Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 0

The Emperor’s End

Ian ascended to the throne as a boy.

And before reaching adulthood, his head was severed.

The life of Emperor Ian Verosion would be remembered by those two sentences. Who would remember the young emperor who came like the wind and disappeared like the wind in a time of upheaval?

A man who entered the underground prison grabbed Ian by the hair. He was a mess, covered in blood, but his eyes were sharp.

“Uncle Ian.”

The man’s name was Crony. Due to a family tree twisted like a dog’s, he was Ian’s nephew, twenty years his senior. Every time he shook Ian’s hair, blood-mixed saliva dripped from Ian’s mouth.

“How did you end up like this? That’s why I told you. You don’t have what it takes to be an emperor, so it would have been better to refuse the position. If you had listened to me then, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Ian stared silently at Crony without answering. As if he didn’t like the look, Crony struck Ian’s face hard.

Slap!

“Even if you’re a thoughtless teenager, you should look before you leap! That magic! What’s so great about it!”

Ian sighed inwardly.

Magic, a power so sacred and great that it could be called the trace left by God in the world. And that was the reason Ian was able to ascend to the throne.

“Uncle, look! Your precious magic can’t even stop my kick, can it?”

Thud! Thud!

It was true. Thanks to the magic seal stone shackles that bound Ian’s limbs, he was now just an ordinary nineteen-year-old human. Even if the seal stone were released, his end was predetermined as he was facing death.

“One in ten thousand, the first noble mage, all meaningless! It’s all useless before this blade.”

Swoosh.

Crony finally drew his sword. Even if he was a fallen emperor due to treason, to end his life in this underground prison. Ian let out a ridiculous laugh.

“…Ha.”

“You’re laughing?”

“…Yes. It’s ridiculous. Crony. You haven’t changed either. Are you still so envious that I’m a mage?”

At Ian’s words, Crony’s face hardened.

Just as rarity makes something precious, the same was true for mages. They were a minority, with perhaps less than a hundred in the entire Bariel Empire.

Therefore, it was the first time in the history of the great Bariel Empire that a mage had emerged from a noble family.

“I remember. When I was a child, a mana user, you said to me, who knew nothing, ‘Mages are rare, but most are from commoner backgrounds. If you’re found out, you’ll be kicked out of the mansion, so hide it.’”

“…Ian. Why are you talking about the past?”

“Isn’t it funny? Of course, since commoners are overwhelmingly more numerous than nobles, most mages would naturally be from commoner backgrounds.”

“Shut your mouth!”

“Why, are you ashamed?”

“I said shut up!”

Thud!

Ian’s vision went dark. Crony’s fist had hit his eye squarely. Ian’s head, sprawled on the floor, was being trampled.

“What does it matter? I’m standing here, and you’re face down on the floor. That’s what’s important.”

Crony pointed the tip of his sword at Ian’s neck. Just as he was about to cut off his breath without hesitation, footsteps were heard from outside.

“Lord Crony. A letter has arrived from Duke Hilon.”

“…Is it urgent?”

“Yes. I apologize.”

Crony clicked his tongue and removed his foot from Ian’s head. He glanced at Ian, who was lying still as if dead, and left the underground prison.

How much time had passed?

Click. Clink.

“Lord Ian……”

Unfamiliar metallic sounds and a familiar voice. Ian barely regained consciousness and opened his eyes. He didn’t even have the strength to turn his head. He just barely moved his gaze and saw Naum, the Minister of Magic, weeping as he was unlocking the shackles.

“Lord Ian. Please, please, come to your senses.”

“Naum, what… what are you doing here……”

“This is not the time. You must hurry and escape, you must live. Lord Ian, please, somehow, find some strength……”

But the seal stone shackles were not easily removed. Moonlight streamed through a small window, illuminating Naum’s hands. His fingertips were all scraped and messed up from the rust.

“…Stop it.”

“Lord Ian?”

“…I want to stop.”

“Wh, what are you saying?”

Ian smiled faintly and closed his eyes again. Then, the time when he first entered the Magic Department vividly came to mind.

“Thank you. It was all thanks to you that I was able to become a mage from a mana user, and that I was able to ascend to the throne. Although I was lacking and ended up like this, you must continue to survive and protect the Bariel Empire.”

“No. It can’t be. Without Lord Ian, the Magic Department has no meaning. So, please come to your senses and receive my mana. If you die, if you die, it’s all over……”

If he died, it would be all over. That was exactly what Ian truly desired. It was too hard, too tiring, and too exhausting. The three years he had lived as emperor had destroyed everything in Ian.

“Lord Ian. Listen to me carefully.”

But Naum did not give up.

