Chapter 38
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Chapter 38
With those words, silence settled between us for a moment.
Well, it made sense....
The Empress had already expressed all her joy and astonishment about the past. And quite excessively at that.
Crown Prince Kiaros seemed to be struggling with how to express his own emotions in this awkward atmosphere.
After a brief pause, Crown Prince Kiaros opened his mouth with a solemn voice.
"Ah, first... about what I said earlier regarding the background investigation on Namia Loapi...."
I responded respectfully to Crown Prince Kiaros's words.
"Yes, as I've said repeatedly, it's perfectly fine. If there's anything suspicious, you should naturally investigate as thoroughly as you wish."
"I've ordered my direct intelligence agents to search for your missing father as well."
My eyes widened at those words.
He'd ordered the Crown Prince's direct intelligence agents to search for my father?
No information guild could find missing people better than they could!
"My father...? You mean my real father, not Baron Loapi, my father on paper?"
Well, if he'd figured out I'd been in the Southern Region, he could have deduced that much.
At my earnest tone, Crown Prince Kiaros cleared his throat and spoke.
"Ahem, well! It seemed like you... wanted to find your biological father."
My heart pounded fiercely.
If Crown Prince Kiaros took action, I could truly find my father.
I no longer needed to make efforts to find him myself.
My only concern was that my father might be entangled in some grave crime....
"Your Highness, no matter what that stubborn man has done, I've promised to spare his life!"
The Empress cried out, having read my anxiety.
"It's obvious! Of course he made money through wrongdoing! But his daughter saved the Royal Family regardless, didn't she? Apply the principle of guilt by association!"
"That's not the proper use of that principle, and besides, such matters must be decided based on the circumstances...."
Crown Prince Kiaros sighed with a complicated expression.
Then he muttered, "Why do I keep feeling like I'm cast as the villain," before speaking firmly.
"So long as he hasn't killed innocent citizens of the Empire, I can arrange to honor the Empress's promise."
At those words, I released a long sigh of relief.
That was enough for me.
I understood well that I couldn't unconditionally demand my father's life be spared if he'd committed truly heinous crimes.
The fact that he was offering such consideration, even though my father might have been complicit in crimes, was remarkable.
'How is this... everything's resolved....'
My chest swelled with emotion.
Finding my father and meeting him safely....
I'd endured everything for that.
Now, I only had to wait, and Crown Prince Kiaros would find my father.
'Now I can see my father again.'
The Royal Family's involvement had resolved all my circumstances.
At the same time, my burden to protect the Royal Family and prevent war had only grown heavier.
'I barely managed to stop the incident. I still don't know who's behind it.'
Everything's going well thanks to the Royal Family, but what if they all die and war breaks out?
"Anyway."
As my thoughts grew tangled, Crown Prince Kiaros continued with a solemn expression.
"Ever since that day, I've searched for that girl for a long time."
It felt like we'd entered another round of formal pleasantries.
I arranged my face into a respectful, attentive expression.
Meanwhile, the Emperor was struggling to suppress his laughter.
"I truly... wanted to repay my debt of gratitude."
The Emperor's eyes gleamed brilliantly as he gazed at Crown Prince Kiaros.
He was a character who seemed to rarely speak, yet now his lips were firmly sealed.
'Why does he have that expression?'
The way he alternated his gaze between me and Crown Prince Kiaros with such interest...
It was exactly like a parent listening to their young son's confession.
Crown Prince Kiaros spoke softly, his smile measured and precise.
"I'm truly delighted to meet you again like this."
At that, the Emperor let out a stifled laugh and covered his mouth with both hands.
Crown Prince Kiaros, who had been gazing at me with profound eyes, released a heavy sigh.
Then he asked in a somewhat irritated tone.
"Your Majesty, what is the matter?"
"No, no. Continue."
The Emperor spoke while his shoulders trembled with suppressed mirth.
"I've also been waiting for those words you've been longing to say for so long. Hehehehe, this will be quite the spectacle. Are you going to say it now?"
"...I suddenly don't want to say it in front of Your Majesty."
Crown Prince Kiaros pressed his forehead.
I remained seated with a professional smile on my face.
