Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 341

The Burgos envoys entered Clifford Palace with their national flag wrapped around their left arms. Their steps towards the reception hall were so imposing and sharp that the attendant leading them felt as if he were being chased.

Fires were lit throughout the darkening palace as the sun set, the twilight completely ablaze and burning into the night. King Clifford sat on his throne, welcoming the envoys.

“Welcome, envoys of our neighbor.”

“We greet the King of Clifford. It is an honor to receive such a warm welcome despite our sudden visit.”

*Thump.*

The Burgos envoy gestured their nation’s symbol near their heart. It was proper to follow the customs of the country they were visiting, but the Burgos Kingdom never failed to use their own greeting when they came to Clifford. Seeing this, the vassals hid their displeasure with their sleeves and exchanged glances.

“Indeed. Your sudden visit is rather puzzling. What brings you here? Has there been some sort of bereavement in Burgos?”

It was a dignified and warm greeting, but the content was quite chilling. He was asking if their King Damon had died. Otherwise, he couldn’t understand why they would commit such a discourtesy.

The envoys gritted their teeth and bowed their heads. How dare a man fit only for farming, a king of a country, speak of their lord’s death?

“No, Your Majesty. We have come because we heard that Clifford was ambushed on their way back from the Bariel appointment ceremony. King Damon sent us to ask if there was anything Burgos could do to help.”

“Oh, how kind of him. But do not worry. Nothing of the sort happened.”

“It did not?”

“Indeed. Do not scold your subordinates too harshly.”

The king chuckled, stroking his beard. It was a conversation to test the relationship between Clifford and Bariel. It was clear that there had been a conflict between the two, and judging from the King of Clifford’s answer, it seemed that there was no significant change in their relationship.

‘There was a conflict, but there’s no problem?’

Clifford could not afford to break ties with Bariel, so there must have been some sort of exchange. The envoys exchanged signals with their eyes.

“That is a relief. Clifford is keeping the Burgos jewel, is it not? If there was any problem with the jewel due to the conflict, we thought we might be able to help….”

“Hmm, no, it isn’t.”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t it Bariel’s jewel, not Burgos’s? It was given by His Highness Crown Prince Jin. Surely, you know the meaning of a tribute?”

“…We simply meant that it was a jewel crafted in Burgos.”

“It is easy to misunderstand, so be careful with your words.”

The King of Clifford, with a hearty laugh, gave a jab to the Burgos envoys. The vassals bowed their heads, trying to suppress their laughter.

“By the way, I would like to ask what kind of help you mean specifically. Surely, you are not suggesting sending a jeweler. Clifford has many excellent jewel keepers.”

Frankly speaking, Clifford’s culture, which was all about leisure and entertainment, was more splendid and dazzling than the barren and dry Burgos Kingdom. So, naturally, if you were to compare the skills of jewel crafting, this side would be better, wouldn’t it?

The Burgos envoys shook their heads and replied.

“No, that is not it. The jewel was a family heirloom passed down for generations in a noble Burgos family. Therefore, if there is a problem with the jewel, it can be resolved neatly through the family’s caretaker. Even if there is a scratch or a part has fallen off, it is not a problem. There is still a smaller one that is the same, so if you entrust it to us, we can fix it perfectly. It is a gift from the Crown Prince of Bariel, and King Damon is concerned that there might be trouble for Clifford if there is a problem.”

The king rested his soft cheek on his hand, looking down at them. It was a kind of trade proposal.

According to what Noah had told him, the Burgos jewel was an important means of gathering the nobles. They wanted it returned to Burgos under the guise of repair, without Bariel knowing. From Clifford’s point of view, even if Burgos did not return the jewel, they would have an excuse to argue with Bariel.

But what to do? The jewel was no longer in their hands.

“That is enough. Tell King Damon that I appreciate his concern.”

It had already been handed over to the mysterious group by Prince Noah as payment for taking Idgal first. And the Minister of Magic and Bariel already knew about it.

