Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 592

Ting!

“Ugh.”

At the sound of the puppet string snapping, Kumasha, the king of Toolun, slightly opened his eyes.

A plain white puppet was barely hanging on by a single string. It was the last thread connected to the eyes of the Sword Master.

He had heard that the Astanas, a minority group, had participated in the Agiar battle, but he didn’t know that there would be puppeteers among them.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s a shame. I cut all the strings except for the eyes. I guess I’ll have to wear an eye patch for a while, so will I become a discarded piece?”

“It’s still too early to tell. Either way, they are still connected, aren’t they? There will surely be a time when they will be useful.”

“Is that so? Should I find meaning in having tied up one Imperial Guard? By the way, it was just as the rumors said. The Bariel Emperor had silver hair and blue eyes. I couldn’t see how big the wound was because I only saw half of it.”

Kumasha stretched and looked around.

The vast scenery of Agiar was laid out in miniature around him. The structure, and even the brick color and trees, were reproduced as closely as possible.

Sitting in the middle of it, he looked like a giant who had fallen from the sky. The child bent down and pulled out a long needle stuck in the crack of a shattered window.

“If I had just one more second, I could have finished it.”

“It seems it’s not the right time yet.”

“Is that so? And the Minister of Magic, Ian Hielo, was it? I was surprised because he looked much younger than I thought.”

“Is he as rumored? They say he has blonde hair and green eyes.”

“Uh-huh. That’s right. He was so bright and beautiful, so lovely that it was hard to believe he was a man.”

The child’s giggling echoed lonely in the huge hall. There were countless things in the shape of humans, but no one responded. Even the vassal who was attending to him kept his head down and pretended not to hear.

“……”

Kumasha must not laugh or cry out loud. Because he is the living god and absolute being of Toolun, there was a myth that the world would be disturbed if his existence showed emotion.

The child looked around with pale pink eyes, then strode over and picked up the first doll he could grab.

Thwack!

Then, with all his might, he mercilessly stabbed the doll’s face and abdomen with a dagger. As the cotton burst and the tied strings broke, he continued with another doll, and another, and another….

“Haa, haa……”

Behind the child, dozens of tattered dolls were scattered. Dolls of unknown origin, their bellies torn, necks broken, or limbs ripped off, had become trash. Those who were connected to them would have died without even knowing why.

At the vassal’s signal, servants came in and cleaned up the broken dolls, and Kumasha, who seemed to have calmed down a bit, threw himself towards the pile of dolls.

‘It’s frustrating.’

It was certainly a more comfortable life than when he was outside the palace, but the more comfortable it was, the more frustration Kumasha could not handle surged with anger. Kumasha hugged a pile of dolls in his arms and asked,

“How is the background production going?”

“Yes, it’s progressing without any problems. It will be completed before the Bariel army approaches, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

It was a great undertaking that had been started long ago. Not only himself, but the previous Kumasha, and the one before that, had all dedicated themselves to creating a ‘Toolun miniature background’ underground.

Once it was created, Kumasha and the others would truly become gods in this land of Toolun. They would be able to look into every place from their seats, immediately deliver divine punishment, and, like just now, inflict an inexplicable death on humans.

“I wish time would hurry up.”

Kumasha muttered, burying his face in the doll. He wished for the underground giant background to be completed soon, and for the Bariel army to advance into Toolun. So that it would bring a blood-stained joy to his boring and tedious daily life.

Knock knock.

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

At that moment, a servant’s presence was heard from outside. When he only tilted his head to look at the door, the servant held out only his hand while the door was open. It was because of the law that those of low birth below the nobility should not look directly at Kumasha.

The vassal took the gold tray instead.

“It’s a letter from Bariel.”

“Read it to me. I don’t want to do anything right now.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Rustle.

The vassal lightly read a short sentence, then smiled as if it were good news.

“It’s news that they have secured Philia, the mother of the Minister of Magic, Ian Hielo. It seems she hasn’t left Bariel yet.”

Oh ho. That’s good news. Kumasha muttered, tapping his toes.

“Tell them to bring her to Toolun quickly. If Ian Hielo resembled his mother, I’m really looking forward to it. Which doll would be good?”

This one? Or that one? The child tossed a few dolls around, then found a blonde, green-eyed doll lying underneath. It was a perfect match.

A satisfied smile melted onto Kumasha’s face, who had been annoyed just a moment ago.

* * *

“The country called Toolun is a bit different from the form of a country we generally know.”

Katimako sipped his tea and observed Ian. He had clearly moved from the dark interior to a bright place, but strangely, his complexion looked colder and darker. Strange? What happened while he was walking down the hallway?

At Katimako’s introduction, Ian nodded as if he knew it roughly.

“It’s a country where the king is elected.”

“Yes? Really? Is that even possible?”

“The Toolun people believe that the god they believe in manifests in the body of a human girl and rules Toolun. In order to recognize the existence of a god with human eyes, there are several conditions that must be met, and the child found in this way is placed on the throne and given the name ‘Kumasha’.”

“That’s right, Sir Ian. You know it exactly. All the kings of Toolun have been called Kumasha so far. Well, there have been problems in between due to those who tried to usurp power, but that’s not important now.”

Katimako moved his teacup to one side and continued.

