Chapter 838

“No, wait! Minister Ian!”

The nobles who had stormed in with Ian were flustered, calling out to him in confusion. What on earth was he trying to do? Even though the mages had rushed in to restrain him, how could he just declare defeat without a fight?

Ian continued murmuring, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. His hands gently patted the backs of those clinging to him.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t hold too much resentment. The choice was yours to make.”

A chill ran down the nobles’ spines, freezing them in place. Their minds went blank. They couldn’t fully grasp the situation, but one thing was clear: this was a trap. Ian had never intended for the rebellion to succeed from the start.

“Resentment? What resentment?”

At that moment, someone quickly contradicted Ian.

“Your Majesty, why are you here in person? We were planning to come to you ourselves.”

They tried to play it off casually, as if nothing was wrong.

They hadn’t actually done anything yet. Sure, they had followed Ian into the palace, but so what? As central nobles, wasn’t it their right to petition the palace for the stability of the realm? The timing was awkward, and they wore swords at their waists, but on the surface, that was all.

“Y-yes, Your Majesty. Since all the mages are gathered here, it’s a good opportunity to talk. Lately, there have been many concerns about the current situation.”

Had anyone died? No. Had anything been broken or destroyed? No. Had anyone drawn their sword? There hadn’t even been time. They’d crossed a line, but it was still possible to turn back. No, they had to. That was their last hope.

Jin frowned and slowly approached the nobles, dragging his sword with a metallic scrape.

“Talk?”

Ian had made a mistake by inciting rebellion, but it was also a mistake to fall for it in the end. As the emperor drew near, the nobles instinctively took a step back.

“Yes, Your Majesty. We are innocent!”

“Innocent of what?”

“Whatever it is Your Majesty suspects!”

It was perhaps fortunate that everything had happened so quickly. There were no letters exchanged, no witnesses to testify. Only servants or stable hands sent to meet Ian, at most.

Then Ian gave up completely and declared:

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I intended to commit treason.”

The mages clinging to him pressed closer, unable to stop his confession but wanting to show their solidarity.

“The nobles gathered here have consented to this. Punish us together and restore order to the empire.”

“It’s a lie! That’s impossible!”

“Yes, that’s right. We only joined because Minister Ian asked us to petition Your Majesty.”

“Treason? Absolutely not! It’s false! If we had wanted that, we wouldn’t have come here unarmed.”

“They trusted my magic.”

“You say you’re ill, but have you lost your mind? Silence, Minister Ian! We firmly deny these charges!”

The nobles raised their hands in protest, feigning innocence. Denial was their survival strategy. Without concrete evidence, they might just get through this.

With a soft sound, Ian tore off the brooch pinned to his chest and lightly tossed it. The red gemstone rolled to the nobles’ feet and stopped.

“Here is the proof.”

Could it be a mana stone? Impossible! The nobles’ faces drained of color. Jin turned away, as if there was nothing more to see, and gave the order.

“Take them away.”

“Wait, Your Majesty!”

“Don’t worry too much. Given the circumstances, no one should be wrongfully accused. We will investigate thoroughly, so those innocent can rest assured and wait.”

They were to explain themselves in the interrogation chambers.

Guards approached the nobles at Jin’s command. Any further resistance would only lead to their forcible removal. Reluctantly, they complied.

“Ian.”

Jin looked down at Ian. The morning sunlight stretched long across Ian’s pale skin and green eyes.

A brief silence. Ian was the first to speak.

“I apologize.”

Though they were not alike, Ian was apologizing for turning his back on Jin so recklessly.

Jin bit his lip and frowned.

“Why…?”

Why were you apologizing? You should blame your own weakness for failing to overcome the power of the underground god.

Ian hesitated when he saw moisture gather in Jin’s eyes. Fortunately, the emperor did not shed tears. There were too many witnesses here.

“I care for you as I do for Bariel.”

“That is only natural.”

“I cherish you as I cherish Bariel.”

If only he had been honest from the start, they wouldn’t have come this far. If that had happened, Ian would have smiled freely, glad to share blood with him.

“You’re a little hard to forgive.”

Ian smiled faintly, and Jin frowned but smiled back. He wanted to talk more, but now was not the time.

“Escort Minister Ian to the interrogation chambers. Since he is a mage, the Magic Department will handle him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Palace guards, quell the disturbance and restore order.”

The palace guards nodded, thinking: What is this? We prepared for a full-scale rebellion, but it’s just words and that’s it?

Should they be relieved or baffled? They didn’t know the full story, but it seemed the Magic Department’s intervention had changed Ian’s mind.

Barsabe sighed in confusion and motioned to his men.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

Then Barsabe’s eyes caught sight of a flash of red hair.

“…”

Palace Guard Captain Beric was still among those clinging to Ian. His face was hidden, but his resolve was clear. He wouldn’t let go easily.

Barsabe sighed. After all, Ian was accused of treason. It wasn’t appropriate for anyone to cling to him like that. But what could he do? The emperor said nothing, so neither would he.

“Ian, aren’t you going a bit too far?”

“Why did you do it? You had several chances.”

“That’s right. You’re so cold, it’s beyond indifference. It’s infuriating and suffocating!”

“If it weren’t for Captain Akorella and Romandro, what would have happened? Treason, treason!”

