Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 327

“Ugh.”

“Sir Romandro, are you alright?”

“Are you alright? Is that even a question…”

Romandro, leaning against the wall and retching, and Tommy, patting his back.

Nakina, with a cigarette in her mouth, looked around. It was very deserted for a residential area. She exhaled smoke while facing the small building in front.

“Still, we arrived before sunset because we didn’t take the carriage. Sir Romandro, get used to it. For efficient work.”

“Efficiency? I’m going to die first, what are you talking about!”

“What floor did they say it was? Tommy?”

“Fifth floor.”

Things went smoother than expected. Thanks to Philic’s unique status as a mage, the landlord remembered him clearly. Through this, they were introduced to the coachman who helped with the move, and they dug into the detailed address through inquiries.

It didn’t seem like Philic was trying to hide much. Otherwise, even the neighborhood kids wouldn’t know that a mage lived there.

“Are mages usually so weak?”

“I’m not a mage, I’m just an ordinary person.”

“Hmm. I see.”

The child, squatting next to Romandro, tilted his head as if amazed. Hale took out a copper coin from his pocket and handed it to the child.

“This is for the introduction. Now go back.”

“Ehh. Stingy!”

“…….”

“Just kidding. You’re a fool, mister. Hahaha!”

The child snatched the coin and ran away, as if teasing the embarrassed Hale. It was a clear element that, although fragmentary, allowed them to guess the atmosphere of the neighborhood. Old and shabby, the helplessness of those who live day by day with their nerves on edge. Everything was intertwined in this neighborhood.

“Seriously, did that bastard Philic spend all his money? Why did he settle in a place like this?”

It was an objective fact that the salary of a mage was considerable. A significant portion of the imperial palace’s massive budget was allocated to the magic department, and the number of people who shared it was small. No matter how poor they were, even if they started with nothing, it was easy to get a decent house.

“Maybe he can’t go home, so he’s just using it as a place to store his luggage.”

“Let’s go for now. Sir Romandro. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I threw up everything. Oh, my head hurts.”

“Shouldn’t we request control from the guard?”

“There’s no one around, what for? If the guards come, it’ll draw more attention, so let’s go right away.”

“I agree. It’s quiet, perfect for a job.”

As Romandro wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, the three mages immediately put on their gloves and approached the building. It was a structure with one household per floor. The moldy wooden door was tightly closed, and the stairs creaked with every step.

Click.

“It’s locked, but I can faintly feel magic. What should we do?”

“Move aside.”

Nakina pulled Tommy away and examined the door. As she said, a protective device was applied. She slowly poured magic into it, gauging what the barrier was.

“If it’s a tricky one, it’ll be a problem.”

“Why, why?”

“If security was a priority, the building could fly away as soon as the barrier is broken. But that’s a bit difficult, and there’s also a way to kill intruders…”

“If there’s a corpse while he’s away, it could complicate the cleanup, so they don’t usually use it in these cases.”

Romandro stuck to the wall and covered his cheeks. What kind of gruesome things were these people saying? The building could fly away? Corpses and what not? Just as Romandro was about to stop the mages.

Zzzing. Zzzing.

“Um. Sir Romandro. Step back.”

“Aaaah! Ack! Wait! I, I’ll go outside!”

“Here we go!”

“Kkyaaaak!”

Kwaaang! Aduk!

Nakina, having finished her diagnosis, wrapped magic around her fist and then thrust it in with all her might. Just once. The wood crumbled and fell off, and at the same time, something transparent shattered and burst out.

Unlike the terrified Romandro, Hale and Tommy waved their hands as if they were just brushing off dust.

“Excuse us.”

“Yes. Excuse us.”

“Let’s, let’s go together!”

Romandro quickly followed the mages inside, checking the lower floor.

A gust of dust smell. It was a space connected as a whole without any walls. Except for the desk, chair, and bed that were placed there, the four sides were packed with wooden boxes.

“Wow, the inside of the house is impressive, really.”

“Is there no protection inside? Nakina?”

“Yes. Probably. It would have been too much to put a barrier all the way inside. Just looking at the one installed on the front, I can tell. It’s a joke.”

Nakina muttered, tapping the boxes with her toes. Just thinking about investigating all these things made her breathless. Or was it because of the dust?

Hale gestured to Romandro towards the desk and asked.

“Sir Romandro, please take care of the documents. You’re the fastest at reading through them among us.”

“Ah, I will.”

“If there’s a problem, tell us right away, and Tommy, go inside and start. Nakina, start from there.”

“Understood.”

The two took their places according to Hale’s instructions. Not only was there no room to step, but the height reached the ceiling. Romandro carefully approached the desk and looked at the paper.

Shhh.

He often brought work from the magic department, so most of it was familiar to Romandro. There must be some clue somewhere….

“Hmm.”

While Romandro was searching every corner of the drawers, the mages were opening and breaking the boxes, looking at the contents inside. It was as if they hadn’t even unpacked their luggage while moving. Or maybe it was like this in their previous house too.

“There’s nothing here. Tommy, how is it on your side?”

“Oh, just a moment! Captain!”

