Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 222

A ward in Centra Hospital. It was one of the busiest and most bustling places in the vicinity, with numerous patients coming and going. Yet, it was particularly noisy today because of Ericse, who had been brought in this morning for emergency treatment.

“Is that even possible? How can they not know what kind of carriage it was?”

“We are investigating the area, but it’s difficult to find any traces.”

“It wasn’t just any carriage, it was a private red oak carriage! Our carriage wheel fell off, so the other side must have been completely wrecked! And it’s not like we’re near the border, how can they not find it? Huh? It must be somewhere nearby!”

Ericse was already frustrated from the morning accident, and the guard, who was supposed to be the investigator, kept saying they couldn’t find the culprit.

What nonsense! Were all the witnesses there blind? Ericse shouted, his face turning red.

“Find them immediately! Find the bastard who did this to me!”

“…We will do our best.”

“How much taxes do I pay, seriously, ugh!”

“Then, I’ll excuse myself. I’ll visit again when there’s progress in the investigation. Get well soon.”

Feeling absurd and empty, Ericse flopped onto the bed. A sharp pain shot up his back. It was not a minor injury. For someone who sat at his desk all day, this pain was devastating.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

“Master, a guest from the Magic Department has arrived.”

“Magic Department? Not our department?”

The attendant peeked his head in. The Justice Department, his own department, hadn’t even contacted him, but the Magic Department was here out of the blue? Ericse, puzzled, allowed them to enter.

“Hello. I’m from the Magic Department. Are you feeling alright? This is a gift of consolation from Minister Ian.”

A man in a mage’s robe entered, holding a fruit basket. Ericse was dumbfounded and couldn’t say anything. It was surprising that the Minister would send a gift to a mere staff member, and the timing was too quick. They had arrived almost as quickly as the servants from his mansion.

“…I appreciate the thought. But how did you know?”

“The Magic Department went to file a complaint early this morning and confirmed that Mr. Ericse was absent. The Minister wanted to give it to you directly.”

“They could have just left it with my subordinates.”

“Well, there’s a bit of a problem.”

“Huh?”

The mage smiled and signaled the attendant to leave. When Ericse nodded, only the two of them remained in the ward.

“What’s the matter?”

“Isn’t it strange that the Justice Department hasn’t contacted you when you’ve been injured?”

“Don’t tell me, is it another rebellion? Is there a problem?”

“It’s not that. It seems that Haiman’s side is systematically trying to block the filing of complaints. There are more than a few people who couldn’t come to the Justice Department today. It seems that not many were as badly injured as you, though.”

It was unbelievable. More than a few people couldn’t come to the Justice Department? And it was because of Haiman’s machinations? With his mouth agape, Ericse received a letter from Ian from the mage.

“I suspect that the perpetrator of the carriage accident is also related to Haiman. If that’s the case, it will probably be difficult for the guards to find them.”

“Wait! I’m a mess right now, just give me a moment.”

Ericse raised his hand urgently to gather his thoughts. Then, he quickly scanned Ian’s neat message. The gist was as follows:

There were many obstructions at the Justice Department’s reception desk, so he was requesting cooperation. And he was asking if he could process the complaint at the hospital if he brought the seal.

Ericse rubbed his brow and looked at the mage.

“Does it matter if it’s delayed by a few days?”

“I don’t know, but wouldn’t there be a reason? Like how you got injured.”

“Hmm.”

Was it really Haiman? Did Haiman’s lackeys ram into his carriage? Ericse was racking his brain with worry. But it didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

‘It’s something I would have handled if I had gone to work anyway.’

It wouldn’t matter if he did it here or there, would it? Rather, if it was Haiman’s doing as the Magic Department claimed…

“Alright.”

He would definitely do it. He would make them pay for daring to break his arm, whatever it was. Ericse returned the letter and instructed.

“The seal is on my desk. You must bring all the supporting documents to attach to the complaint, and have the person who will be interviewed come here. If it’s past business hours, it will be moved to tomorrow, so they must arrive before then.”

“Understood.”

“And let me tell you one thing. I’m very thorough with my reviews. Just because the situation is what it is, doesn’t mean I’ll let things slide. Doing business here doesn’t mean it’s a quick pass.”

“I will convey that. Please write a short handwritten reply.”

“Oh, my. What a mess this is. Ugh.”

Scribble, scribble!

Ericse groaned and wrote with his right hand. He felt like he would have a worse fever if he took a nap. As the mage hurriedly left the ward, the attendant approached, glancing at him.

“Master, was that person a mage?”

“Yes. Massage my legs a bit. It hurts so much.”

“That’s amazing. I’ve never seen a mage before. But what’s going on?”

“What do you need to know? Just massage my legs, I said.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ericse clicked his tongue and stared at the white ceiling. What on earth was happening in the Imperial Palace right now? If it was Haiman’s machinations as the mage said, that was a problem in itself.

‘I’ll get a grasp of the overall situation when I see the complaint.’

“…And have all the guards from the mansion come here.”

“To the ward?”

“Yes, here. Tell them to protect me well.”

“Understood.”

Assuming everything he heard was true. Just as Haiman was desperate to stop the complaint, the Magic Department seemed desperate to file it. So, if they brought the seal and pressured him, it would be troublesome, wouldn’t it? It was better to be more careful since he was outside the Imperial Palace.

* * *

“Master, Master!”

“Ugh.”

