Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 337

Thud! Bang, bang!

“Please open the door, Lord Romandro!”

“No, I’m telling you, I just need this approved! Just stamp it, please.”

“Let’s talk face to face, okay? Why are you doing this, really? How can you do this? You know how the other departments are running, how can you do this!”

“Lord Romandro, don’t pretend you can’t hear us!”

The firmly closed door continued to rattle, but Romandro calmly sipped his tea.

It had been over a week since Ian had left his post. His absence was critical, but the other mages had stepped up, and Romandro had also done his best to facilitate things by using his authority.

But look at things now. The magic department was completely empty. With all the mages gone except for the one in charge of the imperial palace’s access, all their work had come to a complete halt.

“Hmm. Delicious.”

“Lord Romandro!”

Bang, bang!

Romandro glared at the door, which was shaking as if it would break, while sipping his tea. Half of them were there to genuinely ask for help, and the other half were there to protest. He was determined to stay put in his office until the mages returned.

Wasn’t this too much? They should know that the mages were working their bodies and minds to the bone to support the imperial palace, yet they were being treated like this. This could be seen as a kind of legitimate strike.

When someone even started shaking the window, Romandro put down his teacup and shouted,

“Hey, you’re going to break the window!”

“He’s in there, he was inside!”

“Then where else would I be during work hours? If you have documents to leave, put them in front of the box. It’s not there for nothing. Ahem.”

“So when are the mages coming back?”

“Ask about Lord Ian’s condition first, you people! They said they’d send a messenger bird as soon as they arrived, so wait. I don’t know!”

“Open the door, ugh! Is it because it’s from the magic department that it’s so damn sturdy? Are you going to break it? Huh? Are you? Just stamp it!”

“That’s made from ground magic stones, it’s super expensive, you know? If you want to lose your salary, go ahead! You punk!”

Ebebe. Romandro made a silly face and glared at the door. As if he would open it just because they were doing that. He began to slowly review the piled-up reports while munching on crispy roasted gula [a type of sweet snack].

Then, at some point, the commotion suddenly stopped. Romandro tilted his head in confusion and looked towards the door. Then, he heard a polite knock.

Knock, knock.

“Ah, I don’t accept door-to-door salesmen.”

“Romandro. It’s me.”

“Gasp!”

Thump, thump!

Romandro was so surprised that he jumped up and opened the door.

There stood Jin, looking sheepish, with Siao Shi. Behind them, the employees from other departments were staring at Romandro with eyes like they were hunting prey. He peeked his head out the door, then turned his body as if to tell Jin and Siao Shi to come in.

‘Sigh.’

Romandro raised an eyebrow as a warning to the twitching people from other departments, and since they couldn’t cause a scene in front of the Crown Prince, they all quietly watched the door close.

“What brings you here, Your Highness?”

Once the door was completely closed, Romandro asked carefully. Knowing Jin’s intentions, he was asking if it was okay to enter the magic department like this in front of everyone. Jin smiled gently, looking worried.

“Even so, the magic department is also a department of the imperial palace. Aren’t they the ones who help me and contribute to Bariel? Given the situation, I had to come and check in person.”

“You are absolutely right.”

“Has there been any word from the messenger bird?”

“No. If there was, the main gate would have known first.”

“…I see.”

Jin fidgeted with his fingertips on his knee and fell silent for a moment. Since the news that Ian was on the verge of death, there had been no information, so he was frustrated and at a loss. If he didn’t come back….

“Your Highness. The mages went as a group. With that much magic, they’ll snap out of it even if they’re on their way to the afterlife and come back.”

If they didn’t come back, that future would be a bleak darkness itself. Losing the empire’s great power, not to mention how to manage the magic department without its leader, was a daunting prospect.

Most of all, he might never see Ian, his teacher and friend, again. Like the children he had sent away.

“…Is there something you want to say?”

Romandro noticed that Jin’s mood was unusual and whispered. He was worried that the sound might leak outside. Siao Shi was glued to the window, checking if anyone was eavesdropping.

“I know that the Prime Minister and the Imperial Defense Department are trying to investigate Idgal.”

“Yes, of course. Didn’t Your Highness stop them?”

“I can understand the Prime Minister, but it seems like the Bariel that Volv of the Imperial Defense Department envisions is a bit different from the Bariel I envision.”

“……!”

Romandro’s eyes widened, and he paused for a moment. Jin was now saying that the Imperial Defense Department was a thorn in his side in terms of his political position and actions. Romandro apologized and gulped down his tea.

“Uh, you mean Minister Volv, right?”

“Yes. It seems like both the Prime Minister and Volv are aiming to seize Idgal first, but their intentions seem different. It’s not certain, but…”

If the Prime Minister was trying to suppress the magic department for the sake of a stable Bariel, Volv felt like he was adding power for his own prestige.

Above all, the small annoyances in his words and actions kept bothering him to the point where he couldn’t ignore them. It was just a hunch, so he was being careful even to bring it up.

But-

“No. If Your Highness feels that way, then it’s right. Didn’t Ian always say that? That Your Highness is the center of the world.”

Romandro shook his head without any doubt, agreeing with Jin’s opinion.

Jin smiled bitterly at that. All the people who fit so well with him were in the magic department, and it wasn’t easy to stand alone.

“I want to put my own person in charge of the Imperial Defense Department, but the New Year’s party is too far away. And I don’t know what the other ministers’ opinions will be by then. So, if you have any good ideas, I’d like you to share them.”

“Ah, yes, yes. I understand what you mean. It might have been easier if Ian was here.”

“No. I want you to keep it a secret from Lord Ian as much as possible.”

“Yes? Why?”

