Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 338

Queen Eriphony of Luswena drew her bowstring with all her might. Her tall frame and long, graceful arms made the pose look exceptionally fluid and elegant.

She steeled her resolve and closed one eye. A deer grazing on grass sensed something amiss, and a smile crept onto her lips.

It was perfect. All she had to do was release the bowstring, and the prey’s neck would be pierced in one go. It was the moment Eriphony exhaled, ready to release the string, when…

“Your Majesty.”

Swish!

The sudden call made her shoulder twitch slightly. Eriphony watched through her spyglass as the deer bounded away, then turned her head in annoyance.

Elderte was looking at her with a hurried expression. Couldn’t he have waited a few more seconds? He had ruined everything. Eriphony handed the bow to a servant and tied her long hair up into a single ponytail.

“Elderte, what is it? I was going to bestow deer meat upon my servants today, but thanks to you, that’s ruined. You take care of it.”

It was a sofa that five servants had barely managed to move for her. The taste of lying down outside was different, so she always brought a sofa or bed with her when hunting.

Eriphony threw herself onto it, and the servants fanned her, aiding her rest. In the distance, a deer was running across the horizon. It was an animal released on the other side for the queen’s next hunt.

“Tell me before the deer gets too far.”

“A letter has arrived from Alenara.”

“…Alenara? Ah, that cute young lady.”

Eriphony clearly hadn’t immediately recalled the name Alenara. She took a sip of wine and then nodded as if she had realized. At her gesture, Elderte handed her the letter.

“Let’s see. How much affection has our little darling put into this?”

Rustle.

There had been a couple of letters requesting asylum in Luswena before, but Elderte had dealt with them swiftly. Thus, this was the first contact Eriphony had received from Alenara.

The queen, who had been humming with the joy of the hunt, gradually fell silent and her expression hardened. The servants, sensing the change, took a step back, and she soon raised an eyebrow, a strange smile on her face.

“Is this true?”

“The informants remaining in Bariel have also reported the same information. It seems highly credible.”

“Ha, ha ha! Amazing!”

Eriphony lay back down and held the message up to the sunlight. The pressed-down handwriting revealed the pure and clear desire of the young lady. A desire to survive, a desire so hot it would burn everything.

Well, it’s not bad, but isn’t it more fun and safer to watch a fire from across the river? There’s no guarantee that Alenara won’t come to Luswena and start eating away at the country. Anyway…

“The magic department has emptied the imperial palace, except for a couple of people?”

“It seems they have gone to Clifford. There are rumors that Lord Ian is not in good condition, but this has not yet been confirmed.”

“No. He wouldn’t be. Otherwise, why would all the mages have gone there? They say the magic they exchange is important.”

“Then we can assume that Clifford harmed Lord Ian.”

“That’s not it either. If Lord Ian was attacked, there would be no reason for Bariel to send mages. If Ian, the leader, was incapacitated, what use would other mages be? They would move troops instead.”

Clifford had no mages at all, but Luswena still had a few. The problem was that they were so few that they didn’t receive any special benefits from the royal palace.

The last report was about the eastern forest of Luswena, but now she didn’t know where they were.

“Hmm. Interesting.”

She looked towards the horizon for a moment, thinking. She couldn’t perfectly deduce the whole story, but one thing was certain. Now was the best opportunity.

The mages who were firmly guarding the imperial palace had all disappeared, and they had gone to Clifford of all places. Elderte neatly folded the letter he had received from Eriphony and suggested,

‘Did King Bergos know this would happen?’

When they met at the Crown Prince’s appointment ceremony, King Bergos had said something. The popularization of Idgal [a magic sealing stone]. At the time, it sounded like nonsense, but looking at how things were turning out, the situation was serious.

Instead, they had asked for dragon scales, which meant they knew the method of making the black armor used by the Hyman family.

“That’s enough. How can I see how the world turns while sitting here? I’m going back to the royal palace. There’s no time to delay, so hurry.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Eriphony jumped up, saying there was no time to delay. She had expected it because of what King Bergos had said, but she didn’t expect things to progress so quickly.

At Eriphony’s command, Elderte added with a slightly suspicious expression.

“Your Majesty. But, I find that person a bit suspicious.”

A merchant belonging to a trading company from the Hawan Kingdom. He had reported from below that he wanted to trade Idgal, which was equivalent to a magic sealing stone. Queen Eriphony had not seen him directly to verify the truth. The price was too low compared to the market price, and they were in the process of verifying if there was a problem.

“It’s strange that he’s offering Idgal at that price, and the timing is so perfect. The mages have moved to Clifford en masse. There’s no merchant who sells goods at a loss.”

Eriphony laughed, saying he was worried about everything. Magic sealing stones were the highest grade among magic stones. It was natural to be suspicious that he had brought a lot of something equivalent and had no other requests. But if she understood the other party, along with what King Bergos had said, there would be no problem.

“If you think about it, they are in the same position as us.”

“What do you mean?”

“They don’t want a price for Idgal, they want us to have Idgal. All the surrounding countries that are being checked by mages want to be free from that power.”

