Chapter 22 – The Empire’s Request

Although the Imperial Family resided in the grand, ancient, and heavily guarded Imperial Palace, this did not prevent the princes from having their own private estates in the West District or elsewhere.

These private estates often matched the grandeur befitting their owners’ status. Here, the princes would gather with their friends—mostly young noble heirs of similar age—to socialize, entertain, or host evening banquets and balls. Being invited to such a ball was enough for a young noble lady to have a month’s worth of gossip with her close friends.

It was rumored that the young lady of the Lavis Marquis family had danced three consecutive dances with His Highness Prince Bolan at a recent ball. People speculated that the Lavis family might soon welcome a princess into their ranks. After all, Prince Bolan, who was known for his frail health and reclusive nature, rarely hosted balls or banquets, let alone danced three times in a row with an unmarried beauty.

Lin Wei sat in the carriage heading to the West District, his fingers absentmindedly tapping the delicate table in front of him. As the carriage passed through the Imperial Plaza, the bustling noise outside failed to pull him out of his thoughts.

In his previous life, he had little interaction with Prince Bolan. The only notable connection was a pleasant conversation they had shared at a banquet during their youth. However, even that small bond was ruthlessly severed by the Duke of Tidis once it was discovered—the Tidis family had chosen to support Prince Gregory at the time, so the heir naturally had to distance himself from Prince Bolan. Even if the prince wasn’t seen as a strong contender, it was crucial to avoid any potential suspicion.

From the limited memories Lin Wei had, Prince Bolan was a knowledgeable and witty man, known for his low-key demeanor. His frequent illnesses led many to believe that his ambitions lay in becoming a great scholar, assisting his brother, and never coveting the Emperor’s throne.

However, having been reborn, Lin Wei no longer held such a naive view. As Prince Gregory’s younger brother, Prince Bolan likely understood him better than most. If Gregory were to ascend the throne, even if Bolan, the current “second in line to the throne,” wasn’t eliminated, he would undoubtedly live a life of constant danger and unease.

Whether out of self-preservation or ambition, Prince Bolan was bound to engage in a struggle with his brother.

Lin Wei’s plan was to use the Tidis family’s influence to add a significant weight to Prince Bolan’s side in this struggle. If successful, not only would the possibility of the Empire-initiated war from his past life be drastically reduced, but the Tidis family’s future would also become much smoother. For a family, the greatest achievement wasn’t leading armies to victory in wars, nor was it offering abundant resources to the Imperial Family through fertile fiefs and prosperous trade routes, nor even marrying a beautiful daughter into royalty. In this era of peace and prosperity, the greatest merit lay in supporting the rightful heir to the throne.

Prince Gregory certainly had the ability to govern a nation, but he sorely lacked a tolerant heart. The seeds of suspicion and discord that had already been sown would inevitably grow into a chasm. The distrust of the Empire’s highest authority would undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to the Tidis family.

Rather than struggling to survive and salvage the scant trust they had, it would be wiser to change course entirely.

The carriage finally came to a stop in front of an estate.

A path of dark gray stretched from the base of an archway of the same color, winding through the lawn and flower beds to reach a castle hidden among tall trees.

While a prince’s private estate couldn’t compare to the Imperial Palace or the ancestral homes of long-established noble families, it still exuded grandeur. However, this particular estate leaned more toward tranquility.

This matched its owner perfectly—Lin Wei thought so as he met Prince Bolan.

The shadows of the trees outside the window softened the sunlight, preventing it from being too harsh or leaving the room too dim.

A tall, slender young man rose from a deep red armchair adorned with gold. He had chestnut-brown hair, emerald-green eyes, and a slightly pale complexion with lips lacking in color. Despite his sickly appearance, his movements were graceful and polite, devoid of the weariness often seen in those who were chronically ill.

“Lin Wei—it’s been a long time since we last met. The last time we spoke was at Count Ferdinand’s banquet two years ago,” Prince Bolan began with a faint smile, starting the conversation with a reminiscence. His demeanor remained gentle and natural, showing no hint of estrangement.

