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Side Story 1 – His Inevitable Reason
While some time had passed, Ian found that people suspected him of something. In other words, they teased him for a simple reason.
“You made the rain fall, right?”
“

”
That was right. When Ian had come back after nine years, the sky had been filled with rainclouds, rain, and thunder on the ceremony day. There were even rumors that Ian had planned it all.
“You actually like being in the center of attention
”
“That’s not true.”
“You have wanted for attention for nine years, but Ian, that can become an illness. I heard that the symptoms are quite severe
”
“It’s not.”
Ian responded with a rigid face at his mother’s teasing. While Ian was now in his thirties, to Vanessa, he was still her cute son.
“Then why was the weather like that? Are you saying that it was a coincidence? It did not seem to me.”
Of course, the rumors were not baseless, as the weather had been quite unnatural.
“Look, you can’t answer.”
“

”
Ian kept his mouth closed at his mother’s playful questions. While he opposed the notion thousands of times in his mind, he did not speak out loud. He had spent a year like this.
‘Calm down. There’s no value in answering.”
Ian composed himself and showed that he would not respond anymore by taking out the nearest book on the bookshelf.
“You heard that this book is quite interesting, right? He’s Luca, from our homeland, who I also know well.”
Ian opened Crown Prince’s Staff, which had been the talk of the Greenriver Empire and the entire lands.
“This is his newest work. He had said he would use me as the protagonist, but I found that he thinks the world of his majesty after nine years
”
“Ian
”
“Yes?”
“It’s evident that you’re trying to change the subject.”
“

”
“Don’t be so earnest. I was going to stop for today. You’re quite fun to tease.”
“

