Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 482

Amidst the shattered windows, scattered furniture, and a chaotic mess of a bedroom, Ian received his meal without a second thought.

Compared to the stable-turned-storage he had been in, this was practically a high-end restaurant, wasn’t it? Even if Landre was half-naked and passed out in the corner, and the servants carrying the food were pale with fear, neither Ian nor Berik paid it any mind.

Swoosh.

Knife in his right hand, fork in his left, napkin on his lap. Perfect. Ian naturally extended his arm and cut through the tough meat. It was already his second piece.

Judging by his constant cutting, he must have been quite hungry, but strangely, there wasn’t a single clatter of silverware. Berik, chewing on a chunk of meat, stared intently at Ian.

Feeling the gaze was too intense, Ian asked without looking at him,

“Why?”

“Just amazed.”

“That I haven’t grown?”

“No. I’m amazed we met.”

And it was strange. Unlike Ian, he clearly had years of waiting. But now that they had met, it felt like those times had evaporated without a trace.

He used to say he had no power, and it was true. Now that the present had found its meaning, the past was insignificant. The past 10 years never existed for Ian, and now it was irrelevant to Berik as well, so weren’t they essentially the same?

“Berik. Eat up.”

“What are you talking about? I finished five plates while you were cutting.”

“Exactly.”

If it were the Berik that Ian knew, five plates would only be the beginning.

Chew, chew. Ian’s gaze, asking what was going on, was quite serious, and Berik burst into laughter as if it were absurd. He couldn’t tell if Ian had become softer, or if he himself had grown.

“If I eat my fill, you’ll starve again.”

“This is enough for me.”

“Huh? You said you hadn’t eaten for days. And that’s all you’re eating?”

That made no sense! Berik banged the table with a half-eaten bone, urging the servants on. Meat should come without end. The new dishes were getting slower and slower. That’s why Ian was only eating that much, tsk.

“Are you sure you’re bringing out all the meat in the mansion?”

“Y-yes, of course. Haa, the kitchen can’t handle it all, so please wait a little longer.”

“Bring out as much as I paid for, or you’re dead.”

“Berik. Did you pay? How much?”

It was unexpected. He thought they were eating for free, seeing the owner cowering in the corner. It seemed a lot had happened between Berik and Landre. Well, the messy bedroom was a clue.

“I don’t know. I gave about ten gold coins earlier.”

Ian stopped his elegant cutting and turned to look at Berik. His lips were set firmly, which was unusual.

Berik, for a moment, wondered if he had done something wrong, and straightened his posture, sniffing.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Is that the current price in Bariel?”

“Huh? Ah, I thought it was something else. You’re still the Minister, aren’t you?”

A single gold coin was equivalent to a farmer’s monthly income. Yet, Berik had paid ten times that for this low-grade meat.

The abnormal rise in prices was a clear indicator of the country’s chaos and precariousness, which was why Ian was so surprised.

Berik waved the bone as if to say no.

“Prices have gone up. I used to be able to buy ten pounds of meat, but now I can only buy about nine. But the gold coins I gave were, well, like a reward? Something like that?”

A reward? Ian took a bite of meat and looked around the bedroom again. Yes. It did look like a reward was needed. It seemed like the only thing intact was the ceiling.

“I passed out in the mountains, and that bastard brought me here.”

“A kind of gratuity.”

“Yeah, that. But I didn’t expect this. You son of a bitch.”

Berik threw the bone at the unconscious Landre. Thud, it hit his head, and he flinched reflexively but didn’t wake up.

“I tried to get it back, but after a fight, I couldn’t find where the coins went. So it’s the same as giving it. Bring more meat, you guys!”

“Y-yes, please wait a moment!”

Bang! Crash!

Berik banged the table roughly, but Ian’s cutting was unwavering. He understood that it was a justified price, so he was relieved.

“But Berik, passed out?”

“The mole people smashed my head with a hammer. I usually don’t pass out easily, but I don’t know what those crazy bastards made it out of. Let’s stop by the mountain before going back to the Imperial Palace. I’m going to destroy all those bastards.”

Ian put down his cutlery and raised an eyebrow. The Dera tribe, they were indeed in Mount Laja. It didn’t seem like Berik had been neglecting his training over the past years.

‘To have the power to knock out a Royal Guard swordsman means they must have used something they invented rather than physical strength. It would be better to see it for myself. The fact that the first place I opened my eyes in the abyss was near Mount Laja is bothering me.’

“Ian, are you listening to me?”

He was asking to return to the Imperial Palace, but why wasn’t he answering? Berik snapped his fingers to get Ian’s attention. Then, Ian smiled and nodded.

“Yes. But before that-”

“Before that?”

“Tell me what His Majesty’s orders were. It must have been to detect Rutherford and head to Toolun, right?”

He knew it without being told.

Berik counted on his fingers, trying to remember.

“Uh, so, go to Toolun, check if Rutherford really came back, beat him to death, and investigate if Ian, you, are there. And meet the Atan tribe, and join up with Commander Hale.”

He managed to memorize all that.

But it was strange. He hadn’t even gone to Toolun yet, and there were a mountain of orders from the Crown Prince that hadn’t been carried out. So why was he thinking of returning to the Imperial Palace?

Ian sighed softly and folded one of Berik’s fingers, telling him that finding him was done.

“This has been done.”

“……”

And another finger was folded.

