The Mogrian Family’s Honored Guest

The huge continent was divided into three parts: the Greenriver Empire, the Coldwood Empire, and the Duchy of Lo. Although they were separated, the one thing they had in common was the use of communication stations.

Because the magic they transmitted had a limited range, these stations were located within a certain distance and acted as emergency contact tools. This let the imperial family and the Ivory Tower know what had happened in the land of Mogrian.

Terry Greenriver sat in his office, located in the Greenriver Empire’s majestic capital Greenriverdium, where he ruled over the land.

“Tower Lord, what do you think?” he asked.

“We cannot make any rash decisions, my lord,” Herbert replied. The gray-haired old man was the Ivory Tower’s lord and a fifth-class great mage.

“However...”

“However?” The middle-aged emperor repeated with sparkling eyes.

“There aren’t many mages who reach the fifth class. I am lucky to be one of them.”

“What’s with the unnecessary bragging? Do you think I don’t know that?”

“Mana is a form of energy that flows through blood. Being able to control this energy as one wishes is the first step in the path of becoming a mage. The skills to stimulate your mana brain and manifest magic are taught at the academy, in my experience.”

“Go on.”

“But this boy claims to be self-taught, apparently able to use first-class magic at will—just like the Primal Mage.”

Long ago, the Primal Mage, who had nobody to teach him, had learned on his own how to use and manifest magic. His story was a legend to mages.

“The Primal Mage? Wasn’t he a dragon?”

“Dragons don’t exist. However, the fact is that the Primal Mage did exist. To get where we are today, he must have.”

The emperor nodded, encouraging the tower lord to continue.

“Common sense would say that the report is wrong... But that may not be the case here. I dispatched a clever friend.”

“There’s no reason to lie. It could be true,” said the emperor.

“We can only assume so.”

“Then let’s do so.”

The tower lord met the emperor’s relentlessness with a bitter smile and said, “So, if there are no lies or errors, and it’s true...”

“Well?”

“All I can say now is that it’s a truly terrifying talent.”

“Hmm.” Lost in thought, the emperor tapped on the arm of his chair. He wasn’t wondering if the report was true or not. He was already convinced that it wasn’t a lie.

“My son, are you here?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am.”

“Come in.”

As the office door opened, the crown prince, Hayden Greenriver, entered. He was a good-looking man who had inherited the emperor’s golden hair.

“You called for me, Your Highness.”

“Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Do not worry about me. What seems to be the matter?” the crown prince asked in a rather urgent tone, as was his habit.

“When was the last time you went outside the castle?”

“Pardon? Ah, well...”

“Was it not when you inspected the crop failure?”

“Y-yes, that is true, Your Highness.”

“That was five years ago. Time passes so quickly.” After a brief pause, the emperor continued, “It seems you have some business outside that needs tending.”

“Outside the castle, you mean?”

“I will give you the full second imperial order of knights, three hundred imperial soldiers, and three third-class mages. Make haste for the land of Mogrian and bring me the child named Ian Paige.”

“By I-Ian Paige, you mean...” The crown prince seemed unfamiliar with the name that had already spread throughout the castle.

“You’ve never heard of that name?”

“My apologies, Your Highness!”

“No need to apologize. Never mind. For the sake of your safety, it’s better to give this investigation to another prince.”

Hearing the emperor talk of another prince, the crown prince exclaimed, “Y-your Highness! Please let me handle this matter! I shall complete whatever task you have for me!”His tone had completely changed.

The emperor let out a bitter laugh, seeing the crown prince reacting exactly as he had expected. The crown prince had walked right into his trap.

He’s revealing too much of himself for someone who’ll rule over the empire. He is lacking in many ways. I can’t think of anything he’s good at. The emperor wasn’t thinking of him from the perspective of a father but that of an emperor.

It worries me. Despite how he felt, however, his expression remained calm. As a father, he wanted to have unlimited faith in his son and provide as much as he could. To make up for his lack of abilities, his son was going to need talented people who would remain loyal to him.

I hope he can retain this boy. Those already loyal to someone else were difficult to keep because they likely had a master in their heart already. Even the tower lord had chosen the fifth prince, which was the more reason to send the crown prince. The emperor wanted to offer him the best that he could.

I should give him a word of advice before he leaves. Sorting out his thoughts, the emperor addressed the crown prince.

“I understand. You may leave and prepare for your journey. It will be a long one to the north.”

Once the crown prince left the office, silence filled the room until the tower lord spoke up.

“Then I shall take my leave as well.”

“Already?”

“Going outside the castle is terrible, you know? For mages, that is. Unless I start persuading them right now, it might be hard to get even three for the journey.”

“Hahaha! Yes, that is true. You may leave.”

The tower lord left the office with the emperor’s laughter still ringing behind him. Instead of heading to the Ivory Tower’s top floor, he went to the palace of the princes, where the fifth prince, Ragnar Greenriver, was.

* * *

“Phew!”

Ian had stayed up all night concentrating on mana-breathing. Nevertheless, he felt like he’d had a good night’s rest. His fatigue was gone, his mana was full, and his body and hair were clean like he had just taken a bath.

This is why mana-breathing is so good. It was less about mana-breathing itself and more about Ian’s unique technique.

Mother is still asleep... He considered going out for a bit. It had been a while since he had last visited the land of Mogrian. Despite it being his hometown, he didn’t have many memories there.

It was the first place to disappear when the unification war began. The land of Mogrian bordered the great Coldwood Empire. It was a strategic point for both sides since there was no way to avoid the tide of battle here.

Anyway, the news should have spread by now. He guessed the report had been sent, judging by the mage’s actions. Ian was affirmed as a mage of the empire even though he had not even attended the academy. It was what he’d been hoping for. He also hoped things were going to align according to his will.

The emperor is desperately seeking talent. Not for himself but for his son. The lacking crown prince, Hayden Greenriver.

The old fox from the Ivory Tower is on Ragnar’s side. “Old fox” was a nickname he had given the tower lord.

That side is seeking people as well. Soon, there was going to be infighting between the Ivory Tower and the imperial family. He couldn’t remember every detail as it had happened when he was young. Most of his information had come from Ragnar, and all he could do was infer based on those memories.

There are plenty of ways to get involved. That’s for sure. Recovering his powers to be on par with his past life’s strength was his primary objective. Ian was ready to do whatever it took until he achieved this. He could take the emperor’s side, the tower lord’s, or even find a third path.

This time, I won’t be used. Ian stopped his train of thought and slipped out of his room. It was still early enough that nobody was on the first floor. But there seemed to be a commotion coming from outside. It was mostly from the street leading to the inn.

What’s going on? Ian quickly sent mana toward his ear and stuck his head to the wall to listen in. The amplification effect of the mana let him hear relatively clearly.

“Are you sure this is where he’s staying?”

“I’m sure. He came with a large knight...”

“You came to the right place.”

Ian couldn’t recognize the voice of the person who had asked the question. The innkeeper, however, was the one replying. He could also hear the murmurs of multiple people.

“Hmm...”

It was certain they had come looking for him with a large crowd.

“Sir. Please begin.”

Sir? A mage? What’s happening now?

“Mage of the empire, Ian Paige, shall receive the imperial order!”

“Mmph!”

The boisterous voice almost left Ian deaf as it had been enhanced by mana, just like Ian’s hearing. Right away, Ian was able to match the voice to its owner—the mage from yesterday’s examination.