Isha had not closed her eyes for three whole days.
Ever since Li An had been thrown into Zarat Prison, she had been running around tirelessly.
Using every connection she could marshal, she quickly discovered that the masterminds behind the scenes were the scheming ministers closest to the Emperor, and she found a way to deliver this news to Crown Prince Kane.
But this was not enough.
To ensure Li An's safety, more people had to know the truth.
Only then would those corrupt ministers hesitate to touch him with impunity.
The first thing Isha did was head to the Evaluation Department office.
“Preparations for the protest are complete. What kind of subordinates would we be to stand by and do nothing while our superior is wrongfully accused?”
Before Isha could even speak, Section One Chief Kane had already organized the staff of the Evaluation Department.
Even the catkins followed closely behind.
A massive crowd marched into the square and began their public protest.
Those who habitually hid in the shadows to orchestrate conspiracies hated nothing more than having their names dragged into the open.
Normally, Marquis Sevis and Count Galtana would have already found a way to suppress such a protest.
But this time, they did not dare.
This was because the Crown Prince had tacitly approved the protest.
Even the Emperor of the empire did not side with them this time.
They had bought some time.
So next, they had to fundamentally turn the tide.
Isha headed to the White Magic Tower.
“Calm down, Isha.”
She quietly took a deep breath.
These were the words her teacher had often told her.
There were many so-called schools of mental discipline in the world that believed the mind could overcome the body if only the spirit were strong enough. But in reality, it was exactly the opposite. Without a healthy body, one could do nothing.
Smoothing her messy hair, Isha understood her teacher's teachings more deeply now than ever before.
To be honest, she was even starting to doubt herself a little.
This step was a massive gamble for her as well.
She had leveraged the greatest connection she could mobilize as the Third Princess of the empire—the White Magic Tower.
If this move succeeded, it would be enough to completely change the situation.
But if it failed, the price would be equally astronomical.
What if the Jewel Frogs had no special effects at all?
What if the White Magic Tower verified that themselves?
“No.”
Isha shook her head.
It wasn't just anyone.
It was Li An who had personally told her.
—There is something unseen about the Jewel Frogs.
As long as she believed that, Isha could put her mind at ease.
She suddenly realized something.
How fortunate it was to be able to fully trust someone other than oneself.
Isha closed her eyes.
Drowsiness washed over her like a tidal wave.
For the first time in three whole days, she truly fell asleep.
“Wake up, Isha. Get up and look what I found.”
Isha felt someone shaking her shoulder.
She opened her eyes blearily.
The face of Borman, Master of the White Magic Tower, came into view, lined with wrinkles.
It was indeed the Master of the White Magic Tower, Borman.
“This frog you brought, the Jewel Frog... where on earth did you find it?”
Even elderly mages still retained a childlike innocence.
When discovering something unfathomable and new, they would become just as excited as children.
Having napped for a bit, Isha's energy had partially recovered, and her mind was much clearer.
“Teacher, can you first tell me what exactly you discovered?”
“Ahem.”
Borman cleared his throat.
“First of all, you should know what a wand means to a mage, right, Isha?”
“Yes. A wand acts as a magical medium, improving the stability and precision of spells.”
“Correct. Although some extremely rare wands can alter magic itself, in most cases, that is its primary function.”
Borman reached out and tapped his staff.
For an Archmage of his caliber, he could cast spells normally even without a staff.
However, this staff that had accompanied him for many years had long since become like another hand, making it incredibly precious.
Besides, occasionally leaning on it while climbing mountains was also good for his physical health.
“But not just any object can become a magical medium.”
Borman pointed at the staff in his hand.
“Take this one, for instance. It was taken from an ancient tree deep within the Elven Forest, processed by a professional wandmaker, and finally underwent a special magical treatment. This staff alone is probably worth as much as a luxury mansion. Well...”
So, what did this have to do with the Jewel Frogs?
Isha completely ignored her teacher's subtle boasting.
Borman scratched his head.
“It... can also serve as a magical medium.”
“...”
Isha froze.
Borman stretched out a finger and gently stroked the Jewel Frog's back.
Rather than resisting, the Jewel Frog was extremely docile, letting him touch it.
“Ribbit.”
The Jewel Frog suddenly leapt, landing right in Isha's arms.
