Episode 960

“Damn it, where did you put those files earlier?”

“On the desk. Right there.”

“Wait a second, I’m coming through! Move aside!”

“Romandro, snap out of it and get moving. Seriously.”

As the mage tapped Romandro on the shoulder and passed by, he collapsed forward, sniffling quietly. On any other day, they might have dropped down beside him to joke around or offer comfort, but not today…

“Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now.”

“Yeah, I get it. sniffle sniff.”

There was no time for that. With Crony’s sudden appearance, all the mages were on high alert. They had mountains of preparations ahead—not only to confirm the existence of the Underworld God but also to analyze the magical power he displayed. No matter how much of a groom-to-be Romandro was, there was no chance to help him up.

The mages hurriedly dodged around Romandro or lightly stepped over him as they rushed past.

“Who the hell just collapsed here—”

“Isn’t that Romandro?”

“Oh… he’s still there. Yeah, still lying down.”

The wedding was coming up soon! What was the point of all the hard work the mages had put in over the past few days to ensure Romandro’s attendance if a bomb dropped from the sky and stalled everything?

Romandro pictured himself sitting alone and lonely at the party, tears quietly streaming down his face.

“Hey, this isn’t the time to be like this.”

“I know—”

“If you know, then get moving. The groom has to be at his own wedding.”

If things went wrong, he might not even make it to his own wedding? At Ako’s fierce warning, Romandro’s eyes snapped open and he stood up.

Ako wasted no time, placing a stack of documents in his hands.

“Handle this immediately, and have Ian come find me. He’s been sending signals, but there’s been no response.”

“Even with signal magic?”

“Yes. If it were the central office, they’d have picked it up right away.”

There were only two possibilities: either they saw the signal and ignored it, or they were outside the central area’s range. It was unlikely anything serious had happened, but now that Crony was back alive, complacency was out of the question.

“And… shouldn’t Minister Arena have contacted us by now?”

At Ako’s words, passing mages chimed in. The magical department had sent a telegram long ago, and if the other side had replied, they should be arriving soon.

“Today or tomorrow.”

“This time, they better send coordinates.”

“Exactly. They probably have no idea what’s going on.”

“If there are no coordinates, we’ll have to send people out. To bring Minister Arena here. But what kind of monster could have taken down our guys like that, just two mages?”

Ako twirled her pen thoughtfully.

“There’s a time lag between the Abyss and here, so it could be the last monster.”

“Like a final desperate thrash before dying?”

“If what Captain Crony said is true. We don’t know anything for sure yet.”

Ugh. What kind of workload is this? Every time I think I can finish something and rest, some unexpected disaster flips everything upside down.

“This isn’t a sailboat, damn it. Things keep getting turned over every single day.”

Shhhk.

Just as Ako was about to light her cigarette, Ian snatched it away and snapped it in two.

“Huh? Ian?”

“We agreed no smoking in the office.”

Ian said, taking off his jacket and placing it on his desk, which was buried under a mountain of paperwork. Half a day’s worth of work piled up. Normally, the mages would be gloomy, but seeing Ian, they greeted him cheerfully.

“Ian? Heyyy! Ian’s here!”

“Oh, thank goodness. Without you, the day drags on forever.”

Thud.

Ian roughly sorted through the documents, rolled up his sleeves, and got ready to work. Ako squinted and whispered.

“When did you get here? Have you seen Crony?”

“No. He left the palace.”

“You heard the news?”

About the Underworld God’s demise and his magical power. Though Ian mentioned it casually, Ako’s gaze darted anxiously around, unsettled.

“I heard. But the Oracle’s Light is off-limits for now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“What? The Oracle’s Light?”

They’d already drafted the official request. The mages hesitated, puzzled, but Ian added nonchalantly:

“There’s a problem with the Oracle’s Light. We have to wait until it’s repaired.”

“What? No way! So we just have to watch that guy keep causing trouble?”

“Should we try contacting another temple?”

“Everyone, calm down. Take a seat first.”

As the mages buzzed with unease, Ian calmly settled them down.

“But Ian, why are you so calm about this?”

“Yeah. Are you sure you heard everything right?”

“Look, Crony’s been using magic, right?”

If that really was ‘magic,’ it could dilute the prestige of the first noble mage. Ian was the first to manifest it, but Crony was much older, a blood relative.

“That’s not really important.”

“Not important?! It is! If he’s a real mage, then he’s part of our family! Can you handle that?”

The mage’s voice trembled. Their parents were involved, and a lifelong obstacle was suddenly tied to their family. Imagining that, the mages furrowed their brows on Ian’s behalf.

“That won’t happen.”

“W-well, you never know with people.”

“Wait a minute. Ian, do you know something about Captain Crony? Your reaction seems like you do.”

Ian finished organizing the remaining documents, leaned back on his desk, and looked around at the mages. Deep down, he was already accepting the truth: Crony had become the seed of the Underworld God.

