Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 283

‘Ian, it’s me.’

‘Come in.’

Romandro peeked his head in, pulling a small handcart. It was piled high with stacks of paper reaching up to a person’s waist.

Ian, who had been busily working with his pen, turned his head, puzzled by the sound of the wheels. Where were all these tasks coming from? It had been several days since the selection ceremony ended, but it felt like his workload was only increasing.

Ian glanced at the reports filling his office and nodded.

‘Put it over there.’

‘It feels like I did this an hour ago. Haha.’

‘It’s sometimes amazing. Just when I think there can’t be anything more to come, I open the reports and understand. Please organize them in order of the approval deadline.’

‘This one can wait a bit. It’s a proposal regarding the Magic Department’s movements and division of roles on the day of Prince Jin’s inauguration ceremony. We just need to make a decision and notify the other departments.’

‘I see. Understood. This one is already approved, so please take it away. There’s not enough space.’

Ian refocused on the documents, and the sound of his pen moving continued rhythmically. But that was only for a moment. Ian noticed that Romandro hadn’t left and looked up again.

‘Is there something else to report?’

‘Ah, well, it’s about that.’

Romandro looked at the chair, and Ian gestured with his eyes that he could sit. Sensing that the conversation would be long, Ian placed his pen in the inkpot.

‘It’s a bit ambiguous where Barsabe is staying. Siao Shi is still receiving treatment, but she’s recovered enough to compete without any issues. It seems like she doesn’t need her help anymore.’

Commander Jaylert had ‘naturally’ not ordered Barsabe’s return, and even Ian hadn’t mentioned it, so Romandro was bringing it up directly.

Was it because he was busy? But was Ian the type to miss something like this just because he was busy? He asked cautiously, with a tone of not understanding at all.

‘Ian.’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m just saying this in case. It seems like the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace is a bit strange these days.’

‘In what way?’

Ian pretended not to know and asked back.

‘The day Beric and Commander Jaylert sparred. Since that day, the Imperial Guard has been unusually on edge. It seems like they’re not happy with Beric’s victory, but the problem is that the Imperial Defense Force seems to be joining in and feeling the same way.’

Everyone had seen Ian transfer his magic power to Beric. It was as if everyone knew that the Minister of Magic was trying to place his own people next to His Majesty the Emperor.

‘Of course, it was public knowledge that the selection of the commander included an internal review, but there are too many rumors trying to gauge your intentions.’

‘My intentions? What are they saying it is?’

Ian smiled, genuinely curious. Seeing his harmless smile, Romandro couldn’t help but smile back. He was so radiant up close, but those who saw him from afar didn’t seem to know it.

‘Well, there are many rumors. They say that you knew he had no chance in the internal review, so you had him defeat the commander to make up for it. Or that you’re showing that the Magic Department may have fewer personnel, but it’s strong in terms of force, and so on. If five people gather, there are five different opinions.’

It was such a high-impact event. Not only the Imperial Palace officials but also the general participants had watched it. He could sense the heat that wouldn’t easily die down, and he understood it.

Ian shrugged his shoulders.

‘That’s interesting. One action, but countless interpretations.’

‘Prince Jin’s inauguration ceremony is coming soon, so things will be less hectic for a while. Beric’s appointment was also unsuccessful. But it would be better to be a bit more restrained in the future. You know, it’s a very sensitive issue. Right?’

The young prince and the Minister of Magic standing behind him. If Jin became the official successor at the inauguration ceremony, the worries and vigilance about this would only intensify. Power was like a living thing, growing larger as time passed.

Those who knew that this was the starting point would surely try to turn Jin’s attention to their side little by little.

‘It might have already started.’

Anyway, it seemed better to have Barsabe’s residence newly decided. She was the path directly connecting the Imperial Guard and Jin.

But Ian just shook his head, meaning it was okay.

‘Her skills and loyalty have been proven several times, and the more people serving His Highness, the better. Siao Shi also has a lot to learn, so let’s watch a little longer.’

‘Ian?’

‘And actually, since she’s His Highness’s escort, it’s not really my decision to make. It was entirely His Highness’s decision to accept her in the first place.’

Romandro blinked in confusion. Did Ian not know what it meant to keep Barsabe by his side? ‘That’ Ian?

That couldn’t be. Then there must be another intention that Romandro hadn’t grasped…

‘Hey, Ian-‘

‘Waaah! I’m gonna die!’

Thud! Bang!

Beric appeared, cutting off Romandro’s words. Romandro frowned and scolded him, but he didn’t seem to understand.

‘Beric. Give some warning before you come in!’

‘Wow, I’m too tired to do that. No, the Imperial Guards are crazy. Why are they making us work so hard from the first day? They won’t even let us have a sip of water! Ugh, seriously!’

Today was Beric’s first day at the training grounds as an Imperial Guard. He had been neatly dressed in his uniform in the morning… but by the afternoon, he was a mess.

‘Oh my, they didn’t even let you drink water?’

‘That’s right. And what’s funny is that only the new recruits can’t drink. They told me if I wanted to drink, I had to run around the training ground for an hour.’

Oh. My goodness. Beric, that’s called hazing.

