Chapter 828

Acorella’s body swayed violently.

How could she possibly have forgotten this? Since when? No matter how much she thought about it, it made no sense. Their victory over the Underworld God was thanks to Ian coming from the future, wasn’t it?

It was astonishing. And at the same time, terrifying. To be helplessly overpowered by some unknown force that could slice memories away like paper.

“…How is this even possible?”

She rubbed her forehead, desperately searching through her memories, but found no clear cause. The last thing she remembered was the final battle with the Underworld God—surely something had happened then…

“What about the other memories?”

The new ones that surfaced were all about ‘Ian Verosion.’ From the moment in Agiar when she cut open the gypsy’s belly to reclaim her name, to the day the mages fought the Great Demon beneath the Masantar Temple—those memories had been completely wiped clean.

“Could there be more?”

She wondered if there was still something she had forgotten, but there was no way to remember what she couldn’t recall. Like not noticing the air before drowning, without a catalyst, she would never realize it.

Snap!

So Acorella grabbed the potion again. Knowing that what she had forgotten was so important, she feared there might still be memories she hadn’t yet recovered.

“C-Captain?”

“Why are you doing this?”

The two officials backed away nervously from Acorella. They had no idea what to make of her behavior. Was it really okay for her to keep drinking like this? Hesitantly, they tried to stop her.

“P-Please stop and put it away. This is a warning for you, Captain. The memories that come up are so vivid, they feel real.”

“Y-Yes, yes, we’ll pretend we never knew you were on the second floor. We won’t tell anyone, so please stop. You’ll really get in trouble if this keeps up.”

Acorella herself knew better than anyone how the current palace crisis had started. It was all because of the rumors about ‘Ian Verosion.’ Yet how could they implant such delusions in their own minds? It was beyond excessive.

“The corpse of Rutherford has been confirmed to show no signs of mind control. The Eastern mages verified it. But if you keep doing this, new misunderstandings will arise. Please restrain yourself and think carefully.”

“We’ll pretend we don’t know! We swear!”

The officials tried to erase the memories that had surfaced from the potion. Their minds refused to accept reality because of the disconnect.

It was understandable. In the palace, just mentioning ‘Ian Verosion’ was enough to make people sharpen their knives as if ready to kill. And Acorella was known for her eccentricities even in normal times.

“It’s not mind control, you little brats!”

“It’s not mind control? Then how do you explain us forgetting all this? Nothing happened. We didn’t even go to war.”

“That’s right. Nothing happened in the capital.”

Not knowing why they had lost their memories, they could only deny it. If a mage lost memories, it might be a side effect of magic; if a warrior, the aftermath of war or a monster’s curse. But they had lived their daily lives as usual while the war raged.

“Damn it, so—”

Acorella clutched her dizzy head and collapsed. The cause of her memory loss? She didn’t know. But Ian would.

As her breath grew shallow, the officials glanced toward the door. It seemed best to call for help—for their sake and for Acorella’s.

“Is there, is there anyone outside—”

“Stop!”

Zzzzt!

Acorella lightly released magic from her fingertips. She was so dizzy she could barely move a finger, but she had no choice.

The two officials turned pale. Not only mind control, but now magic too!

“Hah, ha—”

Gasping for breath, Acorella racked her brain. This was bad. Things were going downhill fast.

I can’t let anyone outside get involved. If those bureaucrats call this mind control, there’s no way to argue.

The potion was Acorella’s own creation, and the Magic Department was at odds with the entire palace. It was a plausible story.

I have to prepare.

To refute their claims, she needed evidence. Even if the memories were gone, there had to be traces left somewhere… Then suddenly—

Wait. Ian remembers, doesn’t he? In other words, not everything was erased…?

The possibility of exceptions? Okay.

And one more thing. It would be best if the evidence was undeniable, something with official credibility…

The battle report from Agiar and the Masantar Temple!

Acorella decided it was best to check those first. Not to prove mind control, but to secure proof that they had simply forgotten the truth.

“Is anyone up there?”

But just then, a palace guard came up to the second floor, looking puzzled. He had sensed a faint magic. He had quickly noticed the magic Acorella had briefly released to stop the officials from fleeing.

“Captain Acorella?”

“P-Please help me!”

The guard froze when he saw Acorella sitting on the floor, surrounded by overturned equipment. But then he noticed the officials’ pale faces and uneasy expressions and frowned.

“What’s going on? Everyone, calm down. Captain Acorella, weren’t you supposed to have left the palace? The Magic Department is currently off-limits.”

“Be careful, guard! Captain Acorella performed an experiment. It’s magic that implants strange memories in the mind!”

“What did you say?”

The guard carefully examined the scattered equipment still warm to the touch. The officials staggered toward him and hid behind his back.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“It seems we were implanted with disrespectful memories.”

“Please do something! She even used magic when we tried to escape!”

Everyone was stomping their feet, unsure what to do. The situation looked serious. The guard cautiously approached Acorella to check her condition.

“Captain, can you hear me?”

