Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 665

“…Does anyone know what this is?”

A triangular box covered in indecipherable writing, three beads nestled in a corner, and a neatly folded white piece of paper.

The wizards huddled together, heads bent in concentration, but no clear answer emerged. Berik even sniffed at the beads, then tilted his head, admitting he didn’t recognize them either.

“It smells like… something, but maybe not. I’m not sure. Ian, can I eat this?”

“Are you crazy, you little brat! Put it down right now!”

Thwack!

“Agh!”

Berik, who had just been smacked on the head by a wizard, rolled around on the floor, but Ian simply ignored him and stepped over him.

Ian, having changed his top, sat back down and examined the contents of the box. The wizards watched him expectantly, then began muttering their own guesses.

“Seriously, what did Berik see that made him think this would be helpful? I have no idea what it’s even for.”

“Right? Berik, why did you bring this? You didn’t grab the wrong thing, did you?”

“No, I didn’t! It was definitely in the drawer. And there was a piece of paper with it, and I saw a sentence there. Something about going up a level, blah blah blah…”

“That ‘going up a level blah blah blah’ is important right now, you know?”

“Ah, maybe it’s a translation? If the writing inside is translated into Gaia’s common language?”

“That’s possible. Berik! You didn’t bring that, did you?”

“Uh. I don’t have anything like that.”

“Seriously, you’re so scatterbrained! Go back and get it!”

“What do you know? I thought I was going to die, you know? And it’s all burned down now!”

At the news that the wizard’s forest had burned down, a wizard from Ruswena paused. It was a place he had left behind, but it was also a place that held his life. The fact that it had burned down and disappeared filled him with regret and disappointment.

Ian gestured for him to come closer and asked,

“Are you sure you’ve never seen anything like this in the wizard’s forest?”

“Yes, it was a long time ago… but I’m sure. Judging by its unusual shape, it seems to have come from another country. To speculate further…”

“Beyond the Great Desert, to the East, bordering the Blaster Sea.”

“Oh, yes, yes. I suspect that as well. I’ve never seen anything like it in Gaia…”

Blaster? Berik perked up his ears at the familiar name.

“Huh? Blaster, that’s the place, right? Ian, when you were taking classes in Bratz, that teacher ran off in the middle of the night to go there.”

“He went there for research.”

“That’s the same thing. Anyway, that scholar who drew the Great Desert map. Right?”

“Your memory isn’t bad, Berik.”

If one of the Ruswena mercenary wizards was from the East, it could be assumed that new things had come in because of him.

With this new clue, the wizards tried to remember if there were any exotic-looking people among those they had faced.

“Everyone was so unique, it’s hard to remember.”

“Aren’t people from the East usually reddish in complexion?”

“Really? I don’t know. I’ve never seen anyone from that region.”

Even Toolun was a mysterious country, but a continent across the desert and bordering the sea was truly a distant place.

Ian looked around and instructed the wizards.

“There might be old books left somewhere in the mansion. Derga supported the tutor’s research. Let’s split up and look for them. If there are any translated parts, we can compare them to figure out the contents of the box.”

“It’s been over ten years, will there be any books left?”

“It’s not like outdated clothes or accessories. If it’s from the Hae family, they might have kept them organized.”

If Ian said so, then it was so. The wizards got up one by one and divided the areas, placing faint magic orbs in various windows of the mansion.

“Let’s divide into three groups: the main building, the annex, and the warehouse. Focus on the study, and search from left to right. Agreed?”

“Okay. Let’s move.”

“Berik, you idiot. Get up. How long are you going to lie there just because you got hit on the head?”

It was a commotion in the middle of the night. They searched through bookshelves that reached the ceiling, opened unknown boxes, and went deep into the warehouse, bringing out all the paper items.

While the wizards were busy moving, Berik kept sniffing the beads.

Then-

“Huh?”

It was the time when the sun was rising on the horizon. The tired wizards were slumped in the corners, dozing off.

Someone made a puzzled sound, then drew a deep breath and shouted.

“I found it!”

“Cough, wh-what? What did you find?”

“You found it? Where? Ugh, my throat hurts.”

A wizard with dark circles under his eyes ran to Ian with an old book. Ian, who had been looking at the bookshelves in the study, came down the ladder when he heard him.

“Ian! I found it! There’s writing in Eastern characters! It’s translated into Bariel on the left, and on the right, there’s something similar to the writing inside the box!”

“Oh, really! That’s it in the box!”

The wizards cheered and hugged each other.

Ian silently moved a cabinet to the side to make space. Soon, a pure white wall was revealed, and he unhesitatingly copied the writing from inside the box in large letters.

“Divide the books and assign them to each person. If you find something that matches the writing here, you will know its meaning.”

“Yes, sir.”

Swish! Swish!

Ian filled the wall with neat writing, and the wizards, who had torn pages from the book, quickly compared them, looking for similar characters.

“I found it! The second phrase in the first line, ‘to make.’ If you add the particle before it, it’s presumed to be ‘to make (something).’”

“The fifth phrase in the first line is the same as the seventh in the third line and the first in the fifteenth line. Please take note.”

