Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 524

“Life is truly unpredictable. How did that guy even become a king?” Beric, sprawled on the sofa, muttered in amazement. Ten years ago, he was stuck in a beast’s body, unable to do anything when he came up from the borderlands. Now, he’s returned to his homeland and ascended to the throne.

Beric jumped up and asked Ian,

“Didn’t they usually live in small tribal groups?”

“They did have several factions. Hasha’s grandmother was the leader of the necromancer faction. It seems a lot has happened. But shouldn’t you know more about this than I do?”

Ian had been in the abyss, but Beric had never left the center. Romandro, understanding the implication, shook his head while sharpening his quill.

“Unless you participated in the Burgos civil war, the small northern countries were outside of Variel’s interest. They weren’t countries with active exchanges, and there were no national events. So, the only way to know their recent news is through letters. But, well, that’s life.”

“Hasha must be eating meat to his heart’s content, right? He’s had a real life reversal, for sure.”

“You eat meat to your heart’s content too. You’re not even a king, yet you live like that. You’re the real winner.”

“Hey, Romandro. I eat while being super aware of others.”

“Oh my, is that how you eat? If you were any less aware, you’d have gnawed all the pillars of the Imperial Palace.”

“Here we go again. Is it because I messed up with the pen earlier? Give it here! I’ll write it for you!”

“No way! I’d rather write with my foot.”

Romandro grumbled, took out a new piece of paper, and unfolded it with a solemn heart.

“And Hasha sustains himself with necromancy, so he doesn’t need to eat food. Though, I don’t know how it is now.”

The Hasha they saw during the Clifford-Burgos war might be different from the Hasha now. A life spent moving from one dead body to another. It’s similar to Rutherford’s reincarnation, but fundamentally a different way of survival.

Ian also checked the list from Luswenna.

Swoosh.

“Luswenna is now led by Eldert.”

“Ah, I know that side well. It’s been three or four years since he ascended the throne. A lot happened in Luswenna after he went back then.”

When King Eriphony of Luswenna died in the Imperial Palace due to the ‘dazzling light,’ Eldert hastily returned home, abandoning the agreement on compensation for damages. The death of a defeated king could be seen as an opportunity for the opposition to seize power.

Ian still acknowledged that Eldert’s choice at the time was not a bad decision.

“The mages all crossed over to Variel, and the king died without anyone to hold responsible… Eldert was of royal blood, but his legitimacy was lacking.”

“He was a cousin, wasn’t he?”

“Yes. Luswenna values direct lineage more than other countries. Ugh, don’t even get me started. Burgos is a mess now, but Luswenna was just as bad at first.”

A fierce civil war was taking place in the royal palace.

Bloody hands reached for the empty throne, and the golden fields swayed with the wind. It was a chaotic world. Watching Bibi toddle around, he worried about the future every night.

“Still, Luswenna managed to resolve things within their own borders, unlike Burgos. That’s a relief, from their perspective.”

“What is Eldert’s political leaning?”

“He was King Eriphony’s aide, so he’s following in his footsteps. He’s paying the war reparations regularly, but he’s not exactly showing a docile attitude towards Variel.”

“I see.”

Should he have dealt with Eriphony back then?

At the very least, he should have taken measures when that man returned to his homeland. If it weren’t for Rutherford’s matter, he would have perfectly concluded the war.

‘Jin must have gone through a lot.’

At a young age, he had navigated this complex political situation alone, without him, and risen to the position of Crown Prince. It would be hard enough even walking on a well-paved road.

Ian felt a pang of sympathy as he slowly turned the documents.

“Then, Eldert will not attend the coronation. He will send someone else.”

“Oh, the Foreign Ministry also predicted that. The magic stone they requested is low-grade. But how did you know that?”

“I have bad memories from the Imperial Palace, and more importantly, Luswenna is a country that will grow as a counterbalance if Variel falls. It would be more suspicious if Eldert attended in person.”

International relations are formed by the accumulation of very small things. They needed to be interpreted and handled delicately. Ian added to Romandro, who was nodding in agreement.

“And to reclaim what was taken, it’s a natural step for Luswenna.”

“What was taken, you mean the mages?”

It would be impossible to get the exiled mages back with simple appeasement. Not only for the mages themselves, but Variel wouldn’t just sit back and watch either.

From Luswenna’s perspective, the easiest, surest, and fastest way would be to eliminate the mages’ haven. Variel and the Imperial Palace, and most effectively, the Magic Department.

Ian nodded.

“Including everything. Just in case, please organize and submit the internal situation of Luswenna as well. It’s better to know in advance. If Eldert doesn’t come, narrow down the candidates as well.”

Oh dear, more work.

Romandro, who had been spacing out, sniffled and wrote down the instructions on the paper.

“And what about that? Did you find out?”

“What?”

“The Duchess of Holin.”

“Ah, right. Just a moment.”

Romandro, as if remembering, rummaged through the documents piled on the floor and pulled out a few sheets of paper.

“I’ve been asking around… Ah, it was really hard to find any traces. She hasn’t been active outside at all. It’s been almost ten years since she’s been seen in social circles. The last news from the center was that she went down to her hometown for recuperation before-”

“Hometown?”

