Chapter 875
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
At the guard’s signal, the horse slowed to a trot and then came to a gentle stop. Ian looked around the village with curious eyes and soon spotted a small sign.
‘Onlyhole Village.’
A tiny settlement near the Onlyhole River, one of the streams flowing through the central region. Despite its size, it seemed to have everything one might need—inn flyers and various notices plastered all over the place.
The guard pointed across the street with his finger toward Romandro.
“Head over to the inn over there. It’s the biggest one in the village. You should get your things sorted first, and… you said you wanted to investigate, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Come back around four o’clock. We’ll have the others ready by then.”
“Thanks a bunch.”
Romandro winked and kept poking the guard’s side playfully. The guard chuckled at his easygoing manner.
Philia and the other healers, with the help of the villagers, were moving the injured, while Romandro carried the luggage toward the inn.
“Master, stay here with me until everything’s settled.”
“Hana, you don’t need treatment, do you?”
“It’s just a small scrape on my palm. A little salve will fix it right up.”
Ian, sitting on Hana’s lap, basked lazily in the sunlight. Just moments ago, bandits had attacked, and it had been chaos—life and death—but now, everything felt as peaceful as if it were a dream.
Hana, too, seemed to have relaxed, closing her eyes to savor the warmth.
“You must have been pretty shaken up.”
“A little. But I’m okay.”
Because he survived.
Ian tapped his toes anxiously and glanced over at Nersarn, who was helping the villagers carry the wagon’s cargo inside the inn.
‘It’s really amazing.’
A stranger from the faraway Great Desert just happened to be nearby and was helping him. Nersarn didn’t understand the meaning behind the chieftain’s last words, but since he had already saved Ian, that alone gave them meaning.
Just as Hana was about to gently wipe the blood from Ian’s cheek with a handkerchief—
Tap tap tap!
Hiiing!
Another sound came from the village entrance. A guard? Both of them peeked out, frowning.
“It’s them!”
It was Crony and his group.
They hurried into the village, leading people, and when they spotted Ian, their expressions turned unreadable.
“Uncle!”
Thud!
Crony jumped off his horse and ran straight to Ian. The villagers, hearing the worried voice, smiled sadly, not knowing the full story.
“Uncle! I heard the news—you ran into bandits? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…No, Sir Crony. Thanks to everyone’s help, I’m unharmed. Is that why you came?”
“Why else? Of course I had to come! I’m your only protector now, aren’t I?”
Since Ian hadn’t yet joined the Mage Department, the statement wasn’t exactly wrong, and he pressed his lips together. Crony grasped the child’s hand and whispered,
“I told you, it’s dangerous outside the territory. The closer you get to the center, the more sinister people will be lurking, waiting to target you.”
“It’s not too late. Shall we return to the Hadel territory? If you stay hidden in the mansion, no one will harm you. And that ‘no one’ includes me. Look at how many have died because of your little ambitions. This is practically your last chance—”
Crony’s tone was firm.
“You’re too young, Uncle, with much to lose and no one around to protect you. You can wait until you’re older to go to the center. I’ll speak to the Mage Department on your behalf. That’s the best course, Uncle Ian.”
Hana couldn’t bring herself to interrupt; Crony’s persuasion was meticulous and calm. Ian looked up at him quietly and smiled.
“Thank you for your concern, Sir Crony.”
A smile? Seeing Ian’s unexpected reaction, Crony was a little taken aback.
“But I’ve already informed the palace that I’m coming, so it wouldn’t be right to back out now. The bandit incident was just a coincidence. I’m trying not to dwell on it.”
“…What if it wasn’t a coincidence, but a sign?”
“Do you think, Sir Crony, that I’ll face many such incidents in the future?”
“I don’t hope so.”
“Then that’s enough.”
Seeing Crony’s unease about the Mage Department, Ian came up with a plan.
‘If I say the bandits targeted me, the investigation might not be thorough. I’m too young to be linked to bandits, as Romandro said.’
But what if he hinted that the Mage Department itself was the target?
If he twisted it slightly to say the bandits intended to harm Romandro and the Mage Department staff, the investigators wouldn’t let it slide. The Mage Department wouldn’t ignore such an attack.
‘They’ll treat it as an assault on the Mage Department and investigate thoroughly.’
Ian bowed to Crony and then dashed toward the inn.
It was truly strange. Not long ago, he thought he was completely alone, but now—
Hana following him, Romandro greeting him while moving luggage, Nersarn looking at Crony with a puzzled expression, Philia exchanging glances despite the chaos… Having them around made him less afraid than before.
‘Than before?’
The word stopped Ian’s thoughts.
‘Before…’
Could he even call the days when his parents died “before”? It had only been about two weeks. Usually, “before” refers to some distant past.
“Ian?”
“Oh, Romandro.”
“We’ll be heading out around four, so just wait a bit. Hungry?”
“…Yeah.”
