Chapter 529

“Ian, could you take a look at this spell formula?”

“Hm. Even to me, this doesn’t seem quite right.”

“Shut up and step aside. Mind your own work.”

“Ian! This side’s all drawn up too!”

Behind the vast gardens of the Ministry of Magic, the wizards had scattered about, meticulously inscribing portal spell circles. Most had been refined by Ian’s hand, reborn as new incantations.

Ian crouched in one spot, carefully etching strange, intricate symbols in neat script.

Behind him, the wizards huddled close, craning their necks in curiosity. None had ever seen—or even imagined—simultaneous portals opening like this, so they watched Ian with wide-eyed wonder.

“Do you think this will work?”

“Hmm. Hard to say. Looks like Ian’s trying this for the first time too.”

“Are the coordinates fixed?”

Ian, scanning the overall spell layout, asked. A wizard flipped through papers and reported briskly.

“Yes, yes! One set for the northern monster zone, plus Luswena, Hawan, and Klipoford.”

“Good work. Everyone, stand down for now.”

“Ian, won’t you run out of mana?”

When someone voiced concern, Ian smiled. His comrades tugged at him, scolding him for worrying about others when they themselves were about to run dry just preparing for the coronation.

Standing in the center of the sprawling garden, Ian gazed quietly at the chaotic array of spell circles beneath his feet.

A breeze swept through, bending the grass like waves, making the magic circles seem alive and rippling. Ian’s eyes shifted from deep green to gold, and a black crescent moon rose, tracing the tips of his fingers.

The wizards chewed on jerky, watching the spectacle in awe. Even as magicians, this was a rare sight.

“One’s up.”

“Hey, another’s appearing behind it!”

“This is insane. Seriously.”

Whoosh!

Though smaller than usual, the portals were unmistakable. Ian frowned slightly, as if dizzy, but it was fleeting. Having conjured four black moons, he beckoned the wizards over.

“I’ll hold the central axis. Take turns watching the portals. If any shrink or tilt, inject mana immediately.”

“Yes, Ian. But are you sure you’re okay? We have to keep these open until the guests arrive.”

“It’s only for a day. I’ll be fine.”

“A day…”

The wizards rolled their eyes and pursed their lips. Ian, we can barely keep one portal open for half an hour. You don’t know the struggles of a prodigy like us. Hmph.

“Hey, Ian!”

“Movement detected at the second portal from the left!”

At the shout, everyone looked up simultaneously. The second portal on the left connected to the northern region. That meant—

“Hasha!”

Romandro called out excitedly. The front of a carriage slowly emerged from the darkness. The wizards hurriedly took flight, soaring into the sky.

Thwack!

Ziiing! Ziiing!

As they defied gravity, the carriage, which had seemed to be plummeting straight down, gently adjusted its angle. It then glided smoothly, as if walking on air, and landed safely on the palace grounds.

A procession of dozens of carriages. Palace staff watching from all around waved cheerfully.

Wheee!

“Oh dear, you startled me! It’s alright, it’s alright!”

“Greetings! The Astana delegation has arrived!”

“Welcome, welcome! Please come in!”

“I thought we were going to fall to our deaths! Haha!”

The delegation smiled brightly as they soothed their startled horses. Each had blue hair and pointed ears.

At last, the door of the central carriage opened, revealing—

“Sir Ian!”

“Hasha?”

An elderly man with white hair—Hasha—embraced Ian tightly, sobbing. Ian looked at him, puzzled.

“By the heavens, it’s true. You’re really alive! I heard the rumors, but I half doubted them.”

“Who, who are you?”

Romandro hesitated, then spoke up. Hasha grabbed his hand firmly and shook it energetically, though the old man’s grip was weak, fluttering like a leaf in the wind.

“Romandro! You look just as you always have!”

“Ha, Hasha?”

“My previous body was beyond preservation, so I received a new one. This gentleman here is my uncle, who passed away not long ago.”

“Oh, I see.”

When they met in Karenna, he was a dog; on the battlefield, a young man; and now, an old man again. Though he escaped the flow of time, he still seemed to follow its natural course.

The old man smiled toothlessly and pulled out a necklace—a red mana brooch. It belonged to Ian.

“I have waited and longed for this moment. To meet again.”

Ian smiled warmly and nodded. Hasha reached out for another deep embrace. After a brief exchange of greetings, Ian bowed in the palace’s formal style.

“Your Majesty of Astana, thank you for your long journey. Your precious visit brings blessings to the Empire, and I hope the same honor befalls Astana. On behalf of the palace, I offer my gratitude and will now escort you to the residence where you will stay before meeting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Oh, right!” Romandro straightened up and followed Ian, returning the palace’s formal greeting. Though an old friend, he was a king—one of the few still allied with Bariel in the north, especially now that everyone else had turned away.

Hasha returned the warm smile and nodded in kind, then gestured to his attendants.

“The kingdom has prepared a small gift.”

“Oh, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be delighted. The Ministry of Magic will handle the arrangements.”

