Chapter 796

As the midday heat finally began to fade, the imperial palace was once again illuminated with light. Officials who had left the palace earlier were returning one after another, rushing back to their departments, while the staff bustled about in a daze, barely awake.

The entire palace was noisy, but the loudest place of all was—

“Ahhh! It hurts! Easy, easy!”

“Damn it, stop exaggerating.”

“I’m serious! Didn’t you see? When the Eastern mage swung his hand like this—swish—I blocked it for you.”

“I didn’t see anything. Anyone else?”

“Me neither. That guy’s just faking it.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not fake!”

“Romandro, please put some pain relief ointment on this.”

“Finally got a good workout after a long time. sniff”

“The ones who get hit always act all tough like that.”

It was the Department of Magic. After more than a full day of silence, it was now a chaotic mess, like a bustling marketplace.

They sat slumped in the lobby, wrapping their own bandages or applying ointments, focusing on treating their injuries.

Wail!

Tap tap tap!

At that moment, the sound of carriages rushing toward the Department of Magic echoed, followed by the hurried footsteps ascending the stairs.

The mages casually turned their heads to greet the visitors. The first to arrive was the Prime Minister.

“Well, well, you lot.”

“Good day, Prime Minister. You’re in good shape, running up the stairs like that.”

“What on earth is going on here?”

The Prime Minister looked around in bewilderment. The urgent message received in the middle of the night had been nothing short of shocking. Not only had the Eastern mages clashed fiercely with the palace mages, but the aftermath had been so severe that the Foreign Minister’s entire residence was blown to pieces?

It wasn’t just the palace that was lit up. The commotion had summoned all the central guards, who were now scrambling to manage the situation, putting the entire capital on high alert.

“Prime Minister, you’re lucky.”

“Lucky? How so?”

“If the Eastern mages had come for you instead of the Foreign Minister tonight, your residence would have been destroyed.”

Akorella roughly wiped the soot off her face and asked, “Did those Eastern mages do anything to you, Prime Minister? They sure gave the Foreign Minister a hard time.”

The Prime Minister hesitated for a moment at her muttering. He was holding the letter and the white tiger’s fur that the Eastern mages had delivered.

Unsure how to respond—

“Prime Minister, you’ve come… sniff,”

The Foreign Minister appeared, looking like a beggar and on the verge of tears.

The Prime Minister was so stunned he couldn’t even find words of comfort. More carriages arrived one after another, and the Emperor himself entered the lobby, dressed lightly.

“Everyone!”

“Your Majesty.”

“Is everyone alright? What is the meaning of all this?”

“Apologies for the concern. Since everyone is gathered, I will briefly explain the situation. Please, follow me.”

With a slight stagger, Akorella motioned for them to follow. They seemed to be heading to the minister’s office, but instead, she led them down to the Department of Magic’s basement. The Prime Minister looked puzzled.

“Where is Minister Ian? Is he down there?”

“No, he’s in his office.”

“Then how—”

“He’s unconscious.”

“What?”

Jin, the Prime Minister, and the officials all froze on the stairs. This was completely unexpected. When they last saw him, he had seemed fine.

Jin recalled the explosion he’d heard about at Eirin’s tavern and immediately turned around.

“Your Majesty—”

But Akorella’s firm voice stopped him.

“First, let’s see the situation downstairs.”

“But Akorella—”

“The mages are guarding Minister Ian.”

In other words, even if they went now, nothing would change. Akorella signaled this with a glance.

There was no choice. Revealing the full story would also expose Melania’s involvement. It would be problematic if the Emperor wasn’t present.

“Back to the main point. We have confirmed that those who caused Minister Ian’s condition are the Eastern mages. We immediately began pursuit and learned that they also approached the Prime Minister and other ministers during the chase.”

Foreign Minister Rayvon sniffled and glanced at the Prime Minister. So it wasn’t just him who had been targeted?

The Prime Minister deliberately ignored the look and fiddled with his sleeve. The white tiger’s fur he kept tucked inside his clothes continued to weigh on his mind.

“Wait a moment, Captain Akorella. Are you saying Minister Ian fought with the Eastern mages? Why?”

“Minister Ian will explain the details himself.”

“Prime Minister, did you meet with the mages?”

“…No. I did not.”

He had only received a letter. The Prime Minister cleared his throat, hiding what he really wanted to say.

“The Eastern mages attacked Minister Ian and then targeted Minister Rayvon as well. Isn’t that a clear act of hostility? Why would they do that? We have no ties with them.”

It was impossible to understand. Bariel had proposed diplomatic relations with the East, and that had not changed despite the collapse of Hwan’s rebellion. There was no reason for hostility—so why?

“Exactly. Why would they do such a thing?”

It would have made sense if they had targeted only Minister Ian or only the Prime Minister and Rayvon, since those two factions were completely opposed. But to target both sides? There was no way to guess their motive.

“Captain Akorella, what about the Eastern mages?”

“They’re over there.”

