For a moment, both Ian and Jin froze.
A curse on the Clifford royal family could only mean one thing: their Beast Form transformation. But hadn’t that been passed down since long before the Rift? In fact, it had been with the royal family since its very beginning.
“When you say ‘curse,’ what exactly are you referring to, O’ King of Clifford?”
“Is it permissible for one who bears a curse to enter the imperial palace? What if it transfers to the Imperial Family?”
“It must not be contagious. Didn’t he say the curse has ‘taken root in the royal family’? It’s confined to them, so don’t worry.”
“How can you know that? How long has it been since the Rift opened? Good heavens, this first day is already a circus. Burgos is doing its own thing, and now Clifford is, too! Are they taking Bariel for a fool? This isn’t some back-alley market haggle. Why is there so much noise?”
“Hush, lower your voice. His Highness is present.”
“It’s because I’m frustrated! So frustrated! Ugh!”
“King of Clifford, please answer the question. What kind of curse do you speak of? It is not, I hope, a matter that could harm the Imperial Family? That would be… troublesome.”
The words were polite, but the implication was clear: the troops destined for Burgos could just as easily be split and sent to Clifford.
The King of Clifford rose from his seat as if seeking permission to speak, and his heavy words finally broke the silence.
“I speak before Your Highness. While there will be no issue for the Imperial Family, it is a grave problem for Clifford. This is a time when we should all be uniting to move forward, yet a disaster has befallen the royal house that should be the very pillar of our nation. How are we to mourn this tragedy?”
“State specifically what it is.”
“I have many children. All are legitimate, born of the queen, and the youngest has only just taken his first steps. After the Rift opened, everyone in the royal palace abandoned the home that had been our foundation for an eternity. And then, a problem arose.”
Jin folded his arms, watching the King of Clifford with keen interest. His expression said he had a good idea of what was coming next.
Beric, who had been listening quietly, had a similar reaction. At first, he didn’t get it, but after racking his brain, he found the answer. Aha! The popping ears and tail?
“It is the Beast Form transformation,” the king declared.
“Beast Form? Do you mean the one we all know of?”
“Did I hear that correctly? The one where they take the form of an animal? The Clifford royals?”
“No. To be precise, it has only manifested in my youngest child thus far. We protected him as best we could, knowing his existence was fragile, but he could not withstand the weight of fate.”
The curse of the Beast Form had befallen the youngest child of the Clifford royal family!
At this, Jin and Ian exchanged a brief glance. In truth, the curse applied to the entire royal family, but the king was revealing only a carefully selected part of it, keeping the rest hidden.
Is the curse harder to control now that they are outside the palace? He’s using his youngest child, who has little public recognition, as a sacrificial pawn to set the stage.
Even if the royal family’s curse were to be revealed to the public later, it could be blamed on the Rift, and by extension, on Burgos. A strong sense of hatred would help rebuild the nation and unite its people. He was preemptively releasing a secret that would eventually get out anyway, manipulating it to his advantage.
And—
“Therefore, I request that you dispatch Minister Ian to the Clifford investigation team. As the Minister of Magic, he is the finest mage in the Empire. He should have no trouble finding a clue to this curse.”
That was their true intention: to officially invite Ian to Clifford.
By revealing a portion of the Beast Form curse in such a public forum, the king was admitting it was a critical issue that the royal family could not solve alone. This provided a plausible reason for the Minister of Magic to visit and investigate the curse personally.
More than anything, this was a strategy of sacrificing flesh to take the bone. If the Rift wasn’t controlled, the royal family would be annihilated anyway. This was a demonstration of their fierce will to include Ian in the investigation, even if it meant exposing their youngest child.
“How is a curse related to magic?”
“Well, since it is a curse ’caused by the Rift,’ it is a curse born of mana. I have hope that the Minister of Magic will surely be able to resolve it.”
“King of Clifford. Right now—”
“Forgive me, Your Highness,” the King of Clifford said, brazenly cutting Jin off. “Clifford is in a position where we cannot repay every bit of aid from Bariel. However, if you permit the investigation by the mages, including Sir Ian, and support our reconstruction, Clifford will transfer its full authority over all reparation claims against Burgos and Ruswena to Bariel.”
He could only have made such a move because he had already anticipated Bariel’s intentions: their desire to absorb Clifford’s authority and use it to dominate Ruswena and Burgos.
The Bariel officials covered their mouths with their documents, conferring amongst themselves.
“The King of Clifford has brought it up first. This is proceeding much more easily than expected.”
“When he says ‘support for reconstruction,’ he means we’d be fronting the costs, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Ministry of Magic is involved, but this is something we anticipated on our end anyway.”
“It’s not a bad deal for them, and it’s certainly not bad for us. Once Bariel decided to consolidate the authority, Clifford couldn’t have resisted anyway. It’s best to pass the resolution now without dragging things out. This is the perfect time, with the leaders of Ruswena and Burgos gathered. And, what was it again?”
“Rutherford.”
“Yes, yes. Rutherford. Whatever he is, it’s best to get this settled before that merchant can interfere.”
“But it seems Sir Ian and Rutherford are closely connected. Can this really be settled?”
“All the more reason to settle it now. If Sir Ian is found to be following a man entangled in the civil war, we cannot allow him to remain in the palace.”
“Is Sir Ian following him, or is he following Sir Ian…?”
“Logically, does it make any sense for the master of the Minister of Magic of the Great Bariel Empire to be a mere merchant? I think not. It is more natural to assume Rutherford is Sir Ian’s subordinate.”
