Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 430

A carriage ascends the slope.

Rutherford, leaning against the soft bear fur, gazed out the window. The slow movement of the carriage seemed to please him.

But at that moment, a chill ran through his chest, accompanied by a slight tremor. His gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, wavered.

“Ah.”

“Is something the matter?”

Rutherford didn’t answer his subordinate’s question, instead picking up a cigarette. As he took a deep drag, Rutherford’s brow furrowed.

The magic he had placed on Damon had activated. It felt as if the thread connected to his sixth sense had been severed. It was clear why he had activated the magic, but his life or death was unknown. If his head had been blown off, it would be over, but the feeling was strange.

Rutherford flicked the cigarette ash out of the slightly open carriage window and said,

“We should hurry a bit. King Damon might be dead.”

“It activated?”

“Yeah, it did. But it’s not clean.”

“I will urge the coachman.”

Tap tap. The subordinate tapped on the coachman’s window and gave a hand signal. The tense coachman pulled the reins tight, and the carriage, which had been moving rhythmically, began to shake violently.

Rutherford didn’t like it. It felt as if he were a bug crawling on the earth, like a lowly human walking and running on two feet.

Noticing Rutherford’s change in mood, the subordinate spoke cautiously.

“Or, how about sending just Rutherford-nim and part of the carriage near Bariel?”

“No. What would I do going first? It’s no different than rushing into enemy territory without weapons. If Damon is dead, he’s dead, and if he’s alive, he’s alive. And more importantly, we need to save our guys’ strength, right?”

Rutherford smiled and chided, and the subordinate lowered his head.

His return to Bariel had significant implications. It wasn’t just about stepping on the earth, seeing the people of the Empire, and looking around. It was about entering the Imperial Palace, letting the Imperial bloodline see him, and having his name engraved in the history books once more. Rutherford exhaled a sigh mixed with excitement and tension along with the cigarette smoke.

“It took too long.”

He couldn’t gauge the passage of time. From the very beginning, the start of his memories. From the name Bandor, he had lived countless lives and deaths. The subordinate carefully added a word of comfort.

“As long as it took, everything will be achieved according to Rutherford-nim’s will.”

Rutherford smiled brightly, grabbed the subordinate’s chin, and slightly opened his mouth. A black pattern was faintly visible next to his tongue. It was the same as Damon’s. Rutherford lightly tapped his chin and asked,

“Do you think so?”

“Of course. Rutherford-nim is so close to a god just by existing.”

“…How is that my will?”

Bandor. Rutherford recalled his first body, which had already faded into the distant past. For Bariel, for the belief of a mage, he had shouldered everything and thrown himself into the rift, but all that remained for him was an eternal life like a curse.

“It’s sickening.”

It was a series of deaths.

At one point, he was a nomad at the edge of Gaia, at another, a wandering fisherman in the vast Blaster Sea. And at another point, he was a criminal waiting for death with his limbs severed, and at another, a nobleman who was imprisoned and wasting away due to his brothers’ infighting……

All of these things had sequentially overwhelmed Rutherford. Death, death. And more death.

“……”

In countless deaths, Rutherford had lost his will at some point and simply endured what he experienced. Then one day, he met that person. ‘The gypsy who eats secrets’.

“Where is Clark?”

“He’s in the carriage right behind us. Shall I call him?”

“No. It’s fine. He must be excited to meet his lover, why bother him? I know that feeling very well too.”

Clark meeting Rien, and Rutherford meeting Bariel after countless deaths. As he stubbed out his cigarette, the subordinate tapped on the coachman’s window again, urging him on.

Following Rutherford’s carriage, nearly a hundred large and small carriages quickly attached themselves. And at the head of the carriage procession, dozens of black horses guided the way.

If the gods were to look down from the sky, it was a sight that would surely catch their eye first.

* * *

“H-huh, what, what is this-”

“We’ll explain the situation later, hurry! Stop the bleeding!”

