Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 43

There had never been such chaotic and awkward days in Bratz’s history. Not only were people of the same Bariel race fighting each other with swords, but the bastard, who was presumed dead, had returned. Moreover, he was backed by the Cheonryeo, whom they had considered their lifelong enemies.

“Is the world going to end…?”

An old man muttered, looking up at the Bratz mansion. Wasn’t it a truly bizarre sight? Soldiers with the imperial flag and Cheonryeo warriors were stationed together. And all in one place, the main building of the mansion.

The old man shook his head and loaded a headless corpse onto a cart to be taken away.

Creak.

The atmosphere inside the mansion was even more perplexing than it appeared from the outside. The existence of two groups that could not mix like oil and water was one thing, but there was a bigger problem.

“The bodies of Countess Mary and Chel are not found.”

“Did you check even the headless corpses thoroughly?”

“I checked their clothes and even their fingernails, but there was nothing that seemed to belong to a noble. The bodies that were swept away by the river have not been recovered yet, so I think they might be mixed in there.”

At her subordinate’s report, Erika bit her nails. Derga was in custody, but his wife, Mary, and their child, Chel, were nowhere to be found.

“Check the dismembered ones as well.”

“Understood.”

“We must find the bodies. Search the mansion thoroughly.”

If they were dead, they had to confirm the bodies to say that the mission was complete. Besides, had they turned the territory upside down? If the cleanup wasn’t perfect, the central government’s trust could be shaken.

“…And if you find the bodies, you know what to do, right?”

“We will hide them well until the appointment letter arrives from the Imperial Palace.”

If Mary and Chel were dead, there would be no reason to delay Derga’s execution. Then, there would be no justification for her to stay in Bratz. It was unclear whether she could re-enter the territory occupied by the Cheonryeo.

‘Damn it!’

Erika bit her nails again. The finely crushed nail debris rolled around in her mouth.

Meanwhile, in a small room at the back of the hallway.

Kakantir, Nersarn, and Ian were sitting in a circle. Nersarn was the first to speak.

“Sir Ian, about Erika. Doesn’t it seem like she’s waiting for the appointment letter?”

“I felt that too. Actually, considering this is a forced march to the edge of the border, it must have been decided when she was appointed as the head of the investigation team.”

“It’s been almost two weeks since Erika came down here. The appointment letter will arrive soon, and if that happens, it will be difficult for us to stay here.”

At Nersarn’s words, Ian shook his head. As Erika had said, the appointment of a title was the Emperor’s prerogative. No matter how much the Second Prince Gail supported Erika, there had to be results.

“Since Derga was arrested today, even if a messenger is sent today, it will take almost two weeks. You don’t have to worry about that part.”

The Emperor’s order was heavy and precious, so it could not be delivered by messenger pigeon but only by a fast courier.

Nersarn calculated the dates in his head and looked a little relieved.

“Anyway, isn’t it a foregone conclusion that Erika will become the lord? The Cheonryeo have already invested a lot. But it looks like it’s all going to be wasted.”

The future benefits of supporting Ian, the direct execution of Derga, and so on. The Cheonryeo had conceded a lot in this plan.

“No, Kakan. The situation is flowing well.”

“Can you explain?”

“First of all, Mary and Chel have not been secured.”

“Is that a good thing? Thanks to that, those people are sticking their butts in this mansion and staying put.”

“Didn’t Erika say it herself? Her mission is to annihilate the Bratz family and secure their people.”

At this point, Nersarn, who had noticed first, exclaimed.

“Ah… then?”

The fact that they were staying here meant that Mary and Chel were assumed to be within the territory.

But if they confirmed that they had gone outside, they would have to chase after Mary and Chel.

They were becoming bait.

“Also, the central government will never be able to kick me out.”

“What’s the basis?”

“For the very reason that Kakan is curious about.”

That Ian was a mana user. Although he was of humble birth, Ian confidently asserted that he could dare to push out Erika.

“Okay. Good. We’ve only just caught Derga, so let’s watch a little more.”

“Thank you, Kakan.”

“So, what should we do now? Should we go out to the village and look for bodies as the commander said?”

“No. Instead, please help the injured. Now that the battle is over, we will focus on reconstruction for the time being. The support of the territory’s people is also one of the important cornerstones in the border, so please do that.”

Kakantir’s eyes narrowed slightly.

This guy was more and more adorable the more he looked at him. Like he was picking his nose without using his hands, he was using the power of the Cheonryeo to give all sorts of help to Bariel.

Was he only sixteen? It was unbelievable. But like a child of that age, Ian smiled brightly and met Kakantir’s gaze.

‘Why are you looking at me like that? What I said wasn’t wrong.’

Yes, what he said wasn’t wrong.

From the central government’s point of view, the border was just a piece of land that they didn’t care how it was run as long as they paid taxes well and guarded the border well. That meant it was independent from the influence of the Imperial Palace.

So, to run the territory smoothly, they needed a capable and recognized head of the family. In this case, it could be seen as something for the latter.

“Then what about you?”

“I have some business to attend to. I heard that Derga set fire to the detached house and ran away. Perhaps the ‘time of Mary and Chel’s disappearance’ that Commander Erika mentioned was exactly then.”

