Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 520

It was a chaotic Monday morning. Civil servants, taking a breather, stared blankly into space. They were sure they had worked through the weekend, yet how could there be so much work? Or was it because of that work that it was only this much? Six or so people sat together, but they only sipped their coffee. Even a trivial conversation seemed like a luxury. “Ah, over there.” Then, someone muttered, turning their head to the left. It was Ian Hiel, the Minister of Magic. He was just entering the palace, still in his outdoor attire, accompanied by mages. Where did things go wrong? Looking at his face, they seemed to understand a little. “I am Ian Hiel.” “Ever since he came back, the Imperial Palace has been strange. The deputy minister, who usually barely approved documents, is now scrutinizing every single one.” “Can you see it? A clump of my hair is falling out here.” “Haa, Minister of Magic. You’re young, so you can pull all-nighters, but isn’t this too much work for old folks like us?” “Old folks? I’m only five years younger than Sir Ian.” “…Anyway, the Minister has been going out a lot lately.” A brief silence followed a colleague’s remark, but the topic naturally shifted. One person stretched and replied. “Didn’t they create a weapons manufacturing facility in the estate near the Imperial Palace? They brought in those, uh, mole people [Dera people] to work on it. He goes back and forth three or four times a day to check on their progress.” “Seriously, the Ministry of Magic doing defense projects.” “He got the Holinga estate directly, you know. They say they’re also starting a new quality inspection of the general weapons they’ve been making. If they don’t pass, they’ll completely re-evaluate the business rights.” “What? If they fail even there, won’t Holinga be completely ruined? Then the next Empress will definitely come from the Davion side.” Davion. Not a bad choice. If they gain power, it would benefit the civil servants, and their treatment might improve. Civil servants were among the most respected in the Empire, but recently, due to the exponentially increased workload, new complaints had arisen. Strictly speaking, the work hadn’t increased, but rather returned to its original state, yet no one remembered that. “It seems the Ministry of Magic also thinks Davion is more beneficial than Holinga. They even said they’d help if we accused Holinga at the assembly hall.” “That’s a smokescreen. Didn’t you know? They said they washed their hands of the estate purchase process. And more than anything, if they were supporting Davion, they wouldn’t have mentioned that damn evaluation system.” “That’s true, too.” “I hope whoever becomes Empress will be someone who cares about human rights.” “Ah, please.” Slurp. The civil servants, lifting their increasingly heavy eyelids, gulped down their coffee. As they were doing so, they saw a group following in Ian’s wake. They were also wearing the Ministry of Magic uniform, but their attire was somewhat unique. “Huh, what’s that?” “It looks like the mages from Clifford have arrived.” “It seems the Ministry of Magic is finally fully assembled.” Tap tap tap! The mages’ robes fluttered as they excitedly ran, and the civil servants could only sigh deeply with their dying faces. A complete Ministry of Magic. It was already hard to handle, but how much more difficult would it become? They didn’t even want to imagine it. * * * Knock knock. “Sir Ian.” “Enter.” As a mage made his presence known, Ian spoke without taking his eyes off the documents. Romandro, who was helping with the work beside him, looked over, wondering what was going on, and saw a mage peeking through the door. He had a rather excited expression. “The mages who went down to Clifford have returned.” “Oh, really? Have they all entered the palace?” “Yes, Sir Romandro. They’re in front of the Ministry of Magic right now. They flew here before the carriages.” “It’s been a long time. Ian, let’s go out quickly. Everyone will be happy to see them.” The Bariel mages they had been holding onto in Clifford had all returned. Ian also put down his pen and nodded. “Most of them are mages from Luswena, right?” “That’s right. When Zaira said she was going, all the mages who had defected from Luswena applied. Of course, there are some from Bariel mixed in.” Unlike the existing members of the Ministry of Magic, with whom Ian had shared hardships since he came up from the border, they were a bit distant, even though they belonged to the Ministry of Magic. It was because they hadn’t built enough camaraderie yet. When Ian went outside, he saw people gathered in groups below the stairs. They were being welcomed by the Ministry of Magic members, exchanging greetings. Some of them recognized Ian and shouted. “Oh, Minister Ian!” “The news was true! We’re so glad you returned safely.” Ian, smoothing over the boisterous reunion with a smile, comforted them on their return. “You must have had a hard time coming all this way.” “No, actually, it was harder to leave than the journey itself. Oh, the King was so clingy.” “Hahaha. We heard about it. What was it, the carriage wheels disappeared?” “Just in case, as soon as the return order came down, we sent the carriages separately and just flew here.” “I’m so tired, haaa.” “You can’t say things like that here. Commander Acorella might be listening somewhere.” “Hey! Come over here. Sir Ian is here!” Amidst the chaotic crowd, Ian immediately recognized Zaira. Her short ponytail and glasses covering half her face. She had become an adult, so many things had changed, but her childhood appearance was still there. Zaira, who had been laughing and chatting with the mages, turned her head towards the top of the stairs and widened her eyes. “…Sir Ian.” “Huh? Sir Ian!” “I-It’s really you? I couldn’t get a feel for it just from the letters!” “We’re back! Both Sir Ian and us!” “Wow, seeing you like