Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Rainy Day
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A full sunset settled over the imperial palace. Lights came on here and there, and the hurried footsteps of those bustling about grew calm.
But they never fully stopped. For them, the distinction between day and night was meaningless for the time being, and opening the palace gates was just one step in returning to normalcy. They had barely passed through one gateway.
Ian was no different.
Rustle.
"And next?"
"This is a list of policy measures to regulate the Haiman family. It was readjusted with active cooperation from Undersecretary Quintana of the Administration and her subordinate departments. They're squeezing out more taxes—no, imposing more, so they welcomed it with open arms."
"And the other departments?"
"Hmm, surprisingly, the Culture Department is also showing strong will. Because of the artifacts owned by the Haiman family."
"Have clauses 4 and 5 been supplemented?"
Ian pressed the bridge of his nose and flipped through Romandro's report. In the corner of the massive round table, Acorella lay collapsed as if passed out. Hail, sitting beside her, mechanically chewed on a sandwich, his expression plainly showing he had no appetite but was forcing it down to survive.
Ian glanced at them, then habitually tapped the leather document folder. A signal to pull themselves together.
"Ah, agh. Sigh."
"Eat this and snap out of it."
As Acorella wiped her mouth with her eyes still closed, Hail shoved a sandwich into it. They both seemed utterly exhausted physically.
"After Prince Marib's execution, we'll formally propose it at the Grand Council. Prepare and send a summons for the Haiman family. And the list of Central Nobility who did not participate in this incident?"
"Here it is."
The Haiman family's financial channels were like a river running through the Variel Empire. How could one dam up a river just by checking them? For now, changing the owner was the primary and most immediate solution.
Ian murmured as he carefully reviewed the nobility list.
"Serro...."
House Serro. Ian recalled the young heir of House Serro he had met at the New Year's gathering. He was the first noble Ian had spoken with, and he had been there when Berik sparred with Jayret and things nearly exploded.
The family itself wasn't particularly powerful, but as far as Ian remembered, they maintained their position without issue even a hundred years later.
'Perfect for moderate use.'
How many families were being pushed from the center to the provinces? Holding their seat for a hundred years proved a certain level of reliability.
Either they rode the currents of the era well, or they held their center steady enough not to be swept away. One of the two, and in Ian's judgment, House Serro fell into the former. Their power was too insignificant to hold the center.
"Captain Acorella."
"Sniff, yes, yes, I wasn't sleeping."
"Prepare samples of the Truth Serum for practical use by tomorrow."
"H-how many? Five might be the maximum."
"That should be sufficient."
Romandro nodded as he meticulously noted down Ian's instructions. It seemed he planned to draw in House Serro as a temporary shield against the Haimans.
Hail scratched his head and asked back.
"...Tank, you mean?"
"That could be said."
Ian smiled brightly and closed the document folder. No matter how fierce the Haimans were, they were still nobles. To deal with nobles, one needed cards of equal standing.
"Essentially, it's a confrontation between Prince Jin and Prince Arsen. But if we pressure the Haiman family directly from the palace, it risks turning into a power struggle between the imperial family and the great nobles. This is to prevent other bystander nobles from supporting the Haimans simply because they are nobles."
Arsen and Dillaina were holding out, but it was obvious that Ian currently held real power in the palace. Suppressing nobles—especially the overwhelming Haimans—implied the same could happen to the others.
That's why they would insert House Serro instead of the palace itself.
"What if Serro refuses?"
"Hmm, then we move to Hauskanen, then Deben, in that order."
He had alternatives lined up, but Ian believed Serro would accept. Opposing someone implied possessing equal power. It was a chance to expand the family with the palace's help—why would they pass it up?
At that moment, footsteps approached from outside.
Knock knock.
"Sir Ian. The doctor has arrived."
"Doctor? Has Berik woken up?"
Ian rose from his seat and asked, but Romandro waved his hand.
"No. It's the doctor who handled the twin princes' birth, I believe. The one who came from outside, right?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"He's been running a small practice since leaving the palace. He came as soon as he received the summons. Faster than expected."
"Let him in."
Creak.
At Ian's permission, the door opened. The doctor, seeming unwell, entered leaning on his apprentice. As Ian stood to greet him, the doctor bowed with effort.
"Greetings. I am Doctor Gabid."
"Welcome. Thank you for coming. I am Ian Hielo, Minister of the Magic Department. Please, sit."
"Sir Ian, then we'll take our leave."
"We'll review the documents again. Call if needed."
With the guest's arrival, Hail and Acorella quickly gathered their papers and exited, looking relieved as if they had been waiting for an excuse to lie down and sleep.
Ian gestured for the door to be firmly closed, then looked at the doctor.
"Gabid?"
"Yes, Minister."
