Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Legend of Roberside
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Ian headed to the duty room inside, next to the Magic Department main building.
Mages who had wrestled with corpses all night were curled up asleep on sofas here and there in the lobby. Groans, snores, and teeth-grinding sounds showed no sign of stopping.
When Ian cautiously opened the duty room door, Siaosi looked up.
“You’re here.”
“Where is Prince Arsen?”
“He just fell asleep. After throwing a tantrum and crying nonstop.”
Siaosi wiped away cold sweat and gave a faint smile. He had pounded on the walls, demanding his mother, insisting on seeing Jin—it had been quite the commotion. Even in the dim light, Ian could tell there was a scratch on Siaosi’s cheek.
“Siaosi, you get some rest. I’ll go in.”
Romandro patted his shoulder and entered the duty room where Arsen was. Ian opened the door to the opposite room, where Jin was.
Creak.
“Dillaina will come looking for Arsen. Join them if you can, but don’t push yourself.”
“Yes. Understood.”
For now, they had blocked the meeting under the pretext of chaos, but it was only temporary. Blood ties were blood ties, after all. Once things settled even a little, Dillaina would shove Siaosi aside and take Arsen away.
A sliver of cold dawn light filtered into the dim room.
“Urgh.”
“……”
Berik, head half-buried after rolling off the sofa, and Jin, lying neatly on the bed. They were sleeping so deeply that they hadn’t noticed Ian entering and approaching.
“Jin I can understand, but shouldn’t Berik have sensed my presence? I told him to guard the bedroom, and here he is, sleeping like a log.”
Ian muttered with a faint smile, and Siaosi sneaked over to pinch Berik’s nose. Berik scowled and let out groaning noises.
“Ugh, urk, Ian, a p-pig bit my nose…”
“…He won’t wake up.”
“Leave him be. He’ll be busy this afternoon.”
The moment Siaosi released his nose, Berik smacked his lips with a blissful smile again. So simple—even you could tell what he was dreaming about.
Swoosh.
Ian sat on the edge of the bed and examined Jin’s wound. The bleeding had stopped, but it seemed like it could start again with the slightest wrong touch. In the portrait, it had looked so natural, like something he’d been born with. Who knew it was such a deep, painful scar.
“…Ian?”
“My apologies. Did I wake you?”
Jin slowly opened his eyes. Still half-asleep, his gaze unfocused, but he recognized Ian right away.
“Has the day passed?”
“Yes. It has. It’s a new day.”
Ian straightened the child’s blanket as he answered. Pat pat. Following the gentle touch, Jin’s eyes closed again. Ian wanted to let him sleep just like that, but he had something to say.
“Your Highness. Lady Dillaina has come to her senses.”
Jin propped himself up halfway and looked at Ian. A whirlwind of indescribable emotions seemed to churn inside him. Relief, distress, fear, and sorrow. Jin stammered as he asked Ian.
“What should I do?”
“Your Highness.”
“I, I don’t know. No one’s told me. What does a child abandoned by their mother do when they meet her again?”
Ian patted his back and answered softly.
“There’s nothing to do. Because Your Highness did nothing wrong. And before that, if you don’t want to see Lady Dillaina, I’ll stand in the way.”
“I, I don’t have to meet my mother?”
“Of course not. Do whatever Your Highness wants. Until you convince yourself that you did nothing wrong. Follow your heart.”
Jin lay back down smoothly and pulled the blanket up to his eyes. Nothing wrong— it was Dillaina and Arsen who were wrong. The comfort swirled like a lullaby, making him drowsy.
“Lord Ian. I have a favor to ask.”
“Speak it.”
“R-read me a book.”
Peek. Jin rolled his eyes as he made the request. The mages were all busy, and Berik and Siaosi nearby couldn’t read. Ian let out a small laugh and nodded.
“Understood. Gladly. What shall I read?”
“That one, the closest one.”
The mages must have brought a few from the palace at Jin’s request. Ian picked up the top book from the table.
[Legend of Roberside]
Roberside Carbo. The life story of the first head of the Carbo family, who split off from the temple. Ian flipped through the well-worn pages lightly.
“Do you enjoy it?”
“It’s, very fun. Arsen says it’s boring and won’t even glance at it. But when I read it, Lord Roberside always appears in my dreams and plays with me.”
Just like a child. Ian smiled faintly and settled into position. Then he read the lines in a clear voice.
[…“You won’t become a priest?” Roberside nodded at his siblings’ question. “Siblings, serve the god with pure hearts in my stead. I will go out and slay those demons, pledging my love to the god.” He followed the god more devoutly than anyone, yet he could not ignore the people suffering from the demons right before his eyes.]
Siaosi leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Ian’s voice, steady in pitch, was pleasant to listen to. Rustle, the sound of turning pages added to it.
[Roberside was magnificent. One swing of his sword piled up a hundred demon corpses, two swings formed rivers of blood. The people cheered, and Roberside pressed onward.]
‘For a fairy tale, it’s a bit brutal.’
Especially the illustrations, which depicted the demon corpses so graphically. Were there records from the time? The demons Roberside faced were detailed.
