Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 447

“How dare you.”

The one who broke the silence was Jin, muttering under his breath. The child clenched a handful of documents, taking a breath as if to control his anger.

Siaoshi, noticing the unusual change in his lord, tried to approach, but Jin firmly refused with a shake of his chin.

“Minister Ian Hielo is one who works for Bariel in the Bariel Imperial Palace. Since he receives a stipend, his master is Bariel, and thus the Imperial Family. How dare you try to insult him by mentioning a mere merchant? Is this the choice of Burgos?”

As long as Ian held the ministerial position, his master was the Imperial Family. To be precise, within the Imperial Family, Jin Verosian could be considered his master. Yet, in front of the Crown Prince, not only did she call Rutherford his master, but she also uttered nonsense about serving him.

Jin unknowingly clenched his teeth and rose from his seat. A hot rage flickered in his clear blue eyes. He was already troubled by Ian’s constant attempts to leave the Imperial Palace, and Burgos’s remarks had crossed the line.

“Representative Bania, I ask you one last time. Is that the choice of Burgos?”

“…Your Highness Crown Prince Jin. I used the Truth Serum as requested by the Imperial Palace. You agreed not to ask anything other than confirmation of my identity, did you not?”

Was the promise of the Great Bariel Empire so light? Bania raised her hand to express her injustice, and the Burgos delegation behind her simultaneously performed the imperial etiquette to appease Jin’s anger.

It was Ian who added to the words.

“Your Highness, I beg your pardon, but I implore you. Please do not dwell on the right and wrong of her words, and show leniency.”

“Sir Ian! Did you not hear properly? Did she not say that Rutherford is your master?”

“That is the truth in her universe. The Truth Serum does not reveal the truth, but rather allows one to look into their own inner self.”

A subtle denial. Ian was telling Jin that it was merely Bania’s one-sided claim.

It was true that Ian was involved in the production of Idgal, and it was also true that he had made a contract back then. But the important thing was that what existed in this world now was not the illegitimate child Ian, but Emperor Ian.

Please, just calm down a little. Ian nodded slightly, telling the child to calm down, and turned to Bania.

‘She seems to know that she is subordinate. I don’t know if it’s a weapon that Rutherford told her to use to shake the Imperial Palace, or if it’s something that everyone in Rutherford’s group knows. But she seems to know the contract in detail. If I play my cards right, I might be able to get some information.’

“Representative Bania.”

“Yes, Minister Ian Hielo.”

“The fact that you say you are Rutherford’s person implies that the representative is in Rutherford’s grasp. That is, it suggests that the majority of Burgos’s ruling class is connected to Rutherford. Do you acknowledge this?”

“……”

Since she had no obligation to answer, Bania chose to remain silent. Ian, as if welcoming it, approached her.

“And according to the representative’s line, it can be inferred that King Damon, whose life hangs by a thread, is also in Rutherford’s grasp.”

“Burgos is in crisis due to the war. It is inevitable that large and small forces that used to trade with the country would focus their attention. Lord Rutherford is just one of them.”

“The nuance is strange. Anyone would think you are the victims.”

“Indeed. Please correct that, that statement is very unpleasant from the Clifford perspective!”

The Clifford delegation, who had been listening quietly, protested strongly upon hearing Bania’s words. The Prime Minister raised his staff, signaling them to please remain silent, and they had no choice but to bite their lips.

“Anyway, it means you acknowledge that Rutherford is involved in Burgos now. Representative Bania, that is how I interpret it.”

Instead of answering, Bania glanced at Ian and Crown Prince Jin. The Imperial Family’s reaction was more composed than she had expected. No one except Jin showed a strong reaction to the fact that Rutherford was their master. Did the people of the Imperial Palace already know about this?

King Clifford and Eriphony, who were watching the situation with bated breath like Bania, inwardly exclaimed and soon realized.

‘The Imperial Palace knows that Rutherford is connected to Sir Ian. Currently, Rutherford’s largest area of activity is the production and distribution of Idgal [a magical substance].’

Now it made some sense. Why Ian wanted to step down from his position as Minister of Magic. It was absurd that the head of the magicians, of all people, was related to something that could be a problem for the safety of the magicians.

“Sir Ian is related to Idgal.”

King Clifford and Eriphony whispered at the same time, and the two delegations quietly murmured again. The Magic Department hadn’t just gone on strike for no reason, hanging red cloths. If Ian was really related to Idgal, and furthermore to Rutherford, it was grounds for immediate dismissal.

“Wasn’t it said that Idgal was used in the civil war? That’s what I heard.”

“I know that too. Then, did Sir Ian make Idgal? Why? Especially when he’s getting rid of the existing magic sealing stones.”

“Anyway, the Imperial Family seems to know everything.”

“They know, but they oppose his resignation. And Sir Ian, the person in question, is trying to step down. Hmm.”

“That means the Crown Prince is confident. He has seized power, so he thinks he can control Sir Ian under him.”

The delegations’ speculations sprang up from all over. Most of them were reasonable, and a significant portion was accurate. They couldn’t even imagine the connection with the Imperial Family that Damon had revealed.

“Your Highness.”

When Bania did not answer, Ian turned his back decisively. And he smiled first, signaling to the child that he could relax his expression.

