Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 207

“Haa, haa….”

“Oh, I’m going to die.”

“What do you mean die? You’re alive.”

“Is everyone okay? Are you all safe?”

The drenched Imperial Guards were all on their knees, panting. As dawn broke, the rain became lighter, and they all sighed in relief, shaking their heads.

Before them lay the fallen armored legion. A few who still had some strength left dragged the enemy knights to the ground.

“This one is dead.”

“Here too. Dead.”

“Ah, damn it. This is ridiculous, really.”

It was the downfall of the magic stone armor. In battle, it had almost absolute attack and defense power, but the moment it broke, the average person couldn’t withstand the magic swordsman’s attack and died. The Imperial Guards kicked the shattered armor pieces aside and focused on identifying survivors.

“This one is alive, but bleeding badly.”

“Move him! By the way, why is support taking so long?”

“Usually, they come when you say that.”

“Right. They usually come after we’re done.”

“I hear hoofbeats. Wow, there’s no exception. None.”

Clatter, clatter. The sound of people approaching from afar could be heard. The Imperial Guards joked lightly and waved their hands in that direction.

“Iaaaan! Ian!”

“Lord Romandro. We’re here.”

Romandro, riding with Beols, waved a handkerchief repeatedly to let Ian know he had arrived. Captain Jaylott wrung out the water from his shirt and said,

“Beols, why are you so late?”

“Sorry. The rain was so heavy that the bridge was flooded. I had to take a detour. Is everyone safe?”

After Liam’s death, Beols and Jaylott were the only two left to lead the Imperial Guard. Although it was unlikely, Beols looked worried, just in case. He realized Jaylott was unharmed and offered him a cigarette.

“Liam was the most agile when we sparred.”

“He’s young. Tsk. And well, we didn’t have any information.”

“Was it manageable?”

“Even five of them couldn’t handle it.”

As soon as they met, Jaylott and Beols shared details about the battle that had taken place during the night. They discussed the approach they used, the formation of the troops, and so on. This was to effectively respond if the armored legion appeared again.

“Move the injured this way!”

“Can you walk?”

“It hurts. Please, slowly.”

The emergency transport carriages that arrived next carried the injured in a line. However, there was only Barsabe on their side, and most of the rest were survivors from the enemy. The next task was to keep them alive and get their testimony.

“Captain. And Minister Ian.”

Barsabe, who was being supported as she limped, called out to the two of them. The light of dawn was beginning to break fully. The sky was still gray, but the afternoon would be sunny.

“It seems the pursuers were mainly drawn from District 3. Please investigate that area.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“Captain. Thank you for coming.”

“……”

Jaylott pursed his lips tightly and turned his back. He just waved his hand over his shoulder as if urging her to hurry.

“If I hear that another corpse has been found, you’ll be in trouble.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Get in.”

Barsabe bowed to Ian as well and got into the carriage. Those who were in a hurry left Chettur first.

Ian gestured to Romandro, Jaylott, and Beols, signaling that he wanted to talk for a moment. They moved away from the chaotic path and took out cigarettes.

“Assistant Romandro, do you smoke?”

“No. Thank you, but my wife is pregnant.”

“Minister Ian?”

“I’m fine too. More than that, can you guess what will happen when the sun fully rises?”

“If you’re talking about guessing, are you referring to Haiman?”

“Even though they revealed they were the Imperial Guard, they initiated an attack, which is a clear violation of the National Security Act. The situation is like that, and it’s also intertwined with Duke Gale. Overall, there’s no good news for the Haiman family.”

Except for the fact that Arsen is a magic user. Of course, that would be useless in a few days. Ian glanced at Beols.

‘Jaylott will likely take a negative stance towards Haiman due to Barsabe’s situation and the night’s battle. The problem is Beols.’

Beols was the one who directly received the Emperor’s message. Whether it was Jin or Arsen, he would try to select a suitable successor without leaning to either side. If he were a passive neutral party, it would be fine, but if he were to help Arsen under the pretext of maintaining balance, it would become difficult. Perhaps sensing Ian’s calm yet suspicious gaze, Beols put out his cigarette and added,

“My priority is His Majesty’s safety, and next is the Imperial Guard. Jaylott’s will is my will, so don’t look at me like that.”

Ian smiled and gestured lightly. It was a signal to gather closer.

“Soon, those who are going to work will be gathering. Since the bridge is flooded, have people block the path you came through, Beols.”

“But this is a private business, so there’s no justification.”

“Just say there’s a risk of flooding and collapse due to the heavy rain last night. Say it’s a special measure equivalent to a disaster. I believe you know that if people mix in, it will be difficult to search.”

It made sense. Jaylott and Beols nodded in agreement, and Romandro looked at Ian with a curious gaze. Wasn’t that what he had told them last night?

Knowledge and wisdom are different. The fact that he could immediately apply what he knew was amazing, and Romandro coughed and prayed inwardly. Please, let his child be like Ian.

“Romandro?”

“Yes? Yes, yes? Ah, yes!”

“You must be tired, but let’s put in a little more effort and search District 3. Send a formal complaint to the Haiman family through the Imperial Palace and protect the identities of those arrested on the scene.”