“Ugh, I can’t see it. It seems like there’s nothing corresponding in what I have.”

“If you don’t have it, go to the front and add the interpretation.”

“The fifth phrase in the fourth line, ‘order.’ More accurately, it seems to be ‘to demand.'”

“No! It’s better to see it as ‘to request.'”

Berik sat on the windowsill, quietly watching them. The sound of paper flipping filled the air. Words were shouted from here and there as they found the meaning of a word.

Usually, they seemed like complete idiots, no different from himself, but seeing this, they must be wizards after all.

And at the center of it was Ian. He rolled up his sleeves and created the interpretations one by one.

Scribble. Scribble.

“Ah, done.”

Finally, plausible sentences were created. There were many gaps, but it was definitely different from when they were reading it without knowing anything.

They stared blankly at the wall and muttered.

“Is, is this right?”

-A magician from the East made __. This is to divide the sixth sense into __, and furthermore, the purpose is to achieve a higher level of __. Three subjects eat _ and combine their strength to create _. If you write that on __, the one who __ it can __ power close to __. As a precaution, the greater the difference in the __ of power, the more dangerous it is. And for the one who ate _ to recover, __ is needed. Finally, the time limit is within 100 years.

“There are more blanks than I thought. But I can roughly understand it.”

“Uh, so- yeah. Uh. I can roughly understand it.”

“But many important parts are missing. Judging by the fact that there are precautions, it doesn’t seem like something to take lightly.”

Ian was silent for a moment, as if organizing the contents in his head. And then, he muttered quietly.

“…It’s a method to create a new magic circle.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Create a new magic circle? That’s possible….

“Ah, ah! That’s right. You’re right, Ian! It’s almost similar to the origin of magic circles that have been passed down since ancient times.”

A magic circle [a pattern or symbol used to focus magical energy] is created by adding the energy shared by the ‘magicians of the wise,’ along with the principles of nature, the moment of fate, and the harmony and concentration of power.

Depending on the magician of the wise who is the originator of the magic circle, it is divided into high, medium, and low-level magic, which has been passed down through the ages, leading to the development of later magicians.

“However, there is no record of what happened after the magicians of the wise created the magic circles.”

“Hmm. Then is this the material for creating that magic circle, or something like that?”

“Rather than that… it seems like a device that allows temporary sharing of power.”

“The time limit is 100 years, is it really that long?”

“No way. I don’t think it means that time limit. Anyway, what’s certain is that you can temporarily use more power than you have. Right?”

“That’s what the interpretation says, but it doesn’t seem like there won’t be any side effects.”

“What is it! Don’t just understand it among yourselves, tell me too.”

Berik, who had been listening quietly, scratched his head, wondering what they were talking about. Then, the wizards, who were exhausted, all turned to him with sparkling eyes.

Oh, our little puppy! A stupid and useful puppy! The wizards rushed to Berik, hugged him, and patted his head, saying he was a good boy.

“Berik, listen carefully. Magic is, after all, manifested by the inherent power of the magician. And a magic circle is, literally, an ‘order’ that brings that power out more accurately and reliably. Do you understand so far?”

“Okay. So that’s why Ian sometimes breaks things here and there without a magic circle? I get it.”

“One magic circle that has been passed down contains the wisdom of more than one magician. The reason we can release magic through magic circles is because of their efforts in the past.”

“Then is a magic circle like a shortcut? By creating magic circles, past magicians made it easy and quick to unleash inherent magic?”

“Exactly, that’s the principle!”

The wizards’ nostrils twitched slightly. They were clearly very excited.

“If we create a new magic circle containing Ian’s power, and we use it-”

“We’ll be able to stand against the forbidden magic! Winning or losing is a later problem, but first, it means that our magic will work against the forbidden magicians!”

“Uwaaaah! That’s something! That’s something!”

The reason Ian can stand against the forbidden magicians is not just because he is strong. It’s because his existence has the same kind of power as the forbidden magicians.

That’s why all the wizards, including Hale, couldn’t even make a scratch no matter how hard they tried.

“Isn’t it dangerous? Are you guys going to be okay?”

“It’s not based on forbidden magic, but on Ian’s magic. To be precise, we’ll be able to wear ‘Ian’s power that is consumed by forbidden magic.'”

A wizard spread two fingers and brought them together. What was misaligned was adjusted slightly, and they fit perfectly.

At least, when Ian fights the forbidden magicians, they will be able to hold them back or attempt attacks.

“But can we trust it? We don’t know who made it, or how it works.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

It was Ian. He answered, holding three beads in his hand.

“If someone could make a device like this, they would be among the best in the East. If we go to the imperial palace, we might be able to find information.”

And above all, it was a much safer and more peaceful method than the magic department using forbidden magic to win.

At Ian’s clear decision, the wizards gathered around him, and Ian picked up a bead and put it in his mouth.

“Ian, wait. I’ll try it first.”

It was Hale who stopped Ian.

In terms of magic power, he was next to Ian. Hale swallowed a bead without hesitation. Then, the effect was revealed.

Whoosh.

Golden eyes shining brightly even without using magic. As the wizards were amazed, Ian also put a bead in his mouth.

Oh