Chapter 228

“Is he still not available?”

“I’m sorry. There are orders not to let anyone in.”

“Ugh, why is he suddenly doing this? It’s driving me crazy.”

“What about Sir Romandro? Where is Sir Romandro?”

As the sun reached its zenith and slowly began to descend, mages loitered in front of the office, each clutching their own reports. Just yesterday, they had been freely coming and going, but now they had no idea why Ian had suddenly forbidden entry.

Viviana, guarding the door, smiled apologetically.

“He’s inside together with Ian. I can pass along your messages if you’d like.”

“Can’t we really see him for just a moment? The Judicial Department is in an uproar too. They say Hayman and his close associates have indicated they won’t attend the general assembly regarding the filed complaint.”

“It might fall just short of a quorum. Then even if the meeting is held, no decisions can be made. You know how it is.”

“What on earth are they doing in there?”

“Well… I don’t really know the details…”

The mages clutched at Viviana’s sleeve, nearly in tears. They had been running around to other departments, urging participation in the general assembly, but without the leadership of Ian and Romandro taking action, their efforts were essentially futile.

“Could they be sick?”

“That’s right! They’ve been incredibly busy these past few days!”

Ian had been working like a workaholic, not eating or sleeping. But suddenly, in just one day, he had secluded himself like this. And with Romandro joining him! When the top officials act like this simultaneously, what are the subordinates supposed to do?

“They’re not sick. Actually, I went in earlier and got scolded too.”

“Ah…”

As Viviana replied awkwardly, rubbing her nape, the mages had no choice but to take a step back. If Ian was like that, and especially if Romandro, known for his love for his wife, wasn’t budging, there was nothing they could do. They kept checking the time and biting their lips.

“The deadline for responses is 6 PM, so we’ll be back shortly. Ma’am, please, we’re begging you.”

“Alright. Take care.”

“Please, tell them we want to see them even for just a moment.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Viviana smiled and waved lightly. The mages reluctantly turned away, adding words that betrayed their frustration.

“I can’t understand why they’re doing this right before such an important event.”

“I know. It seems the light of the oracle arrived earlier than expected. I heard all the staff on duty then were sent to Stone Mountain for support.”

“They say they rode in the carriage with Lady Dilaina’s subordinates.”

“At that time of night? Ugh. Just hearing about it makes me uncomfortable.”

“If His Highness Arsen is a mage, Ian must be in the most difficult position, so he must have a lot on his mind. Let’s try to understand.”

“But how can he completely step away from work like this?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Things with His Highness Gale don’t look good these days either.”

“His Highness Gale? Why?”

“Don’t you know? There’s a rumor spreading that he’s seeking asylum in Ruswena.”

“How can he do that when he’s confined?”

Tap tap tap!

As the mages disappeared around the corner, their murmuring voices faded. Viviana swallowed a sigh and let her hand drop. Then she opened the tightly closed office door and stepped inside.

Creak.

Clack!

“Sir Romandro. Please hand me the book you were looking at earlier.”

“You mean this one, ‘The Correlation between Temples and Oral Traditions’?”

“There’s an abbreviation here too. How do you read this?”

“…k. a. r. v. o. It stands for Carbó Temple.”

Inside the office, stacks of documents were piled up, leaving no room to step. Ian and Romandro, with their shirt sleeves rolled up, had been dedicating nearly a full day to information searching without sleep. The high priests Abidel and Makael were doing the same, having removed their robes to help the two men wholeheartedly.

“Lord Ian. It seems there are continuous inquiries about the general assembly. The mages are struggling.”

Viviana spoke as she cleared away empty potion bottles from the desk. They were specially made by Captain Akorella. A type of stimulant that could safely boost energy for up to three days, but after the fourth day, it would cause unbearable side effects with fatigue more than doubling.

They had consumed two bottles at once, so Viviana couldn’t hide her worried expression.

“Did Hayman’s side say they won’t come to the general assembly?”

“They collectively said they couldn’t make it and expressed their refusal. The mages seem to be trying hard to reach a quorum, but there’s a limit, you know. Everyone is anxious.”

Everyone is anxious, is it? Ian smiled slightly, as if pleased with Viviana’s words. There was a hint of satisfaction at the end of that smile.

“What time did they ask for a response by?”

“Six o’clock.”

“Then please inform them at exactly six o’clock. Tell them we will attend the general assembly as scheduled. It doesn’t matter whether there’s a quorum or not, but don’t specifically mention this to the mages.”

Ian’s behavior was intentional. Not only was there physically no time due to reviewing documents, but the main purpose was to create confusion throughout the Ministry of Magic.

When everyone is united and rushing together, there’s no room for personal thoughts. However, in such a chaotic atmosphere, with even the person in charge absent, causing a sense of crisis?

Two types of behavior will emerge. Some will grit their teeth to save the Ministry of Magic until the end, while others will turn their gaze elsewhere to find a way to save themselves.

“Philea, no. Did you give Mother a hint?”

Viviana nodded at Ian’s question. Strengthen the security for Gale, but move the warriors to less visible places to lower their guard.

This was to help the bats that come after hearing the rumors to approach Gale more easily. Of course, they wouldn’t allow direct contact.

“Yes. They said they would be on high alert on that side as well.”

“Good. What about the support that went to Stone Mountain?”

“A carrier pigeon arrived saying they’ve come down from Stone Mountain. If it doesn’t rain, they should arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

Ian kept nodding. As if everything was going according to plan. Viviana, who had been fiddling with the empty bottles, couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked.

