Having completed the report with a tense voice, he waited for the sharp questions that would be thrown.

But the words that came out when the silent mouth opened were completely different from usual.

“Have you ever heard rumors about Cassis, the Wizard?”

‘…Why is Cassis, the Wizard, in this report?’

Count Ert decided that he must have missed something related to Cassis, the Wizard.

‘Think quickly, what’s the connection between Cassis, the Wizard, and the sewer construction project, brain!’

As Count Ert was rigidly trying to remember the connection between Cassis, the Wizard, and the sewer…

“Count. Answer.”

Ludwig asked as he put down the paper with a thud.

In the quiet office, the sound of a paper bundle hitting the desk was huge, at least to Count Ert.

“Yes? Yes!”

“Cassis, the Wizard. I asked if you’ve heard of him.”

“Yes, he’s a wizard working at the Magic Tower, a relative of mine, so I’ve heard a lot about Cassis, the Wizard!”

“What did he say?”

“It seems he could be helpful in the sewer project!”

Ludwig’s eyes, which had shown a hint of curiosity, instantly cooled down.

Who asked for that?

‘That’s not it. He wants a valid reason to recruit Cassis, the Wizard, into his close quarters!’

The competent aide, who lived off the breadcrumbs, quickly changed direction.

“He’s incredibly bright, his magical skills are incomparable, yet he is humble and handsome, making him the object of envy among his peers.”

But the aide, who caught the breadcrumbs not with his mouth but with his nose, was again incorrect.

Ludwig already knew that Cassis, the Wizard, was talented.

All he heard from his surroundings was praise for the sons of Artina and Cassis, the Wizard. How could the Prince not know?

He wanted to talk about some of the weaknesses of the Wizard to alleviate the grudge he felt because his little friend called Cassis, the Wizard, ‘brother.’

The clueless aide listed only the fact that the wizard was great and then sat down.

‘In that case, I should see that great face at least once.’

The face that dared to be called ‘brother’ by the petty thief.

“If he’s that great, we should meet once. Request a visit letter.”

“Yes!”

The aide, who mistakenly thought he accurately guessed the boss’s thoughts, answered cheerfully and left.

Ludwig tapped his desk with his index finger, deep in thought.

‘…There’s no separate fox.’

It’s a perfect bait for the petty thief’s eye level, promising to make a fairy tale book.

“Isn’t the death penalty too much for petty theft?”

The one who was flicking his finger soon pulled out a thick Imperial Code.

Then, a large hawk pierced the dark sky and flew into his office through the window and landed on his desk.

“You’re here. You’ve been working hard, Largo.”

The clever hawk was in charge of sitting on top of a tree at the secret base every day, checking if Evelia was coming, and if she appeared, immediately flying to Ludwig to let him know.

As if Agares was screaming in annoyance, it was all thanks to this huge bird that Ludwig could rush to Evelia’s secret base as quickly as the wind once he knew about her visit.

The way it leaned its head for stroking was quite gentle, unlike the snickering at Evelia’s chirping not too long ago.

Until the moon had brightly lit up the sky, the only sound in Ludwig’s office was the flipping of legal books.

According to Evelia’s description, the ‘sour bird’ Largo, seemingly not wanting to disturb its master, quietly picked at its feathers with its beak.

“Hmm. Seduction of a minor can even lead to execution……”

Caressing the large bird with one hand, he finally found the answer he wanted in the legal book, and his beautiful lips curved into a smile.

Wouldn’t luring chicks with a picture book also be considered as seducing a minor?

Ludwig, who was interpreting the legal books as he pleased as the crown prince of the empire, inserted a bookmark on the corresponding page.

Though it would not be used right now, it would be handy to use against Count Cassis’ formal ceremony whenever needed.

At that moment.

While teaching magic to Rellian, Icrian suddenly had to shiver due to an unexpected chill.

A few days later, to his embarrassment, Icrian received an invitation from the small sun of this empire and headed to the Crown Prince’s Palace.

In the thirteen years of Icrian’s life, this was his first time visiting the imperial palace, being still young.

“I greet the small sun of the Arcadia Empire. I am Icrian Cassis, the eldest son of the Cassis family. It is an unparalleled honor to meet you.”

Icrian, who usually never got nervous, politely greeted the Crown Prince with a gentle smile.

‘Why is his greeting so perfect?’

The flawlessness of his greeting made Ludwig feel uneasy.

Isn’t it normal for someone summoned to the Crown Prince’s Palace without any understanding of the reason to at least be a little nervous?

“You are said to be an unparalleled genius.”

That’s why. He threw a curt remark without a proper greeting.

“That is an overstatement.”

“I will be the one to determine whether that is an overstatement or not.”

Soon, Ludwig began to squeeze Icrian for solutions such as ‘Developing asset management techniques for the effective maintenance of sewage systems’ and ‘Alternatives regarding the minimum avoidance distance based on the safety consciousness of ship navigators’.

The Crown Prince was not far behind Icrian in terms of cleverness.

Even after losing Mohu, who was his only power, he was able to win over the minds of the forces supporting the prince solely with his overwhelming royal talent.

Though they both were young and couldn’t yet have deep conversations, Icrian’s strong mental power was finely honed through the heated debates that lasted for a long time.

When Icrian returned to the Count’s residence shufflingly, his arms were full of homework given by Ludwig.

Along with a very tight deadline written on a piece of paper.

“Oh dear…”

For no apparent reason, Icrian let out an awkward laugh, seemingly perplexed.

It was clear that he had unknowingly offended His Highness the Crown Prince.

But since it was their first facetoface meeting today, he couldn’t think of what he had done wrong even with his sharp mind.

From that day on, Ludwig regularly summoned Icrian to urge him to propose solutions to various problems of the empire.

‘Well, he’s quite useful.’

It was an annoyance that started when he began to feel jealous of Evelia calling Icrian ‘brother’, but over time, he started to like the answers that Icrian provided.

And about that time.

Evelia, who had visited Count Cassis’ residence, laughed and pointed at Icrian’s dark circles under his eyes.

“Ahahaha Zombie! It’s a zombie!”

Not enough, she circled around Icrian, chirping about how the manager of the picture book factory had become lazy these days and was not publishing new books.

“Strike the lazy picture book factory manager hard!”

“Strike hard with this when you do, Eve.”

“Thanks, Renlian!”

She had no idea that Icrian’s arduous journey was due to her.