Chapter 686

“Ian, this way.”

“Tell the mages to take a short break to recover from their fatigue, then return to their duties and prepare their reports. As for Lady Darci, I will personally inform His Majesty and the officials, so have them examine her condition thoroughly.”

“Yes, Ian. I’ll make sure the message is clear. Now, please rest.”

Creak.

The air inside Kalamath Castle, once filled with biting cold, had warmed noticeably. Was it the effort of those serving the emperor? Or perhaps the castle itself, long abandoned, was welcoming the warmth of a familiar presence after so long.

Ian unbuttoned his coat carelessly and sank into the sofa.

Sigh.

Closing his eyes, shards of memories pricked at him like thorns. At their edges were Nersarn, Hana, and the villagers, along with the forbidden mages who had lost themselves and perished.

But deeper still—

If Mother were to find out…

Philia.

Ian vividly remembered how brightly she had smiled when she was with Nersarn.

And the more he thought of it, the more fear gnawed at him. The sorrow of losing a lover was an unknown feeling to him. He couldn’t fathom the depth of emotion she must endure. Would saying her heart was being torn to shreds even begin to capture it?

If Ian had been a steadfast stone anchoring Philia’s past, then Nersarn was her happiness in the present and future.

Clink.

Ian took a sip from the glass of liquor on the table, trying to shake off his worries about Philia.

Right now, he was at war alongside Jin, standing on the brink of Toorun, the underground god’s stronghold. It wasn’t just his mother—countless others were wandering through hell, having lost their loved ones.

Focus.

As Ian forced himself to think clearly and drained the rest of his drink, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

Judging by the Erika incident, Hwan must be crawling with Toorun’s influence. But they have the Eastern firearms to counter the mages.

If he were the leader of Toorun, what choice would he make? Wouldn’t he shift the pressure from Bariel’s eastern border to Hwan?

Ruswena had deployed forbidden mages, while Hwan wielded the new weapon of firearms… Ian pressed his brows together in frustration.

If problems keep arising on the border, Bariel’s forces will inevitably be spread thin. What a headache.

There was only one solution: end things in Bariel before Hwan could push in from the border. Strike Toorun head-on while simultaneously checking Hwan’s advance with help from Clifford.

But what about Hwan’s remaining forces? Erika had died hoping for Bariel’s mercy, but weren’t they still alive?

Thunk.

Ian placed a wooden piece on the map and pondered. If Hwan acted alone, Clifford could handle the containment. But if firearms—the Eastern power—were involved… well.

Maybe I should switch the defensive positions?

Deal with the nuisance from Hwan first, then have Burgos hold the line against Toorun’s push.

It depends on how well Lady Kyla Hollin can rally Burgos.

If Burgos could hold Toorun back, their resolve would only harden with every drop of blood spilled.

But it was risky. Burgos had suffered heavy war damage and lacked the strength to counter shamans and puppeteers. If those enemies absorbed Burgos, the burden would fall squarely on Bariel.

“There’s no choice but to tear through them…”

Ian muttered just as a loud commotion erupted outside. It was easy to tell it was Beric.

“Iaaan!”

Bang!

Beric burst through the door with force, glancing briefly at Ian’s face. In that instant, Ian caught his intent. He smiled low and shook his head.

“You’ve got stamina, Beric.”

He had told him to rest, but Beric couldn’t stay still.

Ian set down his glass and turned to him, nostrils flaring in disbelief.

“Ian, damn it, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Xiaosi and Chloe—they’re… you know! For real!”

Beric shouted in shock, and Ian covered his ears quietly. Seems like something had progressed since the Akorella and potion incident.

Surprising, but not unexpected. That’s how society worked. Even without magic, youth was full of all sorts of drama. The embers between Xiaosi and Chloe were already glowing.

“That’s good news. Stop the fuss and get some rest.”

“Are you crazy? Chloe? That slap was brutal!”

“It actually benefits His Majesty. If Xiaosi becomes Davion’s son-in-law, their support will be fully on His Majesty’s side. That’s one more ally.”

Putting Chloe’s personality aside, in terms of background, Xiaosi had no shortage of advantages. The Davions were a prestigious family, held real power in the palace, and were wealthy.

“If you’re going to keep making a scene, go bother Captain Jarrett. He’ll be thrilled.”

“He’ll be thrilled and then make me run errands.”

“It’s natural for those with energy left to work harder.”

Ian said this as he looked down at the pieces on the map.

There was still a problem to solve. They needed mages to send to Hwan, but he hadn’t decided who.

Most mages, including himself, were drained of mana. Even if they joined Akorella and took mana recovery potions, the accumulated physical fatigue wouldn’t disappear.

Since I understand firearms, it makes sense for me to go, but it’s better to stay by Jin’s side. We don’t know when or how Toorun will move… Hail is the best candidate.

Once Hail returned, after a brief rest, he’d be sent to Hwan. His mission: retrieve firearms, investigate Eastern forces, and, with Clifford, hold back Hwan. A few magic swordsmen would be assigned to assist, ensuring the mission’s success.

“Beric, go back to your room now.”

