Chapter 931
“There they are!”
The soldiers raised their torches, pointing into the forest. Flickering flames scattered through the darkness, and at the same time, an eerie sound of footsteps echoed.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
It was definitely not the sound of human footsteps, yet it was too strange to be any ordinary beast.
Snap!
“This way! Drive them this way!”
The Bariel soldiers sprinted forward in a fan-shaped formation, chasing the target hidden in the shadows. In their hands were unusually sharp swords—not made of ordinary steel, but crafted from a different material. Lighter than steel and seemingly dull at first glance, these were weapons of the Dera tribe. The blades were stained with fresh blood.
Skreeeech!
The monster, crawling along the forest floor, suddenly faced a towering cliff. Its spindly legs were too thin to climb such a steep, nearly vertical surface, but it had no choice. Staying to fight the soldiers here meant certain death. If only it didn’t have to face those weapons! Those insignificant humans who used to be nothing but prey, now gnawed down from the head!
Swish!
The spider-like creature began to scale the cliff, causing the soldiers to hesitate as they watched. The height was daunting, and the angle was almost vertical.
“Come down, you monster!”
“We’ve almost got it…”
“Circle around and climb up from the side!”
“Is there even a path?”
“Rookie, stay here and keep watch!”
The soldiers scattered left and right, searching for a way up the cliff. The rookie soldier stood still in the darkness, silently watching the grotesque creature’s back.
Ten years ago, the sudden activation of the Rift had unleashed monsters all over Gaia. The flood of monsters, once only spoken of in the previous generation’s memories, had returned, and everyone trembled in fear. That memory was still vivid.
Skreeeech.
Just as the monster reached the top of the cliff and placed its first foot upward—
Swish.
Someone’s foot lightly stepped on the monster’s leg. The calmness of the movement made the creature hesitate, lifting its head without realizing it.
“…”
A boy with platinum hair and pale blue eyes stood there, his cold expression so chilling that even the moonlight behind him seemed icy. There was something mysteriously captivating about him, and the monster found itself momentarily entranced.
“Ian!”
At that moment, the rookie soldier’s shout from below snapped the monster back to reality. It lunged to attack the boy, dozens of thin legs stiffening as it aimed for his neck and heart.
But at the same time—
Ziiing!
Ian’s pale blue eyes glowed golden.
With just a tilt of his head, the monster’s body froze in place. He had cast magic without any incantation or magic circle.
Guhk!
The monster’s entire body stiffened, letting out only a weak groan. Its dozens of eyes rolled wildly, searching for an escape, but there was nowhere to run at the cliff’s edge.
Thunk.
Ian lightly pushed the monster’s body with his toe, and the creature, stiff as a drugged insect, plummeted down.
Thud!
The loud impact startled the rookie soldier, who gripped his sword tightly and ran toward the monster. Even without being a mage, with this sword alone, I could take down a monster in one strike—
Swish!
“Binding.”
Ian muttered the activation word, pointing behind the rookie. Suddenly, a massive shard of light fell from the sky.
Boom!
Swish!
A hot, sticky, unpleasant substance drenched the soldier’s back. Turning around in surprise, he found a headless monster collapsed right in front of him, its jaws wide open. It had failed to notice the monster sneaking up from behind in the darkness.
“…!”
The soldier struggled to calm his pounding heart and turned back, ready to finish off the monster that had fallen from the cliff. But—
Shriek!
In that brief moment, the monster regained its senses and lunged, legs stiffening.
The soldier swung his sword reflexively, but the monster dodged easily and aimed its clawed, poison-dripping nails at the soldier’s throat.
Swish!
Ian appeared just in time, slicing the creature’s limb with his sword. Or was it a leg? Either way, the monster, dismembered, collapsed backward with a pained groan, blood spurting like a fountain.
Blood splattered onto Ian’s cheek, and he frowned in disgust before driving his sword deep into the monster’s heart. The creature convulsed a few times before finally dying.
“…”
An unnatural silence fell over the scene. The soldiers’ shouts broke the quiet.
“What was that sound just now?”
“There it is!”
“Is it dead? Let’s head down for now!”
The soldiers who had climbed the cliff hurried back down after confirming the monster’s fall.
Meanwhile, the rookie soldier, still trembling and sweating coldly, finally expressed his gratitude to Ian.
“Th-thank you, Ian.”
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes.”
“Stay alert from now on.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ian wiped the monster’s blood off with the back of his hand and turned away. In that brief moment, his eyes had returned to their pale blue.
Shortly after, Ian returned to base and immediately ordered a basin of water to wash his hands and face.
“Ian, you’re back?”
A mage inside the tent greeted him warmly. Seeing Ian’s disheveled clothes, he chuckled and stood up.
“Looks like you got blood on you.”
“Wasn’t it your turn today?”
“Hey, I’m hurt here, you know.”
“Don’t act cute.”
The mage raised his injured arm, and as he clung to Ian, the latter pushed him away with a look of mild annoyance and finished washing up.
“Was it just one monster today?”
“Two. Both were reported.”
“Oh? Then can we assume there are no more monsters nearby?”
“Probably.”
“Hmm. The number of monsters is definitely down this year, right?”
For ten years, the monster outbreaks had gradually increased, peaking around the seventh or eighth year. Hundreds would appear at once, sometimes devastating entire territories, and there were times when monsters surged simultaneously along the borders.
