The Imperial Palace was completely engulfed in sunset. Lights ca on everywhere, and the footsteps of those who had been moving busily also beca calr.
However, they never stopped. For them, the distinction between day and night was aningless for the ti being, and the opening of the city gates was one of the processes of returning to daily life. Now they had barely passed through one gate.
Ian was the sa.
Clatter.
“What’s next?”
“It’s a list of policy asures to regulate the Hayman family. Quintana, the Deputy Minister of Administration, and their subordinate departnts actively cooperated to readjust it. They’ll collect more taxes, no, I an impose more. Since there’s a lot to impose, they welcod it with open arms.”
“What about other departnts?”
“Hmm, surprisingly, the Ministry of Culture also shows a clear will. Apparently, the Hayman family owns quite a few cultural artifacts.”
“Have items 4 and 5 been supplented as well?”
Ian flipped through Romandro’s report, pressing the bridge of his nose. In the corner of the large round table, Akorella was sprawled out, sleeping as if she had passed out. Hale, sitting next to her, was also chanically chewing on a sandwich, but it was clear from his expression that he had no appetite and was shoving it in to survive.
After glancing at them, Ian habitually tapped the leather folder. It ant to get a grip.
“Ah, awo. Sswup.”
“Eat this and get a grip.”
As Akorella wiped her drool with her eyes closed, Hale shoved the sandwich into her mouth. She seed quite physically exhausted.
“After the execution of Prince Mariv, we will formally propose it at the grand council. Prepare and send a summons for the Hayman family to attend. And the list of central nobles who were not involved in this incident?”
“Here it is.”
The financial lifeline held by the Hayman family is a river flowing through Variel. How can they fill up the river just by keeping them in check? However, the first and quickest way was to change the owner.
Ian carefully examined the list of nobles and muttered.
“Serro……”
The Serro family. Ian rembered the young Serro he had t at the New Year’s party. He was the first noble Ian had a conversation with and was also with him when Beric exploded while dueling Jeirutt.
The family itself was not a place of high authority, but as far as Ian rembered, it was a family that remained unscathed and maintained its position without any issues even a hundred years later.
‘Just right to be used appropriately.’
How many families are pushed from the center to the outskirts? The fact that they maintained that position for a hundred years itself proved a certain level of trust.
Either they rode the tide well, or they kept their balance well enough not to be swayed by the flow. It had to be one of the two, and in Ian’s judgnt, the Serro family belonged to the forr. Because their power was too insignificant to maintain balance.
“Captain Akorella.”
“Hup, yes yes, I wasn’t sleeping.”
“Please prepare a sample of the Siltam potion for comrcialization by tomorrow.”
“How, how many? I think five would be the maximum.”
“That should be enough.”
Romandro nodded, ticulously recording Ian’s instructions. It seed he was thinking of bringing in Serro as a temporary shield against Hayman.
Hale scratched his head and asked.
“…As a at shield?”
“You could say that.”
Ian smiled brightly and closed the folder. No matter how high and mighty, Hayman was a noble. To deal with a noble, he needed a piece in the right position.
“Fundantally, it’s a confrontation between His Highness Jin and His Highness Arsen. However, if the Imperial Palace directly pressures Hayman, there is a concern that this will spread into a conflict of interests between the Imperial Family and the nobility. It’s to prevent other nobles who were observing from supporting Hayman just because of the na ‘noble’.”
Although Arsen and Dilaina are also holding out, it was clear that Ian had seized the real power in the Imperial Palace. Oppressing a noble, especially the dominant Hayman among them, doesn’t it imply that other nobles may also be treated the sa way?
That’s why Serro is put in place of the Imperial Palace as the subject.
“What if Serro refuses?”
“Hmm, then next we’ll move on to Heiscanen and Deven in that order.”
He had set up alternatives, but Ian thought Serro would accept the proposal. Because standing up to soone implied having equal power to them. It’s an opportunity to expand the family with the help of the Imperial Palace, so there’s no way they would give it up.
At that mont, the sound of footsteps outside.
Knock knock.
“Lord Ian. The doctor has arrived.”
“Doctor? Has Beric woken up?”
Ian asked as he got up from his seat, but Romandro imdiately shook his head.
“No. Well, it’s probably the doctor who delivered the twin Highnesses. The doctor who ca in from outside, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“I heard he opened a small clinic and has been living there after leaving the palace. It seems he ca as soon as he received the order to enter the palace. It’s faster than expected.”
“Let him in.”
Creak.
With Ian’s permission, the door opened. The doctor seed to have difficulty moving and tried to enter with the support of his disciple. When Ian stood up as if to greet him, the doctor bowed his head with difficulty.
“Hello. I’m Gabid, the doctor.”
“Welco. Thank you for coming all this way. I’m Ian Hiel, the Minister of Magic. Please have a seat.”
“Lord Ian, then we’ll be going.”
“We’ll review the docunts again. Call us.”
With the arrival of the guest, Hale and Akorella tidied up the docunts and left the room, as if it was perfect timing since they wanted to lie down and sleep.
Ian gestured to close the door tightly and looked at the doctor.
“Gabid?”
“Yes. Minister.”
