Chapter 794
“North side of the commercial district—no abnormalities detected.”
“Same here. I caught faint traces, but couldn’t track them.”
“Looks like the two of them are moving together. If they’d split up, it wouldn’t be this hard to find them.”
“Damn it. Have those bastards already taken off?”
Acorella listened to the reports from the mages while puffing on a cigarette. They were gathered in the basement of the building where Ian and the Eastern mages had met, sharing updates on the search. As Acorella flicked the ash, her gaze suddenly landed on a bloodstain—surely Ian’s.
“They’re probably still near the center.”
“Why do you say that?”
These people came all the way from Hwan. Judging by their involvement with Melania, and the gunpowder incident among other things, it didn’t seem like they’d just turn back after a clash with Ian.
They didn’t come all this way for a casual stroll. Surely, they were biding their time, looking for a way to turn the situation around—
“Ah.”
Acorella muttered softly, as if she’d just realized something.
Before Melania, the ones who first relayed the gunpowder to the palace were the rebels from Hwan. They communicated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and if Melania hadn’t interfered, they would have been on the same side.
“So, those guys… if their deal with Ian fell through, where would they have gone?”
“Fell through? What do you mean?”
“They’d have to go the other way. The rebels are all dead, so the only way is to contact them directly. Right?”
The mages exchanged confused glances, clearly not understanding, but no one pressed further. Judging by Acorella’s expression, whatever she was thinking was close to the truth.
“So, what now? What do we do?”
“We split into three teams. One shadows the Prime Minister, another keeps close watch on the Foreign Minister, and the rest keep tracking and gathering intel.”
With a sharp scrape, Acorella stubbed out her cigarette on the table and asked, “Hale, where do you want to go? Prime Minister’s side?”
“Anywhere.”
“Alright, then Captain Hale takes the Prime Minister, I’ll handle the Foreign Minister. And damn it, find the landlord of this building immediately and shake them down. If they’re protecting those Eastern guys’ stuff, there’s definitely a connection.”
“Understood.”
“Any objections?”
“No.”
With a crisp salute, the mages dashed out of the building. When Acorella was pissed, it was best to follow orders without question—a valuable lesson learned from years of experience.
“If anything happens, use the message spell.”
Acorella and Hale lightly bumped fists before rushing out, the mages trailing behind them with their robes billowing.
Acorella ran almost as if flying, closing in on the Foreign Minister’s mansion. Suddenly, an unfamiliar power prickled the air. The mages following her sensed it too and hesitated.
“Up.”
At Acorella’s command, they swiftly took to the air, surrounding the mansion. Concealed among trees and roof crevices, they keenly scanned the flow of magical energy.
“Acorella, it seems someone was here not long ago.”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, Acorella moved with the current, shifting her gaze. There was one spot visible from every angle—the second floor of the main building.
At that moment, a message spell came from Hale.
—Strange magic detected near the Prime Minister’s residence.
Acorella grinned and pressed her right hand gently to her ear.
—Traces found here too.
Under the moonlit night, Hohun and Eunrang slipped through the shadows toward the Foreign Minister’s mansion. They had a good grasp of the palace’s situation. They’d sent the White Tiger’s fur to the Prime Minister and just needed to wait for a response—
“What was the Foreign Minister’s name again?”
“Rayburn.”
They intended to check if any messages had come from the East.
They needed to confirm whether Ja-an, the archmage and their mentor, had passed on any information, and whether Ian Hiel’s ramblings were baseless.
And above all—
“What if they demand the gunpowder immediately? We can’t make any for a while.”
“Don’t worry. We just say we can’t give it until they hand over the box.”
They had to find out where the box was.
Maybe the Foreign Minister didn’t know as much as the Minister of Magic, but as head of the Foreign Ministry, he might have heard something. They planned to either get the box or at least some equivalent information by dangling the promise of the gunpowder.
“Hohun, we’re here.”
Light spilled from the Foreign Minister’s study on the second floor, a room they had scoped out earlier. As they tried to slip inside quietly—
“…!”
They froze at an alien sensation.
“Do you feel that?”
“Palace mages?”
Faint traces remained from earlier that day. Eunrang shook his head uneasily and grabbed Hohun’s wrist.
“Hohun, should we turn back?”
But Hohun thought for a moment and shook his head. He decided there was no need to drag things out—unaware that Ian was fighting for his life.
“If mages have been here, that’s actually good.”
According to their plan.
Eunrang frowned with concern but followed silently.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Rayburn loosened his tie, muttering irritably. The crazy mages had staged some kind of strike, throwing all his work into chaos.
“Insane fools. No matter what, you can’t just—”
Whoosh!
A sharp gust blew through. The study’s lamps flickered out simultaneously. Coincidence? Rayburn froze in shock, pen still in hand. Then, spotting a long shadow cast by the window behind him, he gasped.
“Who—! Ugh!”
Long black hair, exotic features, and most strikingly, piercing golden eyes. Rayburn immediately recognized the unexpected visitor.
“Y-You’re Eastern mages?”
“Flattered you recognized us so quickly.”
“W-What are you doing here?”
Weren’t they supposed to be in Hwan? How did they end up in Bariel, and in his own room no less?
Eunrang and Hohun slipped in gracefully through the window, then smiled as they surveyed the study.