[“Spare me!” Roberside finally faced the last demon. The devil, in the form of a small child, clasped its hands and begged. Roberside asked, “What are you?” The devil answered, “I devour human wickedness.” Deserving death, as Roberside raised his sword—the devil whispered slyly. “Spare me, and I’ll live in hiding. Kill me, and my brethren will avenge me. They’ll destroy everything you’ve gained.” The devil threatened, but Roberside was brave.]
“…Slash. When Roberside slew the devil, demons vanished from the Variel Empire. Someone asked, ‘Lord Roberside, with all that blood on your hands, aren’t you afraid?’ Roberside smiled and replied, ‘If I can fear in your stead, that is enough.’”
Thud.
On the back was a full-body portrait of Roberside. A man with flowing silver short hair, swinging his sword. Being from the founding era, it was impossible to verify if it was all fiction.
‘The devil’s revenge.’
In hindsight, it seemed the devil’s curse had come true. Comparing the Carbo family from founding times to now, their power had fallen to a pitiful level. Everyone acknowledged them, but that was the extent of their presence.
“Master.”
Siaosi called quietly. Ian, hand on Jin’s forehead, turned to see a blanket draped over his shoulders.
“Get some sleep too, Master.”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine at all.”
Creak.
Just then, Romandro slipped in quietly and looked around. Checking if anything was lacking. He squatted by Berik, who had slid off the sofa.
“Sleeping the best of us all. Tsk tsk.”
“Urgh. Ack! Meat, ah, meat—”
“Always going on about meat—your gut must be full of it. Ian, Prince Arsen is fast asleep too. Close your eyes already. If you collapse when things get hectic later, it’ll be trouble. I’ve posted guards for Prince Arsen.”
Under Romandro’s insistence, Ian had no choice but to lie on the sofa. Perhaps thanks to the child’s steady breathing, his eyelids grew heavy right away.
Romandro muttered as he tidied the floor.
Rustle.
“What’s this?”
“Prince Jin drew it earlier.”
“Oh, nice. Banana and tomato?”
“…He said it’s you and Berik, sir.”
“……”
Pfft. Ian let out an unwitting laugh. Romandro glanced at Jin and shoved the drawing aside.
“Art is best left to artists. Indeed.”
“But banana and tomato is a bit much.”
“Ian, by the way. About what you said earlier regarding Lady Dillaina. Mind telling me what it was?”
A way to counter Ian, who now held real power in the imperial palace.
Ian spoke with his eyes closed. Exhaustion dripped from his voice—he’d fall asleep any moment.
“Do you remember those who said we couldn’t execute all the rebels in the meeting hall earlier?”
“Well, yeah. Quite a few.”
“It’s because there are no substitutes. Meaning they have that much value. They’re central to every issue, impossible to cut out easily. Who do you think holds such a unique position in Variel right now?”
The emperor? No. The emperor lay there, yet Variel ran fine without issue. Ian, then? Magic Department Ministers had changed several times.
Romandro pondered, then suddenly recalled the name.
“Haiman?”
A faction clearly involved in treason, yet no official dared step up to execute them. Nobles among nobles, handling the empire’s finances for nearly centuries.
Ian nodded.
“I’d propose to Haiman. Lend strength to Arsen, and when he ascends the throne, overlook your transgressions.”
“But Haiman is clearly subject to execution.”
“They’re not like the corpses outside, ones we can behead overnight. If the Haiman family claims it was their youngest daughter’s solo act and apologizes, plenty of officials would advocate leniency.”
Above all, Prince Jin prioritized Ian’s support as his achievement, and Ian was the one who personally subdued Marib and Gail. With firm resolve on punishing rebels, the Haiman family had no choice but to feel burdened. On the other hand, for Dillaina, allying against Ian made them a force to reckon with.
‘After colluding, push out Arsen, and naturally push out the Haiman family too. That’s how we bide time for openings.’
In short, keep building pretexts for pressure. At the same time, check their finances and disperse financial power across Variel—eventually, a day would come when they weren’t needed. That would be the true fall of the Haiman family.
“But Ian, I’m about to become a father myself, so I get a bit of what parents with kids feel.”
Romandro rubbed his chin and scowled. Abandoning a child was one thing, but was selective love even possible? He whipped his head around and asked.
“But isn’t Lady Dillaina going too far?!”
“……”
“Asleep?”
“He’s sleeping.”
But all that was visible was Ian, slumbering like an angel. Romandro flopped down and stretched, while Siaosi dozed off sitting up.
Some time later, Berik, the first to wake, mumbled at the drawing in front of him.
“…Banana, tomato?”
Knock knock!
Click!
“Lord Ian, Captain Acorella has a mid-report on the pumpkin-colored stones. She asks to confirm progress on securing the Mana Sealing Stones.”
“Aigoo, he’s out cold. Should I wake him?”
“Y-yeah, no choice. This one.”
“Um, Lord Ian. Care to hear the report briefly?”
“And Prince Gail’s been spotted too. Lord Ian? Lord Ian? Hang on, please wake up.”