Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 184

The Riverside Chronicle

Ian headed to the inner duty room next to the Magic Department’s main building.

On the lobby sofas, mages who had wrestled with corpses all night were asleep, their backs hunched. Groans, snores, and teeth grinding echoed from all corners.

As Ian carefully opened the duty room door, Siochi looked up.

‘You’ve arrived.’

‘How is Prince Arsen?’

‘He just fell asleep. He kept crying and acting up.’

Siochi wiped away cold sweat and smiled faintly. He had been banging on the wall, demanding his mother and to see Jin. Ian could see the scratches on Siochi’s cheek even in the dim light.

‘Siochi, you should rest. I’ll go in.’

Romandro patted his shoulder and entered the duty room where Arsen was. Ian opened the door to the room across the hall, where Jin was.

Creak.

‘Dilaina will come for Arsen. If you can be together, do so, but don’t push it.’

‘Yes, I understand.’

For now, they had prevented a meeting under the guise of confusion, but it was only temporary. It was a matter of blood ties. Once things settled down, Dilaina could dismiss Siochi and take Arsen away.

A sliver of cold dawn sunlight fell into the dim room.

‘Kuh-eok.’

‘…’

Berrick was half-fallen off the sofa, his head hitting the floor, while Jin was neatly lying on the bed. They were sleeping so deeply that they didn’t notice Ian entering and walking over.

‘Even if it’s Prince Jin, Berrick should have sensed my presence. I told him to guard the bedroom, but he’s sleeping soundly.’

Ian chuckled softly, and Siochi gently pulled Berrick’s nose. Berrick frowned and groaned.

‘Ugh, Ian, a pig, a pig bit my nose…’

‘…He won’t wake up.’

‘Leave him be. He’ll be busy in the afternoon.’

As soon as Siochi let go of his nose, Berrick smiled happily again and smacked his lips. He was so simple; it was obvious what he was dreaming about.

Swoosh.

Ian sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Jin’s wound. The bleeding had stopped, but it looked like it would start again if touched even slightly. In the portrait, it looked natural, as if he had been born with it. But it was such a deep and painful wound.

‘…Ian?’

‘I apologize. Did I wake you?’

Jin slowly opened his eyes. He was still drowsy, and his focus was not quite right, but he recognized Ian immediately.

‘Has the day passed?’

‘Yes, it has. It’s a new day.’

Ian answered, adjusting the child’s blanket. Pat pat, Jin’s eyes closed again following the gentle touch. He wanted to let him sleep, but Ian had something to tell him.

‘Your Highness. Lady Dilaina has regained her senses.’

Jin half-raised himself and looked at Ian. A complex mix of emotions seemed to swirl within him. Relief, reluctance, fear, and sadness. Jin stammered and asked Ian.

‘What should I do?’

‘Your Highness.’

‘I, I don’t know. No one told me. What should a child abandoned by his mother do when he meets her again?’

Ian patted his back and answered softly.

‘You don’t have to do anything. You’ve done nothing wrong. And before that, if you don’t want to see Lady Dilaina, I will stop her.’

‘I, I don’t have to see my mother?’

‘Of course. Absolutely. You can do whatever you want. Until you understand that you’ve done nothing wrong. Do as your heart tells you.’

Jin lay back down and pulled the blanket up to his eyes. He had done nothing wrong; it was Dilaina and Arsen’s fault. The comforting words lingered like a lullaby, making him drowsy.

‘Sir Ian. I have a request.’

‘Please, command me.’

‘Read me a book.’

Jin peeked out and asked, his eyes rolling. The mages were all busy, and Berrick and Siochi, who were close by, couldn’t read. Ian chuckled softly and nodded.

‘I understand. With pleasure. What shall I read to you?’

‘That one, the closest one.’

It seemed the mages had brought several books from the palace at Jin’s request. Ian picked up the top book from the table.

The Riverside Carbo. It was the biography of the first head of the Carbo family, who had branched out from the temple. Ian lightly flipped through the pages, noticing how worn it was.

‘Do you enjoy reading this?’

‘Very, very much. Arsen doesn’t find it interesting at all. When I read it, Lord Riverside always comes to my dreams and plays with me.’

He was just like a child. Ian smiled faintly and settled in. Then, he began to read the sentences in a clear voice.

‘[…“You won’t become a priest?” Riverside nodded at his siblings’ question. “Brothers and sisters, you shall serve God with pure hearts in my stead. I will go out and punish those monsters, and pledge my love to God.” He was more devoted to God than anyone, but he could not ignore the people suffering from the monsters.]’

Siochi also leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Ian’s steady voice, with its even pitch, was pleasant to listen to. Even the sound of the pages turning was soothing.

‘[Riverside was amazing. With one swing of his sword, the corpses of a hundred monsters piled up, and with two swings, a river of blood formed. The people cheered, and Riverside continued to move forward.]’

‘The content is a bit cruel for a fairy tale.’

Especially the illustrations, which depicted the corpses of monsters too graphically. Could there be records from that time? The appearances of the monsters that Riverside had faced were detailed.

‘[“Save me!” Riverside finally faced only one monster. The demon, who looked like a small child, begged with clasped hands. Riverside asked, “What are you?” The demon replied, “I am one who feeds on the wickedness of humans.” It was right to die, and Riverside was about to draw his sword. The demon whispered slyly, “If you let me live, I will hide. But if you kill me, my brother will avenge me. He will destroy everything you have gained.” The demon threatened, but Riverside was brave.]’