“Ah!”
Isha gasped in surprise.
“Don't move.”
In the next instant.
A sudden flash of white light erupted from the Jewel Frog.
The light slowly seeped into Isha's body.
“Experiencing it once is better than hearing a hundred explanations. How do you feel right now?”
“My fatigue... is fading.”
“Indeed.”
Borman nodded.
“Certain rare wands can store mana, and this Jewel Frog possesses a similar ability. Although the magic it can carry varies from individual to individual, in essence, it is also a magical medium.”
“I see.”
“Have you still not realized what this means?”
Borman looked at her with disbelief.
“This is a major discovery capable of reshaping the entire magic world! Even without a wand, as long as one has this frog, they can store mana inside its body and then transmit that mana to the mages of the Western Continent!”
“Do you mean... it's similar to a magic scroll?”
“A scroll?”
Borman rolled his eyes.
“The production cost of a scroll is much higher, and it often takes a month of preparation. More importantly, the user of a scroll must be a mage themselves.”
A magic revolution.
Borman did not hesitate to use the word “revolution” to describe the Jewel Frog before him.
“So, tell your teacher.”
Borman stared at Isha.
“Where on earth did you discover these Jewel Frogs? Where do they live? How many are there? And—who exactly was the first to discover them?”
“Teacher, do you expect me to just tell you all this with nothing in return?”
“...”
Borman was momentarily speechless.
Isha slowly straightened her back.
She suddenly remembered her true purpose for coming here.
Today, she was not standing here as a student.
Rather, she was here as the Third Princess of the empire.
Regarding the Jewel Frogs, she had to secure the greatest possible benefits.
“Well then, let us begin our negotiations.”
Isha looked at the Master of the White Magic Tower before her.
“Lord Borman.”
Negotiation.
This was the area where Isha truly excelled.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Crown Prince Kane flipped through the newspaper in his hands.
He had already learned of this news ahead of time through his own intelligence channels.
‘You succeeded, Isha.’
When Isha had first said she wanted to go to the White Magic Tower, Kane had actually felt the trip would be meaningless.
He had already held plenty of leverage in his hands.
As long as he continued to apply pressure, it would be enough to secure Li An's freedom while forcing those corrupt ministers to back down.
Thus, he had asked Isha.
Was there really a need to take this gamble?
But now—
Isha had given him the answer with hard facts.
The success was flawless.
A massive storm was gathering over the empire.
This was no longer just about rescuing Li An.
This had turned into a high-level political game centered entirely around a single person.
And Kane and Isha had already won the first round.
‘Finally, those corrupt ministers can be completely purged.’
Li An's judgment had been proven completely correct.
The alleged charge of “market manipulation” had also been proven utterly absurd.
With the publication of the latest issue of the newspaper, the public opinion among the nobility had completely flipped.
No one was willing to stand on the side of Marquis Sevis and Count Galtana anymore.
‘So the reason Li An Adolf could never be promoted above a fifth-rank official was because these corrupt ministers were always throwing obstacles in his way.’
The Crown Prince had publicly praised Li An's achievements on multiple occasions.
But every single time, those corrupt ministers would find any petty excuse to nitpick and prevent his promotion using all kinds of ridiculous pretexts.
It was precisely because of them that Li An had remained stuck at the position of a fifth-rank official.
And now—
Once these people were completely cleared away, Li An's speed of promotion would probably be astonishingly rapid.
It would be like a dam that had held back water for years suddenly bursting.
‘Wait...’
Kane suddenly thought of a possibility.
This storm had originally been triggered by Li An proactively writing that article.
If Li An had long since anticipated the moves of those corrupt ministers...
And even treated his own life as a chess piece, voluntarily throwing himself into the game...
‘This man... is simply too terrifying.’
Kane felt a shiver run down his spine, goosebumps breaking out on his arms.
Now that the corrupt ministers were about to be purged, the struggle for the imperial succession would also completely accelerate.
He did not know how many chips he had accumulated.
But Kane possessed absolute confidence.
And the most precious card among them—
Without a doubt, was Li An Adolf.
Whether it was to ascend the throne.
Or for what came after ascending the throne.
This man was someone he had to keep firmly in his grasp.
“Look at this!”