What Rutherford wanted was to keep Damon alive as long as possible until he arrived. And to remind Ian, who was in the Imperial Palace, of their contract by letting him know that he was returning.

“If Rutherford is involved in the consolidation of Burgos’s power, Bariel must officially restrain it.”

“On what grounds?”

Jin asked, narrowing his eyes.

Of course, it would be good to do so, but grounds were needed to mobilize the army. Even if they were to start another war after just finishing one, there had to be clear grounds that the people of the empire could accept.

Moreover, this was related to the morale of those who had just returned, so Jin lightly pressed his temple as if he was troubled.

“Wasn’t the distribution of Idgal in the Clifford-Burgos war something that Bariel couldn’t actually control?”

It was true that Bariel would be burdened if Clifford was captured. But before that, how could Bariel know and intervene in the numerous transactions that took place during the war? In times of war, countless things, including supplies, moved explosively in all directions.

Moreover, Rutherford was not a merchant group belonging to Bariel, and Clifford and Burgos had no obligation to inform Bariel of the distribution of Idgal.

It would be a problem if they were caught, but if they weren’t, they would gain the power to confront the magicians, so there was no reason not to do it.

‘Luswena.’

Luswena, who succeeded in receiving the supply.

‘Clifford.’

And Clifford, who failed and joined hands with Bariel.

Every time Jin’s gaze reached the kings, the two kings bowed their heads. No one knew how much weight those bowed heads carried.

“Why would there be no grounds, Your Highness? The wound you bear is the grounds.”

At that moment, Ian’s voice awakened Jin’s focus.

Following his words, the child touched the tip of his chin. The edge of the deep wound was clear.

“Civil war?”

“Yes. Someone mentioned it earlier. It is known throughout Gaia that Idgal was used in the civil war in the Bariel Imperial Palace. Even if they are merchants chasing capital, supplying Idgal to the rebellion in the Imperial Palace is a direct challenge to the legitimacy of Bariel.”

“I know that. And so…”

And so, didn’t the Magic Department analyze Idgal and track down Rutherford’s whereabouts? Jin wondered for a moment why he was bringing it up again.

But only for a moment.

“-And so, it’s a problem.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The child grasped what Ian intended.

He had forgotten. Rutherford was not just someone who harmed the safety of magicians, but someone who had held a knife to Bariel.

In other words, if a group that opposed the empire was taking over Burgos, it was something that Bariel could not tolerate. Officially.

“Since someone who follows Rutherford has come to Bariel as a representative, I understand without further explanation about the situation in Burgos. It is a border region, and Burgos is the main culprit of the war. If someone who participated in the Bariel civil war seizes power there, it is unacceptable.”

Jin waved his hand, indicating that there was nothing more to say.

“I will deploy soldiers to the border area. This is Bariel’s defense posture, separate from the Clifford-Burgos ceasefire agreement. Does anyone object?”

Jin looked around at the officials. They stood firmly and showed their support for the Crown Prince’s will, and Ian also placed his hand on his chest, silently praising it as a wise measure.

“Then, let’s get back to the main point in connection with this. Burgos must immediately disarm the soldiers owned by the royal palace and offer the seals of the central nobles to Bariel. If anyone resists, it will be interpreted as collusion with Rutherford. The kingdom’s treasury must be opened to pay war reparations. Quintana.”

“Yes, Your Highness. This is the estimated amount of damage to Bariel due to the war. It was submitted by Clifford, and it is judged that there are no particular issues.”

Sarak.

Quintana briefly stood up and recited the report. Compared to other wars, the period was quite short and the damage was also small, but the moment Clifford’s ‘rift incident’ was included, the numbers exploded exponentially.

“…Is this, am I seeing this wrong?”

Eriphony, who received the documents, frowned. How many digits were there, really?

Elderth shook his head briefly. It was a level that Luswena’s national treasury could not handle at all. At this rate, negotiations had to be a necessity, not an option. They had no choice but to go through the negotiation stage and somehow lower the price.

The moment Eriphony was about to stand up to protest, the Magic Department began distributing documents as if they had been waiting. Ian slowly came forward, passing by Luswena and Burgos.

“What we are distributing now is the Magic Department’s estimated process for repairing the rifts. As you can see, a significant portion of the underlying data is from the past. Therefore, in order to make a more accurate estimate, a survey schedule is absolutely necessary…”

The magicians glared and grabbed the red bands around their necks. Crown Prince Jin also frowned as if he didn’t like it, and Ian stepped back.

“There are many difficulties in narrowing the differences. Therefore, it would be good for each country to dispatch magicians. Burgos and Luswena. How many magicians are currently affiliated with each royal palace?”

Eriphony bit her lip. Even though they knew that the magicians had caused a major rebellion, they were asking again in such an official setting. It was a clear provocation and insult.

While Eriphony was thinking of an excuse, King Clifford unexpectedly moved.

“Minister Ian.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“There is some damage that has been omitted.”

“What exactly do you mean? Is it material damage, or-”

“It is something that far exceeds material value. The trust and faith of the royal palace.”

Ian smiled slightly and frowned.

On the other hand, May, who was next to him, was clearly nervous, because she knew that a bombshell was about to drop from the king’s mouth.

“Due to this rift, a curse-like thing has settled in the royal family. Clifford also wants to be compensated for this.”