Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 351

Ian headed to the detached palace where the magic division was staying.

He flung the door open, and those who had been dozing wiped drool from their faces and looked up. One, two, three… Almost all of them were in the same spot as when they had arrived. Ian scanned the room as if searching for something, and a mage stretched, asking,

“Do you need magic power? Hey, who’s next?”

“Just let me skip this one. I’m still tired.”

“Are you the only one who’s tired? Don’t talk nonsense and get up.”

“Ugh, seriously.”

As the mage poked his colleague’s waist with his toe, Ian gestured for him to just lie down. The mages, who had been continuously unconscious, had no idea that the atmosphere within Clifford Palace was unusual.

“Where’s Beric?”

“Beric? Well, I haven’t seen him since he went out earlier. Didn’t he go out to find you, Ian?”

“That was yesterday.”

“Huh? Has it been that long?”

He vaguely remembered Prince Noah barging in and Beric leading the way to guide Ian, but that was yesterday? The mage blinked in surprise.

“Ian, sir. At this rate, aren’t we going to have to walk back home? Are you feeling okay? Wow, there’s no answer.”

“I seem to be somewhat on track, so focus on resting. Then.”

Ian hurriedly closed the door and turned away, as if he was busy.

There were mountains of things to ask, but the mages just stretched their hands into the air, then paused. Ah, never mind. He told them to rest well, so they had no choice but to follow orders. The mages munched on dried grapes and once again fell into a languid nap.

Tap, tap.

“Ah, Barsabe.”

“Yes, Ian, sir.”

Just as he was about to turn the corner, he encountered Barsabe, who was drenched in sweat. It seemed he had been training with his sword alone in the backyard.

“Have you seen Beric?”

“Beric? That guy, a servant called him to the main palace. Said Prince Noah’s siblings were calling for him. Something about ‘bbong’ and ‘bboong’ or whatever. I don’t know what it means, but he went that way. Is something the matter?”

Ian nodded and instructed Barsabe to follow him. He was someone the Imperial Guard had assigned for various reasons, but in Clifford, they were undeniably on the same side. Barsabe, not knowing why, wiped away his sweat and followed behind Ian.

“Barsabe. Soon, there will be a clash between Clifford and Vergos, and we will minimize losses to prevent Clifford from being captured.”

“I did feel that things were noisy outside the palace, but it’s worse than I thought. I heard that Commander Acorella’s magic power amplifier is only for one use.”

They had no choice but to choose. If they helped Clifford, they wouldn’t be able to open a path back to the center [referring to their home base or faction].

“Before that, there’s someone I need to find with Beric outside the palace.”

“Yes? Just the two of you?”

Barsabe’s face contorted in shock. He didn’t know what kind of mission he was supposed to do outside with that crazy dog who didn’t listen. To control that guy, shouldn’t it be someone like Ian or Commander Jayrut? Well, maybe Romandro too.

“The Vergos envoy, Timothy, has currently entered the center of Clifford. There’s a high possibility he’ll make contact with a spy within the palace. Since Clifford and Bariel have different positions, we’re sending the two of you to prevent any unforeseen situations.”

“I don’t quite understand the intention.”

“I want you to keep Timothy from returning to Vergos. If not, you can capture him alive and bring him back. But make sure his life is not in danger.”

“Isn’t he a Vergos envoy? Why him?”

Tap.

While the two were talking, they arrived at the main palace. Or rather, the small detached palace in the north where Prince Noah’s siblings were.

Laughter and all sorts of boisterous fun could be heard. As they got closer, the servants blocked their way.

“I apologize. By the strict order of the royal family, you cannot currently meet the young prince and princess.”

“Beric inside is my subordinate, though?”

“I will report to the prince and be back, so please wait a moment…”

“There’s no need. I know it’s a no-entry zone due to the curse manifestation, so step aside.”

“Wh-what curse?”

The servants feigned ignorance, but everything was in vain because Beric came rolling out.

The prince and princess rolled out with Beric. One of the children had a small, luscious tail. Barsabe’s eyes widened as if they would pop out, and the servants quickly rushed to cover the children with their bodies.

“Your Highness! How can you do this!”

“Beric, did you see? I rolled too, so I won.”

“Didn’t you use your tail to balance? Let’s do it again.”

“Beric.”

“Huh? Ian, are you done with your busy work?”

The prince and princess, who were forbidden from going outside, were so bored that they had called Beric to play with them. He was drenched in sweat in a different way than Barsabe.

“I had a hard time finding you. Come out.”

“Me? You found me? Why? Why did you find me? Is it time to eat?”

Thud!

As Beric excitedly tried to follow Ian, the prince and princess grabbed his feet. Beric fell forward. Barsabe grimaced as if his own nose had been broken and stepped back.

“No, you can’t. Beric has to play with us.”

“Yes. Sir Ian. I heard that Beric is not helpful at all in his work. Just let him stay here.”

“Princess, Prince. I apologize, but there is something only Beric can do. I will have him come back here soon, so please let him go.”

Ian calmly persuaded them, but the princess and prince showed no sign of backing down. They even angrily slammed their tails on the floor. And their ears were puffing up.

