Episode 691
There was nothing wrong with Kalamath Castle.

At least, that’s what everyone thought—except for the residents who had come to the royal palace to sell food supplies and daily necessities.

“…….”

They all froze when they saw a person dangling from the massive chandelier.

Judging by the long robe, it didn’t look like a low-ranking staff member. So why was someone hanging there like that? Was this some kind of execution ritual practiced in Bariel?

“Greetings. I’m the purchasing officer.”

“Oh, hello.”

“You’re here to sell wheat and barley?”

“Yes. Fifty boxes of each…”

“Perfect timing. It’s been a bit hard to get wheat lately. The price will be based on the average recorded in Kalamath Palace’s ledger. You can receive payment in cash… What are you looking at?”

The purchasing officer followed their gazes up to the ceiling.

“Oh, that’s a mage.”

“A mage?”

Why is a mage hanging up there? Are they okay? While the residents were bewildered, the purchasing officer calmly filled out the transaction form as if this was nothing unusual.

“Shall we go check the goods?”

“Ah, yes, this way.”

Bang! Crash!

The residents, startled, turned away and instinctively crouched down. The shock felt as if the palace itself might collapse. Could it be that an unknown enemy had launched an attack?

But once again, the purchasing officer led the way unfazed.

“That’s just some commotion from the temporary Magic Department. They’re like that all day until sunrise, so don’t pay it much mind.”

“Th-this palace might collapse at this rate.”

“Come on, this is where His Majesty stays. I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”

Since the palace was built on high ground, the residents had no idea such chaos was happening inside.

Ah, Kalamath Castle, standing proud for centuries! It must be suffering terribly after the war’s defeat! The residents wiped their tears and moved toward the front courtyard to unload their goods.

‘Gasp, over there too…!’

Though it wasn’t far, they encountered all sorts of strange sights along the way.

Mages stuck to the tall castle walls, mages offering passersby to try some horrific liquid, mages sprawled out on the ground from exhaustion—an odd parade of scenes.

The purchasing officer, feeling embarrassed, added, “Ahem. It’s been especially bad these past few days, haha. It wasn’t usually this extreme.”

“Is something wrong? These mages are nothing like what I imagined.”

“Well, I heard the Minister of Magic has been away for a bit, but I don’t know the details…”

Just as they were about to open the boxes of wheat and barley, a sudden gust of wind swept down from the sky, and something black rose up.

The residents gasped. They’d seen this a few times before, but never this close. Just by coming to the palace once, they’d witnessed all sorts of things…

“Move!”

Whoosh!

“Eek!”

“Get out of the way!”

Clack clack!

Mages sped past them at a frantic pace. Even a starving dog wouldn’t react that wildly to the sound of a food bowl.

Watching the mages scattered everywhere suddenly sprint in the same direction, the purchasing officer muttered, “Oh dear, looks like the Minister’s arrived.”

Whoosh!

The mages gathered, panting, beneath the open portal. Some still bore pillow marks on their faces from sleeping; others wore their clothes inside out.

But no one cared about that. All eyes were glued to the portal, waiting for a figure to appear.

“There! It’s Ian!”

“He’s coming!”

“Ian! Captain Hale! Tommy, you bastard!”

“Welcome back!”

“Huh? Looks like there’s someone else with him. Who’s that?”

The mages waved their hands excitedly, then suddenly froze.

Among the healers was an unfamiliar child. At first glance, one might think it was Roel, but no—it was a boy.

Thud.

Ian landed lightly and straightened his robe. Hale and Tommy followed behind. The mages cautiously gathered around, watching Ian’s face, Hale’s expression, and Tommy’s signals.

“Um, Ian, what about Filia…?”

Ian forced a smile. Hale shook his head, and Tommy silently mouthed “No.”

The mages understood perfectly what that meant. There had been hope when she was critically ill, but in the end, she had passed.

“Oh, no…”

The mages wore sorrowful expressions and embraced Ian. One by one, they surrounded him, letting out mournful sighs. Yet Ian comforted them, patting their backs and saying he was okay.

“I’ll explain everything in time. Was everything alright while I was gone?”

“Yes, of course. We all did our duty to protect His Majesty the Emperor and Kalamath!”

Truly! Though their methods might have been a bit questionable.

Ian glanced around the outskirts of the castle and nodded slightly. On the surface, everything seemed fine.

“What about Beric?”

“He went down to the underground training hall with Captain Jarrett. You probably sensed it since you didn’t see him around. Looks like they caught him properly. But that guy really needs to be dealt with. Didn’t he just raid the warehouse again a few days ago?”

“I was starting to think he was calming down, but maybe he was just making up for lost time. This time, the damage was pretty bad.”

“Honestly, it’s time to send him back to the wild.”

“Agreed. It was arrogant of us humans to think we could handle his appetite. Let’s return him to nature and leave it to her.”

Ian chuckled softly. He could feel the mages joking to ease the pain of Filia’s loss. Well, maybe there was some truth behind the humor.

“Understood. First, I want to see His Majesty. Tell Captain Jarrett to come up.”

“Captain Jarrett? Not Minister Tweller?”

“Yes.”

Hmm. Suddenly, the mages’ gazes shifted to the unfamiliar boy standing behind Ian.

‘Who is this kid?’

‘Why is he so calm?’

Whoever he was, Ian was sure of one thing: this was the boy’s first time stepping through a portal, and his first time at Burgos Castle. Not to mention, he’d never met so many mages before.

Yet the boy showed no sign of surprise or fear. He was extraordinary.

“He’s an apprentice magic swordsman.”

“A magic swordsman?”

“Oh? Where did you meet him?”

“Dummy, obviously in Karenna.”

