Chapter 619
Boom! Thud! Thud!

The wizards who were pouring wine before the banquet suddenly froze. From beneath the castle came a deep, powerful rumble. Ian seemed to sense it too and nodded subtly to Hale, who took a puff from his cigarette and slipped out of the banquet hall.

Meanwhile, the wizards popped raisins into their mouths and muttered among themselves.

“What was that noise?”

“Yeah, sounded like a cupboard falling over.”

“Seriously? How could that be heard all the way up here?”

“Right? Unless someone picked it up and threw it.”

Creak!

At that moment, the banquet hall doors swung open to the sides. Lady Danit Hollin had arrived. She looked immaculate, her hair neatly pinned up and dressed in a pristine gown. Naturally, Kyla was absent—her health still too poor to attend.

“Welcome, my lady.”

“Minister Ian, you’re already here.”

“Of course. Since His Majesty will be joining us, I was just making sure everything was in order.”

Ian smiled warmly and handed her a pre-dinner drink. Since the emperor himself would be dining, they wanted to prevent any possible danger in advance.

Though the wizards seemed to be casually munching raisins and whispering, their eyes had all turned a gleaming gold.

“Ahem.”

Next, the royalist faction arrived, led by the key figure, Jorge, followed by his lieutenants. Lady Danit held her head high without greeting them, and the royalists avoided any conversation, each taking their assigned seats.

“…”

An awkward silence settled over the hall. The wizards exchanged glances and raised their eyebrows, while Danit and Jorge openly displayed their hostility, sharpening the tension in the air.

One side had sent their own daughter to the brink of death; the other was a traitor who had dealt a heavy blow from behind. The atmosphere was icy with mutual animosity.

“His Majesty the Emperor will now dine.”

“Everyone, please rise.”

The emperor entered, dressed lightly, and gestured for everyone to be seated. Only then did the tense atmosphere begin to ease.

“A historic night indeed. Lady Danit Hollin, Sir Jorge, let us begin our meal.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Truly a momentous occasion. It is unprecedented for the Emperor of the great Bariel Empire to set foot in the Burgos royal palace.”

“That was only possible because of you.”

Jin replied casually.

From Bariel’s perspective, this was fortunate, but in truth, these men had sold out their country for personal gain—opening the gates to the enemy and begging for their lives in exchange for power. If Jin were Damon, he would have been far less forgiving of them than Bariel ever could be.

“Your Majesty.”

Jorge immediately sensed Jin’s displeasure. He quietly handed over a folded piece of paper in front of Jin, who was sipping his pre-dinner drink.

“This is a response to the message from the Minister of Magic. You expressed concerns about the supply of magic stones.”

“I understand, but there’s more than one mine closed due to the civil war. The Magic Department’s annex at the palace has been without supply for years. I want Bariel to take charge of revitalizing the mines.”

Though he said “want,” it was essentially a demand to hand over all the mines.

If only they could establish a new dynasty, what did a few mines matter? Jorge nodded reassuringly.

“We’ve narrowed down the main mines to three locations. The Magic Department’s top priority is this one—Erectosia, a high-grade magic stone mine about two hours away. But it’s still suffering from landslide damage.”

“How bad?”

“Finding the entrance itself is a challenge. We only have a rough location, so we’ll have to dig through the debris.”

That sounded troublesome. Using civilians as labor would be costly and time-consuming.

Since it was a magic stone mine, the Magic Department would have to send personnel. They were already struggling with manpower shortages, but since it concerned the annex, there was no alternative.

“Those going will have a tough time.”

“Exactly. It’s a burial site, and Captain Akorella will be supervising. I don’t want to go near it.”

“If only it were that easy.”

The wizards whispered, sensing the harsh fieldwork ahead.

“I also have a medium-grade magic stone mine in my territory. The other mines can be supplied without Burgos’s involvement, but if you wish, I can grant mining rights. Fortunately, all these mines lie within the territories of those gathered here.”

Jorge’s words brought faint smiles to the royalist leaders. Coincidence? No way. The lands containing the mines had been divided among the royalist faction.

Lady Danit’s eyes narrowed, her lips twisting bitterly.

“Sir Jorge.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do you have children?”

“Children?”

Jorge hesitated at the sudden question. Why ask that? He had no idea, but nodded anyway.

“I have five.”

“I see. And the rest of you?”

“Except for the baron here, all are married with children.”

Everyone but one had heirs.

Ian, as if expecting this, dabbed his mouth with a napkin. Jin pushed aside a bloodstained knife and smiled as he addressed the royalists.

“Even if you hand over mining rights to Bariel, Bariel’s people will be living and working in those areas for a long time. Do you agree?”

“Uh? Yes, yes, of course.”

“So, I want to make things easier for them. If you cede part of your territories, they can take care of food, shelter, and everything else more simply. What do you think?”

He wasn’t just asking for the mines—he wanted entire portions of their lands.

Though it sounded like a light proposal, it carried a hidden blade. Any sign of hesitation, and Jin would cut them down without mercy.

“Your Majesty, before discussing that, there is another matter.”

Jorge, flustered but polite, added this while glancing at Lady Danit. The royalists’ path depended on who would become the new dynasty’s head.

