Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 467

Bariel had not been without its crises. Throughout thousands of years, there had always been major and minor adversities, and those who had learned from history knew well that this moment could also be etched into the annals at any time.

But that was the problem. An unprecedented invasion of the Imperial Palace by outsiders. The issue of the Magic Department Minister’s qualifications and sudden absence, which had occurred twice in a row.

In the path of history that Bariel was to follow, they felt they were at a crossroads. Depending on their future statements and choices, Bariel’s future would change. Furthermore, even the fate of Gaia.

Creak.

As the door to the conference room opened, the gazes of the officials turned simultaneously. Jin had just sprung up from his chair. It was ironic that he had entered the conference room and read only the damage reports without saying a single word.

“Your Highness. A messenger bird from Clifford.”

“What does it say?”

“Yes. That is…”

The attendant placed the note on a golden tray, glancing at the King and Prince of Clifford seated on one side. He could not gauge whether the message brought by the messenger bird was good news for them or not. Of course, the same was true for Bariel.

“They say a black moon appeared over Prodhora, the capital of Clifford, and then quickly disappeared.”

“Oh my, heavens! It seems Sir Ian really did go into the rift. They say there’s an abyss below the rift?”

“Oh dear, really. Sir Ian is so reckless.”

“What will happen now?”

“Isn’t this why we’ve gathered to discuss it? Be quiet!”

The coordinates of the black moon were revealed to be near the rift in Clifford. This meant that Ian’s statement that he would go to the abyss had come to pass. At the same time, it also meant that he was no longer anywhere on the Gaia continent.

Squeak.

Jin crumpled the note with all his might and lowered his head. Hadn’t he seen it with his own eyes? Ian sinking into the black moon. It felt as if a reality he didn’t want to accept was engulfing him. This moment, where he was being pushed and told to endure, was too chaotic.

The attendant carefully added, observing the Prince’s complexion.

“Currently, the Clifford Royal Palace guards are searching the vicinity for traces, but as you know, due to the rift, lower-level monsters are being generated, and the center of the Royal Palace is completely inaccessible, so it is said that it will be difficult.”

“Does that mean we need a mage to help with the investigation?”

“If Bariel wishes-”

The King of Clifford, who had been sitting quietly, answered instead.

The capital was already a mess due to the war and the rift. Wasn’t the purpose of coming to Bariel to receive support from mages to organize and manage this? Ian, who was the strongest and wanted to go into the rift himself, was the most suitable, but now that things had turned out this way, receiving any mage was a priority.

“We will do our best to help from Clifford, whatever it may be.”

“Your Highness, that is not acceptable!”

At the King’s statement, an official stood up abruptly, waving his hand.

“Rutherford’s invasion implies many things, including the fact that the security of the Imperial Palace is not perfect. We cannot send even a single mage out.”

“That’s right. And in fact, although it is said that Sir Ian went into the rift with Rutherford, no one witnessed it, did they? Just because a black moon appeared in Clifford, we cannot confirm Rutherford’s death. We must be cautious.”

They assumed that going to the abyss meant death, but at the same time, they were not certain. Contradictory words that both offended and comforted Jin. The child’s expression became strange.

“I am in favor of dispatching. I know that Sir Ian is a great mage, but according to the testimony, wasn’t he struggling greatly against Rutherford? The opponent is someone above Sir Ian. If, by chance, he survived, we need to ascertain that for sure.”

“Yes. He is a very wicked and audacious fellow, so you never know!”

“He is the one who dared to invade the Imperial Palace. It is right to form an investigation team to prevent future troubles.”

“I agree with that opinion as well. It is appropriate to investigate.”

Jin waved his hand, as if there was nothing to think about. It was about finding the possibility that Ian was alive. If there was even a little hope, there was no reason not to do it.

“We will dispatch a mage. Hale.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What is the current situation in the Magic Department?”

Hale wiped his mouth and remained silent for a moment. The bloodstains still vivid on his sleeve seemed to answer instead. With the support of the Imperial Palace Guard, the battle was easily concluded, but the end was truly regrettable.

“The invaders who targeted the Magic Department self-destructed, and more than half of the main building was destroyed. The restoration is urgent.”

“What about King Damon? Is there no problem?”

