Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: D-Day
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The sun of that day rose.
Ian lounged obliquely on the sofa as if exhausted, letting the attendants tend to him. They smoothed his hair without a strand out of place, fastened his buttons, and soon pinned the Magic Department Minister badge bestowed by the imperial family to his chest. When an attendant brought a leather glove on a golden tray, footsteps approached from outside.
“Lord Ian. Are you ready?”
It was Vivianna. She too was dressed in more formal attire than usual. Aside from it being a major imperial palace event, it was the day that would mark someone’s end.
Their side would assume it was Ian’s, but Ian’s close aides believed it was Arsen’s.
“Vivianna. Are you joining us too? I thought you weren’t feeling well.”
“No. If I can stand behind you, Lord Ian, I must go. Besides, Lord Romandro doesn’t look well at all. It’ll be more comforting for him if I’m by his side.”
They would be on the defensive. The forces supporting Jin had noticeably dwindled compared to those backing Arsen.
So Vivianna wanted to fill even one more seat. Though she probably couldn’t enter the inner area due to the danger.
“Are you alright, Lord Ian? It seems the side effects of Captain Acorella’s stamina potion are starting to show. You look tired, and they say once you fall asleep, you sleep for days…”
“It’s still bearable. What about Prince Jin?”
“He’s finished.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Ian gripped tightly and donned the gloves. As he stepped outside, Jin, Xiaoshi, and Romandro waited with the mages. Ian extended his hand to Jin, and the child took it silently.
“Did you have a good dream?”
“…Yeah. Lord Ian, and you?”
“I had a very good dream too.”
Last night, Jin had dreamed of Arsen again, while Ian hadn’t slept. Yet the two smiled at each other, as if hinting that their luck for the day lay with them.
Clack clack!
“The magic circle?”
“It’s complete. You just need to give it a final check, Minister. I’ve informed them that participants in the mana confirmation ritual will enter the palace through the main gate, and I’ve requested troop deployment from the Imperial Guard just in case. No reply yet.”
Unlike what Ian had done, this mana confirmation ritual was set to take place in the Magic Department’s conference hall. There were no additional events like the New Year’s gathering, and it was entirely under the Magic Department’s jurisdiction.
And above all, with so much to prepare for unexpected situations, the Magic Department was far more useful than the main imperial palace building.
Rrrumble.
“A bit more to the right, to the right! Good!”
“What about this curtain? Should we take it down?”
“Is the wine ready? Make sure there are enough glasses.”
“Lend a hand here. Hold this, right here!”
The light of the oracle, unveiled from its cloth, was truly beautiful. Though harp-shaped, the densely embedded jewels beneath its milky curves made it look like a single work of art. It befitted the prestige of Carbo Temple, which had shared in the glory of the founding.
“Lord Ian.”
“High Priestess.”
High Priestess Lily, weaving through the mages, spotted Ian and approached. As she sighed, her hunched back heaved greatly.
“We’ve prepared as you instructed, but honestly, I’m not sure. Whether this is truly the right path.”
“There is no right path. Only the paths each must take. You just watch from behind and choose, High Priestess.”
The High Priestess seemed more inclined to accept the suspicion than outright claim Arsen was a demon beast. She would assist in the verification process and decide based on the results. In the back, Avidel and Makael placed their hands on the oracle’s light and prayed.
“Lord Ian. Quintana from the Administration has arrived.”
“Five carriages just passed the main gate. Central nobles Leontis and Fileto, and Delma from the Culture Department.”
It was early, but on this long-awaited day, the guests were hurrying.
Ian asked Romandro to greet the guests and ascended the platform. Beneath the oracle’s light, the massive magic circle drawn by the mages glowed faintly.
“No issues. Lord Ian.”
“Good. Well done.”
His careful inspection of each formula with his fingertips was meticulous. The mages surrounded him, watching like students awaiting a homework review. As a smile appeared on his lips, the mages relaxed and smiled too.
“Bring in the symphony orchestra. The festival begins.”
* * *
A few hours later.
The hall, filled with rich melodies, was packed with people shoulder to shoulder. Some without invitations had slipped in, but the Magic Department didn’t bother stopping them. The more the merrier for the festival, right?
“So this is what the Magic Department looks like. It’s my first time. My goodness. It’s beautiful. Pollen floating endlessly.”
“I hear some rooms in the Magic Department have constant snow and rain. Doesn’t seem like exaggeration.”
“Still, no sign of Minister Ian.”
“I thought I misheard. Arsen as a demon beast? Ridiculous. But it’s such a heavy claim, so I can’t help feeling uneasy.”
“Even within the Magic Department, opinions are divided. Minister Ian hasn’t shown a clear stance since the Grand Council.”
“One of them will die. Today’s going to be a spectacle.”
The nobles and officials whispered behind their hands, scanning the surroundings. It was no different from the parties they’d enjoyed all their lives, yet a sharp tension hung in the air.
Today, now, soon.
Bariel’s future would be decided.
“Lady Dillaina and Prince Arsen have arrived!”
“Duke Haiman has arrived!”
Creak.
As the doors slowly opened, the room fell silent in an instant. If not for the orchestra’s languid music, everyone would have thought time had stopped.
Dillaina, Arsen, and Duke Haiman entered the hall together, followed by their supporting factions, each claiming their spots.
