Chapter 881

Minister Arena and the heads of each department gathered in the conference room, but no one dared to speak. The shock was so unprecedented that everyone seemed completely at a loss for words.

With a deep sigh, Arena finally broke the silence in a low voice.

“…Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

Not only was it astonishing that a five-year-old noble-born mage existed, but her magical power far exceeded anyone’s expectations.

As Arena began to speak, the mages seized the opportunity and started talking loudly, as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

“To have that much power without even using a magic circle… I saw it with my own eyes, but I still can’t believe it. Should we try it again?”

“Try it again? Stop wasting time with nonsense.”

“Life’s so unfair. Some of us barely made it into the royal palace after scraping by in the back alleys, and then there’s someone born into a noble family with this kind of power at just five years old.”

“…And she’s cute, too.”

“Yeah… she was adorable.”

“Ugh, it’s so annoying.”

Arena’s expression twisted in disbelief at how the conversation had suddenly boiled down to “she’s cute.” Were these people really out of their minds? She slammed her fist on the table to snap them out of it, but the mages just shook their heads and chuckled.

“She’s definitely a mage who’ll go down in history.”

“No arguments here.”

Because magical power is closely tied to the soul, there’s a clear limit to how much it can grow through training. While technical advancements like researching magic circles or using mana stones are possible, fundamentally changing one’s magical power is nearly impossible. In other words, Ian Hadel was a fully formed prodigy.

Arena rubbed her forehead and lowered her head, and the department heads tried to comfort her.

“Minister, don’t worry too much. After all, she’s just a five-year-old. Are you really thinking about giving up your position?”

“That’s right. For now, you’re still the minister.”

“What the hell, are you guys seriously crazy?”

Arena threw the report down with a sharp “shaa!” The mages raised their arms defensively.

“Whoa! Why are you like this?”

“Come on, aren’t you worried about your ministerial seat?”

“We don’t know Ian Hadel’s personality yet, but who knows if she might suddenly challenge you to a duel?”

No matter what else, the number one qualification for Minister of Magic was strength. Having witnessed Ian Hadel’s power firsthand, they couldn’t help but think about the next minister.

“Please, think before you speak. Do you really think I’m acting like this because of the ministerial position? Palace work isn’t child’s play. What could a five-year-old possibly do? What I’m worried about is—”

Arena looked each of the department heads in the eye and sighed softly.

“Don’t you get it?”

“…Get what?”

“Ian Hadel has no parents, started working in the Magic Department at five years old, and she’s a genius among geniuses. The future of Bariel, no, the entire Gaia depends on how she grows up!”

Her near-shriek made the department heads blink. It was clear they still hadn’t fully grasped the gravity of the situation.

“When history judges Ian Hadel, our Magic Department—and damn it, me, Arena—will be judged too. For how we took responsibility for her childhood and education!”

“Come on, that can’t be.”

“Can’t be? After what we just saw?”

“……”

If Ian Hadel’s growth stagnated, it would be the Magic Department’s failure from the start. And if she grew up a broken person who became a huge threat to Bariel or Gaia, all the blame would fall squarely on the department.

“If she were an adult with that kind of power, it wouldn’t be so burdensome. But she’s only five… at the golden age of personality formation, living in the Magic Department, no, this damn palace…”

Arena muttered seriously, and the mages gradually began to accept the reality.

She was right. Even those called paragons of virtue often lose their way after entering the palace. What hope was there for a mere five-year-old? Honestly, Arena wasn’t sure if they could handle her when she became an adult.

“Take good care of her.”

Arena’s eyes flashed as she spoke solemnly.

“Her magical development is her own responsibility, sure. But if her personality goes off the rails, that’s on the Magic Department. We have to raise her right—”

She frowned as if she never thought she’d have to say such a thing. But there was no avoiding the truth.

“We have to raise her right.”

“Yes, Minister!”

“That’s right. If she grows up a spoiled brat with that power, it’ll be a disaster.”

“What about her living arrangements? It’d be best to keep her as far from the palace as possible.”

For mages, it’s standard to live outside the palace and commute. Many practically live in the Magic Department due to overtime, but still.

“However, there’s no precedent for reducing duties without a special reason. And having a five-year-old join the department is unprecedented. I don’t know how the royal family or other departments will react.”

“If they realize how talented Ian is, they’ll want to exploit her in every way.”

Arena thought hard, then nodded decisively.

“…School.”

“Excuse me?”

“Send her to school to minimize her palace duties.”

If she spent most of her time at school, it would provide a legitimate reason, and no one could object. She pointed to a section of the “Mana User Special Protection Act” with her fingertip.

“Here, the law states that the purpose is to guarantee the basic rights of mana users, right? Among those rights is social rights, and one of the things social rights pursue is the ‘right to education.’ If anyone complains about her wanting to study, report them all.”

Or you can raise her yourselves, for all I care. Arena scowled, determined not to back down—even though no one had objected yet.