“Everyone’s probably feeling the same way but not saying it out loud. If Crony were truly one of us, he wouldn’t be reacting like this.”

Though unspoken, they were all focused on uncovering what Crony’s power really was. Instinctively, they sensed something suspicious about him.

“By the way, the Oracle’s Light won’t work. Crony already knows about it. If we go through with the ritual and nothing happens, it’ll only make things harder for us. Better to cancel it altogether.”

“If we cancel the Oracle’s Light, then how…?”

“We’ll find another way. Tell Crony the verification is postponed. His reaction will tell us everything.”

Whether he’s hoping for the Oracle’s Light or not. If he is, there’s no reason to help him. Better to avoid it and strike from another angle.

One mage grabbed the related documents and shook them.

“What do we do? Follow Ian’s plan?”

The leaders exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

“What choice do we have? The decision-maker isn’t here, so whoever decides won’t cause problems.”

“Then we should go with Ian’s suggestion.”

“Yeah, I agree. At least when it comes to Crony’s case, Ian should have our support.”

“If you don’t like it, bring in the minister. Right?”

“Yeah, let’s bring the minister if it gets tough.”

Ian gave a faint smile at the mages’ decision. Having grown up with them, sharing everything, it was nice to be on the same wavelength in moments like this.

“Buying some time with the Oracle’s Light delay is perfect. When Minister Arena returns, we’ll be ready. Ian, how about opening a portal to the northern area?”

To the village near the Red Forest where the trouble first started.

Ian checked the calendar and nodded slightly.

“No need to wait until tomorrow. I’ll finish the urgent tasks and open the portal in the backyard.”

“Ian, won’t opening it at night draw too much attention?”

“Crony might notice. But even if he does, what can he do?”

The mages worried, but Ian tilted his head in confusion.

“Of course. This time, the portal will open adjacent to the ground, not in midair.”

“…Then you’ll have to recalculate the formulas?”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“You’re going to finish all this work and open it tonight?”

“…?”

“…?”

For a moment, Ian and the mages exchanged confused looks. In this suffocating standoff, the ordinary folks gave up first. The mages waved their hands as if to say ‘fine’ and turned away.

“Don’t try to understand. Don’t question how it’s possible in just a few hours. It’ll only give you a headache. No productivity.”

“Sigh… Damn it. Father, you’re a mage too, but treating us like this hurts.”

“Enough. Hey, no more talking about the portal. Just let Ian do what he wants.”

“Yeah. If he’s doing it, just let him. No point trying to understand.”

The mages scattered back to their seats, feeling they’d wasted their time. Then, Ako, who had been leaning back in her chair, raised her hand.

“Wait a minute!”

“Hm?”

“We’ve bought some time with the Oracle’s Light delay.”

“Not ‘bought,’ we have time now.”

“But what if Crony acts out? I swear, that guy looks like he’s planning a magic show on the street.”

At the mention of a magic show, the mages chuckled. They meant a kind of public spectacle to sway opinion.

Until the investigation is fully complete, the royal palace has no choice but to be cautious about his return. In other words, for now, the palace won’t move according to his wishes.

“That might be true,” Ian muttered thoughtfully. In the past, he would have assumed the man’s ultimate goal was simply power and glory. But not anymore.

‘The Black Seed.’

An alliance with the underground god could bring about not only Bariel’s downfall but even Gaia’s destruction.

“But it’s okay.”

“Okay? You mean the magic show?”

Ziiing! Pufheee!

As Ako playfully blew sparks from her nostrils, the mages gathered around her, eyes wide with fascination.

“How on earth do you do that?”

“You’ll be able to too, once you’re older.”

“…I’m older than you.”

“That’s thanks to the secret potion, isn’t it?”

“You’re turning into a traveling salesman. That’s enough.”

Ian smiled softly as he finished organizing the documents. If they wanted to open the portal tonight, there was no time to waste chatting.

“There’s another department in the palace that’s in chaos besides us.”

“Which one?”

“You know the saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“The enemy of my enemy?”

“Over there.”

Ian nodded toward someone approaching in the distance. A man in armor came running, clearly in a hurry—a soldier from the Imperial Defense Department.

“We’re not the only ones who find Crony unwelcome.”

More than just unwelcome—some felt their very survival threatened—

“Excuse me. Minister Freddy of the Imperial Defense Department sent me.”

The current minister himself.

Since the Magic Department had bought some time with the Oracle’s Light, it was now the Defense Department’s turn. Hearing the soldier’s message, Ian greeted him as if he had expected this.

“You’re late. How do you expect to survive like that?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Hand it over.”

Freddy’s secret letter to the Magic Department. It likely contained a proposal for an alliance along with his plans.

The soldier, confused but seemingly compelled by something, pulled the hidden letter from his chest.