Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Annex
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‘I was waiting for you.’
As soon as Ian faced Gail, that thought struck him. No matter how close it was to the Magic Department, they wouldn’t have met without keeping tabs on their movements. Surveillance had clearly been ongoing since the fellowship gathering.
“I am Ian. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Oh ho, so you know me?”
“As Your Highness Gail knows me, I know you as well.”
He gave a light bow, and the wind blew even harder. The crunching of fallen leaves accompanied Gail’s slow approaching footsteps.
“But how did you end up coming this way? The exit from the palace is in the exact opposite direction.”
Gail muttered as he carefully scanned Ian from head to toe. A small pebble tossed into the calm progress of his grand endeavor. That pebble was Ian. Small, yet the waves it created showed no sign of stopping, endlessly rippling outward.
“Why? Did Marib tell you this was my way out?”
Ian kept his head lowered, eyes on Gail’s fingertips. Unlike Marib’s, they were rough hands thick with calluses.
“No. I took the wrong path.”
“For someone who did that, your footsteps were awfully certain. As if you’d been here before.”
He must have been watching Ian the whole time. It might be possible to evade outside, but within the imperial palace—especially near the Magic Department—slipping his surveillance seemed impossible. He would have to be extremely cautious in his actions.
“My apologies. I entered the palace for the first time today.”
“Is that so? Then let me ask you this. What do you think of the scenery here?”
“…Pardon?”
Gail circled lightly around Ian at the center. In that moment, the lights of the Magic Department’s main building began flicking on one by one. It was the signal heralding the onset of true night.
“In my view, if we cleared out all these trees and built proper crimson buildings, it would look splendid.”
“Ah.”
Ian paused at the words “proper crimson buildings.” The image of the Magic Department Annex naturally sprang to mind. Gail grinned slyly as he observed Ian’s expression.
“But your master insists he can never allow the trees to be cut down—against his very nature—so I lament it deeply.”
Fragmented pieces of information tangled complexly in Ian’s mind. A hundred years ago, a time before the annex had been built. Taking Gail’s words as a clue…
‘The Magic Department Annex construction is where Marib and Gail are clashing!’
Gail would naturally support the construction for the sake of the Magic Department, while Marib—wary of the Magic Department’s threatening power expanding—would stand firmly in opposition.
“Do you think the same?”
It was a question probing whether Ian shared Marib’s stance. What an absurd situation. Ian swallowed an involuntary hollow laugh before replying.
“Your Highness. I don’t fully understand your words, but my sole master is His Majesty the Emperor. The only path forward is the glory of the Variel Empire. If cutting down trees leads to a better tomorrow, then it must be done.”
Aside from knights who had sworn fealty, everyone standing upon Variel soil had to serve the Emperor as their master. Marib and Gail were no exceptions. Of course, Ian knew better than anyone that it was impossible.
“Hmm. I figured a fresh-faced lad from the border would still reek of the countryside in his speech, but surprisingly, you seem well-suited to noble games.”
It was unclear whether it was an insult or praise, but given the affable tone in Gail’s voice, the latter seemed to carry more weight.
It was because Ian had mentioned the Emperor, revealing a certain gap. Not wholly aligned with Marib. Gail had eagerly seized upon it.
“Ian. I have great expectations for you.”
Whether that gap was the foundation for him to act as a spy within the Magic Department, he couldn’t tell—but for now, it didn’t matter.
“I expect you to discern the true essence of things. Remember that you are Ian before you are a lord, and a mage before you are Ian.”
Beyond the Magic Department’s personnel, the number of mages in the world was scarce as dust motes. For progress, they had no choice but to rely on one another—yet if Ian sided with Marib, he’d be forever cast aside. It was a sort of warning.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. Until next time.”
Gail clearly wished to continue the conversation, but the place and time were ill-suited. He turned his back and soon vanished like the wind.
“Ha.”
Left alone, Ian pressed his forehead in disbelief.
To thwart Gail’s rebellion and diminish his forces, he naturally had to side with Marib in opposing the annex construction—but in doing so, wouldn’t he inevitably lend strength to Gail?
‘If the annex is built, Naum’s magic might manifest.’
Swooooosh.
Ziiing. Ziiing.
Just in case, Ian released his mana. Mana rising differently upon the wind. His Golden Eyes gleamed like stars in the darkness, but he sensed nothing at all.
“Ian!”
At that moment, Romandro’s call rang out from the direction of the entrance. Lantern in hand, he came rushing over, glancing about.
“Ian! Are you all right?”
“What is it?”
“I just saw Second Prince Gail’s carriage heading out behind the Magic Department. Running into him would spell trouble, so let’s hurry and get out of here. Better to sightsee during the day anyway.”
“Ah. I already met him.”
“Meeeeh?!”
Romandro froze like a stone at Ian’s calm admission. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, plainly at a loss for how to react. Ian snatched the lantern from his hand and took the lead.
“Let’s head out. Looks like the commercial district will have to wait until tomorrow. I didn’t expect it to get this late.”
“Wait! What did he say to you?”
“Nothing particularly important. Let’s exit the palace first.”
