Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 666

“Hold on a minute, Ian!” A wizard raised his hand just as Ian was about to swallow the bead. “Who’s going to swallow the last one?” Everyone else nodded in agreement, as if it were a valid point. The wizard added, “According to the explanation, we need a total of three people. And it’s safer if the balance of the three powers is somewhat aligned. Even if we include Commander Hale, there’s no one suitable among us.” Hale’s power was far less profound than Ian’s, and no one could guarantee what would happen if a regular wizard swallowed a bead and participated in the magic circle’s creation. Ian slightly removed the bead from his mouth and pondered for a moment. “What if I eat two?” If Ian were to take on the roles of two people, the center of power would be higher, which could lead to greater stability. But it was risky. Even swallowing one bead was concerning, let alone two by himself? “Absolutely not!” “That’s not going to happen!” Thwack! The wizards suddenly became indignant and jumped to their feet. The papers scattered on the floor fluttered in the air, and Ian’s eyes widened. The wizards, without exception, grabbed Ian’s wrist, which was holding the bead. “What are you saying?” “Yes, we absolutely cannot allow it!” “Rather than Ian-nim eating both, we’d rather-!” Rather, what? Ian’s eyes narrowed at the wizards’ outcry. He knew what they were about to say. Ian lightly grasped the backs of the wizards’ hands and spoke softly. “I know this is risky. I know the risk is great. But right now, I don’t see any other way.” The Ruswenian wizards all seemed to be in the puppeteer’s hands. Even if there were restrictions on using forbidden magic, the worst-case scenario was that they would all fall into forbidden magic. If that happened, Ian wouldn’t be able to stop them alone. “I have two choices. One is to condone you all being pushed to the edge and using forbidden magic, and the other is to find a new solution. As I said, I will never allow the former. So, I will swallow it. Even if this causes me serious harm, the outcome won’t be much different.” Whether he swallowed the bead or not, the future for Ian was the same: taking risks. Whether it was the risk of swallowing the bead or the risk of facing the forbidden magic users alone, it was up to him to choose, but wouldn’t it be wise to bet on the possibility, however small? “…But still.” “How about calling Commander Acorella from the mine to analyze the components? She’ll be here in no time.” “I forbid it.” “Yes? Why?” Toalun had noticed that Ian and a significant portion of the wizards’ forces had left Kalamat. Jin would have also grasped the situation. Moreover, he would know that his own safety was at risk. Perhaps Acorella was already on her way to Kalamat, summoned by Jin. She wouldn’t be enough, but still. The reason Jin was holding his ground was because he believed in Ian, in himself. He couldn’t take Acorella away from the emperor, who was barely holding on while waiting for news from him. For safety, the wizards remaining by the emperor’s side had to protect Kalamat. “…And above all, I can feel it.” Ian turned to Hale. His golden eyes were shining brighter and clearer than ever before. It was definitely the pure power of a god, untainted by any evil energy. He didn’t know who the Eastern wizard who made this was, but he must have reached a level worthy of being called a sage. “Then I’ll eat two instead.” Hale made a decision. He picked up the remaining bead and nodded at Ian. “If someone has to eat two, it’s right that I do it. Ian-nim, please wait a moment.” “Commander! Ah!” “No, why! Spit it out! Spit it out!” But it was too late. Hale swallowed the second bead without hesitation. He had already given up on his life when he decided to use forbidden magic. If he could find a breakthrough, he would gladly do anything. Whoosh! An overwhelming magical power, never felt before, flowed from Hale. The wizards, who had been shaking him to spit it out, stopped in their tracks. As he clenched his fist, golden magic dissipated from between his fingers. “C-Commander Hale. Are you alright?” “…I feel good.” “G-Good? Really? Are you sure you’re not just confused because you’re out of your mind?” “No, I’m serious. I’m fine.” His physical condition was better than ever before. As he let out a faint smile, the wizards also smiled in relief. They never had a day where their hearts were at peace because of their crazy superiors. “It feels similar to when I took Acorella’s magic amplifier. I don’t know for sure, but it seems the Eastern wizards are quite skilled.” “If you say that in front of Acorella, she’d be very happy.” “Hmm. I’ll think about it.” He even had the余裕 [leeway] to joke. While the wizards were in shock, Ian also swallowed a bead, following Hale. Then, just like Hale, pure golden magic enveloped his body. The wizards gathered together and stepped back, watching their two superiors while holding each other’s hands. Flap flap! “U-Ugh!” “Paper! Paper!” Suddenly, the white paper inside the box flew up and unfolded, becoming long. The endlessly expanding paper quickly filled one side of the wall, and Ian and Hale reached out at the same time. Black ink slowly spread from the parts they touched. Swish! “Ian-nim!” “Hale, it’s okay. Calm down.” He felt something churning deep within his chest. Ian lightly reassured the surprised Hale, telling him not to worry. Swish! Swish! The ink, heavily soaked, flowed endlessly across the thin paper. Ian and the wizards, not knowing it was Eastern hanji [traditional Korean paper] and ink, were fascinated, following the lines with their eyes. “Huh? The speed is slowing down.” The speed at which the lines were extending slowed down, and it seemed like it would stop soon. Ian intuitively knew that the point where it was slowing down was where he had to infuse his power. ‘Many Leaves’. Facing the forbidden magic users head-on would be Ian’s responsibility. It was strategically correct for the Bariel wizards to assist Ian by holding the forbidden magic users in place. As Ian drew the Many Leaves magic circle with his fingertips, Hale intuitively knew it was his turn. He drew two of the magic circles he mainly used. “Ah, Commander! Are you putting that in?” “Why? Is it a bit much?” “No, it’s not that…” The wizards trailed off. Commander Hale’s magic, being an external affairs officer, was too rough and destructive for them. But the black ink was imprinted on the paper, including Hale’s magic circles. Swish. Then, slowly, all the drawings sank into the ink. The lines disappeared, and only black remained. Soon, golden light began to rise from within. “Oh!” Whoosh! It was a new magic circle they had never seen before. Then, a strong wind swept through the study, and the papers flew around like a tornado. The wizards covered their faces with their sleeves but couldn’t take their eyes off the magic circle. It was a heart-stopping ecstasy. One of the wizards snatched a piece of paper and began to trace the magic circle. Swish! “It’s better to learn it with your body than to memorize it. Trace it.” At Ian’s instruction, the wizards reached out at the same time. “Let’s draw it together as one!” “Yes, it’s better to gather our magic power.” “Hey, hey? You crazy bastards! We’re indoors, you know?” “Here we go!” Berik, who had been sitting on the windowsill watching, flinched and stood up. Those crazy people were excited about the new magic circle, right? Berik shouted for them to stop, but the wizards couldn’t hear him. ‘Tethering’. Thump! Thump! The World Tree summoned from the magic circle burst through the walls and ceiling of the mansion. The thorns on the ends of the branches were extremely sharp. The wizards, jolted back to their senses amidst the collapsing debris, rushed outside, and Berik also escaped through the window. “W-Wow-!” Only after getting far away could the wizards see the World Tree, which was growing as if it would reach the end of the sky. They stared at it in awe. It was mysterious and wondrous. As if it had an inner glow, the World Tree showed its presence even in the darkness. “Did we, did we make this?” “Crazy, I’ve never used Many Leaves before in my life.” “It, it works.” “By gathering our magic power, we can use higher-level magic.” It wasn’t just that higher-level magic was possible. The important thing was that it was effective against the forbidden magic users. The wizards saw a glimmer of hope that they could also play a part in the battle. “Oh, Ian-nim! Commander Hale! How are you feeling?” “Are you okay? No, you summoned something like this, there’s no way you’re okay.” “If you two feel even a little bit off, please tell us immediately. If you two aren’t here, everything is practically blank.” “Yes, even if you have to go back to Kalamat, if you feel even a little bit off-” The worried wizards shut their mouths. Ian and Hale both looked strangely fine. Amidst the debris, the two looked around their bodies. “I don’t feel any immediate problems. Hale, how about you?” “Same here.” “T-Then that’s a relief. But something feels uneasy.” “Yes. There’s no such thing as power without a price.” “Hmm.” Ian agreed. He picked up the triangular box lying on the floor and said softly, “Nabu.” “Yes!” “Keep this safe. Be careful not to lose it.” “Understood. It’s an important item, right? I’ll protect it with my life!” “Overdoing it. Ian, that guy’s been like that ever since he saw you fight? Isn’t he really obvious?” Geez, if I resist, they complain, and if I’m submissive, they complain. Nabu made a dissatisfied face at Berik and then disappeared into the shadows. “We will investigate the uninterpreted parts when we return to the imperial palace.” That way, they could learn more about the side effects. For now, they were just grateful that there were no major problems. At Ian’s words, the wizards suppressed their proud smiles and then simultaneously rushed to the World Tree, hugging its trunk. Like little fairies living in the tree. “Don’t worry about anything anymore, Ian-nim! If the forbidden magic user comes, we’ll throw ourselves at them and hold them down.” “You know there’s no match for a gang, right? That bastard is dead now, for real! We’ll watch your front and your back. We won’t let anything hurt Ian-nim!” “Waaah. I made Many Leaves, I made Many Leaves. If my mom saw this, she’d be so proud. Sob.” “Geez, I don’t know who made it, but it’s so beautiful. It’s so pretty!” A faint light shimmered along the surface of the tree. It wasn’t the subtle light emitted by the tree. Night had passed, and morning was coming. As dawn broke, Ian turned his head towards Ruswena. The edge of the sky was gray, as if the wizards’ forest had completely burned down. “We’re going again.” Ian gestured for everyone to prepare. If they could catch the forbidden magic user, stopping Ruswena would be easy. A black piece of paper flew in the wind towards the dawning sky. Whoosh! To be precise, it wasn’t riding the wind, but returning to a point in the east where they had come from, but Ian and the wizards didn’t know. Their eyes were fixed only on the south, on Ruswena. Oh