“It seems I’ll be arrested again just a day after leaving the palace.”

“No matter how powerful Haiman is, the situation is too big to control. We need to convene the Grand Assembly quickly.”

“Yes. I understand. I’ll send the message right away.”

It was time for a generational shift due to necessity, not just checks and balances. The problems intertwined with the Haiman family were so complex and numerous that if something happened to them, wouldn’t it soon become a problem for Bariel as well? It would be safer to quickly unload the cargo from a sinking ship.

‘Come to think of it, compared to my past life, the Haiman family is walking a completely new path.’

The Haiman family was a powerful family even when Ian was the Emperor. Their banks were still located everywhere in the city, and without them, it was impossible to discuss Bariel’s economy.

‘…It’s a bit concerning.’

If Haiman falls, unlike in the original history, what will happen to Bariel in the future? Will Serio, who takes their place, continue their legacy, either positively or negatively?

History is a huge flow. No matter how much one struggles within it, the water only splashes fiercely, but the flow from top to bottom remains unchanged. It’s as if the pin that God has pressed down can never be pulled out.

“Ian. Let’s go.”

This time, Romandro woke Ian up. In the meantime, the corpses and armor debris had been quickly cleared, and the street was clean. They decided to start by searching the warehouses and buildings in District 3.

Clatter, clatter!

“Bring the manager! Check if there are any undeclared items and bring out anything suspicious!”

“There are people in this warehouse!”

“We, we were just working overtime all night.”

“We don’t know what’s going on. Really.”

“We belong to CoenCo, not Haiman.”

“We do receive funding from Haiman, but…”

Those who had stayed in the Chettur district and spent the night were also being dragged out one by one. They had to present their IDs, and even families were ordered to go to the guardhouse for a simple cross-examination.

“Come to think of it, the Chettur guard captain is nowhere to be seen. The commotion is bigger than I thought.”

Beols muttered, flipping through the pile of documents he had secured from the District 3 access control office. Except for the guards who were guarding the corpses, all the other soldiers had been deployed for the search, but they couldn’t find the important guard captain.

“I’m sorry. The guard captain has left Chettur due to personal reasons. We’ve sent a message, so he’ll be here soon.”

Ian, who was flipping through the reports next to him, clicked his tongue. It was the same when he encountered the bandit gang in Karenna. He had never seen a person in charge stay in their place when something happened. It was practically a science.

Peeeeeep!

At that moment, the sound of a hand whistle was heard from afar. It was a signal that someone had found a suspicious item. Ian and Beols immediately ran out of the management office.

Clatter, clatter!

The rain had completely stopped, but the ground was still wet. Wooden boxes were stacked on the wet road. They were all items from the suspicious warehouse.

“What are all these?”

“Ah, these are from the ‘CoenCo’ warehouse. Uh, so this side is iron, copper, tin, etc., that are supplied to blacksmiths, and this side has no markings, so it seems to be traded as non-sale items.”

“And?”

“This, the color is pitch black, isn’t it the same color as that armor? It’s also matte, and when I put a little magic into it, it reacted. I only checked briefly because I was worried about an abnormal reaction.”

Squeak.

One of the Imperial Guards opened a box. At first glance, it looked like coal. There were round objects about the size of a fist piled up. Ian picked one up and examined it.

“Hmm.”

“Do you know something?”

A matte black magic stone. He had a few guesses, but Ian wasn’t an expert in that field. The exact details would only be known after research. He closed the lid and gestured to Romandro.

“Let’s send it to Captain Acorella.”

“Oh, that captain is going to faint again with joy. I wonder if he’ll be able to get up this time.”

“It would be very meaningful if it’s a new discovery.”

A shout came from inside the warehouse that something else had been found. The appearance of a new magic stone, discovered by confiscating the Haiman family’s warehouse. Ian lightly tossed the magic stone to Romandro.

“Perhaps we’ll get a call before we even send the complaint to the Haiman family. Confiscate everything! The mysterious raw stones found here will belong to the Imperial Palace!”

“Yes. I understand!”

“Alright, let’s move.”

“Have a few people dedicated to transporting them, and the rest move to the next warehouse and continue the search. We’re focusing on District 3, but we’ll check all districts before the day is over.”

Clap!

At Ian’s words, the guards saluted and dispersed. Romandro selected the magic stones to send to Acorella and then suggested to Ian. He had been soaked in the rain and hadn’t rested, and he hadn’t released his magic.

“Why don’t you take the raw stones and go in, Ian? There should be documents in your office, so you can get some sleep in a comfortable place. You can start working right away.”

“Do you want me to go?”

“Yes, yes. Go and see if Beric is doing well. Also, greet Duke Jin. I’ll be here.”

Ian’s eyes twinkled playfully at Romandro’s urging. Just as he was about to refuse, a messenger bird quickly flew onto Ian’s shoulder. It was from the Magic Department.

“…Then I’ll take the raw stones. Romandro, please handle things well and return.”

“What is it?”

Ian lightly shook the piece of paper. There was a crooked drawing of a yellow cow. Beric had woken up.