Urged by Ian, Romandro scurried to the carriage. He crammed his body inside, immediately drew the curtain, and whispered.
Thwack!
“Tell me what he said!”
“There was no mention of Lord Romandro, so no need to worry.”
Had he struck a nerve?
Under Marib’s orders, he had properly hounded Erika and Molin. As a family man, it was natural to fear retaliation. Romandro cleared his throat with a hollow cough and trailed off evasively.
“Do you think I’m curious for a reason like that?”
“About that garden. Is the annex construction underway?”
“Hm? Ah, he must have mentioned that. It’s been proposed quite a while ago. The Magic Department has so few staff, yet they keep pushing for annex expansions. If they’re going to do that, they should expand the dorms for the palace staff instead!”
“Prince Marib opposes it, doesn’t he?”
“Of course. Those trees in the garden are ancient. It’s not in any official records, but they’re said to be blessed by fairies, so they’ve been left as is.”
It was one of many reasons for opposition. Blessed trees couldn’t be felled for some non-urgent Magic Department expansion. The Magic Department claimed it was mere folklore, of course—and they couldn’t prove otherwise.
“It was proposed last year, or the year before… Anyway, it’s been ages. Beyond that, there are countless petty power struggles between Prince Marib and Prince Gail. If I tried to count them all, I’d run out of fingers and toes. Tsk.”
Romandro repeatedly opened and closed the curtain, checking their progress out. After a long silence, once they had fully exited the palace, he let out a sigh of relief and fully relaxed.
“Phew. Safe again today.”
“…How on earth do you commute?”
“I’m more of a field operative, so I only come when I have reports to give. Every time, I’m gasping for breath—oof.”
Romandro chuckled and casually loosened his outer jacket. Stamina aside, there were far too many things to worry about. As the mansion drew near, his face began to brighten.
Creeeak.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Yeah! Good work! Vivianna!”
Ian followed after Romandro, who leaped down in haste, circling the carriage to enter the mansion. Far off in the distance, Hasha came running to greet Ian. And…
Tadadak!
“You damn mutt! Get itttt!”
-Ian! Iaaaan!
Hasha immediately flung itself into Ian’s arms, trembling all over. He’d thought it was just coming out to greet him, but apparently not. Berik, skewer in hand, huffed and puffed in a fury.
“Ian! That Hasha is a total rotten mutt bastard!”
-I’m a person!
“If you’re a person, eat your own damn food—why steal everyone else’s?!”
“Enough, enough. Let’s head inside.”
“Ian! Punish that thing!”
“Hasha. Sorry, but I couldn’t find a post heading to Astana today. Work ran too late, and more than that, it seems we’ll need to stay at the mansion and monitor the situation for the time being.”
He already knew Gail was watching him within the palace, so he’d need to cautiously check if it extended outside as well. Moreover, Hasha was proof of Wesley’s misdeeds. If its existence were discovered, it could become quite dangerous.
-Got it, so do something about that brute!
Crack. At the word “brute,” Berik’s eyes rolled back. Amid the noisy clamor, they entered the mansion. Vivianna, who took their coats, asked in puzzlement.
“You’re going shopping tomorrow?”
“Yes, madam.”
“Then, may I join you? It’d be nice to shop together while you’re out.”
He’d been planning to ask her anyway. The streets were familiar, but a hundred years brought changes—and above all, selecting outfits for the New Year’s banquet was an issue.
“I’d be grateful. I don’t know central fashions well, so if you could pick suitable attire…”
“Leave it to me! With your elegant frame, anything will look splendid. Has the New Year’s banquet schedule come out?”
At her words, Ian pulled out a small note tucked between the mana stone reports. The banquet began in four days, followed a week later by the title conferment ceremony and Mana Confirmation Ritual that Ian had to attend.
The madam peered at the note alongside him and nodded.
“It might be a bit tight for tailoring. New Year’s brings a flood of orders. I’ll introduce you to my usual dress shop.”
“Hey, what about me? Me too?”
Berik jumped in, eyes sparkling. He seemed thrilled at the thought of wearing custom-made clothes for the first time instead of his dirt-stained rags.
“Yeah. Let’s rest up early tonight and get moving at dawn tomorrow. The dress shop, and also drop off the sword at the smithy.”
“Yessir! Awesome! I love it!”
In that instant, Hasha, set down on the floor, began sniffing the air. A familiar scent seemed to brush past from outside.
“Hasha? What’s wrong?”
-No. This dog body makes my nose too sensitive—sometimes the smells get all jumbled and dizzying. Don’t mind it.
Ian gazed steadily down at Hasha, then glanced out the window. Outside, only the lit-up nearby buildings were visible. He muttered toward Berik, who was bouncing with joy.
“Berik. Seeing you so happy pleases me. Did you nap well earlier?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah. Super refre—shing!”
“Then stand watch tonight.”
“Eh?”
Why had the words come out twisted like that?
Berik halted his frolicking and turned to Ian, but Ian’s gaze remained fixed out the window. Smiling brightly, he drove the point home.
“Just until sunrise. Okay? I’m counting on you.”