“Beric.”
“Yes?”
Romandro sensed the unusual atmosphere from inside and grabbed Beric’s arm.
Beric, who had been mindlessly fidgeting with his belly, turned his ear toward Romandro.
“Why? Want to eat something?”
“No, you fool. How is that the only thing in your head? Can’t you see what’s happening in the imperial palace?”
“What do you expect from someone who just arrived? I’ve been rolling around on battlefields, then rolling around some more, and just got back.”
“Go to the estate immediately and make contact with Lady Philea. Tell her that questions about Ian’s origins are being raised in the imperial palace. She’s not alone either, so that would be much better. But tell her not to hide rashly, and if there’s anything she wants to say even now, ask her to let only me know with a small note.”
“Me? There are plenty of idle guards here.”
Smack!
“Oww!”
“You fool, this is a serious matter, so someone trustworthy should go! What if Lady Philea’s message gets leaked?”
“Ah, a trustworthy person. Me?”
“…Being directionally challenged is a flaw, but we can just give you a carriage.”
Beric, who had gotten a flick on the head from Romandro, grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. Even in the midst of this annoyance, he didn’t miss hearing those nice words.
Romandro kept looking around while bringing Beric outside the Ministry of Magic. Until he gestured to a waiting coachman to bring a private carriage, Beric kept grinning and circling around Romandro.
“Am I trustworthy? You really know how to judge people. I’m glad I wasn’t eating the nation’s rice for free.”
“You’re the one eating the nation’s rice for free, Beric.”
“Hey, what are you talking about! How many holes got punched in my belly because of the war!”
“Beric. Before I met Ian in Bratz, you two already had a connection, right? Wasn’t there anything strange?”
“What do you mean?”
Romandro questioned Beric while watching a carriage approach.
Romandro thought he had seen Ian from near his lowest point as a bastard. Wasn’t he the boy who had been backed into a corner in a territory devastated by the clash between the Central Army and Dergha’s Army?
Romandro had been able to dismiss the baseless rumors about his origins with incredulous laughter whenever they circulated in the palace. He was one of the few who had seen ‘bastard Ian’ before ‘Ian Hielo’—knowing Ian who had rolled around the borderlands, not Ian who had taken a ministerial position in the imperial palace and dominated power.
But now that he thought about it, there were definitely strange points.
‘When he first came to the capital, he used administrative terms like commercial districts, and knew old imperial palace etiquette too. No matter how clever he was, he knew countless things that even I, as an official, didn’t know.’
In the past six months, there had been countless examples he couldn’t count on his hands. At the time, Romandro had passed over them without much question, but he couldn’t easily dismiss them amid such repeatedly raised suspicions.
“He was always like that. Why is everyone making a fuss now?”
“Really?”
“He knows a hell of a lot, shows off a bit too. Hmm. Does whatever he wants. Sometimes he’s annoying, but he feeds us well.”
“…Just go. Go and give Ian’s regards to Lady Philea too. Don’t eat and come back. My wife Viviana is giving birth soon, so she really can’t move. Minnie is also busy taking care of Viviana, so don’t disturb them!”
“Huh? You’re giving me work without even feeding me? Doesn’t this violate imperial palace labor laws?”
“Where did you pick that up to act like you know? Where do imperial palace labor laws exist?”
“Haha you caught me. Never mind if they don’t exist.”
Clop clop clop!
Beric rushed down the stairs like an arrow and hid his body in the carriage. Soon he stuck his forehead to the window and greeted them. Romandro waved his hands telling him to go carefully, then heard the sound of a door slamming shut loudly behind him.
BANG!
“Oh my.”
What’s going on? Romandro unconsciously turned around and soon discovered Jin personally pushing open the middle gate with his own hands. Whether he was furious to the top of his head, his eyes and cheeks were flushed red.
Since this was the first time seeing the Crown Prince angry, Romandro instinctively hid behind a pillar. It was survival tactics naturally acquired while working in the administrative department. When a superior looks in a bad mood, stay out of sight as much as possible.
“Your Highness. Please walk slowly.”