“Thank you. Thanks to that black moon, we traveled a great distance in an instant. I’m not tired at all.”

Ian signaled the wizards and palace staff to begin guiding the guests. Hasha boarded his carriage again, heading toward the main palace. The wizards tidied the area and asked Ian,

“Ian, shouldn’t we close the northern portal now? It’s draining a lot of your mana to keep it open.”

“Hm. Just a moment.”

Concentric circles bloomed endlessly from Ian’s palm—a dense, interlocking array of spell circles with no gaps. He read through them several times but then shrugged as if giving up.

“Since they were opened simultaneously, closing just one could cause problems. If I try and accidentally shut others, that would be bad. So, I’ll keep them all open until this time tomorrow.”

“Understood. We’ll do our best to help.”

“Not sure if it’ll make a difference, but ahem.”

“But about the other guests—don’t you think they’re deliberately arriving late? Since we promised to keep the portals open on time, they might be trying to make you waste your energy.”

Ian just smiled. It was a bit of a stretch, but a reasonable suspicion. The other wizards grumbled as they stared at the still-empty portals.

“Honestly, it’s possible. If they had a set time, they should have been waiting and jumped through as soon as the portal opened. That’s common courtesy! Like Astana did!”

“Everyone knows this isn’t an ordinary matter, but people can be so selfish.”

“Some might not want to leave their homeland, so they hesitate to come.”

“Well, that’s true, but still, basic manners are lacking. Ian, you should just narrow the entrance! Or should we catch them halfway if they fall?”

As the wizards chimed in, Ian suddenly gasped softly. The tip of another carriage appeared in the portal again. This time—

“Klipoford!”

“Guests have arrived from Klipoford!”

“Wow, that carriage looks sturdy. Let’s go!”

“Yes, I’m coming too!”

Ziiing! Thwack!

The wizards took flight again, ready to catch the carriage. But there was a problem. Unlike Astana’s, the Klipoford king’s carriage had no roof.

“Huh.”

Akorella squinted, staring intently at something detached from the carriage. A plump figure spinning wildly in midair. Akorella reported casually to Ian.

“Ian, that looks like the King of Klipoford.”

A clear yet sorrowful scream echoed from the sky. Though the wizards were there to prevent a fall, the king seemed completely unaware.

With eyes tightly shut and trembling, the king slowly descended to the ground.

Thwack.

He landed lightly, feet on the earth, still squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. Plump and warm as ever.

“…You’ve arrived.”

“…Hah!”

Startled by Ian’s greeting, the King of Klipoford finally gathered himself and looked around. His pale face was fleeting; wiping cold sweat, he forced an awkward smile.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“Apologies. I should have given you more detailed instructions.”

“No, no, I just panicked and lost control. By the way, Sir Ian, it’s been a while. Noah told me about you, but haha! You haven’t aged a day!”

“It’s been a while. Thank you for making the long journey.”

“Father!”

“Father! Are you alright?”

“Your Highness!”

Clatter, clatter! As the carriage came to a safe stop, Prince Noah, his younger brothers, and the attendants rushed over in a flurry to check on the king’s well-being.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“Waaah! Then why did you insist on sitting on top of the carriage?”

“You had no dignity at all!”

“No, ahem, I didn’t expect the route to be like this…”

Noah’s little brothers, who once toddled around, had grown up just as much as Vivi and Roel. The children seemed wary of Ian, sticking close to Noah and shooting him cautious glances.

“Greetings, Princess, Prince. I hope we didn’t startle you.”

“Oh, no, we weren’t surprised…”

“Only Father was.”

But with the gentle breeze and Ian’s warm greeting, the princess and prince found themselves unconsciously reaching out to hold his hand, gazing up at him in a daze.

Noah, meanwhile, scolded his siblings and ordered the attendants to get the carriage ready again.

“Shall we proceed to the main palace?”

“Yes, Prince. You should rest and unpack your luggage first. After that, you will meet His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. Since you arrived second after Astana, you will be the second to have an audience.”

“I hurried as much as I could, but we’re still a bit late. Understood.”

“Yes, sir.”

Whoosh!

The Clifford carriages lined up neatly and headed toward the main palace.

All the guests who were expected had already arrived, so the mages let out a sigh of relief and flopped down on the grass. Just receiving the carriages and luggage from the air was exhausting enough—how on earth did Ian manage to maintain those portals?

“And he’s going to be leading the ceremony at the main event, too.”

“Exactly. I want to believe he’s doing this because he’s young. Otherwise, this poor, pitiful body of mine feels even more miserable.”

“Want a cigarette?”

“Ah, Captain Hale! I told you I quit!”

“Are you just giving those out because you have nothing else to offer?”

Hale also plopped down, about to light a cigarette, when Ian motioned for everyone to stand.

“Another guest is arriving.”

“Huh? Where?”

“My mind’s sharp, but the timing’s terrible. I’m exhausted.”

With a grunt, the mages jumped to their feet, following Ian’s gaze. Which country was it this time?

“…Hawan?”