Chapter 942

“That’s strange.”

At the word “strange,” Ian instinctively looked up. Lately, his thoughts had been consumed by Beric, so it was a natural reaction.

Count Jacques found it odd that Beric was eating so much, but Ian suspected there was something else going on with him—something beyond just his appetite. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, which was frustrating.

“What do you mean?”

Without even looking up, the mage replied. The one who muttered “strange” sank deep into his chair and stared at the ceiling.

“We handed over the monster cases to the Imperial Defense Department. Shouldn’t our workload be easing up now?”

“The Ministry of Magic acting all normal—what a freak.”

“Why are we still so busy? Seriously, why?”

“You left work on time last week. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“You’re just worn down by this absurd way of handling things.”

“Why don’t you take that complaint to Minister Arena?”

Hmm. Just the usual banter among mages.

Ian lowered his head again and threw himself into writing reports. But then, a stray comment caught his attention and broke his focus.

“At least compared to the Administrative Department, we’re better off. They’re stuck at the Imperial Civil Service Exam for a whole month without going home.”

“Only a month? We’re stuck for a whole year! My parents don’t even recognize me anymore! I had to chase after them because they didn’t know who I was.”

“That’s because you look like a mess.”

The Imperial Civil Service Exam—the empire’s most prestigious administrative test—was held every few years.

All candidates gathered in Bariel’s capital and spent a grueling month taking exams. There were ten subjects, each with three days allotted for submitting answers, making it an enormous physical and mental drain. On the streets, you could easily spot people staggering like the walking dead—nine out of ten were exam takers.

“Oh, by the way, Naum, your brother’s taking the exam this time, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

Naum, who had been quietly listening, smiled awkwardly. The household staff would take good care of things, but he wished he could see his brother in person and encourage him. Unfortunately, their schedules didn’t align.

“If he passes, you’ll be eating at the palace together. That’d be nice to see.”

“If he does. He’s been working hard, so I’m hopeful.”

“Yeah, your brother’s famous for being smart.”

Everyone was offering words of encouragement when an exhausted Administrative Department employee shuffled into the office. That figure looked familiar.

“So that’s what the Ministry of Magic looks like to others.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing much. Just looks like you’re about to drop dead.”

“Yeah, if I don’t get any sleep tonight, I probably will. Haah, so please stamp these quickly.”

“Sure, sure. I hate cleaning up corpses.”

The mages hurriedly took the documents from the employee and began reviewing them. The man slumped in his chair, eyes closed in exhaustion. One mage stamped the papers loudly and asked,

“Any standout talents?”

“Yeah, they’re flooding in from all over the empire. But there are some weirdos too. One guy scribbled his answers in ten minutes and left his seat.”

“Really? Taking the exam just for fun?”

“We haven’t graded it yet, but he always leaves first place and is the talk of the Administrative Department. Could be a genuine genius—or maybe just some bored noble kid on a trip to the capital. His name was… Hans, I think?”

At that name, everyone in the Ministry of Magic, including Naum and Ian, froze. They all knew Hans was Naum’s brother. But the Administrative employee was clueless and kept mumbling.

“He writes like he knows what he’s doing, no hesitation. So we’re keeping a close eye on him. If it’s all nonsense, we’ll suggest filtering out those slackers next time.”

“Ah, well, yeah, if there are too many like that, it’s a waste of manpower. But ahem.”

The mage stamped again, glancing at Naum. No matter how brilliant Hans was, it seemed unlikely he’d breeze through the notoriously brutal Imperial Civil Service Exam so easily.

But the partition blocked their view of Naum’s expression. Everyone quietly worried and fell silent. The Administrative employee looked up, sensing the tension.

“What’s with you all?”

“Nothing. Just rest quietly.”

“Well, at least once this is over, we’ll get a break. Then it’s the Ministry of Magic’s turn. Heh heh.”

They were referring to the upcoming Imperial Joint Recruitment.

Though overseen by the Palace Guard and Imperial Defense Department, the exam sites would be shielded by mages’ protective barriers to prevent any unforeseen dangers. Plus, the mages had to be on alert to detect anyone with the potential to become a magic swordsman, so they’d be busy as well.

Thinking of the grim future, the mage gave the final stamp.

“Go collapse somewhere and get some rest.”

“Thanks for the kind words. Well then, I’m off.”

Clatter!

As the Administrative employee left, Ian pulled back his chair and looked toward Naum, offering congratulations.

“Naum, congrats. Hans is probably going to be first place.”

Naum lifted his head slightly, his face flushed with a mix of joy, excitement, hope, pride, and even a touch of tenderness.

“Ah, well, you never know.”

Though he spoke politely, Naum knew the truth. Hans wasn’t some idle noble wasting time; he had breezed through the questions because he already knew them all. There was no doubt about it.

The mages, sensing the good news, came over and patted Naum on the shoulder.

“Wow! Congrats in advance, Naum. I heard the top scorer in the Imperial Civil Service Exam usually ends up as a minister. This is no joke.”

“Let’s make sure to do well from here on out.”

“We’re doomed… just think about what we’ve done over the past ten years…”

“If Hans becomes a minister, wouldn’t he be the youngest ever?”

