Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 450

“Your Highness, this is not something to be troubled about.”

The Prime Minister pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture of frustration. He was usually so clear-headed, but why did he only show his age at times like this?

Jin, with a hand on his forehead, listened to the officials’ clamorous remarks. Or perhaps, he wasn’t really listening. He might just be letting the sounds wash over him.

“I understand Your Highness’s concerns. It is true that Sir Ian is suspicious in many ways, but he is undoubtedly a precious talent for Bariel. If he is sent to Clifford, he will naturally enter the rift as desired, but then we would not know his return schedule, or even if he is alive, would we?”

“Why do you keep stopping him when he wants to go himself? It is true that he is a talent, but if a position is vacated, someone else will surely appear to fill it. Are there so few talents in the Magic Department? It was the same with former Minister Wesley. They said there would be no such great mage. But look. Sir Ian appeared, and now Bariel can once again embrace a new mage.”

“Putting everything else aside, the proposal put forward by Clifford is quite good. Isn’t this what we intended and assumed from the beginning? They are willing to hand over all the rights without any fuss, so there is no better foothold for checking the two countries.”

“Yes, I agree. Especially since Your Highness has ordered the deployment of troops to Burgos. Rather than having Burgos taken by a merchant like Rutherford, it is more beneficial for Bariel to absorb it. A suspicious character who makes things like Idgal [a type of magical artifact or phenomenon] is about to plant his flag in the neighboring country. We must stop this, mustn’t we?”

“I thought they would try to negotiate, but seeing that they are handing it over without a word, it seems that the situation in Clifford is worse than we thought.”

“Whether it is luck or not, hmm. It is quite a boon for us.”

“It is proof. Proof that the severity of the rift is continuously deepening. This will have a significant impact not only on Clifford but also on Bariel!”

Thump!

Jin, unable to bear the barrage of words piercing his ears, slammed his desk. He was always so gentle and mild, so this kind of passionate expression of emotion was a first.

The officials all stopped, startled with their mouths open, and some, rolling their eyes, backed out of the door they had entered through.

“I know well what everyone is arguing. I’ve heard it so much that my ears are ringing. But-”

“Your Highness.”

The Prime Minister knelt beside Jin. He would probably say the same thing he had said before, Jin thought, but then the Prime Minister’s unexpected words pierced the child’s heart deeply.

“If the interests are so clear, yet you are still troubled, it means that Sir Ian’s very existence is already a loss.”

“…Prime Minister.”

“The development of magic, the future of Bariel, and Gaia’s absolute hegemony, all are good. I know well the glorious world that Sir Ian will bring. But if he is disrupting Your Highness’s decision like this and hindering the progress of clear interests, then his existence alone is harmful to Bariel. It has been so for a long time.”

Ian, who was thought to be the one who would help Jin grow, had now become an obstacle to that growth. The imbalance created by the desire to cherish and keep him close.

Jin’s eyes widened in shock, as if a new world was shattering. He realized why Ian had kept trying to leave despite his objections.

“The sole Crown Prince of Bariel is weighing the future of the empire’s people against the future of a single mage. Your Highness, this is not right.”

No matter how valuable Ian was, even if he was worth thousands of gold, if he was clouding Jin’s judgment, he was evil. The Prime Minister made that decision and prostrated himself on the floor. He was not one to bow his head to anyone except the Emperor, which meant that he thought of Jin as the Emperor and that this was a life-risking admonition.

“Your Highness, if I cannot rectify the negotiations, I have no reason to be in this position. Nor can I be. As one who receives a stipend, if I have not properly fulfilled my role, how can I remain in the palace?”

“Prime Minister!”

“Make a decision. This is my last counsel.”

As the Prime Minister said this, dozens of officials who followed him also pressed their foreheads to the floor. Only a few opposing officials stood awkwardly.

Jin looked at Siao Shi, who shook his head as if there was nothing he could do.

“…I understand.”

Finally, permission fell from Jin’s lips. To receive all the rights from Clifford and to provide all the necessary support for reconstruction without reservation.

Now that it had come to this, there was really only one thing left for Jin to do.

“Instead, I will add a clause to the Burgos agreement.”

“What kind of clause are you referring to?”

“To include magic stones in the compensation for damages. The types of magic stones will be determined with advice from the Magic Department, and I will not listen to any opinions regarding this. Magic stones are under the jurisdiction of the Magic Department.”

The Prime Minister looked at Jin, puzzled for a moment, but soon realized there was no problem and nodded. It was not about cutting other parts but about receiving additional magic stones, so there was no need to coordinate with other departments. Above all, this was an unconditional gain for Bariel, so there was no reason to object.

“Yes, I will do so, Your Highness.”

“Convey this to Sir Ian.”

“I am truly grateful for your wise decision.”

“…It is not something for you to be grateful for.”

Each had done their part. It was a natural thing, so gratitude was an unnecessary emotion. The Prime Minister signaled the officials to move quickly with a look.

Tap tap!

Thump! Bang! Creak!

At that moment, hurried footsteps were heard from outside.

The Prime Minister looked up in surprise, and the attendants were panting, drenched in cold sweat. And the blood on their hands.

Realizing at once that something unusual had happened, Siao Shi grabbed the hilt of his sword. The Prime Minister and other officials did the same.

“Wh, what is all this commotion?”