She didn’t know about Clifford. If Ian’s convoy attack was a problem caused by Clifford’s preemptive acquisition of Idgal… it would be even better for Bergos and Luswena.

“An enemy of an enemy is an ally. It seems they don’t like the existence of mages either, so we should accept what they offer first. I will allow an audience. Make arrangements for the afternoon. And contact the dragon breeding ground. I think Bergos will contact us soon, I wonder if I will finally see that little king smile.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“Too bad. Should I shoot one more arrow before I go?”

Eriphony threw on her coat and picked up her bow. A foolish deer was grazing in the same spot as before. It was probably a spot where a scent was applied to lure the animal.

Eriphony hummed and lightly drew her bowstring. Her posture was much more relaxed than before.

Whoosh!

But the arrow flew straight and pierced the deer’s head. Applause erupted from the surroundings, and flags were waved, signaling a hit. Eriphony shrugged, making a very amused expression, as if to say, ‘Look at that.’

* * *

“…There’s a possibility that Clifford will be in danger?”

Hale paused for a moment, repeating Ian’s words. He couldn’t understand. The only way Clifford could be in danger was if Bariel sent troops, mistaking them for harming Ian.

But this had been revealed to be a misunderstanding due to the magical reaction at the border, so wasn’t everything okay?

“It’s highly likely that Idgal has flowed into not only Clifford but also Bergos and Luswena.”

“How, how can you be so sure? And even if it did, how much could there be? Considering what Prince Marib used in the rebellion, I don’t know.”

“Is that what they think in the imperial palace too?”

Ian, who had been listening quietly, frowned and raised his head. He was puzzled by Hale’s conclusion, as there was no known information about the quantity of Idgal.

Hale nodded and told him about the contents of the conference in the imperial palace. Ian’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he listened.

“…It’s a misstep.”

It would be a misstep to underestimate the amount being distributed. As Ian muttered, Hale asked again. The conversation was about the safety of Clifford.

“Please explain why Clifford is in danger.”

“Because Clifford is the only place that Bergos and Luswena, who have Idgal, can use as a base before entering Bariel. Look, aren’t all the mages who were firmly stationed in the center of the imperial palace lying down here?”

Bergos and Clifford already had a tense relationship. They could create dozens of reasons if they wanted to. If the disappearance of the jewel was revealed, it would be even better.

This would be a meaningful motive to mobilize the nobles to reclaim the jewel, along with the cause of punishing Clifford for disobeying Bariel’s orders.

“It’s an opportunity to subdue the mages more easily than ever. So, if we stay here, we’ll only be causing a conflict between Bergos and Clifford. The way to maintain peace is to quickly return to Bariel and solidify the alliance with Clifford.”

All wars are a fight for justification built on greed. They had only promised to walk together verbally, and nothing had been formalized yet. Even if Bergos attacked Clifford, Bariel would have no reason to help. If Bariel were to join for an unjust reason, Luswena would probably join as well.

This would be a truly uncontrollable tragedy. It was uncertain whether the mages could properly exert their power against Bergos and Luswena, who had Idgal. In short, it would be a plunge into chaos itself.

Hale chewed on his cigarette, deep in thought.

“I understand what you’re saying. But it doesn’t seem like the King of Clifford thinks that way. He seemed to want us to stay longer.”

“…Is that your thought?”

“It was my thought, my feeling, and he actually suggested it.”

“Then it’s even worse.”

Ian covered his eyes with his arm and muttered. Wasn’t Clifford expecting a conflict with Bergos?

If Bergos’s invasion came after the mages left, the time to request support from Bariel would be longer. The damage would increase exponentially, and it would be truly difficult if Bariel cut ties, citing what had happened so far.

So, by holding onto the mages, they would be caught up in the conflict. And then, they would block Bergos’s attack together with Bariel. That seemed to be what the king wanted. It was truly a dilemma.

‘If there are mages, Bergos’s attack becomes a foregone conclusion, but if the attack comes when the mages leave, it will be difficult.’

“But, Lord Ian.”

Hale carefully asked, chewing on the unlit cigarette. He had heard about Philic’s confession from Prince Noah.

“You said it was due to a contract magic. Can you tell us what happened?”

“……”

If Ian had made a contract, especially one that prevented double contracts, he wouldn’t have forgotten it. But why did Ian try to make a contract magic with the king as if he had forgotten the restrictions on his body?

“And about Philic’s words that Lord Ian is related to Idgal. We all know it’s nonsense. But just in case, just in case, I’m asking. Is there anything else we should know?”

Hale’s cautious question. While everyone was exhausted and collapsed, Acorella was lying down pretending to be unconscious, her ears perked up. She could hear the sound of Ian pulling back the blanket. Acorella squinted, her brow furrowed as if she was dying of curiosity. Ian, who was squatting, was looking at her.

“Gasp!”

“Acorella. Let’s go out for a moment. With Hale.”

“Ah, I just woke up. Wow, I fainted. Ahem.”

“Can you help me up?”

Ian reached out his hand to Hale, and Hale gladly took it.

Hale and Acorella. They were the two people who would lead the next magic department, so Ian decided that he needed to reveal a little bit of his secret.