Of course, each time, soldiers armed with Dera weapons would hold the front line, followed by mages who supported them, minimizing damage.
“That’s right.”
Ian, drying his face with a towel, agreed. This trend wasn’t just in Bariel but across all of Gaia. Contrary to expectations that monsters would continue to flood the lands, after ten years, their appearances had become sporadic, their numbers fewer, and their individual strength weaker.
The mage picked up his pen to continue paperwork, smiling.
“If only you’d been around a few years ago.”
It was a common joke among mages. If Ian had been fully deployed during the peak of the monster outbreaks, things would have been much easier.
Ian had been impressive then, but now, his growth was undeniable—so much so that all the mages were left speechless.
“You should have convinced the minister.”
“I tried. More than a hundred times. But he was adamant—no one under fifteen. If I pushed any harder, he might have shut me up for good.”
Ian let out a soft, low laugh at the mage’s teasing. Just hearing it was enough to calm the heart.
It was strange. Despite having endured the harsh life of the Magic Department since he was five, how could he laugh so gracefully? Was this what they meant by noble blood?
The mage rested his chin on his hand, staring at Ian, who raised an eyebrow.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, I just can’t believe how much you’ve grown.”
There it was again. Ian waved it off and asked,
“Aren’t you heading back soon?”
“By tomorrow, right?”
“The mission’s over, so I don’t think it matters.”
“Oh, come on, Ian. Let’s take it easy. You! With this fresh, clear air and the beautiful forest scenery, do you really want to go back to that stinky Magic Department? All you’ll smell there is the breath of sickly old men.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that along to the seniors when I return.”
“Do it! It’s not like you’re making it up.”
“And by the way, there’s a typo here.”
“Where? Huh?”
“The minister said if you mess up one more time, he’ll kill you. So be careful.”
“Wow. That’s scarier than the monsters.”
The mage checked the typo, crumpled the paper, and started over from scratch. Ian thought to himself that he probably wouldn’t be returning today and changed into more comfortable clothes.
Swish.
The pendant around his neck slipped down over his bare chest. It had been a gift from the emperor ten years ago, with a request that if anything happened to Ian, he should be frozen by the emperor’s discretion.
“But nothing like that has happened in the past ten years.”
Ian now knew how to use freezing magic. The emperor had aged since then, but strangely, his condition hadn’t worsened. Those who expected a national mourning within a few years were proven wrong as he stubbornly clung to life in his bed.
“No matter how I think about it, it can’t be a coincidence.”
With Crony gone, the emperor survived. When Freddy was appointed Minister of Imperial Defense and the department was reorganized, their heyday was brief. As monster attacks declined, so did their role.
“Could it be that Crony was involved in His Majesty the Emperor’s health as well?”
He couldn’t say for certain. After all, Crony was the kind of man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill his own father.
But once Crony disappeared, the shadowy forces that had been secretly working for him vanished completely. Peace had finally returned to the palace.
Snap.
Startled by the sudden sound, Ian turned around. Somehow, the pen tip had bent, and ink had splattered everywhere. The mage stood frozen, his face covered in ink, while Ian was left speechless, mouth agape.
“I-Ian…”
“Please step aside. I’ll write the report.”
“Ian… I can’t see.”
“You will once you open your eyes.”
Pushing the mage gently aside, Ian pulled out a fresh pen and began writing the report himself, his handwriting neat and precise.
“Well, well?”
Arena propped her chin on her hand as she examined the report. Ian stood there looking sharp, while the mage’s face was a mess of ink stains.
“I thought Ian was in charge of monster control?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But Ian wrote the report too?”
“…”
Ian knew lying was pointless and stayed silent. Arena shook her head with a sigh.
“…You dumped it on the youngest, didn’t you?”
“No! I was attacked by ink—”
“Get lost!”
“Eek!”
The mage bolted out of the minister’s office, and Ian gave a polite nod before turning to leave.
“Ian.”
“Yes, Minister?”
“Anything unusual going on lately?”
“Unusual?” Ian tilted his head at the unexpected question. Arena shrugged as if it was enough that nothing was wrong, and Ian calmly closed the door behind him.
Creak. Thud.
As soon as the door shut, Arena collapsed onto the desk, whining to her aide.
“Is Ian going through puberty or something?”
“Why do you say that?”
“He’s so formal now! Always polite!”
“…He’s always been like that.”
Arena added in a near-wail.
“All he does is work!”
“Well, what else is he supposed to do in the Magic Department?”
“Ugh, I don’t know. You’ve changed too. Remember how Ian used to spin once when falling through a portal? Now he doesn’t even do that. Look at his reports! They’re so neat and tidy, like some eighty-year-old grandpa’s handwriting!”
“…Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“You don’t get it. You don’t get anything…”
Raising a child must be like this. It felt like just yesterday Ian was five years old, and now he was growing into a proper young man—proud, yet a little wistful.
With his coming-of-age ceremony approaching, Arena was especially curious about Ian’s ‘growth.’ In other words, she worried whether he was turning out well. The aide thought it was a pointless concern.
Outside the door, Ian paused, overhearing their conversation. The two of them continued bickering, oblivious to how loudly their voices carried.
‘Minister, really…’
Ian smiled faintly and resumed walking. Following his steps, strands of platinum hair fluttered softly in the breeze.