“Your Highness. This is not a matter for hesitation.”

The Prime Minister pressed the bridge of his nose, his expression one of deep frustration. The Crown Prince was so clear-headed in other matters, so why did he have to reveal his youth at a time like this?

Jin held a hand to his forehead, listening to the officials chattering around him. Or perhaps he wasn’t listening at all. He might have just been letting the sounds wash over him.

“I do understand Your Highness’s concerns. It is true that Sir Ian is suspicious in many ways, but he is undeniably a priceless talent for Bariel. If we send him to Clifford, he will naturally enter the Rift as they wish. If so, not only will his return date be uncertain, but we won’t even know if he is dead or alive, will we?”

“He himself wishes to go, so why do you all keep trying to stop him? He is certainly a talent, but if his position becomes vacant, someone else will surely appear to fill it. Is the Ministry of Magic so lacking in talent? It was the same with the former minister, Wesley. They said there would never be another archmage like him. But look. Sir Ian appeared, and now Bariel can embrace a new mage once more.”

“Setting all that aside, the proposal from Clifford is quite favorable. Wasn’t this what we intended and assumed from the very beginning? For them to offer to hand over the full right to indemnity without any back-and-forth gives us an unparalleled foothold for keeping those two nations in check.”

“Yes, I agree. In particular, Your Highness has already ordered the deployment of troops to Burgos. It is far more beneficial for Bariel to absorb Burgos than to lose it to that merchant, Rutherford. Some unknown character who does nothing but make Idgal is about to plant his flag in a neighboring country. Must we not stop this?”

“I thought there would be a lot of back-and-forth, but for them to hand it over without a word suggests the situation within Clifford is worse than we thought.”

“Should we call it good fortune? Hmm. In any case, it is a significant boon for us.”

“It’s proof! Proof that the severity of the Rift is continuously worsening. This will have a profound impact not just on Clifford, but on Bariel as well!”

CRASH!

Unable to bear the words hammering at his ears, Jin slammed his fist on the desk. He had always been gentle and mild-mannered; this was the first time he had shown such a vehement display of emotion.

The officials all stopped, their mouths agape in shock. A few rolled their eyes and began to backpedal out of the very door they had entered.

“I am well aware of what you all are arguing. I’ve heard it until my ears are about to fall off. But—”

“Your Highness.”

The Prime Minister knelt beside Jin. Just as Jin thought he was about to repeat the same old arguments, the minister’s words, entirely unexpected, struck him like a dagger to the heart.

“For you to hesitate when the interests are so clear means that Sir Ian’s very existence has already become a liability.”

“…Prime Minister.”

“The advancement of magic, the future of Bariel, the absolute hegemony of Gaia—all of that is wonderful. I, too, am well aware of the brilliant world Sir Ian can bring. But by confusing Your Highness’s judgment and obstructing the progress of a matter of clear and obvious interest, his very existence is now harming Bariel. It has been that way for a long time.”

Ian, whom Jin had considered a catalyst for his growth, had now become an obstacle to it. An imbalance created by his desire to cherish and keep Ian by his side.

Jin’s eyes widened in shock, as if a new world were shattering before him. He finally understood why Ian had kept trying to leave, despite his pleas.

“The sole Crown Prince of Bariel is weighing the future of the Empire’s people against the future of a single mage. Your Highness. This cannot be.”

No matter if Ian’s value was worth thousands in gold, if he clouded Jin’s judgment, he was a detriment. The Prime Minister had made his decision and prostrated himself, flat against the floor. As a man who rarely bowed his head to anyone but the Emperor, this was a sign that he considered Jin his equal, a remonstrance for which he was staking his life.

“Your Highness. If I cannot set these negotiations right, there is no reason for me to be in this position. I cannot be. As one who is on the imperial payroll, if I cannot properly fulfill my role, how can I remain in the palace?”

“Prime Minister!”

“Decide, Your Highness. This is my final counsel.”

As the Prime Minister made his stand, the dozens of officials who followed him also pressed their foreheads to the floor. Only a few dissenting officials remained standing awkwardly.

Jin looked at Xiaoshi, who could only shake his head as if to say there was no other way.

“…I understand.”

Permission finally fell from Jin’s lips. They would receive the full right to indemnity from Clifford and provide unstinting support for all reconstruction needs.

Now that it had come to this, there was only one thing left for Jin to do.

“However, I will add a clause to the agreement with Burgos.”

“What kind of clause, Your Highness?”

“To include mana stones in the war reparations. The types of mana stones will be determined with the consultation of the Ministry of Magic, and I will hear no opinions on this matter. Mana stones are under the Ministry’s purview.”

The Prime Minister looked at Jin for a moment, puzzled, but soon realized there was no issue and nodded. They weren’t reducing other parts of the reparations but adding mana stones on top. There was no need to coordinate with other departments. Above all, it was an unconditional gain for Bariel, so there was no reason to object.

“Yes, Your Highness. It shall be done.”

“Relay this to Sir Ian.”

“I am truly grateful for your righteous decision.”

“…This is not something for you to be grateful for.”

Each had simply done his duty. It was to be expected, making gratitude an unnecessary emotion. The Prime Minister signaled to the officials to move quickly.

Clatter, clatter!

Thump! Bang! Screech!

Just then, the sound of frantic footsteps came from outside.

The Prime Minister looked up, startled. Attendants, drenched in cold sweat, were gasping for breath. And on their hands was blood.

Instantly realizing something was terribly wrong, Xiaoshi grabbed the hilt of his sword. The Prime Minister and the other officials did the same.

