Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 185

Two figures were running across a wide lawn. Ian, for some reason, found himself smiling and moving closer. The short, silver hair made it easy for Ian to recognize him as Riversaide.

And in front of him—

‘Sir Ian!’

Jin? Ian knelt down, meeting the eyes of the child who had embraced him. His face was full of life. Riversaide, running from afar, was shouting something, but it was hard to hear.

‘You look happy.’

‘I am. I’m happy.’

‘What makes you so happy?’

Jin smiled brightly and didn’t answer. Then, Ian suddenly realized that the child didn’t have dimples on his cheeks. Not only that, but the scar on his face, which was considered proof of the Emperor, was also gone.

Kugugung!

At that moment, the earth split open, and a foul odor filled the air. Monsters appeared on the peaceful field, and darkness descended as if to cover the world. Riversaide, who had come closer, warned with a shrill voice.

‘Kill him!’

The child stabbed Ian’s heart with a dagger. He felt no pain. Was it because he was too shocked? Riversaide, who was right behind him, slashed the child’s back with his sword and shouted.

‘He’s a child who should never have been born! Kill him!’

Swoosh!

The child, with his back slashed, died in Ian’s arms. But even then, his shrill laughter didn’t stop. As Ian looked down at the child in bewilderment, he roughly grabbed Ian’s hair, bringing his ear close.

‘Wasn’t it you who should never have been born?’

* * *

‘Sir Ian?’

Ian gasped and woke up. His heart was pounding so hard that his whole body was shaking. A Magic Department employee, who had been watching him, asked with concern.

‘Sir Ian, did you have a nightmare?’

‘…’

‘You were groaning so badly, it was alarming.’

‘You overdid it yesterday, so it’s natural to feel unwell.’

‘…What did I say?’

‘Huh? No, you were just moaning.’

Ian pushed back his damp hair and sighed in relief. The dream was so unsettling that he would have been in trouble if he had said anything foolish in his sleep.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Ah, it seems like you’re not well. Please sleep more. I’ll call a doctor.’

The Magic Department subordinates backed away with worried expressions, but Ian straightened his clothes and got up.

The duty room was the same as he remembered. Romandro, Siochi, and Jin were all fast asleep, as if they were on the verge of death. Except for Berrick, who had a piece of paper in his mouth.

‘Does anyone know why Berrick is doing that?’

‘I don’t know. He was mumbling something about bananas, then he put the paper in his mouth and went back to sleep.’

‘…Let’s leave quietly.’

Ian soothed his subordinates and went outside. The sun was already high in the sky. Although it had only been a few hours, he felt refreshed after lying down for a bit. Ian sat at the round table and received reports from his subordinates in order.

‘The Cheonryeo tribe, that is, Sir Ian’s father’s people, are working with the warriors to help with the reconstruction.’

‘What kind of tribe is that? They don’t sleep and are so energetic.’

Just like they had rebuilt Bratz, this time, the warriors were roaming the Imperial Palace. Without anyone saying anything, they spread out in all directions, rescuing people buried under the rubble, clearing broken stone walls, and collecting scattered pieces of corpses.

Ian smiled and instructed.

‘Treat them with respect. They are purely helping us. Where is my mother?’

‘Well, your mother is the same. She seems to be moving with the warriors. There are some warriors who can’t communicate, so she seems to be acting as a translator.’

He wondered why he hadn’t seen her. But Ian knew that it was Philia’s way of helping him.

‘Commander Acorella said he would submit an interim report on the amber ore in the afternoon. Before that, I will give you a rough overview. First, the amber ore has been named ‘Idgal.”

‘What’s the reason?’

Idgal. It sounded like a person’s name. Ian thought so and asked again.

‘Because the ore is artificial. When cut in half, a geometric pattern is visible, which is a sign of an alchemist.’

Ian lowered the report slightly and raised an eyebrow. Now that he thought about it, he had been so busy that he had forgotten to mention that it might be related to an alchemist.

‘…He’s more skilled than I thought.’

In just one night, no, to be exact, in less than ten hours, Commander Acorella had discovered traces of an alchemist in the ore. The subordinate sniffed and replied proudly.

‘That’s why everyone puts up with his personality. Ah, this is a secret, Sir Ian.’

‘Continue.’

‘As you know, whether it’s a mage, a shaman, or an alchemist, there are always traces of supernatural power. Especially those involved in manufacturing, the traces are clear. After analyzing the geometric pattern, it can be read as ‘Idgal’ in the Bariel common language.’

‘Is it possible that it’s the name of the alchemist?’

‘It’s highly likely. The alchemist himself would know his own unique geometric pattern and often give it a meaning as a nickname.’

Ian nodded and ordered.

‘Later, give me a ring. Cut that one too.’

‘A ring?’

The one that Lady Rien had given him as a thank you along with the drugs when he was coming from the border to the center. If the lady’s jewelry was also called Idgal, they could narrow down the search for the merchant group to which the alchemist belonged.

