Episode 919
Meanwhile, at the Bariel camp, soldiers patrolled back and forth, weapons in hand. They made a wide circle around the tent where the mages were staying. Beyond the faintly glowing light inside, long shadows stretched out.
“They seem to be in the barracks.”
“Yes. No unusual activity detected.”
Upon hearing the report, Crony furrowed his brow in confusion. They hadn’t come all the way to this remote northern land just to get a guardian’s consent. Yet here they were, leisurely gathered in the dead of night? It seemed suspicious. Rising from his seat, he decided to check for himself.
Sliding quietly, he approached.
“Is anyone there?”
“…What is it?”
The reply came a beat late. Judging by the voice, it was likely Ako. Crony pressed his face close to the tent and asked,
“I just wanted to check if everything’s alright. This place is pretty rough for mages to stay in.”
“We’re fine. Please leave.”
“I still have something to say to Uncle Ian—”
“We’re fine. Please leave.”
“……”
Crony frowned deeply. His subordinates, listening nearby, shared his unease. The tone was flat, the conversation abruptly cut off. Signaling with a nod, one of the soldiers yanked the tent flap open.
“Hah.”
Inside, they saw Ako flipping the middle finger, Hale standing there blankly, and Ian sitting calmly. But—
“It’s a fake.”
A magical clone. When the soldiers curiously poked the figure’s forehead, it wobbled and then returned to its place, flipping off again.
So magic could do this too. Truly, these people were mysterious. The soldiers marveled and asked Crony,
“Should we search for the real ones?”
“Wait.”
Crony raised a hand, signaling them to hold. He rifled through the bags the mages had brought, thinking. His father was surely dead. That was why Ian had come all the way here with the guardian application.
‘Did he see Idgal at the mansion?’
Whether before or after his father’s death—or even at that moment—Ian must have had a chance to visit the mansion. That kid would have surely slipped past the watchful eyes to sneak into the study, possibly uncovering something carefully hidden.
“That Ako fellow… which department of the Magic Bureau did you say he belonged to?”
“If I recall correctly, it’s the Mana Stone Management Division.”
“Right. That makes sense…”
Now it was starting to click. The Magic Bureau had caught on that the Imperial Defense Department—or rather, Crony himself—was after Idgal. So, to prepare for any eventuality, they sent someone not even affiliated with the Magic Bureau to accompany Ian.
‘Ian and I had no need for the Magic Bureau to get involved in our personal affairs. No matter how much they claim it’s to keep the Imperial Defense Department in check. But since Idgal is involved, the Magic Bureau is moving actively.’
Crony had pieced everything together. His subordinates cautiously asked again.
“Shall we deploy soldiers to search?”
“No. It’s obvious where they went.”
The vast northern Bariel plains. Behind the camp was nothing but emptiness; ahead lay clusters of minor tribes. Among them, the only place holding clues about Idgal was Astana.
“It’s highly likely they’re in secret talks with Astana.”
“Idgal… you mean?”
“If that’s the case, Astana will be even more tight-lipped. Knowing Idgal is a mage’s weakness, they might just feign ignorance.”
“On the other hand, it could be an opportunity to collude with the mages. No one knows when or who will discover Idgal. It could be found at any moment. Astana knows this well and might try to align with the Magic Bureau instead of the Imperial Defense Department.”
“But if they do that, the Northern Alliance will break apart.”
“Why is the Northern Alliance pressuring Astana?”
One of the soldiers thought for a moment, then gasped.
“…Ah.”
Money. The Imperial Defense Department promised funds, which was why the alliance was rallying and pushing Astana.
But what if the Magic Bureau solved this? Especially if Ian Hadel—the very source of Crony’s funding—made direct contact with them?
“This is serious.”
The Imperial Defense Department would be left stranded, caught in the middle with no leverage. When they returned to the capital, new appointments for minister and deputy minister would be made. Without war achievements or a way to check the Magic Bureau, support for Crony would surely weaken.
“Captain, what should we do?”
Crony quietly stared at the puppet. Now that he looked closely, it was clumsily made. Pressing lightly on Ian’s forehead, he muttered,
“Let’s hope the talks with Astana went well.”
Judging by Astana’s reaction, they probably wouldn’t open up easily to the Imperial Defense Department. But if the Magic Bureau got a lead and moved—
“Just follow the mages.”
Even if Astana kept this secret from the mages, that would be fine too.
From now on, they had to carefully observe and track the three suddenly appeared mages. Then, once they obtained Idgal—
‘Kill them.’
They had to eliminate them before reporting to the capital. And before Ian interfered any further with his affairs.
Suddenly, Crony realized the dragon was nowhere to be seen.
“The dragon?”
“Disappeared after the first sighting.”
“Did it go out searching?”
Probably intending to find Idgal’s burial site from the sky. Fine. The Magic Bureau’s intentions were clear. But there was a problem.
‘How do we keep up with the mages’ mobility?’
Whether they got clues from Astana or the dragon found something during its search, the troops could never catch up. These were people who flew through the sky and teleported instantly.