“The ones who cast the spell on Captain Barsabe. I heard that they were definitely reinforcements from Toolun, is that correct?”

“That’s right. It was clearly revealed in the process of interrogating Rutherford and his remnants.”

“Then, there’s something you need to know. In my estimation, the king of Toolun, that is, Kumasha, is likely a puppeteer.”

The king of Toolun is a sorcerer?

At the unexpected words, Ian raised an eyebrow. Since he was the one who passed their own standards and became king, he had guessed that there would be something special about him.

However, nothing was known about those standards. It was necessary to find out more about whether it was simply a specialness in religious interpretation, or a specialness in ability itself.

“…What is the reason you think so?”

“Yes, first of all, about the overlapping puppets I mentioned earlier. Originally, to inherit someone’s power, you must have at least equal power, or even superior ability.”

“I understand the principle.”

“There was a chief puppeteer named Bagban, but he died. Nevertheless, the fact that the overlapping puppets were still effective means that another sorcerer who surpasses his abilities is stationed in Toolun.”

“But isn’t there no proof that it’s the king of Toolun? Like Bagban, couldn’t he be a vassal of the king?”

When a mage who had been listening quietly couldn’t resist his curiosity and raised his hand to ask, Katimako shook his head.

“Overlapping puppets are a much more powerful force than you think. If you compare it to magic, it’s almost on par with forbidden magic. Would there be a king in the world who would have not one, but two people who wield such power under his command? Even if he is a king built on religious beliefs… I don’t know.”

Not just any sorcerer, but a puppeteer. Someone who can control and manipulate people’s bodies and minds. If they were at the center of power, wouldn’t they be the kind of people that they would have to check and be wary of?

“And if there was someone with that much power in Toolun, there would definitely be word of it outside.”

“Isn’t it possible that we wouldn’t know because the country itself is closed off?”

“It’s closed off, but the royal authority itself is a very powerful and solid country. I think it’s a difficult phenomenon to explain if they exist separately. And decisively, there is another reason why I think the king of Toolun is a puppeteer.”

Swoosh.

Katimako began to write something down as he recalled his memories.

“Unlike Bariel, Astana is relatively close to Toolun. And there are a few people, including myself, who have visited Toolun for academic pursuits. Of course, I didn’t get to meet the king, but these are some of the conditions of Kumasha that I picked up at that time.”

-1. A clear voice that conveys the will of God as it is.

2. A vision that can see even the smallest part of the world greatly.

3. A wondrous power to lead the people…….

The things written below were all external criteria.

Ian immediately realized that the meaning implied in the sentences was quite strange.

“From the first to the third, it’s not unreasonable to consider them as the qualities of a puppeteer.”

At another time, he might have thought that it was simply based on religious values, but not now. In a situation where he was fixated on puppeteers, all interpretations were leading in that direction.

“That’s right. I didn’t give it any special meaning either, but when I suddenly thought about it, it’s strange. Considering all the circumstances, it seems that the king of Toolun is likely a puppeteer.”

The mages crossed their arms or rested their chins, lost in thought. Either way, it didn’t really matter whether their king was a puppeteer or a doll maker, since they were going to defeat him anyway.

However, the problem was Captain Barsabe’s vision. If it was definitely related to the king, they could also seek a solution through diplomatic means.

“How do we find traces of a puppeteer?”

“It’s not difficult. Puppeteers keep dolls close by, so they are easy to spot. Didn’t that guy Beric immediately suspect Bagban?”

“Is there anything else, like leaving traces like magic power? Is there any advice on how to investigate?”

“Well. I don’t know exactly what you mean.”

“Philia has gone missing.”

Clang!

The mage who was moving the teacup broke the cup. At the same time, the others did the same. They froze in place, only blinking their eyes wide, forgetting even to breathe.

Katimako was flustered by the sudden change in the mages’ reactions and turned his head from side to side.

“Who, who is Philia?”

“My mother.”

“Ah, your mother. Yes? Your mother has gone missing? Isn’t she in Bariel?”

“That’s right. That’s why it’s even more questionable. Vergos, Luswena, and even Hawan, all the neighboring countries that are suspected, don’t have the ability to do that, and there’s no reason to kidnap a mere minister’s mother. They would have taken action against the Imperial Palace instead.”

Then where else could it be?

The only force that would target Ian’s mother was the underground faction. It was a natural deduction that Toolun, which could be seen as their base, was the most suspicious.

“Ph, Philia-nim! She’s been kidnapped!”

“I’m going crazy, what is going on? Is this really true? Sir Ian! What could have happened to Philia-nim?”

“These crazy bastards! How dare they touch someone they shouldn’t! That person, huh?! She was an angel sent from heaven!”

“This bastard, he still has that incident in his heart. Sir Ian, we need to take care of this guy first.”

“No! This is not the time for you all to be talking nonsense. What about Lord Romandro? Is he alright?”

“He must be fine, since he sent a letter, right?”

“Wow, what should we do? Sir Ian! What should we do?”

The mages were making a fuss as if something had happened to their own mothers. Even Hale, who didn’t seem like he would be easily flustered, was wrinkling his nose and biting his cigarette.

Ian gestured for everyone to calm down and asked Katimako again.

“So, we need a way to find out. Is there anything you can help with?”