“Sir Ian, could you take a look at this magic circle?”

“Yeah. Even I can tell that doesn’t look right.”

“Shut up and get out of the way. Mind your own business.”

“Sir Ian! This side is finished, too!”

Behind the Ministry of Magic’s spacious garden, mages were scattered about, meticulously drawing portal magic circles. Most of them, however, were being reborn as new spells after passing through Ian’s hands.

Ian crouched in one spot, inscribing strange, unknown symbols with neat and tidy strokes. A group of mages huddled behind him, craning their necks to get a better look. They had never seen, heard of, or even imagined simultaneous portals before, and they watched Ian with undisguised curiosity.

“Think this will work?”

“Hmm. I don’t know. It looks like it’s Sir Ian’s first time trying this, too.”

“Are the coordinates locked?” Ian asked as he surveyed the circles.

A mage flipped through a sheet of paper and reported, “Ah, yes, sir! We’ve set one for the northern monster zone, one for Ruswena, one for Hawan, and one for Clifford.”

“Good work. Everyone, stand back.”

“Sir Ian, won’t you be short on mana?”

Ian simply smiled at the mage’s concern, prompting the others to drag their worried colleague away, scolding him. Who was he to worry about Ian? They should be more concerned about themselves, whose mana reserves were already hitting rock bottom just from the inauguration preparations, let alone opening a portal.

Ian stood in the middle of the vast garden, gazing down at the intricate magic circles at his feet.

Swoooosh—

As the wind blew, the grass flattened, and the magic circles began to ripple as if they were alive. Ian’s eyes slowly shifted from a deep green to a brilliant gold. Then, following the tip of his finger, a black moon began to rise.

The mages watched the spectacle while chewing on jerky. Even for them, masters of magic, this was not a common sight.

“There’s one.”

“Hey, look! Another one is rising behind it.”

“Wow, this is insane. Seriously.”

Swoooosh!

They were a bit small, but they were unmistakably portals. Ian furrowed his brow as if feeling a bit dizzy, but the sensation passed in an instant. After creating four black moons, he beckoned the mages to approach.

“I will hold the central axis. Take turns watching over them. If they start to shrink or tilt, inject them with mana.”

“Yes, Sir Ian. But are you really alright? Don’t you have to keep them open like this until all the dignitaries arrive?”

“It’s only for a day. I’m fine.”

“A day…”

The mages’ eyes darted around as they pursed their lips. Uh, Sir Ian? You know, for us? It’s hard to maintain even one portal for more than a few dozen minutes, even when we all work together. Does he have any idea of the struggles of a mere mortal? Hmm.

“Hey, Sir Ian!”

“Movement in the second portal from the left!”

At one mage’s shout, everyone looked up at once. The second portal from the left was the one connected to the northern zone. Which meant—

“Hasha—!” Romandro cried out in delight.

The front of a carriage slowly emerged from the darkness. The mages moved quickly, soaring into the sky.

Fwoosh!

Zzzzing! Zing!

As the mages defied gravity, the carriage, which had seemed on the verge of a vertical plunge, gently found its angle. It then descended slowly, as if walking on air, landing in the Imperial Palace on a safe trajectory.

A procession of several dozen carriages followed. Imperial staff who had been watching from various points waved their hands in welcome.

Neigh!

“Whoa there, easy now. The poor thing got a fright. It’s okay. Whoa, whoa!”

“Greetings, we are the delegation from Astana!”

“Welcome! Please, come this way!”

“For a second there, I thought we were going to fall to our deaths! Haha!”

The delegates soothed their horses, which were snorting in alarm, and offered bright smiles. Every one of them had blue hair and pointed ears.

At last, the door of the central carriage opened, and a figure emerged.

“Sir Ian!”

“Hasha?”

It was Hasha, now in the form of a white-haired old man. He threw his arms around Ian and began to sniffle. Ian stared at him, puzzled.

“Good heavens, it’s really you. It’s true you’re alive! I’d heard the rumors, but I couldn’t quite believe them!”

“Wh-Who are you?” Romandro asked hesitantly.

Hasha grabbed Romandro’s hand and shook it vigorously, though the frail old man’s arm just flapped in the wind.

“Romandro! You look as good as ever!”

“Ha-Hasha?”

“My previous body was beyond the help of even preservation, so I acquired a new one. This was my uncle; he passed away not long ago.”

“Ah, um. I see.”

When they’d met in Karenna he had been a dog, on the battlefield a young man, and now an old man. Though he was free from the flow of time, it seemed he tried to follow its natural order in his own way.

The old man showed a gap-toothed smile and pulled out a necklace. On it was a red mana brooch. It was Ian’s.

“Truly, I have waited and prayed for a long time. For the day we could meet again.”

Ian smiled and nodded, and Hasha pulled him into another deep embrace. After a brief, lighthearted greeting, Ian adopted the formal etiquette of the Imperial Palace and bowed his head to Hasha.

“King of Astana, you have endured much on your long journey. We hope that as you have graced us with your precious presence for the empire’s blessing, a similar glory will be bestowed upon Astana. On behalf of the Imperial Family, I offer my gratitude and will now guide you to the palace where you will stay before your audience with His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Oh, right! Romandro also quickly corrected his posture and followed Ian’s lead with an imperial salute. Though he was an old friend, Hasha was the king of a nation. More importantly, at a time when everyone else had turned their backs, he was one of the few from the north who had sided with Bariel.

Hasha returned the gesture with a gentle smile and nodded to his retainers.

