Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 641

‘It looks like it’s going to rain.’

At the servant’s mutter, Haena checked outside the window. The sky was indeed gloomy, as if it would pour down rain at any moment.

She ordered the servants to bring in the fabrics and food supplies that had been left outside, then went to find the stable keeper. Nersarn’s Kushile [a type of riding animal] seat was still empty.

‘Butler, what brings you here?’

‘Hasn’t Master Nersarn returned yet?’

‘No, I haven’t seen him since he went out earlier.’

‘…I see. Understood.’

Haena checked her pocket watch. It had already been an hour since he left the mansion. With a guest waiting, he couldn’t have gone far, so could something have happened? He had gone after a hawk, so perhaps something had happened near the border.

As Haena was pondering and about to go upstairs, she bumped into Lady Rien in the hallway.

‘Madam, is there anything you need?’

‘No, it’s not that. It’s just, has Master Nersarn…?’

‘I apologize. There’s no word from him yet. If you return first, I will make sure to contact you as soon as Master Nersarn arrives.’

‘No!’

Lady Rien had clearly raised her voice without realizing it. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, looking surprised.

Haena gestured for the watching servants to step back, then escorted the lady back to the guest room.

*Creak.*

‘Lady Rien, is something the matter?’

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I read the letter from Roel to Master Nersarn.’

‘Ah, yes. It’s my fault for not tidying up.’

Since Nersarn had left, what he had been reading must have been left scattered.

Rien touched her forehead with a slightly trembling voice.

‘Clark.’

‘Who?’

‘Clark. My… servant who went to Tolun.’

‘Ah! Yes, yes, I remember. That servant.’

Haena knew very well what Clark meant to Lady Rien. But, being careful not to be overheard, she slowly checked outside the door. Fortunately, there was no one in the hallway.

‘You can speak freely, Madam.’

‘It seems Sir Ian has met Clark.’

‘Yes? Where?’

‘I don’t know the details, but it was clearly written in the letter Roel sent. It seems he’s with Sir Ian, and I want to contact them. To get through to Sir Ian, I have to go through the Imperial Palace, so I was hoping you could help. Or perhaps I should go myself—’

‘Wait, just wait a moment. Please calm down, Madam.’

First Nersarn, and now Lady Rien was talking about leaving the territory! Haena’s vision went dark. What is love, really?

‘Don’t you remember what we were talking about just a moment ago? Hwan and Ruthwena could attack Hielro at any moment. Following Master Nersarn, I will say it firmly: Leaving the territory is absolutely not allowed.’

Since Hielro held the real power in the Mereloph territory, Haena’s words carried considerable weight. When Rien looked upset, Haena gently took her hand.

‘Please don’t be too disheartened. Wouldn’t it be enough to send a letter requesting a meeting with Clark? It may take some time, but given the circumstances, please wait a little longer.’

*Pat. Pat.*

Raindrops fell on the window. The sky had become as dark as night. Haena sighed softly and comforted Lady Rien.

‘Madam, I apologize, but Master Nersarn doesn’t seem to be returning, and it’s raining, so it would be best if you returned before it gets any darker.’

Rien nodded slightly. Haena called a passing servant from downstairs to prepare a carriage, and soon after, a bell rang, signaling that the coachman was ready.

‘Madam, I will contact you as soon as Master Nersarn returns. He will surely help you get in touch with Sir Ian.’

‘Yes. I’ll be waiting.’

‘Yes, please don’t be too upset.’

‘No, it’s alright. It was just a slip of the tongue.’

Rien reassured Haena not to worry, then got into the carriage.

The carriage carrying her sped along the familiar forest path towards Mereloph. The rain grew heavier, causing the carriage to shake violently, but Lady Rien kept her posture straight, staring out the window. She seemed lost in deep thought.

‘You there.’

‘Yes, Madam!’

As they were nearing Mereloph, Rien opened the window to the coachman.

‘Don’t go to the mansion, go to the Cheil Hotel next to the central complex park. I will meet ‘Balijwad’ there.’

‘Understood.’

Balijwad? She didn’t know what it was, but judging by the location, it seemed to be a merchant group that had come from Hwan. They all had their residences near the central complex.

The coachman pulled the reins sharply, turning the horse’s head to the side, and soon they reached their destination through the pouring rain.

‘We have arrived, Madam.’

‘Wait here for a moment.’

The hotel manager, recognizing Rien, quickly opened the door, greeted her, and welcomed her.

‘I wish to meet the head of the Balijwad merchant group.’

‘They are staying upstairs. Please wait here for a moment. I will inform them that Lady Rien has arrived.’

Balijwad was a relatively new merchant group from Hwan. However, they quickly rose to the center of the market with their unparalleled transport speed, becoming a leader in high-end services that mainly dealt with valuables.

Rien glanced at the paintings displayed in the hotel lobby.

‘Are these items they’ve been entrusted with?’

Small and large items were placed on the floor. The guards standing next to them bowed their heads whenever they made eye contact with Rien.

‘All the paintings depict empty rooms.’

