Chapter 186

Two people were running on a vast lawn. For some reason, Ian unknowingly smiled and approached them. Short silver hair. Ian easily recognized that it was Roberside.

And in front of him-

“Lord Ian!”

Jin? Ian knelt down and met eyes with the child who clung to him. It was a lively face. Roberside, who was running from afar, shouted something, but it was not clearly audible.

“You look like you’re having fun.”

“It’s fun. Fun.”

“What makes you so happy?”

Jin didn’t answer, just smiling brightly. Then suddenly, Ian realized that the child didn’t have dimples on his cheeks. Moreover, the scar on his face, which was considered the proof of the Emperor, was also absent.

Rumble!

At that moment, a foul stench vibrated as heaven and earth split apart. Demons appeared on the peaceful field, and darkness descended as if to cover the world. Roberside, who had come closer, warned in a loud voice.

“Kill him!”

The child stabbed Ian’s heart with a dagger. He didn’t feel any pain. Was it because he was too surprised? Roberside, who was right behind him, slashed the child’s back with his sword and shouted.

“A child who should never have been born! Kill him!”

Slash!

The child with the slashed back died in Ian’s arms. But even in the midst of it, his raving laughter didn’t stop. As Ian looked down at the child in bewilderment, he grabbed Ian’s hair roughly and brought it to his ear.

“The child who should never have been born, wasn’t it you?”

***

“Lord Ian?”

Ian woke up, unknowingly breathing heavily. His whole body was shaking from the fierce heartbeat. A Ministry of Magic employee who was watching him from the side asked with concern.

“Lord Ian. Did you have a nightmare?”

“…”

“I was surprised because you were groaning terribly.”

“It’s only natural to catch a cold after overexerting yourself yesterday.”

“…What did I say?”

“Pardon? No. You were just moaning.”

Ian brushed back his damp hair and let out a sigh of relief. The dream was quite ominous, so it would have been awkward if he had uttered some nonsensical sleep talk.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, it won’t do. Sleep some more. I’ll call a doctor.”

Ministry of Magic subordinates backed away with a worried look, but Ian got up from his seat, straightening his clothes.

Nothing had changed inside the duty room since his last memory. Romandro, Xiaoshi, and Jin. Everyone was in a deep slumber as if they were on the verge of death. Except for Beric, who had paper in his mouth.

“Does anyone know the reason for Beric’s behavior?”

“I don’t know. He was mumbling something about bananas, then put paper in his mouth and went back to sleep.”

“…Let’s leave quietly.”

Ian comforted his subordinates and stepped outside. The sun was already high in the sky. It was only a few hours, but his body felt refreshed after lying down and getting some sleep. Ian sat on a round table and received reports from his subordinates one by one.

“The Nerians, I mean, your father, Lord Ian, is working with the warriors to help with the reconstruction.”

“What kind of race are they? They were so energetic without even sleeping.”

Like they had reconstructed Bratz, this time the warriors were roaming the palace. They spread out in all directions without hesitation, rescuing people buried under the rubble, clearing broken stone walls, and gathering scattered body parts.

Ian smiled and urged.

“Cherish and respect them. They are helping us purely. What about my mother?”

“Well, she’s the same. She seems to be moving with the warriors, acting as a translator for those who can’t communicate among them.”

No wonder she wasn’t seen. But Ian knew it was Filia’s way of helping him in her own way.

“Captain Akorella said she would submit an interim report on the amber gemstone in the afternoon. Before that, I’ll briefly convey the contents. First, they named the amber gemstone ‘Idgal’.”

“What’s the reason?”

Idgal. Doesn’t it sound like a person’s name? Ian asked, thinking that way.

“Because the gemstone is artificial. When cut in half, a geometric pattern is visible, which is a trace of an alchemist.”

Ian slightly lowered the report and twitched his eyebrows. Come to think of it, he had forgotten to hint that it might be related to an alchemist because he had been moving around so frantically.

“…Their skills are better than expected.”

In just one night, no. To be precise, in less than ten hours. Captain Akorella had discovered the traces of an alchemist in the gemstone. The subordinate sniffled and replied proudly.

“That’s why everyone puts up with her personality. Ah, please keep it a secret that I said this, Lord Ian.”

“Go on.”

“As you well know, whether it’s a magician, a sorcerer, or an alchemist, there are always traces left in supernatural powers. Especially those involved in manufacturing have clear traces, and when analyzing the geometric pattern, it could be read as ‘Idgal’ in the Bariel common language.”

“Is there a possibility that it’s the name of the alchemist?”

“Highly likely. The alchemist himself would also know his unique geometric pattern, and it’s common to assign meaning to it and use it as an alias.”

Ian nodded and ordered.

“I’ll give you a ring later. Cut it open as well.”

“A ring?”

The one that Madam Lien had handed over along with the drugs as a token of gratitude when coming up from the frontier to the center. If Madam’s jewel was also Idgal, they could narrow down the pursuit of the guild to which the alchemist in question belonged.

“And there’s the most important thing.”

