Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Total Chaos
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Ian felt as if time had frozen the moment he saw the blood staining Gail's hand. The sight of him approaching step by step stretched out slowly, and all his senses seemed to shut down. But at the same time, his hairs stood on end, and his brain raced tensely.
‘Think.’
Gail had been attacked, and he would formally raise the matter with Marib. Marib had secured the imperial seal, and the emperor's safety could not be confirmed.
In that case...
‘The emperor's authority has effectively passed to Marib. If Gail formally accuses such a man of sending assassins—’
“Gail. You're alive. I thought you were dead, you bastard.”
Marib grimaced with a smile, not hiding his disappointment. Instead of replying, Gail glanced at the emperor's seal before striding forward. Drops of blood fell from his fingertips.
Ian grabbed Romandro's arm and stepped back.
“Lord Romandro.”
“Hm?”
“Enter the Magic Department and order the mages to seal all entrances to the imperial palace. Also, have them maintain a protective barrier on the Magic Department building itself.”
At Ian's whisper, Romandro backed away and exited the Grand Council chamber.
As Gail approached without any sign of stopping, Marib's subordinates drew their swords.
Shring-!
“Stop, Prince Gail.”
“Soldiers swarmed my residence.”
“Stop!”
“Shut your mouth. Who do you think you're talking to?”
Slash!
Gail slashed the chest of the man facing him without hesitation.
It was now clear where the blood on his hands had come from. Traces of those who had been stationed near Gail's palace on Marib's orders.
The officials gasped in shock, covering their mouths, while Marib's subordinates all drew their swords.
Shring! Shring!
“Prince Gail! This is unacceptable!”
“How could you do this? Everyone, calm down, calm down!”
“There was an intruder in my residence last night. Marib sent them.”
Gail's subordinates and Marib's subordinates took stances as if ready to lunge at any moment. The officials, utterly clueless about how the situation was unfolding, froze in place, their eyes darting around.
‘This isn't a drill.’
He had suspected it since hearing Marib claim to wield the emperor's authority via the seal, but now it was sinking in as stark reality. Look at the scarlet blood flowing across the floor. If that wasn't reality, then what was?
“I'm under a curse tied to the very survival of the great Bariel Empire. You're trying to kill me and even stole my father's seal. How should I interpret this? Hm?”
Gail smiled sinisterly as he turned to the trembling officials. There was no room for interpretation. This was treason—a grave crime that would shatter Bariel's future.
“Ch, an intruder sent by Prince Marib?”
“Prince Marib, please say something.”
“Prince Gail's death is your death as well!”
“No, wait! Everyone, calm down. The intruder matter can be investigated step by step. The real issue is the seal!”
Even as his subordinates bristled like they were about to rip each other's throats out, Marib remained seated. He casually toyed with the seal, as if detached from the chaos around him.
“Gail, aren't you the one attempting treason? Did you think I wouldn't know you were building a faction by contacting border nobles? And staging this farce to frame me—that's the height of disloyalty to His Majesty. Above all, I know your curse is a lie.”
This time, the officials' gazes poured onto Gail. Interpretations split on who was truly plotting rebellion.
At that moment, the man slashed by Gail rolled on the floor, screaming as he staggered to his feet. Gail's subordinates leaped in, and the room turned into pandemonium.
Clang! Clang!
“Aaagh! Ack!”
“Everyone out! Outside!”
“Don’t do this, Your Highness! Your Highness!”
“Find His Imperial Majesty! We need His Majesty to mediate—”
Zing!
Boom!
Berik, his eyes sparkling at the thought of joining the fray, snapped to attention. Ian had unleashed his mana. His Golden Eyes gleamed with unmistakable killing intent.
“…Everyone, calm down.”
“Don’t interfere! We’re in the midst of fulfilling our great duty!”
Clang!
An excited someone swung their sword at Ian. Berik instinctively parried the attack and countered with fluid grace.
“You stay out. My master's talking.”
“You insolent cur—!”
Crack!
Berik grabbed the man's hair and smashed his head into the table. A deafening crack echoed across the marble surface, as if the skull had shattered. He kept going, relentlessly.
“Stop it.”
“Who are you?”
“Riama. So you're the mad dog who fought Jayrat.”
“Friend of Jayrat?”
It was Riama, one of the Three Great Commanders. If she was Jayrat's friend, she had to be strong! As Berik's eyes lit up and he lunged, Ian unleashed his mana again.
Boom!
“…I won’t say it twice. Anyone causing a disturbance from now on will face severe consequences.”
His low warning carried an authority that no one would associate with a child. Those shouting for the emperor to be brought cowered, clamping their mouths shut. Who among them knew if the emperor had truly arrived as they wished.
“Lord Ian Hielo. I'm curious about your opinion. Who do you think is the one plotting treason and stirring chaos in the imperial palace?”
Marib tapped the seal lightly as he asked, as if telling Ian to finally pick a side. No more walking the tightrope—take a clear stance.
‘What a mess.'
Not a single one of them was right in the head. Everything tangled so tightly that it was impossible to tell who had bound whom first, or how to unravel it. Ian looked at Marib and Gail with impassive eyes.
“Both of you—”
No need to bother untangling the knots.
“Will go unrecorded in history.”
Just cut them loose and discard.
At Ian's words, Marib and Gail's eyebrows twitched in unison.
