Chapter 621
“Romandro.”
“Ugh.”
At the wizard’s call, Romandro flinched. Judging by the ink stains clearly marked on his cheek, he must have been standing guard for quite some time.
The wizard looked at him with concern and handed over a report.
“Are you alright? You haven’t been home for days now. Don’t doze off standing like that—go to the duty room and get some rest. You’ll hurt your back if you keep this up.”
“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll wake up soon enough.”
“Viviana seemed pretty worried about you, too.”
“He says he’s fine. What’s this report about? Something related to Philia?”
Romandro rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his robe and took the report from the wizard’s hand.
Since Philia’s disappearance, the Magic Department had been in an unofficial state of emergency. After all, she was the mother of the Minister of Magic of the Bariel Empire and the lady of the Hielo territory.
Romandro especially blamed himself, thinking that if he had been just a little more careful that day, none of this would have happened.
“Ah, yes. This is news from the border guards. Katimako from Astana has just entered the country. They’re heading to Bariel’s capital to search for any trace of Lady Philia. It seems the message sent to Ian was delivered safely.”
“The border guards? Any other news from them?”
“No, they’re checking everyone—women of all appearances and ages—but there’s been no sign. I think she’s already crossed the border. Otherwise, there’d be some clue by now.”
“Yeah, that’s what I think too…”
“You’re just being cautious, right?”
Romandro gave a wry smile, and the wizard mirrored his expression. Their baseless hope that she was safe was slowly being washed away by time.
Before despair took hold, their only option was to hurry and find even the smallest clue. For Philia’s sake, and for Ian and Bariel’s as well. Their mission was to prevent any confusion from reaching Ian, who was leading the war.
“On the other hand, maybe those who took Lady Philia want exactly that.”
As Romandro ran his fingers through his hair, footsteps approached from outside. It was a Magic Department staff member.
“Excuse me, wizard. Have you heard the news about the Astana reinforcements?”
“Yeah, just now. You mean Katimako, right? I was just reporting to Romandro.”
“Are you going to meet them?”
“I’d like to, but there are only two wizards here at the department right now, so I can’t leave my post. Why?”
“The Foreign Ministry just sent an official notice. The situation between Hwan and Luswena is getting tense.”
“So it’s finally happening.” Romandro quickly scanned the document. The Prime Minister of Hwan had finally raised the banner of rebellion.
With the emperor and Bariel’s army away in Burgos, they couldn’t keep Luswena in check. They desperately needed help from Clifford and Hwan.
“There’s a fierce civil war breaking out in Hwan.”
“Good grief, Bariel’s got chaos on both flanks.”
“The Foreign Ministry is watching closely because Luswena is likely to intervene.”
“If Hwan’s Prime Minister seizes power, all the neighboring countries will side with Bariel. Luswena won’t be able to handle that alone, especially with Burgos in this state.”
“Yes, they’ll have no choice but to join the fight. The question is when. If Luswena intervenes in Hwan’s civil war, Clifford will likely push north as well.”
“So the order is for wizards to stay in the capital and guard the palace.”
Hwan, Luswena, Clifford—while these three were at each other’s throats, Bariel could only watch from an empty palace.
If things escalated, Bariel would have to get involved, which would disrupt the main army’s plan to head to Toorun.
“That seems to be the case. Also, here are the personal details of those accompanying Katimako. They’re from Astana, and the Magic Department asked us to verify them.”
“You already gave me a list earlier. Another one?”
“You should see the back page.”
“Wait a moment.”
The wizard flipped through the pages casually but suddenly paused. Then, with a small, astonished chuckle, he reacted.
Romandro craned his neck to peek at the document.
“There’s someone mixed in who’s not from Astana.”
“Where from?”
“Unknown. Seems to be from one of the northern minority tribes, but apparently someone who has close ties with Astana. It says here they have the ability to read memories.”
“Read memories? What does that mean?”
“Let’s see… It says they can ‘read the flow of time within a specific space.’ Ah! Since we know the exact date Lady Philia disappeared, if they search around Romandro’s estate, they might find out what happened that day.”
The wizard kept marveling at the person’s abilities. The Magic Department was called a haven for sorcerers, but where did they find people like this? When Katimako was first said to be entering Bariel alone, Romandro honestly doubted what he could do. But seeing the people he brought along, it seemed Ian had a good eye for talent.
“Ah, now I want to go meet them.”
“How soon can you get there?”
“If I can open a portal, I could go right away. The problem is whether I can maintain it.”
“Hmm. Any mana amplifiers left behind by Captain Akorella?”
“Mana boosters? We have plenty in the lab, but they’re all old models… not exactly reliable.”
He meant they weren’t stable enough to use without worry. The latest ones weren’t much better, either.
The wizard scratched his chin thoughtfully, then quickly changed his mind. There was no other choice now.
“Still, it’s better than nothing, right? If we want to find Lady Philia’s trail quickly. And the longer we wait, the harder it’ll get.”
