Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: The Third Imperial Palace Now
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Boom!
An explosion echoed from the direction of the Magic Department. Berik, who had been running ahead, came to a sudden stop, causing Acorella to crash into his back with her nose. She straightened her glasses and yelled irritably.
“It hurts! What the hell!?”
“Something’s happened at the Magic Department.”
“Of course it has! Marib took his soldiers there! The Third Imperial Palace is gonna be a shitshow soon too, so hurry up.”
“Damn it. Shouldn’t have come. Is Ian okay on his own?”
Acorella let out a hollow laugh at Berik’s mutter. Of all people, the Magic Department Minister, Ian Hielo. The man who shot up like a comet to claim the fourth spot in the Bariel Empire’s hierarchy!
“Who’s worrying about who? And ‘come along’? Hell no! You were ordered to escort me.”
“Anyway, over there. Aren’t you that Asae lady? You’ve been bugging me since earlier.”
“Lady? La-dy?! I’m Acorella! Captain of the Mana Stone Management Division!”
“Doesn’t matter, your boss is still Ian, right? Mine too.”
“Both of you, shut up already!”
Tommy, who had been scanning ahead from midair, finally snapped. Yap yap yap. He’d expected some chaos from this pack of mad dogs, but it was more exhausting than anticipated. Visibility was already poor from the acrid smoke, and now they were messing with his focus.
“There’s a fire near the Third Imperial Palace. Soldiers are one thing, but you said we need a painting. If the flames spread, we’re screwed, so cut the chatter and move.”
“It’s not chatter, it’s maintaining discipline!”
Acorella yelled again, but Berik just stuck out his tongue and bolted toward the Third Imperial Palace. More precisely, chasing Tommy’s shadow.
Tap tap!
“Tommy! How’s the Magic Department side?”
“Can’t see well from here.”
The portal slicing through the sky obscured half the Magic Department. The explosion clearly meant trouble, but Tommy swallowed a sigh and surveyed the devastated scene.
‘Just one day.’
It had started in the middle of the night, so less than 24 hours had passed. Who could have imagined that something born of centuries of history could be destroyed so futilely?
Did Marib and Gail even realize what they were doing?
“Berik. I see Marib’s soldiers over there.”
“Kill ’em?”
“No. Looks like we’ll get there first. Gonna be a pain hauling the painting out.”
Tommy pointed out the banners of the approaching Marib soldiers. Berik responded by swinging his black sword and kicking off even harder.
Taat!
“Come on! You idiots!”
Without Acorella’s shout, they could have run even faster. The moment they reached the Third Imperial Palace, she braced against the floor and dry-heaved. Far too grueling for a researcher who lived in labs.
“Urk.”
“Ugh, gross. We just need one painting, right? Come on, pick one. So many damn options.”
Building blueprints, geometric wall decor patterns, portraits of what seemed to be the palace overseer, floral pieces lined up by the giant window, and more. Paintings from artists’ hands hung everywhere eyes could see.
Acorella wiped her mouth and muttered.
“That’s not it.”
“Then?”
“Not long after the Lique Stones were shipped out, paintings coated with mana stones became a trend among high nobles. Probably the imperial family deliberately started it to hide His Majesty’s secret passages.”
So they needed something high nobles would favor.
“The ones that are biggest, flashiest, and give off a sacred vibe have the highest odds. I’ll go that way checking paintings one by one, Berik, you circle the opposite way and grab similar ones. Tommy, guard me.”
Orders to minimize time. At Acorella’s words, Berik dashed into the left corridor shouting.
“This way?!”
“Yeah. Peel ’em off and stack them here.”
Tap tap!
Watching his vanishing back like the wind, Acorella unleashed her mana. Her senses sharpened across her body, wrinkling her brow. Her head throbbed, nausea threatening again.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Can you distinguish the Lique Stone? Even if mixed, it’d be a tiny amount, and if it’s blended with lower-grade mana stones, that’d be trouble.”
She adjusted her glasses, smudged from Berik, and gave a sly smile. She was curious about that herself.
“Let’s find out. Heh heh.”
Mana stones she touched, felt, and tasted daily. It felt like a test of her half-lifetime in the lab. As she chuckled lowly, Tommy flinched and stepped back.
‘…That laugh. The one mages make during potion experiments.’
Maybe swap places with Berik? Just as he pondered, Berik was sprinting down the corridor, roughly scanning passing paintings. Big, flashy, sacred-looking…
“Huh?”
At the corridor’s end, a painting taller than a person caught his eye. A dozen angels smiling radiantly. Berik crossed his arms and groaned thoughtfully.
“Hmm. Too big.”
How to carry it? Nah, he could if he tried. Twice, three times the hassle of piggybacking Dillaina.
“Pass!”
Just needed one anyway. Berik shouted decisively and turned. At that instant, the angels’ eyes slid again.
“No way!”
Berik whipped back around, and they froze. No idea what it was thinking, but it blinked.
“Bringing the huge one’ll get me extra meat for the trouble?!”
Cackling, Berik approached the painting again. Reaching to peel it, he sensed something off.
“……?”