”
Vanessa went out of Ian’s library with a laugh, and he stared at where she had been for a long time.
“
Why did I do such a thing?”
Ian lifted his gaze and thought of his return a year and a half ago.
***
“Things had changed a lot.”
That was the first thing Ian had said, as the world was going through a dramatic change, stemming from the cultural earthquake stemming from Ian’s manor.
“Where are all the people?”
There were too few in the city, as the sun was still bright. The capital had always been full of people
 Had something happened during the nine years?
“Let me ask a question
”
However, Ian found some guards patrolling the quiet city and spoke to them.
“What is the matter
oh?”
The guards looked at Ian, and their expressions changed. They then blinked like they had seen something unnatural.
“Are you
”
“I think you’re assuming correctly.”
The guards were certain that they were meeting Ian Page, a stronger magician than the dragons.
“We greet the Lord of the Ivory Tower!”
While nine years had passed, an empire guard would know Ian Page, as their education in training began with memorizing the portraits of the high-ranking people in the city.
“Thank you. I want to confirm something.”
He had two questions, and Ian first wanted to make certain that nine years had passed.
“What year is it now?”
“Yes?”
“According to the calendar.”
“Ah, that would be year 519 in the empire years. I’m certain, as the crown prince will become emperor this year.”
Nine years had truly passed, but the more surprising fact was that the guard had said that the crown prince, Hayden Greenriver, will become emperor.
“Is it true?”
“Yes, it is today. The ceremony will be beginning now. We wanted to attend since it is a public ceremony, but the city needs to be kept safe. Therefore, we had to choose.”
One of the guards spoke of their responsibility with pride, but Ian was not listening due to the sudden flow of information.
‘To think that he will become emperor. Nine years would have made a change
but it is still sudden.”
Ian’s response was natural as he did not know how much the crown prince had grown over the nine years.
“Hmm
”
Ian decided quickly, and after asking the guards where the ceremony was held, he started to fly. He did not teleport as there would be a crowd.
‘A public ceremony for all
that’s interesting. The crown prince must have thought of it himself.”
Ian smirked as he flew over the castle wall with haste. While Ian could arrive at the ceremony in less than a minute, the location was not near enough to be seen even after going over the castle wall.
“Umm?”
Ian would arrive at the ceremony in a few seconds when he felt something small over his shoulder. It was hail. He stopped in mid-air and felt the weather around him. He observed the weather more accurately and widely than magicians who specialized in the field.
‘
Why is he holding a ceremony on such a day?’
Ian read the sky as having the worst weather he had ever seen.
‘Isn’t this like treason?’
Ian shook his head, as while the capital had fickle weather, this was inexcusable.
‘Things would go bad if I don’t do something about this.’
The coronation ceremony for a new emperor was being held outside to the public. To think that hail will fall on such a day. If one thought of the whispers that would follow, Ian could believe that this was treason from the crown prince’s enemies. However, Ian did not believe that idea, as he did not think that such a force would have not been built in his absence.
However, then the problem got bigger. The Ivory Tower had made a mistake in choosing this day, and the ceremony would suffer some damage.
Not only that, but hail falling on the gathered crowd meant a high possibility of people being wounded.
‘What is the Ivory Tower and Ronan doing?’
Ronan would be the Ivory Tower’s temporary lord, and Ian looked up in the sky with a critical eye. Rainclouds were gathering, and the hail would start to fall in full swing.
‘I cannot change the weather in such a short time
’
Ian could do something about the weather, but he would need time since hail already started to fall.
Then, the only thing he could do was to choose the lesser evil, which meant melting the hail so it will become rain.
It would be better than hail, as there was no need to worry about people being wounded. Ian let out a translucent shimmering haze of magic, and the haze formed a circle and spread out to cover the central parts of the empire.
(Melt.)
Ian’s command was fulfilled, as the hail turned to rain immediately after passing the circle. Ian nodded at the sight, but the problem did not end there.
‘There will be malignant rumors about the crown prince’s coronation if things went like this.’
While the Ivory Tower’s weather forecast and climatologists were in the wrong, the crown prince would suffer the consequences of the bad weather.
Ian flew to the coronation ceremony, as he could not do anything about the already fallen rain.
‘I would need to focus the attention on me.’
Everyone at the ceremony witnessed what had happened, as he had swallowed every trace of bad weather in the sky.
***
Ian sighed and shook his head. He could understand the misunderstanding, since his appearance had been quite notable. However, his mother teased him about being an attention-seeker, which Ian wanted to oppose on all aspects.
He sighed again. What was the use of thinking further? Ian picked up the novel that he had chosen before, the Crown Prince’s Staff. Luca had created a masterpiece from the bravery the crown prince had shown in the Eastern Plains.
“So, he now fancies the crown prince better than me after saying all those things?”
Ian was feeling particularly childish and closed the book in a climax. The library door opened. Was it his mother again? Did she bring Douglas and Father to tease Ian again?
“I understand the fun you’re having, but keep it in small doses.”
“

”
“Mother, you think so too, right?”
“

”
Ian spoke without raising his head, but there was no answer. Was this a new trick?
“I, Ian?”
“

.!”
The voice belonged to a different person.
“Your highness?”
Ian stood up, and his expression suddenly brightened at seeing the princess.
“What brings you here? You didn’t notify me.”
Ian’s expression was pleasant despite his indifferent tone, and his sulky mood had gone somewhere.
“Ah
that
”
Hailey Greenriver hesitated, and her beauty was steadfast after nine years.
“I saw
”
“Yes?”
“The Ivory Tower
”
“The Ivory Tower?”
The princess stopped speaking for a minute to gather her courage. She then spoke what she had come to say.
“Flowers are in bloom in the back gardens of the Ivory Tower, and if you have the time and like flowers
we could go for a walk
”
“Let’s go.”
“Together
yes?”
“Let’s go for a walk to see the flowers. I needed a breath of fresh air.”
Ian spoke like it was nothing, and he even escorted her in a calm voice.
“Let’s walk from here.”
“Here?”
“The weather is nice.”
“Ah! Yes, let’s!”
Hailey followed Ian a step behind, but she could not know that Ian’s heart was beating fast under his composure.
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