Romandro was puzzled by Jin’s request. If it was Ian, he would surely give a clean and clear solution. But Jin firmly grabbed Romandro’s hand and emphasized again.

“I don’t want Lord Ian to know.”

What Ian wanted was for him to walk alone without him. He didn’t want to disappoint him.

Also, Jin asking Romandro for help was the limit of the generosity he could afford himself. Because there were not many options he could use right now without a proper foundation.

‘Idgal…….’

Romandro stroked his beard and kept muttering the word. The traces of Ian that were found in Philic’s house search. It seemed that Idgal had some kind of connection with Ian, but if that was known to the imperial palace, he couldn’t guess how they would react. He would ask Ian when he returned, but with the situation like this….

‘I’m sorry, Your Highness. I can’t tell you right now.’

“I understand. I will also look for solutions in various ways. But please remember, Your Highness. You are the master of the imperial palace.”

This might be the first political rival in Jin’s life. The beginning of solidifying power was to distribute the right people to the right positions.

“Minister Volv was appointed arbitrarily during the civil war. Considering that the former minister sided with Marib, he must be from the opposite faction, which means he was far from the imperial power. He was lucky to get promoted, so he won’t want to miss the opportunity.”

“I felt that. The minister……”

Should he say this much? Jin hesitated for a moment, but then he revealed it.

“It seems like he wants war.”

“That’s how the military is. They are people who live by drinking blood. Well-”

It wasn’t just Volv, but all the people in that department would want war. Romandro was about to answer casually but stopped.

“Your Highness, perhaps……”

The reason why Jin came here like this while being aware of his surroundings.

And the reason why he specifically mentioned Volv.

Romandro jumped up and pulled back the window curtains. In the distance, the employees from other departments who were sitting and waiting in the lobby raised their heads.

‘There isn’t a single person from the Imperial Defense Department.’

“…They’ve gone on a large-scale military training exercise.”

“…Oh dear.”

“Now that the magic department is empty, it’s true that Bariel is more vulnerable than usual, so there was no reason to refuse. And the messenger birds from Ian and the mages haven’t arrived either.”

There was a clear purpose to prepare for a possible clash with Clifford or to defend against the Bergos and Luswena who were trying to take advantage of the situation. So, Jin had no choice but to approve the large-scale military training, and his soldiers would be gathering under his command.

The situation was precarious. There was no one in the imperial palace right now who could suppress Volv.

“Haa.”

Jin sighed, rubbing his forehead. He was young, but he didn’t know that his position would be so fragile. A position that could only sway with the wind. But-

“There was a problem in the middle, but Clifford has no choice but to be friendly to Bariel. During my inauguration, they already declared that they would walk a different path from Bergos. So, if Ian is alive, they will be giving us enough convenience. Bergos and Luswena are not fools either, so they won’t recklessly attack Bariel just because the magic department is empty.”

But reeds do not break. Jin firmly believed that this swaying process would make him grow. It was what Ian wanted, so it couldn’t be wrong.

“…Except for Clifford.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“War will happen. I don’t know the scale or impact, but it will definitely happen. So, it’s better to hurry. It’s ridiculous to limit the military power of the Imperial Defense Department Minister, so it’s right to bring Volv down.”

Romandro tilted his head as if he didn’t understand something. He couldn’t understand the meaning of Jin’s ‘except for Clifford’ just now. But soon, his mouth slowly opened.

“Ah.”

As if he understood what Jin was pointing out.

* * *

Hale, who had returned after meeting with the King of Clifford. The scene that greeted him as soon as he opened the door was quite a sight.

Beric was sprawled on the floor, exhausted from dancing, and some of the mages were also collapsed from exhaustion after using up their magic. The only good thing was that Acorella was among them, so it was quiet.

And Ian was now able to feed himself porridge by moving his own hand.

“Your recovery is fast, Lord Ian.”

“Everyone has worked hard, so I have to do this much.”

Ian smiled faintly and put down the spoon. His movements were still clumsy. He had heard that he had coughed up blood severely, so this much recovery was admirable.

Hale pushed Acorella away with his foot and pulled up a chair. It was to convey the contents of his audience with the king to him.

“First of all, I sent a new messenger bird to Bariel. Lord Ian, you realized that there was an abnormal magic reaction at the border.”

“Yes. I told them.”

“This time, it will arrive properly. However, it will take some time as it is being sent indirectly. And the king asked for compensation for the vineyard.”

“It was a mess, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. That was a mistake.”

Beric was constantly going up and down, saying that it was good that he could eat the ruined high-quality grapes. Hale scratched his head as if he was embarrassed and answered.

“He didn’t tell me in detail, but he said that the royal family had something special to order. He said that we should discuss the contract again when Lord Ian’s condition improves, um. The general content is here.”

Swoosh.

Ian slowly read the message that Hale had given him. It seemed that they were planning to get help from the magic department regarding the royal family’s curse.

Besides that, the details that were reasonable for each other when forming an alliance were neatly organized. The details would be discussed with the Crown Prince, but this was quite reasonable for both sides.

“Not bad.”

“And they said that the Clifford Royal Palace Construction Anniversary is coming up soon, and they suggested that it would be good to attend the festival and then leave. I think they heard about the mages’ pollen.”

Ian looked at the ceiling and shook his head slightly. His eyes were thoughtful.

“No. We need to replenish our strength as quickly as possible and return to Bariel.”

“Are you worried about the imperial palace? The magic department is empty, but the other departments are also……”

“That’s not why.”

“Then why?”

“The current situation must have leaked to Bergos and Luswena as well. If we stay here, there is a possibility that Clifford will be in danger.”