“I have brought a small gift from my kingdom.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince will be delighted. The Ministry of Magic will see to it.”

“I would be grateful. Thanks to that black moon, we crossed the vast distance in an instant. I’m not tired at all. Thank you.”

Ian gestured for the mages and palace staff to begin escorting the guests. Hasha re-boarded his carriage to head toward the main palace, and the mages began to clear the area, asking Ian, “Sir Ian, shouldn’t you close the northern portal now? It must be draining your strength to maintain it.”

“Mm. Just a moment.”

Concentric circles bloomed endlessly from the center of Ian’s palm, forming a dense magic circle with no gaps, like interlocking gears. Ian read through it several times before shrugging as if giving up.

“I raised them all simultaneously, so there’s a problem with lowering just one. If I try, I might accidentally close the others, which would be troublesome. I’ll keep them up until this time tomorrow.”

“Understood, sir. We will lend our strength as well.”

“Though I doubt it will make much of a difference, ahem.”

“By the way, about the other guests, don’t you think they’re doing this on purpose? Coming late? Since you said you’d keep the portals open for a set time, they might be trying to drain your energy, Sir Ian.”

Ian only laughed at the mage’s complaint. It was a bit of a stretch, but there was some merit to the suspicion. The other mages also grumbled as they looked up at the still-empty portals.

“Honestly, it’s possible. If a time was set, they should have been waiting and jumped through the moment it opened. That’s basic etiquette, isn’t it? Like Astana did!”

“They must know this isn’t some trivial matter, but people can be so malicious.”

“There are probably some among them who didn’t want to leave their home countries in the first place, so maybe they’re just dragging their feet.”

“Well, maybe, but ahem. Still, they lack basic decorum. Sir Ian, you should shrink the entrance! Or maybe we should let them fall halfway before we catch them?!”

Just as the mages were adding their own two cents, Ian let out a small gasp of, “Ah.” The edge of a carriage had appeared in another portal. This time—

“It’s Clifford!”

“The dignitaries from Clifford have arrived!”

“Whoa, their carriages are much fancier. Let’s go!”

“Yes, I’m going too!”

Zzzzing! Fwoosh!

The mages flew up to receive the carriage just as they had before. However, there was a problem. Unlike Astana’s, the King of Clifford’s carriage had an open roof.

“Huh.”

Akorella narrowed her eyes, staring at something that had separated from the carriage. A plump body was spinning wildly in the air. Akorella reported to Ian nonchalantly.

“Sir Ian. I think that’s the King of Clifford.”

“Aaaaaah—!”

A clear yet sorrowful scream echoed through the sky. With the mages present, there was no danger of him falling, but the person in question seemed completely unaware of that fact. The king squeezed his eyes shut and trembled as he slowly descended to the ground.

Thump.

The King of Clifford landed lightly on his feet. Yet even with both feet on the ground, he kept his eyes shut and his teeth clenched. He was just as plump and good-natured looking as before.

“…Welcome.”

“…Hah!”

Ian’s greeting finally brought the King of Clifford to his senses. He looked around, his face pale, before wiping away a cold sweat and forcing a laugh.

“I-I thought I was going to die.”

“My apologies. I should have provided more detailed instructions.”

“No, no, it was my fault for letting go in surprise. Anyway, Sir Ian. It’s been a while. I heard from Noah, but haha! Your looks truly defy the years!”

“It has been a long time. You’ve had a difficult journey.”

“Father!”

“Father! Are you alright?”

“Your Majesty!”

Thud, thud, thud! The carriage landed safely, and Prince Noah, his younger siblings, and their retainers all rushed out to check on the king’s well-being.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“Waaah. That’s why I told you not to sit on top of the carriage!”

“That wasn’t dignified at all!”

“Well, ahem, I didn’t know the path would be like this…”

Noah’s siblings, who had been toddlers when he last saw them, had grown to be as big as Vivi and Roel. The children, unfamiliar with Ian, clung tightly to Noah and watched him with wary eyes.

“Greetings, Princess, Prince. I hope you weren’t frightened.”

“I-I wasn’t scared…”

“Only Father was scared…”

Swoosh. But Ian’s greeting was as gentle as the cool breeze. The prince and princess found themselves unconsciously taking Ian’s hands, staring up at him blankly.

Noah reined in his siblings and ordered the carriages to be reorganized. “Should we head to the main palace?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please, settle your belongings and rest from your journey first. You will have an audience with the Crown Prince after that. As you arrived after Astana, you will be the second to be received.”

“We tried to hurry, but we’re a little late. I understand.”

“Very well, then.”

Neigh!

The Clifford carriages also formed a line and proceeded toward the main palace.

With the guests who were to arrive early all present, the mages let out a sigh of relief and flopped onto the lawn. All they had done was receive some carriages and luggage from the air, but it was already so exhausting. How on earth was Sir Ian maintaining all those portals?

“And he’ll probably be leading the main ceremony, too.”

“I know, right? I really want to believe it’s just because he’s young. Otherwise, this pathetic body of mine feels too miserable.”

“Want a cigarette?”

“Ah, Captain Hale! I told you I quit!”

“Why do you keep offering him things like that?”

Hale was about to plop down and put a cigarette in his mouth when Ian gestured for everyone to get up.

“Another guest is arriving.”

“What? Where?”

“Their head is on straight, but ah, their timing is terrible. I’m dead tired.”

Heave! The mages scrambled to their feet and followed Ian’s gaze. Which country was it this time?

“…Hawan?”