“Yeah. We should do it, but without pushing ourselves too hard.”
“Understood. I’ll be off then. Romandro, I wish I could tell you to rest, but… I guess that’s not possible. Please stand by.”
“Of course!”
Romandro nodded firmly and pulled out fresh stationery. He was going to report the current palace situation to the Magic Department. After a moment’s thought, he wrote a heartfelt greeting.
“…Minister Ian, this is the Magic Department. I hope you are all well.”
Hail read the first line of Romandro’s letter aloud, then looked up at the wizards around him. They looked a bit disheveled, but after spending several days in the royal palace, they still looked decent.
The wizards were sprawled freely around the office, giving thumbs-up.
“Of course, we’re doing well.”
“There’s a ton of work, but hey, in wartime, this is luxury.”
“Ah, ten minutes left for break.”
“How’s Romandro? Any news in the report?”
Ian kept writing but glanced at Hail, silently urging him to continue reading.
Hail held a dry cigarette between his teeth and relayed the message.
“There’s a rebellion and civil war centered around the Prime Minister of Hwan. Clifford and Luswena’s movements are suspicious, so they’ll keep sending updates. It’s important enough that the administration is sending a separate message to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“The Prime Minister of Hwan? You mean Shatima?”
“Wasn’t he exiled to Bariel and barely made it back? And now a civil war? Impressive.”
“To survive, you do what you must.”
Ian, who had been quietly listening, asked again.
“Any mention of Erika?”
“No. If you mean Berti Erika from the palace investigation team, there’s nothing.”
Hail carefully checked the text again to confirm there was no mention. The incident was still fresh.
In fact, the news of Hwan’s civil war wasn’t officially announced by Hwan itself, but gathered by Bariel and Clifford.
“And—”
Hail flipped to the next page, trailing off. The wizards looked at him, sensing something was wrong.
“Katimako and their group have arrived in the capital and begun investigating Lady Philia’s disappearance.”
“Really? What do they say?”
“How are they investigating?”
“They’re sorcerers who can read memories from inanimate objects. After searching near Romandro’s estate, they confirmed an attack by a puppeteer in a nearby alley.”
An attack by a puppeteer. Romandro had suspected it vaguely, but hearing it confirmed was a shock.
The wizards gasped, covering their mouths, and Ian put down his pen.
“An attack?”
“Lady Philia lost consciousness and collapsed. Katimako’s group is tracking their movements and continuing the investigation. But no matter how fast they are, they’re still chasing after them, so there are limits to catching up. The next page has a portrait of the kidnapper.”
At that, the wizards jumped up and gathered around Hail. Fortunately, the portrait wasn’t some crude, one-dimensional sketch. The long, narrow face was distinctive enough that someone might recognize the person on the street.
“If it’s a puppeteer, then it’s Toorun, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we protest immediately? They kidnapped the mother of the Minister of Magic! Their intentions are obvious!”
“Exactly! They look downright nasty, too!”
“Is Bariel issuing a wanted order?”
“Romandro said they’ve started identifying the suspect.”
Ian studied the portrait carefully, then handed it back to Hail with an order.
“Summon all the painters in Kalamath and have them make copies. Issue a wanted notice focusing on the northern region of Burgos. Also include a portrait of Philia.”
“Yes, understood.”
It was now certain they were from Toolun, and their destination was almost certainly Toolun as well. But just in case, issuing a warrant in the surrounding area might yield some useful information.
Ian paused to think, then took the letter from Romandro and examined it carefully.
“Why the hesitation?”
“There’s no mention of it.”
“Of what…?”
“Nersarn.”
If they knew that his wife, Philia, had disappeared, they would have surely reported it to the central authorities by now. Yet there was no reference to that.
With the civil war erupting in Havan, the closest border guards—Merelrof and Hielo—would be responsible for securing the Bariel border. If Chenryo were to leave his post and head to the capital under these circumstances, it would disrupt operations.
‘Could it be Roel?’
If Roel had asked them not to report his mother’s disappearance, it would make sense.
But this couldn’t last indefinitely. If contact with Philia remained lost, Nersarn would eventually take matters into his own hands—regardless of the explosions rocking Havan.
“I will send a formal letter to Toolun in my capacity as Minister of Magic of Bariel, not from the royal palace.”
Ian tapped the desk lightly with his fingertips, signaling for the letter to be prepared, then fell into deep thought.
‘Toolun, huh.’
A country with no diplomatic ties. Since this would be the first official communication, extreme caution was necessary.
And Ian had a vague sense of what this letter would mean: the spark that would ignite a fierce conflict between Bariel and Toolun. Establishing a proper pretext was crucial.
—Greetings. I am Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic of the Great Empire of Bariel. I apologize for the sudden correspondence…
After a moment’s hesitation, Ian chose deliberately vague and ambiguous wording.
—An unidentified individual from Toolun has caused disturbances within Bariel and is currently in custody…