Chapter 807

“We’ve arrived!”

At the signal from outside the conference hall, the officials tensed up, their eyes sharp and alert.

Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic. They’d heard the ruthless man had only just regained his composure and was already on the move again. Now, he was boldly attending the conference—right at a time when both the Emperor and the Prime Minister were absent.

The officials exchanged nervous glances, trying to steady their expressions.

“Do you think this will be alright?”

“Of course.”

There was no way Ian was unaware of the skyrocketing prices of mana stones. Rumors had even reached them that construction on the annex had officially begun.

With trembling hands, they rifled through their documents, pushing preparations into overdrive. As long as they didn’t slip up in conversation, they wouldn’t be held responsible for the price surge. The initial stirrings had started in the palace, but the storm had erupted among the merchants.

“We did our part. Properly.”

“Yes. If anyone complains, it’s overstepping our authority. Exactly.”

“Haah… but why do I feel so parched?”

Just then, someone came rushing in.

“He’s, he’s coming in.”

Clearly, they’d stepped out for a smoke and bumped into Ian, hastily retreating back inside.

The conference hall doors creaked open slowly. Ian appeared, clutching a stack of reports under his arm, looking a bit thinner than before.

“Oh, Minister Ian!”

“I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you sure you should be moving around like this?”

“You’ve been through a lot. Please, have a seat here.”

Ian merely offered a subtle smile and a slight nod.

Meanwhile, Romandro, who had come with him, scanned the room with sharp, narrow eyes, clearly on high alert. From his demeanor, the officials understood the gravity of the situation.

‘He knows.’

‘He’s aware.’

As Ian took his seat, he turned to greet Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rayburn.

“Minister Rayburn.”

“Y-Yes? Is there something—?”

“I heard the Eastern mages caused some trouble at your residence. Please accept my sincere condolences.”

No, it wasn’t the Eastern mages who wrecked the place—it was your own mages! Rayburn swallowed the retort rising in his throat and forced an awkward smile.

“If we had acted faster, such an unfortunate incident might have been avoided. I apologize.”

“Oh, no need for that. Thanks to the mages, lives were saved. We’re all still breathing, after all. Ahem.”

“I appreciate your understanding. How are things now? If the Ministry of Magic can assist in any way, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to help.”

On the surface, it was a gracious offer, but Rayburn and the other officials were tense, weighing every word carefully. They all knew better than to fall for any traps.

After a moment’s thought, Rayburn noticed the gazes of the others and shook his head.

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

“Oh? Are you sure?”

There was something ominous in Ian’s tone, and Rayburn blinked in surprise, glancing back at him. Ian still smiled, but there was a chill beneath it.

Rayburn instinctively sensed this was Ian’s final offer.

“Ah, well, I’ll get back to you on that later.”

“Please do. For now, this is hardly the place.”

Ha! Look at that. The other officials shot Rayburn incredulous looks, but what could they do? It was the last invitation. Rayburn could only send silent signals that he had no choice.

Ian organized his reports and asked,

“By the way, Minister Rayburn…”

“Yes? Please.”

“Why did you suspend the transit permits for the merchants? From what I understand, those merchants had no issues with their qualifications.”

Though Ian asked casually, Rayburn felt his heart drop. The moment had come. He rattled off the rehearsed explanation reflexively.

“There were reports that the import declarations didn’t match the actual shipments. We took temporary measures to investigate.”

“I see. Has the investigation concluded?”

“Of course. Permits have been granted without issue now.”

“I suggest you revoke them again.”

“Excuse me?”

Rayburn whipped his head around, thinking he must have misheard. But Ian repeated himself clearly.

“I’m recommending you withdraw the transit permits once more.”

“W-Why?”

“It appears those merchants are colluding to manipulate mana stone prices, disrupting the market economy. As you know, mana stones aren’t mere decorative gems—they’re essential for magical research, various industries, and even national defense. Such underhanded profiteering is unacceptable to the Ministry of Magic.”

So? What exactly are you proposing?

Ian raised his voice slightly, as if addressing everyone present.

“All merchants involved in this matter should be dealt with decisively. From now on, all mana stones circulating within Bariel should be managed directly by the Ministry of Magic.”

“No, Minister Ian!”

“That’s absurd!”

Other officials who had been quietly listening suddenly jumped up in alarm. If the Ministry took control of all mana stones in Bariel, it would only add wings to the already wealthy and powerful Ministry.

Yet Ian looked genuinely puzzled.

“Why do you say that’s impossible?”

“There are countless mana stone merchants in Bariel. How could the Ministry possibly handle them all?”

“Thank you for your concern, but there’s no need to worry about the Ministry’s workload. Haven’t you all been saying the Ministry has too much space and that building the annex is excessive? I intend to increase our responsibilities to match that excess.”

What kind of nonsense is that? The officials were left speechless, their mouths opening and closing without words.

Ian, however, looked thoroughly pleased.

“If mana stones fall under the Ministry’s jurisdiction, such incidents will never happen again. Minister of Foreign Affairs, wouldn’t you agree? Who dares falsify import declarations to deceive the Empire?”