“Yes. He is safe. However, one mage in the captain position was seriously injured, and two were slightly injured. Nearly half of the other mages are recovering from moderate to severe injuries.”

“Are there no healing mages?”

“They have not been able to recover their magic power since the war and have reached their limit. We are considering using magic power amplifiers, but as Captain Acorella, who is in charge of that, said, it is not easy due to the severity of the injuries.”

“I heard that mages can share their power with each other?”

At the words of one official, Hale sighed. He had thought that he didn’t get along with the higher-ups, but when he actually clashed with them, it was beyond his imagination. The urge to grab them by the collar and yell at them surged to the top of his head.

“Can you draw all your blood at once?”

“Wh, what?”

“All the mages are already sharing their power to the fullest. If we go beyond that, all the mages in the Magic Department will be bedridden. If that happens, you might have to come here yourself to receive the reports.”

“Y, you there! Captain Hale!”

“Quiet.”

When the enraged official jumped up from his seat, Jin waved his hand, urging him to restrain himself. It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t appropriate either.

“Captain Hale. You must maintain your decorum.”

“I apologize. Anyway, as a result, the Magic Department is practically incapacitated. More than anything-”

Hale cleared his throat heavily and mentioned Ian.

“The morale is at rock bottom due to Sir Ian’s situation. A considerable number of mages have said they will resign.”

“Resign? At a time like this, what!”

“They are citizens of Bariel, not slaves. They have the freedom to go wherever they want and do whatever they want.”

“No, still… shouldn’t we stop them?”

“Who?”

Who? Who on earth would stop them? Ian, the head of the Magic Department, was gone.

The officials opened their mouths and pointed fingers at Captain Hale.

“You!”

“I may be called captain, but I do not have the authority to do that.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to take the position of Minister first?”

“…I refuse.”

“What?”

Unlike the officials who were shocked, Jin only slightly shifted his gaze from the note. Hale’s gaze, staring into the void, was unwavering.

“I have been saying this to Sir Ian as well. I will not take the position of Minister of the Magic Department. Acorella will be in the same position as me, but just in case, I will ask again when she wakes up.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll leave the position of Minister of the Magic Department vacant?”

“That’s absurd! We can’t do that!”

“Even if we can’t, there’s no other way.”

Unlike other departments, the Minister of the Magic Department was selected through an internal review, acknowledging its unique nature. Just like Ian had been.

Jin shook his head, as if he would not discuss it.

“Enough. The selection of the Minister of the Magic Department is an internal matter of the Magic Department, so we will not discuss it here.”

“Your Highness.”

“What is more important now is the recovery of the Imperial Palace and making those who challenged Bariel’s authority pay the price. Am I wrong?”

Even if there was no Minister of the Magic Department, the mages belonged to the Imperial Palace. There was no problem in proceeding with the work. Besides, even if they re-elected a Minister, would there really be anyone who could fill Ian’s void?

Jin frowned, feeling the scar across his face throb.

“Your Highness. I heard that Lady Melania of the former Hyman family was also with Rutherford. Is that true?”

“Yes. But we could not confirm what their relationship was, and decisively, she was not involved in the battle or moving the treasures. According to Captain Acorella—”

It seemed like she was caught up in it, but it was not a matter that Jin could speak about in an official setting. Jin lightly tapped the report and said.

“…We will issue a wanted notice for the lost Imperial Palace treasures throughout Gaia. Those who bring them back completely will receive appropriate compensation, and those who hold them out of greed will be severely punished.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It is highly likely that they have flowed into Vergos. It is thought to be an act to fund them, so we will investigate thoroughly.”

“Then, what about the disposition of King Damon…?”

“King Damon—”

‘He is living a second life.’

Ian had told him Damon’s secret. The fact that he did not show regret or self-blame as a monarch despite losing the war meant that he was surely looking forward to his next life. He had lived twice, so why couldn’t he live three times?

“Imprison him in the tower, but manage him thoroughly so that he cannot kill himself. Thus, we will leave a justification for the royalists in Vergos. We will actively support them so that they can oppose the Rutherford faction, and it will be easier to recover the treasures through them as well.”

The officials exchanged glances. That meant that they would cause a civil war in Vergos, divide the kingdom itself, and strengthen Bariel’s control.

“What will you do about the Luswena side?”

