Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 635

“Siaoshi.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

The response was very subtle, slightly slower than usual.

Jin, who was reviewing documents, turned to look at Siaoshi. He was looking at his lord with his usual calm face, but Jin sensed a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“…No, Your Majesty. What is the matter?”

“There isn’t enough space inside Kalamat Castle, so I was thinking of moving the soldiers’ training grounds outside. Minister Tweller was supposed to submit a report on this. Hasn’t it arrived yet?”

“Ah, that report is scheduled to be submitted this afternoon.”

“Siaoshi, you seem uncomfortable about something.”

When Jin finally put down his pen and frowned, the attendants waiting by the door exchanged puzzled glances. Sir Siaoshi was no different from usual. Wasn’t he always slow and composed? The attendants bowed, trying to gauge the Emperor’s mood, and Siaoshi remained silent for a moment.

“Tell me. Is there a problem?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“It’s not ‘no.’ I can’t be fooled.”

“…I was just thinking about the management of the Vergos territory.”

‘Oh? Look at this?’ Jin crossed his arms, dumbfounded. He was talking about managing the territory, but Jin knew exactly what was in his heart. It was about Lady Chloe.

He was completely distracted. Jin decided he couldn’t let this continue and pulled a chair over, tapping it.

“Sit here.”

Lady Chloe was not a suitable partner for Siaoshi. Wasn’t it obvious what kind of person she was? Even putting aside the rumors from society, the fact that she had drunk a potion of Acorella [a potent, possibly poisonous substance], in one gulp for the sake of the Empress’s position, made it clear that she was not the right person for Siaoshi. A more virtuous lady would be more suitable for him.

Knock knock!

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. Minister Ian Hielo has urgently returned.”

But then, a sudden message came from outside. It had only been a few days since he had left for Tolun, but already? Jin was surprised and jumped up, and Siaoshi also hardened his expression. Could it be that he had returned due to some unfortunate event?

“Sir Ian? Where is he now?”

“He is with the Magic Department.”

“Lead the way.”

Tap tap!

Jin urged the attendant and walked quickly. In the distance, he could see mages gathered in the central hall of the palace. And unlike his worries, Ian looked perfectly fine.

“I-Ian, sir. How did you come back so early?”

“No, I’m so glad you’re back safe. Yes, I’m really glad… I’m just a little flustered.”

“No? Ian! They’re disappointed they couldn’t slack off, aren’t they?”

“Shut up, Beric. What do you know?!”

“Yeah! What do you, what do you know, you bastard! You’re the one who plays around every day! Do you know our hardships? Huh? You eat the most!”

“Oh~! If you get angry, it means you admit it, you’re caught~!”

“I’m going to kill that bastard halfway today.”

“You should hold back. If you fight a mad dog, you won’t gain anything even if you win.”

A welcoming yet bewildering, but familiar atmosphere. The hall was filled with chaos after a long time. Not only Ian, but also Beric, Hale, and Barsabe had returned without any major injuries.

“But Ian, sir, what is that?”

A mage pointed to a strange figure standing awkwardly behind them. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be from the northern minority group they had seen before, but they didn’t know how he had come through the portal with Ian.

“There was a reason for that.”

“His name is Nabu. I caught him hiding in the Imperial Palace. From now on, he’ll be used like a bag. I also raided the Acorella lab, hehe.”

“What? Ian, sir, did you come from Bariel?”

“No, what on earth is going on…”

They couldn’t understand. How did their superior, who had gone to Tolun, come from Bariel, and how did this Nabu, or whatever he was called, manage to hide in the Imperial Palace?

Ian looked up without any particular reply and soon found Jin through the railing.

“Your Majesty.”

“Sir Ian. Why have you returned so early?”

“I rescued my mother and took her to Bariel, and I’m on my way back. I will explain the details later.”

Ian asked Hale to take care of the cleanup and went up the stairs.

The mages, who had been watching him, unconsciously shook their heads. They trusted and followed Ian, but sometimes they thought he was really going too far.

“In just a few days, he rescued Philea from the unfamiliar land of Tolun and took her to Bariel…”

They just stared blankly at Hale’s face, asking if it was true.

Hale, as if asking if they couldn’t see, told them to stop standing around and move the luggage, gesturing towards Nabu with a cigarette in his mouth.

* * *

“So, Philea is safe?”

“Yes, thankfully.”

Jin couldn’t help but be amazed and let out a small exclamation. In that short time, a storm-like event had really happened in Tolun.

In addition, Ian had left behind some diplomatic issues, so if they were resolved well, all that was left was to advance north. It was literally a setup.

“The Imperial Palace is aware of the current situation. However, Bariel is currently focusing all its efforts on monitoring the situation of Hawan and Ruswena, so it would be best if we took the lead and issued a statement.”

“Alright. Let’s officially raise an objection based on the testimony of Katimaco and Philea.”

“Tolun will probably deny everything. Especially in the case of Katimaco, since he is from Astana.”

Astana was a country made up of northern minorities. There was no way Tolun would trust the testimony of such a person.

But all of that was just a superficial process. In the end, the only thing that would bloom between the two countries was war. A war bearing the will of God.

