Chapter 181

“…”

“What about the painting?”

Why was there no answer?

When Ian slightly opened his eyes, he saw Beric’s face with an awkward smile. His mission was to escort Akorella and bring back the painting safely, but now his hands were empty.

Beric supported Ian’s back and mumbled.

“They’re probably bringing it back well?”

“Beric.”

“No, I, uh?! I thought you were dead, uh?!”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

His voice trailed off with excuses. It was fortunate that Ian was fine, but if he had known this would happen, he should have run faster. All the enemies were annihilated, so there was no achievement to boast about and no excuse to make.

“It’s fine, Beric. Go and bring the painting.”

“Ah! Right! You know, you’ll be surprised when you see it? It’s huge? And the eyeballs go like this, like this, round and round? I think in terms of value, it’s worth about one pig. Mmhmm.”

“You’re making me tell you twice.”

“Yep. I’m going.”

Beric flipped his eyes inside out and rotated them back and forth, giving an incomprehensible explanation. But he stood up right away at Ian’s scolding. Just then, Akorella’s shout was heard from afar.

“Hey, Beric, you idiot!”

“Oh? Right! They’re coming well on their own!”

“What am I supposed to do if you leave this behind? Huh?!”

“Is everyone alright? Why did the portal suddenly disappear- gasp! Bo-bo-border tribe, where did they come from?”

Tommy, who was holding the front of the painting, flinched at the sight of the mess. The pile of corpses like a hill and the endlessly flowing blood. Not only the sudden appearance of the border tribe but also the presence of injured mages was out of place.

“Wh-what happened?”

“It’s a long story to explain. First, we’ll sort out the situation. Warrior. Please move the painting to the inner building.”

“Yes. Sir Ian.”

Swish.

A nearby warrior took the painting. The moment Tommy was about to warn him to be careful, the warrior lightly lifted the painting with one hand and climbed the stairs. They had struggled with two people to move it, but to the warrior, it seemed no different from a newspaper.

“Commanders, check the personnel, reconstruct the barrier, and reorganize. Commander Akorella, follow me.”

As Ian ordered while passing through the central lobby, Akorella trotted behind him and whispered.

Clack clack!

“Sir Ian, on the way to bring the painting, we met His Highness Gale. He was hiding in the Third Imperial Palace and approached us when he saw us.”

At her words, Ian’s steps abruptly stopped.

Didn’t it imply a lot of things? That Gale’s forces were definitely defeated by Mariv, and the reason he was hiding in the Third Imperial Palace out of the many palaces.

“It seems Gale also knows about the emperor’s secret passageway.”

“Since he was the former minister Wesleigh’s lover, he must have noticed even if he doesn’t know the details.”

“But, didn’t he stop you when he saw you moving the painting? There don’t seem to be any traces of battle.”

Although Akorella’s hair was soaked with sweat, it was from labor, not from battle. Akorella lowered her voice a bit more and reported.

“His Highness Gale asked me to convey a message. He said he wishes to meet secretly if there’s an opportunity. It seems to be a request regarding the palace entrance.”

There wasn’t even a half-penny’s worth of possibility. The embers had barely died down, and he was saying to bring in outside forces to plunge the palace into chaos again? Ian smiled and asked back.

“It’s not like him to make a hopeless request.”

“Yes. So, I set several conditions.”

“Tell me without leaving anything out.”

Ian stopped in the corridor and leaned against the wall. It was because his leg strength had given out, but Akorella didn’t notice. His posture and movements were that natural.

“Information about His Majesty the Emperor’s secret passageway. And-“

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t very appealing. Since it was a passageway built with magic, it was only a matter of time before the mages found out if they put in a little effort. Now that Mariv was captured, time was on their side. Above all, if the emperor learned of the situation, there was a high possibility he would appear on his own.

“The management, authority, and delegation of the mana sealing stones currently held by the palace. Honestly, when I heard this, I almost lost my mind.”

Akorella’s voice sounded sincere, with suppressed emotions.

Wasn’t it a gemstone that held profound meaning for mages, to the point where it couldn’t be categorized together with even the highest grade?

“As you know, His Highness Gale is the one who has the most mana sealing stones in the current palace. If he plays his cards right, he could take advantage of this situation to promote the glory of the Ministry of Magic.”

Although she spoke calmly as if it was nothing, Ian could easily guess what thoughts were going through her head.

“Do you want to study the mana sealing stones?”

“Yes. To immediately bite, tear, taste, enjoy, and study the principles of the sealing stones…”

She blurted out her true feelings without realizing it. As Akorella trailed off and stared into the air at attention, Ian took out the amber gemstone from his pocket.

“Take it.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a new type of mana sealing stone created by Mariv.”

“Whaaat?! How?”

Akorella shouted, feeling her nose dripping. It was an exclamation somewhere between shock, cheer, reverence, and curiosity.

“It seemed to have a different mechanism than the existing mana sealing stones, so you and the mages of the Mana Stone Management Department go underground and start researching right away. Several mages, including Nakina, were hit by arrows made with it and can’t release mana, so be extra careful.”

“They can’t release mana?”

“It seems to be a temporary phenomenon, but it’s a conjecture. The amber arrow fragments scattered outside are all debris, so collect them and proceed.”