“Ah, yes, yes. Y-you are King Damon, right? Excuse me for a moment. Bring the hemostatic agent!”

“What should we do with the tongue fragments?”

“I don’t think we can reattach them. Hmm, I’ve seen a few people with their tongues cut, but this is the first time I’ve seen it shattered like this. What happened?”

The palace doctors looked around the messy interrogation room and laid Damon down. Everything was covered in blood, so much so that there was nothing to say other than it was a mess. An explosion had occurred inside his mouth, and his tongue was shattered, and the inside was indescribably gruesome.

The doctors paused for a moment, not knowing where to start, and then rejoiced at the appearance of the healing mages.

“We will infuse him with ki [life force]. He is an important attendee of the upcoming Grand Assembly, so saving him is our priority.”

“No, how can we present him as a witness in this state? It’s impossible. I’m not objecting as a doctor, but it’s medically impossible.”

“He is the leader of the war criminals, and this is a report after the war has just ended. It’s right to bring him, even if it’s just a corpse.”

“Yes. And keep those tongue fragments safe. It’s proof that Ian-nim didn’t treat King Damon carelessly. He exploded on his own, and it would be a problem if Ian-nim is misunderstood.”

“Goodness, bring something to hold the tongue fragments!”

“The hemostatic agent is here!”

Tap tap!

Wham!

The busy footsteps of those going up and down the stairs echoed loudly.

At the end of the hallway, Romandro blocked the scribes and carefully reviewed what they had written. They held their pens tightly, glaring at Romandro with suspicious eyes.

“If you add even a single dot, I will report you immediately.”

“Goodness, I’ve told you several times not to worry. You’re the ones holding the pens, aren’t you? Before that mess happened, I, as the aide, need to know what kind of conversation Ian-nim had with Damon! Stop being so noisy and just be quiet.”

“Noisy? Did you say noisy?”

“Ugh! Because you keep talking to me, I have to read the parts I already read again!”

As Romandro threw a tantrum, the scribes backed away with bewildered faces. And soon, realizing that they would only lose if they messed with him, they remained silent, holding their pens.

Rustle, rustle, the sound of paper turning was heard amidst the noise. Romandro, who had finished reading everything, looked at Ian, who was sitting a little distance away.

What on earth is he thinking, that wondrous boy?

“Ian.”

At Romandro’s call, Ian turned his head. Romandro stood close to Ian and tapped the scribes’ records.

“So, it’s a given that Rutherford is a mage, judging by King Damon’s reaction?”

“Otherwise, his tongue wouldn’t have been shattered like that.”

“Okay. Let’s say that’s true. But is it generally possible for a mage to lose their magic? I’ve never heard of it. Of course, I’m not a mage, so I don’t know much. But isn’t magic said to be engraved in the soul? Unless they die, how can it disappear?”

“That’s exactly it.”

“That? What?”

“Death. Since there is nothing else that can take away a mage’s power except death, we can assume that Rutherford has died more than once.”

“C-could it be related to necromancy?”

“It’s not entirely impossible, but it’s unlikely. Hasha didn’t specifically mention anything about Rutherford. Astana is the most authoritative talent in necromancy, and Rutherford wouldn’t have moved without them. Considering his actions, including Idgal, it would be more natural to say that he is just a mage who has experienced death.”

“Oh, come on. Wait a minute. I don’t understand.”

How could someone who had died be alive and moving around like that? Being ignorant about regression and reincarnation, Romandro couldn’t easily accept it, unlike Ian.

‘This body is the body of the illegitimate son Ian. A hundred years later, I can’t be sure if I, the Ian of Bariel, am dead or alive. But one thing is certain—’

If magic remains in the body of the illegitimate son Ian, it means that his soul has not disappeared either. That he is not dead. It means that he, like me and Damon, is running along a timeline somewhere.