“Oh, welcome. Prince Arsen.”
“Lady Dillaina. Have you been well?”
Several nobles quickly moved to greet Arsen. No different from ants swarming sugar, Romandro, guarding the door, clicked his tongue and frowned.
Zing. Zzzing.
Then, a faint hum echoed in everyone’s ears. The familiar tinnitus from announcements via magic amplifiers in the Magic Department. The crowd immediately looked up at the platform and spotted Ian, shining more brilliantly than usual.
“I am Ian Hielro, Magic Department Minister. I extend my thanks to all who have joined us amid your busy schedules. With fervent hope for the birth of Bariel’s first imperial mage in history, we shall commence the mana confirmation ritual.”
Ian smiled straight down at Arsen. A sarcastic smile wishing he truly were a mage. As he elegantly gestured toward the stage steps, Arsen’s head turned automatically.
“Today’s protagonist, Prince Arsen. Please come up.”
“Before that, Lord Ian. Don’t you have something to address?”
A provocation demanding he repeat his Grand Council statement.
“You called me a demon beast, insulting His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, my father. Not only that, but an indelible disgrace to my mother. You’ve torn the imperial family’s honor to shreds.”
Insult to the imperial family.
“And you even declared you’d kill me.”
Assassination of imperial family.
“Your vile ambition to seize power using my cursed brother Jin as a shield is excessive. If I prove I have the qualities of a mage, will you kill yourself?”
The crowd held their breath, glancing between Ian and Arsen.
Sharp gazes without an inch of retreat. Ian smiled first.
“…Hear this, all of you. I declare once more officially. Arsen is the brother of the last demon beast to die in Bariel, a devil that will lead the nation to ruin. He wields brainwashing abilities and a power akin to mana, making him adept at deceiving humans.”
Gasps escaped here and there. He’d thrown down the gauntlet openly; there was no turning back now.
“He manipulated Prince Jin’s oracle, and stole maternal love from Lady Dillaina.”
“Lord Ian! How rude!”
“If not, I shall kill myself. But if Arsen is revealed as the devil, I will kill him personally.”
Haiman, Dillaina, and the ministers exchanged glances and nodded. Just what they wanted. A chance to crush the big shot Magic Department Minister without effort. And on his own accord.
Dillaina gripped Arsen’s shoulder and proposed.
“Fine. I hope you uphold that on your honor. But first! I cannot trust the magic circle you made. Who knows what tricks you’ve pulled to make Arsen look like a devil?”
“The magic circle was drawn by the entire Magic Department together.”
“By your followers!”
Unease flickered across the faces of mages who didn’t truly follow Ian from the heart. What if Ian failed? Would their heads roll just for siding with him?
“What do you want?”
“The magic circle is to activate the oracle’s light with minimal mana, correct?”
“Yes. In general cases.”
“But this one is modified.”
It was the information Ian had revealed at the Grand Council. With the priests’ help, it would react differently if a demon beast’s presence dwelled within.
“Yes.”
“How do we prove that modification is purely to detect demon beasts? Remove the magic circle and perform the ritual with just the oracle’s light.”
“Without amplification, it’ll be a feeble light. Shall we start Bariel’s first imperial mage with that?”
“Feeble light? No matter how dim, it’s the first light born of the imperial family. It will shine brighter than anything. Refuse, and I’ll assume you’ve rigged the magic circle.”
Dillaina lifted her chin. A gesture signaling no retreat. Ian fell silent, and the nobles’ murmurs grew louder.
“Why isn’t Lord Ian answering?”
“Indeed. Tsk. This is something.”
“Lady Dillaina’s demand is justified. Of course. Carbo Temple is trustworthy. The oracle’s light itself should be pure.”
Snap!
Ian snapped his fingers to quiet them, then pointed to the steps again. A firm gesture brooking no refusal.
“…Very well. As you wish.”
Rrrumble! Rumble!
Mages and priests pushed the oracle’s light back. Three steps from the magic circle, Arsen slowly walked through the nobles, parting the crowd to avoid the young prince.
“Make way. This stage is for me.”
Arsen placed his hand on the oracle’s light and whispered to Ian.
Direct contact with bare hands yielded no special reaction. The nobles exchanged looks, assuming Arsen wasn’t a demon beast after all.
“As you wish.”
Even as Ian descended, only Arsen remained on stage. The child confidently raised his fingertips to the air.
And—
Zing. Zzzing.
Like any mage, he unleashed his mana with gleaming eyes.
A long, beautiful stream of light.
The silent orchestra began playing, and to its intense melody, light beams spread in all directions. The crowd gasped in admiration, hands over mouths.
“Didn’t you say no amplification device?”
“It’s immense! Incredible!”
“Wow. Amazing. That represents mana power, right? On par with Lord Ian? Bariel’s blessing indeed!”
Without the magic circle, it was as splendid and beautiful as Ian’s. With pollen scattering from the ceiling, it was like heaven itself transplanted.
Arsen looked at Ian with ecstasy. See this? This symphony is your last, he hid no pleasure.
“Huh…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look at that.”
“What?”
“Something’s off, isn’t it?”
At that moment, someone muttered puzzledly. It was the instant Ian, watching Arsen from below, smiled.
“…Prince Arsen has no shadow.”