Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 182

The Emperor’s physician carefully held the stethoscope. The body was so cold it didn’t feel like human skin. Though covered with warm towels, the mottled bloodstains made the Emperor’s condition look even more dire.

Swoosh.

The physician placed his hand under his nose. Faintly, very faintly, a breath escaped. Despite the warmth under the thick cotton blanket, the Emperor’s breath was frigid. Ian and Beols watched from a distance.

‘How is he?’

‘He… he is alive, that is correct.’

‘If we undo the freezing, what about treatment?’

‘That is…’

The wound on his side was prominent. If he were young and healthy, it wouldn’t be a problem, but the Emperor was already old, and even a winter cold could be fatal.

The physician wiped away cold sweat and shook his head.

‘I cannot guarantee anything. I am sorry.’

The physician looked at the sleeping Emperor with teary eyes. Magic would be the same. The Emperor was in a state where he couldn’t even receive healing magic. Ian sighed and nodded.

‘The Emperor’s condition is to be kept absolutely secret. If rumors spread, you will be held responsible.’

‘Do not worry. If this is His Majesty’s will, I will protect it to the end.’

The Emperor could not appear in public. In this chaotic time, the physician was brought in to prepare for any questions about the Emperor’s safety. His testimony would quell the unease in the Imperial Palace.

Click.

As the physician left, Beols placed a familiar seal in front of Ian. It was the one the Emperor had stamped on his last message. It was also the seal that remained in Ian’s memory from later generations.

‘For the time being, official duties will be handled with a personal seal. Please deliver this to the Prime Minister, Sir Ian.’

The one Ian had been using was scratched in places, but this one was smooth and gold-plated, as if it had just been made. It was the one he had used for three years in the past, but it felt awkward in his hand.

‘I’ll be using this for a while.’

He would be using the seal for quite a long time until the Emperor officially died. Even if a new Emperor ascended the throne, it would be more positive in terms of legitimacy to inherit the seal used by the previous Emperor than to make a new one. It was clear that this was passed down through generations to Ian in the future.

‘Beols, what about you?’

‘I will stay here today and protect His Majesty.’

He wouldn’t move an inch. The captain’s self-reproach for not protecting his master was evident.

‘Unlike yesterday, today, I will.’

‘…I will inform you when the date for the successor discussion is set.’

It was already night.

Though the darkness was deep, the lights of the mages illuminated the surroundings. It was the light of burning corpses. Without any foul odor, the traces of those who had participated in the rebellion were disappearing from Bariel. As if they had never existed.

‘Wipe up the blood! Send more people here.’

‘Sorry, but we’re short-handed too.’

‘Berick, can you help? Let’s move this together!’

‘Nakina! Please use transport magic!’

The mages were working in an orderly manner under the leaders of each department. Romandro was also shaking a report and shouting something, but he ran over when he saw Ian coming out.

‘Currently, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Jeyrut, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Minister of the Legislative Department, the General Supervisor of the Administrative Department, and the representative of the judges of the Judicial Department have entered the palace. It seems we can go straight to the conference room.’

As Ian passed by, the mages and palace staff bowed their heads in greeting. It would probably take three or four months to recover from the day’s events. Above all, the damaged buildings were a problem.

‘Is access to the Imperial Palace still being managed?’

‘Yes, yes. Only high-ranking officials are being allowed in. There should be no problem with food supplies, medical supplies, and other materials until tomorrow, so we can receive deliveries after that.’

‘Notify them when they receive deliveries. They cannot leave once they enter. Or, dispatch personnel to the gates to transport them directly. We can have Nakina handle the transport.’

‘But Nakina is too busy running around. I’ll check the situation again tomorrow.’

Although the gates were open, only officials were allowed in, and the entry of the citizens of the Empire was still restricted. The Imperial Palace was an important place that symbolized Bariel itself. In the memories of the citizens of the Empire, it should always be recognized as a perfect and noble place. Not a place where blood flows and corpses lie scattered.

‘Make sure it’s secure. Those who survived here cannot leave until the Imperial Palace is cleaned up.’

‘Of course. I’ve already told them.’

‘…Shall we send a messenger bird to Vivianna?’

Tap tap.

Ian asked casually as he walked down the stairs. The woman who was pregnant and waiting for him. She must be worried since contact had been cut off after he entered the Imperial Palace. Romandro hesitated for a moment, but then firmly refused.

‘No. We cannot make exceptions. Not even a single bird can leave the Imperial Palace.’

A satisfied smile crossed Ian’s lips as he walked ahead. No one saw it because it was night.

‘What about Gale?’

‘We are still searching for him.’

Gale had hidden somewhere in the palace. The Emperor’s message had been delivered, and he knew that Marib had been captured, so there was nothing more he could do. Akorella was checking Gale’s forces based on the magic stone powder map, so he would be caught before dawn at the latest.

Neigh!

Ian rode his horse to the conference room. It was the place where the first conflict between Marib and Gale had occurred. The carriages that the officials had parked haphazardly were tangled in a mess.

‘Oh, Sir Ian!’

‘Sir Ian!’

‘What on earth happened?’

‘His Highness, no, no, His Majesty, is he…?’

The atmosphere was not refined. Perhaps it was because the traces of Marib and Gale’s fight remained. The officials were sitting on the tables instead of chairs, smoking cigarettes one after another. It was an important meeting, but there were no reports.