Any choice that went against Bariel was absolutely forbidden. It was hard to say if it was fortunate that Ian had collapsed, but it had become a bargaining chip for Clifford to appeal to sympathy.

In any case, Clifford’s course was clear. They would go with Bariel no matter what. Keeping the magicians tied up was also part of that course.

“…Your Majesty. If it is not too much trouble, may we see the jewel while we are here?”

“Hmm. It seems like it would be. Clifford has no obligation to show it. It seems like you have been assuming that we are negligent in the management of the jewel, which is unpleasant to hear. The jewel is fine, so put your worries aside and go back to the king and report well.”

The king laughed heartily and cut them off. If they continued to mention the jewel, it would be testing Clifford’s qualifications and doubting them. It was a firm stance that he would not listen to any more about it.

“Then, what about the Black Moon?”

The king paused. The Black Moon, the hole from which the magicians had poured out.

Even if he wanted to play dumb, everyone living in the Clifford capital was already talking about it. The Burgos envoys would have been able to hear the information without much difficulty.

“Are there magicians in Clifford?”

“…….”

The king was silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts until the very end. His gaze, as he looked around at his vassals, was resolute yet cautious.

The vassals who were against him seemed to think that they had not completely missed their chance. Although Burgos had sensed something and sent envoys, if there were no magicians here, there would be no reason for Bariel and them to attack Clifford to subdue them. Some of the vassals shook their heads, thinking that it might be unnecessarily stirring up trouble.

However, the king did not retract his decision and said,

“Yes. Bariel’s magicians are currently stationed in Clifford.”

“……!”

“……!”

The envoys looked slightly surprised, and the vassals closed their eyes as if they had made a mistake.

A strange silence filled the reception hall. The Burgos envoys bowed even lower and asked,

“May we ask why they are here? Burgos and Clifford share a border. If something related to magic happens in Clifford, it could also affect the Kingdom of Burgos.”

“It is a personal matter. There is nothing to tell Burgos.”

“But Your Majesty-”

“It is too late. I will prepare a place for you to rest today, so how about you return early tomorrow?”

Even though he was laughing, he was still the king of a country. It was a conclusion that he had already given enough time for this sudden meeting.

The envoys only moved their lips and sighed, then bowed.

“Then, we will greet you again when we depart tomorrow.”

“Do so. Get plenty of rest. I will give you plenty of precious things that you cannot taste in Burgos. Everyone, treat the envoys with the utmost respect.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The king gestured as he said this. Then, the attendants stood before the envoys with trays holding gold and silver-decorated wine glasses. The envoys had no choice but to accept the glasses and watched as the dark wine was poured.

In that gap, the king noticed May and raised an eyebrow. As if asking if Prince Noah, who had gone to get the magician, had arrived. Then, May made a sad face and drew an X with her hand.

“…Your Majesty?”

“Ah, yes. Then, drink. There is no better wine to whet your appetite.”

At his subordinate’s call, the king allowed them to drink. The envoys emptied their glasses with a single gulp and wiped their mouths. Perhaps because of their fruitless journey, they grimaced as if it was particularly bitter.

“Tsk, how rude. In front of the king.”

“I know, right? That’s why the people of Burgos are….”

*Clang!*

The moment the vassals were whispering.

The one who had been grimacing threw his glass down and collapsed forward. The sound of the glass rolling on the marble floor and the gasping breaths. Everyone was so surprised that they froze.

“Ugh, ugh…cough….”

“Hey, what’s wrong? Why, breathe! Breathe!”

“Wh, what is going on?”

“Ugh! He’s spitting blood! A doctor! A doctor!”

“Look here! What is this!”

“That’s what we should be saying. What are you all doing?”

“Breathe, man! His, his pupils are dilating!”

