Chapter 210
Chapter 210
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: D-5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The grand mansion of House Hyman, known as the little imperial palace in the capital.
In terms of scale or splendor, it was in no way inferior to the imperial palace itself. It was so impressive that outsiders visiting the capital for the first time often mistook it for the palace and tried to enter.
Duke Hyman puffed on his water pipe while gazing at the small fountain in the drawing room.
"So, you're saying they clashed with the Imperial Palace Guard in the Chetur District?"
"I apologize."
"And it was Captain Jaret himself who led them."
"Access to the interior of Chetur is currently restricted. The bridges are flooded, and the other routes are blocked by the Palace Guard collecting identification themselves. From the reports, most of the magic armor was damaged, and the items stored in the warehouse have also been seized..."
Crack!
The aide couldn't continue. The long water pipe had whipped across his face properly. Still, he kept his gaze fixed silently on the floor.
"I distinctly remember telling you to keep those underlings in check."
Ever since the [Mailly Daily] incident, the black-armored thugs had been causing one accident after another. It was probably because they weren't formal knights of House Hyman but mercenaries hired on contract.
The aide bowed his waist and apologized again.
"I apologize."
"If they're caught as witnesses, then what? You're clever, so you know full well. What do you think will happen? Huh? With Gail still alive, do you think that bastard Ian will let us off easy?"
Duke Hyman's pitch-black eyes gleamed. They were like a crow's eyes. The gaze without any whites made the aide's shoulders shrink even more.
"More than half died on the spot from the aftermath of the Palace Guard's attack. Those transported to the palace are receiving treatment, but they say they can't guarantee their lives."
Duke Hyman didn't know how many in the palace were on his payroll. Anyone who dealt in shadows, anyone who knew the glint of gold coins, became his eyes and ears, reporting every detail.
Did Ian realize it too? That Hyman gold was rolling into the Magic Department.
"Clean it up. Neatly."
"Yes. We'll handle that part for sure."
They were the kind whose lifespans hung by a thread anyway. A little nudge as they choked their last breaths, and the cleanup could proceed without suspicion. Hyman exhaled a particularly thick plume of tobacco smoke.
"And the materials from Chetur were seized?"
"What should we do?"
Magic armor was the core of Hyman's forces. Originally made for bank security, House Hyman had countless units in storage. But halting the supply of 'those' materials was a bit problematic. Hyman twisted his mustache repeatedly as he muttered.
"Captain Acorella has probably started researching them by now, hasn't she?"
"Yes, that's right."
If they claimed the mana stones belonged to House Hyman, they'd have no choice but to take full responsibility for the nighttime battle. Clashing with the Imperial Palace Guard was an undeniable grave crime. But letting them take it right under his nose? That was a bolt from the blue.
"Captain Acorella is capable, so she'll figure out what they are soon enough. That's not bad in itself, but the problem is ownership."
Even if it went to the palace, Arsen could reclaim it once he seized power. But with Ian and Jin firmly blocking the way, that mad researcher Acorella wouldn't leave it alone. She'd surely dissect and fry it up in every experiment imaginable.
"Aside from Prince Arsen being a mana user, nothing's going right. What about Gail's side?"
"We're still trying, but security is tight."
"I wish someone would pretend to be crazy and stab him outright. Once Marib's trial ends, House Hyman will be the main topic."
Hyman scratched the leather armrest with his nails before calling for the butler.
"Butler."
"Yes, Master."
"I'll be writing a letter to Ruswena. Prepare."
Ruswena was the most historic of the bordering nations adjacent to Bariel. Strong, prosperous, centered on fertile lands with no shortages whatsoever.
It was also the kingdom ruled by Lady Melania's maternal uncle. The butler promptly prepared high-quality paper and a quill and presented them to Hyman.
"Shall I send it by messenger bird?"
"No. Properly, by hand."
"I'll prepare someone who rides well."
Creak.
Hyman stared down at the blank paper for a long time, as if organizing his thoughts. Only when the candle was nearly burned out did he elegantly pick up the pen and begin the preamble.
-To the Queen of Ruswena. Please aid House Hyman.
* * *
Neigh!
Around sunset, Romandro arrived at the Magic Department by carriage with the Palace Guard members. His shoulders creaked painfully every time he rolled them from exhaustion.
"Lord Romandro! Thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, yes. It feels like ages since I last saw you."
"Didn't we see each other yesterday? These are all the items seized from the Chetur District, right? Greetings, Palace Guard members. Set the luggage down. We'll take it from here."
Five or six small boxes were unloaded from the back of the carriage.
Half of what they found after combing through Chetur like lice went to the Magic Department. Research was the priority, and since the Guard and Magic Department were the divisions involved in the incident, it was divided accordingly. Later, the items held by the Guard would be transferred via formal agenda.
'The sun's setting. Tomorrow, the trial at last...'
As Romandro stretched grandly, his eyes met a sharp glint from atop the stairs. On closer look, it was Acorella's research goggles reflecting the light.
"Lord Romandro!"
"Whoa, you startled me."
