Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 531

Shatima’s gaze lingered at the edge of the sky.

It felt as if everything she had believed in was being denied. Even those closest to gods were still human, yet they were manipulating the laws of nature as they pleased. It was astonishing, frightening, and, in a way, awe-inspiring.

King Clifford glanced at Shatima, then offered her a glass of wine, signaling for a toast.

“Minister Shatima, care for a drink?”

His angular cheekbones, firm lips, and the countless colorful dots that concealed his gaze and eyes. At first glance, his expression seemed unchanged, but King Clifford could tell. Shatima was now immersed in admiration.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It would have been wonderful if the King of Hawan had witnessed this spectacle. It’s a pity. Can this kind of emotion be conveyed in human language?”

Could they grasp the limits of the mages? Could they also gauge the future of Bariel? The light that never fades, the darkness that inevitably retreats. The sky right now is everything that Bariel is, the thing you are trying to confront.

King Clifford spoke softly, and Shatima easily understood his intention. He was trying to win her over. The path for Hawan was not in Vergos or other countries, but here, in Bariel.

“Wow, look over here. The breeze is light and refreshing. It’s like the dawn,” someone exclaimed.

“It’s beautiful. It’s like seeing both sunset and sunrise at the same time. Can you see the clouds flowing? Look there!”

“Oh my, you’re right. Goodness me.”

“It’s magnificent, truly magnificent!”

The view from the wide-open balcony gave those watching a sense of certainty. The miracle they were experiencing was not an illusion but reality.

Sizzle.

And then, small streaks of light fell like a drizzle. The splendor that adorned every corner like a giant chandelier left people speechless with admiration.

The orchestra’s music changed, and the imperial dancers appeared, marking the start of the full-fledged banquet. Nobles joined hands with like-minded individuals and twirled around, and the sound of clinking glasses rang out clearly from all directions.

Shatima was also enjoying the breeze and was about to have another drink when she heard a voice.

“Excuse me.”

It was Ian’s voice. He was in a neat uniform, offering a Bariel-style greeting. His fresh green eyes were nowhere to be seen, replaced by sharp, golden eyes like a lion’s.

He seemed a bit more sensitive than when she had seen him in the Magic Department’s backyard. It was probably because he was maintaining four portals and leading the White Night with the mages.

Even to a commoner, not a mage, it was clear that he was doing something incredible.

“The King of Astana will have an audience with Crown Prince Jin first. Next is King Clifford, and then the Minister of Hawan.”

“Oh, alright. I understand.”

“Please follow this mage.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

Ian responded to Shatima’s smile with a smile of his own. It was very faint and quickly disappeared.

“Please wait for a moment. If you have any discomfort, please let us know, and we hope you fully enjoy the Empire’s festival.”

“Thank you. And congratulations.”

“The congratulations should be directed to the Crown Prince, not me.”

“Aren’t you also part of this glory? By the way, when is the coronation?”

The enthronement ceremony had begun, but the emperor’s moment that would be recorded in history was the coronation. Ian just clicked his pocket watch as if to say, ‘Keep watching.’

“Since there is no boundary between day and night, it will be 100 hours from now.”

“Hahaha! Alright, alright. I understand.”

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Ian stepped back and whispered something to the mages, then disappeared.

About ten minutes passed.

A Hawan attendant approached Shatima and reported. The audience with Astana was almost over, so they were checking the gifts one last time.

“Minister, we’ve moved everything into the boxes.”

“Have you finished the confirmation?”

“Yes. There are no issues.”

“…But, where’s Erica?”

Erica was nowhere to be seen. The attendant looked perplexed at Shatima’s question.

“She said she was going out for a moment and hasn’t been heard from since.”

“…I see.”

Shatima’s jawline became even sharper. She knew Erica wasn’t foolish, but she couldn’t tolerate this kind of unilateral action.

As a member of the imperial investigation team, she wouldn’t be lost. King Clifford was constantly watching, so they couldn’t have a deeper conversation.

“Oh my, it’s our turn next. Noah.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Did you take good care of the grapes? What if they got crushed?”

“Don’t worry about that, just be careful going down the stairs.”

As the Astana delegation stepped down from the platform, Clifford’s side moved busily.

“Where is Sir Ian?”

“He’s outside the banquet hall.”

“I have something to tell the Magic Department, please guide me.”

“Yes, this way.”

As soon as Hasha came down, he looked for Ian. He needed to quickly share the information he had found in the doll. He walked through the dancing nobles and soon exited the grand banquet hall.

Tap tap.

Near the grand banquet hall, in the hallway.

Unlike the noisy inside, the hallway was quiet, and Hasha encountered a mage from the Magic Department. After saying something to him, the mage immediately guided him to a separate building on the opposite side of the banquet hall.

“Sir Ian, the King of Astana has requested a brief meeting.”

“Bring him in.”

Squeak.

As the door opened, the golden-eyed mages sprawled on the sofa were immediately visible. They didn’t have the strength to get up even at Hasha’s visit, merely nodding their heads as a sign of respect.

“What brings you here, King Hasha?”

“…Sir Ian, are they all alright?”

Unlike the mages who couldn’t hold themselves up and were lying down, Ian was sitting at his desk, reviewing reports. He looked considerably paler than he had in the banquet hall, but other than that, he seemed fine.

Ian shrugged, looking around at the mages.

“Well, it would be a lie to say they’re all fine, but it’s more accurate to say they’re holding up. I’d like to be polite, but as you can see, it’s not easy, so I apologize.”

