Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 22

“Those from the central regions lack tenacity, I tell you.”

Derga frowned deeply as he ascended the office stairs. It seemed the considerable time and effort he had invested had been completely forgotten. The butler also smiled, looking perplexed.

“Indeed, sir. To quit so suddenly like this.”

“Is there a scholar from Bariel University in Bratz?”

“I will look into it. Or we’ll have to bring one from somewhere else.”

This was becoming a nuisance. Where else could he find someone as cheap as the tutor to hire as a teacher among the Bariel University graduates?

He wondered if he had frozen the salary for too many years. If he had known this would happen, he should have tempted him with a reasonable raise. Well, he was going to another country for research, so it wasn’t about the money, but still.

“It’ll be expensive, won’t it?”

“Most likely. You’ll have to pay at least ten times the tuition we’ve been paying so far. Even then, it’s questionable whether they’ll agree…”

Damn it! Derga stomped his foot in frustration. Just as he was about to reach his office, he suddenly remembered his aide, who hadn’t shown his face yet.

“Is the aide still sleeping?”

“He fell asleep at dawn yesterday, so he must be exhausted.”

“What a life. Wake him up and send him home.”

Squeak.

The moment he opened the door, Derga stopped. The butler’s puzzled gaze was of no importance. Something was subtly different from the usual, picture-perfect scene.

“…What is this?”

It wasn’t his imagination. The aide was sprawled out on the floor, and the documents were slightly scattered. The butler, who had followed Derga in, covered his mouth in shock.

“Good heavens! What happened! Are you alright?”

Unlike the butler, who immediately checked on the aide’s condition, Derga went straight to the drawers. He checked the secret safe inside to make sure the seal and various valuables were still there.

“Master! Should we call a doctor?”

“…Is he dead?”

Derga’s voice was sharp. If he was sprawled out in front of the desk, there was only one possibility. Like the previous butler, he had fallen into a trap.

“He’s still breathing.”

“Call a doctor. And report to me as soon as he opens his eyes. Have someone keep an eye on him so he doesn’t run away.”

“Yes, sir. Outside! Is anyone there!”

“What is it?”

All hell broke loose. While the servants rushed in to move the aide, Derga thoroughly checked the items in the office. Fortunately, nothing was missing or changed.

Perhaps it was because he knew there was no damage. As his head cleared, a surge of betrayal rose within him.

“…How dare he!”

“Oh, Master. You shouldn’t do that!”

“How did I take you in! And you do this!”

Thwack!

Derga slapped the unconscious aide’s face, venting his frustration and anger.

Meanwhile, Berric, who had returned to the annex, took a bite of an apple and asked,

“It’s noisy. Did you get caught?”

The servants, who had been relaxing, were all summoned and rushed into the main building. A carriage was crossing the garden. Surely, a doctor was on board. Ian leaned against the window and watched it with interest.

“I got caught. The aide was inside.”

“You’re screwed. You’re going to lose your head now.”

“Are you scared?”

“If I die like this, I’m the only one who’s been exploited.”

That wasn’t entirely wrong. Ian chuckled at Berric’s words.

Ian broke the wooden key and handed a small pouch to Berric. Inside, the folded parchment was carefully rolled up.

“Burn the key outside where no one can see it. And deliver this to Lord Molin. You have to deliver it directly. I told you the address, right?”

It was the final step. Berric tucked it into his chest and nodded.

“Deliver it to Lord Molin and get the gold coins. And on the way back, stop by home and tell Philia.”

“Excellent.”

It was a message for Philia, Ian’s birth mother.

It was time. If she was ready to hide, she should disappear without a trace. Only Ian would know her whereabouts through Berric. Now, even if she crossed the border, there was nothing to stop her.

“Let’s have a proper sparring session starting tomorrow.”

“If I complete the mission safely.”

“Really? Fine. Don’t go back on your word later.”

He looked like he would do anything to complete the mission. Ian tossed him an apple and smiled.

“See you tomorrow.”

Squeak.

The horse had left.

All that was left was to observe how the other side would react. Come to think of it, being caught by the aide wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

‘Even though I cleaned up, there might be something I missed in the rush. Derga would surely notice it. I can divert his attention to the aide.’

If the aide woke up and testified, it would be a different story, but the question was whether Derga would believe him. Perhaps while he was still in his position, the Count would come to his own conclusion, and that wouldn’t change no matter what.

Knock knock.

Ian turned his head at the sound of the knock.

“Ian, sir. I’m coming in.”

“Oh, teacher.”

The tutor entered the room, sweating profusely. It seemed like he had been drained while talking to Derga. The conversation between an employer who didn’t want to let go and an employee who wanted to quit was obvious.

“Did you have a good talk with my father?”

“Y-yes…”

“It’s a shame that today is your last lesson. I’m truly grateful for your excellent teachings. As a token of my appreciation, I’ve prepared a small gift.”