Akorella pointed to the last room. Eunrang, with her shoulder exposed, was shackled with a magical seal stone and receiving treatment. She glared at Akorella as if she wanted to tear her apart, biting her lower lip.

“Oh my! So this is what an Easterner looks like.”

The officials murmured among themselves, noting her exotic features and clothing.

Leaning against the iron bars, Akorella nodded slightly, as if to say, “Speak now.” Despite being a prisoner, Eunrang refused to speak unless other officials were present. Her arrogance had nearly driven Akorella mad.

“Your name?”

Eunrang immediately recognized who the Emperor was. She bowed slightly—not out of respect, but as a necessary gesture to navigate the situation.

“…Eunrang.”

“I heard you attacked Minister Ian and the palace officials. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Jin’s voice dropped a tone, revealing his troubled mood.

Akorella crossed her arms and waited for Eunrang’s answer, then scoffed in disbelief. The answer was ridiculous.

“Minister Ian Hielo opposed us with impure intentions and blocked our approach.”

“What do you mean?”

“He told us to take our firearms and return to our country. His fierce attitude toward firearms was suspicious, so when we investigated his true nature, he attacked us out of fear that his secret would be exposed.”

“True nature?”

Jin and the officials frowned in confusion. Akorella focused intently, wondering what she was about to say.

“A monster.”

“What?”

“A monster. Minister Ian Hielo.”

“……”

A long silence followed. The atmosphere instantly froze. Then Akorella’s laughter broke the tension.

“Ah! Ahahaha! Hahaha!”

She doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach until her back bent completely. She staggered, giggling uncontrollably, while the courtiers exchanged bewildered glances. Of all things, Minister Ian was a monster?

“Why are you laughing?”

“Ugh, seriously. I should’ve pulled more of his hair out. He looks so capable, but why is he such a dud? Minister Ian a monster? That’s like hearing the underground god dancing in his coffin.”

The courtiers nodded in agreement. If it were anything else, maybe, but that was impossible.

Ian had recently led the sealing of the underground god and had once personally driven the monster Arsen out of the royal palace long ago. Even those who opposed Ian couldn’t deny that.

“We clearly saw it. He’s not of this world and has a different essence. He doesn’t deny it himself, either.”

The courtiers, who had been about to dismiss it as nonsense, fell silent for a moment. The fact that even the minister himself hadn’t denied it caught their attention. But Akorella cut through the tension with a sharp retort.

“You probably didn’t bother responding because it was worthless drivel.”

The Prime Minister and Eunrang’s eyes briefly met. It was just a fleeting moment, but they recognized each other. Eunrang knew who the Prime Minister was, and the Prime Minister realized that the object they had used was made from white fur.

Eunrang turned her head as if to ignore it, then glared back at Akorella.

“Ian Hielo was the one who threatened us with the matchlock and attacked first. That’s an unchanging truth.”

“So then, Minister of Foreign Affairs, why did you attack?”

“To put Ian Hielo in a difficult position.”

“Huh?”

Jin shook his head in disbelief and glanced at the officials, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

Eunrang, too, quickly scanned the room, thinking hard.

‘I’m not seeing Ian Hielo anywhere.’

Despite being captured like this, Ian Hielo hadn’t shown himself. And when they clashed at the mansion, the mages had acted as if something terrible had happened to Ian Hielo. Considering all this, and the way the story was unfolding…

‘There’s definitely something wrong with Ian Hielo.’

“…I apologize for acting on my own accord. But I must emphasize, it was Ian Hielo’s side that was rude first. As a gesture of apology, I promise to surrender the matchlock.”

Eunrang cautiously offered this, watching for any reaction. The emperor looked down at her without revealing any emotion.

“Was it your doing that wiped out the rebel leadership in Hawan?”

Eunrang bit her lip, practically confirming it. Jin let out a small sigh of relief.

‘Thank goodness.’

That incident had nearly escalated tensions between the Magic Department and other branches. But now that the truth was out, things would likely calm down.

Especially since the Minister of Foreign Affairs had been saved thanks to the Magic Department’s help, Jin felt reassured and swallowed hard.

“Your Majesty, these are confused individuals. Their crimes are clear, and they should be dealt with immediately.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Attempting to sow discord within the palace and harming the minister are serious offenses that must be punished.”

Several courtiers whispered their opinions, turning their heads to avoid being overheard. Others cautiously voiced opposition.

“Still, we shouldn’t be too hasty. Let’s wait for Minister Ian to recover before taking action.”

“And since they’re offering to hand over the matchlock, it seems a bit harsh to kill them now, doesn’t it?”

But now is the perfect time to bring in the matchlock while the Magic Department’s minister is absent, wasn’t it? Just as Akorella was about to snap back at this argument, Romandro came down from the underground level, calling out.

“Your Majesty!”

Tap, tap, tap!

Romandro, his face flushed with urgency, held up a crumpled note—one that Viviana had sent through Hans.

“There’s something you need to verify about these people’s identities.”

And also, about the matchlock!

Jin took the note from Romandro, puzzled.

… (To be continued)