Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 424

Timothy, perhaps taken aback by the unexpected response, stood frozen with a stiff expression.

He had overlooked something. He was no longer a Vergosian envoy who frequented the royal palace, but merely a foreigner naturalized in Bariel. From Ian’s perspective, the difference in value between himself and King Damon would be clear.

Since there had been no response from Vergos yet, King Damon would be a stepping stone for the armistice negotiations and the occupation of Vergos. Compared to that, what was he?

“I am…”

He had already handed over all the ledgers he had brought to Crown Prince Jin. He thought he had paid a fair price, as it had allowed him to start a new life. But he realized that he was now empty-handed.

Timothy sighed deeply, pressing his forehead. How could he persuade Sir Ian? His heart was full of things he wanted to say to King Damon, to grab his face, to seize his collar, but how could he be granted that?

“I received the documents well through His Highness Jin.”

“You received them already?”

“I received them from Cliford, so the soldier who delivered them must have brought the first victory news to Bariel. There was a lot of interesting information in them.”

Ian gestured for him to sit down.

Dust particles floated lightly in the sunlight. It felt more cozy than stuffy. Ian then took out the copy Jin had sent from among the various boxes that were being brought in.

“Is this all you brought?”

“Yes. Everything I gave to His Highness Crown Prince Jin.”

Timothy flipped through the papers, recognizing them as copies. He had seen them so many times that he could guess the contents just by glancing at the words. Then, he found the last page that Ian had folded.

The part related to Rutherford. Since the Magic Department had to focus on Idgal [a magical substance or artifact], Ian, as the head of the Magic Department, would likely do the same.

“I’ve only seen Rutherford in person about twice.”

“Is that so? Did he come directly to the Kingdom of Vergos?”

“No. Both times were in other countries, by chance while I was doing diplomatic work.”

“By chance. Timothy, do you believe in chance?”

Ian smiled. Chance leads to connection, and connection creates destiny. So, wouldn’t chance also be destiny?

Ian finding Timothy in that bustling street, giving him three passes, and his ledger now being in Ian’s hands—all of this-

Was it chance?

“At the time, I considered it a coincidence, but now it doesn’t seem like it. It was probably Rutherford’s intention.”

“Rutherford has been mentioned since the civil war in the royal palace. Marib had secured Idgal in connection with him. It wasn’t just Vergos; he had a history of trying to distribute Idgal in Bariel as well. There was a storm at the time, so I don’t know if things went according to his intentions.”

Ian tapped the table with his fingertips. He turned his gaze out the window and murmured. A leaf was stuck in the old, but not worn, antique frame.

“Damon and Rutherford made some kind of deal. You know this, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“But you don’t know the specifics.”

“I am sorry to say so.”

“If Damon’s siblings are handed over to Rutherford, do you not know what they will do with them? They are of royal blood, after all. What do you think they will do with that blood?”

“It was beyond my purview and responsibility.”

There was no reason for Timothy to lie. He had lost his family, and he had abandoned his country. The only path he had was Bariel, so why would he complicate things with lies?

Ian asked, fiddling with the edge of the document.

“The Vergos side has not yet responded. King Damon is here, but if the opposition within Vergos seizes power by taking advantage of the gap, the war will be over, but not really. In that case, Timothy, wouldn’t you be able to return to your homeland?”

Ian knew that there was virtually no one to succeed Damon in Vergos, and even if there was, it would be settled at the level of local nobles.

They were much more likely to separate and oppose each other, focusing on their own territories, than to save the royal family. They had already suffered enormous material damage by supporting Damon.

They could avoid responsibility by first handing over the Vergos royal family to Bariel and then declaring their territories independent. Otherwise, they would be dragged along under the great punishment of Bariel.

“The country may be in chaos, but the capital, Kalamat, is not all of Vergos.”

“I am already a citizen of Bariel. I have no desire to return to Vergos. No, it would be more accurate to say I cannot go back. If I go back…”

He still couldn’t grasp the reality of his wife and children’s deaths. With the vain hope that they might be alive somewhere in Vergos, Timothy resolved never to set foot on Vergosian soil again in his life.

Ian nodded as if it was nothing. He had been a little worried. If Timothy were to return to Vergos, there would be a problem with Naum’s existence.

He had to be happy here. He had to find new love, have children, and be remembered by future generations of Naum as a respected figure.

“Do as you wish. There is freedom for the citizens of the Bariel Empire.”

“Please, allow me to meet King Damon.”

“Sir Timothy. I believe I asked you clearly. ‘Why’?”

Ian leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. Wasn’t he from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? If there is something going, there must be something coming. Strictly speaking, the report was not given to Ian, but to Jin.

Timothy sighed, running his hands through his hair as if he was in trouble.

“I am-”

He had nothing in his hands, but this was what he had been doing all his life. Giving and receiving unseen things, making promises, and keeping them.

“I am someone who worked at the center of the Vergos royal palace. Soon, you will be negotiating with them regarding the war, and I will help in that process.”

“Vergos is a defeated nation. There is no negotiation; they will have to accept the demands of Bariel and Cliford. But what are you going to adjust? Well, there are many people in the royal palace who are good at Vergosian.”

“…Isn’t there something unreasonable about that?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you had absorbed the Vergosian remnants in Cliford and marched straight to Kalamat, you would have captured the defeated nation more decisively. But Sir Ian chose to return with the mages. I honestly wonder if there is a special reason for that.”

The prediction that there was no one to succeed Damon and how the nobles would react was just that—a prediction.

Even with the soldiers gathered, if Ian had wanted to, he could have marched north and completely taken over Vergos. He guessed that there must be a separate reason why he had to return, even if it meant interrupting the flow of battle.

