Chapter 909

“This is…”

Arena stared at the Idgal, unable to close her mouth. Isn’t that the forbidden magic stone she’d barely ever seen before? Aside from the single one kept under strict research by the Magic Department, these stones shouldn’t be circulating at all.

“Where did you get this?”

“From a drawer in Crony’s study desk.”

“This is insane.”

Putting aside why Crony had it, the real question was how he got it. The only explanation was that it was some kind of check against the Magic Department.

Arena lightly blew a trace of mana onto the Idgal and watched it respond.

“It’s real…”

It really was the genuine Idgal.

Clenching her fist tightly, Arena shook the Idgal as if she wanted to crush it. With Ian Hadel right in front of her, she couldn’t curse out loud, so she swallowed her frustration.

Whether he noticed or not, Ian pulled out a business card and slid it across the desk.

“And this was with it. It looks like the top card—maybe it’s connected?”

“Black Order? Ever heard of it?”

The aide adjusted his glasses and shook his head, clearly unfamiliar.

“First time I’m hearing that.”

“This smells fishy.”

“I’ll look into it.”

Arena slipped the card between her fingers and handed it over. The aide accepted it politely and tucked it into his inner pocket. While Ian’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, Arena’s gaze narrowed.

“Oh, and I found something odd in the bank account records.”

“…What?”

“Usually, there were only transfer records, but there was one cash withdrawal—gold coins, about three months ago.”

“Hmm.”

Arena snorted softly but said no more. She kept staring at Ian, who awkwardly smiled and tilted his head.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Why?!”

Suddenly—

Arena stood up and grabbed Ian’s cheeks, pulling them gently but firmly to stretch his face as wide as possible.

Ian’s eyes went wide in surprise, and Arena almost burst out laughing. No, wait! This was a serious moment.

“Who told you to do something this reckless? Huh?”

Not only did he sneak into Crony’s mansion alone, but he also broke into the study and rifled through the desk? Was he really just five years old? Fearless and bold—he was more surprising the more she looked at him.

Ian raised a small hand in protest.

“Hana and Romandro came with me.”

“Do you think those two could’ve protected you if something went wrong?”

“Um…”

“And how exactly did you open the locked drawer?”

“Ah, Ako helped me.”

Arena’s hand slipped in shock.

“…Who?”

“Ako.”

“The mad scientist working underground?”

“…Ako prefers to be called a genius.”

“Hey! Bring that guy here right now!”

At Arena’s command, the aide dashed out. Ian hesitated but finally spilled more about the Idgal.

“And Ako has one of those too.”

Arena’s face was the perfect picture of shock.

Ian rubbed his cheek nervously and added,

“I saw it back when I was at Joy Department Store. They said they were researching the Idgal. But they said they needed me there…”

Bang!

At that moment, Ako, wearing safety goggles, was dragged in by two mages, arms held tight. She smelled faintly of chemicals, as if she’d been in the middle of an experiment. She screamed and twisted, but it was no use.

“Ah, whyyy! I’m supposed to be stirring that right now! If I miss the timing, I have to boil it for two more days, you idiots!”

“Shut up, brat!”

“Minister, no—how can you waste Magic Department materials like this? What’s so urgent that you drag people around? Didn’t we agree not to interfere during research?”

“You gave Ian Hadel a potion kit, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Yes.”

When Arena’s eyes flashed sharply, Ako calmed down and replied.

“Are you crazy? You didn’t even check and sent a kid there?”

“I reported it. And Ian, look at him—do you think he’d listen if I told him not to?”

The mages glanced at Ian, whose sharp eyes gleamed unusually bright.

With no one able to argue, Arena pointed her finger sharply.

“Did you report it? Because I haven’t received anything.”

“What? That can’t be.”

Ako shuffled over and flipped through a stack of papers. A note fluttered down. Arena caught it reflexively and immediately felt a deep irritation.

—Minister, it’s Ako. Ian Hadel said he was going to Crony’s house, so I gave him a kit. It’s top-notch stuff, so no worries ♡

“Hey!”

At Arena’s roar, the mages covered Ian’s ears. Ako, however, shamelessly scratched her ear and acted as if nothing was wrong. She tapped the note as if to say, “What’s the problem?”

“You’re unbelievable…”

“Ian, how was it? Did the potion work like a charm?”

Ian nodded slightly at Ako’s proud question.

Just as Ako hummed happily and tried to return to the lab, Arena grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.

“Wait.”

“Again? I’m really busy.”

“Idgal.”

“…Gah!”

Even the confident Ako faltered visibly at the mention of Idgal and glanced sharply at Ian.

“You, you traitor! I told you not to say anything!”

“Sorry, Ako. But I had no choice. Idgal was found at Crony’s mansion.”

“No matter what… huh? What did you say?”

Ako stopped her rant, clearly curious about how Crony managed to get Idgal.

Her look seemed to say, “If there’s a way, I want to get more too,” which made Arena frown deeply.

“Stop daydreaming and just tell me. Where did you get the Idgal?”

“Uh, will you let me off if I tell you?”

“I’m watching you.”

“Ugh.”

Ako plopped down and thought for a long time. As Arena’s gaze grew sharper, she had no choice but to speak.

