Chapter 784
“Something’s been off lately.”
“You feel it too?”
The palace staff were enjoying a leisurely lunch under the warm sunlight. They sat side by side on a bench, sipping their tea.
“It started after that day, right?”
“Yeah, ever since that day.”
It was the day when two consecutive meetings were held, morning and night. Rumors had spread that the Emperor had openly clashed with the Minister of Magic. They didn’t even exchange glances, let alone words. And this was during a meeting.
“As the Minister of Magic, it’s understandable. The Hielo Territory got completely wrecked, and yet they called the people involved to the palace to negotiate agreements. If only they’d just overturned things like Luswena did, at least that would’ve been satisfying. I’d be pretty upset too.”
“But mixing personal feelings into official duties isn’t right. Once we secure the monopoly on firearms, we won’t have to worry about other countries anymore.”
“Minister Ian isn’t someone to let emotions get in the way of work. There’s a reason behind all this, you fools.”
“What? And what makes you so special?”
“I heard a rumor that the condition was to hand over Idgal. Is the Ministry of Magic crazy enough to agree to that? Our position would be in jeopardy once firearms come in. No matter how close he is to His Majesty, some things just aren’t acceptable.”
They all sipped their tea simultaneously, a complicated matter that was easy to understand yet difficult to judge hastily.
“But in the end, they sent an invitation to Hwan, right? He should be arriving soon—with firearms in tow.”
“No matter what Minister Ian does, he can’t beat His Majesty.”
“I don’t think he even wants to.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Why? Do you know something?”
“No, but think about it. Starting from the Ministry’s annex building, after the war ended, they haven’t given up a single thing. Doesn’t it feel different from before?”
“Hm. Yeah, it does. In the past, even if there were opposing opinions, they’d ultimately follow His Majesty’s will.”
“Exactly. That’s why His Majesty must be angry. How many days has it been now? I heard he’s still cold toward the Ministry.”
“I’m worried the Minister might get reckless—”
BAM!
“Pffft!”
Someone suddenly smacked the back of a staff member’s head, causing him to spit out his tea. His clothes were a mess. He turned around angrily but quickly shut his mouth.
“What did you just say?”
“Ah, um, greetings, Captain Akorella.”
“Are you all crazy? How dare you badmouth your superior in broad daylight?”
“Uh, lunch break’s over already.”
“Oh! Right! Oh my, what was I thinking?”
“Captain Akorella, please get back to work. Ahem!”
“You little brats! Get over here!”
As Akorella shook a report and chased after them, the staff screamed and scattered. After a few steps, Akorella stopped abruptly, frowning.
“Bastards.”
Even while holed up in the lab, strange rumors kept reaching her ears. It started with the minor controversy over the royal bloodline during the war, then whispers that the Ministry of Magic was expanding and solidifying its power.
Akorella kicked over the glass they’d left behind.
Clink!
Romandro flinched at the sound of breaking glass from somewhere. Strange, did he imagine it? As he resumed walking, he spotted a group of mages huddled at the end of the corridor, grumbling.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Honestly, if I’d used magic, I would’ve won.”
“Are you crazy? What good does it do to throw punches and kicks?”
“Idiot. If you’re going to fight, you should win.”
“Wait, isn’t it a draw?”
“You got a double nosebleed, that guy just a nosebleed.”
“Ughhh!”
Romandro rushed over, inspecting the mage’s face. Scratches everywhere, and cotton stuffed in his nostrils.
“How did this happen?”
“Well, apparently they got into a fight with an administrative staff member.”
“What? This isn’t a school.”
The mages huffed and vented their frustration to Romandro. Whenever the three of them got together, they couldn’t stop talking about the Minister of Magic. They all claimed, “Ian seems different lately,” but did that mean they’d just sit back? After fighting like mad on the battlefield, this kind of treatment was an insult.
“Romandro, could you talk to Ian? He’s not usually like this, and it’s worrying.”
“Yes, I’m sure he has his reasons, but the palace atmosphere is really strange. His Majesty seems angry too.”
“It’s the first time they’ve openly opposed each other.”
“But if the firearms deal is settled, shouldn’t it be over? Why keep picking on us?”
“We’re just too easy to mess with!”
BANG! BOOM!
As the mages suddenly lost their temper, Romandro struggled to hold onto their sleeves. But he understood their frustration. Ian was definitely stirring up trouble.
“Wait, wait. Calm down, okay? I’ll talk to Ian.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. So stop crying! Enough!”
“Ugh, it really hurts. That bastard just works out after hours. It’s not fair—I can’t even leave work! Because I’m a mage!”
“Tsk, tsk. Acting like that at your age.”
After calming the mages, Romandro headed back to the minister’s office. He had one more thing to report. Standing at the door, he sighed deeply.
“At least the firearms issue is under His Majesty’s control now. If we’d dragged that into this mess, it would’ve been chaos. This time, His Majesty handled it well.”
Balance had always been crucial in Bariel’s history. And that balance had to revolve around the Emperor. But recently, Ian’s actions had been the exact opposite, so it was no wonder everyone felt something was off.
Still, Romandro didn’t think Ian had made a wrong decision. There must be some reason no one else understood or dared to speak openly about. He was certain of that.