Ian rubbed his chin with his fingertips and then smiled faintly.

“Yes. The king you used to serve caused quite a big accident.”

No one in the royal palace except the Crown Prince knew about the crack. Timothy had only analyzed Ian’s actions and become suspicious.

‘Naum, Timothy seems to be quite wise, as you said.’

“An accident?”

“It’s an issue that will be discussed at the conference. Anyway, to give you the conclusion in advance, I cannot allow you to meet Damon. In exchange for not letting you meet him, Damon has released some information.”

“Sir Ian! I beg you, I beg you!”

“Calm down. There is plenty of time. We have just arrived.”

As Timothy took a desperate step forward, Ian raised his hand to stop him firmly.

“Damon’s interrogation comes first. We will use the Siltham potion [a truth serum], but there are no experimental results for overdosing it on ordinary people. We need to get Damon’s cooperation as much as possible, and if I arrange a meeting with you here, Damon will be very happy. Right?”

“…”

“After the interrogation is deemed sufficient and we have heard the official position of Vergos, a decision will be made regarding Damon under His Highness Jin’s judgment. Somewhere in between, there will be time prepared for you as well. Surely, there will be room for the resentment of a former subordinate to seep into Damon’s remaining life.”

Clatter.

Ian gathered the documents as a sign to restrain himself. Even though there was some dust, it seemed that Romandro had been cleaning the desk regularly while he was away. Everything was arranged in a familiar manner.

“…Please. I beg you.”

“And Sir Timothy, while I am very pleased that you will attend the talks with Vergos for Bariel, isn’t that your duty?”

“…Is there something else you want?”

Timothy quickly understood Ian’s intention. He was telling him not to act as if he was being rewarded for doing his duty.

And that was ultimately for Crown Prince Jin and the Great Empire of Bariel. Since he was facing Ian, Timothy needed to give Ian what he wanted, if it was in his power.

“What I want…”

What would a handsome young mage who had become an imperial minister at a young age need? Timothy couldn’t immediately picture what he wanted.

Humans usually have their own desires, but this man showed none. Money, fame, power, and other pleasures. Most could be classified within these categories, but Ian could not.

Was it because he had everything? No.

‘It’s because he’s empty.’

Like a sage wandering because he could not find truth on earth, Ian’s desires were empty. As if they could only be fulfilled somewhere else.

Timothy suddenly realized why he felt so strange whenever he saw Ian. How could someone without desires hold power in the royal palace? Unless he was born with the dignity of a leader-

“Sir Timothy.”

Timothy cleared his mind of the tangled thoughts and looked up. Ian had been looking at him the whole time. He raised an eyebrow, as if wondering what he was thinking.

“No, it’s nothing. I apologize.”

“Later, at the right opportunity. If I arrange a meeting with Damon, there is something I would like to entrust to you.”

“What is it that you would like to entrust to me?”

“We will be constructing an annex to the Magic Department, and you were in charge of the Vergosian imported magic stones that will be used there. I would like you to continue helping us.”

“The construction of an annex to the Magic Department?”

Previously, they had opposed it to check the expanded power of the Magic Department, but now there was no force to do so. Half of the Imperial Defense Department had been split off, centered around Volb, which had solidified the Crown Prince’s position.

The Magic Department’s contribution to the war could not be ignored, and above all, the funds themselves were coming from Ian’s personal pocket, so there was no justification for opposition.

“Yes. The Magic Department annex. I would like a small space at the end of the hallway where one can read books. A large glass window that overlooks the Magic Department’s courtyard and captures the four seasons like a painting.”

“I am not an architect.”

“Start with being in charge of the magic stones coming from Vergos. And from what I’ve seen, you seem like you’d be quite good at building things.”

What did he see? Was it because of his size? Timothy looked down at his hands with a bewildered expression.

At that moment, the door burst open.

Accorella, holding a stack of reports in both hands, waved them around.

“Sir Ian! Let’s go down to the basement!”

“Yes. Is the Siltham potion still being made?”

“The ingredients are different, so even the color is different. It’s perfect. It’s amazing! Yes!”

Accorella gave a thumbs up and led the way, urging him to hurry.

Ian brushed past Timothy, grabbing his shoulder tightly, but there were so many mixed meanings that it was hard to understand his intention. Was it to cheer him on? Or to tell him to do well?

Timothy sat on the armrest of the sofa, pressing his forehead. His wife and children’s killer was under this floor, yet he couldn’t do anything. He felt so pathetic.

Tap tap!

“Guard King Damon strictly.”

“Of course. He’s a king, after all. Don’t worry about that. Unless they’re mages, they can’t get into the basement anyway.”

Ian followed Accorella down to the basement.

At the end of the dark basement was a room. There were signs of people gathered with dim lights. It was because people from other departments and mages were gathered together.

“Ah, Sir Ian.”

“We will begin the interrogation. Which department are you from?”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Administration.”

“Wait in the back.”

“Yes.”

Ian pulled a chair and sat in front of Damon, who was bound by chains. His legs naturally crossed. At that signal, the scribe grabbed his pen, and the mages perked up their ears.

“Now, then, Your Highness Damon of the Kingdom of Vergos. Let’s begin the first interrogation in Bariel. It would be best if you answer well. After hearing your answers, we will confirm whether they are true or not through the Siltham potion. If the people of Vergos were to know that a king who abandoned his country was lying in another country, they would be truly dismayed.”

Ian was indirectly saying that if he did not cooperate with the interrogation, Vergos would be harmed.

Clatter.

Ian, having received the report, smiled at Damon.

“Shall we begin?”