“I, yes, I’ll look into it right away.”

Akorella swallowed and stammered. Then, as if it was the most precious thing in the world, she held the gemstone to her chest and bowed deeply. Her footsteps running outside were urgent.

Clack clack!

“Uh, Sir Ian! About the painting. It’s definitely painted with liqui-stone, and according to Beric, the angel’s eyes were moving. It’s probably what you were looking for.”

“I see. I’ll take a look.”

“Yes. Then, Mana Stone Management Department! Asseeemble!”

Leaving her shout behind, Ian entered the conference room.

A quiet space with no one around.

The painting was leaning diagonally to the left.

‘Akorella and Tommy transported the painting, but Gale didn’t stop them. It means he already checked it. And he must have thought it was fine since it was just one of the many passageway entrances.’

Ian took a small step back and scanned the painting.

When he was the emperor, that is, when Croni’s rebellion broke out, he had also used such passageways to escape the palace.

“Your Majesty. Are you listening?”

There was no answer. But Ian knew it was a selective silence. The emperor was probably sitting in the dark. Thus, he must be simultaneously watching the place where the painting was hung.

“I know you’re in there. It’s an uncomfortable position for Your Majesty to be in, so please come out. Is Beols there too?”

Again, no answer. If someone who didn’t know saw it, Ian would look like a crazy person. He thought for a moment and then brought up Mariv’s name.

“I have captured Prince Mariv.”

So, he was telling him to manifest himself and handle the situation. Just then, the eyes of the leftmost angel stared straight at Ian.

-…Is that true?

A chilling voice. The octave was so high that it was hard to believe it belonged to an old emperor. Ian lightly saluted and nodded.

“Yes, it is.”

The Ministry of Magic had no paintings drawn with liqui-stone. Even if there were, only the opposite wall would be visible, so the visual information was extremely limited. The sounds that could be heard were probably mostly explosions and roars. The emperor didn’t seem to grasp the situation in detail.

“Are you with Beols? Are you unharmed?”

Thus, he must have sent Beols to look around. Hale had sensed those moments and tracked the trajectory.

“You can come out now. Everything is finished and safe.”

But the emperor only blinked and looked down at Ian.

-Show me both Mariv and Gale. I can’t go out before then.

Ian frowned involuntarily at the unexpected answer. He had never imagined it. As an emperor, wasn’t it the right virtue to hurry and show himself to settle the situation?

But now he was telling Ian to prove his safety. Even though he had no interactions with Ian until now.

“Your Majesty.”

Ian suddenly recalled the record of his unusually long life. He had wondered how he lived so long, withered like an old tree, but it was because of such a temperament.

A pitiful emperor who feared death like a heavenly punishment and prioritized his own safety over the palace’s restoration.

“Doesn’t Prince Gale follow Your Majesty’s will? Your Majesty can come out directly and do as you please.”

-I can’t trust them. Mariv poisoned me, and Gale gathered the nobles’ forces without consulting me. Both sons not only carved out their father’s heart but shattered it into pieces.

It must have been a condition of the “deal” where the emperor decided to push Gale. Politically pushing out Mariv but forbidding forces that could disrupt the palace, in other words, threaten the emperor’s safety.

But the nobles’ reinforcements were blatantly scattered as corpses throughout the palace.

“…Then come out and declare the stripping of the two princes’ titles. Your Majesty, there is nothing to fear.”

It was absurd. An emperor who needed to be coaxed and persuaded like this. The angel in the painting asked again.

-If Mariv and Gale are stripped of their prince titles, Arsen and Jin remain. Do you want Arsen to become the heir?

Ian suddenly noticed that the emperor’s nuance was strange. He spoke as if he knew well that Arsen was unfit for the position. Ian lowered his gaze for a moment.

“No. If Prince Mariv had been firm, I would have deprived the legitimacy by establishing another heir, but the situation is different now. For now, it’s best to leave the position vacant until the chaos settles and then decide.”

In his heart, he wanted to forcefully recommend Jin as the heir, but there was a procedure for everything.

‘If I support Jin now, the emperor will doubt me even more and hide himself further. It’s the right time. The right time when the emperor’s assassination can be dismissed as the flow of history.’

The emperor knew. He knew that right now, the one receiving situational support in the palace to a degree rivaling him was Ian. If he wanted to seize power, an act of treason like slaying the emperor could easily happen. That’s why he tried even harder to discern Ian’s purpose.

‘For Jin to be recognized as the true heir over Arsen, the emperor’s support is absolutely necessary.’

Thinking so, Ian knelt down gracefully. He was willing to do it for Jin’s future and the future Ian remembered.

“Your Majesty. Please manifest yourself and take care of the palace. Everyone is waiting only for Your Majesty.”

A long silence followed. Ian raised his head at the sudden presence he felt. It was Beols. He was still looking down at Ian with a wary gaze.

“Sir Ian. Please get up.”

“What about His Majesty?”

A single letter held in his hand. It was covered in blood.

“…Is that His Majesty the Emperor’s blood?”

“…Listen carefully to what I’m about to say from now on. This is His Majesty’s plea to me, and to Bariel, that he left behind.”