That’s because Emperor Ian was possessed by the illegitimate son Ian at Derga’s backyard, during a meal. Unless he ate poison, there was no reason for the illegitimate son Ian to die at that place.

“Ian.”

Romandro flipped through the records, licking his fingertips. His face was full of determination.

It was already being said that he had some connection with the Imperial family. That he had created Idgal, and so on. All sorts of nonsense were being spread about Ian, the war hero.

If Damon’s condition were to become like that, new questions would surely be amplified. To deny and cover up the suspicions, that Ian had harmed Damon.

“It would be good to prepare the defense carefully. Since the war has just ended, the officials won’t be too aggressive. But these problems are not trivial. So, don’t get caught, okay?”

‘If the illegitimate son Ian is alive, where is he now? Is he running on a different timeline? Otherwise, there’s no way he wouldn’t come to find Philia. Just like I did, he can do it too.’

“First, I’ll use my influence in the administrative department. I have some connections there more than other departments. In many ways. The problem is Damon’s safety, which Burgos will raise, but since they haven’t made a statement yet, it’s better for us to hold the Grand Assembly quickly.”

‘The abyss below the rift. If there is no space-time in the abyss, could Naum be there? According to the records, Bandor is someone who has been below the rift. The only way is to meet Rutherford directly and ask him, but to meet him—’

“Ian. Who am I talking to right now? Are you listening to me?!”

“…Of course.”

“What did I just say?”

“To prepare carefully.”

“Hey, hey. You were pretending to listen and half-ignoring me!”

“No, I was really listening. But Romandro-nim, could you return the records to the scribes and go to the Imperial Archives? Go and see if there are any more records about a person named Bandor. And bring everything that mentions the rift and the abyss. Even a single word is fine.”

“No! What if I return the records? What if the scribes blab to the Imperial family?”

“Then should we keep them?”

“That’s not it-”

“Romandrooooo! Nim! Romandro-nim!”

Thump thump!

Wham!

Then, someone tumbled down the stairs. Romandro clicked his tongue, knowing who it was without looking. The only one who moved so recklessly in the Imperial Palace was Berik.

“Be quiet, you! This is an important moment!”

“This is important for me too!? Vivianna is giving birth!”

“Huh?”

Thud. Romandro dropped the records on the floor. His eyes widened like a rabbit’s, and he froze.

“She’s giving birth. Wah wah. I saw Vivianna collapse, so it would be better to go quickly, wouldn’t it?”

“W-why did Vivianna collapse?”

“I don’t know. Go see for yourself.”

“N-no……”

Romandro hurriedly tried to pick up the papers. But Ian lightly stopped his hand. He knelt down and said to Romandro,

“Don’t worry about this and go quickly.”

“Uh, well, Ian.”

“It’s okay. It’s not the first time I’ve attended the Grand Assembly alone. The mother and father should be together at the beginning of their child’s life.”

Romandro strangely couldn’t take his steps. If it were normal, if it were usual, he would have just said sorry and run away, but…

Somehow, he felt uneasy about sending Ian to the Grand Assembly alone, as if he would cause a big accident. He didn’t know exactly what it was.

“Ian, then I’ll just see Vivianna and the baby and come back soon, okay?”

“It’s fine. Hurry.”

“Ah, goodness. Well, anyway, see you later. Berik!”

“The carriage is outside!”

“Okay. I got it. You’ve worked hard! Move!”

Tap tap!

Romandro moved his short legs quickly and went up the stairs, and Ian gathered the records and handed them to the scribes.

The scribes, who had been watching Ian with wary eyes, reached out and took the papers as if they were snatching them away.

“You may now return. And testify at the Grand Assembly without adding or subtracting anything from what you heard and experienced here.”

“…We will do so even if you don’t say it. You’re worrying unnecessarily.”

“Isn’t worrying what worrying is for?”

As Ian smiled, the scribes hurried away, pushing through the mages and leaving the interrogation room. Their footsteps left clear traces of Damon’s blood on the floor.