“Wicked. Lord Ian is truly wicked.”
“What’s wrong?”
Xiaoshi was also following behind with a puzzled tone, unable to guess why Jin was angry. The child bit his lips hard and glared at the quiet office.
“Lord Ian isn’t the only one who thinks about Bariel.”
“Your Highness?”
“Let’s go. I’ll be in my chambers until the grand council.”
“…Yes, I’ll escort you.”
Xiaoshi quickly went ahead to have a carriage waiting, not letting Jin’s steps slow down.
When the Crown Prince’s carriage left the Ministry of Magic, dozens of servants followed. Romandro poked his head out from behind the pillar and clicked his tongue.
‘What on earth did Ian say to make him like that? Whatever it was, it’s highly likely Ian was in the wrong. Oh dear, our Highness. His feelings must be very hurt.’
It was the moment Romandro thought he should have a word with Ian and turned his body.
He saw Ian crossing the corridor while roughly throwing on his outer garment. A couple of file folders in his hands. Ian entered the basement where Damon was being interrogated without a moment’s hesitation, and soon Akorella and all the mages poured out.
“Hey everyone, why are you coming out?”
“Ah, Sir Romandro. Lord Ian told everyone from the Ministry of Magic to leave.”
“Huh? But the imperial secretaries are still inside?”
“Yes. He only told us to leave.”
Isn’t it usually the opposite?
The sensible behavior would be to keep his own Ministry of Magic affiliates nearby and send out those from other departments. But Ian specifically instructed ‘those affiliated with the Ministry of Magic’ to leave.
Anyway, since the secretaries were imperial affiliates, Ian wouldn’t have the authority to do anything about them.
“But Sir Romandro, haven’t you heard anything?”
“Heard what?”
A couple of mages gathered around Romandro and whispered secretly. The others were pretending not to listen, but he could feel them perking up their ears and focusing on their conversation.
When Romandro told them to go away and pushed off the bodies pressing against him, the mage smiled slyly and asked.
“Why? You know. That thing about Lord Ian’s origins.”
“Lord Ian’s origins are former Bratz, currently titled Hielo. There’s nothing more to add beyond that. And everyone, do you believe what the enemy leader says? Smart people like you, having such poor judgment, really. How can I trust you with work?!”
“Ow, you’re going to burst our eardrums. Why are you suddenly getting worked up?”
“Calm down, calm down. Whoa whoa. Sir Romandro. Let’s breathe and talk.”
“All that whispering is pointless. Sir Romandro. Lower your voice a bit? Yes? Imperial people might hear while passing by.”
Romandro deliberately raised his voice to scatter the mages’ attention, worried they might harbor other thoughts.
“You all know, don’t you? Would Lord Ian harbor any ill intentions? He’s someone who has consistently protected the imperial palace from his position since the rebellion. Really, such nonsense!”
“Ah, well. We’re not interested in that.”
“Right. Honestly, even if Lord Ian were of royal birth, we’d just be a little surprised. It’s not unbelievable, right? Sufficiently… how should I put it.”
“He seems like royalty.”
“Right, right, exactly that. Dignified and elegant. He probably didn’t even cry when he was born.”
“The problem is Idgal. Sir Romandro, when you were in Bratz, did you ever see Idgal? That’s what we’re curious about.”
That thing Damon had subtly mentioned. It left the mages with great questions. From Damon’s tone, Ian seemed closely connected to Idgal’s existence, but they couldn’t tell if it was true or not.
That made sense, since Ian had shown a hardline stance within the Ministry of Magic to eradicate Idgal.
Even when Akorella and other mages investigated and analyzed Idgal to submit reports, he had acted as if seeing the materials for the first time. No matter how thorough Ian was, he wouldn’t have reacted that way.
“Idgal?”
“Yes. The pretty amber-colored gem.”
“…”
Romandro kept his mouth firmly shut. Why wouldn’t there be? Of course there was! The amber gem that Lady Rien had given him, which he’d brought from Bratz. And it was handed over to the Ministry of Magic and revealed to be the same substance Mariv had used in the rebellion.
