Chapter 827
“Extra! Extra! Special report from the Daily Mailiday!”
Boys and girls with their hats pulled low tucked newspapers under their arms and dashed energetically through the streets.
The atmosphere around the palace had already felt tense lately, so when an extra edition came out, people eagerly handed over their coins.
“What’s going on?”
“Let me see… Minister of Magic Ian Hielo helped the daughter of the rebellious Haiman family escape ten years ago?”
“What? Did you say what I think you said?”
“Hey! Give me a copy too!”
“Extra! Extra! Exclusive scoop from the Daily Mailiday! You don’t want to miss this! Something huge is happening between the palace and the Ministry of Magic!”
The papers flew off the stands like wildfire.
Passersby stopped in their tracks; smokers absentmindedly let their cigarettes burn down to ash without noticing as they read intently. Children stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, and the elderly fetched their glasses, squinting at the print.
Every single word carried immense weight. So this is what it meant…
“Are they saying Minister Ian Hielo committed treason? And the daughter of Haiman—that must be Melania, right?”
“To let a traitor escape! Even if it was to chase after Rutherford, this is unforgivable.”
“But thanks to that, didn’t they manage to eliminate the underground god and bring peace to Gaia? Maybe there’s some room for understanding.”
“Are you crazy? Treason! The Haiman family was involved in the palace rebellion and even raised an army back then.”
“Wait, what’s this about a letter of recommendation for the Empress?”
“Apparently, His Majesty the Emperor has a favored holy knight. You know—the one who works at that tavern in the alley behind the central district.”
“Oh yeah, their honey beer is delicious.”
“They’ve been missing for a while now. The tavern owner’s been crying and searching everywhere. It’s heartbreaking. They disappeared so suddenly, I wonder if it’s connected to the palace…”
“Ian Hielo kidnapped them?”
“It says here he admitted to being involved.”
“This is a serious problem. This can’t be true.”
The excited chatter filled the streets. Regardless of right or wrong, the shock of the situation was overwhelming.
…
On the side of the bustling street, a woman cloaked in a robe stopped a passing newspaper boy and handed him a coin.
“Give me a copy as well.”
“Here you go, ma’am.”
Melania slipped into a quiet alley and studied the paper carefully. From the very first line, she felt a wave of despair.
She had hoped to leverage the Eastern wizard’s guidance to make a comeback, but that plan was effectively dead. Unless she met the great wizard from the East, there was no way forward.
On top of that, the palace’s political climate had grown unstable, forcing her to leave Romandro’s estate and wander from place to place. And now this article… Her small hand clenched involuntarily.
“Damn it.”
It was dangerous for her identity to become public knowledge like this. If she got caught up in the turmoil, she wouldn’t be able to seize the opportunity she wanted.
Taking a deep breath, Melania read the article again, carefully.
“Please, please—”
There has to be a way. Surely.
A breakthrough to move forward.
‘Wait.’
A sentence at the very end caught her eye: Ian Hielo had admitted everything.
Melania’s eyes widened as if she’d just realized something, and she froze for a moment.
‘…Ian Hielo admitted it? That’s strange. This is clearly damaging to him. He should be denying it, not confessing.’
Without hesitation, she turned and started running. The hem of her dress soaked in muddy water, but it was nothing more than a rag—she didn’t care.
After running for a while, she arrived at Romandro’s estate. She knocked firmly on the front door, and Viviana appeared, startled.
“Melania?”
“Uh, h-hello. Is Lord Romandro home?”
“Melania, I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t be here. Ian’s in trouble right now.”
Viviana glanced around and whispered. She had clearly read the paper too.
With the article claiming Ian was involved in treason because of Melania, and here she was standing boldly in broad daylight outside his assistant’s house—what if someone saw?
But Melania raised her hand, insisting she was fine.
“I have the answer. Please call Lord Romandro.”
“Wait, Melania—”
“Miss Melania?”
Romandro appeared, holding a newspaper, his expression dark. He reluctantly let her inside and clicked the door shut behind them.
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“Sorry to bother you, but I need to confirm something. Have you seen the paper?”
“I have. It’s maddening. What on earth is happening?”
Romandro paced the living room, pulling at his hair. He’d thought about going to the hotel where Ian was staying, but Ian had ordered no visitors unless he called for them, so he was stuck.
Melania downed the water Viviana handed her and added,
“Did Lord Ian report this himself?”
“I don’t know for sure, but since he admitted it—”
“The palace and Lord Ian are at odds right now.”
“Needless to say, they’re both desperate.”
“So this article is an attack aimed at Lord Ian, then.”
Ian wanted to fall from grace.
In other words…
‘The palace does not want Ian’s downfall.’
“This is an attack exploiting the fact that if Ian resigns, the palace will be in trouble.”
Romandro didn’t know the full details of the Ministry’s suspension of all officials except the minister, but he agreed Melania’s reasoning was sound. After a long moment of thought, he nodded.
