Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 448

The Invisible Leash (1)

Ian and Jin paused for a moment.

The curse that had settled in the Clifford Royal Family must have been referring to lycanthropy [the ability to transform into a wolf or other animal]. But wasn’t that something that had been passed down even before the rift? Something that had been with the royal family since its very beginning?

“If you speak of a curse, what exactly are you referring to, King of Clifford?”

“Is it even permissible for someone with a curse to enter the Imperial Palace? What if it spreads to the Imperial Family?”

“It must not be contagious. Didn’t you say the curse is confined to the royal family? Don’t worry.”

“How can you be so sure? How long has it been since the rift opened? Honestly, this is quite a ruckus for the first day of the conference. Burgos is acting like Burgos, and Clifford is acting like Clifford! Isn’t this completely disregarding Bariel? This isn’t a marketplace for haggling; why is there so much noise?”

“Hush, lower your voice. His Highness is present.”

“It’s because I’m frustrated! Frustrated! Sigh!”

“King of Clifford, please answer the question. What kind of curse are you talking about? Surely, it’s not something that could harm the Imperial Family? That would be problematic.”

The tone was polite, but it implied that the forces going to Burgos could be halved.

The King of Clifford rose from his seat as if asking for permission to speak, and then opened his heavy mouth.

“I report to Your Highness. While there may be no problem for the Imperial Family, it is a significant issue for Clifford. Even with everyone working together, time is still insufficient, yet a disaster has befallen the royal family, which should be the core. How can we not lament this?”

“State specifically what it is.”

“I have many children. All of them are legitimate children born to the Queen, and the youngest has just begun to toddle. After the rift opened, everyone in the royal palace abandoned the place they had called home for countless years. And then, a problem arose.”

Jin crossed his arms and watched the King of Clifford with interest. He had a look that suggested he had a rough idea of what the man was about to say.

Berik, who had been listening quietly, was the same. At first, he wondered what the fuss was about, but after pondering for a while, he found the answer. Ah! Ear fluff, tail fluff?

“It’s lycanthropy.”

“Lycanthropy? The lycanthropy we know?”

“Did I hear correctly? That thing that turns people into beasts? The Clifford Royal Family?”

“No, to be precise, it has only manifested in the youngest child. It is a being that struggles to survive, so we protected it as much as possible, but it could not withstand the weight of fate.”

The curse of lycanthropy had settled on the youngest child of the Clifford Royal Family!

At this, Jin and Ian briefly exchanged glances. In fact, it was a curse that affected the entire royal family, but they had kept it hidden and only revealed a part of it.

‘Is it difficult to control the curse outside the palace? They’re using the youngest, who has no public recognition, as a sacrifice to draw a picture in advance.’

Even if the royal family’s curse is revealed to the public, it can be blamed on the rift, and further, on Burgos. Strong hatred would be more helpful in rebuilding the country and uniting it firmly, so they are releasing a matter that will eventually be exposed in advance, adjusting it to their advantage.

And-

“Therefore, I request that Minister Ian be dispatched to the Clifford investigation team. The Minister of Magic is the best magician in the Empire, so there will be no problem in unraveling the clues to the curse.”

Their real intention was to officially invite Ian to Clifford.

They had revealed a part of the curse of lycanthropy in such a public setting. This meant that the royal family acknowledged that it was a problem they could not solve alone and that it was a very important issue. It was worth having the Minister of Magic visit and confirm the curse.

And above all, this was a strategy of giving up flesh to take bone. If the rift was not resolved, the royal family would eventually be destroyed anyway. It was a strong determination to include Ian in the investigation team, even if it meant sacrificing the youngest child.

“How is a curse related to magic?”

“Well, it’s a curse ’caused by the rift,’ so it’s a curse caused by magical power. I hope that the Minister of Magic will surely be able to solve it.”

“King of Clifford, now-”

“I apologize, Your Highness. Clifford is currently in a situation where it cannot respond to every single help from Bariel. However, if you allow the investigation by the magicians, including Ian, and support for reconstruction, I will hand over all rights to the compensation for damages that Clifford will receive from Burgos and Luswena to Bariel.”

The King of Clifford interrupted Jin’s words impudently. He was able to do this because he had already anticipated how Bariel would react. Bariel’s intention to absorb Clifford’s authority and dominate Luswena and Burgos.

The Bariel officials covered their mouths with documents and exchanged opinions among themselves.

“The King of Clifford mentioned it first. This is going more smoothly than expected.”

“Support for reconstruction means they want the payment in advance, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Although the Ministry of Magic is involved, this is something we expected anyway.”

“It’s not bad for them, and it’s not bad for us either. Since Bariel has decided to consolidate authority, Clifford wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it. There’s no need to waste time; it’s better to make a decision right away. Now is the right time, with the leaders of Luswena and Burgos gathered. And what was that thing again?”

“Rutherford.”

“Yes, yes. Rutherford. I don’t know what it is, but it’s right to settle things to some extent before that merchant gets involved.”

“Rutherford and Ian seem to be closely related. Will it be possible to settle things?”

“The more that’s the case, the more we need to settle it. If Ian follows someone involved in the rebellion, we can’t let him stay in the Imperial Palace.”

“Is Ian following that person, or is that person following Ian…?”

“Logically, does it make sense that the master of the Minister of Magic of the great Bariel Empire is a mere merchant? I don’t think so. It’s natural to think that Rutherford is Ian’s subordinate.”