If they weren’t in the territory, and they didn’t go outside…

There was a possibility that they were hiding somewhere in the mansion. A mansion was bound to have a secret passage. The problem was that all the servants who could have given clues were dead.

“I’ll move when Beric returns from his errand. Kakan, please rest with the warriors and then go down.”

Kakantir drank wine straight from the bottle and looked back at Ian. Now that they were on the same boat, there was no other way.

Time passed, and it was afternoon.

As soon as Beric, who had gone on an errand, arrived, he saw Ian leading two Kushile [a type of warrior].

“Have you come?”

“What are you doing? Going out again?”

“You know where I used to live, right?”

Where the bastard Ian used to live. He only knew that it was the worst of the red-light districts, but he didn’t know the exact address.

“I know it. But why? Philia is doing well in the forest. She looks fine, eating and sleeping well on her own.”

“Shh. I told you to be careful.”

The Cheonryeo didn’t know that Ian’s biological mother was alive. It wasn’t a weakness now, but it was also difficult to reveal it first.

“Anyway, why there?”

“From now on, I’m going to look for Hanna.”

Mary and Chel, no matter how much he thought about it, he suspected a secret passage in the mansion. How could a woman and a child have gotten through that chaos? If they were dead, their bodies would have been found long ago.

It might be Erika’s shallow trick, but he had to check it as much as he could.

Tap tap.

“Is it this way?”

“Uh-huh. Maybe.”

Beric lightly covered his nose and led the way. The back alleys were like a maze. Even if it wasn’t a drug den, a clumsy person would have their pockets picked immediately. It was cut off from the outside.

“Here.”

“This place?”

Goodness. Ian managed his expression as much as possible and clicked his tongue.

Going down to the basement, there were rooms branching out like an ant nest. One of them seemed to be the place where Ian and Philia had lived. A place where rats swarmed and the smell of mold covered the smell of war.

“Why? Were you talking about the place you used to live? I don’t know that place.”

Perhaps Ian had moved when he entered the Bratz mansion. Derga had exerted his influence to financially restrict Philia, and this was the result.

“Tsk.”

Ian clicked his tongue once and turned his back without regret. The nest that had lost its owner didn’t seem to have anything worth getting. He went out to the street and gestured to Beric.

“Find Hanna.”

“Me?”

“Then? Should I do it?”

“…Hey, you bum passing by! Let me ask you something.”

While Beric wandered around and stopped people, Ian carefully looked around. But because it was such a chaotic and miserable sight, nothing caught his eye except for the unfortunate things.

But.

“Ian! It’s this way!”

Hanna’s family, who had a total of five siblings, was quite famous. Moreover, since Hanna was a servant who worked at the mansion, she seemed to have stood out among her neighbors.

“Go up the stairs to the second floor.”

As soon as he stepped on the stairs, he heard a child crying.

Wee-aah!

“Oh dear. Why are you crying again?”

“Hanna?”

Hanna, who was holding a newborn baby and soothing it, was startled and turned around. And she recognized Ian and Beric and gave a surprised smile.

“Young Master! Beric!”

“I’m glad you seem safe.”

“You’ve returned! I’m so glad you’re alive, Ian!”

“Is there any damage to your house?”

“No. Well, none of our family members went into the army… My parents pray every night, thanking their lucky stars that they got out of the mansion.”

But judging by her slightly gaunt face, she seemed to have suffered. The windows and the door that Ian had pushed open were nailed with wooden boards. It was to prevent intrusion from the outside when the battle broke out.

Ian smiled slightly and stroked the baby’s hand.

“So this is the sibling I’ve only heard about.”

“Yes. There are many more besides this one. But…”

Hanna poured out words like a dam had burst.

“Did you come here to find me? More than that, is it okay for you to come back like this? Aren’t you also Derga’s son, Ian? I thought the story about you coming back with the Cheonryeo was a lie…”

“Yes. It’s okay. More than that, I have something to ask you.”

Hanna pulled out a chair for Ian while soothing the baby.

“I’m curious if there are any secret rumors or stories about the mansion.”

“Yes? Why all of a sudden?”

“I’m asking because I’m curious if there’s a secret passage somewhere.”

For example, that a ghost appears at the end of a certain floor’s hallway, or that people’s voices can be heard in a room that the owner has forbidden access to. These kinds of stories were mostly rumors that arose from people going through secret passages.

“Hmm. Well, I’ve never heard of any ghost stories. And I know even less about secret passages or spaces.”

“Of course. If you knew, it wouldn’t be a secret space, would it?”

“You’re still the same, Beric.”

Beric and Hanna exchanged playful glances. On the other hand, Ian crossed his arms and leaned back as if he was in trouble.

“…It would have been nice if there was a butler.”

But unfortunately, he was found with his arm cut off. It wasn’t the central army that did it, but a soldier from Merelov, a neighboring territory.

It seemed that he had strayed into the border while running away, and Merelov visited Bratz to assess the situation under the guise of handing over the body.

“The butler also passed away?”

“Ah. Yes.”

Hanna smiled awkwardly and looked down at her sibling. Ian didn’t miss that brief, subtle sign.

“Why is that?”

“Yes? No. It’s just, isn’t it unfortunate? Most of the people who lived in the mansion are said to have died…”

Was that really all?

Ian met Hanna’s gaze with sharp eyes. Then Hanna sighed as if she really couldn’t handle it.