“Yes. That’s right. Fortunately, some magicians, including Nakina, are slowly regaining their mana. It’s very faint, but it hasn’t completely disappeared.”

It was a relief to hear that. The Ministry of Magic was already short on numbers, so it would be troublesome to lose talented individuals in this situation. Since Ian was the first new recruit in several years, who knows how long it would take to meet the next magician.

The subordinates fell silent for a moment, then cautiously offered their opinions.

“Excuse me, Lord Ian. Although Idgal and the magic sealing stone are clearly different, don’t they have similar functions?”

“We also felt it this time. Magic can never be absolute at any time.”

Ian nodded, closing the report. It meant to continue.

“For the future and safety of our magicians, it would be best to eliminate either the magic sealing stone or Idgal.”

“Since the magic sealing stone is naturally occurring, wouldn’t it be better to track down and deal with the alchemist?”

They thought it was the power of God, but they were helplessly shattered by a single arrow from Mariv. They had been arrogant, but in a way, it was fortunate. Because they survived even after going through this.

“It’s easier to kill one alchemist than to kill nature.”

Ian tapped the end of the report and fell silent for a moment. He wasn’t unaware of their concerns.

“I agree. The existence of the magic sealing stone is God’s will, but the existence of Idgal is the will of the alchemist.”

Check and threat were words on entirely different levels. Ian handed over the report with the intention of telling them not to worry.

“It doesn’t make sense for magicians to be in danger because of the will of a single person. I will thoroughly investigate Mariv. Once the situation is roughly under control, I will pursue and deal with the alchemist.”

Perhaps the magicians who survived from the original era made the same decision as Ian. Is that why Idgal was not passed down to Ian’s era?

The magicians seemed satisfied with the words of Ian, their leader, and placed their hands on their chests.

“Next.”

“His Highness Gale was found in the 2nd Palace.”

“Found?”

Ian hesitated for a moment. The nuance of the word felt a bit strange. As expected, the magician carefully reported in a slightly lower voice.

“In a state of self-harm. There is no risk to his life.”

While Mariv surrendered and begged for his life, Gale attempted suicide to end the situation. As always, the decisions of the two were different. He wasn’t sure which one was right.

Ian rubbed his chin and frowned.

“Is he still unconscious?”

“Yes. But three magicians who can use healing magic have been dispatched along with a doctor. I think he’ll wake up soon.”

Ian sensed the presence coming from behind and turned around. Junior officials from other departments and individuals with unknown identities were coming with a mountain of reports.

“I understand. Keep a close watch on the place where Prince Gale is lying, and if he tries to commit suicide again, restrain him and lock him up.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Even if he dies, he must die in the courtroom.”

That way, there will be no burden on Jin in the future. Because he was not the offspring of the Empress, his legitimacy would surely be pointed out by the opposing forces at any time. So wouldn’t it be better to erase Mariv and Gale from the history of the Imperial family altogether?

Thud thud!

“Excuse me, Lord Ian. Duke Hayman has arrived at the central entrance of the city gate.”

The magician who had been closing and managing the entrance ran over and called Ian. At the unexpected name, everyone paused and looked at Ian.

“He says he wants to see His Majesty the Emperor. If that’s not possible, he wants to attend the grand meeting to clear up the misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding.”

At Ian’s bitter smile, the magicians gulped. Isn’t it truly bold and shameless? The force that had tried to overthrow the palace using Gale as a shield was directly walking in on their own feet, saying they would make excuses.

“Lord Ian, what should we do?”

“I’d like to kill them if I could.”

“No. I have money deposited there.”

The murmuring grew louder. Ian twirled the pen holder and pondered for a moment.

If he let them in, they would surely find out that the Emperor had collapsed. Then there was no predicting how Duke Hayman would act.

“Lady Melania is also with him.”

“…Allow them to enter, but immediately detain and escort them. Don’t let them have contact with others, and I alone will meet them.”

Could ‘detain’ and ‘escort’ coexist as words? But the magicians answered that they understood and ran back.

Ian continued to process the work, meticulously examining the remaining documents. It seemed he planned to meet Duke Hayman last, after finishing all the urgent matters.

‘A kind of battle of nerves.’

The very act of His Grace the Duke waiting for several hours without a word was equivalent to Ian taking an advantageous position.

“Next report.”

“Yes. Here it is.”

He’s not ordinary indeed. The Hayman family is like that, but Ian, who handles them so calmly, is not ordinary either. The magicians pressed their lips tightly and kept handing over the reports.

“Ah, and about Prince Gale’s curse.”

Even at the magician’s words, Ian didn’t stop scribbling his signature. The sound of the pen tip scratching was refreshingly heard.

“Is it true that the curse has been lifted?”

“Why do you ask that?”

Ian had declared that he had lifted the curse, but the magicians didn’t believe it. Because all he had done all day was continuously pour out mana to save people and subdue Mariv.

“Well, um, they say His Highness Gale keeps mumbling something while unconscious. I thought it might be related to the curse.”