Tap-tap-tap!
Splash!
It was Acorella. Not walking down the stairs, but sliding down the railing with her body pressed against it. Her subordinates followed behind.
"Why are you so late?"
"Me? Don't I have reports to handle?"
"I've been waiting! Really!"
With that, she immediately pried open a box lid. Black raw stones piled high inside. Acorella grinned ear to ear, nosebleed trickling unnoticed. Was that even human? It was so extreme, Romandro wondered if exhaustion was making him hallucinate.
Acorella whipped her head around, and Romandro flinched back a step.
"Can I take these straight to the lab?"
"Go ahead. No one in the Magic Department but Captain Acorella would touch them anyway."
"Yahoo! Woo-hoo! The one Ian gave me earlier blew up because I messed up somehow. This amount should be fine. Mmm. Perfect. Absolutely perfect!"
Acorella eyed her subordinates to hurry and move them, and the Palace Guard members, relieved, roughly secured the back of the carriage.
"Lord Romandro. We'll be off then."
"Ah, good work. I'll contact you again."
"Good work-good work! Totally grateful! Ahahaha!"
Neigh!
Until the carriage departed, Acorella waved enthusiastically. Romandro asked as he climbed the stairs with her.
"But how's the research progressing?"
Acorella, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and whipped around. Romandro nearly tripped in surprise, but she sparkled her eyes regardless.
"Lord Romandro. Even the greatest researcher can't learn a-ny-thing from just one sample. Do you know how neck-deep I was waiting for those?"
"......"
"But you know! But-!"
She was thrilled beyond measure. Already crazy normally, now she was on another plane.
"Who am I? Acorella! Ahahaha!"
"Captain, let's try to have a normal conversation, really."
"I did find a few peculiarities. First, the crystallization is weirdly jumbled. In cases like this, it wasn't formed naturally from the raw stone but refined somewhere or created in a complex synthesis process..."
Romandro narrowed his eyes and looked up at Acorella. What was she even saying? Same Bariel tongue, yet incomprehensible.
She stopped abruptly and smiled brightly.
"My guess is it's a byproduct of an organism's bonding process. There aren't many organisms in the world tough enough to withstand the Palace Guard's attacks. And with that beautiful pitch-black sheen too!"
What the...? Romandro sniffed and tilted his head. In the distance, Vivianna approached with Mini, carrying blankets.
"You've been out in the rain all day, starving and running around, so you're not in your right mind now. I won't understand explanations anyway, so just write it nicely in the report later."
"Sure thing! I'll use colored pens!"
"No thank you."
With that, Romandro nestled into Vivianna's arms. She pitifully welcomed her rain-soaked, musty husband. Seeing it, Acorella yelled loudly as she dashed to the lab.
"You guys are suuuper in love! Ahahaha!"
She seemed in high spirits. At this point, Romandro suspected she'd been drinking. He clicked his tongue and entered the office with Vivianna. While he was away, she'd sorted the documents by urgency and stacked them on the desk.
"Thanks, Vivi. Where's Ian?"
"He went to sleep after dinner earlier and hasn't woken yet. Lord Jin is with him."
"Aw, he must be exhausted. I'll handle the rest, so let him sleep soundly till tomorrow. The trial mediation is the Judiciary's job anyway; we just need to organize testimonies."
Rustle.
Tomorrow, Bariel's First Prince would vanish from history. Who'd all thought would be the future emperor, falling like this. It proved you couldn't see even an inch ahead in human affairs.
Vivianna sat beside Romandro, flipping through documents as she murmured.
"...Was it the year before last? Before I took leave."
Like Romandro, she had been an advisor zipping around the palace handling affairs. Naturally, she'd crossed paths with Princes Marib and Gail several times.
"Back then, both princes were truly, truly beautiful. Beyond appearances, you could feel how fiercely they loved Bariel, each in their own way."
Yet the Marib and Gail they saw upon entering the palace had changed astonishingly.
One was a prisoner awaiting trial, wrists bound in chains, the other collapsed in a wretched, barely-alive state.
"Really, I don't know where it all went wrong."
"So the trial tomorrow will be closed to the public for the imperial citizens. At least a courtesy to preserve the prince's dignity to the end. He'll be gone from history, but he'll live on in Bariel for a while longer."
No denying it. Marib had, after all, led Bariel well in place of the ailing emperor until now. Romandro patted the back of Vivianna's hand and looked down at Marib's name on the document.
And reminiscing Marib and Gail's past glories wasn't just at the Magic Department.
'The day's about to change soon.'
'Prince Marib is finally...'
'So this is how they go. Feels like the heart of history.'
The staff taking down the princes' photos in the palace main lobby, the servants tidying Marib's quarters, the guards watching his cell—all awaited his final moment, recalling his radiant past.
Marib himself was no different.
"...Ah."
He tilted his head back fully, gazing up at the black ceiling. The days he'd lived in the palace until now flashed vividly.
As a child, he'd never imagined his death would be like this.
Dong—dong—
At the midnight chime, Marib finally closed his eyes.