this brings back memories. Right, Zaira?” The moment they first met during the war. Instead of answering, Zaira quickly ran up the stairs towards Ian. Romandro, surprised, stepped back, but Ian only smiled warmly and met Zaira’s gaze. “It seems you’ve been doing well, Zaira.” “…Sir Ian. They said you came up from the Abyss.” “Yes.” Zaira asked in a slightly trembling voice. “That, you know. I’m sorry to ask this as soon as we meet.” “I didn’t see your grandmother.” “……” Zaira’s inner thoughts, as she wondered what to ask, were too transparent. Ian told her calmly, and then he saw the expectation fade from her face. “But don’t be disappointed. Due to the time difference between that place and here, I wasn’t there as long as you think. But in the Abyss, your grandmother is definitely alive.” Though she would be endlessly experiencing the moment of death, that was another matter. Zaira rubbed her forehead as if frustrated, and Ian calmly said. “If you want to meet her, going directly to the Abyss is the most certain way, but I will stop you. I can’t help you with the way back.” Ian was able to return thanks to the help of a god. But it wasn’t as if there was no way at all. The Gypsy who eats secrets, Melania, and Clark had come up through another path, so if one sought it, there would surely be a way. But- ‘If Zaira wants to bring her grandmother out of the Abyss, it becomes a problem.’ Hadn’t he had the same dilemma before Naum? He wanted to save Naum from the endless deaths right away, but he couldn’t be sure what kind of impact he would have on the world if he came up to Gaia. For the sake of a complete Bariel and Gaia, those who were submerged in death in the Abyss had to be left as they were. “Why do you say you can’t help?” When you came back like this. And in your old form. Doesn’t Ian himself prove that her grandmother can also return intact? There was a big difference between falling into the Abyss by using forbidden magic and just falling, but still. “I have no memory. I woke up near Mount Laza.” “Ha, damn it.” “Zaira. Control yourself. He’s Sir Ian.” “I know! I know, but I feel a bit strange.” Both her grandmother and Ian chose to go to the Abyss, but only one person returned. If only she could undo the shackles of forbidden magic, she felt like she could find a way, but the reality, which seemed so close yet so far, was frustrating. Ian gestured to the mages, indicating that it was okay. “It’s understandable. I understand. Zaira, come to my office for a moment.” At Ian’s command to unpack and rest from their journey, the mages stepped back, and Zaira slowly finished climbing the stairs. Swoosh. Ian, who had entered his office, sat on the sofa and offered Zaira the seat opposite him. “It seems like we have a lot to talk about.” “I apologize for bringing that up as soon as we met. I didn’t mean to say what I said earlier.” “Oh, so you know how to apologize.” “Do you still think I’m a troublemaker?” Zaira adjusted her glasses and sighed. “I’m really happy that Sir Ian has returned. It’s proof that the Abyss and this place are connected.” “Zaira. Let me ask you one thing first.” “Please do.” “You want to bring your grandmother out of the Abyss, right?” Zaira blinked, as if asking the obvious. She hadn’t experienced that place, but it was clear that it was a painful hell. She wanted to save her grandmother as soon as possible, even if a day there was a year here. “I also have someone precious.” “Did you meet them there?” “Yes. But I couldn’t save them. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I didn’t save them. Because I was worried that one person would plunge the world into unpredictable chaos.” “I-!” Zaira, realizing what Ian was about to say, jumped up. For ten years, she had lived with the sole mission of saving her grandmother. But now, if she was told not to do it, what was she supposed to do? More than anything, what about her grandmother? “Calm down and hear me out. I didn’t save them from the Abyss, but I don’t intend to leave them there forever either.” “…How?” He would use time. He would let the gears of the world turn as they were, reaching Bariel a hundred years later. Then, Naum Obia would exist there. But in Zaira’s case, she had to go to the past. “King Damon holds the key, and Rutherford holds the lock that fits it.” “I don’t understand what you mean.” “You’ll naturally find out soon. Zaira. One thing I want to ask is that if you want to save your grandmother, you need to change your approach a little. For you, and for the world.” Zaira moved her lips a few times, then lamented and confessed. “Sir Ian. It’s too late to change my approach. Do you know how much I’ve suffered for ten years?” Swoosh. Zaira stacked two books that were next to her and tapped the top one. “This is Gaia. And the book below the cover is the rift [a tear in the fabric of reality], and the next one is the Abyss. The worlds are made up of layers. This means that if you can break through the layers, you can freely travel between the rift and the Abyss.” Since they knew how to go but not how to return, she was saying that the only way was to create a path from the beginning, like a warrior who entered a labyrinth with a red thread tied to his waist. “The rift is the source of monsters and their foundation. It requires too much effort.” “It won’t be as difficult as you think. If we have Idgal.” “But-” “And if it’s unavoidable-” “Zaira.” Ian called Zaira’s name and looked at her. It was a sign to calm down and compose herself. Zaira desperately erased the sentence that had flashed through her mind. ‘If it’s unavoidable, wouldn’t it be okay to create a small gap and let the monsters out?’ She had thought the same thing as Rutherford. Zaira was startled and clenched her fist under her collar. Ian, noticing her stiffness, placed his hand on the back of her hand and said. “Zaira. Stop thinking and breathe. In an excited state, you tend to be consumed by yourself.”