Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 334

“Mom, look at that.”

Following a child’s fingertip, the adults’ gazes turned skyward. Another black moon had appeared. It had briefly shown itself a week ago, but quickly vanished.

It would probably be the same this time. It was concerning that it appeared whenever there was a commotion in the Imperial Palace, but since there were no official announcements, well. People shielded their eyes from the sunlight, frowning.

“Has something happened?”

“The Imperial Palace is still open. Maybe the mages are just experimenting.”

“Right. It’s probably nothing serious. It’ll disappear soon.”

“Let’s just get back to work!”

The black moon filled the sky. Unaware that it was gradually growing larger, people casually turned their gazes away. Only the children, idly staring at the sky, noticed the change.

And at that very moment.

“Lady Alenara, please look outside.”

“Outside? Why?”

When Alenara of the Serio family drew back the curtains, the black moon, seemingly about to swallow the Imperial Palace, was immediately visible. Unlike the startled servants, she paused, then quickly ran downstairs to call for her brother.

Taptaptap!

“Brother! Brother!”

“Lady Alenara, please be careful. You’ll fall.”

“Go get my brother’s coat! Hurry!”

“Alenara, what’s all the commotion?”

Serio, leisurely lounging on the sofa and smoking a cigarette, was abruptly pulled up by Alenara.

At her gesture, the servants brought a coat and draped it over Serio’s shoulders. He, bewildered, buttoned his shirt and smoothed his hair back.

“Why the sudden fuss?”

“Didn’t you say that Ian went to the border a week ago to meet with the Clifford carriage? And that there’s been no contact since?”

“That’s right. There’s a rumor that no messenger birds are getting through. I don’t know if it’s true, but it probably is. The friend who told me runs a company that supplies the Imperial Palace.”

“The black moon has appeared again. It seems that the remaining mages are also leaving the Imperial Palace.”

“What? The black moon?”

Only then did Serio draw back the curtains and look out the window. The residents who had been passing by were all standing still, staring at the sky.

Alenara grabbed her brother’s shoulders and straightened his tie. It was a gesture that clearly showed who was supporting the family on the verge of collapse.

“Go to the Imperial Palace immediately and find out what’s going on. Why the mages opened a portal again, if there’s any new information about Ian, everything you can.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Hey! Go get a messenger bird!”

“Ah, yes, miss. Where should it be sent….”

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

To Luswena. Specifically, a messenger bird to reach King Eriphony in the Luswena Royal Palace.

Alenara had already sent a messenger bird once when Ian had left the Imperial Palace. There was no reply, but since the pigeon had safely returned, it was clear that King Eriphony was aware of the situation.

“I’ll send a messenger bird as soon as you return, so move as quickly as possible. Understood? Ah, and while you’re out, do me a favor. Ask Mrs. Camia and Miss Joan. See if they’ve heard any rumors from the Imperial Palace.”

They were the wives of officers from the Imperial Defense Department and the niece of the Minister of Justice. They were particularly close to Alenara in social circles, so there was a high chance they might know something.

“Move! Quickly!”

Clap!

As Alenara clapped her hands sharply and shouted, Serio hastily smoothed his hair and prepared to go out. The servants did the same. They didn’t know what the black moon had to do with the Serio family, but if the young lady said so, they had to do it.

Alenara rested her hands on the windowsill, constantly looking up at the sky.

‘Not just anywhere, but the Magic Department.’

If King Eriphony found out about this, she wondered if she would receive a reply this time.

She gripped the windowsill tightly, staring at the fluttering Bariel flag. The black moon descended as if to devour it, but the white emblem still fluttered firmly. As if to show Alenara.

Chaak!

So, she too, as if to show it, drew the curtains and turned her back. If the Serio family couldn’t exist, what meaning did Bariel have, no matter how great it was?

* * *

“Relax, pretty boy.”

“Captain Acorella. Every time you say that, I get really scared.”

“So what, are you not going to get the shot?”

“It’s not that, but please, just do it normally.”

