Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Variable
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It was a suffocating silence. A distance where their breaths could touch. Jin and Arsen glared at each other, sizing one another up. Jin to break free, Arsen to bind him tight.
‘This feels like the first time.’
Arsen smiled slyly and reached out again to grab Jin’s shoulder. The shock of being abandoned by his mother surely wasn’t something to brush off lightly. Just as he was about to dismiss the fleeting resistance and say something—
“Prince Jin.”
Ian’s call stopped him. Jin pushed Arsen away and approached Ian, who smiled kindly and patted his shoulder.
“How are your wounds?”
“The doctor looked after them carefully. They’re fine.”
Blood was still seeping through the bandages. It wouldn’t threaten his life, but it would be inconvenient for daily activities for a while. Ian praised him softly.
“It must be tough, but bear with it just a little longer. It will pass if you endure.”
Wounds on the face or in the heart were all the same. Time wouldn’t heal everything, but nothing remained intact before time’s passage.
If you endure, if you get past it, it will fade.
In that brief moment, the tears vanished from the child’s eyes, just like that.
“Prince Arsen.”
Ian called out to Arsen, who was perched on the edge of the sickbed. The boy had forgotten all decorum befitting a prince, slouching with his chin propped on his hands, as if the situation utterly displeased him.
“Would you speak with me for a moment?”
“…I’m tired.”
“It’ll be quick. It’s for everyone’s safety.”
His tone was pleading, but the compulsion was clear. It meant that if they were seeking safety under the Magic Department’s protection here, they had better cooperate properly. Arsen stood indifferently and straightened his clothes.
“Jin. Get your treatment. When Mother wakes, stay by her side.”
As if fulfilling his duty as the older brother to the end, Arsen smiled warmly and left the infirmary. Xiaoshi followed right behind, and Ian turned back to Jin.
“Why did you call for your brother?”
Was it possible that Lord Ian actually needed Arsen, not him? Was he pretending to care while scheming something? Or was all of this genuine?
But had there ever been such a person in the imperial palace? Even in peaceful times, he was pushed to the back; in wartime, even more so….
“Prince Jin.”
Ian knelt to meet Jin’s eyes. His gaze was steady. The strength born from firm inner conviction.
“Keep your wits about you.”
“…….”
“Even if you hear wicked words, don’t let them shake you. Straighten your mind. If you waver, Bariel wavers. If you collapse, the people’s lives collapse. Always keep that in mind and believe your fate is a blessing.”
Listening from behind the door, it was truly astounding and laughable. Arsen, how could a child be so ruthless?
The imperial palace did breed particularly cunning children due to its environment. But one like this was rare, so Ian inwardly clicked his tongue.
Jin looked up at Ian’s furrowed brow.
“Your words suit His Majesty the Emperor.”
“…Keep your distance from Prince Arsen for the time being. I’ll assign someone to you, so don’t be alone with him. Always stay with others. Empty words start to sound plausible if you hear them enough.”
At that moment, a mage bringing dry clothes knocked on the door. It was a signal to pause the conversation.
“Then, finish your treatment.”
“Thank you!”
Jin shouted loudly at Ian’s back. Afraid to miss the chance, he hurried. The mage stifled a laugh, finding the boy endearing, and Jin bowed deeply once more.
“…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Ian gave a slight nod and closed the door.
The corridor was quiet. Far off, the clamor of evacuees could be heard, but it was distant enough to just hum faintly. Ian entered a reception room not far from the infirmary.
Creak.
Arsen sat on the sofa, gazing out the window. An expressionless face that betrayed no emotions. It was truly curious what thoughts swirled in that small head.
“What reason did you have to speak with me?”
“Prince Arsen. Did you visit Prince Gail’s chambers the night before last?”
A direct question. Arsen smiled brightly and denied it outright.
“No.”
Xiaoshi shook his head slightly and glanced at Ian. He knew he couldn’t testify recklessly in front of Arsen. After all, he was the assassin who had tried to kill Gail, and now serving Ian as his master would surely raise issues.
“Why would you ask that? What reason would I have to go to Brother Gail’s chambers that night? Or do you suspect me of masterminding the assassination?”
The nuance was odd, and Ian caught it immediately. Arsen remembered meeting Xiaoshi that night. Ian sat across from him and examined the boy’s face closely.
“By the way, Lord Ian. It’s a bit perplexing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You rescued Jin before me earlier, didn’t you?”
It was pure curiosity. Wasn’t Ian the proven figure who rose from border bastard to Magic Department Minister? It didn’t make sense that such a man would weigh him against Jin.
“I have an oracle on me. If I had been harmed instead of Jin back then, you wouldn’t escape blame. Once this incident wraps up, Mother will rally and reorganize forces around ‘us.’”
He called it ‘us,’ but it ultimately meant himself. With Marib and Gail gone, he was the prime candidate for heir, a warning to watch his step. Don’t sow discord with his precious twin brother.