A very brief moment.
Just a few seconds.
Yet somehow, something felt changed, though he couldn’t tell what. Berik frowned and stepped back.
Maybe his pure, unfiltered vision? Seeing things as they were, without interpretation.
“Oh!”
The angels were all smiling down at him—at the viewer. Except one on the left.
Berik snapped his fingers like he’d had an epiphany.
“Why’s this one’s eyes all weird?”
He leaned in close, scrutinizing the angel’s face. The eyes…
‘Blink?’
It blinked! Short and quick, like losing a staring contest! Stunned, Berik yelled and smashed the angel’s face without thinking.
“Gaaargh!”
Boom!
“…Shii. Shiba, what the fuck is that.”
“Berik! Berik! What happened?”
Tommy arrived first at the commotion. Berik, pale for once, panted as he stared at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“The painting! Its eyes moved!”
“What?”
“They moved! It just blinked!”
“That’s ridiculous…”
Tap tap!
“Tommy! You’re supposed to guard me!”
Acorella ran up, a painting half her torso size tucked under her arm. Ungrateful to her effort, she tossed it aside and rushed to the angel painting.
Ziiing. Ziiing.
She summoned mana stronger, probing for Lique Stone traces. Mana stone power felt through senses beyond the five. Acorella rubbed her face against the painting, unable to hide her excitement.
“Ahaha! This is it! This one! Definitely Lique Stone!”
“T-That one?”
“Absolutely. Ten years as the Mana Stone Management Division rookie, three as vice-captain, five as captain—that experience confirms it! Lique Stone 210 grams, Alatum 15 grams, Coridosia 150 grams…!”
Tommy shoved Acorella aside and took down the painting. The alloy frame alone must weigh over ten kilos; he and Berik gripped it front and back firmly.
“If it’s certain, no time to waste. Let’s go. Berik, hold tight.”
“Got it! Fuck yeah!”
“…It’s ‘all together.’”
The three carefully but swiftly exited the Third Imperial Palace.
Outside, the nearby fire had spread, acrid smoke hitting them hard. Acorella adjusted her glasses and looked up.
“Why no portal?”
“Huh?”
At her question, the two men looked too. The sky was clear, blue. No trace of the black moon. Berik frowned in confusion.
“Where’s the black moon? Does it vanish this fast?”
“…Either it activated, or the magic circle’s gone.”
Tommy’s voice dripped with dismay. Either way, trouble for the mages.
“Sh-should we head back to the Magic Department building? If the portal activated, they evacuated en masse, but if the circle’s gone, they’re all dead—”
Acorella realized her horrific words and clamped her mouth. In that instant, Berik dropped the painting and drew his sword.
Shing.
Mana rose unhesitatingly from his dantian. Purple aura swirled around the black sword.
“Berik! No! If something happened to the mages, we might be their last chance!”
Acorella grabbed desperately, but Berik calmly brushed her hand away.
What did he care? Last chance or bullshit, that was Ian’s call.
Berik’s job was to save his lord.
“I’m going first.”
Taat!
“There they are! Mages over there!”
“Grab them! Kill if you have to!”
Tap tap!
Then Marib’s soldiers spotted the three and charged. In the split second Acorella reflexively raised a shield, Berik swung wide and leaped into their ranks.
Slash!
Crunch!
“Argh!”
“Don’t fall back! It’s just one guy!”
“Crazy, aaak! Help! My eyes! My eyes!”
“Sword-Mage? Hold formation!”
“Rush together! Together!”
“Waaah!”
Not swordsmanship. Pure slaughter. He stabbed indiscriminately at unprotected faces and necks, unleashing attacks solely to kill.
One difference from usual: Berik wasn’t enjoying it.
“I’m busy—so—!”
Thud!
“I’ll kill you all.”
Even Tommy and Acorella couldn’t approach Berik. No distinction between friend or foe—just crushing anything in his way.
Slash!
“Haa, haa…”
“Eek!”
The soldiers fled seeing comrades torn apart. Berik hesitated on pursuit but gripped his black sword and bolted toward the Magic Department.
“Fuck, seriously, what if Ian’s dead?”
“Why would Ian be dead? He’s like the only one who can fix this mess!”
“Dunno! I’m going ahead!”
“You idiot! Take the painting! Argh!”
Acorella punched Berik’s back of the head. But he vanished in an instant, leaving only dying soldiers’ groans nearby.
“Who makes a lunatic like that their subordinate and expects him to die? Ugh, moron.”
No choice, she grabbed the painting’s edge instead of Berik. Huge size, insane weight.
“Tommy, any spells to move this?”
“Evac’s Nakina’s job. Wanna try?”
“…Nah. If it messes with the mana stone readings, that’s worse. Haaa. I’ll lift. One, two, three! Hup!”
Acorella grimaced, hands shaking. The vast palace felt especially far to the Magic Department today.
The moment Acorella took a strained step.
Slap.
Someone grabbed her arm.
“Gasp!”
“Step away from Captain Acorella, Your Highness!”
A sight perfectly fitting ‘survived’—utterly ragged. It was Gail.