“Alright, alright, roll up your sleeve! Hurry!”

Unable to resist Acorella’s urging, the mage squeezed his eyes shut. The needle pierced his arm without hesitation. It was just a slight prick, and it was almost embarrassing how little he reacted compared to his worries. Until he heard Acorella’s muttering.

“Hmm. But you have allergies, right?”

“…Yes?”

“You’ll have to report your progress to me later. Sorry, but I’m not sure about that part.”

“Ah, Captain Acorella!”

“Okay, next!”

“Move it, will you? Go help with drawing the magic circle!”

At his colleagues’ urging, the mage retreated with a tearful face.

All the mages who had received the amplifier were gathered in the Magic Department’s garden. A huge magic circle was drawn without any gaps, and the work of filling in the spaces with complex formulas and refining them meticulously continued.

Since Ian wasn’t there to oversee them, they decided to adjust the position while keeping the black moon in place. If Ian were there, he would have said something about the citizens worrying, but what could they do? Even with the amplifier, this was the best they could do.

“Hmm, doesn’t something feel a bit off?”

“Didn’t they say there was an abnormal magical reaction at the southern border? That’s why. It’s right to position it lower.”

“I’ll try again. Please recalculate the left side.”

“Ah, I miss Ian. It was so easy and nice when he would just tell us the answers.”

“We’re going to see that Ian, so focus!”

“Let’s hurry. The effects of the potion will wear off soon, really.”

At that moment, guests arrived at the bustling Magic Department garden. It was Jin, Jayrut, Volv, and other officials from various departments who had been in the Prime Minister’s office.

They had gone into the Magic Department building, found it empty, and hurriedly returned to the garden. Volv looked around, dumbfounded, and shouted.

“What in the world are you all doing?!”

The voice echoed loudly. The mages all stopped and looked toward the entrance of the garden. They only greeted Crown Prince Jin before continuing their work.

Hale was the only one who stepped forward to greet them. What was this nonsense about coming to someone else’s department and asking what they were doing?

“Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“Hale. What is all this….”

The child looked back and forth between the mages and the sky, muttering. Unlike the bewildered faces of the Prime Minister and Volv, he seemed more pleased.

Clearly, they had said earlier that opening a portal was impossible, so how had they managed to do it? The child’s eyes sparkled, and Hale gestured toward Acorella, explaining.

“Captain Acorella has developed a magic amplifier.”

“What? You mean you took that?”

“Don’t worry. They say there are no side effects.”

Acorella, who was giving the shots, waved her hand repeatedly when she met Jin’s eyes. A mage cried out in pain, but she didn’t seem to hear.

Volv, who was assessing the situation, yelled at them to stop.

“What are you all doing! Injecting something that hasn’t been verified? What if the mages all have problems? What are you going to do then? This is reckless!”

“Volv is right. Captain Hale. Such matters should be discussed in the Grand Council. Stop the injections right now.”

There were still some mages in line. Hale stood firm, not moving aside, indicating that he couldn’t do that.

It was absurd. They instinctively knew that the Imperial Palace wouldn’t function properly without the Magic Department, yet they dared to act like that in the Grand Council. Hale took a cigarette and retorted.

“Isn’t opening a portal the most effective method?”

“That’s only if there are no problems! The previous report stated that a mage who took the amplifier almost died. Now-”

“Yes! That mage who almost died is right here, alive and well!”

“…There are no problems. Captain Acorella is a researcher and intellectual recognized by the Magic Department. If she says there are no side effects, then there are none.”

Coo, Acorella was so moved that she kept blowing kisses and making a fuss. The Prime Minister and Volv, who were ignorant in the field of magic, were speechless.

“Hale. Even if the Magic Department goes to the border with the Imperial Defense Department, it seems the Imperial Palace won’t be able to provide support.”

Taking advantage of the gap, Jin informed them. Even if the Magic Department’s manpower decreased, the Imperial Palace wouldn’t interfere under the pretext of manpower support. So, it was a signal not to overdo it and to distribute manpower appropriately. Hale understood the meaning and nodded.