“Prince Arsen.”
Ian simply looked at the boy and smiled.
“Do you consider yourself close to the throne?”
“What?”
“If the one close to the throne is safe, then Bariel is safe. What does it matter who harms whom beyond that? Look outside. Even now, Princes Marib and Gail are trying to kill each other.”
Arsen’s face twisted sharply. In other words, Jin was closer to the throne than he was.
“Is it because you’re from the outskirts? Your views are unique.”
“You flatter me.”
Arsen ground his back teeth silently. Ian set down his cold tea, unperturbed.
“If memories of that night resurface, feel free to tell me anytime. Xiaoshi here will stay by Prince Arsen’s side. As you see, with so many evacuees, it’s for your safety.”
Had he perhaps secretly used the Emperor’s hidden passages? Or did he have other helpers?
‘Marib didn’t know the secret passages and lost the Emperor. It’s unlikely Arsen knew them. He must have used some other method.’
Did he sense Ian’s mind racing? Arsen’s eyes narrowed slyly. They looked just like Jin’s, yet strangely, facing him made you forget any resemblance. That’s how different they were.
“Lord Ian. As I see it now, there’s only one way to resolve this crisis quickly.”
Arsen leaned back deeply into the sofa and muttered, flicking his fingertips boredly.
“Find our runaway father. If His Majesty appears before everyone and rebukes the seal’s whereabouts, Brother Marib loses all legitimacy and becomes a clear rebel. That gives the neutral factions a reason to unite. The Magic Department won’t just hide behind barriers but will join the fight and rewrite history.”
Clever. It was a flow anyone could read, but this ten-year-old prince didn’t stop at reading—he applied it.
“I don’t know what Father will do about Brother Gail. But the real problem is if Brother Marib wins.”
The one thing the Emperor could do immediately to deny Marib’s legitimacy was declare a new heir. It was a political foundation for resolving the incident.
“Who do you think Father will choose as heir between me and Jin? And once he picks and the crisis ends, will it change? If I become the heir first, the pressure to treat Jin as an enemy will grow. He’s the type who’d harm me.”
Beaming, Arsen extended his hand to Ian. He’d refused before, but this time, the mood said it wouldn’t be tolerated. Ian glanced at the small hand and chuckled softly. He didn’t take it this time either.
“Prince Arsen. I understand what you mean.”
In short, he wanted to pull the Magic Department—the core of the third faction—into his camp. But it didn’t resonate with Ian.
“However, Your Highness. Your assumptions have two variables. First, if Prince Gail wins. Second, if His Majesty the Emperor designates Prince Jin as heir.”
Of course, Ian didn’t want the first either. That would leave no place for Jin. So only the second remained.
“You think Father will put Jin on the heir’s seat?”
Arsen snorted derisively, as if painting such an absurd future was foolishness itself. Ian merely bowed his head and said nothing. Didn’t he know the future held endless possibilities until it arrived?
Knock knock.
“Minister Ian. I’ve brought the documents you requested.”
“Good. I’ll review them.”
At that moment, Romandro knocked, announcing he’d completed the task. It was a report processed during Minister Wesley’s time. If Ian’s hunch was right, there would be clues there.
“Prince Arsen, rest well. Tell Xiaoshi if you need anything. Oh, and for the time being, Dillaina and Prince Jin need absolute rest, so visits are prohibited.”
Arsen’s face crumpled instantly. Jin was one thing, but barring Dillaina too crossed the line. But Ian didn’t retract it and grabbed the door handle.
“And be careful with Xiaoshi. He’s ill-tempered and will bite if you harass him.”
At his master’s playful warning, Xiaoshi smirked. He knew it was a request not to let Arsen bully him, but wasn’t the treatment too much? Arsen whipped his head away, expressing discontent in silence.
Creak.
Thud!
“Ian, here.”
“Thank you. More than I expected.”
“The captains are waiting. Let’s go.”
Ian started walking, carefully reading the documents Romandro handed over.
They detailed secret passages that could traverse the imperial palace in an instant. If they operated similarly to when Ian was Emperor, magic was surely involved.
For example….
‘A massive painting or a hidden door. If made with mana stones, their positions could connect.’
He was about to enter the conference room to discuss with Acorella when her scream greeted him first from inside.
“No way! Hail!”
“Quiet down a bit. I’m still reading it.”
“Captain Acorella, calm down.”
“How can I calm down? Now? Don’t you know what it means that Riama is dead?”
Clang!
Ian flung the door open, and Acorella, who had been tearing at her hair, along with the mages, froze and looked at him.
No need to ask what happened.
Acorella had screamed in fear.
“Lord Ian! It seems Riama of the Three Great Commanders is dead. Do you know what this means?”
Of course he did.
Hail stubbed out his cigarette and scowled.
“If mana sealing stones are being used in combat, we can’t guarantee safety here either.”