“Until I confirm His Imperial Majesty's safety with my own eyes, I cannot acknowledge Prince Marib's authority. Stealing the seal is blatant treason. And if you tried to harm Prince Gail, that's an act that would bring ruin to Bariel.”
“Exactly! Doing so before the curse is lifted can only mean you've fallen under the devil's sway!”
“Prince Gail…”
Ian glanced at Gail and swallowed a sigh. No need to elaborate on this one. He'd known since the border days that he was the ringleader of the rebellion.
Boom!
It was then. A massive roar echoed from outside. The forces confronting each other in front of the Grand Council chamber had clashed. No one had given the order to attack, yet they bellowed with bulging veins.
“Kill them all!”
“Aaagh!”
Like oil ignited by a stray spark. No one knew what had started the fight. Blades were already flashing inside—there was no guarantee it wouldn't spill outside.
Clang! Clang!
“Hand over the seal! Prince Marib!”
“Insolent fool! How dare you utter Lord Marib's name!”
“Oh god, dodge! Dodge!”
Swords clashed once more, with no telling who struck first. The officials, deciding they couldn't stay, hunched low and fled.
“Ian, what do we do?”
“We go too. Staying here will just give us headaches.”
The last thing Ian saw as he left the Grand Council chamber was Gail lunging at Marib. Frenzied soldiers swung swords without distinguishing friend from foe, screams erupting everywhere.
Clang! Clang!
“Aaagh! Not me! I'm innocent!”
“Everyone to the Magic Department building! For the safety of the imperial citizens and to prevent chaos, all palace entrances have been sealed. Those seeking safety, head to the Magic Department!”
“To the Magic Department! Hahaha!”
Slash!
Berik cleared a path for Ian while shouting nonstop. The splendid banners of noble houses began toppling one by one. Even the elite of the central nobility—few families might carry on their lines after today.
“Ian! Over here!”
Slash!
Berik effortlessly deflected blind attacks as he escorted Ian. The officials, who had come to work oblivious and now suffered this misfortune, trembled as they trailed behind Ian. The phrase ‘seek safety at the Magic Department’ rang in their ears like a survival instinct.
“L-L-Lord Ian, what should we do now?”
“We need to find the ministers who haven't gotten involved in the feud between Prince Marib and Prince Gail. And His Imperial Majesty's whereabouts. The palace is sealed, so he must still be inside.”
“Eek! Eeek!”
Clang! Clang!
From dawn until morning. Too short a time for the emperor to have left the palace. Whatever Marib had done, they had to search inside to find him.
“Kill them! Slaughter everyone with the red banners!”
“Bariel's fate lies in our hands! Shall we hand the future to some illegitimate bastard!?”
“Shut your mouth!”
As they exited the First Imperial Palace, Ian glanced back. A scene heavy with déjà vu.
‘Find the emperor!’
‘Kill! Death to anyone blocking the way!’
‘Your Majesty, you must evade. Crony is—!’
‘Slash!’
‘Aaagh! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!’
‘Keep your eyes focused. Will you offer the future to that child who descended from the throne, or to me, who will ascend it? I, Crony, oppose my uncle—no, Emperor Ian.’
The shouts of the opposing faction that had overrun the palace when he himself was emperor. Chaos descending on the imperial palace—always solemn, peaceful, and steadfast—stirred a profound sense of dissonance. Even the second time, it felt no less alien.
“Lord Ian! Lord Ian is here!”
“What in the world happened?”
All the mages had come out to the Magic Department building. Following Romandro's orders, they had inscribed magic circles at the entrances and surrounding areas to generate a protective barrier. The exact same one they had used to block Wesley.
Zing. Zing!
“Lower the mana intensity to the minimum and expand the coverage instead. More and more people will head this way.”
Ian placed his hand on the translucent, glowing wall to gauge its sturdiness. This wasn't meant to stop Wesley or monsters—just human swords and spears. It didn't need to be that robust.
“Is it true they've sealed all the palace entrances? We've restricted passage for now, but…”
Aurora-like magic descended at every palace entrance—a Magic Department device for identity verification and screening outsiders. With it halted, the guards responsible for access control were paralyzed and had simply locked the gates.
“Even a step beyond the palace are the homes of imperial citizens. Do you want the filth of a mudslinging brawl to splatter there? Enforce it strictly.”
“Understood.”
In the distance, smoke began rising from the Grand Council chamber area. As if they were fully intent on burning each other to ashes. Once the chaos passed, it would be clear who stood atop the blood. Whoever it was, he would clean the floor alongside them.
“…Portal.”
“Pardon?”
Ian muttered as he entered the main Magic Department building. He started to give Berik an order but hesitated.
‘Need to check on Arsen and Prince Jin's safety too, but Berik's a total directionless fool—he'd never make it.’
“Wh-what? Why're you looking at me like that? Got something for me, right?”
“Nothing. Just guard the people here.”
“Eh? But you do. You definitely do.”
“In a bit, we're heading to Dillaina's palace. Bring back Arsen and Prince Jin.”
Ian recalled the prison nearby where Xiao Shi was held. Boom! Another roar of unknown origin echoed, more smoke billowing up.
“Huh? Look at that. What the hell is...”
“Something happening in the palace?”
“They say Prince Gail got hurt too.”
“Entry's banned since morning? Did the Magic Department blow something up in an experiment?”
The imperial citizens living near the palace saw the smoke too. No one could guess what was unfolding inside.