Episode 99
“Child, listen to the sound of the falling snow.”
Prince Marib suddenly recalled his mother’s words and glanced out the window. As always, snow was gently falling. Every year, without fail, the moment the first snow touched the ground, the Empress’s voice echoed softly in his mind.
“Ah, the first snow.”
His aide handed him some documents at his desk, smiling. Winter was cold and harsh, but it was the season marking both the end of one year and the beginning of another. Marib turned his head with little emotion and muttered,
“The New Year’s ceremony will be held soon.”
“That’s right. The main palace is in chaos. The chief financial officer has been arguing daily with Lady Dilaina’s steward over the budget.”
Dilaina was the Emperor’s consort, the only woman who attended him closely. Since the deaths of Marib’s and Gale’s birth mothers, the position of Empress had remained tacitly vacant for quite some time.
‘Has it really been over ten years already?’
There had been whispers about appointing a new Empress several times, but the topic never even made it onto the meeting agenda. The only point Marib and Gale agreed on was this:
Until their mothers returned alive, no one else could claim the title of Empress.
No one else could call themselves their mother.
“It’s frustrating, really. Every year, the New Year’s ceremony causes such a fuss.”
“The New Year’s ceremony is traditionally His Majesty’s responsibility. Since His Majesty’s health has declined, it’s only natural that the closest consort takes charge. It’s an honor, isn’t it?”
“To receive a word of encouragement from Father?”
Marib forced himself to erase his mother’s face from his mind and continued speaking. His aide seemed eager to distract him with idle chatter, hoping to break his focus.
“Well, having Lady Dilaina around does make things easier. Without her, we’d be the ones preparing the ceremony. With the workload we already have, adding that would be unbearable…”
The aide lightly smacked his own mouth and began organizing the papers. The snow had stirred a bit of excitement, causing him to babble without regard for time or place.
“When is Romandro expected to arrive? Along with Sir Ian, right?”
“There’s been no official notice from the palace, but they’re expected to arrive on schedule, so they should be departing soon.”
“And Mollin?”
“He should reach the capital before Sir Ian. The administration is likely to grant him a recommended leave, but it’s not confirmed. We’ll assign someone to keep an eye on him as soon as he arrives.”
“That man is stubborn as hell.”
Marib muttered in irritation, and his aide glanced nervously. Because of the upcoming appointment of the Chief Justice at the New Year’s ceremony and the Ministry of Magic’s ongoing scrutiny, they had no choice but to postpone dealing with Mollin.
And so it had been, up until now.
The first snow had fallen, and the New Year’s ceremony was just days away.
“Paal.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Marib furrowed his brow and called his aide. Paal’s shoulders stiffened; whenever his name was called like this, a question was sure to follow.
“Is there no way?”
A way to eliminate Mollin and fend off the Ministry of Magic’s interference.
“If it weren’t for the Siltham potion, we wouldn’t be in such a bind. The Ministry’s nature means they have no jurisdiction over other departments, which complicates things.”
They only had written reports on the potion’s development, effectiveness, and side effects—no firsthand verification. It was hard to trust.
Paal hesitated before answering.
“Given the gravity of the matter, there are voices of opposition from other factions as well.”
“Meaning the administration remains unmoved.”
Silence was tacit approval. Proposals related to the Emperor were submitted almost daily, yet none had been approved.
“We still hold Mollin’s health records, so it’s best to wait until after the New Year’s ceremony. Once Sir Ian is assigned to the Ministry of Magic, it should be easier to gather information from there.”
Paal glanced at his superior, cautiously offering his opinion. Judging by Marib’s expression, it wasn’t well received. It was just a reminder of what they already knew.
“Bring me the reports from the Ministry of Magic.”
“Yes, my apologies.”
Marib flipped through the Siltham potion reports again. The notes were meticulous but filled with jargon incomprehensible to anyone outside the Ministry. Some terms were even difficult to pronounce.
‘To interpret this, I’ll have to rely on the Ministry’s help again. What a pain.’
It hadn’t been like this before.
Those who inherited the sacred power—the Ministry of Magic—had maintained neutrality and firmly guarded the palace’s core just a few years ago. But since Wesley became Minister of Magic, that balance had shattered.
“What about the comparative report with the Homogeneous potion?”
“Here it is.”
Using the more common Homogeneous potion as a baseline, they could see what was added or removed in the Siltham potion. Marib studied it carefully, then paused.
“Luron?”
Luron. A name he’d never heard before. Judging by the notation, it seemed to be a kind of mana stone…
“Paal, the Siltham potion contains a mana stone called Luron. Find all related information.”
“Oh, I happen to have requested some documents from the Ministry of Magic.”
The aide sprang up and rummaged through a stack of files on a trolley. He pulled out a thick bundle of papers and flipped through them quickly.
“Shall I read it to you?”
“Go ahead.”
Marib returned his gaze to the report, waiting for the explanation. There were five special ingredients unique to the Siltham potion.
“Luron is a high-grade, rare mana stone.”
“High-grade rarity?”
It meant it was scarce, valuable, and poorly documented. That first sentence immediately caught Marib’s attention.