“I see, Your Highness. I understand. I don’t know how many mages will be mobilized, but our priority is to save Ian and our colleagues.”

“Look here, Captain Hale, was it? This is an emergency! The Grand Council is in session, yet how can you proceed so unilaterally? Does being a mage mean you can disregard the order of the Imperial Palace? Huh? Is that it?”

He had hoped to take advantage of Ian’s absence, but it was becoming difficult with the Magic Department acting like this. The Prime Minister gestured for him to restrain himself, but Volv became even more agitated and appealed to the Prime Minister.

“Prime Minister, you are the acting representative who has been delegated the authority of His Majesty the Emperor. There is a matter that was clearly decided in the Grand Council, yet the mages are acting unilaterally as a group!”

“Aaaah, just a moment!”

At that moment, Romandro came running from afar, panting. He was holding a stack of thick papers. Volv frowned and glared at him. His expression clearly said, ‘What is that now?’

“Romandro. What is it?”

“This. It’s an off-site work permit.”

“What? An off-site work permit?”

He was out of breath from running such a short distance. Romandro paused to catch his breath and waved the papers at the mages.

“Just as the Prime Minister is the acting representative, when Ian is not here, I am his representative. I have issued off-site work permits to the mages, so there is no problem.”

Off-site work permits. These were issued by Ian and the Imperial Palace, and possessing one meant that they were on official duty.

So, even if the mages left the Imperial Palace as a group, there was no way to stop them. Even if the Prime Minister ordered them to return, they could just say they were far away and it would take a long time to return.

“E, Nakina!”

“Yes. I’m here.”

“Tommy!”

Romandro called out the names of the mages one by one and handed out the off-site work permits. Volv stared at the scene in disbelief.

The Prime Minister, realizing that he had handled something incorrectly, had a serious expression. It was as if he hadn’t expected the Magic Department to respond with such unilateral actions.

“E, and lastly, Acorella?”

“Yes, yes, yes! I’m going too!”

Acorella came closer to receive her off-site work permit. She scanned Volv up and down, then her eyes sparkled as she whispered sweetly.

“Minister. If you’re worried about the amplifier, would you like to try it?”

“Wh-what?”

“We haven’t tested it on civilians yet-”

Hale grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, telling her to shut up.

At that moment, as if the mismatched pieces had finally fit together, a mage exclaimed.

“It’s aligned, Captain Hale! The position is right for Clifford!”

“Everyone, activate your magic!”

Ziiiiiing! Ziiing!

At Hale’s command, the mages who had been waiting hurriedly found the syringes and injected them into their arms. A whirlwind instantly swept through. It was just the mages activating their magic, but the impact was enormous.

“Oooooh!”

“Captain Acorella! What is this?”

“See? I’m crazy, right? Keuh, it’s going to be awesome.”

Acorella puffed out her chest and laughed loudly.

Fine magical particles flowed into their blood vessels, making their hearts feel like they were about to burst. The mages’ eyes simultaneously turned golden. The overwhelming sight made Volv stumble backward and freeze.

“Oh, right, I need to get a shot too.”

Acorella injected the amplifier into her own arm and tilted her head. Crown Prince Jin was looking at them with sparkling eyes. Acorella winked at the child.

“I’ll bring Ian back safely. Your Highness.”

“…Be, be careful. Please be careful.”

“Everyone, send messenger birds right away! Did you bring the magic stones?”

“Of course! Romandro, please take care of the house!”

“Tsk, the way you talk! Make sure you bring Ian back alive!”

“Ahahaha! Wow! This feels amazing!”

Chwaaaak!

Shwaak!

The mages leaped into the air, letting out cries of pleasure. The black moon disappeared in an instant. As if the commotion had been a dream, only silence lingered in the Magic Department garden. Except for war, there had never been an instance where all the mages had left their posts at the same time.

Volv stared blankly at the sky, muttering.

“What is this….”

Since Ian had taken office, the Magic Department had become strange.