The current minister had served the emperor for a long time. Experienced and capable, he managed the state affairs in the emperor’s stead. But everyone knew the emperor’s life was as fragile as a candle in the wind, and the fact it hadn’t gone out yet was a small blessing from the gods watching over Bariel.

‘It wouldn’t be surprising if he passed away anytime soon.’

The mages thought silently. For the minister to change, the emperor had to change first. They glanced at Ian, who, chatting with Naum moments ago, was now back to focusing on his reports as if nothing had happened.

If the emperor’s seat became vacant, then who?

‘Probably Ian.’

A noble from a collateral branch of the royal family and a genius mage—he was more than qualified. And if Ian ascended to the throne, the minister’s position would naturally go to Hans. Not just because of ability, but for political reasons, the closest allies had to be by the emperor’s side.

As the mages flipped through the reports, they felt an era slowly ending and a new one approaching.

“So Romandro won’t get to see Viviana much before the wedding.”

The mage’s complaint made sense. The Administrative Department was busy now, and next month it would be the Ministry of Magic’s turn. The wedding would probably be a grand festival. After a year of hard work, the mages would drink and feast and dance all day.

“Romandro’s been crying every night lately.”

Ian chuckled and added, drawing the mages’ curious eyes.

“Crying? Really?”

“He’s right next to my room. Every night, I hear him sniffling.”

“Man, that guy’s adorable.”

“Didn’t even realize he cries because his eyes are always swollen.”

Ian smiled faintly and glanced at the clock. There was still some time before leaving, but today he planned to head home early.

“Oh? Is something going on today?”

“Ah, Count Jacques is expecting guests. We’re opening a portal around six in the evening. The minister already approved it, but I wanted to share it again just in case.”

“Portal? Ah, the Great Desert?”

The mages snapped their fingers, remembering. Wasn’t that the doctor who helped Ian when he was young? Her name was probably Philia. She married a warrior from the Cheonryeo tribe and moved to the Great Desert, and recently they had a child.

“So it’s for Romandro’s wedding?”

“Yes, that and—”

Ian put on his jacket and recalled a letter from the Enlow family.

—Dear Sir Ian Hadel,

We have delivered your letter to Nersarn and Philia of the Cheonryeo tribe. They hope you will open a portal for their newborn child.

However, through our long-standing relationship, we have a favor to ask. My son, the second son Xiaoshi Enlow, wishes to apply for the upcoming Imperial Joint Recruitment. We hope he can use the portal and spend some time adapting in the capital with the couple. Would that be acceptable? We will be sure to offer compensation.

If you agree, please open the portal at the specified time and place below. If there are any issues, please reply immediately.

—Sent by Viscount Enlow.

Someone from the Enlow family was coming. It was a rare opportunity—the first time in ten years since Ian first heard of the Enlow family at Haiman Bank that a member was coming to the capital.

Ian bowed to the mages and hurried toward the mansion.

‘I’ve been curious about this. Why did the Enlow family leave gold to me? And what land did they sell?’

For various reasons, they hadn’t had a chance to meet and talk until now.

At first, the couple had been traveling across Bariel, so there was no natural opportunity to contact them. Later, the monster war left no time to spare.

There was still one thing Ian was especially curious about—the matter of the ‘1,000 gold coins.’ It wasn’t a conversation to be had over a scrap of paper; whether he went down or the other party came up, he felt it was necessary to meet face-to-face to clear up the question.

“Ian?”

“All set.”

As the coachman reached to open the carriage door, Ian declined and took off into the sky.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Ian vanished beyond the horizon. Normally, he preferred to travel by carriage, so he must be in quite a hurry today.

But… judging by the brief expression he flashed, he looked pretty excited. Was it just my imagination? The coachman sniffled and gently rubbed the forehead of his restless horse.

Thud!

Ian arrived at the Jacques estate in the blink of an eye. Inside, Beric and Barsabe, who had been training intensely, sensed the sudden surge of magical energy and paused for a moment.

“Ian?”

“Ian!”

The two looked up as if surprised to see him drop down from the sky like that. In the brief silence, Barsabe was the first to snap out of it and mercilessly started pounding Beric’s head.

Bam! Bam! Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Beric’s jaw twisted awkwardly as he tried to greet Ian. He wanted to call Barsabe a coward, but the next punch left him speechless.

“Who gets distracted in the middle of a fight?”

“Especially when you lost the map!”

“Lo-ost the map?!”

Bam! Thwack! Crash!

Ignoring the brawl behind him, Ian lightly shrugged off his jacket. The martial arts instructor, now well accustomed to the chaos between Beric and Barsabe, calmly added,

“Beric, clench your fists tighter. Barsabe! You could’ve dodged that last one. No, from there, one-two, one…”

Click.

Ian checked his pocket watch, then placed his palm on the wide courtyard. Instantly, a massive golden circle bloomed beneath his hand. Along with it, a black portal spread out like a cloud in the air.

Bam! Bam!

“…!”

“…!”

Startled by the unexpected sight, Beric and Barsabe simultaneously punched each other’s faces and fell backward. The instructor, surprised, stood up abruptly, but Ian shook his head, signaling not to worry.

“Everyone, get back to your tasks. I’m just preparing to receive a guest.”