornament. Embedded in it was a jewel from the royal family—the very cause of all this trouble.

Cloie frowned, sensing something was wrong. If she couldn’t even hide it, showing it so openly was a bold move.

“Thanks to this, I was invited to the royal palace and had the honor of meeting His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. Seeing him up close, he truly is a magnificent man—I was left speechless. His Highness graciously forgave our mistake and, as a token, bestowed this upon me.”

“W-what did you say?”

“It’s all thanks to you, Lady Cloie. If you hadn’t gotten involved with your friends in that reckless business, when else would I have had such an honor? There will be another chance to meet His Highness again, and if possible, I’ll be sure to send him your regards. Though I’m not sure if he’s curious about you.”

Clang!

Without thinking, Cloie threw the jewelry box, shattering the mirror it had been resting on. The servants waiting behind her flinched, but quickly moved to tidy up the mess. Only then did Cloie turn away from the broken mirror and look out the window, puzzled by the unfamiliar sky.

“…What is that?”

“Ah, my lady, please don’t worry too much. A few days ago, the Ministry of Magic sent an official notice. They said foreign guests will be arriving soon. Unlike before, multiple portals can open simultaneously now, so they asked us not to be alarmed. It is a bit strange, isn’t it?”

Outside, small black moons hovered in the sky. Previously, opening even one portal required the entire Ministry’s effort, but now this.

Cloie immediately realized the cause of this gap between then and now was Ian. It was clear the Ministry had helped Kayla move around freely with the jewel in her possession. The empire was on the brink of war, and Holinga was involved in the arms trade.

Biting her nails nervously, Cloie muttered under her breath.

“Ian Hielo…”

There was only one point to focus on. If Kayla had reached it, then so could she.

“I’m going too.”

“Eh? My lady, where are you—?”

“War. One here, one there—what’s the difference?”