Chapter 891
Imperial Palace Magic Department.
Arena hastily tied her hair back and was frantically flipping through documents. She was sure she had cleared everything out before leaving early yesterday morning, yet here she was, right back at square one the moment she came in.
“This is a curse, damn it. Am I supposed to just drop dead from overwork and step down, and I’m too stupid to realize it? Huh?”
“Minister, talking to yourself like that is scary.”
“Try being the minister! Doesn’t your blood boil? I swear, I sorted all this out just a few hours ago. Where the hell did all this crap come from?”
“If you want to know where it came from, well, these five bundles are from the Administration, these two are internal Magic Department reports, and this one—”
“Shut up!”
Kaaah! If she got any more riled up, flames might shoot out of her mouth. The mage pursed their lips and quietly focused on sorting the papers.
At that moment, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Arena and the mage both turned toward the door.
“…Uh-oh, this doesn’t look good, right?”
“Yes, when someone’s running like that, it’s never good news.”
Bang!
“Minister, there’s a serious problem!”
“Did you forget how to knock?”
“We just got a message from Enerjes.”
“Enerjes?”
Arena put down her pen and checked the desk calendar. Oh, right—today was Ian Hadel’s first day at school. But why the urgent message? And why call it a ‘serious problem’?
“What? What happened to Ian Hadel?”
“No, nothing like that. Um, he destroyed the garden.”
“What? Who?”
“Ian Hadel.”
Arena blinked, wondering if she’d heard wrong. Could Ian really have destroyed a garden? Before she could say anything, the mage beside her asked again.
“Are you sure it was Ian Hadel?”
“Yes, there are many witnesses. The school is handling it now, but they urgently requested help from the Magic Department. Romandro has probably already gone ahead there…”
“Why?”
She was asking why Ian had destroyed the garden.
Though she’d only met him once, Ian Hadel carried himself like a noble’s son—calm, polite, and incredibly sharp. There was no way he’d cause trouble on his first day without a reason.
“That part, I’m not sure about… You’ll have to hear it directly.”
“This is driving me crazy. Get ready to go out.”
“Yes, understood.”
Arena grabbed her coat and stood up. What had the Magic Department decided about Ian’s upbringing? The answer was simple: ‘the right way.’ To raise him as a strong vessel capable of fully containing his destructive power.
‘Is this really the right way?’
For now, it was best to hurry and find out what happened. If there was a valid reason, they’d take appropriate action. If not…
‘Hah. Maybe I can give him a good scolding.’
Arena furrowed her brow, deep in thought. She still wasn’t sure what it meant to ‘scold properly’ without letting emotions get in the way. And above all—
“What if Ian Hadel just, just attacks me?”
“He’s fine for now. Minister, you’ll win.”
“Really? If I lose, it’s your fault.”
“Um, Minister?”
The mage reporting to her smiled awkwardly, as if there was more to say. Arena was halfway into her sleeve when she paused.
“What is it?”
“They said the annex was damaged too.”
Arena’s mouth slowly dropped open.
“Fortunately, no one was hurt. Just bring the seal for the repair invoice.”
“This is insane, seriously!”
“That wasn’t Ian Hadel. It was Kkyu.”
“What?!”
Kkyu? She thought he’d grown more mature with age, but where had he been running around, smashing other people’s buildings?
The mage gave a faint smile, as if resigned and enlightened at the same time.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, let’s.”
Damn it, damn it! As Arena stormed out of the minister’s office, the mages who had come to deliver reports looked on in confusion. Judging by her hurried steps, something serious had happened. Lucky for them, it wasn’t their problem.
“That’s enough. We’ll come back later.”
“But today’s Ian Hadel’s first day at school, right?”
“Probably.”
“…We should prepare some snacks.”
The mages leisurely flipped through their reports and turned away, watching the Magic Department minister leap away in the distance.
Bang!
Arena flung open the door to the Academic Affairs Office, startling everyone inside.
Ian, who had been sitting on the sofa sipping warm tea, recognized her. Seeing Arena’s tense and excited expression, he stiffened.
“Ian Hadel?”
“Ah, Minister.”
“What happened to you? I mean, what’s with this state?”
His hair was tousled, dust clung to him despite a quick wipe, and his uniform was stained and messy. He looked like he’d been through a rough tumble.
Dashua, the school principal, sniffled as she approached.
“Minister Arena?”
“Oh, Principal Dashua? You’ve been here a while.”
It was a simple greeting, but the last part stabbed at Dashua’s heart. It sounded like, ‘You were unpopular back then, and still are?’ She stammered, clearing her throat before answering.
“Yes, well, this position has its challenges. There’s more work than expected, and without a sense of duty…”
“Anyway, what happened?”
Arena’s sharp tone demanded to know why the garden exploded and why Ian looked like that. Ian glanced up at her nervously.
“It’s like this: Ian Hadel went into the garden called the ‘Incinerator.’ It’s usually off-limits to students, but I guess he wasn’t careful.”
The principal’s words hung in the air. Ian said nothing in response. Sensing something odd, Arena sat down—not across from him, but beside him.
“The Incinerator?”
“Yes, it was created a few years ago by spatial mages’ experiments—”
“Oh, yes, yes. I remember. They were going to close it but decided to keep it because it was surprisingly useful. But you’re saying Ian went in there? Alone?”