“Is it true that you were in charge of Lady Dilaina’s delivery? I’m asking if you’re the doctor who brought His Highness Jin and His Highness Arsen into the world. This is a crucial matter, so if there’s even the slightest doubt, we will use the Siltam potion. Answer with this in mind.”
Ian deliberately showed a slightly coercive attitude. For so reason, the doctor was too composed. As if he had foreseen everything, from bringing up an incident that happened ten years ago to summoning him back to the palace.
As he said that, Ian carefully observed the doctor’s complexion.
“Yes. I will answer with all my heart. You may use the Siltam potion. My mory is one, so what I can say is also one. I brought Arsen and His Highness Jin into the world. Please ask.”
“You must know about the oracle.”
“…Of course.”
“Of course, it’s not always correct, but it does have a certain level of possibility. However, looking at it these days, it seems strange. Is it true that His Highness Arsen ca out first? I’m asking if the one you took out and nad as the older brother is really Arsen. Speak as you rember the situation at that ti.”
He was silent for a mont, weighing his mories. Then slowly, he began to talk about that day. Although it had been ten years, the doctor seed to rember everything, including the weather, atmosphere, and minor details of that day.
“So, I suddenly received a call in the middle of the night. The midwife was asking for help. She said the baby wasn’t coming out strangely.”
It was raining. The wheels cutting through the muddy water, the sound of rain hitting the windows, the attendants busily moving back and forth in front of the bedroom. And Dilaina’s screams of pain……
Ian drew each image one by one while sipping tea.
“When I went to see for myself, the condition was serious, so Lady Dilaina’s face was pale, and she gradually lost strength and even fainted. If left as it was, both the mother and the baby were in danger, so I finally decided to take up the knife. At that mont, a priest spoke.”
“Priest?”
“It was a priest dispatched from the Carbo Temple to attend to Lady Dilaina. He said an oracle had been given. He said the younger brother would kill the older brother, so we should hurry and take out the baby.”
The mother’s condition was critical, so there was no choice. The surgery was perford imdiately, and the doctor couldn’t forget the mont he took out the head of the baby he saw for the first ti.
“One of the twins was tightly grasping the neck of the other. This will be recorded as well.”
“I saw that too. But is that possible?”
“It was the first ti I saw it myself. They said it was a monoamniotic twin delivery. It’s not common, and there are hardly any cases even abroad. But……”
Even that was an amazing experience, but the doctor had an even more surprising experience.
“The baby whose neck was being held had its eyes open.”
Usually, babies open their eyes about two days later, but the baby had its eyes wide open and was looking at the doctor. That expressionless gaze was so eerie that the doctor shook his head and muttered.
“Without crying, it just kept, kept looking at like that. Later, when I took out the second baby, it finally started crying. As if asking to look at it. It cried so hard, as if……”
The words ‘it didn’t seem human’ rose to the doctor’s throat. But he restrained himself and continued.
“Everything is recorded as it is. Although their lives were in danger, both of them were born safely, and Lady Dilaina also recovered quickly.”
“Do you rember the na of the priest from the Carbo Temple who delivered the oracle?”
“I don’t know the na, but it was a woman with many freckles.”
Why would the doctor know the na of the priest? It’s unfortunate, but since he heard about the appearance, he could notice if the Carbo Temple sent soone else.
As Ian was having tea, the doctor added.
“And that day, I… almost made a big mistake.”
“What?”
“After taking out the first baby, I tried to take out the second baby, but I felt so dizzy. It was a bit humid and hot that day, but it was to the extent that it could be considered an abnormal reaction. So, by mistake, I almost burned the face of the second baby.”
“……!”
The doctor confessed to Ian with a repentant heart.
Fortunately, the person assisting next to him held his hand, otherwise, it would have been a really big problem.
He said he almost misused the knife due to the baby’s cry that suddenly burst out in the silence.
If it hadn’t ended with just an injury, it would have given death to the baby.
‘Perhaps, is it Jin’s fate?’
A fate that cannot avoid bearing the mark of the Emperor.
A fate that seed to have escaped due to Arsen’s cry, but had to be scarred again.
Ian tapped the table.
‘Abnormal reaction……’
Perhaps, from that mont, Arsen? Didn’t Philea also say she felt dizzy and her mind was hazy?
The doctor sighed deeply, clenching both hands tightly.
“Because the incident at that ti was a bit shocking, I left the palace and have been providing other treatnts. I no longer assist in deliveries.”
Silence fell with his words.
Tap tap, Ian noticed a small noise coming from sowhere. It was raining. Just like the day Jin and Arsen were born.
Bang bang! Boom!
“Lord Ian!”
The urgent voice of soone running down the corridor. Romandro opened the door at the knock asking to be let in. He seed to have co from the Imperial Guard. His desperate expression was drenched. With tears or rainwater, it was hard to tell.
“A, a body was found on the outskirts of the center. They’re asking for identification, so Captain Jeirutt went first. He told to inform Lord Ian just in case……”
Jeirutt went? Then that ans……
“Are you saying Barsabe is dead?”
“I, I don’t know if it’s Barsabe or not. The body is too mutilated. What should we do? I heard you were looking for evidence related to the black armor……”
“Let’s go right away.”
Ian got up, gathering his clothes.
Barsabe is dead? Sohow it was hard to believe, so he felt like he had to see it with his own eyes.
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