Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Between Blackmail and Negotiation
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With Wesley's influence, which could make even birds fall from the sky, gone in an instant, Sailro, the former captain of the Magic Support Division, found himself similarly driven to the edge of a cliff.
No, it would have been fortunate if it had merely been driven there. The imperial palace seemed to view the Magic Support Division as accomplices alongside the grave criminal Wesley, while the other divisions—family, so to speak—were too preoccupied with the minister position to pay them any attention or support.
Clack, clack!
Thus, they had been playing dead as much as possible, waiting for the minister to be appointed so they could seize a chance to turn things around. But then, in the dead of night, a summons had come. From Ian, no less, who still enjoyed the full trust of the princes.
Slide.
"Huff, huff..."
"Twenty-one minutes and thirty-four seconds."
"You really got here in under thirty minutes? Did you use a portal?"
"How could he use a portal by himself? Good work. As an internal affairs officer, it must have been a while since you last ran like that."
Sailro panted heavily as he scanned the Magic Operations Department office. Already, five captains including Hail were gathered. Ian set down his teacup and gestured for him to sit.
"Your sincerity is commendable. Please, have a seat, Captain Sailro."
He noticed Ian's gaze dropping to his collar. In his haste, he hadn't realized it had flipped up. Sailro glanced at Hail, who was lounging and smoking a cigarette, then sat across from him.
"Wh-what's this about?"
"Haha. Indeed, what could it be? Summoning the captain of the Magic Support Division in the dead of night like this—it had better be something worthy of it."
Ian smiled softly. The Magic Support Division was in no position to stand on ceremony, yet here he was, observing formalities. It was rather amusing. Sailro's face flushed red as he caught the implication, and he barely managed to hide it by gulping down his tea.
"It's nothing major. With the Magic Department minister selection underway, I wanted to inquire about the Magic Support Division's stance. You didn't register a candidate, so I figured you must have something else in mind."
It wasn't that they hadn't registered—they couldn't. Hadn't Ian seen it with his own eyes at the meeting? The Support Division, deeply tied to Wesley, had been outright excluded to avoid external scrutiny.
Sailro bit his lower lip and swallowed dryly.
"Oh, come on, Ian. Don't ask about that. After our meeting ended, every single member of the Magic Support Division got summoned by the Imperial Palace Guard."
"Oh dear. Was there such an incident?"
"They'll be too busy with investigations to have any stance or whatever. Right, Sailro?"
Acorella grinned and nodded cheerfully. Her freckled cheeks were quite flushed, a sign of her excitement. She draped an arm around Sailro's shoulders and patted him exaggeratedly in comfort.
"But don't worry. With no one in the palace to speak for us right now, we're taking the full brunt and getting shaken down. But once a minister is in place, it'll be fine. That's why we're all gathered here, and why we called you."
"Hey, I've never benefited from any of your proposals."
"That's in the past, and besides, the proposal isn't coming from me—it's from Ian! Ahaha!"
Thwack! Thud!
Acorella laughed loudly for all to see while pounding Sailro's shoulder. Every proposal she'd made to other divisions had involved mana stone experiments, so collapsing after three sleepless nights was par for the course.
"Captain Sailro, I know full well that the Magic Support Division has no connection to this Wesley incident."
Ian moistened his throat with tea and quietly laid the groundwork. Suddenly, Sailro realized that while Acorella, Hail, and the other captains looked disheveled, Ian was impeccably neat. He was at the center of cleaning up the Magic Department mess, so he should have been the busiest of all.
Was it the value of his noble name? Or just his looks?
"Captain Sailro?"
"...I'm listening."
"I believe you, but I'm not sure the palace does. Even among our fellow mages right now, opinions are divided—and that's only natural."
And that wasn't all. If the palace decided to purge the Magic Support Division to keep the Magic Department in check? And if they dug into past records and uncovered any issues?
Separate from Wesley, Sailro himself wouldn't escape punishment.
"As you know, the palace is receiving reports on internal Magic Department matters through me. I can ensure they hear definitively of the Magic Support Division's innocence. That's no problem at all."
Sailro immediately grasped Ian's intent. He meant to persuade his backer, Prince Marib, to show leniency to the Magic Support Division. Stammering cautiously, Sailro raised an objection.
"E-even if Prince Marib overlooks it, the direct victim is Prince Gail. How he responds is..."
"Prince Gail is no issue either."
At those words, Acorella and Hail turned to stare at Ian. Prince Marib was naturally Ian's patron, so that made sense. But Prince Gail?
Ian glossed over his secret deal with Gail with a suitable excuse.
"Because it would be a blunder for Prince Gail."
"A blunder? Hm. I see."
Hail, who had been puffing away silently behind him, exhaled smoke. If Marib seized real power, Gail's position would narrow for sure.
In that situation, there was no reason to pick a fight with the Magic Support Division. They'd let it slide as far as they could. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Magic Department would scoop up those with nowhere else to go and absorb them into their forces.
"Yeah. No need to worry about Prince Gail. Sailro."
Even if not, if Ian became Magic Department minister, his authority combined with Prince Marib's real power would cover it easily. Sailro grimaced as Hail flicked his cigarette ash. Clearly, he didn't get it.