‘Everyone, please sit down.’

‘Sir, Sir Ian.’

‘I heard that His Highness Gale hasn’t been caught yet.’

‘Maintain your composure and sit down. It will be a long discussion. The more this happens, the more calmly and rationally we must act. Isn’t that why His Majesty put you in those positions?’

It meant they should earn their keep. If they lived comfortably on their salaries normally, they should show their true worth at times like this.

As Ian sternly scolded them and sat down first, the officials cleared their throats and stroked their beards.

‘Sit down.’

Then, someone took the lead and pulled out a chair. It was Quintana, the Deputy Minister in charge of finance within the Administrative Department. She had her brown hair tied up and scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.

‘I said sit down.’

‘Ahem. Yes, we will sit down.’

‘Sit down. Sit down. You said it will be a long discussion.’

The head of the Administrative Department was the Emperor, but Quintana’s authority, who was in charge of finance, was as unique as a minister’s. She was responsible for finance, that is, the annual budget and taxes.

‘I believe you can roughly guess the situation, so I will only share the results. First of all, the Emperor is safe.’

At Ian’s words, some officials breathed a sigh of relief. Quintana was the same. A fleeting sense of relief crossed her stern and cold expression.

‘However, the shock was too great, and he collapsed. You cannot see him directly, and for the time being, the Prime Minister will handle the duties.’

Swoosh.

Ian handed the seal that Beols had given him to the Prime Minister. He looked down at it and asked questioningly.

‘What about the official seal?’

‘It is missing due to Prince Marib’s usurpation. Prince Marib is currently imprisoned in the magic department’s dungeon. He is also unharmed, so there should be no problem in holding a trial quickly. The Imperial Palace Judge.’

At Ian’s call, an old man slightly raised his head.

‘Prepare for the trial to strip the prince of his status as soon as possible. The mages will clean up the corpses, except for the partially destroyed buildings, before dawn. Romandro.’

Romandro, who was standing behind him, handed Ian a piece of paper. It was filled with long, long names. Ian took a sip of water and then slowly read it.

‘Casper, Raynerus, Aberkin of the Judicial Department, Minister Castesro, Lennert, Mitchell of the Legislative Department, Minister Taiha, Serrano, Klein, Clemens of the Imperial Defense Department…’

It was a list of those who had joined forces with either Marib or Gale to disrupt the Imperial Palace. The names of the nobles who had participated followed in a long line.

Thud.

‘This is the list of traitors in the Imperial Palace.’

A long silence fell. It was like cutting away more than half of Bariel’s power. Ian lightly put down the paper and sighed.

‘There are too many to investigate and try individually, so each department will be responsible for identifying and punishing the traitors. The vacant positions will be filled by subordinates to ensure there is no disruption to work, and if it is a key position such as a minister, temporary authority will be granted.’

‘Sir Ian, even so, isn’t the number too large? If this happens, work will be paralyzed.’

‘Y-yes, that’s right. The same situation as now will continue, and punishing them all is…’

Crash!

It was Quintana. She slammed the ashtray down roughly and frowned deeply.

‘Saving traitors is like saving bugs that eat away at the country. If you save traitors, you are also traitors.’

At the chilling warning, the officials shut their mouths. The smell of blood was still strong outside. Even if their own blood was mixed in there, who would care?

Ian nodded and tapped the documents on the table.

‘I agree. Prince Marib directly harmed His Majesty, and Prince Gale also gathered nobles and unauthorized troops, so there is no room for excuses.’

‘Th-then, our department, oh, we don’t have enough people.’

‘Sir Ian’s aide. Can you give us more lists?’

‘Yes. Here it is. I’ve written enough, so please share it.’

Romandro quickly handed out the documents and nodded. Quintana put out her cigarette and raised her hand.

‘The Imperial Palace system is said to be recovering within the Imperial Palace itself, but what about the outside? If the nobles fall, the taxes for next year will not be covered. And above all, as far as I know, the Hyman family is also involved in this incident.’

The Hyman family. The family responsible for Bariel’s finances. Without them, all transactions in Bariel could be suspended immediately. Unlike the people dying in the Imperial Palace, another great chaos would come.

But Ian was firm.

‘There are no exceptions. It was a rebellion that risked their lives, so they must pay the price. However, considering the importance of the matter, I will take charge of it myself.’

‘You yourself?’

Quintana’s eyebrows arched in surprise. He was going to confront the difficult people himself, so it was welcome with open arms. The officials also smiled awkwardly and nodded repeatedly.

‘Y-yes, if it’s Sir Ian, we can trust him. Yes, yes.’

‘That’s right. He is the Minister of the Magic Department.’

It was difficult, but if he solved it, there was no better way to solidify his position. For the future of Jin, for the peaceful Bariel that a righteous and strong Emperor would bring. It was also Ian’s job.

‘Then, let’s see, there’s no problem preparing for the trial, but what about the next successor? If the Emperor is lying down in his bed, it would be more stable to fill the successor position quickly.’

At one official’s question, everyone just rolled their eyes. There were not many options. Jin and Arsen, Arsen and Jin. No one dared to speak, and a strange silence fell. The moment their gazes naturally gathered on Ian.

Screech!

It was Dilaina, who hurriedly threw open the door to the conference room.