Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 194

Thud! Bang, bang!

‘Open the door!’

Despite being heavily pregnant, Vivianna was fearless.

She left the horse and Beric at the entrance, climbed the stairs two at a time, and shook the iron gate. Mini hovered anxiously around her, worried she might get hurt.

Creak.

‘Who is it?’

A voice came from behind the double lock. As a place where breaking news was their lifeblood, they were extremely wary of competitors and suspicious of outsiders.

The faint sound of a typewriter could be heard from inside. It seemed they were in the middle of publishing. Vivianna quickly handed her ID through the bars and replied.

‘I am Vivianna, living at 2nd Street, Westground. I am a former consultant for the Imperial Palace Reconstruction and currently on leave. My husband is the aide to the Minister of Magic.’

Westground was a high-end residential area where most of the Imperial Palace officials lived. The man checked Vivianna’s face against her ID and nodded, returning it.

‘What is the matter?’

‘I have information to report about the Imperial Palace.’

‘You said your husband is an aide to the Minister of Magic? What’s his name?’

The man narrowed his eyes as if testing her. He had checked her ID, but this was a necessary procedure.

‘Romandro.’

This was why Ian had asked Vivianna for help. Not only to ensure Romandro’s safety, but also because her identity was solid, making it less likely her report would be dismissed.

The man looked at her bulging belly and put his cigarette behind him.

‘We lost contact with the Imperial Palace after Prince Gail was attacked last night. We received a message from inside.’

‘What message?’

‘Prince Marib has stolen His Majesty’s seal and started a rebellion. Prince Gail was also involved in the power struggle, but both have been apprehended under the direction of the Ministry of Magic.’

The man dropped his cigarette, his mouth agape in shock.

After a few seconds of silence, he hurriedly unlocked the door and flung it open. The stench of stale coffee and cigarettes wafted out. In the distance, the smell of those burning their souls while hammering away at typewriters.

‘Is that, is that really true, madam?’

‘His Majesty is safe. The situation will be resolved by five o’clock this afternoon, and the gates will be opened. Please publish an extra edition before then.’

Vivianna clicked her pocket watch to check the time. There was no time to spare if they were to write, publish, and distribute the extra edition. She looked up at the man and continued in a low voice.

‘You are the only ones who know this right now. I will go out and inform others in Edo. It’s up to you who gets the scoop first. And please, make sure to include this phrase in the extra edition.’

‘Ah, wait! Wait!’

As Vivianna showed Ian’s note and turned to leave, the man grabbed her shoulder urgently. Mini reflexively glared and roughly slapped his hand away.

‘How dare you touch her!?’

‘I apologize, I apologize. I was just too shocked. But what you just said, is it really true? If not, we’ll lose our heads. Seriously.’

‘This is a handwritten letter from Ian Hielo, the Minister of Magic. The gates will open at five o’clock, and after that, everyone will know, so it will lose its value as breaking news, won’t it?’

It was an urging to print it quickly without nonsense. The man turned around and shouted to his colleagues.

‘Everyone, stop writing!’

‘Why? We’re almost done.’

‘We got another report. The instigators are Prince Marib and Prince Gail.’

Vivianna frowned in confusion. What were they talking about? The man awkwardly lit a new cigarette and checked Vivianna’s letter again.

‘Two days ago, didn’t a black hole appear in the sky? There are rumors that the Ministry of Magic closed the Imperial Palace and was plotting something inside. Well, our informant said something similar.’

‘Informant? Which informant?’

‘I cannot disclose that.’

‘Is it to protect the informant, or because their identity is not legitimate?’

The man just chewed on the end of his cigarette. The latter, he didn’t say it, but it was obvious.

‘You are the ones who report only the truth.’

‘Madam, it’s been three days. We print dozens of news sheets a day, and we’ve waited three days. Since there’s no news from the Imperial Palace, we have to write about the questions, and even more so if it’s true. Of course, we weren’t going to print it officially, just distribute it as a flyer.’

-Those who try to fabricate in the midst of chaos are rampant.

Vivianna read the remnants of the people Ian had mentioned in his note. The man and his colleagues were discussing something, looking at the paper in the typewriter. Mini, at a loss, called out to her mistress, and Vivianna boldly tore the paper from the typewriter.

Rip!

‘Madam!’

‘My lady!’

She threw the torn paper on the floor. If they were writing such an article, it was likely that other places were in a similar situation.

‘Then, instead of wasting time going around, I need to make sure they print the extra edition here first.’

It was a kind of psychological warfare.

Other news outlets were also likely just writing unconfirmed articles, keeping a close eye on the Imperial Palace’s movements. If the truth was reported first, the fabricated articles would naturally be discarded.

‘You are lucky.’

‘Madam, what are you talking about?’

‘Because you are the first to approach the truth. The two grown princes clashed and were subdued, so you know who the real power in the Imperial Palace is now.’

Of course, it was the Ministry of Magic, and its head, Ian Hielo. They instinctively realized they were caught up in an extraordinary event, and they also realized that it came with an opportunity.

‘I cannot watch as fabricated scraps of paper throw Bariel into chaos. You should print the extra edition first. And when the gates open at five o’clock, I will personally tell Minister Ian about your contribution.’

‘In what way…’

‘I will request exclusive priority publishing rights for everything that happened in the Imperial Palace for the past three days.’

‘Is that, is that possible?’

Vivianna nodded firmly, and everyone in the office buzzed again. Her husband was an aide to the Ministry of Magic, so it wouldn’t be impossible. It was ridiculous how they were scheming among themselves.

‘My lady.’

‘Shhh.’

