Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 534

“Just a moment.”

Repin frowned at Ian’s gesture to wait. They had already waited this long, and now again?

From the beginning, the Bariel side had been subtly criticizing Lusweena for being late, but in truth, they were not at fault. Strictly speaking, it was the other countries that had arrived early; Lusweena had entered the Imperial Palace on time.

From that perspective, Lusweena was the one who should be angry. How could they start the banquet when not all the guests had arrived?

Repin stroked his mustache, then gestured to his attendants to step back.

“I don’t know how much longer we’re supposed to wait.”

“Exactly. There’s a limit to how much they can dawdle.”

“Tsk, tsk. The great Bariel Empire is nothing special. With their work ethic like this, how can anything run properly?”

“Hush. They’ll hear you.”

“Let them hear. If it’s like this from the start, the end is obvious. Repin, what do you say we return before the coronation?”

“Oh, no. We have His Highness Elderat’s orders.”

“Still, this is no way to treat us.”

“Yes. Even if our relationship is strained, it’s not like war has been declared. They’re drawing a line. They say Lusweena and Bariel are going their separate ways.”

“Behave yourselves. Behave.”

Repin scolded them, glancing at the mages. He was full of bluster and complaints, but he was worried that the real mages might hear them. Fortunately, the mages were huddled together, whispering among themselves, and didn’t seem to be paying attention to them.

Grrr.

The dragon’s jaw rested on Repin’s head. It seemed bored from being tied up for so long. Startled, Repin relentlessly struck the dragon’s neck and belly with his staff.

Thwack!

“You insolent thing, how dare you!”

“Oh, Repin. You mustn’t damage it. It’s a tribute.”

The dragon, seemingly unfazed by the beating, still wore a blank expression.

The mages, who had been huddled together, glanced at them and muttered.

“Isn’t this like King Elderat asking us to assassinate him? Are we really supposed to send Repin, or whatever his name is, back alive?”

“Let’s send him back alive. That’ll make Elderat burst with frustration.”

“That’s reasonable and good. No need to go to war.”

“That vile mustache. I’d like to tear it off, ugh.”

“And the dragon too. I mean, even if they sent one, why did they send such a dim-witted one?”

“Isn’t it just a big lizard with wings?”

“Even if that’s the case now, the Magic Department will take over after the audience. How can other departments handle it? It’s going to be deployed right after the coronation, and there are many problems.”

“We can’t even use it in the war because of international agreements. It’s a complete nuisance, a huge Beric [a large, cumbersome object or problem]!”

“At least Beric participates in battles.”

“Ian, what should we do?”

The mages, who had been chattering like crazy, all looked at Ian at the same time, as if asking for a solution.

Ian pondered for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“No disturbances, no matter how minor, should occur.”

“Of course. Not on a day like today!”

Lusweena had already hinted that if they couldn’t bring the dragon into the banquet hall, it would be considered a sign of disrespect. In other words, the solution now was to bring the dragon inside for the audience, while ensuring there were no safety issues.

“But the dragon looks a bit dim-witted. If we tell it to stay still, wouldn’t it be okay?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? It’s not a dog. How do we know what kind of devices those Lusweena bastards have installed? What if it suddenly gets agitated and destroys everything? What if something happens to His Highness? It’ll be a headache.”

“Then we’ll just take off Muffin’s head.”

“Repin. The one who wants that guy dead the most is Elderat-”

“Acorella. Can you reduce its size?”

“Huh?”

The mages paused at Ian’s question. What are you talking about? How could they shrink something that big? Everyone stared blankly at Ian, then turned to Acorella. She was uncharacteristically hesitant, scratching the tip of her nose.

“I think there might be a related potion.”

“…Oh, there is, but…”

“There is? There’s such a thing? Why, why did you make it?”

“It’s still in the experimental stage and can’t be used. It was made for humans, so we have no idea what kind of reaction it would have on a dragon, absolutely no idea.”

“No, Captain. Why did you make something like that?”

“Shut up, you guys! What do you think? Huh? Did I do it to mess with Ian?”

“Wow, that’s crazy. You’re insane.”

The mages shook their heads in disgust, while Ian stroked his chin. Bringing it inside directly was the best option, but if that was impossible, there was no other choice.

“Then we will proceed with a flat trajectory.”

Flat trajectory? What’s that?

Just as he was about to add an explanation, Repin, who had been constantly hitting the dragon, shouted in frustration.

“How long are we supposed to wait? If the invitation was wrong, just say so! I will not blame you with a generous heart!”

His yelling was so loud it was dizzying.

In response, Acorella grabbed the sword at the guard’s waist with a blank expression, but the startled mages stopped her. Just as the atmosphere was about to become chaotic-

“Yes. Leave the dragon and enter.”

Repin, who had been ranting, turned around and looked at the face of the person who had spoken. It was Ian. His calm tone quickly quieted the Lusweena delegation.

“Leave the dragon? Is that acceptable?”

“The Magic Department will take care of moving it. It will be present during the audience, so Lusweena need not worry about not being able to show their prepared sincerity.”

With no experts on their side, it didn’t matter if one was on this side or that side. Ian turned his head, dismissing any further questions, and the guards cleared the way.

“Ahem. Move the luggage.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lift it properly! They are precious things!”

Repin gave the order irritably, then ascended the stairs with his attendants. Ian also gave orders to the mages and personally grabbed the rope around the dragon’s neck. Was he going to move it himself? Just for a moment. Ian handed the rope to Romandro.

“Everyone, back to your positions.”

“Yes, to our positions!”

“Romandro, please move the dragon to the park in the back. I will follow after modifying the banquet hall and nearby magic circles.”

“No, me, me, go alone? With this thing?”