"What do you mean?"
"If you don't get it, just shut up and nod. That's your path to survival."
At the blunt rebuke, Acorella pressed her lips tightly together. Any hint of laughter might make Sailro storm out.
"Don't worry—just gather the support of your Magic Support Division members for me. How about it? You came running at dawn without even noticing your collar was flipped; seems worth it."
Ian brushed the dust off Sailro's shoulder and asked again.
Sailro slowly looked around at the captains and Ian, then forced his mouth open, scraping together what was left of his dried-up pride.
"What if I refuse?"
"Oh. If you do that—"
Ian let out a low chuckle, and at the same moment, dawn broke through the window. The blindingly bright sunlight dyed his golden hair even more vibrantly. Though the rays felt warm on the skin, they couldn't dispel the chill in his green eyes.
"Probably no one would remember Captain Sailro, would they?"
Short, but the meaning was clear. It implied Sailro could vanish on charges of treason tied to Wesley, leaving not even his name behind, no matter how much time passed.
"...I was just asking what if I refuse. I tend to be a bit curious by nature. Since I won't choose that, I was wondering. Hm, hm."
Sailro quickly backpedaled with grumbling excuses. Acorella couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, while Hail lit a fresh cigarette.
"Ahaha! That was pathetic just now, but it's fine. We'll keep it among ourselves. Good thinking! Hey, we're still family, right? Sailro, if you die, I'd be so sad. Then who would I dump mana stone experiments on? Huh?"
"Glad you don't have the stubbornness to match your stupidity. Congrats on extending your life."
At the captains' words, Sailro trembled with fists clenched tight. But what could he do? He had no options. Refusing Ian meant latching onto Jang, but whoever backed him, it couldn't stand against Marib.
"Then, get our guys released from the Imperial Palace Guard. I need some leverage to convince my team."
Snap!
Ian snapped his fingers in agreement. Securing the Magic Support Division's votes was important, but so was packing the Magic Department building with as many of his forces as possible to shape the atmosphere.
"Understood. I'll work to have them all sent home by afternoon. Since you're here, Captain Sailro, go to that corner and review some documents. With operations paralyzed, we need every paw we can borrow."
"Paw? Dog paw?"
"Come on, let's get to work."
"What time was the administrative office report again?"
"You'll have to ask the next division over. I heard it came down separately in the interim."
Leaving the bewildered Sailro behind, they all stretched and stood. Even without sleep, how could morning come so mercilessly? It was the moment Acorella flung open the door to head back to her division.
Slide.
"Eek! You scared me!"
She came face-to-face with an unfamiliar head steward standing right outside the door. At her outburst, everyone turned to look.
"Who are you?"
"Viscount Ian Hielo. I am Lady Dillaina's head steward. Please spare a moment. A carriage is prepared."
...Dillaina? The only consort still at the emperor's side, mother to Arsen and Jin. Ian set down his stack of documents and picked up his overcoat.
"Let's go."
What could she want? He had a rough guess, but no certainty.
'Arsen and Jin. Dillaina would want a balance between Marib and Gail for her sons' safety. At least until they come of age.'
But with things as they were, if Marib took the Magic Department and solidified his power, no one could stop his dominance. And if Marib ascended as emperor, Arsen and Jin's safety wouldn't be guaranteed.
Dillaina would prefer to back Gail now.
'They both have a stake in keeping the emperor alive, so Gail and Dillaina could easily ride the same boat.'
Had Gail tipped her off beforehand? That Ian stood by Marib's side outwardly but held a knife behind his back.
'Possible. Maintaining forces for countermeasures is key now. She might be trying to gather strength by pulling in Arsen and Jin too.'
If not, was she summoning him—the man seen as Marib's talent—to check him? As the carriage sped along, Ian ran through scenarios endlessly.
Neigh!
Early morning, the area around Dillaina's palace was utterly serene. A chilly breeze brushed Ian's hair, and the head steward bowed halfway at the waist to guide him.
"This way."
The steward's footsteps echoed unusually loudly. No one was in the corridor. Early as it was, for a consort's palace, it was excessively empty. Surely, people had been deliberately cleared out.
At the grand archway leading to the reception room, the steward bowed his head.
"Pardon me. I'll inform the inside briefly."
Creak.
With no attendant to relay the message, she entered first. Ian stood ramrod straight, staring ahead.
How much time passed?
Swish.
Ian turned his head down at the warmth on his right hand. Silver hair, blue eyes. The child was holding Ian's hand.
"Lord Ian."
It had been truly long since he'd seen him—a greeting with his eyes. His tone was calm, subtly subdued. Caught in the strange atmosphere, Ian nearly uttered 'Jin' without thinking. But he stopped at the child's beaming smile.
"Prince Arsen. Good morning."
Arsen's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Ian. Then, as if intrigued, his eyes narrowed slyly. Ian felt the gaze was cunning.
"How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I'm Arsen."
Ian's gaze was on Arsen's cheek. Smooth, without dimples. He shook off the hand lightly and smiled.
"It's a secret."