Chapter 884
“…Pass it over.”
The emperor pushed away the food he hadn’t even touched halfway through.
It had been so long since he’d eaten properly that no one could say when the last time was. His attendants exchanged worried glances, but the emperor turned his head as if he simply couldn’t bear it any longer.
“What about the agenda?”
“Nothing has been submitted.”
“Nothing at all?”
The emperor looked at his attendant in disbelief. How could that be?
It was true he hadn’t attended the grand council or managed state affairs as well as before. But he had always stamped the imperial seal from his bed, and until now, there had been no issues.
“It seems they handled everything at the grand council out of concern for Your Majesty’s health.”
“Who asked for my health to be coddled? How insolent!”
The emperor tried to get out of bed as if to rush off immediately, but barely took a few steps before staggering violently.
Three attendants hurried over, steadying his arm and waist. He collapsed back onto the bed with a heavy sigh of frustration.
“Go at once and bring me today’s grand council minutes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It felt as if everything he held onto was slipping through his fingers—the authority and power of the imperial household, all slipping away without a chance to grasp them.
“But it’s alright now. The time has come.”
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, the emperor recalled Ian Hadel, the boy he had seen earlier. The child bore an uncanny resemblance to the descriptions he’d heard since childhood.
He repeated the words his father had told him countless times.
“One day, a boy with platinum hair and azure eyes will come to the palace. He will bear the title of the first noble mage. That boy is a blessing from the gods upon Bariel. If you truly are the bloodline of the imperial family, you must honor and cherish him deeply. In doing so, he will aid the imperial house and bring prosperity to Bariel.”
This prophetic charge had been passed down since his grandfather, Jin Verosion. What it truly meant, or where it originated, no one could say.
“Watch the boy closely. If there is anyone disrespectful by his side, be wary. That person threatens not only the boy but Bariel itself.”
The emperor struggled to turn the pages of the report. It was information passed on by General Herchi. The boy’s parents were dead, leaving him with no one around.
The only notable detail was…
‘He is said to be the nephew of Crony.’
Like Count Jacque, the emperor was paying close attention to Crony’s suspicious movements. The problem was that Crony hid behind the Minister of Imperial Defense, making it impossible to remove him without cause.
To catch him, the minister would have to be removed first, but the emperor, confined to his chamber, was in no position to challenge the Minister of Imperial Defense.
‘Even if the minister is replaced, the next in line is also from the Imperial Defense Department. It could just provoke them unnecessarily.’
Knock, knock.
“Your Majesty, here are the minutes.”
“Yes, bring them here.”
An attendant placed a thick bundle of papers beside him. The emperor sighed and slowly scanned the contents, his brow furrowing. It was a proposal from the Imperial Defense Department.
“What is this—”
The emperor’s voice faltered. He muttered Herchi’s name without realizing it.
“What does this mean, Herchi?”
Rustle.
From the shadows, Herchi appeared. He paused as he examined the minutes the emperor handed him.
—Proposal from the Imperial Defense Department: Additional troops to be dispatched to strengthen the northern border of Bariel…
On the surface, it seemed harmless enough, but it wasn’t.
“This is an excessive number of troops for a simple border reinforcement. What do you think this implies?”
The Imperial Defense Department thrived on bloodshed. To expand their influence, ‘war’ was necessary. But relations with the three neighboring countries of Bariel were stable, maintaining peace.
That left only one place—the north.
“They’re exploiting the fact that the region is divided into many small tribes, making communication difficult. By sending troops, they create tension, making it easier for even a small incident to ignite war.”
The emperor knew this well, and so did the bureaucrats in each department. But since military control was shared only between the Minister of Imperial Defense and the emperor, no one dared to interfere.
“I will summon the Minister of Imperial Defense.”
“No, wait. Hold on.”
The emperor weakly waved his hand. Wasn’t the justification lacking? How could he block the dispatch of troops to stabilize the chaotic northern region? Was he to say that a minor tribal dispute could escalate into war?
“They’ll call me a coward. An emperor who lies in bed all day, forgetting how to govern. It would be like handing a sword to the enemy.”
“Your Majesty, that is an excessive worry.”
“It’s true that the small tribes in the north have been causing trouble, so there’s no reason to oppose troop reinforcements. The grand council even approved the proposal.”
War is like a spark. Once it ignites, it consumes everything in its path, growing larger. It might start as a small dispute in the north, but who could say how it might twist and reshape Bariel’s entire fate?
“Or perhaps…”
Herchi trailed off, suspicion in his voice.
“The tribal unrest itself might be a scheme by the Imperial Defense Department.”
“What do you mean?”
“There have been a surge in conflict reports over the past decade. It’s possible the Imperial Defense Department, eager for war, has been stirring the pot.”
‘Stirring the pot’ was a polite way to put it, but who could say for sure? Maybe they funded troublemakers to cause chaos. The emperor frowned as doubts piled up.
“Wait. Didn’t you say Crony volunteered to be Ian Hadel’s guardian?”
“Yes, but the Magic Department intervened and stopped it.”
If the northern unrest was indeed instigated, there would have to be some payment in return.
Key officials, including the Minister of Imperial Defense, couldn’t freely manage slush funds. The imperial palace regularly audited their assets.
But—
‘What if funds came from outside?’
Through Ian Hadel, perhaps.
The Hadel family’s lands and mines were vast, but Ian Hadel had no official ties to the Imperial Defense Department. Even if they sold off assets to create slush funds, the palace would have no way to detect it.
