Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 261

‘Ian, slow down a bit! And just so you know, the restaurant isn’t that way. It’s completely the opposite direction. We’ve walked really far!’

Ian turned to look at Beric, who was trotting along behind him, and gave a puzzled smile. This was Beric, who would sprawl on the sofa even when the Emperor was present. He was still in terrible shape, but seeing him push himself like this, there must be an ulterior motive.

Ian didn’t slow his pace as he asked,

‘Did someone say the restaurant is off-limits?’

In other words, why couldn’t he just steal a reasonable amount of meat? Ian didn’t bother adding the unspoken words. Whether he said it or not, it wouldn’t mean much to Beric anyway.

Instead of regretting or reflecting, his way was to find another way into the restaurant.

‘Huh, how did you know?’

‘It’s written all over your face.’

‘My face?! Huh?!’

When was the last time Ian went to the restaurant? Usually, he was so busy with work that he rarely had time to eat, and these days, he was confined to his bed, not leaving his office.

But he kept trying to lead him towards the restaurant, so it was a natural suspicion. But Beric seemed genuinely flustered, peering into the windows and feeling his face.

‘Where are we going? We’re getting further and further away from the restaurant!’

‘The Imperial Central Archives.’

‘Why that boring place?’

‘Have you ever been there? That’s surprising.’

‘Huh? What are you talking about? It’s that place where the black boxes are stacked up.’

‘That’s the Magic Department’s archives, and where we’re going now is the Imperial Palace, specifically the Administrative Department’s archives.’

There was something he needed to confirm. Timothy, the reason why Ian remembered him even after a hundred years.

As they got closer to the archives, more people recognized him. He exchanged quick nods with them, and just as he was about to turn a corner,

‘Ah.’

Ian stopped, recognizing the familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction. It was Quintana. She seemed to be carrying boxes with the administrative staff. She also noticed Ian and greeted him happily.

‘Minister, isn’t it? What brings you here?’

She seemed to be in a very good mood. Ian suddenly realized that most of the smiles Quintana had shown so far were sneers. Except for the occasional kindness she showed to Jin, she was always arguing, refuting, and pushing her own opinions in meetings.

‘These are the property deeds of the seven families, including the Hyman family. Isn’t it amazing? Just the land deeds are this much, so the arrogance of calling their mansions the second Imperial Palace wasn’t unfounded.’

The mansions, lands, and various jewels and assets that had lost their owners would be returned to the Imperial Palace and gain new value. Whether to dispose of them or keep them in the Imperial Palace would be decided by the Administrative Department, the Prime Minister, and Jin.

‘Anyway, it seems you were going somewhere.’

‘I was on my way to the Imperial Central Archives. There’s something I need to check.’

‘Oh, I see. I heard that old books will be coming in soon. If you have time, please visit the Ministry of Culture with His Highness Jin. The artworks should have arrived first. They’re worth seeing.’

It was a rare, gentle side of Quintana.

Following the securing of the trial taxes and the confiscation of the central noble families’ assets, the continuous revenue was not only making up for the damage from the rebellion but was also creating a surplus. As the person in charge of managing the national treasury, there was no greater joy.

‘Oh, and the Prime Minister said he’ll be convening a grand assembly tomorrow. I don’t know if you’ve heard.’

‘Yes, I have.’

‘Then do you also know? Commander Jerritt has proposed to the Administrative Department to reorganize the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Defense Department has done the same.’

Two of the three commanders of the Imperial Guard, who served the Emperor closely, had died. One in the rebellion, and the other by a monster. Even if the Emperor was bedridden, the number of commanders had to be maintained to match their position.

‘It seems they’ll be recruiting and selecting personnel soon. All the magic swordsmen in the Empire will have an opportunity, right?’

Quintana said, glancing at Beric standing behind him. He was rough and unrefined, not at all suited for the Imperial Palace, but he was a man that Ian kept and Jin was watching. When she looked into it, she was surprised to find out that he was a magic swordsman. Moreover, he was skilled enough to draw out magic power from Commander Jerritt.

‘Is the Imperial Defense Department doing the same?’

‘Yes. Because they’re similar. I guess the Imperial Defense Department is aiming for a trickle-down effect from the Imperial Guard applicants. The former head of the Imperial Defense Department sided with the First Prince in the rebellion, didn’t he? Although someone else is temporarily in charge, it’s the right time to reorganize and replenish the troops.’

Now that the purge of the central nobles was complete, it was the perfect time. Moreover, Jin’s inauguration as the next successor was also coming up. Now, on the verge of a new era, it was appropriate in many ways.

‘Especially the Imperial Defense Department will try to finish it before Jin becomes the official successor. From the rebellion to the Melania incident, their position isn’t good. They’re trying to consolidate themselves before Jin establishes his cabinet.’

‘Everyone is busy with their own inaugurations.’

Quintana added, as if she had also noticed their intentions. Ian smiled in agreement.

‘Then, I’ll see you at the grand assembly tomorrow.’

‘Yes, please do. Good work.’

The staff bowed their heads and disappeared, following Quintana.

Ian’s mind became complicated. There was a mountain of things to organize, both administratively and procedurally. Each department was sharing the work, but most of it, especially from the Magic Department, would be reviewed by Ian in the end.

Because he was Jin’s guardian. He was reviewing every single one of Jin’s signatures, so in the end, it was no different from Ian seeing it himself.

‘First, let’s propose the distribution of authority over the magic seal stones. 50% to the Emperor, 30% to the rest of the Imperial family, and 20% to the Magic Department.’

The important point was ‘authority over the total amount of magic seal stones.’ This way, even if the number of seal stones increased or decreased, the power of checks and balances would be maintained according to the ratio.