“Hana, take him to the dining room for a meal.”
“Yes, sir. This way, Master.”
Hana picked Ian up and led him inside the inn.
Meanwhile, Romandro set down the luggage and watched Crony talking with the guard captain in the distance.
“I think they were after me.”
Though he hoped it wasn’t true, Ian’s words lingered in his mind. There had to be some reason the boy was targeted.
And if it was true, the most suspicious person right now was Crony.
‘What about the inheritance rights?’
Who would control the Hadel territory if Ian were gone?
Romandro planned to find out once they reached the center and kept a close eye on the conversation between Crony and the guard captain.
“What about the bandits?”
“None of them have come to yet.”
They were all knocked senseless by the stranger’s brutal fists, barely clinging to life.
Crony lit a cigarette and frowned.
“Tch. Damn bastards. Uncle Ian is the sole heir of Lord Hadel’s estate. He’s the only inheritor. And recently, he lost both his parents. Now, on the way to the center, this misfortune happens again. It breaks my heart.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. I apologize for failing to maintain security.”
The guard captain bowed deeply. At the same time, they exchanged subtle signals.
Several people would be in trouble if the bandit investigation went too deep. The guard captain nodded knowingly and added,
“By the honor of the guard captain, I’ll make sure they pay. We’ll hold them fully accountable for this incident.”
“Good. Do your best. Just thinking about those bastards makes my blood boil. How long will you keep playing captain out here on the fringes? It’s time to move up to the palace.”
He was urging the guard captain to prove his worth so he could secure a position in the Imperial Defense Department.
The guard captain saluted vigorously and entered the building.
“Look at this.”
Romandro hesitated, stunned. The blood soaking the guard’s sleeve was no ordinary sight.
They checked their watches and grumbled that it was already four o’clock.
“You’re here.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing wrong. Just doing our job. Those bandits were arrogant and disrespectful, so we taught them a lesson. I don’t know what you want to investigate, but it seems like nothing serious.”
Ian peeked out from behind Romandro.
Ignoring him, the guards handed Romandro the statements they’d collected and wiped the sweat and blood from their necks.
“Identity checks are done. They were all wanted criminals. Bandits who’d been spotted around here for months. There were two reports of merchant caravan attacks and three involving travelers—all their doing.”
It was just routine. The bandits had ambushed a passing wagon, and it just happened to be the Hadel family’s procession. That was the guards’ conclusion.
“Hmm.”
Romandro studied the details carefully. Using all his experience from paperwork at the Mage Department, he looked for anything suspicious—but found none.
After working for quite some time, the guards slumped into chairs, smoking cigarettes.
“If you want to investigate further, come inside.”
“Well, since we’re here, might as well.”
“Ah, but—”
As Ian tried to follow Romandro inside, a guard stopped him. He looked the boy up and down, frowning with concern.
“It’s better if the child doesn’t go in.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a lot of blood, and… well, it doesn’t look good.”
Romandro glanced back at Ian. What should we do? Should I go in alone?
But Ian pressed right up beside Romandro and shot a glare at the guards.
“It’s fine. And I am Ian Hadel.”
It was a sharp reprimand for their disrespect in calling him “kid.”
The guard sheepishly raised his hands. “Apologies. I’m just exhausted and not thinking straight.”
“Be more careful next time. Romandro, go in.”
“Y-Yes, yes.”
Romandro turned the doorknob to the interrogation room. A wave of coppery blood stench hit him immediately. Inside, tied to a chair, was a half-dead bandit.
Romandro looked back at the guards. “Hey! Isn’t this a bit much?”
The man’s condition was horrific.
Every inch of him was bruised and battered from torture and beatings. More than that, he was in no state to be questioned.
“How can you expect to get answers if you leave the suspect like this?”
“We did it the guard’s way since he wouldn’t open his mouth properly. That’s why I told you—it’s too gruesome to look at. You should have stopped it.”
“That’s not what I meant. If you said you’d interrogate him at three, then at least…!”
At the very least, he should have been left able to speak!
Romandro was about to shout when a sudden thought stopped him. He recalled the conversation between Crony and the captain of the guards.
‘Could it be?’
…Did they deliberately beat him to this state to keep him quiet?
Romandro considered it a real possibility. He bit his lip, watching the guard smirk as if it was no big deal.
“Romandro.”
“What now?”
Ian asked quietly. Romandro sighed and rummaged through his coat, pulling out a secret weapon.
“There’s still a way.”
“A way?”
“Long ago, there was a mad wizard in the magic department—almost legendary. He even served as the head of the department, but his eccentricities caused his achievements to be overlooked.”
Pop!
Ian blinked as Romandro produced a small pink vial. The sound of the cap popping off was surprisingly cheerful.
“This is a special healing potion from the magic department. We’ve been using it on the wounded, and there’s only one left. It’s a shame, but we have no choice but to use it on this guy. Something smells fishy here—we can’t just back down now!”