“Wh-What is this commotion?”

“S-Something terrible, something terrible has happened! Sir Ian…!”

“What about Sir Ian? Don’t tell me!?”

“Surely not?”

Did Ian start a rebellion? The faces of a few officials turned white, a flicker of terror passing through them. It was a reaction born from the wild speculations they had just been making about his birth and motives.

The attendant, as if to say don’t be ridiculous, frowned and continued to pant for breath.

“Sir Ian collapsed, coughing up blood.”

“Suddenly? For what reason?”

“I don’t know. The physicians have all rushed to him, but… they say he’s not breathing…”

Thwip!

Jin was so stunned he shot up from his seat without a word. The man had been perfectly fine just moments ago in the conference hall. How could he have collapsed, coughing up blood? And what did they mean, not breathing? Jin’s hands trembled as he approached the attendant.

“…Wh-What happened? Is it an aftereffect from the war? No, not breathing… I don’t think that’s ever happened before.”

He didn’t seem to grasp what “not breathing” truly meant. It wasn’t a symptom like dizziness, chills, or bleeding—

Death.

It meant death itself.

Tap, tap, tap!

Fwoosh!

“Your Highness!”

As the attendant prostrated himself, unable to speak, Jin vaulted over him in a single bound. He tore down the corridor with all his might. Officials and attendants cried out in alarm, and Xiaoshi deftly pursued the boy.

When was the last time he had run like this? This moment would surely be seared into Jin’s memory. The long, seemingly endless corridor. Jin had no time to see who was standing where; he simply ran, chasing the sound of the commotion.

And at the end of it, there was Ian.

“Sir Ian! Please, wake up!”

“You, you motherfuckers! What did you do!?”

“Please, step aside. I’m a physician! I am a physician!”

“We must arrest everyone from Ruswena and Burgos in the palace! He became like this after drinking tea with them!”

“Are the healing mages not here yet?”

“Well, their mana is unstable because of the Idgal they encountered in the war.”

“Everyone, gather around! Pour all your mana into Sir Ian!”

“We are innocent! We offered him tea, yes, but it was the Ministry of Magic that brought it! And Sir Ian came on his own! Our own queen was nearly harmed as well!”

“Shut up! How dare you run your mouth like that?”

“Run my mouth? Ha! Look at this!”

It was no different from a marketplace brawl. Mages swarmed together, shouting frantically, while Bariel guards, Ruswena, and Burgos all proclaimed their innocence at the same time.

Amidst it all, a brilliant light seeped out from between the mages. Their mana was gathering and flowing into Ian. As Jin approached, the guards scattered to the left and right, clearing a path.

“Y-Your Highness.”

“It is His Highness, Crown Prince Jin! Make way!”

“Your Highness, you must not look. It would be best if you stepped back for a moment…!”

“Move!”

A guard, worried for the boy, had tried to block Jin’s view. He flinched back in shock at the thunderous command.

The closer he got, the more clearly Jin could see Ian’s form, sprawled on the floor.

“…Sir Ian?”

Limp hair. A white shirt, stained dark with blood. His once-brilliant green eyes were nowhere to be seen, and his always-straight back was bent like a bow.

Jin cautiously approached and took Ian’s hand.

“…!”

It was astonishingly cold. So cold and stiff, it was impossible to imagine it was the hand of a living person.

Only then did Jin seem to truly comprehend what “not breathing” meant. He looked around, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock, emptiness, and a terrifying helplessness.

“Wh-What are you all doing? Hurry… keep pouring mana into him.”

“Um, Your Highness Jin.”

“What are you doing, I said!”

Jin roughly grabbed a mage’s arm and shook it. The mage froze, startled.

Just then, one person came into Jin’s line of sight. It was Eripony, standing in the distance, her face hidden behind a fan. And next to her was the envoy of Burgos, Vania.

The two women were whispering to each other amidst the chaos, and nothing could have looked more suspicious.

“Eripony!”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

What a shock. Eripony frowned and glanced at Jin. The boy strode toward her. The size difference between them was so great that Eripony felt no sense of intimidation.

“Sir Ian became like this after drinking tea with you?”

“I was so startled, I didn’t know what to do. He drank the tea brought by the Ministry of Magic and then collapsed. I suspect there was a problem with the tea. It could have easily caused a misunderstanding between our nations.”

The nuance was that it would have been a disaster if she, Eripony, had drunk it. In other words, she was insisting that Ruswena had nothing to do with the incident. But to Jin, her smug expression and attitude were deeply suspicious.

And above all, with Ian in this state, was there any need to determine right and wrong? Everyone present was at fault. The crime of letting Ian die. The crime of not dying in Ian’s place.

And so, the Crown Prince decided to hold them responsible.

To hold them responsible for the great sin they had dared to commit with such brazen faces.

“…Kneel.”

“Excuse me?”

“…I said, kneel.”

Jin looked up at Eripony and gave the order. The queen’s lips twisted into an ugly grimace. Even if he was the Crown Prince of Bariel, to order her to kneel in front of everyone? No matter how unfavorable her situation, she was still the queen of a nation. He couldn’t do this without any justification or evidence!

Sensing his queen’s intent, Eldert moved forward to protest but was blocked by Xiaoshi’s sword.

“Ha!”

What is the meaning of this! Eripony showed a look of open indignation, but Jin merely muttered in a low voice.

“…If you do not kneel now, I will cut off everything below your knees.”

Everyone knew, instinctively.

This was the final warning he would give with words.