Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 284

The moon shone brightly that night. A small carriage, speeding through the streets, came to a halt in the middle of a main road.

Long shadows stretched out on the polished stones. The only sound of life was the staggering footsteps of a vagrant far away.

Ian adjusted the lantern light and gave instructions.

‘We’ll walk from here.’

‘Understood.’

‘She’s no ordinary gypsy, so be on your guard.’

It would be best if they could persuade her to come along, but given the nature of gypsies, that was unlikely. If so, they would have to use force to detain her.

Her existence would give Bariel an advantage in its relationship with Timothy, and even the Kingdom of Burgos. Ian nodded lightly, surveying the alley.

‘This area and that one are particularly complex. Block them off with a barrier.’

‘Yes, Ian. Don’t worry.’

As their superior repeatedly emphasized the importance, the subordinates became even more focused. They checked the map one last time, then slipped into their assigned alleys and disappeared. As if not even a rat would be allowed through without Ian’s command, they were resolute.

‘Let’s go. Ian, the moon is beautiful tonight.’

On the other hand, Beric was as carefree as if he were out for a night stroll. He even hummed a tune as he led the way. He was relying on fragmented memories to find the exact location.

‘Beric, it’s definitely the night of the half-moon, right? Why is it so quiet? There’s no one around.’

‘Seriously, I’m telling you it’s right. How can Romandro live, being so distrustful of people?’

‘It’s not that I don’t trust people, it’s that I don’t trust you…’

‘Shhh.’

At Ian’s sudden signal, the two stopped abruptly.

Ian’s gaze was fixed on the space between two buildings. It was a pile of cargo of unknown purpose. Covered with cloth, it was difficult to distinguish its boundaries in the dark.

Romandro, narrowing his eyes, noticed something wriggling beside it.

‘Gasp.’

A faint, shimmering crystal ball. It was the same one they had seen in the park! Romandro, fidgeting anxiously, kept whispering to Ian.

‘It’s her. It’s the gypsy we saw with His Highness back then. The crystal ball is so unique, it left a strong impression.’

‘Hey, what are you doing there? You’re not going to make a legless old woman walk around, are you?’

Ian nodded, holding the lantern in his left hand. It was a signal. They had found the gypsy, so everyone should be on alert.

Beric squatted in front of her, chuckling.

‘Hey, granny, hello. Have you been waiting long?’

‘Waiting? No. It’s just that you came on my night.’

‘You sound perfectly fine. See, Romandro? I didn’t cause any trouble.’

Instead of replying, Romandro politely took off his hat and nodded. Seeing this, the gypsy let out a sigh of great interest.

‘Hmm. Aren’t you the gentleman I saw in the park the other day?’

‘It’s good to see you again.’

‘Why are you using honorifics? What’s different about the gentleman from that day and me now?’

They say the first meeting is a coincidence, the second is a connection, and the third is fate. Moreover, gypsies are those who worship fate. She instinctively knew that meeting Romandro again was no ordinary event.

‘Interesting. Very interesting.’

‘Granny. I brought someone even more interesting. Luckily, Ian also wanted to meet you.’

The gypsy’s gaze swept upwards from below. Expensive leather shoes, neat trousers and coat, swaying golden hair. And the moment she met Ian’s absinthe eyes.

Swoosh.

The gypsy unconsciously lowered her body and moved. Very slowly, and languidly. As if she were so captivated that she didn’t even realize she was moving. She crawled out with her arms, trying to get closer to Ian.

Was this how a blind ant felt when searching for sweets? If it wandered around for a long time and found something thick and sweet in front of it, it would want to rummage through it, swim in it, and get lost in it.

The gypsy reached out her hand, reveling in the joy that welled up from deep within her chest.

‘It’s nice to meet you.’

‘Oh my, oh my.’

‘I am Ian Hielro, Minister of Magic.’

‘Yes, yes. In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone like you. Even the King of Burgos doesn’t have the same flavor as you. This is unbelievable. That commoner has done something truly remarkable.’

Commoner? Beric, who had been insulted for no reason, tried to add something, but Romandro quickly stopped him.

The gypsy was showing great favor to Ian. At this rate, things would go smoothly. There was no need to ruin it. Romandro gagged Beric and stepped back five paces.

‘Ian Hielro, you say?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Oh my! Look here, you must have a real name? That too is a great secret. Tell it to me. Hmm? Then I’ll tell you what you want.’

A real name, that was Ian Verosian.

But Ian smiled and knelt down in front of her. As he made eye contact even more closely, the gypsy felt a thrill run through even her non-existent legs.

‘Gypsy. What is your name?’

‘I don’t have one. I am the one who eats secrets.’

‘I see. Then, do you know? That the King of Burgos is looking for you.’

‘Is it just the King of Burgos? There are countless people in the world who want to cut open my belly. There are thousands of voices inside me.’

…Should I cut open her belly? Ian paused for a moment at the gypsy’s words. Noticing this, the old woman playfully added.

‘It seems you also want to cut open my belly. But remember why I’m still alive.’

If she died, thousands of voices would burst out and deafen them, and the old, stale thoughts would drive them mad.

Instead of the secrets returning to their owners, they would go out into the world and create chaos. He didn’t know the details, but Ian knew the ways of the world.