Honestly, the Empress had been overly enthusiastic earlier, so Crown Prince Kiaros's words were nothing special.
Being surrounded by three members of the Royal Family naturally made me nervous.
'And besides, I could lose my job right now... What's going to happen to the Scroll Management Department? If the top brass all get executed, doesn't that mean dissolution?'
For someone of my status, the present mattered far more than the past.
Well, I should be able to earn some money as compensation for my contributions in this matter.
But if I lost my position as a civil servant, I'd also lose the opportunity to provide Crown Prince Kiaros with hints related to the original work.
Just when I'd reunited with my father and experienced a happy reunion, I could have died a meaningless death caught up in war.
'Right now, a stable position working in the Imperial Palace is important too...'
I'd complained every day about being at the bottom. I'd said I needed to at least become a minister to actively pursue anything...
But now that things had come to this, I was grateful even for a lowly position.
It was while I sat there with such a complicated expression, clutching at my skirt.
"That won't do! Tower Master! That won't do!"
Suddenly, commotion erupted outside.
"Tower Masterrrrrrrr! This can't happen!"
"Get out of here!"
"Aaahhhhh!"
The desperate sound of someone trying to block the way and the sound of failure came simultaneously.
"Tower Master, you cannot do this. There are proper procedures for all matters...."
"You get out too!"
"Please come to your senses. I am the Minister of Justice. Surely we must observe at least basic courtesy?"
"Hmph, you should leave as well!"
Not long after, the door burst open.
And an astonishing sight unfolded before my eyes.
'Hmm?'
An elderly man with white hair draped in robes was stomping in.
The Crown Prince's Aide dangled from his left side, the Minister of Justice from his right.
The old man's strength was remarkable—he dragged both men along with such wide strides that neither could resist.
"What in the world is this commotion?"
The Emperor rose slowly, his expression hardening.
The Empress, Crown Prince Kiaros, and I rose as well.
As if facing a particularly troublesome opponent, the Emperor's voice—which had been so gentle—now carried a certain gravity.
"...Tower Master."
I held my breath, my eyes darting about.
Yet inwardly, I marveled.
'So that's the Tower Master!'
Despite his skeletal appearance, his gaze was formidable.
Those piercing blue eyes—sharp and intelligent—gleamed like glass marbles.
His long white hair, flowing like silk, was equally striking.
'There was a time when I too dreamed of entering the Magic Tower....'
Anyone with an interest in scrolls and magic naturally dreamed of entering the Magic Tower.
A place where talented individuals gathered to dedicate themselves solely to magical research.
Neither status nor wealth mattered—one was evaluated purely by ability.
'But I abandoned that dream to find Huan Loapi Sr..'
Magical talent had to be innate. It was not something one could achieve through effort alone.
The Magic Tower therefore only accepted applicants in their late teens.
They even assessed basic intelligence, requiring written examinations.
'Academy graduates receive special consideration and are exempted from the written test, but....'
More than just exemption—the Tower Master himself visits the Academy to evaluate talent.
Even those with modest magical aptitude could pursue scholarship instead.
All children at the Academy with interest and talent in magic went to the Magic Tower.
I deliberately pretended I couldn't channel mana into scrolls, avoiding that opportunity.
'Once you enter, you cannot leave until you're thirty-five. That's far too long.'
While magical research appealed to me, my circumstances would not permit such a prolonged stay at the Magic Tower.
So I concealed my talent.
'And that Tower Master... is the greatest mage this era has produced.'
Not only in fundamental magical power, but in the originality of scroll crafting, the calculations required for activation.
A figure who has transcended the limits of humanity in every aspect.
The representative of the Magic Tower—someone even the Imperial Family cannot treat carelessly.
'He's come because of the Scroll Management Department. It must be facing dissolution!'
No matter how indifferent the Magic Tower had been to our department, it was still an organization tied to the Tower's authority.
Watching the Tower Master push his way in with such determination, I could feel in my bones that the Scroll Management Department was truly in danger of being dismantled.
"Tower Master, I understand your feelings, but when appearing before the Royal Family, there should be at least some proper procedure first..."
It was as the Emperor began speaking calmly.
The Tower Master's eyes widened as he shouted.
"Where is Namia Loapi? Come out at once!"
...Me?
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