‘…Swoosh. When Riverside killed the demon, the monsters disappeared from the Bariel Empire. Someone asked, “Lord Riverside, aren’t you afraid of all the blood you’ve shed?” Riverside smiled and replied, “If I can be afraid in your stead, that is enough.”’

Thud.

On the back was a full-body portrait of Riverside. A man with silver, short hair, wielding a sword. It was from the time of the founding of the nation, so it was impossible to verify whether all of this was fiction or not.

‘The demon’s revenge.’

Even if it was a conclusion after the fact, it seemed the demon’s curse had been cast. Comparing the Carbo family at the time of the founding of the nation to the present, their power had declined to a pitiful state. Everyone was aware of it, but that was all they were, a presence that ended there.

‘Master.’

Siochi quietly called him. Ian, with his hand on the sleeping Jin’s forehead, turned around and felt a blanket being draped over his shoulders.

‘You should sleep too, Master.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘You don’t look fine at all.’

Creak.

At that moment, Romandro tiptoed in and looked around. His gaze was checking if anything was missing. He squatted down, looking at Berrick, who had slipped off the sofa.

‘He’s sleeping the best. Tsk, tsk.’

‘Kuh-eok. Cough! Meat, ah, meat…’

‘He’s always talking about meat; he must have a beggar in his stomach. Ian, Prince Arsen is also sleeping soundly. Why don’t you close your eyes too? It’ll be a problem if you collapse later when you’re busy. I’ve put guards on Prince Arsen.’

At Romandro’s insistence, Ian had no choice but to lie down on the sofa. Perhaps it was because of the child’s soft breathing, but his eyelids immediately grew heavy.

Romandro muttered as he tidied up the floor.

Rustle.

‘What’s this?’

‘It’s a drawing Prince Jin made earlier.’

‘Oh, it’s nice. Is it a banana and a tomato?’

‘…He said it was you and Berrick.’

‘…’

Ian chuckled involuntarily. Romandro glanced at Jin and pushed the drawing to one side.

‘It’s best to leave art to the artists. Yes.’

‘Still, a banana and a tomato is a bit much.’

‘Ian, by the way. What you said earlier about Lady Dilaina. Can you tell me what it was?’

A way to oppose Ian, who had seized power in the Imperial Palace.

Ian opened his mouth with his eyes closed. Judging by the exhaustion dripping from his voice, he would fall asleep soon.

‘Earlier, in the conference hall, do you remember those who said they couldn’t deal with all the traitors?’

‘Well, yes. There were quite a few.’

‘That’s because there are no substitutes. It means they are valuable. The fact that they cannot be easily removed means they are central to any matter. Who do you think has such a unique position in Bariel right now?’

The Emperor? No. The Emperor was lying there, but Bariel was running without any problems. Then Ian? The Minister of Magic had changed several times.

Romandro pondered, then suddenly remembered the name.

‘Haiman?’

A force that had clearly participated in treason, but no official dared to say they would easily punish them. A noble among nobles who had been in charge of the empire’s finances for nearly hundreds of years.

Ian nodded.

‘If it were me, I would propose to Haiman. If they support Arsen, I would turn a blind eye to their past wrongdoings when he ascends the throne.’

‘But Haiman is clearly a target for punishment.’

‘They are not people who can be beheaded overnight like the corpses outside. If the Haiman family apologizes and claims it was the sole act of their youngest daughter, many officials will say they should be forgiven.’

Above all, Prince Jin would prioritize Ian’s support, and Ian was the one who had directly subdued Marib and Gail. Since his intention to punish the traitors was firm, it was inevitable that the Haiman family would feel burdened. On the other hand, for Dilaina, they would be a force to oppose Ian.

‘After forming an alliance, if Arsen is pushed out, the Haiman family can be pushed out naturally. This is the only way to slowly exploit the gaps.’

In short, it was about constantly increasing the justification for pressure. At the same time, if they could control their financial power and decentralize the financial power of Bariel, the day would come when they would be fine without them. That would be the true punishment of the Haiman family.

‘But Ian, now that I’m about to become a father, I understand the hearts of parents a little bit.’

Romandro frowned, resting his chin on his hand. Abandoning one’s child was one thing, but he wondered if selective love was really possible. Romandro turned his head sharply and asked.

‘But, isn’t Lady Dilaina being a bit too much?!’

‘…’

‘Is he asleep?’

‘He’s sleeping.’

But all that could be seen was Ian sleeping like an angel. Romandro stretched out and yawned, while Siochi dozed off while sitting.

Much later, Berrick, who woke up first, mumbled as he looked at the drawing in front of him.

‘…Banana, tomato?’

Knock knock-!

Click!

‘Sir Ian, Commander Acorella says he has something to report regarding the amber ore. He also wants to check on the progress of securing the magic sealing stones.’

‘Oh my, he’s sleeping like he’s dead. Should I wake him?’

‘Ah, ah, it can’t be helped. This is…’

‘Excuse me, Sir Ian. Could you listen to the report for a moment?’

‘They say they’ve also found Prince Gail. Sir Ian? Sir Ian? Please, wake up for a moment.’