Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 21

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

At Ian’s words, the tutor paused. He was penniless and in a miserable state. Though a son of a concubine, he was even more insignificant than Ian, who was essentially a hostage.

So, what could he possibly expect from someone like him?

“What is it…?”

“Sometime next week, have a meeting with my father. It doesn’t matter what the topic is, but the location should be the garden, not his office. And about 30 minutes would be appropriate.”

That would give him plenty of time to sneak into the office. He needed to imprint the seal, so that included the time to melt the wax.

The tutor looked utterly bewildered.

“You don’t need to know the details.”

“If I do that, will you keep my relationship with Lord Molin a secret?”

“Of course. And the fact that you tried to rob the butler’s room.”

“No! That’s a misunderstanding!”

The tutor jumped and waved his hands. Given that he’d already been caught, it seemed he had other intentions.

“Then?”

“I wasn’t trying to steal the precious item, but-”

The tutor’s lips trembled. The confession was at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. When Ian gave him an urging look, he sighed and finally blurted out,

“I needed a pass.”

“A pass?”

“The front lines of the Bratz territory are off-limits to civilians. For me, it’s the only place where I can see the Great Desert, so it’s essential. Especially the observation between the 3rd and 4th towers, but the Count won’t allow it for safety reasons.”

But what about a pass held by the butler?

Since Derga had personally made it, there were no restrictions. If something happened to the Count, the butler would have to act as his proxy. The tutor was trying to steal the butler’s pass to complete his research.

“Is that so?”

Ian rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. He had seen many people obsessed with a single subject. Even if their lives were ruined, their will to research rarely faltered.

“How far has your research progressed?”

“It’s been a long time since I came here. I’ve measured most of the climate changes in the Bratz area, and now I’m planning to go to Blaster to continue my research.”

The topic of his thesis was the Great Desert. Naturally, he would have to go there and spend an indefinite amount of time.

A funny thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Is that so? Then let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it…?”

“In late spring, I have to leave this place and go to the Great Desert, to the Tenryo tribe’s garrison. Can you calculate the climate at that time?”

The desert wasn’t just hot day and night all year round. Amidst the extreme temperatures, there were also sandstorms.

At Ian’s question, the tutor muttered in confusion.

“It’s difficult to be precise. It will also take some time.”

“That’s fine. I just need to know before I leave. I suppose you have a map of the desert as well.”

“I do, though it’s from 10 years ago.”

“I’d like you to prepare it separately. Then, I’ll get you a pass.”

“What? A pass?”

Since the pass required a seal, he could just imprint one more while he was imprinting Lord Molin’s.

The tutor blinked at Ian’s confident attitude. He had heard it, but he didn’t seem to understand.

“How about this? If you tell me everything about the desert, I can give you everything you need.”

“If, if you could do that, I would be grateful.”

Ian smiled brightly and extended his hand.

“Excellent. Then let’s make a deal.”

The tutor stared at the child’s hand.

Should he take it? Could there be another hidden motive? Ian’s life was in Derga’s hands, and if he cooperated with him, wouldn’t he be punished with execution instead of exile? As a scholar, he had no idea about such things.

“I’m just trying to live my life, and you’re just trying to live yours. You’ll be crossing the border as soon as you use the pass anyway, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Then there was no reason to hesitate. Even if there was a problem, he would be crossing the Great Desert.

The tutor grasped Ian’s hand with a determined look. Who knew that a deal between a middle-aged man and a child could be so solemn? Ian smiled and pointed towards the desk.

“Then, teacher. Shall we talk about the details while we study?”

* * *

The excuse to call Derga was set.

That he had suddenly quit being a tutor. Since he would be leaving Bratz as soon as he received the pass, it wasn’t a complete lie.

Ian carefully tucked the damp handkerchief into his pocket and turned to look at Hanna. Thick leather gloves were also essential.

“Hanna, the things I asked for?”

“Here they are.”

It was only Berric, but they were being very careful. Hanna took out a small wooden key that fit perfectly in her hand. One was for the office, and the other was for the drawer safe.

“I told the carpenter that we would pay him next week. Actually, he said he’d be happy with a bottle of liquor even if it’s late.”

After that day, Hanna had once again snuck into the butler’s room. She had taken a mold of the keys using clay and commissioned the creation of wooden ones, which were non-conductive. The surface was even coated with rubber solution.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

Squeak.

After Hanna left, Ian checked the time. It was almost time for his appointment with the tutor. While Derga’s office was empty, he had to quickly imprint two seals.

“Are you ready?”

“Haa. Why do I have to do this kind of thing?”

Tap tap!

Even while grumbling, Berric followed behind Ian. He was quite skilled at reducing his presence. They didn’t encounter anyone while leaving the annex and entering the upper floor of the main building. It was partly because they went around, but also thanks to Hanna, who had informed them of the servants’ schedules.

“There he is.”