"Are you the one who handled Lady Dillaina's delivery? The doctor who brought Princes Jin and Arsen into the world—I'm asking if that's correct. This is a grave matter, so if there's even the slightest doubt, we'll use Truth Serum. Answer with that in mind."
Ian deliberately adopted a slightly coercive attitude. For some reason, the doctor was too composed. As if he had foreseen this recall of events from ten years ago and his return to the palace.
Ian observed the doctor's complexion closely as he spoke.
"Yes. I will answer with utmost sincerity. Feel free to use Truth Serum. My memory is one, and what I can say is one. I brought Princes Arsen and Jin into the world. Ask away."
"You know of the oracle."
"...Of course."
"Oracles aren't always accurate, but they carry some probability. However, lately, something seems off. Did Prince Arsen come out first? I'm asking if the one you pulled out and named the elder is indeed Arsen. Tell me the situation as you remember it."
He fell silent for a moment, gauging his memory. Then, slowly, he began recounting that day. Though ten years had passed, the doctor recalled the weather, atmosphere, and even minor details as if they were fresh.
"So, I was suddenly summoned in the middle of the night. The midwife requested help. She said the baby wasn't coming out properly, which was unusual."
It was raining. Wheels cutting through muddy water, rain pattering against the windows, maids rushing back and forth in front of the bedroom. And Lady Dillaina's screams of pain....
Ian sipped his tea, painting the images one by one.
"When I arrived, her condition was serious—Lady Dillaina's face was pale, and she was gradually losing strength, even fainting. If we left it, both mother and child were at risk, so we decided on surgery. At that time, a priestess said something."
"Priestess?"
"She was dispatched from the Carbo Temple to attend Lady Dillaina. She said an oracle had come down: the younger would kill the elder, so hurry and deliver the babies."
The mother's condition was critical, leaving no choice. The surgery proceeded immediately, and the doctor never forgot the moment he first saw the baby's head emerge.
"One twin was gripping the other's throat tightly. That should be in the records."
"I saw that too. But is that even possible?"
"It was my first time seeing it in person. They said it was a single amniotic sac birth. Rare, with almost no cases abroad. And yet...."
That alone was a shocking experience, but the doctor encountered something even more astonishing.
"The baby whose throat was gripped had its eyes open."
Normally, it takes about two days for them to open, but the baby stared at the doctor with clear, bright eyes. The expressionless gaze was so eerie that the doctor shook his head and muttered.
"It didn't cry, just kept staring at me like that. Only after delivering the second baby did it finally cry. As if demanding attention. It wailed so fiercely, looking almost...."
'Not human' rose to the doctor's throat. But he restrained himself and continued.
"Everything is as recorded. Though their lives were in peril, both were born safely, and Lady Dillaina recovered quickly."
"Do you remember the name of the Carbo Temple priestess who relayed the oracle?"
"I don't know her name, but she was a woman with many freckles."
Why would the doctor know a priestess's name? It was regrettable, but at least he had a description, so they could identify her if Carbo sent someone else.
As Ian reached for his tea, the doctor added,
"And that day, I... nearly made a grave mistake."
"What?"
"After delivering the first baby and going for the second, I got dizzy. The day was humid and hot, but not to that extent—it was an abnormal reaction. So, by mistake, I nearly scorched the second baby's face."
"......!"
The doctor confessed to Ian with remorse.
Fortunately, his assistant grabbed his hand, averting disaster. Otherwise, it would have been catastrophic.
In the midst of the quiet burst of the first baby's cries, he had nearly misused the scalpel.
If it hadn't ended as a mere wound, it would have meant death for the child.
'Perhaps, Jin's fate?'
The fate that bore the emperor's mark inevitably.
It seemed Arsen's cries had saved him, yet a fate that demanded a wound be carved anew.
Ian tapped the desk.
'Abnormal reaction....'
Could it be that Arsen, from that moment? Philia had also felt dizziness and a spinning head.
The doctor clasped his hands tightly and let out a sigh.
"That incident was so shocking that I left the palace and now treat other ailments. I no longer handle deliveries."
Silence fell after his words.
Tap tap. Ian noticed a small sound from somewhere. It was raining. Just like the day Jin and Arsen were born.
Thud thud! Boom!
"Sir Ian!"
A frantic voice running down the corridor. Romandro opened the door at the knock requesting entry. It seemed to be someone from the Imperial Palace Guard. His distraught expression was wet—tears or rain, unclear.
"A b-body was found in the central outskirts."
"A body?"
"They want confirmation of identity, so Captain Jayret went first. Just in case, he said to inform you...."
Jayret went? That meant....
"Are you saying Barsabe is dead?"
"W-we don't know if it's Barsabe or not. The body is too damaged. What should we do? I heard you're looking for evidence related to the black armor...."
"Let's go immediately."
Ian grabbed his coat and stood.
Barsabe dead? It was hard to believe, so he had to see for himself.