‘The problem is Idgar…’

A product of alchemy that had similar abilities to the magic seal stones.

To prevent confusion, a law officially excluding Idgar would also be inevitable. The fact that the illegitimate son, Ian, was related to it was the most concerning part at the moment.

But it couldn’t be helped. For the healthy balance of the Imperial family, the Magic Department, and Bariel, it was a step that had to be taken.

‘And next, proceed with the sale of Hyman Bank, the Imperial Defense Department…’

‘Ian! What are you thinking so hard about?’

‘Ah.’

At that moment, Beric grabbed Ian’s arm and pulled him. Lost in thought, he had reached the end of the hallway. He had passed the archives by a few steps. Ian smiled slightly and shook his head.

‘It’s nothing. I was worried about whether you’d be able to get into the Imperial Guard. If the best of the best from all over the country apply, Commander Jerritt might refuse your entry.’

‘Come on! Don’t worry about that, worry about what we’re going to eat today. Those guys who come, I’ll, huh? I’ll beat them half to death and take the commander’s spot.’

‘Commander? Hahaha.’

Ian burst out laughing. It was an unexpected combination. Beric and the commander of the Imperial Guard.

Beric was momentarily surprised by the sight, but he was also curious to see Ian laughing out loud, so he followed suit and raised the corners of his mouth.

‘You’re laughing. If I beat Jerritt, I become the commander, right?’

‘What would you do as commander?’

‘Hmm. Should I make my subordinates offer me meat? If I become the commander, what about you? Good, right?’

‘Well, I guess so. If you’re the commander of the Imperial Guard, you’ll be close to the Emperor, so it’ll be easier to cooperate on work in many ways.’

‘There are two spots left, so it’s doable, right?’

‘I don’t know. Before that, Jerritt might try to kill you.’

Screech!

As he opened the door, the archives staff stood up to greet Ian. The atmosphere was not much different from a library. The musty but strangely calming smell of paper, the sunlight pouring from the ceiling, and the silence that was close to stillness.

‘Are you Minister Ian Hiero?’

‘I have some materials I want to check.’

‘Yes. Please tell me.’

‘Give me all the materials related to Bariel’s exchanges with the Burgos Kingdom up to ten years ago from the current time.’

‘A-all of them? That’s quite a lot.’

‘Then five years, or even three years is fine.’

‘Just a moment. We haven’t received a separate request for withdrawal, but you’ll be checking them here, right?’

‘That’s right.’

To take administrative materials outside, it was only possible through a withdrawal request. The procedure was strict, involved several staff members, and took a long time unless it was an urgent matter.

Rustle.

The staff member mumbled while looking through thick documents.

‘Neighboring countries index 0423 classification, Burgos… Ah, please come this way.’

The two followed the staff member into the archives. The smell of yellowed paper grew stronger. Beric wrinkled his nose, and Ian looked up at the top of the ceiling, which was tens of meters high.

It was a place with more than ten floors, and the wooden stairs connecting the floors moved smoothly. That was also thanks to magic.

‘A hundred years later or now, it’s not much different.’

‘Minister Ian. Here are the economic and political records of Burgos for five years. The cultural and social records are in the basement, so I’ll bring them up now. Please take your time looking at them.’

‘Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome.’

Beric’s mouth slowly opened. There were five bookshelves taller than him. And they were filled with stacks of paper without any gaps.

He was going to look at all of this here?

And there was more for culture and society?

‘Ian, are you crazy?’

‘I didn’t tell you to follow me.’

‘You’re going to read this here? You’ll get another nosebleed. For sure.’

‘Beric. Reading isn’t as difficult as you think. I told you to study with Siao Shi.’

Ian scanned the covers and took out what he needed without hesitation. Then, he sat comfortably in a chair and flipped through the materials. He wasn’t reading from beginning to end, but looking for the necessary information, so there was no need to strain himself.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Ugh. Beric sat next to him, propping his chin up and waiting.

‘What are you looking for so hard? Are you looking for that Prince Timothy from that country?’

‘Timothy isn’t royalty. He’s from the Burgos Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It’s unusual for royalty to come to a successor’s inauguration. Usually, they send an envoy like Luswena.’

‘Really? But anyway, you’re looking for Timothy, right? That big guy with the thick build, he looked like he could fight. Does the foreign ministry of that country also fight well? How about a friendly match when he comes? Huh?’

Ian ignored Beric’s chatter and continued to flip through the documents. Timothy, Timothy, Timothy…

‘Ah. Found it.’

Timothy had officially visited Bariel five times. Each time, he stayed for a short period of a week, and sometimes up to half a year, so the records were clear. Ian examined his movements and compared them to what he knew, to see if there was anything different.

‘Promotion of the Laurent Plains development, formation of a cultural delegation. Hmm, he came for Gale’s coming-of-age ceremony at this time. A magic cooperation exchange group was created…’

Rustle.

-…The Burgos Kingdom’s diplomat, Timothy, expressed his intention to supply Minister Wesley of the Magic Department with 25 types of magic stones [magical stones used for various purposes] (omitted below) needed for the construction of an annex at a lower price than the market price, and Minister Wesley expressed his intention to select five excellent magicians and dispatch them for three years. No specific agreement was made regarding this.

‘As expected.’

Ian muttered to himself. As far as he knew, Timothy was an immigrant ‘from’ a foreign delegation. Meaning, he was Timothy of Bariel, not Timothy of Burgos.

In the hundred years of history, there were many immigrants, but the only reason Ian remembered Timothy.

‘…He’s Naum’s ancestor.’