“Whether Rutherford has truly appeared is also done. He must have returned alive with me. But whether that’s Toolun is another matter. While his base is there, considering the current situation, it’s more likely he’s in Burgos.”

To be precise, Toolun was the base of faith that allowed the Undergod to exist. Burgos, which was used as a stepping stone to approach Bariel, was in chaos due to civil war, so it was the proper order to deal with Burgos first.

Also, wasn’t Jin’s coming-of-age ceremony coming up? This meant that a period would be marked in Bariel’s history, and a new chapter would be written. Neighboring countries would have no choice but to accept it quickly.

“The fact that Rutherford appeared in Toolun could be a trick to deceive Bariel. It was a very good decision that His Majesty didn’t send many troops.”

“I don’t know about that.”

He needed to send a message to the Imperial Palace. Just confirming that Rutherford and he had returned would broaden the options Bariel could take. Ian asked a servant who was struggling to bring a chunk of meat.

“Is there a messenger bird used in the mansion?”

“A messenger bird? A pigeon? W-we don’t have anything like that.”

“Even if it doesn’t have a magic stone, it’s fine.”

“W-we only have chickens with wings.”

“How long does it take to get to the center by land?”

“Uh… I don’t know.”

The servant had never been outside, so he couldn’t give a clear answer. Hmm, as Ian’s worries deepened, the servant put down the dish and added,

“If you go to the market, you might be able to find an old messenger bird. It’s not common, but I’ve seen it a few times.”

“The market? The place I was supposed to be sold to?”

“…Yes. That place.”

While the servant quickly backed away, Ian organized his plan in his head.

“Berik. Let’s go to the market, send a report with a messenger bird, and then go to the mountain.”

“Uh-huh. Sounds good.”

“And then you go north to complete His Majesty’s orders and return. I’ll go to the center.”

“What?!”

Berik dropped the meat he was eating with a thud. He didn’t know if this was a joke or not.

“Are you kidding me?”

“…? Not at all?”

What part of that sounded like a joke? As Ian resolutely cut the meat with a smile, Berik slowly banged his head on the table. He realized that he also wanted to return to the Imperial Palace, but he couldn’t because of the Crown Prince’s orders.

Should he send a message to cancel the order? He didn’t know if it would be accepted. Well, he would have to leave this place before an answer came anyway.

“Oh, right.”

Ian paused again, as if in doubt. Commander Hale was in the northern region, wasn’t he? Judging by the mention of the Atan tribe, it seemed to be a monster-infested area…

“Berik, who is the current Minister of Magic? Commander Hale wouldn’t leave the Imperial Palace.”

“The Minister is, your poop, it’s vacant right now.”

Berik mumbled with his forehead on the table.

“It’s been vacant since you left. I told you, the Magic Department is a mess. The kids are all scattered. Half are in the northern monster-infested area, and half are in the southern Clifford, busy planting Idgal [a plant that absorbs magic power].”

The Minister’s position had been vacant for 10 years? Ian was so taken aback that he was speechless.

The Magic Department was one of the most important departments in maintaining and developing the Imperial Palace, wasn’t it? It was also an entity that solidified Bariel’s status externally.

But for such a Magic Department to be scattered without a leader. This was not a good thing for Jin’s imperial authority that he would gain in the future.

“…Are they controlling the rifts with Idgal?”

“I heard so? It absorbs magic power. Zaira discovered it, and, well, if you do this and that, you can suppress the rifts.”

Currently, there were two rifts near Bariel. The monster-infested area in the north and Clifford in the south. It must have been an unavoidable choice for the mages.

Ian put down what he was eating and was silent for a moment.

“Ian?”

He had one more thing to do.

“…I need to call the mages back.”

He had to reunite the scattered mages and strengthen the Magic Department. The power of the mages was absolutely necessary and important to confront Rutherford and the Undergod.

Ian briefly recalled the map of Bariel in his head. This place was near Mount Laja. How long would it take to get to the northern region? It would be good to use a portal, but unfortunately, Ian’s magic power was currently insufficient. It was expected to take quite some time to recover, which would create many restrictions.

‘Go north, receive magic power from the mages to recover, and open a portal to the center together. And go to the center alone. Which is better?’

Ian looked down at his thin wrist. It was partly due to starvation, but his stamina was completely depleted from swimming in the abyss.

Could he even ride a horse in this condition? He would definitely need to find a carriage, but could he find one even if he went to the market? In this place where it was difficult to find even a messenger bird?

“…Berik, never mind. Let’s go to the market and the mountain, and then go north together. It seems difficult for me to move alone.”

Berik perked up his ears, then jumped up and clapped loudly. As if showing his strong support for Ian’s decision.

“Right? That’s right. The world is so dangerous, if you go around like that, you’ll get robbed right away. Yeah, yeah.”

Then, he moved a large chunk of meat onto Ian’s plate and nodded. It was a look that said to chew well and eat it all. When Ian smiled to show he understood, Berik smiled back.

“But you, considering you came back from the abyss, you’re very… how should I say it…”

Did he look intact, or more normal than he thought? He thought the abyss was a terrible hell, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Then, suddenly, a question flashed through his mind.

“What was the abyss like?”

Ian, understanding Berik’s meaning, took a moment to catch his breath and then answered quietly,

“It was a place where all the darkness of the world was. So I left my darkness there.”