Chapter 890
“…”
Ian stood frozen in place for a long while. He didn’t want to move unnecessarily and risk losing track of his friends’ direction.
The garden around him was beautiful—the gentle breeze, warm sunlight, lush green leaves swaying gracefully—but Ian’s heart grew colder with each passing moment.
‘Is this some kind of initiation ritual too?’
They had something similar at the Ministry of Magic. Maybe every new group had some kind of hazing like this?
Ian pouted slightly. The silence around him made it hard to gauge how much time had passed. Worried he might be late for class, he decided to stop waiting for his friends and turned toward the garden’s entrance, reaching out his hand.
Whoosh.
“…!”
He couldn’t step outside. It felt like plunging his hand into deep water—the space itself was blocked.
Ian hesitated, then stepped back.
‘What should I do?’
If this was an initiation, there had to be a way out. And if something was wrong, the professor would surely come.
“Is anyone there?”
Ian called out cautiously, but his voice vanished without a trace. A chill ran down his spine. Despite the bright, sunny day, everything felt eerily strange.
‘Could this be Crony’s trick?’
If Crony was trying to get rid of him, it was dangerous. Ian clenched his fists tightly, keeping his magic active.
Buzz! Buzz!
His golden eyes glistened with moisture, but he didn’t cry. Fear had turned into anger. Carefully, Ian stepped deeper into the garden.
“Ian, Enerjes is a place where all sorts of strange things happen, despite appearances. Crony might try to harm you during all this.”
Ian recalled Romandro’s warning. Because incidents happened so often here, Crony could use the chaos to hurt him. Ian had steeled himself, but he hadn’t expected this on the very first day.
“If anyone’s here, come out! Fair and square!”
Ian cautiously peeked around a corner, his tone commanding but his movements careful.
The well-kept garden was empty. The shadows grew deeper and thicker the further he went.
“Come here.”
“…!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Ian spun around. Sitting on a bench was a stranger who looked exactly like him.
Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, even the same uniform. Was this another illusion of the garden? Ian’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-who are you?”
“If you go in, you can’t get out.”
The deeper you go into the garden, the more you lose your way. You’d wander forever through the dense foliage, not even realizing you were dying.
“Who… who are you?”
Ian asked warily. The boy smiled brightly.
“I’m Ian.”
“I’m Ian too.”
“That’s right. And I’m Ian as well. Come this way.”
The boy gently tapped the bench beside him.
After a long moment of hesitation, Ian carefully sat on the edge of the bench. The boy smiled warmly, watching him.
“How do you feel?”
“…Feel what?”
“Anything.”
Ian pouted again. How was he supposed to answer? Like he felt betrayed by the friends he’d made on his first day?
The boy’s nose reddened slightly. Though sadness had long since turned to anger, a knot of frustration still lingered deep inside.
“You look happy, though. That’s good.”
“I’m not happy at all.”
“Really?”
The boy seemed to enjoy imagining Ian eating delicious food in a cozy mansion, studying what he wanted, sparring with Barsabe, and sometimes wandering the central alleys for fresh air. He tapped Ian’s cheek lightly.
“Don’t be too upset.”
If someone’s deceiving you, it means there are people you can trust—like those friends standing by your side right now.
Ian narrowed his eyes and stared at the boy.
“…You’re suspicious.”
“Haha. Suspicious, and you say that to your own face?”
“Because it’s my face!”
Why did he have to appear looking exactly like Ian? Ian demanded, and the boy answered in a clear voice.
“I wanted to remind you.”
“Remind me of what?”
“That there’s an answer in the Ministry’s annex. And Ian Hadela—”
Ian’s eyes widened again. How did he know his name? The boy leaned in close and whispered.
“You look good. Grow up precious like that.”
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind blew through. Ian squinted without realizing it. When he opened his eyes again, the boy was gone without a trace.
Ian steadied his breath in the returning silence. It was strange, but not as frightening as before.
‘He was surprisingly kind.’
Maybe that’s why. Ian lightly touched the spot where the boy had sat. There was no warmth.
‘Anyway—’
If the boy’s words were true, this place was dangerous. So it was also true that the friends who brought him here had questionable motives. In other words, there was a strong possibility they were connected to Crony.
Ian took a deep breath and his golden eyes sparkled.
Buzz! Buzz!
A blade-like wind erupted around him. This felt like a completely separate space from Enerjes, as if someone was trying to break down the boundary through various attempts.
“Yah!”
Ian let out a light shout, and three streaks of white lightning shot from his fingertips. Crackle! Sparks formed a dome shape in the air. It was very similar to what he’d done at the Ministry.
‘There.’
Where the protective barrier existed. Ian focused, biting his lip hard, and poured his power into a single point.
Whoosh!
The magic flowing through his body felt alive, vibrant. Unstoppable, endless, explosively bursting forth.
“…!”
Ian couldn’t help but smile with joy.
“Is that really okay?”
“Stop staring.”