Barsabe covered his mouth at the shockingly cute sight and staggered back. They were already young children, and with the curse manifesting, they were incapable of rational behavior. Even Noah had rolled around in the palace backyard, so how could the children be any different?

“…Ian, I’m so popular.”

“It’ll only be a little while. It’ll be over soon. We don’t know if Beric will be here for the next curse, so please allow this much! Beric only causes trouble anyway!”

“That’s not true, Your Highness. I’m more capable than you think? Well, I don’t have anything to show for it, but anyway, I am.”

The children simultaneously squashed Beric.

One of the servants ran down the stairs to report this matter, and the other began to secure all the windows and doors in the hallway, just in case. They were among the few in the palace who knew about the royal family’s curse. They must be very trusted.

Ian carefully knelt down and met their gaze.

“I don’t know when the next curse will be, but if we are in Clifford during that time, there will surely be no interference with your play with Beric.”

“The next curse? That’s in two weeks.”

“Two weeks? Does the curse have a cycle?”

The children wriggled on Beric’s back and ended up sitting on the back of his head. Beric waved his hands, saying he couldn’t breathe, but no one paid attention.

“Of course. There are those who predict the timing of the curse, but I can roughly guess it myself. The problem is that it’s uncertain. I’m young, so the curse will come again in two weeks.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ian hesitated for a moment, then smiled and asked,

“Then, when is Prince Noah’s next curse?”

“Brother? My brother is probably…”

“If you tell me, I’ll lend you Beric for the whole day.”

“Wait a minute. Wait. I can’t count big numbers yet.”

The child’s fingers wriggled, folding and unfolding as if counting. Soon, having finished calculating, the child whispered something only Ian could hear.

Ugh, as Beric, who was suffocating, couldn’t stand it and stood up.

“Your Highness!”

“Eek. It’s the grumpy old man!”

“G-grumpy? You are being disrespectful. Hurry inside!”

A servant brought the king’s closest aide. He was probably in a position similar to a prime minister compared to the royal family.

He was surprised by the situation, but relieved that Ian was a witness, as he knew about the royal family’s curse.

“Go inside! Now!”

“Grumpy old man, ugh, I don’t like him.”

“Hurry!”

The children screamed playfully and went into the room, and Beric slowly got up with his messy hair.

The aide only gave Ian an awkward nod before following the prince and princess. Soon, the sound of a loud scolding would be heard.

“Beric. Let’s leave.”

“Seriously, like family. He acts just like Prince Noah. He loves rolling around.”

“Barsabe, I’ll tell you the details later, so for now, keep your mouth shut.”

“Ah, yes, yes. I understand.”

It seemed that Barsabe had seen something too cute, as he couldn’t hide his excitement with a flushed face.

Ian left the detached palace and took them straight to the gate next to the main palace, the gate where palace people came and went.

“Timothy is in the center.”

“Timothy? Really? But?”

“Prince Noah will soon share a list of suspected defectors within the palace with me. If anyone leaves the palace other than those people, keep an eye on them and follow them.”

If Prince Noah cooperatively shared the list of defectors, there would be no problem. Then, the process of contact would also be shared with Ian, so he could decide how to persuade and observe Timothy at that time.

But the problem would be if Noah was uncooperative.

“Currently, the palace is extremely wary of unnecessary rumors, so there are few people going outside. Even though there are only two of you, you can handle it. The way out is that way, and from what I saw of the person who went on an errand for Acorella, using the left path is relatively less noticeable.”

Unlike Barsabe, who was inputting Ian’s orders without missing a single one, Beric just scratched his head and shrugged.

“Looking out the window, everyone was dancing and singing, so I don’t think they’d care if we just went through the main gate?”

“They do care. If they realize that you’re a foreigner from the palace, you don’t know how the public will react. They’re putting effort into the rumors right now, so don’t ruin it. Be careful with your disguise. If you wear those weird rags like last time, you won’t get any food for a while.”

He was talking about when they went undercover. Unlike everyone else who had blended in with ordinary clothes, Beric had disguised himself by wearing all sorts of visible junk.

“Wow, what do you think of my sense?”

“Barsabe. I’m counting on you. Beric, listen to Barsabe. If you don’t, you’ll be in trouble. Make sure to tell Timothy that I want to meet him.”

Barsabe looked at Beric triumphantly, and Beric grimaced as if he was annoyed. But what could he do? It was Ian’s order. If he messed up, he would only be picking up grapes [a metaphor for doing menial tasks], so he had to listen.

“…Annoying. Is the molar my superior?”

“I’m annoyed too? Follow me well, Beric. If you don’t, you’re done for.”

“If you don’t, you’re done for.”

“Don’t imitate me. I’ll kill you, seriously.”

“Ah, sorry. I don’t have molars, so I couldn’t understand your pronunciation.”

Ian clicked his pocket watch and checked the time. Now it was time to go back to Noah and get the list of defectors. Ian headed towards the main palace and instructed the two.

“Don’t fight, this is a very important matter. Understood?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Understooooood!”

The two glared at each other intensely, foreheads touching, as they answered. Their answers were loud enough, and Ian smiled faintly and shook his head.