“I understand the situation well. Let’s send an official letter to Tolun right away. It will probably take more than two weeks to get the Emperor’s seal.”

The Emperor’s command was so solemn that it could not be carried by a messenger bird. Therefore, all the orders given to Bariel so far had been delivered in the form of reports from the Imperial Defense Department or the Magic Department. However, any means were acceptable for Bariel to send messages to the Emperor.

“Will the time be sufficient?”

“The time is always sufficient before the Emperor’s command. We are also prepared to depart at any time. However-”

“However?”

“If it weren’t for the request of the Holin family. What are the Holin mother and daughter doing?”

He was referring to the request to station Bariel soldiers until they could establish a base in Vergos.

If it weren’t for that, the Bariel soldiers were in such excellent condition that they could have marched to Tolun right away. Their morale was high, and they were in top physical condition without being hungry or injured. That was because the Magic Department had led the way through most of the difficult path they had taken.

“Lady Kyla seemed to be working in the castle, and Mrs. Danit seemed busy trying to win over the central nobles. It seems that most of them are sending their support to the Holin family since there are no other options. The atmosphere is not bad.”

The standard method was to consolidate the central nobles and then expand their power to the provinces. Since Acorella had already left to develop the mines, there would be some kind of reaction from the provinces as well. Ian nodded, saying it was good.

“How is the public sentiment?”

“Many people see the Holin family as a link between Vergos and Bariel. It seems that they were initially negative, but they turned around when they promised support. It must be difficult due to the aftermath of the long war.”

The Holin family was a branch of the Runkvis royal family, so to the people, they were all the same. Anyone who ended the war and normalized the country was ready to cheer.

It didn’t seem like it would take long for the Holin family to become independent in Vergos.

“I understand. Then, from now on, we will focus on observing Tolun. We can continue to monitor the situation and set a date for departure.”

“Alright. And Sir Ian, take a look at this for a moment.”

Jin snapped his fingers at an attendant. Then, the attendant brought out a well-dried document from an old storage box. It was paper that looked like it would crumble if touched. The traces of time were immeasurable.

“What is it?”

“It was found at the very bottom of the underground archives of Kalamat Castle. It’s about an ancient temple, and it’s strange because it’s unfamiliar yet somehow familiar. I think you might know what it is, Sir Ian.”

The letters were almost erased by dust. Moreover, most of it was in ancient Vergosian. Jin also handed over a translated version next to it. It was a simple translation done with the help of archaeologists in Kalamat.

-…Monsters are rampaging everywhere. We live every day longing for death, but why is there no response from God? We are crying out until our throats bleed, but can God not hear us? Then what were the prayers we have made so far? If God cannot hear even this great cry, what did we pray to? Even if God has wonders, what does it mean if he does not see us? Can we call God God?

Ian paused. It was very familiar, just as Jin had said.

Ian turned the page to check the source. The location was not precisely recorded, but it was a small temple in the southeast, Palakam. And the speaker was…

“Priest Raju?”

“Do you know something about it?”

“Your Majesty. Priest Raju is a person who is also recorded in the records of Bariel.”

“In Bariel too?”

“Yes, I remember it was the Hamangmer Temple. According to the records of Priest Raju at the time, he predicted that Arsen would not have a shadow.”

It had been more than 10 years for Jin, but it was only recently for Ian. The clarity of memory was bound to be different from Jin’s.

“…Is it the same person?”

“I don’t know. It could just be a coincidence that they have the same name. But the recorded content is very similar, so it would be good to investigate.”

“According to the archaeologists, the damage from monsters was so severe in Vergos at the time that many temples other than Palakam had such blasphemous records. It is said that it shows how strong the backlash was, a part of history. It was even influential in the decision of the state religion.”

This was different from Bariel. In Bariel, Priest Raju’s remarks were considered blasphemy and he was immediately executed, but in Vergos, it was formed by public opinion with the support of the people.

‘…The starting point that divided God’s blessings.’

Could this be where the difference between Bariel, chosen by God, and Vergos, which was not, began?

Ian stroked his chin, deep in thought. If the mysterious Priest Raju was the same person, this was part of the ‘black seed’ that Rutherford had mentioned. The shadow of God that was quietly taking root and trying to strangle Bariel to death.

“How amusing.”

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“If Priest Raju’s actions were the work of the shadows trying to threaten Bariel, it’s amusing that it led to Arsen’s expulsion. They stabbed each other.”

“That’s right. It’s the height of foolishness.”

Ian smiled faintly. He understood Jin’s intention. And more than anything, he was proud of Jin’s attitude when mentioning Arsen. The fact that he could say that name so calmly and indifferently meant that Arsen was already a faded past for him.

“Anyway, for now, the priority is to keep Tolun in check, but this incident will lead them to increase their military strength. What should we do about this?”

At that question, Ian nodded as if he had been waiting for it.

“It didn’t seem like they had the capacity to increase their forces internally. The spiritists in charge of guarding the palace have clear limitations compared to the mages. So they will either hire mercenaries or try to scheme through ‘that temple’.”

Since they cannot confront them head-on, they will surely move to carry out schemes from behind.

Ian muttered, stroking the document that felt like it would crumble.

“Therefore, I have a plan in mind.”