“Tusty, a small town in the southern part of Variel. But according to recent news, the Duchess is in Burgos.”

“What do you mean?”

When Ian raised his head and asked, Romandro twirled his mustache. As if he didn’t quite understand it himself.

“It’s said that the Duchess is in charge of weapons distribution in Burgos. Holin hasn’t officially stated anything. It’s a business secret, so it’s understandable, but they’re not denying it, so it seems to be true. And when I checked, there are entry and exit records?”

The weapons distribution route in Burgos was one of the Holin family’s business secrets. Therefore, the Holin family had to take the lead in managing it, and since the Duchess was the only one who had disappeared from the family, everyone tacitly assumed that she was managing it.

Beric, who had been listening quietly, asked in confusion.

“She went down to Tusty or whatever, right? But Burgos? Something smells fishy. Hmm.”

“She might have gone straight to Burgos from there. Anyway, that’s all I found out, Ian.”

Romandro shrugged and put down the documents, but there was no response. Ian was rubbing his chin with the back of his pen, deep in thought.

“One more thing.”

“What, what else?”

“The characteristics of the Burgos royal family. Could it be black hair and violet eyes? That would solve some questions.”

There are genetic traits that each lineage possesses. Variel has blue eyes, and Luswenna has turquoise hair.

He couldn’t be sure about Burgos, but Damon’s half-sister, Bania, had black hair and violet eyes like him, so it was a very reasonable assumption.

But, what if the Duchess, who was active in Burgos, and Lady Kayla had the same characteristics?

“It’s surprising that the Duchess, who never went out, went to a country in civil war, successfully secured a business route, and is still managing it. Didn’t the Imperial Palace point out this issue when the business rights were acquired?”

“They only gave the business rights, and it was entirely up to the Holin family to decide what to do in Burgos. It’s not a matter for the Imperial Palace to interfere with.”

“It seems the Duchess is from Burgos.”

“Huh? No, no. She’s from a noble family in Tusty.”

“We don’t know. As of now, it’s most reasonable to assume that the Duchess is from Burgos. Especially if she’s of royal blood, she could have formed an alliance with the pro-Variel royalists and created a distribution route.”

Romandro awkwardly picked up and put down the documents.

No, Ian. The Duchess is from a noble family in Tusty. He wanted to add, but Ian’s words made sense, so he kept his lips tightly shut.

Knock knock.

“Ian, are you there?”

“Come in.”

“I brought important documents to deliver to the administration, but the person in charge was out, so I brought them back.”

Then, a mage entered the office, humming a tune. He seemed rather cheerful for someone who had made a wasted trip, so Romandro asked in confusion.

“You look very cheerful. What happened?”

“Oh, don’t even ask. Do you know what I heard at the administration? Oh my, oh my. The world is so dynamic these days. It’s fantastic.”

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with you?”

The mage returned the documents to Ian and then chattered on.

“All the officials from the Davion family who were in the administration and other departments have left. It’s almost a complete work paralysis, but do you know why they all left the palace?”

He spoke as if he had heard something very secret and interesting.

Ian only smiled faintly and played with his pen, but Romandro and Beric couldn’t contain their curiosity and their eyes sparkled.

“Well, isn’t it because there’s a rumor that the Holin family is colluding with Burgos?”

“Huh? What?”

“What are you talking about?”

Pause. Ian stopped writing and turned to look at the mage. Judging by his eyes, it seemed there was more to come.

“They were talking about some jewel, but I don’t know about that. The important thing is that it was Lady Chloe Davion who raised this issue. It seems it was during a tea party. There was a small conflict with Lady Kayla.”

“A small conflict, you say…?”

Thump thump. Romandro and Beric clasped their hands together and waited for the mage’s next words. The mage, as if to meet their expectations, held up an empty cup on the desk. The two men’s gazes began to shine brighter than any jewel in the world.

Whoosh!

“Eek! Really?!”

The mage pretended to splash water, and Romandro shouted in shock. The mage then snapped his fingers.

“It’s not over yet. This side, like this.”

He rolled up his sleeve and slapped Beric’s cheek with all his might!

Whack!

“Agh!”

“Oh, sorry. Why did I hit you?”

“You idiot, you hit me because you slapped me!”

“No, you usually dodge it so well. Oops, sorry. It was intentional. No, it was a mistake.”

While Beric was yelling, holding his right cheek, Romandro excitedly urged the mage. Hurry up and tell us more!

“You slapped? Uh, which side, which side?”

“Judging by the fact that the Davion side all left, wouldn’t it be Lady Chloe Davion who got hit?”

“Wow, unbelievable. It’s amazing. Not just any family, but those two who are aiming for the Empress’s seat.”

“Exactly. People who can easily handle any attack… I’m really curious about what they talked about. Since the slap was from Holin, wouldn’t it be Davion who started by splashing water?”

Ah! I’m so curious, so curious!

Romandro shook his head, clicking his tongue, and Beric rubbed his slightly swollen cheek against the sofa.

“Fights are the most fun to watch, ugh. Ian! Let’s go watch! Davion and Holin, they’re really going to go at it! Let’s go and side with the winner!”

Tap.

Ian calmly put down his pen and smiled gently.

“Shall we?”