The last question was directed at Ian.
He looked at Arena and answered clearly.
“Yes. I’m not familiar with the layout, so I accidentally went in. I tried to leave immediately, but couldn’t, so I had no choice but to break through with magic.”
Ian didn’t mention the students who had led him there.
It wasn’t out of forgiveness or any noble intention. Being summoned here and interrogated would only end with some meaningless excuse like ‘I just wanted to cause trouble.’ To get to the bottom of the truth, it was better to investigate directly.
“You broke through the garden with magic?”
“Yes. They said it’s irreparable.”
“Ah.”
A short exclamation. What was it for? Dashua sniffed repeatedly, trying to read the mood. Arena, deep in thought, suddenly brightened.
“Principal—!”
“Eek!”
“So you’re saying Ian Hadel entered a restricted area and caused this mess? Am I understanding correctly?”
“Well, depending on one’s perspective, yes, but—uh, it’s not necessarily that simple—”
“Please be clear. Wait, no!”
“W-wait!”
“This is a matter I cannot overlook as Ian Hadel’s guardian. So not only is there a dangerous zone right on campus, but the access control was also lax?”
“There was originally a barrier and warning signs in front of it…”
“In the Empire’s leading advanced academy, what kind of pathetic excuse is that?”
Arena’s voice rose. She wasn’t just defending Ian; she wanted to take control of the next discussion about the ‘Kkyu’ incident.
Ian, who had been watching her with interest, suddenly interrupted.
“Minister.”
“I’m holding the academy fully responsible—wait, why?”
At Ian’s call, Arena’s voice immediately softened.
“I’m sorry. It was my fault. I’ll be more careful next time. If compensation is needed, please let me know. I’d appreciate your forgiveness. Classes have started.”
“Oh my. Ian Hadel, you owe nothing. If danger arises again, we’ll protect you by any means. You are a precious asset to the Magic Department and the Imperial Palace.”
Understood?
Arena raised an eyebrow, and Ian gave a faint smile and nodded. She gestured elegantly toward the Academic Affairs Office door.
“Go on. You’ll be late for class.”
“Then, I’ll see you later at the Magic Department.”
Ian bowed his head in farewell, and Arena sighed in relief. She had worried he might have caused trouble, but this explanation was acceptable.
Slide!
After Ian left, Arena glanced at Dashua and slowly stood.
“Anyway, Principal, let’s discuss this matter separately. I won’t let Enerjes’s safety issues slide! Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait.”
“…Yes?”
Arena tried to slip out quietly, but a hand grabbed the back of her collar. Dashua’s black nose twitched as her expression shifted.
“We need to discuss compensation for the damage caused to Ministry of Magic property related to the dragon,” she said.
“…”
Sigh. So much for getting off easy. Even if it’s a mole, a professor is still a professor, huh? Arena slumped back onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.
“…I’m sorry.”
Then, switching gears, she muttered the apology in a barely audible voice.
Aha, Dashua had been waiting for this moment. She kept smoothing her fur and grumbled under her breath.
“Come on, it’s not like it’s a lizard. It’s a dragon! The Ministry should’ve been taking care of it properly. And now, not only did it suddenly appear on campus, but it caused property damage… This is a serious problem, you know?”
The situation had flipped in an instant. Arena forced her gaze elsewhere and asked,
“Why on earth did Kkyu do that? He’s usually so gentle. Never caused any trouble before…”
“Well, who else but the Ministry can communicate with dragons? The wizards should know. For now, here’s the estimated damage cost.”
She slid a paper across.
Arena glanced skeptically and flipped it over. One zero, two zeros, three zeros, four zeros…
“Is this for real?!”
“You can verify it with the Ministry if you want.”
“No, no, this guy already eats up so much of the budget, and now this? Hah! Where is Kkyu right now?”
She needed to get the full story. If she didn’t, her blood pressure would skyrocket. And how much more would the budget department hassle her?
—Kkyu?
Just then, Kkyu poked his head upside down through the faculty office window. Arena smirked and flicked her finger at him like she’d caught him red-handed.
Meanwhile, Ian had gone up alone to Building 2.
He paused in front of the classroom door.
‘Act normal.’
If he showed any emotion, it would be a weakness. They tried to put me in danger, but I’m fine—he wanted to project that.
He pressed his palm hard against his cheek, steadying himself. After class, he’d watch their reactions, find out why they did it, and whether Crony was behind it.
Clatter!
The professor, engrossed in the lecture, and the half-asleep students all turned their eyes toward him. Ian’s eyes widened at the sight of the many empty seats.
“Ian Hadel? Come on in.”
“Ah, yes.”
What happened? Everyone who had taken Ian to the garden…
‘Gone?’
Ian carefully took a seat. He glanced sideways at Hans, who was scribbling notes with his head wrapped in bandages.
“Hey, why are you so hurt?”
“…”
“Do you know where the others went?”
Hans looked like he had a lot to say but shot Ian a glare that said class comes first. Ian gave an awkward smile, opened his book, and blinked, wondering where the missing kids had disappeared to.
—Kkyuuuuuyyyooook!
From somewhere, the roar of a dragon echoed faintly.