Romandro covered his mouth and looked at Beric with pity. He had completely forgotten about scolding him for being rude just a moment ago.

‘So, what happened?’

‘What do you mean, what happened? I ran for an hour and emptied all the water in the water tank. Hahaha!’

Looking closely, he was still wearing his training clothes under his uniform. He must have rushed here without changing. The Imperial Guard probably wasn’t happy with Beric’s presence, so they were trying to deal with him like this. Even so, there was the honor of the Empire, how could they…

‘And then they told me to fill up the water tank. They should fill it up themselves if they want to drink. I got so mad that I broke them all and just came here. They said it’s beef for dinner today. Romandro, are water tanks expensive? They were a bit bigger than me.’

‘You broke all the water tanks? On your first day? Oh my, why?!’

‘Ah, because I was annoyed!’

Romandro made the sign of the cross in his mind and mourned for the Imperial Guard. He was praying that they would make that unruly kid even rougher and turn him into a proper person.

‘Beric.’

‘Huh?’

‘What did I tell you this morning?’

‘…Not to cause trouble.’

‘So you did listen. I’ll tell Commander Jaylert to deduct the cost of the water tanks from your salary. You won’t even be able to buy a beer with your first paycheck, will you?’

It would be a miracle if he could buy a beer. He was causing such a ruckus on his first day, he might be in debt in a month.

Beric’s mouth dropped open in shock, and Ian suddenly remembered the day of the award ceremony. He seemed to have mentioned ‘trouble’ back then too…

‘Beric, about that time. When you were late on the morning of the award ceremony, you seemed to be talking about trouble, what happened?’

‘That time? Um? Ah! Ah!’

Beric snapped his fingers, as if he had completely forgotten about it.

‘It was nothing, I almost hit an old person while rushing here that day.’

‘You crazy bastard!’

Thwack!

‘Ouch! I didn’t hit them! I didn’t even touch a hair on their head!’

‘Why are you telling me this now? Did you handle it well? Old people can get hurt even from a small shock!’

‘They were totally fine and healthy! And honestly, it’s not fair to me either! The old lady was crawling across the main road. It’s hard to notice right away.’

‘So what did you do?!’

‘I tried to give them money, but they wouldn’t take it. What did they say? That they eat secrets or something. They seemed a bit strange. They said Ian wanted you to bring them here?’

At Beric’s words, Romandro gasped. Even Ian, who rarely showed surprise, was the same. He widened his eyes slightly and put down his pen.

The two of them became strange at the same time. Beric stepped back behind the sofa, looking flustered.

‘Why, why are you guys like that? Nothing really happened that day.’

‘No, Beric. Tell me more. The old person, was it a woman? And they said they eat secrets? Was it a gypsy?’

‘Gypsy? I can’t tell the difference.’

‘Ian. Judging by the fact that they were crawling on the main road, it must have been an old person without legs.’

‘Oh! That’s right. They didn’t have legs!’

‘Oh my goodness!’

Romandro almost had a fit, clutching his head and twisting his body this way and that. It was a gesture somewhere between joy, thrill, and shock.

They had issued a wanted notice throughout Bariel at Timothy’s request, but they hadn’t heard any news.

But Beric?!

That day when he came in late after drinking, Beric had met them!

‘Beric, what do you mean Ian wanted you to bring them here?’

‘Well, they said if I wanted to compensate them, I should bring someone who thinks a lot, doesn’t talk much, and is strange. That’s totally Ian, right?’

‘Yeah, it, it is Ian.’

‘……?’

Ian tilted his head, looking puzzled at Romandro. Neither of them knew what they were talking about.

Romandro tried to stay calm and asked back.

‘Uh, where? When?’

‘The night of the half-moon, where the accident happened. Ah, it was near the alley where the newspaper office was, and if you turn a few corners at the intersection, you’ll find the entrance to a big park.’

The night of the half-moon! Ian and Romandro simultaneously checked the calendar on the bookshelf.

‘That’s today.’

‘It is today.’

Ian and Romandro muttered at the same time, and Beric smiled sheepishly. He had completely forgotten about it.

‘Really? I didn’t know?’

‘…I can’t even scold him, geez.’

‘Romandro, there’s still time until night, so please prepare. I’ll finish the documents I was looking at. I’ll pinpoint the exact location and block all the connecting paths. It would be good to dispatch some magicians just in case.’

‘I’ll do that.’

‘Beric, go with Romandro and help him.’

Beric whined that he was tired since he had just come in, but he was obediently dragged out by Romandro’s ear-pulling.

Ian picked up his pen to finish what he was doing, but he put it down again.

‘The one who eats secrets, the gypsy that the King of Burgos is desperately searching for.’

The reason why the King of Burgos was looking for her would soon be revealed. Either there was a secret he wanted to get rid of through her, or there was a secret she possessed that he desperately wanted to know.

If it was the latter, Ian was genuinely curious.

And Ian genuinely needed to find out.

‘In response to the political situation of the three countries, it will surely be an important key. Moreover, in order to lead Timothy’s naturalization smoothly, it’s good to know anything about the King of Burgos.’

Swoosh.

Ian composed himself and looked out the window.

The moon would rise soon.