Wasn’t that strange? It wasn’t like the style of painting was particularly impressive…

Rien was looking at the paintings without any suspicion when she was startled and widened her eyes. The sunlight shining through the windows in the paintings was moving slightly. As if they were alive.

‘Oh my, Lady Rien. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard you were looking for me?’

At that moment, the head of Balijwad came down from upstairs. When Rien was flustered and couldn’t take her eyes off the paintings, he chuckled.

‘Is there a mage here?’

‘No, there isn’t. Those paintings are painted with magic stones mixed in. It’s Balijwad’s secret method that allows same-day delivery, no matter the distance.’

‘…Anywhere?’

‘Unfortunately, that’s not the case. It’s only possible to designated locations. Madam, did you come with a request? If so, please come inside. Those are the lowest grade items that Balijwad manages.’

Rien opened her mouth in disbelief. The term ‘express delivery’ was the unexaggerated truth. It seemed they had rented the entire hotel, as paintings and guards were scattered throughout the hallways as she followed the head of the merchant group.

‘You have quite the eye. The manager who resides in the lobby doesn’t seem to notice at all.’

‘Surely. It’s the virtue of a servant to pretend not to know, even when they do.’

‘Is that so? Haha. We keep all the paintings on the floor because it’s dangerous to hang them on the walls. Please be careful as you walk. Ah. And although it’s late, I thank you. Thanks to your consideration, we are living very comfortably.’

Somewhere in the back alleys of the market. A vast meadow. A forest with a waterfall. A quiet road, and so on. All sorts of paintings were displayed. All these places were where Balijwad could travel.

‘If this was possible, why did you flee to Mereloph? You could have crossed over immediately.’

‘As you can see, the size of the paintings is a bit small, isn’t it? There are many things that can’t fit inside the paintings. And above all, the entrance and exit must exist simultaneously to have meaning. We have painstakingly opened paths all over Gaia, but if we were to cross over using this, it would be the same as closing the paths.’

Indeed, the paintings were so small that it was questionable whether a single person could fit inside. Balijwad sat on the sofa and asked.

‘Now, please speak freely, Madam. Since we are indebted to Mereloph, I will only charge half the usual fee for anything.’

‘I want to deliver a letter. And if possible, a person too.’

‘We can only take two people besides our staff.’

‘Even one is fine. The target is Ian Hielro, the Minister of Magic. It is presumed he is in Burgus Kalamat Castle, but I’m not sure. Can you deliver a message faster than a messenger bird?’

‘Ian Hielro, the Minister of Magic?’

Balijwad frowned as if in trouble.

‘I apologize, Madam. Balijwad does not accept political requests.’

Since they were people who freely crossed borders in the shadows, staying away from political matters was their way of survival. In fact, they wouldn’t have introduced the paintings to a stranger they had just met, but Lady Rien was the owner of the Mereloph territory they were indebted to.

‘It’s not a political request, it’s a purely personal one. If you want, you can check the contents of the letter.’

‘Hmm. Is that really the case?’

‘What is the cost?’

‘It varies depending on the weight of the item being delivered or the number of people being transported, but in this case, it’s twenty gold coins. By the way, twenty coins is half the price.’

They were like bandits. But there was no other way. It was impossible to guess how long it would take for a messenger bird from Hielro to reach the Imperial Palace and then be delivered to Ian.

When Lady Rien nodded in agreement, Balijwad bowed.

‘Thank you, Madam. Then, when shall we begin?’

‘If possible, right now—’

*Dong-! Dong!*

Lady Rien paused at the sudden sound of the bell. That sound, carried by the rain, was the alarm bell from Hielro. It was a signal for the territory’s people to return home and wait, as there was a security issue.

‘What is it, Madam?’

Something had clearly happened in Hielro, where they had been just a moment ago. Come to think of it, Nersarn hadn’t returned yet. Could it be related to that? If so, was it an invasion by Ruthwena?

Rien shrugged as if nothing was wrong and picked up the paper and pen on the table.

‘It must be nothing. It’s probably just a warning to be careful since the rain has suddenly become heavy. I will write the letter now, so please deliver it quickly. I will send someone to pay the fee by tomorrow morning.’

*Scribble.*

Lady Rien wrote the letter very concisely. If Ian were to find out that a merchant group from Hwan had crossed over to Mereloph, he would also be able to grasp the overall situation. She had to give him clues as much as possible, while excluding political content.

-Sir Ian. This is Rien of Mereloph. Has Clark returned? If so, please send him to Mereloph as soon as possible. Master Nersarn is away, so we are short on people.

Balijwad looked over the contents, smiled, and neatly folded the letter. It meant that this was not a problem.

‘Understood. We will head to the vicinity of Burgus immediately. The maximum time will be fifteen days. That includes the time it takes for us to travel back and forth.’

‘I see. If possible, within a week. If you do, I will pay an additional fee.’

As the head of the merchant group bowed, Rien immediately turned and went outside. The rain was pouring as if a hole had been torn in the sky.

Yet, the dull sound of the bell continued to ring. It was the moment everyone realized that Hielro was being invaded.