“But is there really a need for you to attend the general assembly? If it’s to instill a sense of crisis in the Ministry of Magic, wouldn’t not going at all be one way? After all, if it’s below quorum, no decisions can be made anyway.”

“That’s true, but the people gathering for the meeting are those not entangled with the Hayman family.”

As time passed, the forces gathering around Arsen were growing. More accurately, it would be correct to say that Jin’s forces were scattering.

With the news that the light of the oracle was approaching, the lukewarm response of the Ministry of Magic, and even Gale’s asylum-seeking, Jin’s position was like a fallen leaf barely holding on at the end of autumn.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I want to see their faces in person. And I plan to give them a gift that matches their beliefs.”

Clack.

Ian said only that much and then focused back on reviewing documents. It meant he would unofficially reveal Arsen’s true identity. Viviana felt the eye of the storm approaching right before her eyes and patted her chest near her heart.

“Vivi? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. My body’s been a bit off lately.”

“Go in and rest, please. Send Xiaoshi.”

“Stay here. I’ll bring in some food.”

“Oh, really now.”

Could it be because her due date was approaching? Viviana just said not to worry and left with the tray holding the bottles.

No sooner had she left than the mages who couldn’t wait any longer rushed back, crowding in front of the office. Viviana pretended not to see them and quickly turned her body to slip out of the corridor.

***

Clop clop clop!

Neigh!

On a quiet night at the imperial palace.

Two carriages raced to arrive at the general assembly hall. Despite being directly convened by the Prime Minister to review the complaint, the surroundings were unusually quiet. Romandro clicked his tongue and firmly grasped the documents tucked under his arm.

“Well, would you look at this.”

“It’s pleasantly quiet.”

“This is going too far. No matter what, it’s convened by the Prime Minister. How is this any different from blatant disrespect? Tch, tch!”

There didn’t seem to be even twenty carriages standing. It was an attendance unworthy of the name ‘general assembly.’

Ian slowly climbed the stairs, his robe fluttering. The doors to the assembly hall weren’t even closed, and the chatter of a few guards was the first thing to be heard.

“Minister Ian Hielo of the Ministry of Magic?”

“Please enter.”

Creak.

It was an invitation to push the already open door wider. The creaking sound was particularly amusing. The Prime Minister, seated in the center, greeted Ian with a frown.

“Lord Ian. You’ve come.”

“I apologize for being late.”

They were delayed trying to sneak out, avoiding the mages blocking the front of the office.

Ian carefully observed those seated in the assembly hall. Including familiar faces like the Three Generals Beols and Jeirutt, as well as Quintana and Eriks, there were fewer than thirty heads in total.

“Is there any point in holding this meeting? The Hayman side absolutely refused to come during the day, so we scheduled it for night, but they still didn’t show up. Look at this now. There are more empty seats than filled ones.”

Someone expressed their dissatisfaction. It was a complaint about why the meeting wasn’t canceled and why they were made to come and go in this situation.

As Ian took his seat, Romandro distributed the prepared reports. There seemed to be far too many left over compared to what they had prepared.

“We don’t have a quorum, so no decisions can be made. Lord Ian.”

“Yes. But despite that, you all have attended. Since those who uphold principles and beliefs should receive appropriate rewards, we inevitably proceeded with the meeting instead of canceling it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The Prime Minister frowned, twirling his beard. He looked like he wanted to quickly adjourn this meaningless gathering and go home, regardless of rewards or whatever.

But Ian gestured as if asking them to check the report.

Clack.

Quintana was the first to read through the report. After a moment of silence, she let out an incredulous laugh. The paper contained a claim that Arsen was a demon. It was the first time in her life that she felt paper could be such a waste.

“…You’re insane, Lord Ian.”

“Lord Ian. Is this some kind of joke?”

“This is too much, even for a joke. Now I understand why everyone is turning away from His Highness Jin and towards His Highness Arsen. No. How can the Minister of Magic be this absurd?”

“No matter how much you’re on the defensive, wrong is wrong. You’ve crossed a line, Lord Ian. Prime Minister, you should immediately punish him for insulting the royal family!”

Intense reactions erupted. Starting from the fairy tale book “The Chronicles of Roberside,” there wasn’t a single piece of logical evidence to support the claim.

They looked at Ian with shocked eyes, as if truly seeing a madman. The situation had gone beyond shock to the point of instilling fear.

“I am completely serious.”

“I’ll leave first. This is a waste of time.”

“Sit down, Quintana. If you pass on this moment because you think it’s a waste of time, there might not be a Bariel tomorrow.”

Ian stood up. Then, making eye contact with each person, he continued speaking.

“I told you. It’s a kind of reward. Just by knowing in advance that Arsen is a demon, your futures have changed.”

“Lord Ian. Please.”

“You said there’s no visible evidence. Don’t worry. On the day of the mana confirmation ceremony, you’ll not only see it with your own eyes but feel it with all your senses. So, for now, please calm down and listen to my proposal.”

Ian nodded for her to sit. Quintana tapped the desk with the report, then let out an audible sigh. But it was worth a try. She sat down with her arms crossed and shouted.

“So? What are you going to propose?”

“To be precise, it’s not a proposal but a request for cooperation.”

He muttered while turning to the very last page of the report.

“On the day of the mana confirmation ceremony, we’re going to kill Arsen.”