Ian on the left, Jin on the right.
Noah had nowhere to rest his eyes, focusing only on the mages visible through the window. Whether they knew the Crown Prince had come to the Ministry of Magic or not, he couldn’t tell. Occasionally they created brilliant flashes of light, nothing more than efforts to capture attention.
Watching this display, Noah became certain that the Crown Prince opposed Ian’s resignation. If the imperial family wanted to keep the Ministry of Magic in check, there would never be another opportunity like this.
While completely dismissing Ian’s natural talents would be a national waste and thus unreasonable… using the Ministry’s dereliction of duty as grounds to demote Ian from Minister to a lower director position, then elevating someone with imperial connections above him—that would not only provide oversight but also create an opportunity to control the Ministry like a puppet. If Crown Prince Jin had even a hint of cunning, he might have done exactly that.
The imperial family had several methods to control the Ministry of Magic: institutional approaches and the inhumane method of mana-sealing stones.
Humans harbored the seeds of evil within them, and if they truly wished, they could keep the Ministry in check through methods too shameful to be recorded in history.
Hadn’t Queen Eripony of Ruswena done just that? Amid the wave of strikes by mages, Prince Noah recalled the flames that had consumed the old man to death that day.
“Prince Noah.”
“Ah, yes, Your Highness.”
It was Jin who broke the silence. Jin spoke while gazing thoughtfully at the teacup Ian had personally served him.
“Did you lose your way? The guide must have been incompetent. I cannot fathom why you came to the Ministry of Magic instead of the First Imperial Palace. That is why I ask.”
“I deeply apologize, Your Highness.”
It was Ian who answered in Noah’s place. He bowed his head without reservation, apologizing for the impropriety. Each time Jin frowned, the child’s long scar moved with his expression.
“I thought it urgent to confirm the progress of the Clifford Rift, so I presumptively requested this meeting first. I heard Your Highness was in class and thought I could coordinate the timing, but it seems I miscalculated.”
“You knew I was in class?”
“Yes. As you can see, Ministry members cannot handle their duties due to personal circumstances, so we’re receiving help from the imperial family and administrative departments. Beric informed me.”
“I see. Even so, you made me come here personally, which is certainly Minister Ian’s mistake.”
These words were meant to express anger and thus suppress Ian’s momentum, but they had no effect whatsoever. Ian simply smiled and acknowledged it.
“Yes. It is my mistake. That’s why I will resign.”
“No!”
“Cough—!”
At Ian’s calm response, May burst into a coughing fit. She repeatedly apologized while pulling out a handkerchief and wiping away the dampness.
“Prince Noah.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How fortunate this turned out. Though you and Minister Ian clearly made mistakes, the situation in Clifford is urgent, so I shall generously overlook this.”
“Your Highness’s grace is as vast as the summer sea.”
“The rift occurred in the capital region, not far from the royal palace, correct? What is the current evacuation status of the citizens in that area?”
At Jin’s question, May hurriedly pulled documents from her leather bag.
The daily lives of thousands of refugees, neatly contained in brown envelopes. Palace personnel volunteered their full efforts for national reconstruction despite knowing they would struggle to receive wages, and citizens also pooled their strength to aid in recovery efforts.
But the limitations were clear. They desperately needed the mages’ help—no, Bariel’s help. Right now, those who couldn’t eat even one proper meal a day lined the streets. From a humanitarian perspective, Clifford truly hoped for Bariel’s assistance.
Of course, no such thing existed in this world.
“Therefore, any grain, clothing, and anything else that can be immediately provided would be good. From Bariel to Clifford, please just bow your head slightly so we can hold onto hope.”
“For grain, we can request it from Ruswena. I’ll propose they provide several thousand sacks of grain first as war reparations. But negotiations will take some time. How about Bariel providing it first, and we take those rights instead?”
Jin proposed to Noah based on meetings he’d held with the administrative department. While Ruswena partially admitted their wrongdoing, this was no different from claiming they too were victims.
To ‘align’ the interests regarding war reparations, it was convenient for Bariel to hold most of the rights. If they weren’t distributed, they had no choice but to align.
“The details are matters for my father, the King of Clifford, to decide, but I find it reasonable. The lives of the starving are burning away, so we need to quickly extinguish them.”
“Good. I’ll have the administrative department calculate exactly how much grain we can provide and inform you by this evening. Xiaoshi.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Xiaoshi took notes on Jin’s orders while signaling to the attendants below. As if everyone had predetermined positions, their movements were perfectly coordinated without a moment’s hesitation.
Noah looked down at his cooled teacup and bowed his head. The gap between emperor and king, empire and kingdom, was so starkly evident.
Honestly, he found Clifford’s current state truly lamentable, but what could he do? If he bowed his head, his people would live.
“Please sit upright.”
“…Thank you. Clifford is primarily an agricultural nation. The damage this time is quite severe. Burgos even released magical beasts that kill the land. Though the coming winter seems far away, won’t it arrive in the blink of an eye?”
At Noah’s words about famine concerns, Ian straightened his posture as if something had occurred to him.
“…Do you know about gula?”
When Ian had come up from the frontier to the capital, he had brought with him the edible potential of gula.
However, through many incidents and accidents, and as spring and summer arrived with the entire land stretching and awakening, the palace’s concerns about famine had naturally subsided.
Most importantly, strangely enough, the palace’s circumstances were abundant.