“Did you find something?”

Hale approached when Tommy called. There was a pile of powder of unknown origin. When Tommy tried to smell it, he blocked it with his hand.

“Don’t smell it carelessly, seal it again. We’ll call someone to move it to the magic department.”

“Captain! There’s something weird here too! It looks like seeds?”

They were rhombus-shaped red seeds. Hale had no idea what Philic was up to. He continued the search, sorting out what to take to the magic department.

How much time had passed? The sunset began to set outside the unopenable window.

“Haa. Philic, you bastard. I’m so tired.”

“Captain, I’ve finished cleaning up the inside. There’s nothing special except for the powder.”

“I’m almost done here too. Let’s move it to the magic department first, and then request support again tomorrow. What do you think, Captain?”

“That sounds good. Ian might be back. Sir Romandro?”

Hale looked at Romandro. He was facing away, his head bowed. He seemed too engrossed in reading something.

“Sir Romandro?”

“Huh? Uh, uh?”

“Did you find something?”

Hale asked, puzzled, and he quickly raised his head. A moment of silence. Romandro then smiled awkwardly and shook the paper.

“Sorry. I was too focused to hear you. Most of it seems to be related to the magic department’s work, but there’s nothing special.”

“I see. Then let’s stop here for today.”

“…Are we flying when we go back too?”

“Of course not. We have luggage, so I’ll call a carriage.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

As Hale turned his back, Romandro read the paper he was holding again. There were some unfamiliar characters mixed in, but among them, there were sentences that were clearly identifiable.

‘Why….’

Why was Ian’s name mentioned here? It was a common name, so he wondered if it was a coincidence, but in the context, it was clearly the Ian he knew. The Ian who was born and raised in the borderlands and knew how to use magic.

“Haa.”

Romandro closed his eyes, holding his throbbing head. He wanted to figure it out, but the information was limited, so it was impossible. As far as he knew….

‘Ian let Melania go to track the Rutherford Merchant Guild, the location of Idgal [a magical sealing stone]. But why is there a note saying that they will meet soon? Why? No, did I read it right? Damn it, I did.’

Romandro rolled his eyes, chewing over the letters again and again. He wished he had read something wrong, but the more he did, the more vivid the ink seemed.

At that moment, Nakina grabbed Romandro’s shoulder.

“Sir Romandro.”

“Huuuuk!”

“Oh my, you’re going to faint. What’s wrong?”

As she narrowed her eyes, Romandro unconsciously hid the note in his back pocket. Thump, thump, his heart was pounding like crazy. Cold sweat. And a very unusual complexion.

Nakina clicked her tongue and patted his shoulder.

“Are you feeling nauseous again? Seriously, you need to take care of your health.”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. Well, you’ll see when you get to my age.”

“Go outside first. It’ll be worse with the smell.”

“Ah, I will. I’ve seen everything here. Um, just in case, please take this with you when you move it. As it is, without damage.”

Romandro slowly backed away and went outside.

Nakina looked at him with pity. She glanced at the desk for a moment, but since Romandro had already looked at it, there was no need to see it. She turned away without regret.

* * *

Tap tap.

Ian, lost in thought, only tapped the table with his fingertips. The longer the silence, the more tense Prince Noah became.

Taking a large amount of Idgal was a clear indication of their intention to keep mages in check. This meant that they would strengthen their own country’s power against Bariel, and that an alliance could not be established.

Noah shook off the complicated thoughts in his head and looked at the lying Philic. If only that guy had done well! They could have taken the Idgal and returned to their country without any suspicion. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that things were going wrong.

“Tell me the exact details of the transaction. Did you use a contract magic?”

“No. They suggested it, but I refused because I couldn’t trust them. Instead, they wrote a letter to make it easier to enter the kingdom. In return, I agreed to receive a hundred times that amount over five years.”

“What about the amount?”

Noah nodded and said.

“They gave me a golden diamond.”

“…Is that all?”

“You can think of it as paying half the price first.”

It was a jewel given by the prince, but with that alone, they could exchange it for a large amount of something comparable to a magic sealing stone.

The return of the jewel was ten years after the Crown Prince Jin came of age. Ten years was not a short time. Marib and Gail, who were strong candidates for emperor, had fallen in just one day.

If they hadn’t been caught, if that brief commotion hadn’t reached the guards, it would have been a completely flawless decision.

‘No payment?’

Ian thought about something intently, then called the mages outside. This was a big deal. It was clear that the political situation of the three countries was becoming more tense than he thought.

“We will return to the imperial palace immediately.”

“Yes? Now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

What if they had given Idgal to Clifford under the guise of a dramatic settlement after the attack? In other words, what if Rutherford was distributing Idgal to the three countries almost for free?

“Only two people should stay behind to handle the Clifford carriages. I will return to the imperial palace and then come back.”

“Ah. But Ian, there’s a problem.”

A problem? As Ian frowned, the mage approached with a tearful face. And whispered very quietly.

To stop the carriages, to stop Philic, and to handle the carriages-

“We’ve used up all our magic, so we can’t open a portal right away. I, I’m sorry. Huk.”