* * *
It was confirmed that I was heading to the Imperial Magic Department to meet Reggie, who had a peculiar nickname as the imperial palace’s most notorious drinker.
As soon as I nervously inquired through a letter whether I could visit, a reply immediately came back saying I was more than welcome and should come right away.
Initially, I was just going to bring any random fruit wine.
But remembering how serious Ian was about his alcohol last time, I couldn’t bring myself to do that.
Giving a half-hearted gift to someone serious about alcohol would definitely seem insincere.
Considering Baek Yigang had already arranged the meeting in a rather pushy way, it seemed best for me to at least bring an appropriate gift.
“Well. I’ve already sent word, so he should be at the Imperial Magic Department…”
As soon as I arrived in front of the Imperial Magic Department, I let out a sigh.
Since I was here, I had to open the door, but I felt inexplicably uneasy.
Still, I couldn’t ask Asel to open it for me. What a dilemma.
As if reflecting my troubled thoughts, my once-calm heart began to race.
It beat so hard that I could feel it vibrate in my throat.
Ugh, is this arrhythmia? This feels like real arrhythmia caused by stress.
“Haah, what am I going to do about this damn trauma.”
My palm, which I pressed against my forehead, burned with heat.
The incident with that damn thing had left me terrified of opening doors.
If I carelessly opened it again and found something on top of that huge table, I felt like I’d… lose my mind for a while.
“Hoo.”
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I squinted halfway and opened the door cautiously to avoid any shock.
“…Nothing?”
With squinted eyes, I scanned the room.
Thankfully, the conference room at the Imperial Magic Department was spotless.
The table and the floor were both immaculately clean.
Wow, why does this make me feel so relieved?
This is how it’s supposed to be.
“What a relief…”
“Relief about what?”
“Huh? Oh! Jeez, you scared me!!”
I jumped, clutching my chest in shock, as Reggie suddenly popped his head next to mine.
I gasped for air, my heart pounding.
Am I going to have a heart attack at this rate? How can someone be so silent?!
Wait, hold on.
Silent?
That’s not right… Something’s off.
If it were a grand sorcerer from another era, I might not have noticed.
But for Reggie, just a regular wizard, to sneak up on me?
That didn’t make sense.
Yet, there had truly been no sound at all just now.
While I wasn’t the most perceptive when it came to others, that was only for intuitive things.
Wizards like Reggie or Blue, and others who used magic, had a distinctly different presence from ordinary people, so I shouldn’t have missed it.
Even Asel, who was standing behind me, seemed unusually tense as he watched Reggie, as if he was just as surprised.
But whether we were startled or not, Reggie just smiled cheerfully and waved at me.
“Hello, Dowoon! Long time no see. How’ve you been?”
Hadn’t we just missed each other during the festival?
It hasn’t been that long.
Sadly, everything Reggie said sounded sarcastic.
But that was his own doing.
Still, if I kept acting hostile, I wouldn’t get what I wanted…
So, I decided to calm down.
As I collected myself and looked at him again, I noticed something.
First of all, Reggie had lost a bit of weight.
Since he wasn’t overweight to begin with, the subtle change was even more noticeable.
“You seem to have lost some weight.”
“Hmm, maybe. An overworking tyrant had me slaving away during the entire festival, day and night. I’ve never been treated like such a lowly servant before. Sweating outside for hours, not just during the day but late into the night… It was quite the experience.”
The mention of the “overworking tyrant” was clearly aimed at Baek Yigang.
Apparently, Reggie had more pent-up grievances than I thought, as he grinned crookedly, his face darkening as he vented.
“Ah, I see.”
“I still have plenty of stories to tell. Want to hear more?”
No, I have zero interest in that.
I quickly shook my head, but Reggie ignored it and continued speaking.
Why even ask, damn it!
“…Anyway, I didn’t get a single day off. How was the festival for you? Fun?”
Hearing his grumbling would make anyone feel sorry for him, but looking at that sly face, I couldn’t muster any sympathy.