Through the window, they could see the back of a familiar man’s head. Derga walking in front, and the tutor beside him. Even the butler was there, a perfect gathering. When the tutor said something with a flustered expression, Derga immediately showed his discomfort.

“Now, you stay here and keep a close watch. Don’t let anyone up here until I come out.”

Zhiiiing-

And the magic he released towards him. Ian’s golden eyes glowed, and his hair fluttered. Berric felt his blood rapidly circulating and chuckled.

“You look like you want someone to come.”

“Do I? You’re observant.”

“This is important. Berric. If you mess up, you won’t be able to handle it.”

“You’ll just cut me off if I get caught anyway. You talk too much.”

Berric waved his hand dismissively. If things went wrong and someone approached, his role was to create a commotion and draw attention. The most natural scenario would be that he tried to steal gold coins from Ciel’s room downstairs.

“I’ll be out soon.”

For that reason, Ian pushed his magic to its limit into Berric’s body. So that he could escape easily, or recover faster than before even if he was whipped.

Tap tap!

Squeak.

Ian used the prepared key to open the office and entered. He hadn’t been here much recently, but nothing had changed.

Thud!

He went straight to Derga’s desk without hesitation. He opened the largest drawer and looked inside.

‘There it is.’

A groove in the gap. There was a hole where he could push the diamond in with just a reach of his hand. Ian carefully took out the prepared wooden key.

Zhiiiing-

And just in case, he gathered all the magic in his body. Even if the wood was coated with rubber, it could be dangerous if the voltage was too high. If another energy entered his fingertips, he would reflexively put up a barrier. He didn’t know if it would work well with his body as a son of a concubine, but…

Click-

The feeling of the key entering the hole was smooth. When he pushed it in, another secret drawer appeared.

“Ah.”

Inside were seals, a magic brooch, two gold bars, and old letters. Ian knelt down and looked inside.

He placed the wax stand on the candle. While the spoon was heating up, Ian decided to look at the letters.

‘…Are these letters exchanged with the Tenryo tribe?’

Damn it, they were all written in the Tenryo language, making them impossible to decipher. He knew a few words here and there, but they were too fragmented.

‘Next… female king… after?’

What on earth was that supposed to mean! He could handle other foreign languages, but the language of the barbaric tribes on the outskirts was beyond Ian’s abilities. Instead, he copied the words onto parchment so he could look into it later.

Scribble, scribble!

The spoon was heated, and the wax lump melted into a liquid. Ian poured the wax and imprinted the seal.

Clang! Bang!

Once on the letter to be sent to the central government, and once on the pass for the tutor. After imprinting them, he skillfully cleaned up the wax. The key was to wipe it with a damp cloth before it hardened.

Sizzle.

The heated metal spoon cooled rapidly, emitting a faint smoke. Ian blew on the metal to cool it down, so that Derga wouldn’t feel the heat when he returned.

“Done.”

Everything was going smoothly. He put the items back in their original places and checked to make sure the seals were properly imprinted. Now all he had to do was leave…

Thump-

A sound of someone approaching from somewhere.

Ian’s body froze involuntarily. Was the sound coming from outside the door? No. If it was, it would have been louder and more boisterous. That would mean Berric was causing a commotion. Then the only place left was…

“Count. Are you there?”

The assistant’s office attached to the main office. Ian suppressed his presence as much as possible and hid behind the curtains. He didn’t know why that person was here. He never stayed in the room alone without Derga.

“Count?”

Squeak.

The door to the small office inside opened, and the disheveled assistant appeared. It was fortunate that the curtains were blackout curtains. If they had been chiffon, he would have been discovered immediately.

“That’s strange. I thought I heard a sound just now…”

His eyes were swollen as if he had just woken up. He must have fallen asleep here after working late last night, of all times.

“…?”

The assistant seemed to sense something unusual and looked at the curtains where Ian was hiding. And carefully, he took a step closer.

Rustle.

The parchment paper in Ian’s hand was so thin that it made a sound even when he breathed. This made the assistant even more nervous, and Ian more troubled.

“Who’s there?”

Ian turned his head and looked out the window. The clear sky. The sunlight poured down brightly. Strangely, everything was quiet. It was his habit and attitude.

Calm instead of tension. Action instead of worry.

Mistakes can be fixed, but failure cannot.

Zhiiiing-

“Ugh!”

As soon as the assistant grabbed the curtain, Ian unleashed his magic. The condensed wind burst out, and energy scattered around. At the same time, the assistant fell backward with a nosebleed, and the curtain he had let go of fluttered backward, but he didn’t see who was standing there.

Thud!

He fell backward, his eyes rolled back, and he lay sprawled out. Ian carefully arranged the curtains and quietly left the office.

“Done?”

Berric, who had been sitting on the stairs, jumped up when he saw Ian. Ian gave a short nod and led the way down the stairs. Through the window, they could still see the backs of the three men. The tutor glanced up and made eye contact with Ian.

The child’s calm expression was the answer that everything had gone well.