It instantly turned into chaos. The envoys surrounded their colleague, trying to save him, while the vassals called for a doctor and blocked the front to protect the king. When someone tried to pick up the golden glass, a Burgos envoy shouted.

“Stop! Do not touch it! We must examine the glass thoroughly to see what you have done to it!”

“Are you aware of what you are saying? We? We did that?”

“He became like this right after drinking the wine!”

“How dare you! You wretched scoundrels!”

“Everyone, calm down, calm down-!”

*Clang! Clang!*

Although the king told them to calm down, the atmosphere quickly overheated and became uncontrollable.

The guards of the delegation lowered their bodies, drawing hidden daggers, and the palace soldiers surrounded them, keeping their distance with long spears. It was the moment the king was about to shout again.

*Creak.*

The door of the reception hall slowly opened. Through the gap that was opening to the left and right, Prince Noah appeared.

And following behind him, Ian’s group. Perhaps it was because the wind rushed in as the door opened, but their appearance stimulated people’s five senses.

“It’s noisy.”

Ian leaned his head over Prince Noah’s shoulder and approached. People moved aside one by one. The delegation also stiffened, staring up at Ian with an unfamiliar pressure.

Ian knelt down on one knee and checked the breath of the fallen man.

“He’s dead.”

“He’s dead, he says.”

“What should we do, Your Majesty?”

One of the envoys had died without even closing his eyes. Ian’s words caused the murmuring to grow again. The envoys let out angry cries and warned the king.

“We are envoys representing Burgos and King Damon. How can this be? Clifford must explain immediately and prepare to take responsibility for this!”

“Shhh. Mister. My ears hurt.”

“Wh, what are you!?”

“Me? Berik.”

Berik gently placed his hand over the mouth of the envoy who was shouting angrily. The envoy pushed his hand away, but he blocked his mouth again on the other side.

“Shhh. It echoes too much here. Ian said so. We have to be quiet.”

“You crazy bastard! Who are you!”

“I told you, I’m Berik? Are you stupid, mister?”

*Zzzing. Zzzing.*

At that moment, light surrounded the fallen envoy.

Hale and Acorella were using magic to check the body. Just in case there was a magical device on the body.

“Sir Ian. The body is clean.”

“Yes. Well, there doesn’t seem to be any message on it either.”

“Ma, magicians. Of course! He became like that right after drinking the wine! We will officially protest this-!”

“Why did it only happen to one person?”

Ian’s clear voice rang out softly.

The envoy’s expression asked what he meant. Ian wiped his hands with a handkerchief and looked at the envoys. There were a total of five heads, and five guards as well.

“There was only one bottle of wine, so how come only one person died? Seeing that you cannot grasp this suspicious situation rationally, it must be one of two things.”

The envoys sent by Damon also did not know that they would die. Or-

“Is it a signal to your country through the number of deaths?”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Isn’t the most important thing in war the rapid transmission of information? Since you don’t know how Clifford will respond, you are exchanging information based on whether an incident occurs. For example, if one dies, it means ‘magicians are stationed here.’ If two die, it means ‘there are no magicians.’ If three die, it means ‘we don’t know if they exist,’ and so on.”

As Ian walked, making eye contact with each one, the surroundings quickly became quiet. Only the sound of Acorella rubbing the floor to wipe the blood off his shoes could be heard.

“If you don’t understand, then that’s fine. King of Clifford.”

“O, uh, yes. Yes, Sir Ian.”

“I implore you to detain these men separately. It would be best to check if they are sending signals to Burgos.”

If they were sending signals, they could use it in reverse. The king blankly nodded and asked,

“Y, yes. But how?”

“Acorella.”

“Ah, yes. I wrote down what’s needed. Please get this within an hour. You are a kingdom, so I think that’s possible. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same, but we can make something similar.”

At Ian’s instruction, Acorella took out a note from his pocket. A vassal who was standing nearby unfolded it and muttered,

“…The recipe for Sildam potion?”