Li An proudly held up his creation.
“This is a fish-shaped knitting technique I just developed. Impressive, isn't it?”
It was a lie, of course.
This was clearly a skill he had learned in his past life.
Armed with this trick, Li An had easily won the knitting contest against Jerob.
“That's incredible, Li An! Teach me too!”
“Sure. First, you have to do this...”
Right then.
Clatter—
A group of prison guards suddenly surrounded Li An.
Immediately after, Warden Cheshire of Zarat Prison appeared behind them.
Just looking at this setup, the atmosphere felt a bit off.
Li An sighed.
It was finally here.
He had tried his best to avoid this for so long.
It seemed he couldn't escape his fate after all.
“Bury my body in my hometown backyard...”
Li An began to calmly deliver his last will and testament.
“Congratulations on clearing your name, Mr. Li An.”
“Congratulations!”
The guards bowed simultaneously.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
This was not the posture of escorting a convict.
It was a deeply respectful salute.
“You may pack your things and leave the prison. We will secure a boat to safely send you back to the imperial mainland.”
Cheshire had received urgent intelligence early this morning.
Since Li An's name had been cleared, he had to be released as quickly as possible.
And from the moment Cheshire received the news, he did not doubt it for a second.
Over this past period, he had witnessed Li An's every action with his own eyes.
This man did not seem like someone who would ever commit such a despicable act.
Even while imprisoned, he had never once slacked off, serving his sentence honestly and even becoming the model prisoner of the entire prison.
“I believe that in your future as an official, you will surely bring even greater glory to our empire.”
Before Li An could even register what was happening, his release paperwork was processed with astonishing speed.
Soon, he reclaimed all of his confiscated belongings, preparing to leave Zarat.
Jerob, however, was filled with reluctance.
“Congratulations, Li An.”
“But... I'm going to be a bit lonely.”
“Everyone used to be afraid of me, but you were different.”
“Li An, will we be able to meet again in the future?”
“Jerob.”
Li An patted his shoulder.
“You should be leaving this prison as well.”
Cheshire pulled out another document.
“I don't know who pulled the strings, but your case seems to have been a setup as well.”
“You were probably just too simple-minded, which is why they threw you in prison.”
“Since your suspicion has been cleared now, you can go back to your hometown.”
“Hometown?”
Jerob's face immediately fell.
“But I hate my hometown.”
“It's dark and damp there.”
His eyes made him look exactly like an abandoned puppy.
Li An suddenly recalled how Jerob had stepped forward to block the attacker without hesitation when that other prisoner had lunged at him.
“The Evaluation Department still lacks a security guard.”
Li An thought about it for a moment.
“Would you like to join us?”
“Really?”
Jerob whipped his head up.
“I can really go?”
“Of course.”
Of course, he couldn't.
This was a very obvious violation of hiring regulations.
But so what?
Li An was the Director of the Evaluation Department.
He wanted to hire someone, and who could possibly fire him over such a trivial matter anyway?
“Then I will write you a letter before I depart.”
“Take your time. No rush.”
Li An took one last look at the calm surface of the sea.
A faint trace of reluctance unexpectedly bloomed in his heart.
These days...
...had actually been quite comfortable.
Soon, Jerob returned after writing his letter.
Together, the two boarded the ship heading back to the empire.
“How does it feel to return to the empire, sir?”
“You have successfully cleared your name and returned safely. Do you have anything to say right now?”
“The efficacy of the Jewel Frogs has been proven, and you were the very first to discover them. May we ask how you came to know about this?”
“Who do you support to become the next Emperor of the empire?”
The moment his feet touched the imperial mainland, Li An was surrounded by a sea of reporters from all over the world.
Camera flashes went off one after another.
Unnumbered questions were fired at him like a machine gun.
The impact of this event had far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Consequently, the name Li An Adolf was no longer just minorly famous within the empire.
It had spread throughout the entire world overnight.
Beyond the crowd.
Li An spotted Crown Prince Kane waving at him.
Standing behind Kane was Isha.
“...”
Li An remained silent for a long moment.
Then, he turned right around to leave.
“Just send me back to Zarat Prison.”
It took two full hours.
Before Li An finally managed to shake off the surrounding crowd of reporters.
Rate on N.U.