“Wait a moment. Let’s be careful with our words. You know what that implies, don’t you?”
It would mean that Ian had instigated and orchestrated every crisis: the civil war, this war, and the very survival of the Ministry of Magic. The official who misspoke quickly realized his error and tapped his own mouth as if to punish it.
“Your Highness.”
The Prime Minister, who had been gathering the officials’ opinions, bowed to Jin.
No matter how one looked at it, sending Ian to Clifford was for the good of all. Ian himself wanted to go, Clifford had offered a sign of goodwill to Bariel, and most importantly, it was an excellent opportunity for Jin. A chance to observe the political landscape from a step away from Ian. A chance to confirm if Ian was truly connected to the royal bloodline, and to figure out the nature of his relationship with Rutherford.
It was slightly concerning that all this stemmed from a statement made by the Burgos delegation, but as the sole Crown Prince of Bariel, it was right to stamp out any source of trouble. If Jin were to break, the legitimacy of Bariel’s imperial line would break with him.
“It would be best to accept the King of Clifford’s proposal first. For Bariel’s sake. As for Sir Ian’s return from Clifford, that can be stipulated in a formal document. Those mages from the Ministry of Magic made a fuss with their strike, but look. Has anything really changed?”
While the Prime Minister was persuading Jin, the Ruswena delegation grew frantic. If the right to claim reparations—the right to indemnity—was transferred to Bariel, finding a point of compromise would become infinitely more difficult.
Being pressed for payment by the crumbling kingdom of Clifford was one thing; being pressed by Bariel, the center of Gaia, was another entirely.
“Clifford and Bariel are about to exchange the right to indemnity. Is there nothing we can do, Eldert?”
“Since the conversation began with the Beast Form curse, we might be able to mitigate things by offering our support on that front. However…”
However, as you know, all of Ruswena’s mages staged a revolt and fled to Bariel.
Feeling cornered, Eripony noticed a familiar face in the crack of the doorway. It was Jaira, who had come to see how the negotiations were progressing and what had become of the royal court that once ruled her homeland.
As Jaira’s eyes met Eripony’s, she very slowly raised her middle finger.
“You—!”
Never in her life had she received such a vulgar and blatant insult. Eripony shot to her feet, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. Jaira, feigning innocence, straightened her posture, her eyes wide and unblinking.
“Queen Eripony of Ruswena. Is there a problem?”
“…No, there is not.”
The Prime Minister frowned and issued a silent warning. Bariel and Clifford were on the verge of a critical decision; they would not tolerate any pointless disruptions.
“Eldert.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Eripony crushed her surging anger with a heavy sigh. Her eyes then flicked toward the Burgos delegation, a clear signal to her aide.
If the right to indemnity was transferred to Bariel, both Burgos and Ruswena would be in trouble. Burgos, in particular, would face even more severe military and economic sanctions under the pretext of their connection to Rutherford.
“Burgos is trying to avoid Damon’s execution, but from what I can see, it’s impossible. When a king dies, a power vacuum is created. It’s the perfect time for Bariel to swallow Burgos whole.”
“I agree, Your Majesty.”
“Their delegation must know that their country is on the brink of collapse.”
Eldert understood her meaning perfectly. When it came to assassinating Jin and Ian, there was no faction more suitable than Burgos. If they didn’t kill the two of them, Burgos would be wiped off the map. They had more than enough reason to risk their lives on an assassination attempt.
“They may have already decided to do so.”
In that case, Ruswena would have to lend them a little push.
Understanding the queen’s intent, Eldert gestured to a delegate behind him. While the movements of the queen and her advisor were watched by all, the delegates in the back were relatively free, as they were constantly moving about.
Swoosh.
One of the Ruswena delegates moved stealthily toward the Burgos delegation.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
“If the right to indemnity is transferred to Bariel, it will be difficult for both your side and ours. Have you given any thought to the matter?”
“…”
The Burgos delegate merely glanced at him without a word. The Ruswena delegate whispered again.
“I think it would be best to request a temporary recess, so your representative and Her Majesty Eripony can meet and devise a breakthrough. We may have had our… friction… during the war, but we were allies once. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Let’s at least try to stop the transfer.”
“I will pass on the message, but do not get your hopes up.”
“What do you mean, don’t get my hopes up?”
The Burgos delegate barely moved his lips, muttering as if a ventriloquist.
“We are here to delay King Damon’s execution, not to save Burgos. It’s a lost cause.”
What the…
The Ruswena delegate frowned, trying to decipher his meaning, but the Burgos delegate simply turned his back, cutting off the conversation.
The messenger returned to his position and reported what he had heard. Eldert relayed it to the queen. Upon hearing the news, Eripony raised a hand to her temple as if her head was splitting.
Swoosh.
“Queen of Ruswena. Is something the matter?”
“…The reconciliation of differences between Bariel and Clifford is taking some time. Ruswena requests a brief recess to review our documents. Please grant us permission. If the right to indemnity is transferred, our position will also change.”
“The absolute amount you must compensate for the war is fixed. However, I will accept your opinion. We will take a brief recess. We will reconvene in thirty minutes.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After striking the gavel, the Prime Minister knelt beside Jin and began pleading with him about something, while the officials huddled together, exchanging documents.
Eripony rose from her seat. Ian stood motionless in the center of the hall, watching her. Then, he turned his gaze toward Jaira and gave a slight nod.
…She’s making her move. Get ready.