Acorella weakly nodded, cold sweat dripping down her chin.

“Please verify if what they say is true.”

“Damn it, it’s not mind control… it’s recovery.”

“Oh dear.”

Regardless of the potion’s authenticity, it was true that she had broken into the Magic Department without permission, forcibly administered the potion to officials, and even used magic to threaten them.

The guard scratched his chin awkwardly, then helped Acorella to her feet.

“Captain, I’m sorry, but you’re under emergency arrest for disobeying imperial orders and abusing magic. This is according to imperial law, so please understand.”

“Wait, just a moment—”

“We’ll prioritize treatment, but since you threatened officials with magic, you must wear a magic-sealing bracelet. This way, please.”

Acorella twisted her body, trying to break free, but her strength was gone. …Right. She had just realized something new: always conduct experiments on others, never on yourself.

“No, more importantly, Ian! Call Ian! Or at least let me see His Majesty!”

“…Captain Acorella, don’t you understand the situation?”

The guard sighed quietly and looked around. Other officials had gathered, drawn by the commotion. She had defied the emperor’s orders, broken into the Magic Department, administered a mysterious potion to others, and used magic to subdue them—she was under arrest.

“Please be quiet. There are procedures for everything. If you want to see Minister Ian or His Majesty, finish the investigation and make a formal request. What exactly did you take?”

“Shut up! I’ll tell you what I took, so stop nagging. You, you’re just Beric’s lackey, right? Fine, go get Beric!”

“You’ll get hurt, Captain. Hey, go get the bracelet.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Even though she could barely stand.

As Acorella struggled more, another guard fastened a magic-sealing bracelet around her wrist.

Clink!

“Hey! Are you crazy? I’m Acorella! Acorella of the Magic Department!”

The bracelet was thin as a thread but strong enough to control her magic. Acorella grabbed an official by the collar and headbutted him.

Smack!

“Ahhh! My nose!”

“Captain!”

“Let go of me!”

“The more you resist, the worse it gets for you!”

“What about Ian—!”

Acorella wanted to shout with all her might that Ian Verosion was real, that he was the emperor from the future.

But she knew what would happen if she did. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she gave up and relaxed her body.

“Hah.”

Her stomach churned, her head ached—she felt like she was going to die. Damn it.

The guard supported the weakened Acorella and helped her into a carriage. Treatment was urgent. Though she had caused a scene with her temper, her condition looked objectively bad: pale complexion, dry lips, and drenched in cold sweat.

“The two officials who were with her upstairs.”

“Yes!”

“They’ll come along. To the interrogation room.”

“Y-Yes.”

Just her luck. The two officials climbed into the carriage behind her, tears in their eyes.

As the carriage finally pulled away, the crowd gradually returned to their places, murmuring among themselves.

“But when did Captain Akorella get here?”

“Did she use magic? No regard for anything at all. Even in a situation like this.”

“What potion are they talking about?”

“No idea. Two officials took it, but they clammed up completely. We’ll find out once the investigation gets underway. Hey, wait—another carriage’s coming in.”

Just as the carriage carrying Akorella left, a new one rolled up—not from the palace, but from outside. A guard approached and knocked on the window.

Tap tap.

“Who goes there? This is the Ministry of Magic. Entry is restricted to authorized personnel only for the time being.”

“Ah! Hello. I’m from the Mail Daily. Um, well, we’re looking for someone.”

“Mail Daily? The main palace is on the other side.”

“I have business with the Ministry of Magic…”

The Mail Daily editor kept glancing nervously around, sweat beading on his forehead. Wait, Minister Ian? Something’s off. Didn’t he say Captain Akorella would be at the Ministry? The atmosphere feels tense.

The guard took a step forward, motioning them to move along.

“Please proceed to the main palace. Any matters related to the Ministry can be handled there.”

“Y-yes, thank you.”

The editor closed the window and signaled the driver to head toward the main palace. Captain Akorella? She must be somewhere inside the palace. The Minister of Magic wouldn’t have given false information, so it’s best to go there first, see if there’s any further statement about the Mail Daily article, and keep a close watch.

Whirrr!

Once the second carriage left the Ministry, the guard exhaled and dusted off his hands.

Then—

“Hm?”

From afar, a carriage crossed the main road. A familiar flag fluttered from it.

“The Ministry of Magic?”

No mistake. That was definitely the Ministry’s banner. The guard straightened up, expecting it to stop by, but the carriage kept going straight toward the main palace without pause.

Seeing this, the crowd began to stir again.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, isn’t that Lord Romandro’s carriage?”

“Is it? I don’t know.”

“Looks like it.”

“What’s happening here?”

Two outsiders had just arrived at the palace—

The Mail Daily editor and Melania. Two carriages, each carrying one of them, entered the main palace simultaneously, following the same route Akorella’s escort had taken.

Clack clack!

“Hurry up!”

“Yes, understood.”

As the main palace drew near, Melania shed her robe and boldly revealed her face, heralding a new wind about to sweep through the palace.