Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 652

“The sun has risen.”

“Indeed. The day has passed.”

The two mages on duty mumbled, staring blankly at the morning sun. It was the first sunrise since Ian and Beric had entered the painting. Ian’s words, that there might be a problem if they didn’t return by the next day, echoed in their minds. They sighed softly, then rose from their seats and headed to the duty room.

Creak.

“Hey. Everyone, wake up.”

“…Ugh. Is Ian back?”

“He hasn’t returned.”

Most of them had worked overtime and fallen asleep in the early hours, so waking up was difficult. Their faces were swollen, and their voices were hoarse. However, upon hearing that Ian had not returned, everyone’s eyes widened. They had expected him to be back when they woke up…

“Haaam. He’s not back? And Beric too?”

“If Ian isn’t back, how could he be?”

“Could something have happened?”

The situation in eastern Bariel was indeed unsettling, but the Minister of Magic’s place was by the Emperor’s side.

Moreover, with the war against Toloon looming, Ian’s judgment would have been to prioritize returning and ensuring no loss of power in Kalamat, if there was any issue.

“And yet, he hasn’t returned.”

Hale rubbed his stubbly beard. He pondered for a moment, then got out of bed and put on his robe.

“I will go see His Majesty. We will decide which mages to mobilize this morning, so everyone be prepared.”

“Understood. We’re heading to Hielo, right?”

“It’s quite a distance, so I’ll draw the magic circle in advance. Calculating the formulas will take until the afternoon.”

“Yes, I’ll help too.”

The mages stretched one by one, tidying up their bedding.

As Hale turned away absentmindedly, he happened to catch his reflection in the wall mirror. Would it be rude to see His Majesty like this? Hale examined his face, then, deciding it was fine, he left the room.

The morning in Kalamat was so quiet that it didn’t feel like wartime. The air outside was hot, but the palace was filled with a chill due to the marble.

Tap tap!

Just as Hale entered the corridor leading to the Emperor’s chambers, a group of people rushed towards him from the opposite direction. They all looked pale and frantically waved at Hale as soon as they saw him.

“Are you Commander Hale of the Magic Department?!”

“I am.”

“This way! Please come quickly! It’s urgent!”

Though bewildered by the sudden urgency, Hale instinctively quickened his pace and entered the Emperor’s office with them. Despite the early hour, Jin was already at his desk, dressed in his crisp uniform.

Knock knock.

“Your Majesty. Something terrible has happened!”

“What is it so early in the morning? Is it related to Ian?”

“No, it’s not that… the, the dried-up Vergos River is flowing again.”

At the unexpected report, Jin raised his head, looking puzzled. Hale was the same. They had been worried about drought due to blocking the river upstream, but if that was resolved, wouldn’t it be a good thing?

However, Jin had no choice but to jump up at the words that followed.

“B-but, the water is a bit black and murky, which is strange. No one has drunk it yet, but a donkey that touched it staggered and collapsed. It seems Toloon is up to something, but we, we don’t know what to do… we apologize.”

“What?”

Jin’s question was filled with anger. He had thought they were simply blocking the river to disrupt farming, but it wasn’t. It was a process of preparing to inflict greater and more certain damage.

“Are they mad? How dare they harm Gaia’s land [Gaia is the name of the world].”

People can die, but the land must not. People live in the present, but the land lives for the future.

It was such an unexpected action that Jin was speechless for a moment.

“How much is the river flowing?”

“It’s about one-tenth of the original level now, but it’s increasing rapidly.”

There wasn’t much they could do with their current power. Unless they went up to Toloon to investigate and resolve the source of the problem.

Jin covered his forehead, looking troubled. It didn’t seem related to Bariel right now, but this was a huge problem.

Although Rutherford was the main reason, Bariel had made considerable sacrifices for the war. If the land of Vergos were to die on top of that, the losses Bariel would suffer would be uncontrollable.

Moreover, the river also flowed towards Clifford. It would inevitably damage the crops, and if that happened…

‘The entire Gaia continent will become more dependent on Luswena for food.’

It was quite difficult. It was a problem on a different level than just the land drying up.

As Jin bit his lower lip in contemplation, Hale added quietly.

“This isn’t something one spirit mage from Toloon could do. If we follow the river upstream, we will surely encounter those who are wary of Bariel’s advance.”

It even felt like they were being lured to come up.

Jin was silent for a long time, then looked up at Hale.

“Commander Hale.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Can you open and maintain a portal without Ian? And for how long?”

“…A portal, you say?”

It was a sudden question, but Commander Hale quickly grasped Jin’s intention.

“If it’s the width of the river, about seven people could take turns for about five days. Of course, Commander Acorella’s potions would be essential. That’s the maximum.”

“Y-Your Majesty, what are you talking about…?”

A courtier asked, looking back and forth between Jin and Hale with a bewildered expression. Where were they going to open a portal? In the river?

“What if we open a portal towards Toloon and return the flowing wastewater? Is that possible?”

“Theoretically, it’s possible, but there are many risks. First of all, opening a portal on the ground rather than in the sky requires skilled technique. If it’s not Ian, well, it might take some time. And secondly, if a portal opens, we can send the river water to Toloon, but-”

Hale shook his head without realizing it.

