Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 511

“Is this… is this even reasonable?”

Clang!

The officials, trapped in the conference hall, erupted in indignation. They glared at the empty seat of the Minister of Magic, then clutched their heads, groaning as they lit cigarettes.

How could they possibly repay the funds they had been drawing for ten long years within a week? Or else, they would have to persuade Duke Hollin, but how could they possibly manage that?

“Tsk, tsk. That man is truly ruthless.”

“Indeed. I never imagined they would pass the buck to us.”

“They didn’t even flinch after reading the letter demanding five times the amount. They must have something planned.”

“What should we do now? It seems they intend to file a complaint if we don’t pay in full.”

“Haa. This is driving me crazy. If it goes to trial, a new audit of the accounting books will be conducted. Frankly, if they want to find fault, it won’t be difficult. Every single number, every single item, they’ll scrutinize everything.”

“Ahem.”

It was a matter that could turn the departments upside down, and the officials’ careers were on the line. The thicker the cigarette smoke they puffed out, the deeper the wrinkles on their foreheads became.

“First, it would be best to try to persuade Duke Hollin.”

“Yes, well. There’s no other way.”

“Honestly, when we bought the territory, didn’t we help a little? It wouldn’t have been possible without us.”

“That’s right. The weapons business rights too. If the Duke has any sense of decency, he won’t easily refuse.”

“Ah, or how about this?”

At that moment, an official stood up, flicking off the ashes. It was as if he had thought of a good idea.

“If persuasion is impossible, let’s just borrow money from the Hollin family. We need to put out the immediate fire, and use that to repay the Magic Department.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

“But, is it possible? It’s the payment for a whole decade. We borrowed little by little from various places, but all together, the amount will be enormous. Even for the Hollin family, to come up with that much money right away…”

“We can’t save everyone.”

Then, the officials’ eyes gleamed. Their gazes intertwined keenly. If everyone couldn’t survive, they would have to save themselves.

“Alright. Still, let’s start by trying to persuade Duke Hollin. That’s the best option. If the Magic Department manufactures special weapons, it means we can deal with monsters without relying on mages, right?”

“It’s an opportunity to weaken the Magic Department’s influence.”

“Yes. We’ll think about the next problem later.”

“You’ve worked hard. Then, I’ll take my leave first.”

“Ahem. Me too.”

Without anyone taking the lead, they all rushed out of the conference hall.

The conference hall, which had emptied in an instant. The attendant who had remained until the end turned and moved towards the Crown Prince’s Palace. A carriage belonging to the Magic Department was parked in front of it.

Taptap.

Squeak.

“Your Highness. The officials have all returned.”

“They took their time putting their heads together. I understand.”

Ian, Jin, and Romandro were sitting around the sofa, checking reports. Jin gestured as if to say he understood, and Romandro asked while sharpening Ian’s pen.

“Ian. But, will the officials move as well as we think?”

“I’ve shown them the way, so they will move for now.”

There was no reason not to. Just as he was trying to solve the payment and Duke Hollin’s problem at the same time, they would also try to achieve the payment and the Magic Department’s check at once. It was a golden, and only, opportunity for them.

The only key was, on Duke Hollin’s side…

“I just hope the officials have something to pressure the Duke’s family with. How nice would it be if things went smoothly.”

“Exactly. Soon, the other Dera tribes of Mount Laza will arrive, so it’s right to finish this quickly and then proceed with the research. There’s not much time left until the delegation departs.”

“Your Highness. Is the official document ready?”

“Yes. It’s all done.”

At Ian’s question, Jin finished signing with his pen. It was an imperial document issued to the entire central nobility.

Ian received it and slowly examined the contents. Soon, a satisfied smile spread across his face, and Jin also leaned back on the sofa and smiled.

“The officials, cornered, will use every means to resolve the overdue payments. One of them is to ask Hollin for help, but no matter how much gold the Hollin family has piled up, they can’t handle it all.”

“And even if they do provide relief, that’s a problem in itself. It means the Duke is involved in the Imperial Palace’s budget process. Surely, problems will arise later.”

It was something that should never happen. It might not be important to the officials trying to avoid the immediate crisis.

“Anyway, if they receive a request for relief from the officials, Hollin will have no choice but to gather funds from other nobles associated with him. Cutting the ties between the Magic Department and the officials is the way to protect the business rights.”

That was the purpose of the official document. A strongly worded warning not to even think about interfering in the ongoing issues of the Imperial Palace.

-Regarding illegal solicitations and acceptance of money, we are preparing to enact a law to monitor and investigate corruption. When trading with the Imperial Palace for more than a certain amount, an investigation team will be dispatched to verify the source of funds and transaction details. The central nobles are to be mindful when engaging in trade.

If they didn’t establish a cause, there could be a backlash from other departments. This was enough for the nobles to understand the meaning properly. The moment they set foot in the Imperial Palace, they would not be safe either.

“Romandro.”

“Yes. I’ll prepare it and send it right away.”

“Now, we just have to watch how the situation unfolds. Your Highness. How is Davion doing?”

Jin, who was drinking tea, tilted his head as if he was puzzled. Attempts to create a meeting with the young lady from that family had been ongoing, but suddenly, it had become quiet.

“Well. I guess they’re busy too if they want to support the Magic Department. There’s no better opportunity to stop and pull down the Hollin family’s monopoly.”

“You mean they’re very cooperative.”

