Chapter 617

“The imperial banner?”

“It’s been newly raised. Once His Majesty enters the palace, we’ll hoist it to the highest point.”

“If there’s anything left to bring up, hurry. The sun will set soon, so it’s best to finish before then.”

“Yes, Minister Ian. Don’t worry. If needed, we’ll carry things ourselves. Oh, and we’ve secured the official seal as well. It seems to be from the Burgos royal palace, and it’s in excellent condition. I was thinking of drafting a letter to Lord Romandro while we’re at it.”

Ian flipped through some papers and nodded.

This wasn’t just anywhere—it was the royal palace of Burgos’s capital. The emperor’s arrival carried the same weight as before, so there were many details to confirm and prepare.

As Ian listened to the mages’ opinions, someone called out to him from a distance.

“Excuse me, Minister Ian? Are you here?”

“I am. Who’s there?”

Ian turned his head, and the mages instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path. A soldier came rushing through.

“This is a message from Officer Xiaoshi of the Imperial Defense Department. There’s… a problem. He requests your immediate presence.”

“Officer Xiaoshi? Now?”

Ian closed his report, puzzled.

Just moments ago, they’d been busy assessing the palace’s layout and securing royalist reinforcements. What kind of problem could have arisen?

Jin hadn’t entered the palace yet, so it likely wasn’t related to him…

“Lead the way.”

Xiaoshi was directly under Minister Tweller. For him to ask Ian for help instead meant this was an issue involving the Magic Department.

Ian gestured to the soldier, and the mages followed, asking,

“Minister Ian, shall we proceed as you instructed?”

“Yes. Report back if anything happens along the way.”

“Understood. But what exactly is going on…?”

“Look over there…”

Ian and the mages abruptly stopped. One of the pillars in the outer corridor leading to the annex was shattered.

Amid the rubble, a woman was crouched, sobbing quietly, while Xiaoshi looked on with a troubled expression. And—

“Captain Acorella?”

“Captain! What are you doing there?”

“Oh? Everyone’s here? Heh.”

Captain Acorella gave an awkward smile.

The mages instinctively knew this crazy mage had caused some kind of trouble. They rushed forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and collar. Acorella just grinned, unfazed.

“No, no, it’s not what it looks like, okay?”

“Heheh, what do you mean?”

“Please, tell them the captain had nothing to do with this. I was just passing by!”

“Yeah, that’s right. I was just passing through.”

“Lies! Aaaah!”

“If you’re not going to believe me, why ask me to say it? Ridiculous.”

As the mages shouted and shook Acorella, Ian turned his attention to the woman on the ground. Xiaoshi, still uneasy, cautiously explained.

“This is Lady Chloe Davion. It seems she made some kind of deal with Captain Acorella, but her condition is quite poor.”

“Chloe Davion?”

“What? Lady Davion?”

The mages who had been roughing up Acorella widened their eyes in shock. Not just anyone—this was Davion, politically entangled and the very same who had been supplying resources from Bariel all the way here!

“You crazy mage!”

“Captain! Are you out of your mind?”

“No, listen! I didn’t suggest this first, okay? Lady Chloe tearfully begged me—I couldn’t refuse. I even got her to sign a written agreement!”

“Still! There are better things to do!”

Acorella waved the agreement, but it didn’t sway them. Seizing the moment, the mages shook her violently, bit her head, and smacked her back.

“Lady, are you alright?”

Ignoring the commotion, Ian focused on Chloe’s condition. She kept sobbing quietly, her face flushed.

“Are you feeling very unwell?”

“Sniff… I, I don’t know what to do.”

“If you describe your symptoms, the healing mages will take care of you. Can you stand?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Chloe lightly tapped the floor with her trembling hand. A faint, fragile sound.

But then—

Crack!

Rumble!

A long fissure spread across the marble floor. Seeing this, Acorella clenched her fist and cheered.

“That’s it! Exactly!”

“C-Captain, what… what did you give her?”

“Wow, the effect is way better than I expected. Lady Chloe, try jumping in place. Let’s see how much your physical abilities have improved.”

“Please, shut your mouth! Shut it! Damn chatterbox.”

“Chatterbox? You want me dead?”

“If you don’t stay still, Captain Acorella’s the one who’ll be dead.”

“Watch your tone, crazy captain.”

The mages whispered to Acorella while glancing at Ian. He watched Chloe calmly, expression unreadable.

Suddenly, Acorella caught Ian’s gaze, startled, and quickly looked away. Yeah, getting beaten up by these guys was probably the cheaper option. She muttered in a poor ventriloquist’s voice,

“Hit me more. Hit me more.”

“Just stay still for once.”

“Minister Ian! Leave this crazy captain to us! We’ll tear her apart!”

Ian said nothing, focusing solely on Lady Chloe. She kept shedding tears like raindrops, mumbling,

“I did want to get stronger, but I never imagined it would be like this. After drinking the potion earlier… my heart was pounding and my head was dizzy, so I grabbed a pillar… but then it just broke apart…”

“Calm yourself, milady. If you lose control in confusion, you could suffer even greater harm.”

“I-I will. I’ll try to calm down. But my heart keeps pounding so hard, I can’t control it.”

“Is that a side effect, Acorella?”

“Ah! Yes! To be honest, I’m not sure! It wasn’t something I expected.”