“King Eriphony is dead, and due to Rutherford’s intrusion, all our attention has been shifted to Vergos. They will wage their own civil war without provoking Bariel, so we will observe but not take any special measures.”

The King of Clifford hesitated, but that was all. The rights to the war damage compensation they would receive had already been transferred to Bariel. They had received a mage, so they had no choice but to be satisfied with that.

“Is there any other opinion to share?”

“……”

The most important thing remained.

“…Um, Your Highness.”

“Shh! Shh shh!”

It was about the conclusion regarding Ian.

As someone tried to bring up the matter, the officials sitting on the left and right grabbed their arms and shushed them. It was right to question the crime regarding the creation of Idgal [a magical construct], but if they brought up that topic here, they didn’t know how far Jin’s anger would rise.

Besides, wasn’t he already dead? Even if they cut off the honor of the dead, what immediate benefit would there be?

“Is there any opinion?”

“…No. We will continue to report on any issues that arise in the future and hold meetings.”

“Alright. Everyone, move. The night is short.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Creak.

Jin said that and slowly left his seat.

Siaoshi and Commander Jayrut followed behind him. It wasn’t the direction of the bedroom, but the opposite, yet the two walked in silence. They knew where Jin was going.

Tap.

“…Are you still doing this.”

“Have you come, Your Highness.”

“Berik. Get up.”

That place where Ian had disappeared. That place where the black moon had descended and disappeared. Berik was still sitting there blankly, with bloodstains still scattered about. As if he couldn’t believe it, he was just looking up at the white moon rising outside the window.

Romandro, unable to leave Berik alone, was sitting next to him, having been with him for hours.

“Get up, Berik.”

“……”

“There’s a lot to do.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

His master was gone, so what was he supposed to do?

“…Damn it. I told him to take me with him. Seriously. He doesn’t listen and just does what he wants. When I see him like this, he really is a Derga [a derogatory term for a stubborn person] bastard.”

“Berik. Look at me.”

Jin squatted down in front of Berik and looked into his faded eyes. And carefully, but firmly, he held his hand.

“Sir Ian will return.”

They hadn’t said goodbye, but they had made a promise.

“Even if he goes to the abyss, he said he would return someday. He told me directly. He said that if we built the annex, he could come even sooner.”

“…Really?”

“Really. I swear on everything I have.”

So, don’t stay here like this, and do your work. As Jin comforted him, Berik rubbed his eyes with all his might and shouted.

“Kill him! That Ian Hielo, damn it!”

The echo of his shout into the void reverberated to the garden outside the building. Once, twice, three times. The sound of calling out to Ian would fade, but it would not disappear.

Until ten springs came.

* * *

“So, what happened?”

Romandro held the hand of a girl wearing thick glasses and walked down the Imperial Palace corridor. She looked about ten years old. Her hair was neatly braided, and she held a thick book in her arms. Romandro tilted his head with an affectionate expression.

“Well, I think Bibi knows more about that than Daddy does?”

“I learned about it roughly at school, but Daddy knows more. You never tell me the really important things.”

Romandro’s daughter, Bibi, blocked her father’s path and stretched out her arms.

“So, tell me. Why is there no Minister only in the Magic Department! Why is Daddy always busy when it has nothing to do with you!”

“Oh my, young lady. I thought I was showing you around the Imperial Palace on the condition that you would be quiet? Huh? Didn’t you want to see His Highness?”

Bibi pursed her lips, pushing up the glasses that were barely perched on the bridge of her nose. Then, she pushed her father’s side, urging him to walk ahead.

“Mr. Romandro!”

“Oh, yes.”

“This must be your daughter. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Bibi. Is His Highness inside? I have something to say regarding the upcoming coming-of-age ceremony. Oh, of course, you know my daughter is coming too.”

Bibi peeked out from her father’s side.

Unlike the bright Imperial Palace, the interior was darker than she had expected. On one wall of the reception room, a portrait of the Crown Prince commemorating the coming-of-age ceremony was placed on the floor. Silver hair and a deep scar across his face. It was just as she had heard.

“Romandro. You’ve come.”

“Your Highness.”

Creak.

And at that moment, the middle door opened, and the Crown Prince appeared. Jin Verosian. The sole heir to the current Empire and the Emperor of the near future. Jin looked down at Bibi and smiled faintly.