“It’s a pity there won’t be any more banquets for us to meet at—magicians aren’t exactly welcomed,” Lin Wei replied.

He knew how to engage in small talk, having been groomed as the family heir, but it wasn’t necessary here. First and foremost, he was now a magician, unbound by the continent’s etiquette. Moreover, the Imperial Family wanted to probe him for information about the magical world, and Lin Wei had his own plans. Rather than beating around the bush, it was better to make it clear from the start that he wasn’t interested in idle chatter.

This wasn’t the endless small talk and trivialities of noble interactions—it was best to be direct.

“Even so, you’re always welcome here. If it weren’t for my brother’s strong aversion to magicians, the nobility’s attitude toward them wouldn’t be as it is today.”

Lin Wei’s heart stirred.

This was promising.

Prince Bolan’s words, seemingly a harmless complaint on his behalf, subtly emphasized Gregory’s “aversion to magicians.” Gregory hadn’t even ascended the throne yet, and his preferences were already influencing the nobility’s attitudes. What would happen after he became Emperor?

It seemed Prince Bolan had already foreseen the potential rift between the Tidis family and Gregory, and his words carried a hint of an olive branch.

Lin Wei continued along this line: “Prince Gregory’s attitude toward magicians has always been harsh—I thought this invitation from the Imperial Family would be him coming to mock me.”

“That wouldn’t be the case,” Prince Bolan shook his head with a smile. “He’s just a bit displeased that the Tidis family has lost an excellent heir.”

“I hope so,” Lin Wei made a helpless expression. “I’m just a bit worried that this might lead to some misunderstandings about my family.”

Prince Bolan merely lowered his emerald-green eyes, not responding to the topic. After a brief silence, he said to Lin Wei, “What you thought earlier isn’t entirely wrong. My brother should have been the one to approach you, but recent events in the Imperial Capital have made our father concerned that his attitude might cause some undesirable consequences, so he entrusted the matter to me.”

“Are you saying this matter involves magicians?”

“Exactly… Today, on behalf of the Imperial Family, I invited you here because we need the assistance of a magician,” Prince Bolan explained slowly, his tone carrying a hint of difficulty. “You know, after so many years since the Empire’s founding, we’ve gradually lost contact with the magical world. Now, we need to inform the Magic Association about something, but we have no other way to reach them.”

Something was stolen from the Imperial Treasure Vault, and the Empire needed to contact the magical world?

“Of course, I’m willing to serve the Empire,” Lin Wei said. “But I can’t think of anything the Empire would need the Magic Association’s help with.”

“It’s like this,” Prince Bolan explained. “A very precious magical item was stolen from the Imperial Treasure Vault, and the method of theft—only a magician could bypass the vault’s tight security.”

“A magician stole a magical item from the Imperial Treasure Vault—then why inform the Magic Association?”

“Because this magical item has immense destructive power. If someone were to use it, it would cause great harm, whether to the Empire or the magical world.”

Hearing this, Lin Wei was almost certain that the stolen item was the forbidden scroll “Molten Gold” that had been in his possession in his past life.

However, the Empire hadn’t acquired the scroll through honorable means, and now a magician had stolen it. What good would it do to inform the Magic Association?

Prince Bolan continued, “My brother believes this is a provocation from the magical world and wants to confront the Magic Association directly, even resorting to force. However, I don’t believe this incident happened under the Magic Association’s direction.

First, although our relationship is strained, the magical world has no reason or necessity to provoke us. Even if they harbored hostility toward the Empire, they wouldn’t express it in this manner.

So I believe the magician who committed the theft isn’t under the Magic Association’s jurisdiction, and their intentions are unclear—whether they target the Empire or the magical world. Therefore, it’s necessary for us to inform the Magic Association and ask for their help in locating this dangerous item. If it’s aimed at the Empire, then we can resolve a crisis. If it’s aimed at the magical world, we can consider it a good deed—perhaps even earn some goodwill from the magical world.”

Here, Prince Bolan seemed a bit helpless as he added, “Our father agreed with my view, and as a result, my brother was quite upset.”