“Herchi, investigate thoroughly. This doesn’t seem like a simple concern.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If the Imperial Defense Department targeted the Hadel family to raise slush funds, Ian Hadel will remain in danger.”
“Ian Hadel is currently staying at Count Jacque’s residence. I assure you, it is the safest place. Even when he goes out, his father provides an escort.”
Yes, Count Jacque, always one step ahead. That made him all the more trustworthy.
The emperor leaned slowly against his pillow, fighting off a growing headache. Herchi disappeared back into the shadows.
Whoosh.
Outside, the wind shook the peach tree violently.
“Ian Hadel?”
At the central Haiman Bank.
Ian turned to the employee addressing him. Being the largest branch in the empire, it was crowded with customers and staffed with an impressive number of employees. Clutching his bag tightly, Ian nodded.
“Yes, I am Ian Hadel.”
“Thank you for waiting. Please come this way.”
Following the employee’s lead, Ian entered a private office. Romandro and Hannah followed. As the bank clerk began filling out forms, the feather on the pen fluttered lightly.
“We’re here to process inheritance and tax payments. Do you have the documents ready?”
“Yes, here they are.”
“Are you the guardian?”
“No, the Magic Department is the official guardian. I have been authorized to handle the matters on their behalf. Ah, I’m Romandro. Here is my ID.”
“Oh, the Magic Department—”
Tap tap tap. The clerk, who had been idly tapping the calculator, suddenly looked up sharply.
“You’re the noble mage who joined the Magic Department, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, it’s an honor. Oh, but is it too late for a handshake?”
The clerk reached out for a handshake, then clicked his tongue regretfully. Ian glanced at Romandro in confusion, who just smiled and waved it off.
“Let’s see, the documents are in order. We should be able to process the application today. However…”
However? The clerk adjusted his glasses, looking troubled.
“You don’t have enough funds to pay the full tax.”
“What do you mean?”
Ian asked, startled. His mother had left money specifically for taxes, so he thought it would be just enough.
The clerk flipped through the papers as he explained.
“The amount itself is sufficient, but there’s a recent lien placed on 500 gold coins. The applicant is—”
No way.
“It says Crony Alpat.”
“That can’t be.”
“May I take a look?”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Romandro took the documents and examined them carefully.
“It seems a lawsuit was filed. Simply put, Lord and Lady Hadel borrowed money from this Crony, but couldn’t repay it. So the young master’s account was temporarily frozen until the debt is settled.”
“My parents never borrowed money from Crony!”
“Yes, it’s a one-sided claim from Crony’s side. If you provide a statement, the lien can be lifted immediately. Please don’t worry too much.”
“So, so my calling…”
She meant for me to prove it’s not true, right? But how? Given that they even filed a lawsuit, Crony’s side must be confident about something.
Hana suddenly jumped up, her anger boiling over.
“Seriously, what the hell! They came to the mansion and just clung on like leeches for days! Ian, we can’t just sit here—we have to go confront them right now.”
“No, Hana, wait!”
As she tried to rush outside, Ian grabbed the hem of her clothes tightly. His eyes were shaken, but his breath was steady, as if trying to calm himself.
“…No.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“It could be a trap. They want me to come to them willingly.”
A bait thrown to lure him to Crony’s mansion—or wherever they’ve set the trap. And if not that…
‘It’s a ploy to delay the inheritance.’
Though Ian told him not to worry, Romandro sensed this was a sharp warning.
Once the inheritance goes through, a huge tax bill will follow. That means a significant financial loss. So whoever’s targeting Ian Hadel must be trying to protect their own share of the fortune.
‘They want to seize the assets without going through Ian Hadel.’
Five hundred gold coins… This was getting serious. Romandro decided it was best to head straight to the palace and discuss the matter with the minister.
‘The process of liquidating assets into cash is complicated. Crony, being a relative, might find a way to interfere.’
If lucky, the Ministry of Magic might help out, or else they’d have to ask Count Jacques for assistance.
Romandro stood up.
“I need to take care of this first—”
“Ah, excuse me.”
An employee who had been carefully reading the documents raised a hand, asking for a moment.
“Are you from the Hadel family, a branch of the royal house?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That’s strange. Why is there an unclaimed account?”
“Unclaimed account?”
The employee ran to the storage room and brought back a bundle of old papers, muttering in confusion.
“Has there been a land sale a long time ago?”
“Hey, how would the young master know about that?”
“Oh, right. Sorry. There’s a record of a transfer from the Enlow family to the Hadel family. It just says ‘payment for land sale,’ so I don’t know the details. Why hasn’t the Hadel family claimed it until now?”
Enlow? The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Ian looked puzzled. Romandro craned his neck and asked,
“So, how much is it?”
It’s cash we can use immediately, right? The employee counted on her fingers.
“One, ten, hundred…”
“100? No way.”
“1,000.”
“…!”
“One thousand gold coins.”
While Romandro nearly fell over in shock, the employee was busy trying to figure out why such a large sum had been sitting untouched in the central bank for so long. After checking the documents for a while, she finally found the answer.
“Oh, it was set up for personal collection. You have to come to the central bank in person to receive it. Looks like the Hadel branch wasn’t informed. This happens quite often these days… Did Enlow not send any message? Goodness, that’s a lot of money just sitting there.”
Ian gave the employee a helpless look, as if hearing the name Enlow for the first time.