“Please hurry. The mages have their roles, so it can’t be helped. They brought it here without experts, so that means it’s somewhat trained. Now, the portal will close! Go to the Magic Department one last time and confirm that there are no problems!”

“Yes, Ian! I’ll fly and be right back!”

“Wait a minute! Ian!”

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Clatter!

The mages scattered, and Ian coldly entered the banquet hall. Only Romandro, the guards, and the dragon were left.

“H-how am I supposed to do this?”

Romandro looked like he was about to cry and asked the soldiers for help, but they refused by averting their eyes. They didn’t have the authority to leave their posts, nor the courage to be with the dragon.

Saaak.

Then, a strange cry came from behind Romandro. He turned around, startled, and saw the dragon staring down at him.

The shadow deepened as its jaws slowly opened. Sticky saliva dripped from its sharp fangs, and Romandro staggered, feeling dizzy.

Ah. Romandro, a loyal subject of Bariel and a commoner, a family man. Leaving behind his beloved wife and daughter, he would die here, sacrificing himself for the Imperial Palace…?

“What? Why are you dancing here?”

“…Beric!”

At that moment, Beric appeared, firmly grabbing the side of Romandro’s head, who was staggering. For this moment, he was not a puppy but a reliable imperial guard and swordsman!

Romandro hugged Beric with tears in his eyes, and Beric, regretting his show of concern, looked disgusted.

“Ugh, let go of me. Are you crazy, that’s disgusting.”

“This, the dragon, sob. I don’t have any magic power, I have nothing… Ian, sob…”

“Oh, a dragon.”

Whack!

“……!”

Beric, as if he had found something very interesting, examined the dragon thoroughly, then opened his mouth wide and bit its neck. He wondered what it tasted like.

* * *

“I hear a commotion.”

Jin, who had been listening to the nobles’ conversation, gestured to Ian.

The people who had been chattering loudly lowered their voices, noticing the Crown Prince’s gaze, and the one who had been leading the conversation suddenly put his wine glass to his lips, postponing his words. It was a gathering to get the Crown Prince’s attention, but if he wasn’t focused, it was meaningless.

“I apologize. The delegation from Lusweena has arrived.”

“They’ve come early.”

It wasn’t sarcasm, but genuine. He had expected them to come tomorrow or later, but they had arrived roughly on time.

“They brought a dragon as a tribute, but we cannot bring it in as it is, so we are taking measures. Your Highness has nothing to worry about.”

It was a brief report, but it contained a lot. Lusweena’s deception, the pretense of sincerity, the cause of the commotion, and so on. Jin got up from his seat, and the nobles covered their faces with fans, looking dismayed.

“Elderat seems to have used his head a bit.”

“Yes. His actions are very similar to Eriphony’s.”

“What’s the solution?”

“The best thing would be for the dragon to go wild and take care of the Lusweena delegation. Then we wouldn’t be responsible, and we could use the excuse that they tried to bring a ferocious beast. Aside from dealing with unwanted guests, we could also indirectly express our opinion to Lusweena.”

“Isn’t that feasible?”

“The dragon’s temperament is too docile.”

That was unexpected, and Jin raised an eyebrow.

“And above all-”

Ian whispered, looking at the many eyes that were focused on Jin and himself.

“Given the ‘sacrifice of the dragon,’ we cannot make such a decision. I apologize, Your Highness.”

It was a myth that had been passed down since the beginning of time.

Until now, dragons had existed as weapons of humans and had played a major role in destroying the world. The god who watched this took away their power, and that’s how the dragons of today came to be.

The ‘Inviolable Pact’ was a vow between humans to commemorate this, and a promise not to sacrifice them to human greed any longer.

“I understand your intention. I also know about the ‘sacrifice of the dragon.’ It’s an issue that could cause problems both morally and diplomatically, so I will follow your opinion.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“So, all we have to do is bring in the Lusweena delegation?”

“Yes. The preparations are complete.”

“Let them in.”

At Jin’s command, Ian bowed his head and stepped back. Then, the banquet hall doors opened, and Repin and his delegation entered with dignified steps.

“Greetings, I am Repin, the representative of the Lusweena delegation. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“I heard you brought something very impressive. It’s not a long journey since Bariel and Lusweena are close, so I can only say you’ve arrived well.”

“…It seems that the infinite blessings of Bariel are finally shining. I cannot even imagine how great the future you lead will be!”

Repin knelt on one knee to greet him, and the Bariel nobles stirred greatly. Was that what they called a greeting? The blessings of Bariel are finally shining? Then what about before?

‘With that dirty mustache.’

‘What did you just say?’

‘There’s a thorn. From the beginning.’

“His Highness Elderat, who could not attend in person, is currently very regretful. Therefore, he has prepared this with that in mind. It is something precious that Bariel does not have…”

The attendants presented boxes filled with jewels and gold and silver treasures, and Repin only gave an awkward smile.

“This, well. The Magic Department wouldn’t release it. Not only Bariel but other countries are watching, so it’s embarrassing-”

Thwack!

Before Repin could finish his sentence, Ian lightly flicked his fingers, and a lawn instantly filled the banquet hall floor.

The surprised people murmured for a moment, then realized that it was not real but an opaque illusion.

“Your Highness. That is the dragon that was presented as a tribute.”

Thump.

A red dragon appeared in the middle of the banquet hall. People stepped back at its vivid appearance, but they realized it was also an illusion and exclaimed in admiration. All of this was the work of Ian, the head of Bariel’s Magic Department!

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Ian concentrated to maintain the dragon’s form. But it didn’t last long. He realized that something strange was attached to its back.

“What is that? On the dragon’s back.”

“Where? Oh, oh my?”

The hall was in an uproar. Everyone pointed at the dragon’s back and whispered, and then someone who recognized it shouted.

“…Beric!”