Cedric looked up at the mages carefully. He’d heard they were beings close to divine power, but each one seemed a little… off.

“Hello, I’m Cedric.”

“Oh, well, nice to meet you.”

“Polite kid. Ian, are you going up with Cedric?”

“Yes. This way.”

Creak.

Ian gestured for Cedric to follow him. It was a rare experience for the boy to visit a palace that wasn’t the imperial one but Kalamath Castle instead.

The boy looked at Ian as they stopped before the massive door.

“Wait here for a moment.”

“Is His Majesty the Emperor inside?”

Ian nodded silently and stepped inside first.

Through the crack in the door, Cedric caught sight of silver hair, pale eyes, and a large scar crossing the face.

Boom!

As the door closed, the boy stood quietly as instructed. The attendant beside the door didn’t even breathe, making Cedric wonder if they were even human.

Wallpaper patterns, the crown prince… One, two, three…

“What are you? And who’s Ian?”

Just then, a sweat-drenched Beric appeared with Jarrett, walking well ahead of the summoned captain.

Cedric, who had been counting absentmindedly, replied without thinking.

“…Twenty-eight.”

“Huh?”

What the hell? Beric, taken aback by the unexpected answer, looked down at the boy in confusion.

Red hair, red eyes, and a sharply cut mouth. Not exactly a friendly face. Cedric studied Beric quietly and added, “I was counting numbers.”

Jarrett, who arrived shortly after, sensed a faint aura the moment he saw Cedric. He also understood why Minister Ian had called him.

‘A rookie.’

Thank goodness. Truly, a relief.

The Imperial Guard’s only qualification was strength. While non-magic swordsmen could join, it was practically impossible for anyone without magic to surpass human physical limits. That’s why magic swordsmen were so important.

But they were rare. Jarrett knew just how rare—and how much rarer it was for a magic swordsman to enter the Imperial Guard as a rookie.

Still, the supply of magic swordsmen was absolutely necessary. Now, and even more so after the war.

Creak.

At that moment, the attendant inside gave a nod and motioned for the three to enter.

“His Majesty the Emperor and Minister Ian’s private meeting has ended. Would you like to request an audience?”

“Send them in.”

“Your Majesty, Captain Jarrett has arrived.”

Jin and Ian sat across from each other on sofas, a table between them. The atmosphere was heavy and tense, something Jarrett noticed the moment he stepped in. Surprisingly, so did Beric.

“Ian. What about Filia?”

Cedric glanced up at him. The once confident gaze wavered slightly. Ian motioned lightly to hold off the conversation for later.

“Beric. Later.”

Both Jin and Beric had ties to Filia, but this was a personal grief. Of course, it was also a matter involving Toorun’s actions, but—

“Captain Jarrett. Please review the report on what happened in Karenna. Toorun’s influence has spread more widely across Bariel than expected.”

“…Yes, understood. Thank you for your hard work.”

That was a matter for the conference room.

Ian motioned Cedric closer.

“Your Majesty, this is the boy.”

Cedric took a steady breath for the first time, then bowed deeply. After all, this wasn’t just anyone—this was the Emperor himself. The pinnacle of Bariel, the ruler of the world. The boy dared not even meet his gaze, keeping his eyes lowered.

“My name is Cedric, Your Majesty. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Raise your head.”

Jin crossed his legs and gave the boy a once-over. Then, with a faint, unreadable smile, he whispered to Ian.

“Just as you said. His eyes are good.”

“The future of Bariel looks bright, Your Majesty.”

What’s going on here? Why all this fuss? Berrick scratched his ear, clearly the only one who hadn’t caught on yet.

Ian introduced Captain Jarrett to Cedric with a word of advice.

“This is Captain Jarrett, one of the three commanders of the Imperial Guard. Learn as much as you can from him, so you can be of service to Bariel and His Majesty.”

“I will do my best.”

“Captain Jarrett, as you know, please take good care of him.”

“Yes, thank you for bringing such a valuable talent.”

Jarrett, making polite conversation, asked Cedric,

“If you become a member of the Imperial Guard, what’s the first thing you want to accomplish?”

It was a routine question, but the boy hesitated for a moment before answering very carefully.

“May I speak honestly?”

“Of course. No lies are tolerated before His Majesty.”

Jin sipped his tea, watching Cedric closely. Despite having just heard the news of Philia’s death, Ian had brought this boy here. A feeling stirred that soon, the reason would become clear.

After a long pause, Cedric finally spoke.

“…I want to knock out a man named Leman.”

“Who?”

Jarrett’s eyes went wide. He’d never heard an answer like that before. But Ian just smiled knowingly, and Jarrett, now catching on, glanced at Berrick.

“Berrick.”

“What?”

“You’re in charge of Cedric.”

“Huh?”

“Excellent decision,” Ian nodded, and Jin agreed. Usually, pairing people with opposing temperaments brings out the best in both. They’d have much to learn from each other.

Everyone else seemed to agree—everyone except Berrick.

“Me?”

“Yes. You heard that, Cedric? Your mentor from now on is Berrick.”

“No way, I’m not cut out for this kind of job.”

“Quiet. Don’t argue.”

“No! I don’t want to! It’s a pain!”

Berrick crossed his arms in protest.

To speak like that in front of the Emperor—was he some kind of madman? Cedric judged him as such but still bowed politely.

“Please take care of me. I’m Cedric.”

“No—no, I said I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

Exactly the same tone Berrick had just used with a ‘What?’ came from Cedric.

Berrick was left speechless. He was beginning to understand why Jarrett had assigned this kid to him. Suddenly, he jumped up and shouted,

“You’ve got no manners!”

At that, Jin, Ian, and Jarrett all shared a subtle smile. Well, at least he had some self-awareness.