Knock knock.
“Ian, it’s me.”
“Please come in.”
Outside, chaos reigned, but Ian looked as composed as ever—neatly dressed, sitting upright, pen in hand as usual. Romandro placed the report before him and cautiously said,
“Ian, the palace has been noisy lately.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed. I even heard the commotion from outside.”
“You heard that?!”
Ian glanced briefly at Romandro, then returned to his work. He’d always been a workaholic, but lately it seemed worse—like he was running out of time, breaking his days into tiny pieces.
“Has the construction company been decided?”
“We’ll go with the one that won the bid last time. Timothy is coming back to the capital as well.”
“Ah, Timothy.”
Right. An ancestor of Naum and a key figure in building the Ministry’s annex. Ian nodded as if remembering. With the right people and funds, construction wouldn’t take long. All the necessary magic stones were ready.
“Please expedite the process.”
“What’s the rush? Ian, if you keep this up, that handsome face of yours will age prematurely. I used to be quite the figure in my youth, you know. Hmm? What’s with that expression?”
“……”
“Anyway, ever since I joined the administration, I’ve turned into this. See? Scary, right?”
Roaring playfully, Romandro joked, but Ian only gave a faint smile. Not knowing how much time he had left, Ian felt the need to hurry.
Especially with the annex construction.
‘I hope I can see it completed before I go.’
Would it be possible? Ian ran through his plans and timelines in his head. Romandro watched him with concern, tidying up the scattered papers. Then—
Tap tap tap!
“Hey, I told you not to run in the hallway.”
The sound of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a knock and the door opening. A mage burst in, panic written all over his face.
“Ian, there’s a big problem!”
“Oh dear, what now? Did someone else come in with a nosebleed?”
“No, it’s not that. The invitation we sent to Hawan was returned undelivered.”
“What?”
Romandro froze, his face twisting in confusion. Ian looked a bit startled by the sudden news, but quickly pieced together what the returned invitation implied.
“…Dead?”
“W-who’s dead?”
“I don’t know. His Majesty is calling an emergency meeting.”
Ian set his pen down with a soft click. He hesitated, unsure whether to feel relieved or worried. With the invitation returned, the import of the firearms was effectively postponed indefinitely. Tracking down the firearms’ whereabouts would be a nightmare. For the Magic Department, this was definitely good news.
“Romandro, get ready.”
“Ah! Right, right. What on earth is going on all of a sudden?”
From the crack in the door, a few mages peeked in, their nostrils stuffed with cotton. Every one of them looked utterly exhausted.
Ian stood, grabbing his jacket.
“Everyone, just a little more hardship.”
“N-no! Not at all!”
“Yes, there’s nothing to worry about!”
“Of course. It’s really not that bad.”
Ian didn’t care at all about the other departments badmouthing them. It was just frustrating, that’s all. The mages smiled faintly and nodded their greetings.
Ian stepped out of the room, with Romandro close behind.
“But if the invitation was completely returned, does that mean the rebel group has been dismantled?”
“It must be an emergency situation on that level.”
“Huh… The civil war must be serious. Still, the rebel leader should have some degree of protection.”
“That’s usually what people think.”
“Usually?”
“Yes. But you never know.”
“Know what?”
“That someone might have killed them.”
Romandro blinked, then his mouth dropped open. He started pacing wildly, shouting it was impossible.
“We didn’t do it!”
“What about the informants? Any contact?”
The Prime Minister’s question made the Foreign Minister grimace. He had just received the report himself and was struggling to make sense of it. Shaking his head, he stammered.
“No, nothing since the last message. The only certainty is that the entire rebel leadership is dead.”
“Are you sure?”
“The bodies of the rebel leader Caetano and his key aides were found on the outskirts of Hawan’s capital.”
So the whole situation had been completely overturned.
The Prime Minister pressed his fingers to his forehead and let out a long, thin sigh. He was usually composed, rarely showing emotion so openly, but this crisis left him helpless.
“What about the firearms?”
“Location unknown.”
Knowing where the firearms were was crucial. If they were still somewhere inside Hawan, that was a relief. But if they’d fallen into the hands of an unexpected faction or vanished entirely, the political landscape would become impossible to predict.
Either way, it was an unwelcome development. The existence of unknown variables meant Bariel had far more to consider.
“How on earth did this happen… sigh.”
“There is one strange detail,” the Foreign Minister reported cautiously.
“All the bodies had their throats slit, but the cuts were unnervingly clean. There are also witness reports of mysterious glowing lights at the time of the incident, though that’s unconfirmed.”
The Prime Minister hesitated, then turned his gaze toward the Emperor. The Emperor stared out the window, expression unreadable. The Prime Minister couldn’t guess what he was thinking.
“It’s certain no ordinary blade was used. It appears to be the work of magic or sorcery, but as far as we know, no mages or sorcerers were deployed in the civil war. They seemed to be in contact with Eastern mages, but they have no motive for this…”
“No—”
The voice that cut in was Jin’s, who had been silent for a long while. His sharp eyes fixed on the Prime Minister.
“Motive can always be found.”
If someone new had stepped into the picture.