Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 440

“It’s brutal,” Noah muttered as he changed his shirt. The meeting had concluded, but the strange tension he felt between Jin and Ian had left his whole body stiff. He truly understood what it meant to be a shrimp caught in a whale fight [an idiom referring to being caught in a conflict between powerful entities].

As Noah lay down on the sofa, looking tired, May tidied up and replied,

“Indeed. It’s not common for a Minister to insist on resigning while the Crown Prince actively tries to stop him. Of course, I would have done the same as Crown Prince Jin.”

“But it’s only a matter of time. His will is so firm that even Crown Prince Jin will eventually have no choice.”

“Hmm.”

May rolled her eyes, refraining from speaking. In fact, if the Crown Prince wanted to, there were many ways. It was just that it would bring misfortune to Ian and bad luck to Clifford, so she didn’t mention it.

‘If Ian is resigning over such a serious issue, shouldn’t the royal family use it as an excuse? Reprimand him, dismiss him from his position as Minister, and demote him to below a commoner. That way, they could easily exert control over Ian.’

Even if it was immoral, it was a point that wouldn’t hold up in front of a massive entity like the state. This world had already been created through such processes, was being created, and would continue to be so.

Noah and May, unaware that they had the same thought, lightly shook their heads. As May neatly folded the clothes, footsteps were heard from outside.

Knock knock.

“Excuse me, Your Highness?”

“Come in. What is it?”

A Bariel attendant spoke quietly from outside the door. Besides Noah and May’s visit, other guests had arrived at the Imperial Palace.

“Guests from Lusswennah have also arrived.”

“Lusswennah? A bit earlier than expected. They must be desperate to avoid the situation by pretending to be victims.”

Though not as much as Vergos, Lusswennah had also completely entered into a hostile relationship with Clifford through this war. Noah was about to get up, saying he would see the great King Eripohni himself, but the attendant bowed his head.

“The King of Lusswennah is currently on his way, and the mages have arrived at the palace first.”

“Mages?”

Noah paused, trying to remember. There were a few impressive individuals, including Zaira, the young mage of Lusswennah.

But why did the mages come before the king? It wasn’t like Clifford, where the rifts were spreading in real-time, so there was no need to rush.

“Is it possible that Ian ordered this directly?”

“Yes, it is.”

The Lusswennah mages had defected en masse.

The Magic Department was officially announcing this to the public, conveying the current situation of the Magic Department. The intention was to say that new personnel had arrived in addition to the mages striking at the Imperial Palace, so there was no need to worry too much. And it was a message to Clifford that so many mages had left Lusswennah, so they should think carefully.

The magic support Jin was offering would be useless, and helping him was the only way to overcome the disaster.

“How many defected, did they say?”

“They didn’t give an exact number, but twelve carriages entered the Imperial Palace. There were also five large freight wagons separately.”

Considering that the number of mages on the Lusswennah side was not that large, it meant that most of them had naturalized to Bariel.

If so, the remaining foreign mages were only from Vergos or the North…

“This is something.”

For Ian to enter Clifford, Clifford had to endure Crown Prince Jin’s anger or at least divert his attention so that there would be no problem with his entry.

“If Father enters the center, the contract with Crown Prince Jin will proceed. Then, we will surely not be able to get Ian’s help. May, what should we do in this case?”

“Just a moment. Hmm.”

May rested her chin on her fingertips, pacing around the bedroom, deep in thought. A cause. Isn’t that what Ian needs right now? A cause that only Clifford can give him.

Otherwise, there was no reason for him to inform the two Clifford envoys about such a personal matter as his resignation.

“It must be a method that Ian couldn’t directly convey, right? Otherwise, he would have directly requested it when we were drinking tea earlier.”

“It’s an issue he’s reluctant to mention first.”

“Or he’s refraining from it, fearing future difficulties. Either way, it seems that Ian is trying to gain an advantage in his relationship with Clifford. We are the ones who desperately need help right now.”

“What can we do to bring him over?”

“Hmm…”

Tap tap.

It was the moment May lightly scratched the edge of the sofa with her fingertips. Noah’s right ear popped up from his head.

“Your Highness.”

“Huh?”

The prince, oblivious to everything, tilted his head, touching his chin. Then, a fox ear slowly rose from the other side as well.

May roughly smacked her forehead, sighing as if she was pitiful. The Imperial Palace was difficult enough when he was in his right mind, but when the curse manifested, there was no solution.

“May, what’s wrong?”

“Ah.”

As Noah wiggled his ears, May suddenly stood up as if she had a good idea.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time.

The mages who had defected from Lusswennah were waiting for the Imperial Palace’s disposition, having entered the inspection room inside the main gate.

Until recently, they had been on the side of Vergos, attacking Bariel and Clifford. It was impossible to rule out the possibility that they were spies sent from Lusswennah under the guise of peace negotiations. In fact, most of the Imperial Palace suspected them.

Squeak.

“No issues.”

“Next, the second carriage. Check inside the wheels thoroughly. Move the horses to the other side.”

“We need to remove this panel here. Please pass me the equipment!”

“Use this! The carriages made by Relfsa have space under the seats. Check carefully! If you can’t reach, lie down under the wheels and tap the bottom. Report anything suspicious!”