‘There’s no need to remember. Those who tempt you to harm yourself are poisonous.’

‘That’s the right way! Hahaha!’

‘I have a question. If I want to know a secret, is there no way? You are the one who ‘eats’ secrets and makes them disappear forever.’

The old woman gestured for him to come closer. As Ian carefully leaned forward, she grabbed his sleeve and whispered.

This was something special that she only told those who had very, very delicious secrets.

‘Old things are digested and disappear. Small things disappear even faster. Even I can’t help it, but what remains can be recalled. But that makes me feel empty and miserable. If you give me a secret that can fill that void, or even more, I will help you.’

‘…You must be quite starved.’

‘You’re one to talk. Those with many secrets are inevitably lacking. What are you lacking? And what do you want to fill it with?’

Ian was silent at the gypsy’s question.

What Ian lacked, what he wanted to fill, was formless like the gypsy’s secrets, more fundamental, and at the same time, firm.

But……

‘It’s a secret.’

‘Ahaha! My mouth is watering, my mouth is watering.’

He couldn’t tell the gypsy. From now on, everything he said was like currency used in a trade.

As Ian smiled and replied, the old woman burst into almost hysterical laughter. It was as if the moonlight was shining brightly on the empty street.

Ian gestured to Romandro to move further back. It was time to trade secrets.

‘Now, now, before that, let me tell you one more thing.’

The gypsy rubbed the crystal ball meaningfully. As she gestured, the universe within the ball moved in a spiral. As if the fates of humans were intertwined and swirling.

‘If I recall and spit out a secret, the owner will know that the secret has been leaked. Also, it’s not as complete as when I first ate it. The longer it’s been, the more it’s just a form. But if you don’t mind, let’s share. Your secrets and the secrets in my belly.’

It was the moment Ian nodded to indicate that he would agree to the trade. He suddenly realized why the King of Burgos was looking for the gypsy.

‘If a secret is leaked, the person involved will know. Is that why the King of Burgos is looking for her? To find out who leaked it and bury it completely? Or maybe he’s trying to deal with it before it leaks. It’s better to listen to everything I can first, and then guess the whole picture.’

‘Why are you doing that?’

‘I was just amazed that you’ve lived so long.’

Frankly, when he had only heard Jin’s words, he thought the secrets were completely incinerated. But if it was like this, wasn’t she a very precarious being?

The gypsy chuckled and hugged the crystal ball.

‘What are you talking about? It’s natural that it takes time to digest something after you eat it. It takes even longer if it’s hard and large. After that, it’s true that it disappears completely from the world. I didn’t lie. And do you think I make this kind of offer to just anyone?’

That meant that she was greedy for Ian’s secrets. A huge secret that could fill her belly after she had vomited it out.

Ian tentatively brought out a secret from the corner of his mind. It had been there for so long that he had forgotten about it at some point.

‘…I’m hiding a lot from those I’m with.’

‘I can see the bottom of the secrets you can give. Even if you only cut off the top, my belly won’t be full, so please reveal everything.’

Hiding something was a secret in itself, but savoring each detail was a meal for her. Knowing there was a feast, she couldn’t just taste the side dishes. The gypsy gestured for him to wait.

‘A hungry person has no choice but to be kind. I’ll give you a little first. Now, what did you want? The Kings of Burgos?’

‘First, the secrets of the ‘dead’ former king.’

He asked for the secrets of the dead first, so that no one would notice the trade with the gypsy. She lightly flicked her fingers as if she were doing a favor.

Saaak.

The crystal ball glowed. At the same time, she lifted her robe. There was a gap next to one of her cheeks. Just like Jin had described, it looked like a gill.

The old woman grinned, then tilted her head slightly and pulled out a secret. The gap next to her cheek moved slightly. That was the mouth that spat out secrets.

‘The previous… King and Queen of Burgos… hated each other. It was so unusual that they were always plotting… each other’s deaths. It started with……’

The voice was faint and thin, making it difficult to understand. Ian frowned and brought his ear closer, but many of the words were cut off. Since it was a secret from a previous generation, it was clear that more than half of it had already melted away.

‘When I checked the past records, it was difficult to find any special mention of the relationship between the King and Queen. It was said that they had managed to keep things from becoming a problem externally.’

‘It was from the time the current king was born. He was a bright and flawless child, but… strangely, problems arose as the child grew up. As time passed, the King and Queen each had children with different lovers, and they… secretly infiltrated various parts of Burgos. Their existence is as follows……’

The hidden royal bloodline of Burgos. Ian listened as if engraving each of her words into his mind. Was this what the current king wanted to know? To find his siblings who were hiding their fangs somewhere?

Saaak.

The gypsy suddenly looked up at the sky. Her pale eyes seemed to be shaking wildly. Like the one in the crystal ball. Like the one in the universe.

‘The King of Burgos knows this. And he told me in return.’

The gypsy came close to Ian and only moved her gills. Now it was his turn to pay the price.

Ian brought out a secret that he had hidden deep inside.

‘…I am not Ian Hielro. I am Ian Verosian from Bariel a hundred years in the future.’

‘That he was the one who caused the discord between the King and Queen. That he was the one who stirred up the hatred between them.’

‘…I was an emperor.’

‘That he is living a second life.’