“Still, acting like that on the first day is a bit much.”
“Shh. I told you to come this way.”
The students who had pushed Ian into the garden hurried away, glancing back repeatedly.
For a five-year-old noble, he was surprisingly easy to handle. They felt sorry for treating him like this on the first day, but they had no choice.
‘Those guys…’
Meanwhile, Hans noticed some kids rushing somewhere. Weren’t they the ones who had eaten with Ian earlier? Their attitude toward studies was poor, and all they did was hang around like fools. Hans sighed lightly.
‘But Ian Hadela’s nowhere to be seen.’
Well, it wasn’t really his concern.
Hans walked down the hall and saw the students streaming into the outdoor lounge. They seemed to be meeting someone, but the figure was hidden behind curtains.
Judging by their slumped postures and anxious expressions, it was clear they were meeting a senior.
‘Ugh, that’s annoying.’
Hans glanced up toward the roof. A red dragon was flicking its tail and looking around.
There was only one dragon that roamed freely in the center of Bariel.
‘What exactly is the Ministry doing?’
Was its name “Ferry Formance Ray Dragon”? Every time he heard it, Hans thought whoever named it had zero sense of style.
Clack.
Returning to the classroom, most seats were empty. Hans glanced at Ian’s bag beside him, then opened his notebook to review the lesson. Voices of students sharing desserts in a corner drifted in.
“But Ian Hadela’s family is seriously rich.”
“Yeah, he’s from a royal branch, so that makes sense.”
“But since they’re provincial lords, maybe not as rich as central nobles?”
“No way. My uncle works at Haiman Bank. Rumor has it he once had a thousand gold coins in cash.”
Hans’s pen faltered. A thousand gold coins? That was an unimaginable amount—even in board games, he’d never had that much money!
His lips twisted. People who barely scrape by dream of becoming wizards because the salary alone could make them rich.
But Ian Hadela was a kid who already had everything.
‘And he’s cute, too.’
Ugh. So annoying.
Hans chewed on a piece of bread left in his mouth and continued taking notes. His stomach started to rumble faintly—guess the food was digesting.
“But his parents are all dead, right? At that age.”
“Yeah, and he’s staying at Count Jacques’s place because of family issues. Seems to be true.”
“Yeah, I saw him going to school with Barsabe this morning.”
No parents…
Hans’s pen hesitated again. That was something he could relate to. At least he had an older brother; Ian Hadela seemed completely alone.
“Those guys took Ian Hadela to ‘that place,’ right?”
“From what I heard, yeah.”
“Where? I didn’t catch that.”
“You know, the ‘incinerator.’”
Hans’s head turned automatically. He leaned back in his chair and asked,
“Ian Hadela went to the incinerator?”
“Huh?”
The so-called incinerator.
Though the name didn’t suit the beautiful garden at all, the reality was quite the opposite. Every hour, the garden created an independent space-time, and as time passed, it drifted further from the real world, making it increasingly difficult to reconnect.
Because of this, the area had once been used as a landfill and for high-risk experiments, but after numerous disappearances, it was strictly off-limits.
“I don’t know,” the student said.
“You just said that.”
“I said I don’t know. Besides, why do I have to answer all your questions one by one?”
Hans stared intently at the student. The calmness in his eyes made the student shrink back. Usually quiet, Hans was the type who, if annoyed, would suddenly approach and smack someone on the head with his pencil case without warning.
Hans seemed to be thinking something, then slowly stood up.
“…You’re not obligated to answer every question. But you’re being way too prickly over nothing.”
Wanna see what real prickliness looks like? I’m starving and about to lose it, damn it!
Muttering a string of curses under his breath, Hans silenced the students around him. No one wanted to pick a fight—everyone knew the school always sided with the top students.
Clatter.
Hans quickened his pace and ran toward the incinerator. Was he rushing to save Ian Hadell out of pity? No way.
“But Ian Hadell’s family is seriously loaded.”
He was just chasing after scraps.
When Hans reached the garden’s edge, he noticed the “No Entry” tape had been removed.
‘Planned,’ he thought.
Only the dragon tilted its head, watching the garden intently.
There was no way they’d remove the tape right in front of Ian Hadell. Would a noble kid want to cause trouble on his very first day? No, they must have lured him in by pretending it was just an ordinary garden.
“Let’s see…”
Hans looked into the air, calculating the time. Entering the garden, meeting Ian Hadell, and returning would take…
“…?”
Crack.
A thin fissure appeared in the clear blue sky. Hans rubbed his eyes and looked closer.
A crack, slowly growing, little by little…
“Huh?”
BOOM!
A sudden explosion rocked Hans violently. He couldn’t even grasp what had exploded. Was it the air itself that had burst?
Passing students instinctively ducked, and the trees and bushes on campus fluttered as if about to be blown away. Only the dragon tilted its head, watching the garden.
From the dust emerged a small figure.
Kyu’s tail tapped happily against the roof.