If they could become the supreme power in Burgos, what did a few parcels of land matter? They could hand everything over without regret and keep only the prime lands near Kalamath.

“Why are you nodding to me?”

“Lady Danit secured the weapons business rights from Bariel and traded with Burgos, but supplied low-quality weapons for unfair profit. During the civil war, we fought tirelessly for the survival of the Burgos dynasty, so this is unacceptable, Your Majesty.”

This was a kind of warning: they would consider this Lady Danit’s unilateral action. The royalists would not object to Bariel, so they begged for permission to crush the Hollin family.

As if expecting this, Lady Danit sipped her wine and fired back.

“You have no proof regarding the low-quality weapons, yet you persist in your accusations. You even refused a full investigation. On what grounds do you push the Hollin family out? Your Majesty, this is an insult to the Hollins and disrespectful to the palace that officially granted the business rights.”

“His Majesty is here. Please refrain from harsh words, my lady. We are exercising restraint.”

“Are you restraining yourselves for me? No, you’re restraining yourselves for your own sake. Don’t spout nonsense.”

“Enough, my lady!”

“Stop.”

Jin frowned, clearly tired of the bickering. The matter was already settled—was there any point in arguing further?

At that moment, footsteps approached from outside. Jin set down his napkin and stood.

“The royalists will draft the documents first. They agree to transfer mining rights and cede the territories.”

“But, Your Majesty!”

“Don’t you realize there’s been bloodshed? You are in a position of surrender. Remember, it’s only right to give first before receiving anything.”

Jin’s firm words made Jorge hesitate awkwardly. But the emperor’s stance was clear, and the gold-eyed wizards filling the hall pressed the royalists relentlessly.

After a moment’s thought, Jorge finally nodded. A wizard promptly laid paper, pen, and ink before him.

Scratch, scratch.

The only sound in the hall was the pleasant scratching of pen on paper. When Jin saw the final period placed, he silently turned his back and left, Ian following him.

“…?”

Jorge and the royalists exchanged confused glances, sensing something was off.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

In the corridor, Jin encountered a shadow moving in the darkness. It was Xiaoshi. His steps were light, his eyes sharp, and his sword stained with blood.

“Xiaoshi, are you ready?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve subdued and dealt with all the royalist troops in the annex.”

“Good work. Let’s finish this.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Jin patted Xiaoshi’s shoulder in encouragement.

“The letter written by the royalists will be kept by Lady Danit.”

“I understand.”

Externally, the Hollin family had to be the ones to eliminate the royalists. That burden was theirs alone, and Bariel’s reason for placing the Hollins in Burgos.

If the royalist bloodline later contested the mining rights transfer, the Hollin family would step forward with the documents in hand.

Tap, tap, tap!

At Xiao Xi’s signal, the soldiers lined up and dashed down the corridor connecting to the banquet hall. One by one, the lanterns were extinguished in sync with their movement, and soon the interior was swallowed by darkness and silence.

“I’ll report back once it’s over.”

Xiao Xi left those words behind and followed his men.

Just then, in the distance, Hale appeared alongside Akorella. More precisely, Hale was gripping Akorella firmly by the nape of her neck.

“Lord Ian, I’ve identified the cause of the commotion downstairs. While Captain Akorella was away, Lady Chloe descended into the underground. We tracked down and eliminated all the remaining royalist insurgents. The tremors you felt were from that operation.”

Ian recalled the shattered pillar and the cracked marble floor. He didn’t know the details, but if Lady Chloe was involved, it made sense.

“Ah, Your Majesty, there’s one more thing you should know.”

“What is it?”

“It’s one of Lady Chloe’s side effects. Captain Akorella reports that it seems Lady Chloe has taken a liking to Lord Xiao Xi.”

“What did you say?”

Jin furrowed his brows and turned around, while Akorella blinked and nodded with a face full of certainty.

“I can’t say when or how this side effect will fade… but it’s certain. Lady Chloe is in love with Lord Xiao Xi!”

“What…?”

“It sounds absurd, but I did it! I made it happen!”

Jin’s eyes followed Xiao Xi’s retreating figure disappearing into the shadows. Something about it didn’t sit right.

Seeing Jin’s scowl, Ian added, “We don’t know how Lady Chloe will react immediately, but honestly, this is a fortunate side effect. It’s not something the Davion family can easily dispute either. Above all, if Lady Chloe’s heart belongs to Xiao Xi, it will be to Your Majesty’s advantage.”

How many schemes had been planned and executed to keep the Davion family in check? But if Xiao Xi and Chloe were connected, it would naturally lead to a transfer of power.

“…I’m not so sure about that.”

Jin muttered, arms crossed. The feeling was eerily similar to when Lord Ian had a marriage proposal in his youth. Chloe Davion? Beautiful, yes, but still…

“I don’t know.”

“Your Majesty, what exactly do you mean?”

Akorella cautiously interjected, reading the emperor’s mood.

“Well, Your Majesty, Lady Chloe has a strong desire to be of great help to Bariel. If that’s a concern, perhaps you could send her to the mines? Of course, I would accompany her. She’s brimming with energy and could be a tremendous asset there.”