Episode 793

There’s a district where the motto is, “Money makes anything possible.” That place is Rugerspell. Since it was once a temporary refuge for merchant guilds, it’s a hotspot for all sorts of incidents—big and small—all revolving around money.

The slums at the center, the homeless’ sleeping quarters, the slaves’ graves—these are all names for this place.

Ding.

Underground, in a building that felt more like a tunnel, shadows stretched long and dark along the corridors, flickering in the light of scattered lanterns.

At the sound of a door opening, heads turned. Two figures cloaked in robes stepped inside.

“Oh, you’ve come?”

“Yes.”

“Right this way.”

Eunrang wrinkled her brow at the foul stench and grabbed Hoheun’s arm. Everything here was shabby—ragged street thugs and worn-out goods. She doubted anything could be properly handled in a place like this.

As Eunrang pressed close behind him, Hoheun draped an arm around her shoulders, as if to reassure her.

“Hoheun, are you sure this place is safe?”

Hoheun nodded without a word. After careful inquiries, this spot was the best for discreet operations without complications. More importantly, the information about the East they had here was the only reliable kind. That meant the quality of intel was decent.

“Ah, welcome!”

Marco, the head of the intelligence office, jumped up to greet them. He roughly pushed aside the clutter on the table to make room, prompting Eunrang to roll her eyes in irritation. This place was a nightmare.

“Have you eaten?”

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

“Oh, my tongue’s too sharp. Sorry about that.”

Humming a tune, Marco searched for the report to hand over. His sly, narrow eyes flicked over Eunrang and Hoheun. Most visitors here never revealed their true identities, but these two were unlike any clients he’d seen before.

‘Simple personal info on ministers and above in the empire, the political situation inside the palace… especially everything about the Magic Department, plus inquiries about a woman named Melania.’

Could all that really exist? As long as the money was right, it didn’t matter, but curiosity gnawed at him. Marco handed over the report and asked casually,

“You said you’re from a merchant guild?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of goods do you deal in? Since fate has brought us together, maybe we could strike a deal if you need something.”

Eunrang and Hoheun were posing as foreign merchants. They even added the detail that knowing the political climate was crucial for distributing goods in Bariel. Hoheun drew a firm line.

“That’s not something you’d be interested in.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

It must be magic-related, given their focus on the Magic Department. Marco awkwardly rubbed his beard and pushed the report forward. The paper looked yellowed under the lantern light.

“This is the personal info on ministers and above you requested. It’s mostly names and circulating rumors. Please take a look.”

Since these were well-known figures, gathering the info wasn’t difficult. He even wondered if he should charge for it.

Thud.

Hoheun read through carefully, then pointed to a particular passage. Eunrang muttered hesitantly,

“Ian Hielo—disappeared ten years ago, but recently reappeared? How did that happen?”

“I’m not sure about that part. The Magic Department minister’s hometown is on the frontier, and his family supposedly all died in the recent war. I think he has a younger sister? Anyway, the interesting part is something else.”

Marco chuckled and added,

“Well, apparently, nothing’s changed between ten years ago and now.”

“What?”

“When he disappeared, he was just a little kid, but people who’ve seen him recently say he looks about the same. Maybe because he’s a mage and doesn’t age, or he’s naturally youthful. The previous minister, Wesley, was said to have aged similarly. It’s quite strange.”

Eunrang snorted with derision. What fools. Did they really not know? It’s because he’s not human.

‘A monster, damn it. And he dares to look down on us?’

The East knew of the Abyss, but nothing about alternate timelines. That made sense—no one had ever returned alive from there.

Eunrang glared at Marco, baring her teeth in raw hostility. Marco cleared his throat nervously and slid over another report.

“Ahem. Take your time. I’ll tell you more about this Melania woman separately.”

As Hoheun reached for the report, Marco subtly pulled it back toward himself. Hoheun hesitated, then, understanding, produced a silver coin from his pocket.

“After checking names and descriptions, there is a match. Are you sure she’s from a noble family?”

“Absolutely.”

“That makes it even stranger. Melania Haiman. She fits perfectly as the daughter of a central noble family wiped out ten years ago, but as I said, she shouldn’t be alive.”

The daughter of a family destroyed for treason. Eunrang and Hoheun exchanged looks—curious and amused.

‘So Ian Hielo is hiding the child of a traitorous family.’

‘Are they lovers?’

‘Doesn’t look like it.’

‘Interesting. I wonder if the palace knows?’

‘Who knows? Doesn’t matter. At least the common folk don’t seem to.’

What kind of signals were they exchanging? Marco’s gaze flicked between them. Hoheun slipped a small ring from his pocket and handed it over—the balance payment.