He carefully grabbed Ian’s chin and made him look straight into his eyes.

“Next to the Central Main Building of the Second Imperial Palace, there is a separate building directly under the Magic Department. You know, right? The place Lord Ian went to whenever you wanted to cry when you first entered the Imperial Palace.”

“…I only cried once.”

“Yes. Anyway.”

Why did he cry?

Ian frowned, trying to recall the hazy memory as if it were covered in fog. It was then. Naum seemed to sense something and looked towards the prison entrance. It was clear that Crony, having finished his business, was approaching.

“…Release the barrier and quickly hide.”

“I can’t do that. Lord Ian, go that way. If you go, you might find a breakthrough.”

“What do you mean?”

At Ian’s words, Naum simply answered with silence. It wasn’t because of the darkness of the underground prison, but he noticed that his face was growing darker with worry and concern. Ian barely held onto his fading consciousness and grabbed Naum’s sleeve again.

“Naum, I asked you.”

“I mixed my blood with magic.”

“…Naum!”

“I hoped for an answer, that if you went that way, it would open up an opportunity. I don’t know why it’s that place. It’s also because of my lack of ability. Anyway, you must hurry.”

The power of magic, which defies the laws of nature by its very existence. If the balance of power was even slightly off, one would fall into the abyss. The Papal State called it hell, and among mages, it was called the curse of eternity.

“Did you distort space-time?”

“I had no choice. Lord Ian, so……”

“Why, why!”

Creak.

“I knew it. Even if we weed out all the Magic Department bastards, it’s useless if the minister himself acts like this, isn’t it?”

It was Crony. Behind him stood the man who was being promoted to the next Minister of Magic, following Naum. Naum gritted his teeth and chanted a magic circle. The waves flickering from his fingertips. The chaotic patterns were scattered and did not shine as before. It was because the energy of the seal stone binding Ian’s wrist was too strong.

“Naum! Please! No!”

“Lord Ian. It’s okay. There is always, always a chance. God does not give problems without answers.”

Whoosh!

Naum’s magic circle began to burn red. But strangely, the flames were not directed at Crony, but were consuming Naum’s hand.

“Aaaah!”

“…No! Naum, wait! Stop!”

Ian shouted, raising his head while lying on the ground.

He had no attachment to his own life, but he could not bear to see his precious people die because of him.

It was only after becoming emperor that he realized. The weight of the crown was the weight of the loyalty sent by those who followed Ian. And it was not Ian who was bearing it, but them.

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

Crony also blocked the surging flames with his left hand. If the mage behind him hadn’t put up a shield, his face would have been burned.

‘Ah. Damn it.’

On the other hand, Ian felt his consciousness fading again due to the intense heat. The moment everything became bright with light, and even the pain became distant. Ian suddenly realized that he could hear a metallic sound in his ear.

Clang.

Crony’s sword touched Ian’s neck. So this was the end of a three-year emperor. He thought he had done his best for Bariel, but his trusted people were devoured and died, and Ian was also about to have his head cut off.

“Ian. Don’t be born in the next life.”

With Crony’s cruel words, everything disappeared. Death was like this, the surroundings were so quiet. And what he saw next was…….

‘Fork and knife?’

And his own hands holding them the wrong way.

* * *

Ian slowly raised his head.

His body felt heavy, but compared to the pain he had experienced over the past few days, it felt as light as a feather.

“Ian.”

The unfamiliar woman across from him was looking down at him.

A vast garden, well-tended flower beds, and lavish food in front of him. When he came to his senses, he realized that everyone sitting around was watching him.

“Ah.”

It didn’t seem like hell. Then was it heaven?

But the scenery was not much different from where he had lived. Rather, it seemed a bit shabby compared to the Imperial Palace…….

“Why is he like this? Ian. It’s rude to the guests.”

“It seems that his lack of manners shows up all the time.”

“Chel. Watch your words.”

“Ian. Come to your senses.”

The chubby boy sitting next to the woman spat out harsh words, but Ian didn’t pay much attention. It was because of the smell of food that had been stimulating him since earlier. He couldn’t remember when he had last eaten a meal while being locked in the underground prison.

‘…I don’t know what’s going on. But it’s driving me crazy.’

It was an instinctive action that came out without him realizing it. Ian gracefully corrected his utensils and assumed the proper posture for dining. And with more dignity than anyone else, and faster than anyone else, he cut and ate the steak.

“Hmm.”

It was a graceful and formal gesture that one could not imagine from someone who had just been holding a fork in his fist. The exclamation of admiration was also short, low, and not vulgar.

The Margrave across from him, the Countess who was his stepmother, and his half-brother watched him with dumbfounded eyes.