“Actually, I worked throughout the festival too, only enjoying it on the last day. So, I don’t remember much.”
“The last day? …Did you watch the fireworks with His Highness by any chance?”
With an oddly meaningful expression, Reggie stared at me intensely.
He pointedly asked about a specific day, and it was clear that he was going to adjust his response based on what I said.
…But do I really need to answer that?
This feels ominous.
“Well… Something like that… I guess…”
“So, you did watch them. Answer with a yes or no.”
“…Yes.”
I tried to dodge the question, but Reggie forced the answer out of me.
“I see, so you did. On the last day… the fireworks.”
“Why are you asking?”
“My dear junior, do you want to know the truth?”
Reggie’s voice wavered unsettlingly as he chuckled.
“No, not really.”
“You’ll want to know.”
“Not at all.”
When I firmly refused, Reggie clicked his tongue and grumbled.
I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but sometimes there are truths in this world that are better left unknown.
As I resolutely shook my head, signaling that I never wanted to know, Reggie sighed in resignation.
I should just state my business and leave quickly…
“As I mentioned in the letter earlier, I’m here to get a recommendation for fruit wine from you, Senior Reggie. If you have time, could you spare a moment?”
“Oh? A gift, huh? For whom?”
“For the… I mean, His Highness, the Third Prince.”
I almost called him Ian again.
I had become so accustomed to calling Baek Yigang by his childhood name that it led to the bad habit of addressing the other princes however I pleased.
While it was fine when I was with Baek Yigang, I needed to be more cautious around others.
After all, they were royalty, and the power of their status in this world was beyond imagination.
… Though, when you get close to them, they’re the biggest goofs around.
“His Highness, the Third Prince, huh… Giving a gift to someone we know so little about? How exciting.”
“Is there a good fruit wine you’d recommend? It should be something His Highness might like.”
“Of course! You’ve come to the right place. I’m quite an expert in that area.”
The little trust I had in Reggie began to waver as he giggled mischievously.
Why did I come here seeking help from someone who seems like such a swindler?
As I started second-guessing my decision, Reggie suddenly shoved me from behind.
“Come on, don’t just stand there! Let’s go inside. You haven’t been to the deeper parts of the magic department, have you?”
“There’s more inside?”
“Of course. But whatever you see here, it stays between us. So before we go in, promise to keep it a secret.”
Reggie stretched out his pinky, waving it in front of me to hurry and seal the deal.
Reluctantly, I linked my pinky with his, and Reggie grinned in satisfaction.
“Sir knight, would you mind turning around for a moment? This is a very important matter for the magic department.”
Reggie hadn’t forgotten about Asel, who had been standing behind us.
With a bright smile that seemed to carry no ill intent, Reggie made the request, and though Asel looked displeased, he slowly turned his back.
“Why does it have to be a secret?”
“You’ll see.”
With a playful grin, Reggie gave a quick whistle, the sound strange and uneven, but it ended abruptly.
“What did you just…?”
“Shh, just watch.”
Before I could even finish asking, Reggie suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and rubbed his face against my cheek.
I was about to push him off in irritation when a loud boom echoed throughout the magic department.
For a brief moment, it felt like the whole building was shaking as if it was about to collapse.
Then, the wall in front of me started to disappear—not moving, but literally vanishing.
The wall became more and more transparent until it completely revealed what was behind it.
“…No way.”
I’d seen many astonishing things in my life, and I prided myself on rarely being surprised.
But that confidence vanished in an instant.
My jaw dropped.
It wasn’t because of magic.
The reason I was shocked was…
“Are those… all bottles of liquor?”
All around, colorful bottles filled an enormous storage room, packed so tightly that it felt like every liquor in the world was here.
“It looks like every kind of alcohol in existence, doesn’t it?”
Reggie’s words seemed to pierce through my thoughts, and I found myself nodding automatically.
“This is insane. Honestly, I thought you were just a drunkard, Senior.”
“What are you talking about? I’m an alcohol artist.”
Despite my blunt remark, Reggie just laughed even louder, unbothered.
* * *
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