Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 527

It was a typical afternoon.

Akorella had her feet propped up on her desk, flipping through reports. It was boring and tedious, but she had no choice if she wanted her research approved.

The moment Akorella scribbled her signature and closed the report—

Knock knock.

“Captain, the magic stones that were sent abroad have been recovered.”

“Come in. The replies are all quick.”

“Yes. Well, I guess everyone had their own plans.”

A mage came in with magic stones and letters. These were items that had been sent abroad in preparation for the war. Akorella needed to check them to make sure they weren’t rigged with any malicious devices. She picked up one of the visible magic stones and tapped it with her canine tooth.

“What about the messenger bird replies?”

“Here they are. Shall I send them directly to Minister Ian?”

“Yes. While you’re here, have a cup of magic recovery potion.”

“Ah, no, thank you.”

“Oh my, there are no side effects! Really.”

Akorella lowered her feet from the desk, looking dumbfounded, but the mage was firm.

“You said that a few days ago. The kids all buried their faces in their food and fell asleep. The coronation is just around the corner, and we have a mountain of work to do. If we fall asleep here, we’re really dead. Everyone is refusing to even smell it until Minister Ian guarantees it.”

“You crazy bastards. You’ve got it too good. After the coronation, you won’t be able to drink it even if you want to, you guys! Try rolling around properly in the war!”

“I think rolling around is safer than falling asleep in the middle of the battlefield.”

“Get out of here, you punk.”

“Good work.”

The mage gave a short salute and quickly left the lab. Akorella clicked her tongue at his retreating figure, then looked up at the vials that filled the wall, her eyes filled with pity.

‘My lovely babies…. Those ignorant fools don’t know your worth and oppress you, it’s all because I’m too good! Tsk tsk!’

“Ah, right. I need to fix this again.”

Clink. In Akorella’s hand was the amnesia potion she had made long ago, when she was going back and forth between life and death with the dragon’s scales.

The problem was that, due to the nature of ‘amnesia,’ Akorella herself couldn’t experiment with it, and other mages also vehemently refused, leaving the research in limbo.

Akorella tapped the bottle with a look of pity, then unfolded the letters. They were replies from various countries to Jin’s coronation invitation.

“Oh ho, look at these guys.”

With each page she turned, Akorella’s brow furrowed deeper. When she reached the last page, she put all the letters in her pocket and stormed out of the lab.

Thud!

“Captain, where are you going?”

“To the Minister’s office. To report.”

“Yes. Have a good trip.”

‘For someone who limps, she sure slams doors well.’

‘I saw her flying kick Beric last time.’

The mages whispered quietly, then quickly got up, realizing they also had things to get approved by Ian. Seeing Captain Akorella move personally, it seemed like an important report was going up, which might mean Ian would be out of the office.

Meanwhile, in Ian’s office.

Tap tap tap, knock knock!

“Is that Akorella? Come in.”

“How did you know?”

“You’re the only one who makes that kind of noise.”

Ian was in the middle of writing documents, facing Romandro. Scratch scratch, next to him were half-broken pen nibs and a pile of empty coffee cups.

With the coronation approaching, most departments would be in a similar state. Akorella pulled up a chair and sat next to Romandro, immediately taking the letters out of her pocket.

“These are the replies from various countries, including Hawan and Luswena.”

“They came early.”

“They all say they’re sending representatives?”

Sending representatives to the coronation of the Empire’s Emperor was the same as supporting Vergos in terms of the political situation.

“Not a single one is coming?”

Surely not.

Romandro’s eyes widened, and Akorella shook two pieces of paper with a sullen face. As if she didn’t know whether to be relieved or not.

“Clifford and Astana say their kings are coming in person. Especially Clifford, it seems like the whole royal family will be attending.”

“That’s right! Yes, that’s right! It’s Hashara after all!”

“But isn’t this a bit of a loss of face? These crazy, brain-dead idiots can’t tell right from wrong, I don’t know what they’re doing. Do they all want to be diced?”

Romandro’s eyes went round. This, wow. Her language is no different from long-haired Beric?

Akorella read out each of the replies from the countries.

“The Hawan Kingdom says. Hello, blah blah blah. Uh… so, they wish and expect the infinite glory of Bariel… but the king is weak and sick, so he can’t attend in person… instead, they’ll send a prime minister who’s been with the royal family for a long time? You bastards? Our prime minister has been healthy for two kings, so it’s about time to keep him in check, so we’re sending him to Bariel. Kill him or let him live, do whatever you want.”

“I, is that really what it says? Akorella?”

“Are you crazy? Of course not. But that’s how it reads. Next is Luswena.”

Rustle.

Akorella read the letters out loud, clearly.

“Time has passed, it seems. That small, young thing is now the Emperor of the Empire. As you know, I have bad memories there, so I don’t want to go in person. I think you’ll understand. Especially since Ian Hiel, the Minister of Magic, has come back to life after ten years, why would I go to Bariel out of fear? I’m sending a subordinate instead, so please treat him well, thinking of the country. You bastards!”

Romandro, just in case, picked up what Akorella had read and checked it again. It was an official document, so it should be polite and formal, but how could she read it like that?

But Ian, as if he had expected it, just kept his ears open and continued to write.