“And you?”

“This is my room.”

“No, what are you doing? If you’re drinking, at least have a drinking buddy.”

“…Where did you learn the word ‘drinking buddy’?”

“I’m the top drinker here. This is basic!”

Beric then rummaged through the liquor cabinet. Ian wondered what kind of fine drinks the Minister of Magic enjoyed. He examined the bottles carefully, but the labels were hard to read—wines from Burgos, made in Clifford.

While Beric frowned and grunted in confusion, Ian sensed another presence.

Crash!

Looks like rest was out of the question. Judging by the noise, it wasn’t someone bringing reports.

Ian narrowed his eyes and looked toward the door. Sure enough, shouts and pleas from Akorella and the mages echoed through the hall.

Bang! Bang!

“Ian! Ian!”

“You bastards, are you seriously going to do this? Fine, let’s see what you’ve got!”

“Help us, Ian! Captain Akorella is about to roast Lady Darci alive!”

“No! That’s not it! I just want to see how Lady Darci is still alive! You all know how curious I am!”

The eyeball of Lady Darci, preserved in a glass jar, spun wildly. It instinctively sensed the danger. In the hands of that mad mage, who knew what would happen to the last remaining sight?

The mages hurriedly passed the jar around, avoiding Akorella’s grasp. She limped but kicked fiercely, attacking.

“Are you going to act like this in front of Ian?!”

“Then why did you come here?”

Aroyo!

Without Captain Hail, no one could control Akorella’s rampage. Beric took the bottle’s mouth to his lips and gulped down the liquor, watching the chaos with amusement. The mages looked to Ian, pleading.

“Akorella.”

“Yes?”

Ian called her name softly. Her hand froze mid-air. Lady Darci’s eyeball nearly rolled back in shock.

“Before starting new research, a proper experimenter finishes what they began. Submit the mining development report we worked on while at Hielo.”

“Ah, well—”

Akorella gave a sheepish smile and trailed off. She was ready with Lady Chloe’s observation diary, but the mining report wasn’t done yet. As she blinked awkwardly, the mages seized the moment and clustered behind Ian.

“Do you think this is just some strange life form? It’s connected to the life force of those Toorun puppeteers. If you damage the eyeball, it’ll be horrific!”

“That’s right! Akorella hasn’t seen anything yet!”

“Oh, what are you little pests doing now?”

“Uuuu. Akorella, stand down.”

The last jeer wasn’t from the mages but from Beric, who had astonishingly drained half the bottle in that short time. He gave a thumbs-down and teased them playfully.

“Are you crazy?”

Swish! Akorella threw a straight punch, but Beric dodged it easily with a nod and laughed.

“No matter how dumb I am, I’m not getting hit by a lousy mage!”

Smack!

But before he could even finish speaking, the crown of Akorella’s head slammed into his chin. That was the signal for another round of loud shouting to erupt.

Ian considered sending them all outside to settle down, but he stopped himself. He already knew the real reason Beric had come to his room.

‘Such a thoughtful guy.’

Beric’s gaze, as he burst through the door, was so raw and transparent that his intentions were clear as day. He was checking to see if Ian was struggling alone, silently carrying ‘that’ memory by himself.

Ian wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. He had just swallowed a sip of alcohol while thinking about the deaths of the people from Nersarn and Hielo.

He knew that if the ruckus beside him didn’t keep him distracted, those buried feelings would start creeping back up from beneath the surface.

“None of you planning to rest?” Ian teased, and the mages and Beric all froze for a moment.

Ian was going to be left alone to slog through the work.

It was a grim choice, but the mages’ hesitation was brief. They had no other options. Maybe if they got it done now, it would be easier later? Judging by the way Lady Darcy’s eyes rolled, she seemed satisfied with that plan.

“Well then—”

Just as the mages were about to say, “We’ll work here,”

“…?”

Everyone suddenly stopped, sensing a strange magical energy. It was faint and brief, but unmistakable. Except for Lady Darcy, everyone turned to look out the window at the same time.

“Did you all feel that just now?”

“Yeah. What was that? It was so quick.”

“Ian, should we check it out?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Just as the mages who had been sitting down reached for the doorknob at Ian’s command, a noise came from outside again. Again? There had been too many visitors today.

Bang!

“Ah!”

When the mages flung the door open, a pale-faced servant startled and stumbled backward.

“I-Ian, my apologies.”

“What’s going on?”

“A mysterious portal appeared in the sky just now and vanished. It was very small and fleeting, so it didn’t cause any major problems, but…”

The servant’s hands trembled as he handed over a small note.

The mages respectfully passed it to Ian, who frowned deeply. There was only one person who would open a portal here to contact them.

“Ian, could this be a message from Captain Hale?”

A faint stain of blood was subtly smudged on the back of the note. Ian’s unease grew as he unfolded it and read the contents. His expression stiffened instantly.

—Ian, I apologize for having to send this message by note due to limited available magic. There is a serious problem. Lady Philia’s life is in critical condition. Tommy and I are holding her with magic, but I don’t know how long we can keep this up. Please send a healing mage immediately.