Ian, acting nonchalant, took out a folded piece of paper in front of him. It was a pass with the Bratz seal on it. The tutor let out a sigh of relief and repeatedly rubbed his face with his hands.

“Haa. Good heavens.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“No, why didn’t you smile when we made eye contact earlier! I was so worried that something was wrong.”

The tutor clutched the pass to his chest as if it were a lifeline.

“Go to Blaster and continue your great research. Not everyone is interested, but in the end, it’s people like you who change the world.”

Ian sincerely encouraged him. The scholarship he had devoted his life to was the foundation of Bariel. And someday, it would become a driving force for Ian.

The tutor pondered what to say in response and rummaged through his bag.

“Here, this is the data you asked for.”

It was a map of the Great Desert and the expected climate. The locations of oases and the altitudes of sand mountains were meticulously marked.

“Based on the dates you mentioned, there’s a high probability of a sandstorm forming around this area in the northeast. I don’t know the exact route of the Chunryeo tribe, but maybe you’ll be lucky enough to avoid it.”

The daily temperature difference was so extreme that it was called hell and ice hell. Ian sighed at the hardship he could gauge from the numbers.

“You don’t look good.”

“I feel like giving up everything.”

“But it’s still a place where people live.”

Was that a response to his earlier words of comfort? Ian carefully folded the paper and put it in a drawer.

“Are you leaving today?”

“Yes. I can’t wait any longer.”

Ian extended his hand as if to mark their last meeting, and the tutor hesitated before taking it. Smiles of wishing each other good luck appeared on their faces.

“Oh, right. Before you go.”

“Yes?”

He looked like he was wondering what else was left.

Ian took out the Chunryeo tribe letter he had copied from Derga’s office yesterday. It was a transcription of words rather than sentences.

“Could you translate this for me?”

The tutor stared at the paper for a moment, then tilted his head.

“Who will be the next leader after the current tribal chief?”

He read it because he was asked to, but the tutor smiled as if he didn’t understand the meaning at all. Ian was the same.

However, it was clear that this was a very important letter, as it was in the secret safe.

* * *

“Did you hear the news?”

“About the aide? Oh, the world is a scary place.”

“I know. I heard that something like this happened before.”

“You can’t know what’s in a person’s heart, but it’s really surprising.”

The atmosphere in the mansion was chaotic. The butler was trying hard to control it, but how could that be easy? Whenever two or more servants gathered, they talked about the aide’s incident.

“…So, he hasn’t woken up yet?”

“No, young master.”

Ian left the chattering servants behind and asked Hanna. The child followed him, holding his coat. Behind them, Berric, wearing sandbags, was almost dragging himself along.

“The Count didn’t send him home and locked him in the inner office of the office. He also placed two guards in the hallway and one in front of the door. Servants are strictly forbidden from approaching.”

Hanna whispered the information she had gathered. Since he had poured all his magic into it, it was natural that he couldn’t wake up easily. Hanna asked back, looking very curious.

“How did you do it?”

She was asking how he had knocked the aide out like that. Hanna didn’t know that Ian was a magic user, so she was twisting with curiosity.

“Here. Take this.”

“Gasp! Gold coins!”

Instead of answering, Ian handed over gold coins from a pouch. Berric had brought them, and it was a sign that the message Ian had sent had been successfully delivered to Molin.

“This is your reward and the carpenter’s share, so deliver it well.”

“This is too much. Wow.”

“Really? Then give it back.”

“No, no. What are you saying?”

Saying it was too much was not a refusal. Hanna smiled brightly and bit the gold coins with her front teeth. Then, she quickly put them in her inner pocket and stepped back, pretending to be nonchalant.

“Berric. Hurry up.”

“No, you said we’d do proper training…”

“If this isn’t proper? Should I add more weight?”

“…I’ll shut up.”

“You’re impatient, so this method is perfect for you. Gradually increase the limit. Let’s do two more laps and then grab the sword.”

“I’ve met a good master!”

“Thanks for the compliment. I’ve also found a useful right-hand man.”

Berric glared at Ian with burning eyes, then took a difficult step. Now that there were no more tutor lessons, he could focus on exercising with Berric all day. Derga also hadn’t come out of his office since yesterday’s incident.

But then.

Clop clop-!

Hoofbeats were heard from the main gate. He wondered if the doctor had come back, but it was strangely noisy. Ian stood under a tree, staring intently.

“Ah.”

He thought it was a black horse, but it wasn’t.

It was a Kusile, an essential means of transportation for crossing the desert. The Kusile, an animal that was a cross between a horse and a camel, was a typical pet of the Chunryeo tribe. That meant-

“Who are they?”

Ian hesitated at Hanna’s question.

The valiant warriors on the saddles. With red paint on their faces and gold ornaments that announced their presence, they were…

“The Chunryeo tribe.”