“The petty ones in the north are worse. They say they can’t come because it’s too far! Idiots. We even said that if they just came to the Bariel border, the mages would open a portal and guide them, but this is their excuse. Isn’t this openly saying they’re going to eat us? What kind of country are we!”

“Ba, the Bariel Empire. Ako, calm down for a moment.”

“I can’t stand it, I’m so angry. I need to meet that Rutherford guy and hear what kind of sweet talk he used to trick the surrounding countries. I was going to break just one of his legs when I met him, but I think it’d be better to cut off both.”

Thump!

Akorella slammed the desk roughly, and the ink splashed. Only then did Ian put down his pen and tell Akorella.

“Akorella. I understand your feelings, but the more we react strongly, the more Bariel’s national prestige will fall. Be restrained.”

Especially in front of His Highness Jin.

“We made a mistake. In the balance between Rutherford and Bariel, we made a mistake that made them dare to judge that Rutherford’s side was heavier.”

Ian smiled faintly, and Romandro hesitated and stepped back. It was better to express emotions with harsh words like Akorella; Ian now seemed like he was about to tear someone apart with a smile. At least, that’s how Romandro felt.

“It is right to correct mistakes. Through the coronation, and through the upcoming war, we will show them how wrong their choices were and make them think again. So, put aside personal matters and do your best to prepare.”

Akorella just sighed and shrugged.

“Yes. Then I’ll prepare to open the portals soon. At least no one is completely absent except for the north, so we need to open at least four portals. Are you okay with that?”

“Of course. No problem.”

“As a model, please take some recovery potion in front of the kids.”

“No. I’m fine. Really.”

Ian smiled as he neatly organized the documents. It was impossible to tell if it was a playful refusal or not. Akorella kept nagging Ian, saying that the side effects were almost resolved, but Ian’s answer remained the same.

“Because Minister Ian doesn’t drink it, the other kids are all keeping their mouths shut and just eating bread! If they’re all sick at the coronation, who are we going to make work? Huh?”

“I’ll open the portals myself, so tell everyone to take good care of themselves. There must be no mistakes at the coronation.”

“Yes? Minister Ian is going to open them himself? Alone?”

“Yes. Alone.”

“Writing and erasing the spells is a lot of work.”

“It’s something that can be done all at once.”

Akorella’s mouth dropped open. What was Ian saying? The mages of the Magic Department barely managed to open portals while taking boosters. And that was from the center to the border, how far was that, and he was going to open portals simultaneously? Alone?

“Ako, you’re drooling.”

Only Romandro, who didn’t realize how extraordinary Ian’s statement was, closed her jaw and comforted her.

“No, Minister Ian! Minister Ian!”

I don’t know why. Whether it’s because this body, that is, the body of the illegitimate son Ian, has awakened to be the body of a god, or because of the effects of the abyss, or because of the blessing of a god.

Whatever it was, after taking the recovery potion, I could feel my whole body overflowing with magic. To the point that I couldn’t even remember my previous self.

* * *

Chloe frowned, looking at the deep scar on her lip. It had been almost ten days, but seeing the scar still made her angry from time to time.

‘Lady Chloe. Is your wound doing okay?’

‘How dare you ask if I’m okay? Do I look okay?’

‘Yes. You seem fine from the way you’re talking. Scars on the skin will heal with time, but scars on the heart don’t heal easily. Both you and I have shown unsightly things in front of others and have deep pain, so how about we come to an agreement here? You couldn’t even cut my flesh, so wouldn’t it be beneficial for both of us? I’m a businessman, so I can calculate it right away, but you don’t want me to explain it, do you?’

‘Is that your way of apologizing? I swear—!’

‘Ah, Lady. I didn’t just come to apologize.’

Then, she slightly tilted her head to show off the hair ornament. The imperial jewel, the cause of all the trouble, was embedded in it.

It was already bad enough that she was hiding it, but showing it off so openly made Chloe realize that something was wrong, and she frowned.

‘Thanks to you, I was invited to the Imperial Palace and met His Highness Crown Prince Jin. He was so beautiful up close that I couldn’t even speak properly. His Highness graciously forgave our mistake and gave me this as a token.’

‘Wh, what did you say?’

‘It’s all thanks to Lady Chloe. If you and your friends hadn’t done that despicable thing, when else would I have had this honor? I have another chance to be with His Highness, and if possible, I’ll pass on your regards. I don’t know if he’ll be curious, though.’

Clang!

Chloe unknowingly threw the jewelry box, breaking the mirror. The servants who had been waiting behind her flinched for a moment, then quickly cleaned up the surroundings. Only then did Chloe look out the window instead of the mirror, and she approached the window, puzzled by the unfamiliar sky.

“…What is that?”

“Ah, Miss. Don’t worry too much. A few days ago, the Magic Department sent out a notice. It’s a road for foreign guests to come. Unlike before, several can appear at the same time, so don’t be surprised. It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”

Small, black moons in the sky. Before, it took the entire Magic Department to open just one, but now it looked like that.

Chloe immediately realized that the reason for the gap between the past and the present was Ian. It was clear that the Magic Department had helped Kayla walk around with the jewel without any hindrance. The Empire was facing war, and the Holin family was in the weapons business.

Chloe chewed on her fingernails and muttered.

“Ian Hiel….”

There was only one point to dig into. If Kayla had reached it, she could reach it too.

“I’m going too.”

“Yes? Miss, where are you….”

“War. What’s the difference between here and there?”