“Sorry to startle you, Rayburn.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I’m Eunrang, and this is Hohun. Didn’t the Minister of Magic tell you?”
“Minister of Magic? You mean Ian Hiel?”
Rayburn looked utterly baffled. All the Ministry staff had stormed out, and now this was somehow connected to the Eastern mages?
Eunrang’s eyes narrowed.
“Seems the palace wasn’t informed.”
“Right.”
Then why had the mages come to the Foreign Minister’s mansion? It didn’t seem related to the current situation. Exchanging puzzled looks, Eunrang and Hohun watched as Rayburn hesitated, then stepped closer.
“What are you talking about? I thought you met with the Ministry of Magic first.”
What were they doing meeting the Eastern mages without notifying the Foreign Ministry? Rayburn’s mind spun, but Eunrang shook his head lightly.
“Setting aside the Ministry of Magic, we came to make you a direct offer.”
“An offer?”
“We heard you want to get your hands on the gunpowder.”
“Ah!”
Right! The rebel leaders were dead, so there was no way to contact Bariel. That’s why they came here directly.
Rayburn nodded immediately. If they could strike a deal directly, they could easily outmaneuver the Ministry of Magic.
“But why not contact the palace?”
“Circumstances. We want to make the deal quickly. In exchange for the gunpowder, we want the box from Idgal and the East. Is that possible?”
Rayburn’s expression clouded with confusion. The box from Idgal wasn’t under the Foreign Ministry’s jurisdiction, and he’d never heard of the Eastern box.
Still, he couldn’t afford to let this golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
“Idgal will do his best to give you as much as you want. But when you say ‘Ham,’ exactly what do you mean?”
“Have you received any messages from the East?”
“The East? Nothing at all.”
Rayburn gave an awkward smile, and Hohun rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The answer wasn’t a firm promise to hand over Idgal, only a vague assurance that they’d try. It was the typical diplomatic evasion, but knowing the situation, the meaning was clear as day.
‘Without Ian Hielo, they can’t just hand over Idgal.’
“Hohun, looks like you haven’t heard anything.”
Eunrang whispered to him with a pleased smile.
“And you don’t know anything about Ham either, do you?”
Rayburn’s reaction made it clear he hadn’t even heard the name. As the two of them quietly stared at Rayburn, he instinctively took a step back.
“Oh, this isn’t right. Let me take you to the reception room! It’s not proper to keep honored guests standing—”
“It’s fine. We didn’t come in through the window out of any sense of manners.”
Clatter!
Rustle!
A sharp wind blew back in, snuffing out the lantern. The door rattled violently, and papers scattered across Rayburn’s desk fluttered through the air.
“W-why are you doing this?”
Rayburn couldn’t understand the hostility radiating from them. Why? What could they possibly gain from this?
“No gain.”
“What?”
Hohun muttered as if reading Rayburn’s thoughts.
“They can’t even promise to hand over Idgal, haven’t heard a thing about the East, and don’t even know what Ham is.”
There was no reason for them to side with Rayburn.
But what if this man died?
Things would get very interesting.
“Blame Ian Hielo.”
“W-why is that name coming up here? No way—!”
Rayburn shouted, his face drained of color. Could Ian Hielo be trying to eliminate him? They had clashed recently over the issue of Hwan’s matchlock and the dispatch of the investigation team. But to handle things like this!
In a strained voice, Rayburn warned, “I won’t let this go! This is a grave mistake!”
If he died, would the palace remain unaware? A little investigation would reveal it was the work of a mage. Whether out of arrogance or desperation, this was a blunder by the Magic Department!
Eunrang smiled brightly at Rayburn’s threat.
“Exactly. A grave mistake.”
The palace would think so too.
This was exactly what Eunrang and Hohun wanted. If Ian’s influence at the palace waned, it would open the door for them to intervene somehow—whether Ian’s side came begging for help or they turned to the Eastern powers to check the Magic Department.
Either way, they’d make sure no one could hold out without handing over Ham.
Zzzziiing! Zziiing!
“Now, shout it out loud as you die: ‘The mages did it!’”
“Damn it, crazy bastards!”
Just as Hohun swung his blue whip toward Rayburn’s neck—
Boom! Boom!
An explosion suddenly erupted. Hohun’s whip lost its power and scattered, while a heavy, powerful gust swept through the study. The Eastern mages covered their faces with their sleeves.
Through the smoke appeared a woman with pink, bun-shaped hair.
“Saaaah,”
“…Haisee, found the bastards.”
Acorella grinned, cracking her knuckles wrapped in a red cloth, ready to fight.
“Found you!”
“Found youuu!”
Shhhhaaak!
Boom! Thud!
At the same moment, mages flew in through the window. Eunrang and Hohun stepped back, quickly assessing the situation. These were palace mages. They hadn’t sensed their approach.
“Hey.”
Acorella lowered her stance and flicked her fingers.
“You’re the ones, right? The bastards who made our Lord Ian bleed?”
“…What?”
Though Ian’s side had launched the attack, Acorella didn’t seem to care about their answers and turned away. Rayburn, pale as death, stared blankly at the palace mages.
“Hey, Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
“Ah, Captain Acorella?”
“Spare me♡”
“…Huh?”
Like hell I’m going to say that.
To us, who’ve been so eager to catch you.
“Spare me, mages♡ Say it again. If you don’t want to die here.”