“No, that wasn’t the case. The reports were just that—reports. The investigation found no real issues.”

“No. It’s time to get to the root of the problem.”

“Excuse me, Minister Ian—”

Ian tapped the table with his pen, as if not hearing, then propped his chin on his hand, a mischievous grin curling his lips.

“In a completely new way.”

Ian’s declaration left the officials dumbfounded. They’d hoped to quietly profit by blocking the annex construction, but now things were spiraling out of control. Shaking their heads to clear their minds, they began to stammer objections.

“Minister Ian, while we respect your opinion, how do you plan to recall all the mana stones currently in circulation? It’s inefficient. And we can’t just open the treasury to help the Ministry with this.”

“Yes, that’s right. If you’re going to reorganize, there must be a price to pay. Such measures would strangle the merchants’ livelihoods, so they won’t be so quick to flood the market next time.”

“Let me be clear: we cannot provide a single penny beyond the Ministry’s existing budget!”

“Of course.”

Amid the commotion, Ian smiled broadly and waved off their concerns. The officials were once again caught off guard by the fluttering of his sleeves.

“I will handle it personally.”

“Handle it? How—”

“Oh, you’re behind on the news. I’ve decided to return the Hielo estate.”

“What?!”

The officials from the Davion faction suddenly seemed to realize something and discreetly touched their foreheads.

“A large sum will be coming in at once, so you needn’t worry about the budget.”

“Uh, well—”

“Is there a problem?”

Does Ian have no limits? Even if you save every penny to buy a house or land, it’s never enough. Yet whenever cash comes in, it all goes straight to the Ministry. Is this right? Who in their right mind spends their own money to fund their job?

Ian calmly continued organizing his papers.

“Anyway, that’s all you need to know for now. Soon, I’ll be meeting with the merchants involved in this incident. If there’s any new information, I’ll share it immediately.”

It was expected that Ian would meet with the merchants, but if it wasn’t about the mana stone prices and instead about the Ministry’s business expansion, that changed everything.

The merchants would immediately realize their livelihoods were at risk and might confess their collusion with Ian to protect themselves.

‘W-What now? This wasn’t part of the plan.’

The officials’ pupils dilated in panic. But Ian, humming softly to himself, began preparations for the conference.

“Does His Majesty the Emperor know about this?”

At someone’s question, Ian glanced up briefly.

Mentioning the Emperor was a strategic move. Everyone in the palace was clearly wary of the Ministry after the misunderstanding surrounding the annihilation of the Hwanan rebel leadership. That was why the annex construction had quietly begun. But if the Ministry monopolized mana stone distribution, that would be a different matter entirely. A breakthrough was needed.

“No. I haven’t reported it yet, so he’s unaware.”

Ian shrugged ostentatiously.

“But does it really matter that much?”

Not even the Emperor could stop it. After all, the justification was now firmly in the hands of the Ministry of Magic.

It was a bold and audacious statement, but no one dared to contradict it openly. Had the Prime Minister been present, he might have cautioned that such things shouldn’t be said, but he was absent.

“As expected.”

Ian let out a slight sigh, as if this reaction was exactly what he had anticipated, then bowed his head and pretended not to notice. Then, almost casually, he added,

“As you know, I haven’t been feeling well lately. Rather than getting caught up in trivial matters, I’ll focus on the urgent tasks piling up and report to His Majesty as soon as I have the chance. There’s no need for anyone to worry.”

“Worry? No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Yes, Sir Ian will handle things just fine.”

Though everyone answered politely on the surface, it was clear their minds were racing with complicated calculations.

Ian tapped his fingertips lightly, waiting a moment. He was watching to see if any sharp mind would take the bait and try to seize the opportunity.

“But—”

To everyone’s surprise, the one who took the bait was an unexpected figure: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rayburn. Perhaps from his experience dealing with diplomatic envoys, he cautiously studied Ian and asked,

“Are you feeling very unwell? You seem a bit thinner than before, but your judgment appears clear.”

“That’s a relief, if I look okay on the outside.”

“Was it because you overexerted yourself during the recent Tolrun War?”

The other officials probably wondered why he was asking such questions, but Ian thought Rayburn was handling this well. If you want to survive, you have to find a way through, no matter what.

“Something like that. Fatigue has built up, among other things.”

Ian kept his answer brief, ending the conversation. Rayburn raised his eyebrows in mild puzzlement, then looked straight ahead.

The officials were whispering among themselves, trying to figure out how to respond to Ian’s unorthodox moves. They kept shooting glances at Rayburn, but he seemed lost in thought, not reacting.

“‘Among other things,’ huh? That’s quite telling. Does that mean he’s still able to use magic?”

Screeeech.

“Everyone’s arrived early.”

At that moment, Minister Quintana entered and greeted the room.

With neither the Emperor nor the Prime Minister present, she held the reins of the meeting. Quintana surveyed the unusually tense atmosphere, then carefully picked up her gavel and tapped it twice.

“Please be seated. We will now begin the assembly.”