“Yes! Understood!”

“Mages, please stand in a line over here. Please take out your identification cards from Lusswennah.”

“What if we don’t have identification cards?”

“You don’t? Ah, then could you wait a little while until the mages arrive? After all, isn’t magic your identification? Now, please raise your arms. There will be a search. You’ve all handed over your luggage, right? If anything is found later, regardless of whether it was a mistake, it will all be reported to the Imperial Palace. There may be disadvantages, so please be careful. Yes.”

The guards carefully checked whether the Lusswennah mages had smuggled anything or if there were any suspicious signs that could threaten the Bariel Imperial Palace. The mages, as if they had expected it, all cooperated with the soldiers, taking off their outer garments without hesitation.

Squeak.

“Even if the weather is warm, aren’t you all dressed too lightly?”

“Ian, you’ve arrived?”

“Oh, oh, kid! Long time no see!”

At that moment, Ian appeared in the inspection room. Beric was firmly guarding his side.

Zaira calmly put on the clothes she was holding.

“I’ve arrived.”

“Yes. You’ve worked hard. Was the road rough?”

Ian asked, carefully looking at the mages.

Those who met Ian’s eyes bowed their heads one by one, showing their respect. Zaira was right. Ian Hiel, the Minister of the Magic Department of Bariel, was welcoming their return favorably.

“A little. It’s quite far.”

The mages smiled faintly, holding the hands of their families who had come with them.

Every moment had been truly exhausting. They had to rescue all the families held captive in the palace, move the necessary materials from the mages’ forest, and evade the Lusswennah soldiers chasing them.

They had split into three groups, crossed the Lusswennah land, and only after crossing into Bariel and selling some magic stones were they able to get carriages and horses.

Their disheveled clothes, unkempt hair and skin, and tired eyes showed how arduous their journey had been.

“Okay. I understand. Mages, stand over here, and civilians, stand over there. You’re not separating, so don’t worry. You’ve all come a long way, so it’s best to finish the schedule quickly and rest.”

Ian said, gesturing to Beric. Come to think of it, Beric was holding an antique wooden box. When he opened the lid, the Lusswennah mages couldn’t help but take a step back instinctively.

“These are magic sealing stones. The Magic Department welcomes the return of the mages without hesitation, but there are those in the Imperial Palace who see you as people from Lusswennah before they see you as mages. This is to give each other trust, so wear it on the wrist you don’t use.”

Having come this far, there was no place to return to. It was questionable if it would be okay, but what could they do? There was no other way.

“Once the investigation is over, and it is proven that you truly wish to naturalize to Bariel, we will release you.”

“Then it won’t take long. King Eripohni is coming to the Imperial Palace. If you see his reaction when he meets us, you’ll have no choice but to believe us.”

“Why, did you blow up half of the Imperial Palace?”

“Not half.”

This meant that they had blown up some, but not half. Beric whistled and handed a magic sealing stone shackle to a child.

“You little one, you’ve been quite fiery since last time?”

“So what.”

“…You little one. Yeah. Spicy, spicy.”

Click.

Zaira put on the shackle herself without hesitation. It was lighter than she thought and easy to move in, so the child even swung her hand around.

“So, Zaira. Are all the people here your family?”

“Yes. They are my family and my kin.”

“…I see.”

Ian looked at them again, giving a gentle smile.

Even if she was a clever child, was she still just a child? Or were the Lusswennah mages united by a bond that Ian couldn’t comprehend? He wanted to find out if there were any with ulterior motives among them, but he didn’t have enough information since it was their first meeting. He had no choice but to check after some time.

Above all, King Eripohni was said to be arriving soon, so there would be a reaction in some way.

Thump! Thump!

Crash! Crack!

Zaira flinched, turning around at the sudden loud noise.

The heads of people were huddled together, visible through the small window of the inspection room. They were all wearing red headbands.

“Look, did the real Lusswennah mages come?”

“Yeah, they did. That kid looks familiar.”

“Damn it! Why now of all times? This is driving me crazy.”

“Instead of that, should we try to lure those kids over?”

“Would that work? Is this strike like going shopping? As soon as they apply for asylum? If they want to settle here, they need Ian’s help, so they’ll join the anti-Ian faction. How many are there? One, two, three…”

“We’re screwed. There are a lot.”

Did they think they couldn’t be seen? Zaira asked dryly, tilting her head.

“What are those idiots?”

“As you can see, they are Bariel mages.”

“Why are they wearing those things on their heads? Did they all break their foreheads?”

“They’re on strike to stop my resignation. Unbelievable.”

“Resignation? Ian?”

Zaira’s eyes widened. She had come to Bariel trusting only Ian, but resignation? At least until they had a stable life, he should stay in his position, shouldn’t he?

As the Lusswennah mages stirred, Ian raised his hand to calm them down.

“This is not something that will disadvantage you. Even if it’s not me, mages are always welcome in Bariel. It’s just a bad time right now, so there’s nothing to worry about. And Zaira.”

As the child looked up at Ian, Ian bent down and whispered softly.

“I have something to discuss with you. It’s about the Abyss.”