“Is that so?”
“Lord Romandro, do you want Lord Ian to resign?”
“No, not like this.”
Though Ian would eventually step down due to health issues, he would never accept such a disgraceful exit. After all he’d done for Bariel!
Romandro clenched his fist resolutely, and Melania smiled.
“Then send me to the palace.”
“What do you mean? You want to go to the palace? What could you possibly do in this situation?”
Melania held up the newspaper. There was nothing about the palace’s stance anywhere in it.
“To disprove this article, to prevent Lord Ian’s resignation, there’s only one way.”
Her voice held a strange excitement, as if she could hardly believe it herself.
“That is, for me to be proven innocent of treason.”
If Melania could clear her name, then Ian’s act of helping her escape ten years ago wouldn’t be a crime. On the contrary, it would be seen as commendable, since it allowed them to pursue Rutherford.
“I can’t change the fact that I’m from the Haiman family, but I can create a new narrative. It happened ten years ago. The palace doesn’t need complicated evidence—they just need to say one thing to turn the tide: that I am not a criminal.”
Romandro’s mouth opened slightly. It was a brilliant move.
‘Back then, the Haiman family conspired in rebellion, but Melania alone remained loyal to the empire, providing information to the palace. Taking this into account, the empire spared her from execution and instead ordered her to pursue Rutherford.’
If they could spin that story, the current uproar would quickly die down.
“You’re remarkable.”
With the right approach, she could transform from a hidden traitor into a hero who sacrificed herself for the empire. The mistake of her family could be forgiven as a decade spent carrying out imperial missions.
“You don’t want Lord Ian to bear this disgrace, do you? Neither do I.”
Melania grasped Romandro’s hand, pleading. Her eyes sparkled with hope, desire, and ambition.
“Please send me to the palace. If the palace wants to stop Lord Ian’s resignation, they will need my help.”
Romandro hesitated. Ian had told him not to come to the hotel, but he hadn’t forbidden sending someone to the palace.
Besides, as Ian’s assistant, she couldn’t just stand by and watch. Finally, Romandro looked at Viviana and asked,
“Call a carriage, dear.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“This is a matter for the palace to decide. And Miss Melania, this is the fate you’ve chosen.”
Melania looked more confident than ever.
“Yes. This is the opportunity I chose, the moment I’ve always hoped for. Thank you, Lord Romandro. I won’t forget this.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m just doing this for Ian.”
While Viviana went outside to find a carriage to take her to the palace, Romandro handed Melania his pass.
“Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“I want to know what’s going on inside the palace. Send me letters whenever you can. Ian told me to keep my eyes and ears shut and stay away from the estate, but I should at least know what’s happening.”
Melania nodded.
“I will report everything in detail.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“The carriage has arrived! Please come out!”
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Melania gave Romandro a quick glance before climbing into the carriage. Almost immediately, she hid her face beneath the tightly wrapped hood of her robe.
Neigh.
Even after the carriage disappeared from sight, Romandro stood there for a long moment, watching. Then, slowly, he closed and locked the door.
Acorella gripped her pen tightly, observing the two employees closely. She was determined to record every reaction they showed after drinking the potion.
The two men licked their lips for a while, then muttered softly.
“So… what should we say?”
“Anything.”
“The taste is… disgusting.”
“Don’t talk about that!”
Damn it. Just as Acorella was about to snap at them, their eyes suddenly widened. Their faces drained of color.
“What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”
“Captain Acorella, what exactly did we just drink?”
“I told you—it’s supposed to help you regain your memories.”
“Don’t lie to us. What did you do?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
They hesitated, then took a step back, clutching their hair as if they wanted to tear it out.
“You cast a spell, didn’t you?!”
“No, I didn’t! Calm down!”
“This is too much. How could you do this in a situation like this…”
They couldn’t even bring themselves to say it aloud.
Acorella frowned in confusion. For both of them to react this way at the same time meant they shared some erased memory. Was this not just a Ministry problem? Had others had their memories cut out too?
“Captain, please reverse it quickly!”
“Shut up. I want to try it myself first.”
No other choice. She had to become the test subject.
She downed the now-cold memory potion and immediately frowned. She was starting to understand what they meant by “disgusting taste”…
“Ah.”
At that moment, Acorella’s eyes widened as well.
It felt like something long buried in fog was slowly stirring and clearing away. The broken pieces of her memories were snapping firmly back together, and forgotten emotions surged like waves.
“…!”
A single tear slipped from her widened eyes—a reflex she couldn’t control.
“My name is Ian Verosion—”
And just as vividly as the memories returned, so did the voice.
“I am the Emperor from Bariel, 100 years in the future.”
Acorella was left speechless, her hand covering her mouth. How much time had passed like that? She muttered a curse under her breath, a low groan.
“…Goddamn it.”