While the civil war seemed to strain the budget, looking back now, there was no greater turning point. Hadn’t Mariv and Gale, who had consumed energy competing for power, fallen? The Emperor had fallen ill, and everyone who would have received imperial budget allocations, including his concubine Dilaina, had disappeared.
Moreover, the purge of central nobles allowed lower nobles to rise to the surface. This was like opening the Heiman family storehouse and watching the nearby forests and beasts grow fat.
In short, the imperial family’s abundance had caused awareness of gula to nearly vanish. Ian smiled and waved his hand dismissively at Noah, who looked confused.
“Later, let’s discuss it again later.”
It would make an excellent case study in many ways. Gula’s first historical appearance, and if it helped resolve famine in Clifford, it would naturally bring positive publicity to other nations and Bariel as well.
“Why? Do it now.”
“No. It’s irrelevant to the current matter.”
Though Jin glanced at Ian, Ian maintained his smile and kept his mouth shut. It was almost like gentle coaxing—it certainly didn’t look like the power struggle between a Crown Prince and Minister with strikes as the underlying tension.
When Noah and May looked uncertain, Xiaoshi cleared his throat. It was a formal signal for Jin to continue the conversation.
“The urgent matter is that for now, and hmm, yes. We’ll also send medical care and other necessities for maintaining daily life. Some of it will be Bariel’s grace, and the rest you can consider debts to be charged to Ruswena. That should put your minds at ease too. You’re receiving what you rightfully should.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Whatever it takes, we will fill the blood we’ve shed with the invaders’ blood.”
“Put your worries to rest. That won’t be a problem.”
“However, I have one question. While food and medical care are both like rays of light for Clifford, isn’t the truly important thing for the rift itself to disappear so Clifford can return to its original state?”
Noah carefully began.
“Therefore, we would also like to request the mages’ help.”
Why was there no mention of the most important matter—magic? He knew they didn’t want to send Minister Ian to Clifford, but shouldn’t they at least promise support from other mages first?
Clink.
Jin set down his teacup and shook his head.
“I have that in mind as well. Aren’t there still Bariel mages remaining in Clifford? Each one of them is comparable to a deity, so they’ll be of great help to Clifford. During negotiations with Burgos and Ruswena, I’ll demand the deployment of their mages. Every single one, without exception, will be used as relief personnel for Clifford.”
On the surface, it seemed like a very reasonable proposal that would help Clifford. At least until Noah and May pondered the content and noticed the loopholes.
“Ah, Your Highness. I apologize, but couldn’t you provide the Ministry of Magic’s support items in advance like the other lists?”
“Mages are living people, unlike food or daily necessities, and there aren’t many available for deployment. And didn’t you see? Quite a few are on strike due to some Ministry matter. To force their support through imperial command would require appropriate compensation.”
“Ah, that is…”
Noah rubbed his fingers inside his sleeves and trailed off.
Turning Ruswena and Burgos mages to their side—viewed positively, this could provide more support than the number of Bariel Ministry members.
However, Ruswena and Burgos mages opposed to this could abandon their nationality or pretend to abandon it to escape the count before negotiations were finalized. If he were a king, he would have done exactly that. Rather than sending precious mages to another country, wouldn’t it be better to record them as nonexistent and secretly operate them behind the scenes?
“Burgos and Ruswena mages are the main culprits who destroyed Clifford. Working together with them among the citizens to repair the rift would create many emotional problems. Human feelings aren’t calculated so simply.”
“All soldiers from defeated nations are conscripted and deployed for territorial reconstruction. How is this different? Though greater numbers are mobilized than mages, don’t they ultimately accomplish it? They’re the main culprits from war criminal nations. They also have the responsibility to bear the resentment of the victim nation’s people.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry, Prince Noah. I have no intention of compromising on this. It’s already been decided in internal meetings, so I politely decline any further additions.”
And most importantly, Ian wouldn’t be there.
Noah suppressed his urge to shout this and closed his mouth with a smile. Ian, who had been quietly watching from the side, likewise set down his teacup.
Clink.
“Your Highness.”
The past week. He knew countless people had come and gone from the First Imperial Palace day and night. It seemed like a strategy to gain unity while completely taking over the Ruswena initiative that Clifford would seize…
“If I may humbly add, I believe it would be slightly better to also receive rights over magic. Mages have reliable means of transportation, so traveling to and from Clifford wouldn’t take long. Since magic cannot be weighed or counted, you would gain rights over the mages themselves. So wouldn’t it be better to provide Bariel mages in advance and later absorb mages from Burgos and Ruswena for Bariel as well?”
“Is this something a resigning Minister should say?”
“Most importantly, as time passes, the rift will grow wider and deeper. This means later could be more dangerous than now. If Your Highness wishes to spare Bariel mages, you’ll need personnel who can be sent then.”
As Ian spoke clearly, Jin bit his lower lip with a sharp intake.
“And Prince Noah seems worried about mages who will be excluded from the negotiation process.”
“Ah, naturally. Particularly, I understand Ruswena mages aren’t state-affiliated but live together in their own groups. Conscription won’t be easy.”
“Just as I will no longer be Minister of Magic if I resign, if they abandon their country and disappear, they become people that even Bariel cannot account for.”
Ian smiled as he poured fresh tea into Jin and Prince Noah’s cups. Warm steam rose, but perhaps due to Jin’s aura, May rubbed the back of her hand, feeling somehow cold.