“Satisfactory.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“As a token of thanks, we’ll share some info with you.”

“Excuse me?”

Marco’s ears perked up—he was a dealer in information, after all. The two rose and casually let slip,

“Melania is alive. And she’s in the capital.”

“What do you mean?”

What nonsense was this? Marco sniffed suspiciously, and the two rolled up their sleeves. With a faint rustle, their eyes glowed gold.

‘…Mages?’

“Together with Ian Hielo.”

With that, they vanished in an instant.

Marco stood dumbfounded, then suddenly sprang to his feet. Ian Hielo saved Melania? This… could be worth something.

“Where could I sell this?”

---

“Have you returned, Master?”

“Hmm. Yes.”

“You’re leaving early today.”

Grimold, the empire’s prime minister, struggled to step down from the carriage and nodded. He straightened his back and let out a small sigh before walking on as if nothing was wrong.

It was strange. Inside the palace, climbing stairs was effortless, but as soon as he stepped outside, his joints twisted painfully. Probably because his tension had finally eased.

The butler followed Grimold, offering a silver tray. Over a dozen letters had arrived in just one day.

“Seems everyone has business with the old man.”

“Please don’t say that, Master. As the empire’s prime minister, it’s only natural. Everyone’s waiting for your reply.”

“Enough. It’s hard to read them now. Bring them to my study later.”

The butler smiled wryly and stepped back. Grimold never wasted time, even on the short walk from the entrance to his office. But now, even that was difficult. The weight of years pressed down on him.

Grimold paused when he saw a child running toward the reception room.

“Oh, Annie.”

“Grandpa!”

“Yes, what’s the matter?”

His granddaughter Annie ran full tilt, trying to throw herself into his arms. But at that moment, a woman gently pulled Annie back by the nape.

“Annie, I told you not to run in the hallway.”

It was Zelan, the prime minister’s daughter.

Grimold held the struggling Annie close, smiling warmly.

“I’m fine.”

“Fine? What do you mean?”

Annie still had enough strength to throw herself at him. Grimold whispered greetings to the child for a while, then looked at his daughter.

“So, what’s going on?”

“Nothing much. I just felt like I hadn’t seen you in a long time.”

Zelan narrowed his eyes. Outside, he was the Empire’s Chancellor, but at home, he was nothing more than a father shrinking under his daughter’s sharp gaze.

“Father, when are you going to retire?”

“…”

“You said last time that you’d step down once the war was over. The doctor mentioned your health has been getting worse.”

“That man is a doctor. What sane person looks perfectly healthy through a doctor’s eyes?”

“Father!”

Grimold quietly pulled his granddaughter away. Then Zelan leaned in close, launching into a steady stream of nagging.

“Think about your age. Mother has long since gone down to the provinces to tend to the estate, waiting for you. It’s time you rested and took it easy.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”

“Don’t just say that!”

He was already pushing into his late eighties. No matter how devoted he’d been to the Empire, there was no need to keep going like this into his twilight years. Grimold smiled kindly and patted his daughter’s shoulder.

“I want to do that too.”

“Then do it!”

“But the situation at the palace right now isn’t good.”

“Has it ever been?”

Wasn’t this the place where people spent their days bickering over petty disputes, arguing all night about who was right or wrong?

The Chancellor glanced wearily at the steward.

“Um, miss.”

While the steward took charge of the girl, the Chancellor slipped away and escaped to his study. As the door closed behind him, exhaustion washed over him.

‘Yes. The time to let go is coming.’

But not yet. Without Jaret or Tweller, if he stepped down now, the palace would truly lose its balance and collapse.

And judging by the magic department’s near-strike today, the future looked even more uncertain.

“Hm?”

At that moment, an envelope caught his eye. It lay neatly on the desk, which was odd—any correspondence from outside was always handled by the steward.

He glanced toward the door, then approached and examined the envelope. No sender or recipient was written on it. Was this one of Annie’s pranks?

With a soft tear, he opened the flap. Inside slipped out a ring, a letter, and a single white hair.

—We are the wizards of the East.

“…!”

Startled, the Chancellor looked around sharply. But there was no sign of anything unusual anywhere in the office.

—As proof, we offer you this ring, brought from the East. It’s a gem you’ve never seen before, just as we were the first to see Idgal.

Idgal? The Chancellor frowned at the sudden mention.

—The enclosed white hair will help you see the true nature of your opponent. Those who live in worlds different from ours appear differently. Since you seem to have some understanding of ‘their world,’ I won’t elaborate. With it, we saw Ian Hielo. Fascinating, indeed…

A fierce wind howled.

Hidden in the zelkova tree in the mansion’s courtyard, Eunrang’s eyes flashed as she muttered,

“Oh, he read it.”