“You must keep in mind that they can also come to Kalamat. It’s like opening a path that leads directly to Your Majesty in front of the palace.”

Ordinary soldiers would not be able to go against the current, but it would be different for water spirit mages. They would surely use the path connected by the portal, and no one could guess what dangers that would bring.

‘But what’s certain now is that the power of a mage is needed to stop the river flow.’

Suddenly, Jin, realizing this, looked at Hale in surprise.

“What is it?”

“It’s strange.”

“What is…”

“That they released the river now, when Ian isn’t here.”

If Toloon had truly decided to kill the lands of Vergos and Clifford, now was not the right time. The Bariel mages were right there in the Kalamat palace. They would be thinking about which method would be best, not worrying about what they couldn’t stop.

“…Yes. That’s a reasonable deduction. If Toloon had truly intended to do this, they would have released the river water right after the main Bariel army left Kalamat. It would be difficult to respond during the move, and if they were lucky, the Bariel army would find out about the river’s anomaly later.”

“But these guys caused trouble even though they knew we were in Vergos. It’s as if they want the mages to ‘respond’.”

“…Ian didn’t return last night.”

Snap!

Jin snapped his fingers as if he understood now.

“They did this because of Ian.”

At the somewhat harsh tone, the courtiers lowered their heads slightly and avoided eye contact. Jin seemed displeased, so it was a natural habit, even if they had done nothing wrong.

“It seems Ian went to Merelof and Hielo because there was a problem there. And he hasn’t returned. This means that what we feared is true, and the only ones who could cause this are Hawan and Luswena.”

“In Hawan, the existence of a puppeteer is suspected due to Shatima’s death.”

“And puppeteers share their senses. Is that correct?”

At Jin’s question, the courtiers nodded. A puppet of a puppet, and another puppet of that puppet… Wherever a puppeteer was, the king of Toloon could perceive the situation with his five senses.

If so, then…

“Ian must be confronting Luswena or Hawan. They have a puppeteer.”

“Y-Your Majesty, are you saying… that Toloon caused this at the right time to keep the mages from providing support?”

“That’s right. And that also means that Ian needs support.”

“Oh, my, then what should we do…”

They had figured out Toloon’s intentions, but that was a separate matter. The river water was still flowing endlessly.

It was time for Jin to choose. Only the gods would know what the right answer was.

“The Magic Department, prepare the portal.”

Did he choose Ian?

As the courtiers were about to bow, another order was added.

“Match it to the width of the river.”

“Then-”

“Set the destination to the great desert adjacent to Hielo and Luswena.”

If it was there, the wastewater wouldn’t matter for now. It was already a dead land where not a single blade of grass grew.

Moreover, the possibility of enemy counterattacks was low. They had some understanding of the Luswena terrain, and from Bariel’s perspective, mages were easier to deal with than unfamiliar spirit mages. The difference in power was a problem, but… if they joined forces with Ian, what was there to worry about?

“Understood.”

Hale bowed his head, accepting Jin’s order. The maintenance time would be shorter due to the distance, but it didn’t matter.

He bowed respectfully and then hurried outside. In front of the palace square, mages were gathered in small groups, looking at the ground.

“Commander Hale! You’re back quickly. What did His Majesty the Emperor say?”

“No, wait a minute. Commander! Can you look here first? This bastard keeps putting in strange formulas.”

“If you don’t know, just stay still. This is correct, okay?”

“Wanna bet? The loser has to do a week’s worth of work for the winner.”

“Come on. Thanks to you, I’ll get a week’s paid vacation.”

“No! If you’re confused, leave it blank and draw it, you morons!”

“You stay out of it and draw the right side properly!”

Hielo. The eastern end of Bariel.

It was a place so far away that even Ian couldn’t easily go there. If it hadn’t been for the message that came through the painting, he probably wouldn’t have gone.

“…Everyone, stop moving.”

“Yes?”

Hale ordered, taking out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth.

Stop moving? Something felt uneasy. The mages paused and looked up at Hale.

“Wh-why?”

“Erase that and draw it again. On the riverbed there.”

“Yeeeees?!”

“And Tommy, Nakina. You two go to Hielo first through the painting and find Ian. I’ll mark the coordinates for the portal opening on the map, so check it.”

“Wait a minute! How are we supposed to draw this on the riverbed? It’s hard enough to draw on the smooth marble floor!”

Tommy and Nakina slipped away from drawing the magic circle, saying ‘Yay’. Hale nodded his head towards the river.

“The river is flowing.”

“Yeeeees?!”

“We’re going to send it through the portal. We need to design it.”

“No, you crazy! How are we supposed to draw a magic circle on the water…”

“Wh-wh-who?”

Who else could it be? Hale stepped onto the railing and flew up. His destination was obvious. The breast of Vergos that crossed Kalamat [referring to the river].

“I’ll find a good floor. Record the magic circle as it is and bring it over.”

“We can’t do it! Absolutely not!”

“Try saying that in front of Ian.”

At the mention of Ian, the mages’ cheeks puffed up. But what could they do? There was no other way. If they were told to do it, they had to do it, they had no choice but to do it.

“Okay. We’ll do it. We’ll do it.”

“No, but how are we supposed to do it? Seriously.”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out somehow.”

The mages grumbled but followed Hale, flying.