“Will you believe me if I say it’s my grandmother’s heirloom?”

“Do you think I will?”

“Okay, I’ll be honest. It really is my grandmother’s heirloom.”

Ian, who had been quietly listening, interrupted.

“That’s not true. Last time at Joy Department Store, you said you got it somewhere else.”

“Ian! Are you serious? We’re done here!”

Ian’s mouth dropped open in shock at the harsh words he’d never heard before.

Arena shielded Ian and tapped her baton sharply, as if warning she’d smack his backside if needed.

“Done? You should know you’re fired. You won’t be allowed to take a single sheet of paper from the lab—you’ll be kicked out.”

“No! Wait! Okay! I’ll tell you. But it’s true that it came from my grandmother. There’s a place in the north, where a huge rift opened long ago.”

A massive rift? Arena knew the north had once been a dangerous rift zone, but that was ancient history. Recently, there had been no monster outbreaks or significant damage.

“And?”

“The whole rift was sealed with Idgal.”

“What?”

“Whoever it was must have found a ton of Idgal somewhere and poured it in to seal the hole. Like Frodohona.”

Frodohona, the capital of Klipoford, had suffered a monster outbreak over a hundred years ago due to a rift. It was said they sealed it with Idgal that circulated at the time.

The traces still remained, and the Idgal used to maintain the seal was strictly managed by the government to prevent loss.

“That’s what I heard. I don’t know the details—I’m not my grandmother.”

Arena rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

‘There’s a rift somewhere in the north, sealed with Idgal. But if people who want the Idgal start taking stones from there—’

“Would the rift open again?”

Ian’s question snapped Arena back to reality. She didn’t want to admit it, but that was the conclusion. And if that really happened…

“Then monsters would flood back, and Idgal would spread across Gaia, restricting mages’ actions.”

Simple but clear.

Ako raised an eyebrow as if to say, “See? I told you.” She was smart and sharp—if she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have gone to Crony’s mansion despite Arena’s warnings.

Arena slammed the desk and gave a loud order.

“Bring me all records related to the northern rift.”

“By when?”

“Since Idgal was first discovered, about a hundred years ago.”

Though she gave the order, Arena knew it wouldn’t be easy. Places like Klipoford that officially used Idgal were strictly monitored and managed by the Magic Department. The fact that Arena didn’t know about this meant the records probably didn’t exist.

‘Crony’s got a lot to answer for up north.’

If the guess was right, then since he headed north, he might have thoroughly scouted the area—how many Idgals were buried there, whether they could be mined, and so on.

“But Minister, do you really think Captain Crony would go that far? It’s not just anywhere—it’s the Rift. If that reopens, it would be utter chaos,” one of the mages voiced his doubts.

Ian answered in his place.

“If it’s Crony, he’d do exactly that.”

A cold-blooded man who wouldn’t hesitate to use even his father’s death. Ruthless, caring nothing for the empire’s people, moving solely for his own goals. And chaos? The bigger, the better. The Imperial Defense Department has always craved war.

“He’ll use this botched northern expedition as a means to an end. If monsters appear, the Magic Department will have to send full support, leaving the palace practically empty.”

Everything was falling into place.

The mage scratched his head, a growing sense of unease washing over him. A premonition that a storm of bloodshed was about to sweep through the once peaceful palace.

“Alright. Everyone, gather the data and organize it. And Ian Hadel.”

Arena crossed her arms and looked down at Ian. Was he about to get another scolding? Ian tensed and met her gaze.

“…Well done. But no more reckless actions from now on, understood? If anything happens, report directly to me before making a move.”

“……!”

“Answer me.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Ian nodded firmly, and Arena ruffled his hair. If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t have known Crony was after the Idgals—or uncovered the nearly forgotten evidence of the minister’s assassination attempt.

‘The Black Order, huh.’

Thinking this might be a crucial lead, Arena flipped through the report, then motioned for everyone to leave.

Squeeeak.

The minister’s office door closed. Ian and Ako stood silently for a moment, then suddenly Ian looked up at Ako with apologetic eyes.

“Hey, Ako.”

They had agreed to keep it secret, but sorry. It couldn’t be helped… Just as he was about to ask for forgiveness, Ako’s eyes sparkled with a sudden idea.

“Wait. So the Magic Department’s going to find the Idgal deposits, right? And Crony seems to have a rough idea where they are.”

“Yeah?”

“If they find them, they’re gonna haul all of it back to the Magic Department, huh?”

“Most likely. They can’t let it leak outside.”

“Whoa—yeah!”

Ako jumped up and down, shouting excitedly. From beyond the door came a loud bang—Arena.

“Quiet down!”

“Oh, you grumpy minister! I’m avoiding you because you’re so foul. So foul.”

“I can hear everything!”

“Oops.”

Grabbing Ian’s hand, Ako dashed down the hallway.

“Then shall we go look for the Idgal deposits too?”

“Yeah, let’s. But…”

“Friendship canceled! No, wait—friendship restored!”

“Really?”

Ian smiled sheepishly, and Ako grinned, baring her fangs. Oh yeah! Following Ako’s energetic leaps, Ian ran after her with renewed vigor.