“If it’s that rare, how did they manage human trials and efficacy tests?”
“The report says so. Although it’s high-grade rarity, only a tiny amount is used, so supply isn’t an issue.”
“True enough. It’s probably only for those about to be appointed.”
“The Ministry managed a total of 15 kilograms of Luron. Five kilograms were used during research, and each dose of the Siltham potion contains about 10 grams.”
“Common low-grade mana stones are usually stocked in hundreds of kilograms, right?”
“Luron was only reported to academia last year.”
Marib tapped the desk, urging Paal to continue. Though unfamiliar, it was clear this mana stone was indeed rare compared to others.
“The mining location is unknown. It’s said to be near ordinary ore veins, but samples are scarce. There’s something unusual, though…”
“What is it?”
Paal tilted his head, as if seeing this kind of mana stone for the first time.
“It exists as a liquid but solidifies like stone when it reacts to external mana. For example, at a reported mining site, a mage’s presence caused the Luron beneath a miner’s feet to harden instantly.”
The depth was ankle-high, but once solidified, there was no way to free the foot. The pressure was so severe that before the leg could become necrotic, they had to amputate the otherwise healthy ankle.
“Lucky it was just the ankle.”
“There have been no reports of it solidifying deep enough to trap the whole leg. That would have been disastrous.”
“Anything else?”
“The stone is purple, and the more bubbles that form when it hardens, the stronger the mana reaction. I don’t know what that means for mages, though.”
The Ministry’s distributed explanation ended there. They probably had more detailed internal data, but it wasn’t shared.
“We’ll need more information on Luron.”
“I’ll investigate.”
Paal nodded confidently and gathered the documents. Meanwhile, Marib looked out the window again. The snow had stopped.
“By the way, is the solidified mana stone used as is? It seems they add it as powder, not liquid.”
“The report doesn’t specify the fusion method. But it says the stone is extremely hard—no ordinary method can scratch it.”
“Then how do they handle it?”
Paal flipped through the report quickly, finding the answer Marib sought.
“It breaks down under a mage’s mana. The stronger the mana concentration, the easier it is to handle, according to research.”
Marib propped his chin on his hand and tapped the table thoughtfully.
“So that means…”
“It could serve as a way to distinguish powerful mages.”
“Wait!”
Romandro stretched out his hand, shouting. Unlike the calm Ian and the indifferent Beric, his entire face was wide open in shock. His eyes were wide, nostrils flared, and mouth agape, seemingly unable to close.
“W-wait. Did I just hear that right?”
“There’s mana in the Monne mine.”
“Mana stones in Monne? Mana stones? You mean that?”
His head was spinning. Even if he were struck by a sudden windfall, it wouldn’t feel like this. A small mine he’d only known as a coal pit, and now it held mana stones!?
“Ian! Ian! Wow! This is unbelievable!”
“Sir Romandro, you’re fully awake now.”
“How could I not be? This is insane! You must have done something great in your past life! Mana stones!”
He had, indeed, done something significant in his past life. Ian chuckled softly and raised both hands, silently urging him to calm down.
“But the problem is, we don’t know what these mana stones really are. There’s no information. Judging by the corpse clutching the knight, it might be dangerous—or maybe not…”
Ian gave a helpless smile, caught somewhere between recognition and confusion. Every mana crystal he’d seen so far had been refined dozens of times. Trying to identify one in its raw form was throwing him off—he just couldn’t be sure.
“Is there a problem? Should I contact the Magic Department right away…?”
Romandro’s excitement, which had been burning hot moments ago, suddenly fizzled out. He clearly understood what the real issue was.
“It seems the reason Gale Jeoha targeted this place is because of that. I can’t say I’m certain, but I have a strong suspicion that’s why they came here.”
“If the Magic Department finds out about this, it’s going to cause an even bigger uproar.”
“I agree. The only good thing is that, for now, no one else knows.”
Ian suddenly thought of Mac and D’Gor, who had been wandering restlessly outside the mansion. He’d assumed they were just scheming about Gula, but now that he thought about it, they’d also been near the mines.
“How big was it exactly?”
“Big enough to swallow the lower half of a grown man whole.”
“Oh my god. This is insane. You’re seriously terrifying!”
The value was beyond calculation. Even a low-grade mana crystal was worth as much as a diamond of the same size.
What if it was mid-grade? No, what if it was high-grade?
Lost in these wild thoughts, Romandro snapped back to reality and grabbed Ian’s shoulder tightly.
“We could build a whole kingdom with this. Hahaha!”
“…That’s not exactly something the royal advisor should be saying.”
“Ah, just saying! Just saying!”
Ian chuckled softly in response.
“For now, I don’t want to report this to the central government. The mine is on our territory anyway, and I think it’s better if I go into the Magic Department first, get a feel for the situation, and then handle it.”
“Yeah, I think that’s wise. You should also consult with Marib Jeoha.”
“Leave that to me. I’ll talk to him.”
“Alright, alright. The master should handle it.”
“I’ll head to the mine first thing tomorrow morning.”
They needed to examine the mana crystal more closely. At Ian’s words, Romandro quickly turned his head to check the clock. One in the morning. Time was dragging like crazy.