Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 514

The central commercial district was as bustling as ever.

Old men sat between alleys, tossing bread crumbs to pigeons, while young people, seemingly thrilled about something, burst into laughter with paper bags full of goods.

The noisy sounds of street performances naturally blended into the surroundings. In front of a stall selling skewers, a large man was squatting. The old woman who owned the stall awkwardly smiled and fanned herself, noticing that he looked like he might drool at any moment.

“Looks delicious.”

“Would you like one?”

“How much?”

“Three skewers for one copper coin.”

“Ian! Ian! Should we eat these while walking around?”

Whirr! Beric jumped up and turned around, and Ian, who was talking to the merchant, looked at him. Unlike Ian, who signaled with his eyes that it wasn’t okay, Romandro gritted his teeth, annoyed.

“Are you eating again?”

“Again? What did I eat?”

“Since we entered the commercial district, the amount you’ve eaten is enough for a week’s worth of snacks for an average family. All sorts of fruits, bread, candy, and even ice cream. Seriously, you’re not a child. Even Bibi doesn’t eat as much as you!”

“It would be a disaster if Bibi ate like me. Why are you saying such nonsense with such sincerity? And I didn’t eat any meat! Anything that’s not meat just passes lightly through my throat.”

“Ian! Say something to him!”

But what could he do? It was Beric, after all, with his eyes set on food. Ian flicked a silver coin from his pocket, and Beric caught it easily with one hand. Romandro pouted, clearly displeased.

“Now that you’re earning a living properly, why do you keep picking Ian’s pocket?”

“It’s good when someone with a lot of money buys it. So, Romandro, you’re not going to eat any? Then, thank you. Here! Give me everything here.”

“A-all of this?”

“You probably can’t carry it all, right? Oh well, I’ll just eat some then.”

Woah! Beric handed the silver coin to the owner and began devouring the skewers like crazy. The merchant, who had been talking to Ian, couldn’t take his eyes off him, as if he was truly amazed.

“Please continue what you were saying.”

“Ah, yes. Well, the amount of fruit being distributed has decreased a bit due to the war anxiety, but there aren’t any major problems yet. It’s still manageable, and above all, it seems the Imperial Palace is very sensitive to price fluctuations. They say that starting two days ago, we’re even getting some subsidies, though small.”

At the merchant’s words, a faint smile appeared on Ian’s lips. He seemed satisfied that the Imperial Palace was doing its job well.

The merchant chewed on a cigarette and flicked the dust off the stall.

“Still, making a living isn’t as easy as it used to be. It seems like the number of customers coming from other countries has decreased.”

“Burgos and Luswena?”

“It seemed to be decreasing little by little after the war, but it’s hard to see anyone from Burgos at all. People from Luswena are also stingy with their money. It can’t be helped, but it’s a bit disappointing. Instead, the number of people coming from the border to the center has increased, so sales are about the same. By the way, where are you from?”

“I just came up from the border myself. I was just asking because I was thinking of settling down in the center, so don’t worry about it.”

Clink.

Ian paid for the drink in the glass jar and smiled. The merchant then poured a freshly squeezed fruit drink into a glass, nodding as if to welcome him.

“Yes, you made a good choice. The center is a better place to live than the border. Soon, His Highness Crown Prince Jin will be crowned, and everyone has high expectations for how much more prosperous the center will become after that.”

“…I think so too.”

As Ian lifted his glass, he saw Jin and Siao Xi in the distance. They were dressed like young masters from a wealthy family. Because they were so tall, the subtle gazes of the women passing by followed them.

“Ian!”

“Have you arrived? Have you finished your work?”

“Ah, it was as I heard. The entrance to the plaza has become quite inconvenient due to illegal expansions. But, looking at it, they seem to be old people who came out to make a living, so I think it would be better to find another way instead of demolishing it.”

The merchant, who was squeezing the juice, perked up his ears at the unusual conversation. They were a suspicious group no matter how you looked at it. One of them was eating like he had a bottomless pit, and another, who looked quite young, was asking about the people’s livelihood. And that wasn’t all. The silver-haired man who had just joined them was wearing a mask.

This is strange.

“Then, shall we go have a meal now?”

“Okay! Young Master is the best! Let’s go! Ah, I’m starving.”

“Beric. The amount you’re holding in your hand looks like five chickens.”

“Shall we go to that place we used to go to? The one that sold honey beer.”

“He’s not even listening. You crazy bastard. Young Master, when that guy goes home, make sure he starves.”

He had spent his whole life welcoming customers, but this was the first time he had encountered a group that was so difficult to figure out. They seemed to be in a master-servant relationship, but also seemed to be equals.

Unable to contain his curiosity, the merchant stopped Ian, who was preparing to leave, and asked.

“By the way, are you family? Those two seem to be brothers, but the red-haired man and the middle-aged gentleman…”

“They are people I work with.”

“Ah, I see. Haha. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t hold back my curiosity. Please come again! The older brothers didn’t get to try my fruit drinks, did they? The fruit is very fresh-”

Thud.

At that moment, Jin approached the merchant and roughly placed his hand on the wall. The merchant was startled and took a step back. The blue eyes visible beyond the mask were darker and more intense than he had imagined, even intimidating.

“W-why are you doing this?”

“Say it again.”

“I-I’m sorry. My mouth is too loose…”

“Say it again.”

“The fruit is very fr-fresh…”

“Before that.”