“Yes, that sounds good. School will help her develop social skills and learn a lot. It’ll also reduce our workload. But which school should she attend?”

“There’s only one.”

“Hmm. I guess it has to be that one?”

A mage murmured, resting his chin on his hand. The only special education school in Bariel, established by the palace—the Central Energes Academy. It’s an institution for gifted students excelling in research and invention, young warriors who’ve shown early talent as magic swordsmen, and other gifted individuals. For a mage like Ian, that’s the only option.

“Have any mages ever enrolled there before?”

“No idea. We can look it up.”

“I doubt it…”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, no, I guess not.”

The mage scratched his head. Teaching magic would still be handled by the Magic Department. Ian just needed to go to school, make friends, get a basic education, and grow up straight.

Arena snapped her fingers, satisfied that the plan was roughly set.

“Good. Oh, wait! Who’s Ian Hadel’s guardian right now?”

“No idea. We haven’t been informed. Romandro just wrote ‘Magic Department’ on the form.”

“Is that guy crazy?”

Arena hesitated when she saw “Magic Department” written in the guardian section. Even if Ian had no parents, surely she had some relatives?

‘Hmm.’

But since no one had listed anyone, there must be some reason.

She motioned for a pen and drew a line through “Magic Department.”

“For now, tell Romandro to take charge of Ian. Finding a place in the capital, preparing for enrollment, everything. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll pass it on.”

“Good. And one last thing.”

Boom.

Arena slammed her hand on the desk and declared solemnly, wrapping up the meeting.

“Take good care of Ian Hadel. Make sure she doesn’t go astray.”

“Understood.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

With the plan roughly settled, all that remained was to inform Ian and Romandro. As Arena and the mages stepped outside, they sensed a commotion.

“Hey.”

“Ah, Minister! You’re here!”

“What’s all the noise? Where’s Ian Hadel?”

No matter how hard they looked, Ian was nowhere to be seen. The mages smiled awkwardly.

“She went to the initiation ceremony.”

“What? What did you say?”

“Initiation ceremony…”

Since she was the newest member of the Magic Department, she had to go through the initiation ceremony. Even if she was only five, tradition was tradition.

Arena and the department heads paled. Stammering, she asked again.

“…You’re not talking about ‘that’ initiation ceremony, are you?”

“W-well, yes?”

“You crazy bastards!”

“Please calm down! Calm down!”

“What the hell made you think it was okay to do that to a kid? I said take care of her properly, without any problems! Damn this palace!”

“Excuse me? What are you—”

“Stop it immediately and bring her back! If she even cries, you’re all writing reports today! Pay cuts for everyone!”

“Whaaat?!”

Startled by the sudden outburst, the mages rushed toward where Ian had gone. But wasn’t this the basic initiation ceremony that every new employee, mage or not, had to go through? Ian herself had said she wanted to do it!

“Ian Hadeeel!”

“Wait, stop!”

Swish!

The mages hurried after her. Ian, walking alone, turned around in surprise, her eyes wide and her expression frozen.

“Isn’t this the right way?”

“It is, but—”

The initiation ceremony was incredibly simple. Just take some fruit, go out to the backyard alone, toss it, and come back. So why was everyone acting like this?

The wizards sighed in relief, their chests easing. Thank goodness. They hadn’t met it yet…

Whoooosh!

At that moment, a massive shadow loomed over Ian.

The wizards frantically waved their hands, shouting no as if trying to stop something terrible. Arena, who had arrived late, gasped in shock and barked orders at Ian.

“Close your eyes, Ian Hadel!”

Or you’ll be so startled you’ll fall flat on your face!

But Ian slowly lifted his head and looked up at the sky. A body as huge as a carriage, covered in vivid red scales, wings spread wide…

“Ah.”

…It’s a dragon!

Ian stumbled backward in surprise.

In truth, the fruit was a snack for the dragon, and most newcomers were startled and ended up tumbling around the first time they faced this enormous creature.

Still, it was okay because, despite being a dragon, it was basically a gentle pet of the Magic Department—nothing dangerous ever happened.

At least, until now.

—Whoooosh!

“…!”

“…!”

The dragon suddenly unleashed a fierce burst of flames. The wizards froze, caught off guard. There were only two reasons a dragon would uncontrollably breathe fire.

Either it felt its life was threatened, or…

—Kyuoooo!

…It was just too happy to see someone.

Swoosh!

“Kyu” charged at Ian, rubbing its head against him with all its might. Ian fell backward, but the dragon didn’t care one bit. It purred nonstop, clearly showing its joy. The ground trembled with every wag of its tail—thud! thud!

—Kyuoooo!

Still sitting on the ground, Ian cautiously held out the fruit. But Kyu seemed uninterested, licking Ian instead.

Ian glanced helplessly at the wizards, hands full of fruit, his expression saying everything.

“Um…”

More than the initiation ceremony, it was the fact that his clothes were completely soaked. Please help me, his eyes pleaded.