The shattered pillar and the cracked floor weighed heavily on Ian’s brow. Since the lady had requested this, Davion’s side probably wouldn’t object later, but having someone with such overwhelming strength inside the palace was dangerous. What if she lost control and brought the whole castle down? For the emperor’s safety, Chloe needed special supervision.

“Acorella.”

“Yes, Minister Ian!”

“You caused this mess, so you’re responsible for cleaning it up. Stay by Lady Chloe’s side for now and ensure no further safety issues arise.”

“Of course! The dose was less than usual, so the effect won’t last long. I’ll handle it!”

I was planning to observe and record closely anyway, so this works out! Acorella saluted with a smile, and Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly. He wanted to say something immediately but held back, knowing his subordinates were watching.

“Lady, I will support you.”

“But what if the minister’s hand gets hurt?”

“I’ll protect it with magic, so don’t worry.”

“Then, just a moment…”

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Chloe grasped Ian’s hand and slowly stood. As she caught her breath and lifted her head, her eyes met Xiaoshi’s again.

“Ah!”

“What is it?”

Thump, thump, thump. Chloe’s heart began to race even faster. A sharp pain rising from deep within her chest—something she’d never felt before.

“My heart feels so strange.”

“In what way? Bring a doctor.”

“Y-yes, yes. Please wait a moment!”

“It won’t stop pounding… and it feels ticklish. More than that, I’m burning up.”

“Milady…”

“Yes?”

“You’re bleeding from your nose.”

Drip. Blood trickled from her right nostril. Chloe touched the bridge of her nose with trembling fingers, then fainted, collapsing to the side.

She’d passed out from embarrassment, but no one noticed. They just assumed it was another side effect of the potion.

Thud.

Ian grabbed her left arm but couldn’t hold her. Xiaoshi, standing opposite, caught the falling lady without thinking.

“Acorella.”

“Yes, Minister Ian!”

“Take Lady Chloe to the annex and stay by her side. His Majesty will enter soon, so there must be no safety issues.”

“Yes, understood. May I restrain her hands?”

“Use your judgment.”

“Minister Ian, are you angry?”

“Judge that as well.”

Ian handed Chloe over and signaled the mages. Time to return to their duties. The mages whispered anxiously to Acorella.

“Captain, this is serious.”

“What serious? He told me to use my judgment. I’m going to assume Minister Ian isn’t angry. Ha ha ha!”

“Must be nice to live so carefree.”

“Don’t cause any more trouble. We’ll clean this up.”

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Acorella winked and waved the mages off. Then, using magic, she gently floated the unconscious Chloe away. Passing soldiers looked on curiously but kept their distance.

And—

Silence.

Xiaoshi was left alone in the corridor.

He glanced at his watch, then noticed a faint glimmer on the back of his hand. Rubbing it gently, he realized it was still damp—likely tear stains left from supporting Chloe earlier.

“…”

Without a word, he pulled his sleeve down to cover his hand and turned away. He needed to move quickly to track down the remaining loyalists of the Royalist faction.

For a moment, the image of Chloe quietly shedding tears flickered before his eyes, but Xiaosi dismissed it as just the aftermath of the recent commotion.

*    *    *

“Lady Chloe Davion?”

Jin frowned as he received the report.

He had completely forgotten about her existence. He had assumed she would quietly return to Bariel, so this sudden, explosive news was quite a shock. And the details were even more alarming.

“How did this happen?”

“She fainted before we could get a full account, but Captain Akorella reported that Lady Chloe expressed a desire for great power. It seems she grew desperate after hearing about Lady Kayla’s exploits.”

“…Foolish.”

Had she not heard that Kayla was giving up the throne? Or did she only know that Kayla was aiming for the throne of Burgos? If she had stayed still, she might have benefited from the fallout, but instead, she’s dug her own grave by causing unnecessary chaos.

“Well, this works out nicely. Once the potion’s effects wear off, contact House Davion and instruct them to take the lady into their custody.”

Jin had been worried about the Hollin family withdrawing from the competition, which would have allowed Davion to gain the upper hand. But if they’re causing trouble like this, it’s almost a blessing.

Ian nodded at Jin’s orders.

“Yes, since Captain Akorella is handling the situation, we’ll proceed as soon as we receive further reports.”

“And the evening banquet?”

“It’s prepared. At eight o’clock, all Royalist faction leaders will gather—except for three.”

“Three?”

“Yes. We’re not sure if they noticed and fled or not, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Sir Xiaosi is continuing the pursuit. Once the mana stones are discussed, he’ll take care of the matter under cover of night.”

“Understood. Good work. You may be dismissed.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Ian bowed to Jin and stepped out into the corridor. Darkness fell earlier here than in Bariel. It was barely past six, yet the sun was already setting.

Tap tap tap!

“Ian! Ian!”

“Akorella.”

At that moment, Akorella came limping swiftly down the hallway. Had he caused another incident? Ian narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Akorella stammered out his words.

“L-lo- love!”

“…?”

“I think it’s love.”

“…!”

The mages around them gaped in shock. Did Akorella just say love? Love for Ian? They all shouted at once.

“Eeeeek!”

“No way! He’s lost it for real!”

“This has to be a side effect from the potion he took a few days ago. Akorella, just go die somewhere.”

“No, you idiots! Not me! Lady Chloe!”

“Huh?”

Akorella pounded his chest in frustration and added,

“I think Lady Chloe has fallen in love!”