Chapter 153
Wow, did a beggar possess his stomach?
In one corner of the garden, a whole pig was being roasted to a golden brown. Romandro muttered in disbelief as he watched Beric.
It was clear what he meant by being possessed. The sight of him shoving fistfuls of meat into his mouth with both hands was undoubtedly that of a madman. Beric grinned happily and raised his glass.
One more bottle!
You rascal, stop it already! Did a beggar really possess your stomach? Have you no conscience for taking a week to cover a few hours distance?
Dont you know that when alcohol goes in, it goes in indefinitely?
Youre more likely to die from a ruptured stomach than from being stabbed. Oh my, Im speechless. Really.
Although Berics throat was stuffed with meat, Romandros throat was stuffed with disbelief. Regardless, Beric continued to tear into the meat, half out of his mind.
Ian, if you want to employ that fellow, the food expenses will be too high. The cost-effectiveness is a complete mess.
Still, gulp, the money spent earlier is more than the cost of slaughtering a pig, right? What were you thinking, saying all the slaves belonged to Ian? Right? Wow, this meat is really delicious!
At Berics words, Romandros face turned bright red. Yes, he admitted it. He had misspoken out of excessive panic and tension.
Putting the Astanians aside, additional expenses were inevitable to bring along slaves of unknown nationalities. Doctors were provided to those on the verge of death, clothing to those who were ragged, and food to those on the brink of starvation.
Do you, do you understand the hardships of a civil servant!?
Huh? Whats there to understand? And what does that have to do with your slip of the tongue? Ian, am I right?
As Romandro clutched his neck and closed his eyes, Ian patted his shoulder.
After enduring some hardship outside, the kid has become smarter.
His voice was filled with laughter. In other words, Ian also agreed with Berics words. Romandro apologized again, holding his forehead.
Im sorry about that.
Its fine. Thanks to you, they vacated the building, so itll be easier for the guards to handle the aftermath. And Beric, let me remind you, one of your meals is more expensive than what we spent on them.
Eh, thats a lie!
Even as he said that, Beric tore into a chunk of meat the size of his head and devoured it. The bowl was emptied in an instant. Mini, in a panic, flipped the firewood with a poker.n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m
Beric, please eat slowly! The Astanians have barely finished half a bowl!
My stomach isnt even half full yet!
The Astanians were chatting with Hasha and satisfying their hunger. Judging by the occasional laughter, they seemed to be talking about their homeland.
One of them made eye contact with Ian and bowed, smiling brightly.
Seeing how the Lugersfell guards left, it wont turn into a big problem. After the investigation, if there are any who became slaves illegally, restore their identities and wrap up the case.
What about Fakens?
After extracting information about the necromancer who assisted him, hand him over to the guards. He engaged in illegal slave activities, so punish him according to the relevant laws.
Fakens was currently confined in the storage room of the residence. To be precise, he was unconscious and holding his place.
Hearing Ians instructions, Romandro moistened his lips with alcohol and nodded.
I understand. Ill handle this matter myself. Ian, dont worry and focus on becoming the next minister of the Ministry of Magic.
As Romandro put down his glass with a determined expression, Beric openly scoffed. His giggling laughter was purely innocent.
Will he make another mistake and bring back something strange?
You shut up and eat, or this will be your last meal!
Ian is the one who feeds me, so I dont know why youre taking credit! If no ones home, Ill raid the kitchen!
Do you think our Minnie is that easy?
Yes. And it would be nice to have yours too. After all, you attended the palace meeting.
I understand. Ill write it right away and submit it to you.
Clank.
Ian said that and opened the door to the department. Inside, mages were sitting tightly in chairs. It was clearly the office of the Magic Operations Department, but he didnt know why they were all here.
What are you all doing here?
Oh? Oh oh! Ian, ahem. Youre here.
The first to stand up was Akorella. She wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth and checked the time. Three in the morning. An odd time to start work and an abnormal time to finish. She pressed her forehead, trying to shake off the fatigue.
Let me introduce you. These are the heads of the Potion Research Department, the Incantation Research Department, and the Magic Tool Production Department. Yawn.
At Akorellas words, the others stood up from their seats. Their faces were already familiar from passing by. The people from the Magic Operations Department were all sleeping together in the duty room at the back of the department.
I formally introduce myself. Im Ian.
Ah, yes. We know. No need to be so formal.
We already know each others faces, dont we?
Theyre my close associates, so please get along with them.
Close associates. It meant they were the ones Akorella had lured to support Ian. They could also be considered regular customers of the aphrodisiac sales. Ian shook hands with them and took off his coat.
If youre close with Akorella, you can be close with me too.
Hahaha. Thats right. First of all, the Potion Research Department is undoubtedly here for the commercialization of the truth serum, and the Magic Tool Production Department is interested in the large-scale supply of Luron stones. And the Incantation Research Department. Their budget is too small. The reason is that they research language, so theres no separate money invested. They said they hope the next minister will take that into consideration, hmm. Thats what they said.
The three departments desires from Ian were clear. Ian nodded as if telling them to trust him. Akorella wrote the name of each department on the chalkboard one by one.
Swish swish.
And theres Department Head Chang, right?
Yes. Hes the head of the Magic Research Department.
I didnt expect it, but hes quite popular. He united with the other departments that had registered as candidates. I dont know how he persuaded them yet, but if we only count the departments with a clear stance now, our numbers are a bit lacking.
Ian strongly agreed with Akorellas words that she hadnt expected it. Since he wasnt a particularly impressive person, Ian nodded while holding his chin.
What about the other departments whose stances arent determined?
There are quite a few. Those who dont care who becomes the minister, those who are busy with the investigation, and those who say theyll decide on principle after the mana verification!
As Akorella shouted while tapping the chalkboard, Tommy, who was sleeping in the duty room, suddenly woke up and rubbed his eyes. But realizing it was nothing serious, he flopped back down.
Ian scanned the department names and fixed his gaze on the very end.
What do you think will happen with that one?
The Magic Support Department. Wesleighs direct subordinate department, currently shunned by both the Ministry of Magic and the palace.
Akorella scratched her philtrum and answered.
I think theyll abstain from voting. Theyre not even showing their faces. At least they know how to read the room.
Tap tap, Ian counted the number of mages belonging to the Magic Support Department and calculated. Apart from the other departments, didnt they have the largest headcount?
Does anyone know the contact information of the Magic Support Department head?
As Ian elegantly asked after finishing his thought, the department heads unconsciously raised their hands. Then, Ian smiled with satisfaction and instructed.
Lets summon them. Here, now.
Summon? Ha, will they come even if we call?
To the Incantation Research Department heads question, Ian answered without hesitation.
If they dont come, its their loss. They should be able to calculate that much. Try summoning them. I expect them to arrive within thirty minutes.