Mini grabbed her arm worriedly, but Vivianna did not hesitate. Ian would understand this level of overreach. First and foremost, the truth had to be revealed.

‘But if you refuse-‘

Thud!

At that moment, an unknown roar erupted from outside. The reporters flinched, looking back and forth between Vivianna and the outside window, wondering if it was related to her.

‘I cannot guarantee your safety.’

‘Wha, what do you mean?’

‘I showed my ID, Ian sent a letter in his own handwriting, and he had his magic swordsman escort me. Everything is proven and guaranteed! But if you refuse, it means you intend to confuse Bariel with false information. I will judge it as such and report it to Ian.’

Vivianna deliberately emphasized the word ‘magic swordsman’. She was subtly letting them know that she would resort to force if necessary.

The man and his colleagues rolled their eyes and brought a piece of paper.

‘Write a certificate. Exclusive publishing rights.’

‘For the content of the past three days.’

‘Yes. If you write it, we will write it too.’

Vivianna wrote the certificate without hesitation, and the man ruffled his hair and rolled up his sleeves. His colleagues did the same. They returned to their respective places, discarded what they were working on, and inserted new paper.

Click. Tap, tap! Tap!

‘Write it in one-page size! We’ll print a hundred at a time when we cut it.’

‘There was a phrase you wanted us to include, right? Madam?’

‘Ah, here it is. It’s written below the letter.’

‘Let’s see, I’ll read it out! Everyone, take it down! “Marib and Gail princes caused chaos in the Imperial Palace, but they were safely apprehended under the mediation of the Ministry of Magic.” I’ll keep reading!’

‘Wait, slowly! One more time!’

Thud!

Clatter!

It seemed it wasn’t a random roar. Vivianna was startled and opened the window, making eye contact with Beric. He was smiling brightly. So brightly that you wouldn’t think he was facing off against men in black armor.

‘Beric!’

The guard who had come as a guide was lying on the floor, bleeding. The roar was the sound of him being killed.

‘Oh, I’m fine, I’m fine. When will it be over?!’

‘How much time will it take?’

Vivianna’s heart sank. She didn’t know where they came from, but their intentions were clear from the situation. They were trying to stop Ian and spread fabricated rumors.

The man who had peeked out from the side was startled again and dropped his cigarette.

‘We, we just had one printer break down, so it’ll take about ten minutes to print a hundred copies. Usually, extra editions are distributed along the central road from the Imperial Palace to the outskirts, so that should be…’

‘Just the result!’

‘One hour!’

‘It’ll take an hour! Beric!’

At Vivianna’s shout, Beric spat and grinned.

She had seen the power of that armor in the Imperial Palace before. It was one against a hundred, so much so that it temporarily revived the dying Gail forces, even though only half of them had come.

Beric couldn’t hide his excitement and chuckled.

‘I know who you guys are~?’

‘……’

‘Hyman, right? Hyman? Huh? Gotcha?’

‘…You’re courting death.’

Whoosh!

The armored man threw a thick punch. His mouth was his downfall. Now that he knew their identities, they couldn’t let him live. It seemed Ian was trying to make the first move…

‘This is clearly against the Duke’s plan. Let’s finish this.’

The enemies exchanged glances and nodded. They would kill this little red rat, kill the woman who received Ian’s letter, and kill those inside who were writing false articles.

Thud!

‘Oh! F***!’

Beric barely managed to block the punch and staggered. The weight was no joke. It was so heavy and solid that it would be impossible to swing accurately if it were normal.

‘So that’s why they talk about magic stones, magic stones?! Money is good, huh? F***, you’re nothing without your shells! Huh?!’

‘Don’t yap!’

‘Don’t want to? Huh?!’

Thud! Bang!

Clang!

Beric focused all his attention on each and every exchange. His instincts were on high alert. If he showed even a single opening, his skull would be crushed. Beric roared and swung his sword, only leaving meaningless scratches.

Thud! Bang!

Five armored men. Vivianna quickly realized that Beric was struggling and bit her lip. She held out her hand to Mini.

‘Protective gear.’

‘My lady!’

‘Everyone, hurry! The future of Bariel depends on it!’

Vivianna stood guard at the door with a dagger in her hand. If Beric fell, she would be next. Her hands trembled, and her heart pounded. Perhaps it was because of the baby’s heartbeat.

‘Ah, please, please…’

Please, let me live. Please, let me live and see my husband with my child. Mini also cried and stayed by Vivianna’s side, and the remaining reporters ran out into the hallway with chairs.

Thud! Bang!

That’s when it happened. A different sound than the roars that were just breaking the walls. Beric, who had been dodging well, was hit in the back. The pain of his ribs being crushed in a single blow surged through him.

‘Aaaargh!’

At Beric’s scream, Vivianna reflexively almost ran down the stairs. If Mini hadn’t grabbed her, she would have.

‘Damn it, ah! Seriously! Vivianna!’

‘Be, Beric!’

‘How much time is left?’

‘It’s, it’s been five minutes!’

‘F***ed.’

Beric groaned in annoyance as he crawled on the floor. There was no choice. Ian hadn’t allowed it, but there was really no choice.

Buzz! Buzz!

Beric released his magic power. As he stood up, using his black sword to support himself, a fist came flying again. Beric gritted his teeth and was about to block it when.

Clang!

Someone who had suddenly appeared from the left blocked the punch instead of Beric. Blue, short hair fluttered.

‘Fang!’

‘Barsabeda, you idiot!’

Thud!

Buzz, buzz!

Barsabeda, who had suddenly appeared from nowhere. She released her magic power without hesitation.