“Nonsense, not between us! I was also a comrade who fought on the battlefield with the mages. Speak comfortably.”

“No. This is an official event. There are many who are watching and listening, so I will keep to the rules. Perhaps, is it about the doll I requested earlier?”

“That’s right. Catimaco.”

At Hasha’s call, Catimaco stepped forward and placed the doll and the dried fairy on the table. The mages, shuffling and rolling, cleared the sofa.

Ian shook hands with Catimaco, who looked like a child, without any particular reaction. It was thanks to Beric’s loud and clear message beforehand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Catimaco.”

“I’m Ian Hielo, the head of the Magic Department.”

“To get straight to the point, it is a doll related to a curse. A doll made of human skin is a very traditional method. Most of the time, they use a part of the target’s body, usually something easy to obtain like hair. But-”

“That won’t do.”

“Yes. He is the Crown Prince of the Bariel Empire. If the doll’s silver hair is his, that’s a problem in itself. It means there is a traitor within the palace, and very close at that.”

“As a result of the investigation, we have confirmed that all materials, including the human skin, are of unidentifiable origin.”

“I expected as much. Because of this dried fairy.”

Thud.

Catimaco placed the fairy corpse wrapped in cloth in front of Ian. The mages who had retreated slowly stretched their necks out. When would they ever see a fairy corpse in their lives?

“Do you know about Laromedia?”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“I’ve only seen it a handful of times myself. It’s known to mainly inhabit the northern and southern poles of Gaia.”

Ian gestured to Romandro. He was instructing him to check if there was any information related to Laromedia in the imperial archives.

Romandro quickly took out a notepad and began writing diligently with his pen, and Catimaco, considerate of him, continued slowly.

“Laromedia is a species that cultivates flowers and consumes them. I don’t know exactly how it works, but it’s said that when you come into contact with it, it causes hallucinations, and eventually, you show a mental disorder reaction where you believe it to be real.”

“Hallucinations?”

“Yes. Because of that characteristic, it was often used in propaganda in the past. The content of the puppet show seems important. If it’s negative and wicked, we can assume that the puppeteer was trying to inject that content into an unspecified number of people.”

Ian and Romandro’s eyes met at the same time.

The content was so disrespectful and dangerous that it was impossible to even mention it. It dared to question Crown Prince Jin’s qualifications.

“Is it effective?”

“Since it’s a dried corpse, it’s incomparably weaker than when it was alive. However, like clothes getting wet in a drizzle, if it’s repeated countless times, the effect will definitely be there.”

Ian rubbed his forehead for a moment. A force seeking to overthrow the imperial palace had infiltrated Bariel. Since they hadn’t caught the puppeteer, they didn’t even know if they were a citizen or not.

Romandro chewed on the back of his pen and lamented.

“I should have grabbed his pant leg back then and shown him what’s what! Oh, for goodness sake!”

“Has a habitat of Laromedia ever been found near Bariel?”

“I’m not sure about that. As I said, I haven’t seen it much myself. From what I’ve heard, the most recent news is that it’s near Toolun.”

Toolun.

As soon as he heard it, a connection flashed through Ian’s mind. Rutherford and Vergos, and the underground forces that wished for the downfall of Toolun and Bariel.

Ian carefully organized the fairy corpse and handed it to Romandro. It was an order to keep it safe.

“Understood. First of all, thank you for your help.”

“If there’s anything to add, I’ll let you know then and there. And feel free to ask any questions.”

“Yes, how was your audience with His Highness?”

“He welcomed me so warmly that I didn’t know what to do.”

“That’s good. Please return to the banquet hall and enjoy the food and drinks. We’ll also wrap things up and head back.”

Hasha and Catimaco looked at the mages. They were barely standing, so they wondered if they could do anything. Above all, what about the war?

“Will you join the war later?”

“No. We’ll join together. Everyone is thoroughly distributing and controlling their magic power. The time it takes to reach Vergos from the center is also a gap where we can recover, so we plan to actively use it. The Magic Department is also producing its own recovery potions. You don’t have to worry about anything in Astana.”

“I worry as a king and as your friend.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Ian smiled, and Hasha patted his shoulder. It was a signal that he would go out first.

As the guests from Astana left the waiting room, the legs of the mages who were barely standing gave way, and they all rolled onto the floor.

Thud.

“Oh, I’m really going to die. Can’t you treat this as an industrial accident? I think I’d feel better if I got some financial therapy.”

“Everyone, clean up and come out.”

“Sir Ian. Are you leaving already? Can’t we rest a bit more?”

“Yeah, let’s rest a little more! Everyone in the banquet hall is busy playing and eating anyway.”

“It’s shift change.”

“Ah, I’m going crazy, really. I don’t know why the break time always feels so short!”

“You idiot, it actually is short.”

Squeak.

Ian left the waiting room with Romandro and turned towards the banquet hall. Then, in the distance, he saw someone slowly entering.

A woman in Hawan delegation attire, her face covered. She seemed to pause for a moment when she saw Ian, but then walked naturally towards the entrance of the banquet hall. Little by little, the distance closed.

“Please go in.”

“……”

Ian naturally opened the door, and the woman just nodded and quickly stepped inside. Ian’s brow furrowed as he watched her.

“Romandro.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t that a back view we’ve seen somewhere before?”

“I don’t know. Why? Does it look familiar?”

Romandro also stared intently at the woman, but he couldn’t get a sense of it.

With an unknown look, Ian followed her inside.