Several mages who hadn’t been involved in the details sparkled with curiosity and pestered with various questions, while Akorella, Romandro, and mages from related departments just awkwardly turned their gazes away.
“If Lord Ian really made Idgal—”
At the mage’s muttering, Romandro squeezed his eyes shut.
Someone who created a substance that oppresses mages. This was betrayal of mages, and furthermore could become a major issue threatening Bariel.
That made sense, since all incidents related to Idgal had threatened Bariel’s safety. The princes’ rebellion, the collapse of Clifford in southern Bariel, and so on.
“That’s crazy.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t that right? It’s crazy, really. I knew he was a genius, but this isn’t just genius level.”
“You, you, are you Akorella’s subordinate?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“The way you talk looks exactly like that.”
“…I honestly don’t understand it a bit. Genius or whatever, why would a mage make such a thing?”
“It was long before entering the Ministry of Magic, when Lord Ian was a little kid, right? Then even if you don’t understand, you should pretend to understand. What would a baby know? It’s fortunate he came to the imperial palace and helped center things.”
“Hey, you crazy bastards. Get your heads straight. This isn’t something to easily pass over just because it’s Lord Ian. On the contrary, how would you feel if Felix made Idgal?”
“Damned bastard. How could he put his own kind in danger?!”
“That’s exactly it. Ah, you’re all bewitched by Lord Ian. It’s a crime worthy of being beaten to death even with a joint signature from all mages.”
“Watch your words. This is Lord Ian.”
The mages seemed to have divided opinions. They exchanged arguments disguised as discussion among themselves, gauging whether Ian was truly connected to Idgal.
Akorella in the corner, eyes closed while just chewing on her cigarette. She was thinking about how to get through this situation.
“Ah, but where the hell is that useless blockhead Hale doing what?!”
BANG! CRASH!
BOOOOM!
The moment she realized Hale’s absence, a roar erupted from underground.
The mages all flinched and lowered their upper bodies simultaneously. Soon, as smoke rose up, they crowded around the stairs leading down.
“Lord Ian, are you okay?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Should someone go in and check?”
“Lord Ian said no entry.”
“So someone step up and go check!”
Their gazes all focused on Romandro simultaneously.
“…Me, me?”
“You’re his aide!”
“No, that’s, ahhhhh!”
Thud! Thoom!
Without a chance to refuse, Romandro was pushed downstairs by the mages’ hands. When he slowly grabbed the door handle and turned it, the corridor was so thick with smoke it was hazy.
Step.
“I-Ian?”
And as his vision gradually cleared, the basement scene came into view.
The secretaries were surprised and half-covering their faces with papers, while Ian stood holding the unconscious Damon’s hair. His mouth was covered in red blood—someone who didn’t know might think Damon’s tongue had been completely cut off.
***
“Ding-! Dong! Ding dong! Open the door! Minnie!”
Meanwhile, Beric had arrived at Romandro’s estate.
He made doorbell sounds with his mouth and shouted, and was able to see Philea first instead of Mini. Philea’s face as she opened the door held joy, worry, and surprise.
“Beric!”
“Oh, hello there.”
“My goodness, how wonderful to meet again like this! I heard you returned from the battlefield! Are you hurt anywhere? What about Ian? Is he safe?”
Philea embraced Beric tightly. Beric clenched his fist and raised it, shouting as if to say not to worry.
“Of course! Smashed all the enemy heads and returned safely!”
“Good, good. You worked hard. But is something wrong? Why did you come? Did Sir Romandro leave some documents behind?”
“No, it’s not that—”
Beric looked into Philea’s green eyes, which were exactly like Ian’s, and frowned. Really, no matter how he looked, she was exactly like Ian.
“Well, there’s a problem at the imperial palace? Ian is really your son, right? Lady Philea, do you have any connection to the royal family? Like Ian’s father turning out not to be that bastard Dergha after all. Something like that?”
“…What?”
Pure yet extremely rude and blunt statement.
Philea’s eyes widened with a bewildered expression, and she rolled her eyes trying to understand what Beric’s words meant.