Voices grumbled from within Ian’s embrace. Ian smiled. Ah, so Akorella was the one who made the potion. Without telling me.

‘…Thank you. In many ways.’

Ian kept his eyes on the ceiling, patiently enduring the mages’ complaints. It felt like it was time to get up, but there was no sign of the meeting ending. As he tried to rise, a flash of red hair suddenly filled his vision.

“Hey.”

It was Beric.

He looked down at Ian with a scowl. Then, suddenly, warm tears traced down Ian’s cheek.

“Are you seriously joking?”

Is this what it meant to serve the emperor? From the start…

“It’s no joke. I was sincere.”

Ian smiled in reply, and Beric let out a bitter laugh.

“And Beric, your path was destined long ago, even without this situation. Once you hold a sword, there’s no turning back.”

“Ugh, you’re so full of yourself, it’s annoying.”

“Did I seem that way?”

“You know you’re dismissed now, right? You’re nothing.”

No longer a minister, having renounced his title, no longer a noble. Just a seventeen-year-old boy with nothing.

Ian nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. And a traitor, too.”

“That’s right. So—”

Suddenly, Ian’s eyes widened. Beric had grabbed his cheek and stretched it out. Despite his angry expression, his touch was gentle.

“Behave yourself. Got it?”

Everyone watching gasped at the sudden move. But it was brief. Soon, their eyes softened, and smiles broke out.

“Oh…”

The mages looked at Beric with a hint of envy, murmuring their admiration.

Who would have thought that such a reckless, hotheaded guy had his good points? Pinching the emperor’s cheek like that… not bad at all.

“What are you all thinking? Move out.”

Barsabe’s reprimand snapped the mages back to reality as they helped Ian to his feet.

“Ian, let’s get you downstairs.”

“Yes. The officials will be noisy.”

“Are you feeling alright? You didn’t use magic, did you?”

Ian walked slowly, thinking: Once news of the palace incident spreads, the entire central government—no, all of Bariel—will be in an uproar.

---

“Extra! Extra!”

“What’s happened now?”

“Minister Ian Hiel of the Magic Department has been dismissed. He tried to incite a rebellion with nobles inside the palace but was subdued and is now imprisoned underground for investigation!”

“What?!”

“Hey! Give me a copy right now!”

Early morning, as the sun rose, news of Ian’s treason spread throughout the capital. Could the world really change so drastically overnight? Rumors of tension between the Magic Department and the palace had been swirling, but treason?

“Then why was it so quiet?”

“It was very calm through the night.”

“It looks like the Ministry of Magic and Minister Ian have completely split. Did the wizards opposing the rebellion put up some kind of protective barrier around the palace?”

“Wow, no matter how much of a genius Minister Ian is, he still can’t take on the entire Ministry, huh?”

“Of course not! How many wizards are there anyway?”

“So, does this mean the palace situation is stabilizing? The new minister will probably take a different stance from Ian, right?”

“If you’re not an idiot, you’d bet on the palace side, definitely.”

“Hey, look at this. It says here they actively stopped the rebellion.”

“Is this for real? It all happened so suddenly, I can’t quite believe it.”

“They say the heads of the central noble families involved in the rebellion are being brought to the palace one after another. Sounds legit.”

“But what on earth happened to Ian? How did he end up like this?”

“Well, we can’t know what the higher-ups were thinking.”

“Man, I never thought I’d see something like this in my lifetime.”

Clatter, clatter!

Whinny!

Just as expected, a carriage rushed down the main street, weaving through the crowd of people chattering loudly. It flew the banner of a central noble family. But the palace gates were already jam-packed with carriages that had arrived earlier.

“What’s going on here?”

“This is the Marquis of Gladia. I heard his son is at the palace.”

“Ah, yes. Please wait a moment.”

Half the nobles had come looking for their children who sided with Ian, and—

“This looks serious. Something must have happened.”

The other half were nobles who came to assess the situation.

On one side, there was panic and anxiety over the sudden disaster; on the other, curious eyes watching the chaos like a spectacle.

“We need to confirm exactly which families are involved.”

If any rival families were caught up in this, it could be a golden opportunity. A sudden windfall, really.

“Let’s round them all up and send them off at once. Remember when Hyman was purged? Holin rose to power then. The enemy’s downfall is our chance.”

Those eager to seize the opportunity clashed with—

“Rebellion? That’s nonsense. They say the palace guards were loyal to the end. No way that’s true. It can’t be.”

Those denying the rebellion charges sparked a small uproar.

Clatter, clatter!

Nobles, each with their own agenda, hurried up the palace steps without hesitation.

Some officials who recognized them gave a slight bow, but they didn’t have the energy to respond. Watching the nobles rush by without a care, the officials clicked their tongues and went back to their duties.

Meanwhile—

“Please allow me to inspect this.”

An outsider arrived, holding something neatly wrapped. A guard stopped him.

“Where are you headed?”

“To the underground prison.”

“Ah.”

The guard carefully opened the silver tray. Since this was the section where nobles and wizards accused of treason were held, security was tight.

Clink.

“Is that… chocolate cake?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But you’re taking this to the underground prison?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why either. But does it really matter?”

What do any of us know? Just a low-level employee following orders.

The guard nodded and stepped aside. The finest chocolate cake, wrapped in the most luxurious silk, was carried down into the cold depths below.