“I mean they’re quiet. But, you saw Lady Kayla.”

“Yes. I apologize, but I saw her before Your Highness.”

“Really. How was she?”

Did she seem to have the qualities of an Empress? The qualities to sit by his side and build Bariel together.

As Jin asked, hiding his interest, Ian tapped his chin with his pen.

“She was beautiful and intelligent.”

But he didn’t feel any sense of familiarity in her name or appearance. And above all, it seemed that staying in the Hollin family would be more helpful to Bariel than becoming a member of the Imperial family. After a moment of thought, Ian reported to Jin, holding back the rest of his words.

“It seems like you have more to say?”

“It would be better not to add anything until Your Highness meets her in person.”

“Are you afraid I might develop a prejudice?”

“No. It’s because I trust Your Highness’s complete judgment.”

Hmm. Jin just shrugged his shoulders and then closed the report with a thud.

“Anyway, soon a delegation will go to the north of Burgos. War is not far away. After the coronation, I also plan to go to the battlefield.”

“That is a courageous decision. The morale of the soldiers, which has risen to its peak, will protect Bariel.”

“There is one difficult problem to deal with.”

“What is it?”

“Damon Runkvis.”

“Ah.”

The King of Burgos, Damon Runkvis. He currently exists as a war prisoner and a justification for the royalists, but in a Burgos without civil war, which will soon arrive, his value would fade.

“He is the main culprit of the Clifford-Burgos war, so we can’t let him live. But, because of what Sir Ian told me, I couldn’t kill him either.”

“You mean the fact that he is living a second life?”

“Yes. Even if it’s another world, I can’t tolerate Damon threatening Bariel. The only way is to completely remove his life, but I don’t know how.”

Ian pondered for a moment. The fact that Rutherford lost his magic and was reborn into another body was all the work of the Undergod. Just as he had entered Ian’s body under the judgment of the god, Bandor was also present in Rutherford’s body under the judgment of the Undergod.

In a situation where the words of the god and his shadow clashed, Damon’s existence was a bit strange.

“What happened to Bania?”

“Ah. You mean the blood relative of King Damon who came as a delegation. Her whereabouts are unknown. There has been no trace of her for years. Damon has been offering his blood relatives to Rutherford for a long time, so it seems like they are related.”

“I will meet King Damon in person.”

Since the Undergod is behind Rutherford, the Burgos royal family may have been used by the Undergod for some purpose. There would also be an answer in Damon’s attitude, who absolutely believed that a third life was waiting for him.

As Ian tapped and organized the documents and stood up, Jin slowly turned his head, following him. As if he had something to say.

“Why is that?”

“…I will go on a secret excursion before the coronation.”

“Ah.”

Ian smiled brightly, saying that the timing was right. If he became the Emperor, he wouldn’t be able to leave the palace easily, so he was going to go on a secret excursion to gauge public sentiment before that. What was the perception of the Imperial family, what did the people of the Empire think about the war, and so on. There was a limit to what could be seen in reports.

Ian nodded as if he thought it was a good idea. Then, just as he was about to turn around-

“Would you like to come with me? Beric, Sia, and Romandro too.”

“…Like before?”

“This time, you will carry the milk.”

At Jin’s playful joke, Ian burst out laughing. Jin also laughed. He had seen Ian’s smile occasionally, but it had been a long time since he had laughed out loud like that.

Ian bowed his head, then left the office after saying goodbye.

“If there is no work, yes. I will join you.”

* * *

Taptap!

The morning at the Hollin family’s estate was particularly noisy.

The Duke, who was shaking off his sleep with fragrant coffee, frowned as he noticed the sound of the servants’ footsteps. What on earth were they doing to be so noisy?

“Duke! Duke!”

“What is it?”

“Th-there are guests outside…”

Guests? What an uncivilized bunch. To visit without notice at this hour. The Duke put down his coffee cup and asked.

“Who?”

“There are so many that I couldn’t even memorize them all.”

“What?”

The Duke realized that something was going strangely, and pulled back the curtains. In the distance, far away, he could see a crowd of people standing densely in front of the mansion gate. And what about the carriages? There seemed to be about ten of them.

“What is this-”

“They all say they want to see the Duke. When I asked for their business, they said they would tell you directly. But most of them seemed to have come from the Imperial Palace.”

“The Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. Minister Pilenelong is also there, and there were some familiar faces who came to the garden party last time.”

It wasn’t the Magic Department. He had been quite tense after demanding five times the price, and there had been no particular reaction from the Magic Department. The Duke was about to order the guests to be let in, while swirling his coffee cup.

Knock knock.

“Duke. This is the mail that came in today.”

The butler came in with a pile of letters on a gold tray. Similarly, they were contacts from various departments except for the Magic Department. The Duke opened the envelopes as he grabbed them.

“Ha, these crazy bastards!”

“Duke. Are you alright?”

“Is this the same thing? These lunatics!”

“Oh my, Duke!”

Squeeze!

They all contained requests to lower the price of the territory purchase and the sale price of the infrastructure. They were requests in name only, but most of them were subtly mentioning their collusion with him, making it more of a threat than a request.

“Bring all the guests inside.”

“Ah, yes!”

“Tell Kayla to come up too! I won’t let these people… get away with this. How did I get this far, just because of that one Minister of Magic…”

The Duke immediately realized that all of this was Ian’s doing, and quickly put on his jacket.

It was time to prepare for a counterattack.