“Wait a minute. Let’s be careful with our words. You know what that means, right?”

Rebellion, war, and the survival of the Ministry of Magic. It meant that Ian had intervened and led in all crises. The official who had made the slip-up quickly realized his mistake and tapped his mouth.

“Your Highness.”

The Prime Minister, who had been gathering the opinions of the officials, bowed to Jin.

No matter how he thought about it, Ian’s trip to Clifford was for the good of everyone. He himself wanted to go, and in the meantime, Clifford was willing to show sincerity to Bariel, and above all, it was a good opportunity for His Highness Jin. An opportunity to step away from Ian and check the situation. To see if Ian was truly related to the Imperial Family. And what was the relationship with Rutherford, and so on.

It was a bit concerning that all the statements came from Burgos, but as the sole Crown Prince of Bariel, it was right to step on the side that was making noise. If Jin faltered, the legitimacy of the Bariel Imperial Family would falter.

“It would be best to accept the King of Clifford’s proposal first. For the sake of Bariel. It’s just a matter of specifying in writing that Ian will go to Clifford and then return. The people of the Ministry of Magic also made a fuss with strikes and whatnot, but look. Nothing has changed, has it?”

While the Prime Minister was persuading Jin, Luswena was also busy. If the right to claim war reparations was transferred to Bariel, it would be even more difficult to find common ground.

There was a big difference between being urged by a collapsing Clifford and being urged by Bariel, the center of Gaia.

“Clifford and Bariel are trying to exchange the right to claim compensation. Is there no way for us? Eldert.”

“Since the conversation started with the lycanthropy curse, we could mitigate it to some extent if we offered to support it. But…”

But as you know, all the magicians of Luswena had caused a rebellion and fled to Bariel.

Eriphony, feeling helpless, saw a familiar face through the door. It was Zaira, who had come to see how the negotiations were going and what the royal palace people, who had once ruled her country, were up to.

When her eyes met Eriphony’s, the child very slowly raised her middle finger.

“You-!”

It was the first time in her life. To be insulted so vulgarly and blatantly. Eriphony jumped up from her seat, drawing the attention of everyone in the conference room. Zaira straightened her posture as if nothing had happened, her eyes only shining brightly.

“Queen Eriphony of Luswena. Is there a problem?”

“…No, there isn’t.”

Bariel and Clifford were in the middle of making an important decision and were too preoccupied. So, as if to refuse any unnecessary commotion, the Prime Minister frowned and warned her.

“Eldert.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Eriphony suppressed her surging anger with a sigh. And then, with her eyes, she pointed to the Burgos side to Eldert.

Burgos and Luswena. Both countries would be in trouble if the right to claim compensation was transferred to Bariel. In particular, Burgos would be subjected to even more severe military and economic sanctions and pressure, using Rutherford as an excuse.

“Burgos is trying to avoid the execution of King Damon, but in my opinion, that’s impossible. If the king dies, there will be a vacuum. It’s the perfect time for Bariel to swallow Burgos.”

“I agree, Your Highness.”

“Those delegates also know that their countries are in a desperate crisis right now.”

Eldert understood what Eriphony meant. There was no force as suitable as Burgos to kill Jin and Ian. If they didn’t kill them, Burgos would be wiped off the map, so they had enough justification to risk their lives to carry out the assassination.

“They may have already decided to do so.”

Then Luswena had no choice but to give them a little help.

Eldert, who had understood Eriphony’s intention, signaled to the delegates behind him. The movements of the king and the aides were all in everyone’s sight, but the delegates behind them were relatively free because they were so busy moving around.

Swoosh.

One of the Luswena delegates moved secretly and approached the Burgos side.

“Excuse me.”

“……”

“If the right to claim compensation is transferred to Bariel, both you and we will be in trouble. Do you have any ideas?”

“……”

The Luswena delegate whispered again.

“I think it would be good to request a temporary recess and have your representative and Her Highness Eriphony meet to find a breakthrough. There were some hiccups in the war, but we were allies anyway. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Let’s just stop the right to claim compensation from being transferred.”

“I will pass it on, but don’t expect anything.”

“Don’t expect anything?”

The Burgos delegate muttered as if using ventriloquism, barely moving his lips.

“We came to postpone King Damon’s execution, not to save Burgos. There’s no hope.”

What the…….

The Luswena delegate frowned, trying to understand his intention, but the Burgos delegate turned his back, blocking him.

The delegate who had finished delivering the message returned to his place and reported it, and Eldert conveyed it to the queen. Eriphony, who had heard this, held her temples as if she had a headache and raised her hand.

Swoosh.

“Queen of Luswena. Is something the matter?”

“…Since the coordination of opinions between Bariel and Clifford is taking a long time, Luswena would like to take a temporary recess to review the documents. Please allow it. If the right to claim compensation is transferred, our position will also change.”

“The absolute value of your compensation for the war is fixed. But I accept your opinion. We will take a temporary recess. We will resume in thirty minutes.”

Thump! Thump!

The Prime Minister struck the gavel, then knelt next to Jin and pleaded earnestly, and the officials were entangled, exchanging documents.

Eriphony rose from her seat. Ian stood still in the middle of the conference room, watching her. And then, he looked at Zaira and nodded.

‘…They’re moving. Prepare.’