For this, they’d have to rely on the minor tribes. Since they had shamans, they could probably come up with some kind of countermeasure.
‘The important thing is what comes next…’
After a moment’s thought, Crony revised his plan.
“Send word to all tribes except Astana.”
“What should I tell them?”
“Tell them that Astana is likely to betray the Northern Alliance and act independently, so we need to prepare for that. Also, ask if anyone skilled in search and tracking can be temporarily dispatched.”
Astana would surely keep their secret talks with the mages hidden from the other tribes, making it easy to play tricks in the middle.
“Yes, understood.”
“Move discreetly. Though the darkness is thick, the mages’ eyes are sharp.”
The soldier bowed deeply and left the tent.
Crony sensed the war had begun. A fight where not a single mistake could be afforded. As he took one last look inside, he found the neatly folded guardian application in Ian’s bag. Among the cramped, uneven handwriting, one word stood out.
‘Family?’
Ridiculous.
From the start, something about that pale-eyed child had rubbed him the wrong way. And sure enough, his suspicions were right—nothing had gone according to Ian’s plan.
Had anyone ever blocked his path like this before? No. Except Ian.
Thud.
Putting the application back, Crony vowed. Here, in the farthest northern land from the capital, he would kill that kid and return. Otherwise, as time passed and Ian grew, the problem would only get worse.
Swish!
Ignoring the clumsy puppets behind him, Crony stepped out of the tent. Far off, something flew across the dark night sky. It looked like the dragon.
-Kyuuuu!
Returning after half a day, it had to be one of two things: either it found Idgal’s burial site, or the dragon’s flight time was half a day. Either way, it didn’t matter. Victory in this war would be his.
Crony hurriedly ordered the tent to be tidied up, making sure the mages wouldn’t realize they had been infiltrated.
“Yes, so… it’s somewhere around here.”
The representative unfolded an old map and drew a large circle. Ako squinted and muttered curses as she scanned the area.
“Damn it, are you messing with us?”
“Hey, such harsh words.”
“What! Messing with us, what do you mean!”
The area Astana’s representative indicated was enormous—almost a third of the northern region. Ian glanced over, clearly thinking it was excessive, while Hale nervously chewed on a dry cigarette.
“Are you gonna do it like this? Huh? Not taking it seriously?”
Ako grabbed the representative by the collar and shook him. The man clutched his pen desperately.
“It’s not over yet!”
“Oh, really? Should’ve said so earlier.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
“Don’t cry. Stop crying. Hurry up and finish marking it.”
“Alright, alright. According to Astana—”
The map they were using was a century old. Because the land was so barren, there had been little development, so it hadn’t changed much. But floods, earthquakes, and fires over the years meant it wasn’t exactly the same.
“A hundred years ago, during the Battle of Bariel’s Great Magic Water, while marching to seal the underground god, they discovered a rift and sealed it off.”
“Sealed it off during the march?”
“Yes. According to Astana’s records.”
Ako raised an eyebrow. That meant someone from Bariel’s forces during the war had created Idgal. If not, they must have had some device to make Idgal.
“It probably isn’t a device. If it were, why would the royal palace have destroyed it? It would be the perfect tool to keep the Ministry of Magic in check. It’s the only real alternative to the magic-sealing stones.”
Though the Ministry of Magic would have opposed it, the palace wouldn’t have destroyed something so valuable without good reason. Besides, if such a device existed, there would have to be blueprints and technicians behind it. It wouldn’t be so easy for all traces of Idgal to vanish without a trace like this.
“So, there must have been someone who actually created Idgal,” Aco said.
Wow, could that really be possible? Her heart pounded. She felt an overwhelming urge to capture whoever it was and run experiments on them immediately.
As Aco shivered, Hale gestured for her to ignore it and keep going.
“Ah, yes. So, during the time when General Bariel was on the move, it’s likely he took this northern fork in the road. If there are records in the palace archives, checking them would be more accurate—”
“There’s no time for that. Crony might find out, and I’m not even sure the palace still has those records.”
“The records from that war a hundred years ago are especially vague, aren’t they?”
“Yeah. It’s strange.”
The late Emperor Jin Verosion—one of his greatest achievements, yet the detailed records are frustratingly sparse. Maybe back then, no one bothered to document it thoroughly because his power was unquestioned.
Sensing the urging looks from the mages, the representative continued.
“During that march, there are records of battles against northern minority tribes, including Astana.”
“Who fought? Bariel?”
“Yes. They even used golems, but thanks to the mages’ efforts, it was quickly resolved. This battlefield is exactly here.”
Hearing Bariel’s history from a foreigner’s mouth felt oddly contradictory. The representative traced the route of Bariel’s army as recorded in Astana’s archives.
“In other words, from here to here. Somewhere not far off this path is where Idgal is buried.”
Based on the scale, the estimated area spans about ten kilometers in diameter. It was definitely worth searching.
Aco, Hale, and Ian exchanged glances, silently agreeing with a small nod. Let’s do this.