When did he fall asleep? Ericse woke up with a start at the attendant’s fuss. Then, he frowned at the sharp sensation in his ribs. He had completely forgotten about the accident.

“The Magic Department is here.”

“Magic Department? Ah, yes. Let them in.”

“Yes. But, uh, one of them seems to be in a strange condition.”

“Condition? Why?”

“I don’t know. It seems like they can get treatment here right after they’re done. Anyway, I’ll bring them in.”

Ericse didn’t understand what the attendant was saying. Until the door opened.

Creak.

“Hello. I am Hale, the captain of the Magic Operations Department. I came here under the Minister’s orders. I heard there was a big accident, are you feeling alright?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Well, I’m okay.”

Captain Hale, he was famous. Ericse raised his upper body and scanned him up and down. He knew he was usually a free spirit, but how could his clothes be so torn? And his hair was a mess.

Just as he was muttering to himself that he couldn’t understand the eccentricities of mages.

“Nice, to meet you. I am, uh, *sniff*, Romandro, aide to Minister Ian of the Magic Department.”

“…Are you alright?”

Romandro was such a mess that the patient lying in bed was asking him if he was okay. There were bloody tissues stuffed in both of his nostrils, his eyes were swollen, and there were clear scratch marks all over him. If Captain Hale’s clothes were tattered, Romandro looked like a beggar. Romandro kept sniffling.

“Honestly, I’m not okay.”

“Y-you don’t look like it.”

“…Before I get any sadder, let’s hurry and get this done.”

Romandro dragged a chair and sat in front of Ericse as if he had given up on everything. A thick complaint was placed on the bedside table. And from his pocket, he carefully took out Ericse’s work seal.

Tap.

From the round bead at the end of the seal’s handle, a light flickered, indicating the passage of time. It was why Ericse and the Justice Department staff tried to strictly adhere to business hours.

If the set time passed, the seal would print tomorrow’s date instead of today’s. Then, of course, the processing of the work would also be based on tomorrow.

“Then, let’s begin. The complaint is being filed by the Magic Department, and the target is not Duke Haiman, but the entire Haiman family.”

“That’s right. I wish you could speak a little faster.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Romandro anxiously checked the time. If the interview was delayed, bringing the seal here would be in vain. It was a seal he had obtained by fighting for the first time in his life.

Ericse, whether he knew Romandro’s plight or not, carefully read the complaint.

“This part, please explain. The research results on the black ore confiscated in the Chetur area are that it’s a dragon’s scale? Is that reliable?”

“There’s a separate attached report.”

“But the research period stated is ridiculously short. I don’t think it’s reliable.”

Hale leaned against the ward door and watched. Romandro, thankfully, seemed to have anticipated the question and answered without panicking. If it weren’t for the two wads of tissue in his nostrils, he would have looked quite cool.

“The period cannot determine the reliability of the result. There are studies where the period is important, and studies where it is not. Identifying the nature of a substance is obviously the latter. And above all, a full-scale investigation into the Haiman family is needed to confirm this. That’s only possible if the complaint is accepted.”

“…You’re saying that you will explain the part about the dragon’s scale in court. Understood. I accept the claim.”

Rustle.

Ericse raised his eyebrows and flipped through the papers. The Q&A went on like that several times. Tick-tock, Hale kept checking his watch, conscious of the time. Business hours would be over soon. The seal would also change, but as Ericse had warned, he wasn’t letting anything slide.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

He was so anxious that he wanted to chew on a cigarette. If it weren’t for the hospital, there would have been a pile of butts at his feet. The attendants also sensed the unusual atmosphere and held their breath.

Rustle, rustle.

Ericse was scribbling something. Slow, but the papers were slowly turning. Finally, he reached the last page without skipping anything.

“I will confirm one last time. This is one of the official procedures. It will be recognized as official in the upcoming trials, including the Grand Council, so please answer carefully.”

Last! It was the last one! Romandro’s eyes sparkled, and he nodded his head vigorously as if urging him to ask quickly.

“Of course.”

“Is there any manipulation or intentional false information in the above content of the Magic Department’s complaint against the Haiman family?”

“I swear there isn’t. Absolutely not.”

“If it is revealed that there is manipulation or intentional false information in the complaint, you can be held accountable. Do you agree to this?”

“Of course, I agree!”

“Understood.”

Ericse lightly grasped the seal. The bead that reacted to the user’s fingerprint flickered slightly. He pressed the seal firmly on the front of the complaint.

[No. 52398 Complaint Filing Completed.]

Click.

At the same time, today’s date appeared clearly below. As soon as Ericse removed the seal, the time on the bead changed. It was a close call, but they had kept to business hours.

Romandro was so moved that he hugged Ericse tightly. The tissues in his nostrils popped out.

“It’s done! Thank you! Oh, thank you! But why are you so slow! I was sweating bullets!”

“Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Hale ignored the two fussing people and retrieved the complaint. Now that the seal was stamped, anyone who damaged it would be severely punished. He could return to the Imperial Palace. The head of the Magic Department would probably be waiting.

“Mr. Romandro, let’s hurry back.”

“Huh? Ah, yes! We should. Ericse, get well soon! And you need to replace those employees! Tsk, tsk. They’re all just strong. They’ve only learned bad things!”

“Huh?”

Romandro made a disgusted face, drawing his hand across his neck. Ericse, who didn’t understand, just patted his throbbing arm and watched them leave.

What on earth had happened in the Imperial Palace?