The merchant rolled his eyes and looked at Ian. Ian then mouthed the word ‘older brother’ to give the merchant a clue. He looked very calm, as if he had experienced this many times.

“O-older brother?”

“Yes. Do I look like an older brother?”

“…Of course. Your shiny hair, and the grace and elegance you exude, they’re so, so similar. I haven’t seen the Young Master’s face, but there’s a certain atmosphere, isn’t there? Yes. Anyone can see that you’re like an older brother and a younger brother.”

Then, the corners of the mouth under the mask curved softly. It was a very satisfied smile. The merchant blinked, not knowing what was going on, and Jin took out a gold coin from his pocket and instructed.

“Share the drinks with the children and the poor.”

“H-huh! I-I understand.”

“I’ll be watching to see if your business is doing well. I wish you good luck.”

“Th-thank you! Please come again!”

The merchant ran out to the main street to see them off, and Ian looked up at Jin, who was smiling contentedly.

“Are you having that much fun?”

“What is it?”

“That I’ve become the younger brother.”

It was the fifth time already. Every shop they visited asked who was the older and younger brother between Ian and him, so Ian had suggested they move separately for a while.

Jin thought for a moment, then nodded. He didn’t deny it.

“It’s interesting because I’m experiencing something that is practically impossible.”

“If I had aged normally in the Abyss, you would have been disappointed.”

“No.”

If that had happened, he would have been heartbroken.

Jin swallowed the last words and imagined it. He had suffered all sorts of hardships in the Abyss in just over ten days, so what about ten years? If that had happened, he wouldn’t have been able to return to the Imperial Palace, and he might not have been able to meet him again.

At Jin’s firm denial, Ian smiled faintly and watched the backs of Beric and Romandro walking ahead.

“Shall we go get some milk too?”

“Enough. Get what you want.”

At that moment, a man’s shout was heard from somewhere.

“Your Highness Crown Prince!”

Ian and Jin, as well as Beric and Romandro, who were walking ahead, and even Siao Xi, who was secretly guarding them from behind, were surprised and stopped.

Looking around, it was the sound of a puppet show being held nearby. As Siao Xi tried to approach first, Jin stopped him with a gesture. Then, slowly, he approached and naturally blended in with the onlookers.

“Please look at this!”

“Hmm! Ask the Magic Department!”

“Oh dear, then please look at that!”

“I’ll ask the Magic Department about that too!”

“No, if you ask the Magic Department about this and that, what do you even do?”

“I’ll ask the Magic Department about that too!”

As the puppet opened its mouth wide and spat out harsh words, some of the onlookers burst into laughter. The content was a serious crime equivalent to insulting the Imperial Family, but the puppeteer continued the play without any hesitation.

“Then, will you ask the Magic Department when you will become Emperor?”

“No! That’s for the people of Burgos to decide!”

“Huh? Why would you ask them?”

“Because they’re the ones who are paying for it!”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re trying to start a war?”

Ian, who had been listening quietly, pulled on Jin’s sleeve. It was a situation that could no longer be ignored. Just as Ian was about to tell Siao Xi to take care of it.

“You don’t know anything.”

A sharp voice was heard from somewhere. The puppets simultaneously looked at a woman among the onlookers. The eyes of the people followed the gaze. Although she was suddenly the center of attention, the woman didn’t seem to mind and continued to speak.

“Anyone would think that His Highness the Crown Prince is a puppet who only listens to the Magic Department. How long has it been since the Minister of the Magic Department returned? Before that, the Magic Department was practically non-existent. How could the Magic Department have functioned properly without a minister?”

Ah. That’s a bit heartbreaking. Romandro felt embarrassed and sniffled, and Beric playfully patted his shoulder.

“And it’s natural for the victor of a war to take the spoils. If the Imperial Palace becomes prosperous, the lives of the people of the Empire will also become richer. Except for the people of Burgos, there is no one in Bariel who opposes His Highness’s decision.”

“Who are you?”

“Would you know if I told you?”

The puppeteer asked irritably, but the woman retorted as if it was absurd. The people burst into laughter again at her words.

Jin watched the situation with his arms crossed.

“Anyway, your skills are good, but you need to check the content properly. And are you just bold, or do you not have any guts at all? If you do that on the street in broad daylight, you’ll be arrested immediately. Huh? The guards will be here soon.”

Clang!

The woman threw a few coins into the bowl, turned around, and at the same time, the people who had come to their senses hurriedly scattered and went on their way. The puppeteer stood there blankly, as if something was bothering him, and only stared in the direction where the woman had disappeared.

Seeing this, Jin followed her as if he was possessed.

Tap tap!

“Your Highn- I mean, Young Master!?”

“Siao.”

“Yes.”

Ian asked Siao Xi to take care of the puppeteer and followed Jin with Beric.

Romandro didn’t know what to do and just turned his head back and forth! It seemed like it would be better to deal with the puppeteer, so he tried to take out his ID from his pocket.

“Hey, you!”

Whoosh!

Then, the puppeteer overturned the table, and the cloth covering it fluttered in the air. It lasted a little longer than expected.

Siao Xi sensed that something was wrong and drew his sword, but it was already too late.

“What is it?”

“…”

“Siao, where did this guy go?”

“He’s a suspicious person.”

“I have eyes, so I know that! What is it? This?”

He didn’t sink into the ground, nor did he rise into the sky. What on earth was going on? Romandro flipped over Jin’s puppet that was lying on the ground and immediately recoiled in horror.

“T-this, the texture… is this puppet really made of human skin?”