‘And there’s the most important thing.’

‘Yes. Fortunately, the magic power of some mages, including Nakina, is slowly returning. It’s very weak, but it hasn’t completely disappeared.’

That was a relief. The Magic Department was already short-staffed, and it would be a problem if they lost more people in this situation. Ian was the first new recruit in years, and who knew how long it would take to meet the next mage.

The subordinates were silent for a moment, then cautiously offered their opinions.

‘Um, Sir Ian. Idgal and the magic sealing stones are clearly different, but their performance is similar, isn’t it?’

‘We also felt it this time. Magic can never be absolute.’

Ian closed the report and nodded. It was a sign to continue.

‘For the future and safety of our mages, it would be better to get rid of either the magic sealing stones or Idgal.’

‘The magic sealing stones are from nature, so how about tracking down and dealing with the alchemist?’

They thought they had touched the power of God, but they were helplessly shattered by a single Marib arrow. It was arrogant, and on the other hand, it was fortunate. They had survived even after experiencing such a thing.

‘It’s easier to kill one alchemist than to kill nature.’

Ian tapped the edge of the report and was silent for a moment. He understood their concerns.

‘I agree. The existence of magic sealing stones is the will of God, but the existence of Idgal is the will of an alchemist.’

Containment and threat were on completely different levels. Ian handed over the report, intending to reassure them.

‘It’s not right for mages to be in danger because of the will of just one person. I will thoroughly investigate Marib. Once the situation is somewhat resolved, I will track down and deal with the alchemist.’

Perhaps the mages who survived from the original era would have made the same decision as Ian. Is that why Idgal was not passed down to Ian’s era?

The mages seemed satisfied with their leader’s words and placed their hands on their chests.

‘Next.’

‘Prince Gail has been found in the Second Imperial Palace.’

‘Found?’

Ian paused for a moment. The nuance of the words felt a little strange. As expected, the mage reported cautiously in a slightly lower voice.

‘He was found self-harming. His life is not in danger.’

While Marib was surrendering and begging for his life, Gail had tried to end the situation by taking his own life. As always, their decisions were different. He didn’t know who was right.

Ian frowned, stroking his chin.

‘Is he still unconscious?’

‘Yes. But three mages who can use healing magic have been dispatched with a doctor. I think he will wake up soon.’

Ian turned around, noticing the presence behind him. Lower-ranking officials from other departments and unidentified individuals were bringing in piles of reports.

‘Understood. Thoroughly monitor the place where Prince Gail is lying, and if he tries to kill himself again, restrain him and lock him up.’

‘Yes, I understand.’

‘He should die in the courtroom, if he must die.’

That way, there would be no burden on Jin in the future. Because he was not the son of the Empress, the opposing forces would always point out his legitimacy. So, wouldn’t it be better to erase Marib and Gail from the history of the Imperial family?

Tap tap!

‘Um, Sir Ian. Duke Haiman has arrived at the central gate of the city.’

A mage who was managing the closed entrance ran to call Ian. Everyone paused and looked back at Ian at the unexpected name.

‘He wants to meet with His Majesty the Emperor. If that’s not possible, he wants to attend the Grand Council to clear up any misunderstandings.’

‘Misunderstandings.’

The mages swallowed hard at Ian’s bitter smile. How bold and shameless. The forces that had tried to overthrow the Imperial Palace using Gail as a shield were now walking in on their own feet to make excuses.

‘Sir Ian, what should we do?’

‘I feel like killing him.’

‘No, I have money invested there.’

The murmuring grew louder. Ian tapped his pen and pondered for a moment.

If they let him inside, he would surely find out that the Emperor had collapsed. Then, it was impossible to predict how Duke Haiman would act.

‘Lady Melania is with him.’

‘…Allow them entry, but immediately detain them. Prevent them from contacting anyone else, and I will meet with them alone.’

Was ‘detain’ and ‘escort’ a combination of words that could coexist? But the mages answered that they understood and ran back.

Ian continued to process the remaining documents carefully. It seemed that meeting Duke Haiman would be the last thing he would do after finishing everything else.

‘A kind of psychological warfare.’

The very act of the noble Duke waiting for several hours without notice was like Ian securing a favorable position.

‘Next report.’

‘Yes, here it is.’

He was not ordinary either. The Haiman family was like that, but Ian, who was dealing with him so calmly, was also not ordinary. The mages pressed their lips together and continued to hand over the reports.

‘Ah, and about Prince Gail’s curse.’

Even at the mage’s words, Ian didn’t stop signing his name. The sound of the pen scratching was refreshing.

‘Is it true that the curse has been lifted?’

‘Why do you ask that?’

Ian had declared that he had lifted the curse, but the mages didn’t believe it. They had been with him all day, and all he had done was continuously pour magic power into saving people and suppressing Marib.

‘Well, um, Prince Gail keeps muttering something while he’s unconscious. I thought it might be related to the curse.’