“B, big trouble, big trouble! Sir Ian…!”

“Why, what about Sir Ian? Could it be!?”

“Surely not?”

Could Ian have started a rebellion? The faces of some officials turned pale, and fear flashed across their faces. It was a reaction that could be seen because they had just been adding all sorts of speculations about his birth and purpose.

The attendant frowned as if to say not to talk nonsense, and kept panting.

“Sir Ian collapsed, coughing up blood.”

“Suddenly? What was the cause?”

“I don’t know. The doctors have all rushed to him, but they say he, he is not breathing…”

Thump!

Jin was so shocked that he jumped up from his seat without a word. How could someone who was fine just a moment ago in the conference hall collapse while coughing up blood? And not breathing? Jin’s hands trembled as he approached the attendant.

“Wh, what happened? Was it due to the aftereffects of the war? No, not breathing. I don’t think that has ever happened before.”

It seemed he did not realize what it meant to not breathe. It was not a symptom like dizziness, chills, or bleeding—

‘Death.’

It meant death itself.

Tap tap!

Swoosh!

“Your Highness!”

The attendant prostrated himself without saying anything, and Jin immediately stepped past him. He ran down the hallway with all his might. The officials and attendants shouted in surprise, and Siao Shi quickly followed the child.

When was the last time he had run like this? It was probably a moment that would be strongly etched in Jin’s memory. A long hallway with no end in sight. Jin ran, chasing only the commotion, without even looking to see who was standing there.

And at the end of it, there was Ian.

“Sir Ian! Please, come to your senses!”

“Y, you bastards! What did you do!?”

“Wait, please step aside. I’m a doctor! I’m a doctor!”

“We must arrest all the Luswenans and Burgosians in the palace! He became like this after drinking tea with them!”

“Where are the healing mages?”

“That is, their magic is unstable due to the Idgal they experienced in the war.”

“Everyone gather here! Put all your magic into Sir Ian!”

“We are innocent! We did offer him tea, but it was the Magic Department that brought it. And Sir Ian came on his own! Our king could have been harmed as well!”

“Shut up! How dare you speak so carelessly?”

“Carelessly? Ha! Look at this!”

It was no different from a marketplace. The mages were all huddled together, shouting something busily, and the Bariel guards, Luswena, and Burgos were all claiming their innocence at the same time.

In the midst of all that, a bright light was seeping out from the mages. Magic was gathering and seeping into Ian. As Jin approached, the guards parted to the sides, clearing a path.

“Y, Your Highness.”

“It is Crown Prince Jin! Clear the way!”

“Your Highness, you must not look. It would be best if you stepped back…!”

“Get out of the way!”

A guard, worried about the child, was blocking Jin’s view. He was startled by the thunderous command and stepped back.

As Jin got closer, he could clearly see Ian’s form sprawled on the floor.

“…Sir Ian?”

His hair was limp and lifeless. And his white shirt was stained with blood. The luminous green eyes were nowhere to be seen, and his always straight back was bent like a bow.

Jin carefully reached out and took Ian’s hand.

“……!”

His skin was surprisingly cold. It was so cold and stiff that it was impossible to imagine it was a human hand.

Only then did Jin seem to realize what it meant to not breathe. He looked around with a bewildered, empty, and fearful gaze, not knowing what to do.

“Wh, what are you doing? Hurry… keep putting in magic.”

“Um, Your Highness Jin.”

“What are you doing!”

Jin grabbed the mage’s arm roughly and shook it, and the one who was grabbed stopped, startled.

At that moment, one person came into Jin’s sight. It was Eriphony, standing in the distance, covering her face with a fan. And next to her was Bania, the envoy from Burgos.

The two women were whispering something amidst the commotion, and it could not have looked more suspicious.

“Eriphony!”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Startled, Eriphony frowned and glanced at Jin. Jin strode towards her. Because of the large difference in physique, there was no sense of intimidation for Eriphony.

“Sir Ian became like that after drinking tea with you?”

“I was so flustered that I didn’t know what to do. He drank the tea that the Magic Department brought, and then he collapsed like that. I suspect there was something wrong with the tea. There could have been a misunderstanding between countries.”

It was implied that it would have been a disaster if Eriphony herself had drunk it. That is, she was claiming that Luswena was not involved in this incident, but to Jin, her nonchalant expression and attitude seemed very suspicious.

And above all, why was there a need to determine who was at fault when Ian was like this? Everyone who was there was at fault. The sin of causing Ian’s death. The sin of not dying in Ian’s place.

So the Crown Prince decided to hold them accountable.

To hold them accountable for the great sin they had dared to commit with such brazen faces.

“…Kneel.”

“Yes?”

“I said, kneel.”

Jin looked up at Eriphony and commanded, and the king’s mouth twisted into an ugly shape. Even if he was the Crown Prince of Bariel, how could he order her to kneel in front of everyone? Even if the political situation was unfavorable, she was the queen of a country. There was no justification, no evidence to do this!

Eldert, sensing the king’s intention, approached to protest, but was blocked by Siao Shi’s sword.

“Ha!”

What was this all about! Eriphony showed a blatant sign of indignation, but Jin only muttered quietly.

“…If you do not kneel now, I will cut off your legs below the knees.”

Everyone could instinctively tell.

That this was the last warning given in words.