Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 681

“This can’t be happening!”

“C-calm down, Philia.”

“Vivianna, how could you, how could you—!”

Vivianna wrung her hands, trying to quell Philia’s anger. Philia had found out that Roel had left for Hielo alone, without his mother’s knowledge. And that Vivianna and Romandro were among his accomplices.

Philia trembled with rage. It was the first time Vivianna had seen her so angry, despite knowing her for so long. Vivianna repeatedly apologized to Philia.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. But there was no other way for me, or for Lord Romandro. Philia, you know how Roel is. If he wants to do something, he’ll do it no matter what. If we hadn’t sent him with the support troops, he would have gone down there alone. It was better than that—”

“That’s not the point! You should have told me! Vivianna! Roel is only ten years old! I’m his guardian. How could you, how could you—!”

“Philia… I’m so sorry.”

“The Imperial Palace is too much! It’s true that Roel has a mysterious ability. And someday, yes, someday he might lead the Heavenly Army. But that’s in the distant future. Lord Nersarn is still here, and there are many warriors protecting Hielo. How could they send that young child?”

Vivianna stiffened at Philia’s mention of Nersarn. She knew that he had become a star in the desert [a euphemism for death in battle], along with most of the Heavenly Army.

But she couldn’t bring herself to tell Philia that fact right now. It would be too much of a shock, and she was already struggling to handle her sharp anger.

Vivianna carefully took Philia’s hand, begging her to calm down.

“I’m sorry, Philia. I have nothing to say.”

“Vivianna, you’re also Bibi’s mother, how could you, how could you make things so hard for me? My husband and children are all on the battlefield, and you’re telling me to live in luxury in the capital? Do you see me as such a useless person, Vivianna?”

“Philia! Don’t say such things. I made this decision for you. Please trust me.”

“If you were doing it for me, you wouldn’t have sent Roel like that.”

“Oh, Philia…”

“That’s enough, Vivianna.”

“Just a moment—”

“No! I don’t want to hear any more.”

Philia turned her back, refusing to talk any further. She went straight up to the second floor, locked the door, and began packing her things. She could hear Vivianna pacing worriedly outside the door, but she was resolute.

‘How long was I out? How long has it been since Roel left? You’re really going to be in big trouble this time, Roel. How could you think of going there without your mother knowing?’

Philia bit her lower lip. Since Lord Romandro had also condoned it, she couldn’t get help from the Imperial Palace. She had no choice but to sell her jewelry to get travel expenses.

Even as she was doing this, Roel would be getting closer to the border with the central army. She would find him and bring him back before that. It was enough that Nersarn and Ian were caught up in the war.

‘Roel is only ten years old… really.’

How could everyone be so heartless?

Philia wiped away the tears that were falling and took out paper and a pen. She knew that Vivianna and Romandro were good people. And that there must have been a good reason why they sent Roel away without her knowing.

But…

‘I can’t allow it.’

How much did she resent herself when she couldn’t protect Ian in Bratz? How anxiously did she watch Ian, who had left her care, live on his own?

She couldn’t let go this time. Roel’s situation was different from Ian’s.

‘Ian has magic. And above all, he’s a member of the Imperial Palace. But what about Roel? Besides seeing glimpses of the future, does he have the power to protect himself?’

Moreover, he wasn’t a member of the Imperial Palace. Why should that little child have to sacrifice himself for the glory of the empire?

Scribble, scribble.

Philia scribbled with her pen. It was a short letter to Vivianna and Romandro. Her hand trembled as she wrote, filled with a mix of sadness, anger, and guilt.

The content was lengthy, but it came down to one thing: she would bring Roel back to the capital. If not, she would meet the child and have a serious conversation before making a decision about his future.

* * *

“L-Lord Ian?”

“What did Mrs. Darcy just say… !”

The mages who were reading the letter board were flustered and paused.

Ian also looked down at the eyeball, his face turning cold. He had asked if the market of Karenna was a puppet, but the answer was unexpected.

“It seems like she said… ‘excluding the market of Karenna’.”

“Yes, y-yes, she clearly said that.”

“Darcy, move again. Are you sure you said ‘excluding the market of Karenna’?”

Affirmative! Affirmative!

It was a small city, but the population was not small. If all the residents of such a place were turned into puppets, it would be a truly shocking situation. It would be a task to distinguish those who were not puppets, and above all, it meant that Tolun’s forces were right in the middle of Bariel.

Mrs. Darcy worked hard to complete the sentence on the letter board.

“The market of Karenna, Onyx’s family are puppets.”

“Ah, excluding the market meant it was limited to the mansion.”

Whew, that’s more like it. The mages, realizing they had misunderstood, breathed a sigh of relief. But then a question arose.

“Why target his family instead of the market?”

“…Because the market is likely to have some connection with the capital. To hide that.”

The position of market [a local administrator] was appointed by the capital. It could be easily exposed when they came into contact with the central army.

However, his family members could exert a reasonable influence on the market while not having to face the central army, making them relatively safe. They were spies.

The mages sighed in relief and looked back at Ian.

“I’m sorry for the market of Karenna, but it would be better to clean up the mansion.”

“Yes. The central army will be coming down soon, so it would be better for us to step in before things get out of hand.”

“If possible, cut the strings, if not—”

“Tch, it can’t be helped. Eyeball hag. Did you mess with the residents too?”

Negative! Negative!

Mrs. Darcy insisted on her innocence with all her eyeballs, saying that she didn’t have time to do that because she was going to Hawan. Then, sensing a glimmer of opportunity, she slyly suggested.

“Puppets can’t cut their own strings. A puppeteer could. If you give me your body… you’ll like it too. Cut the strings… and disappear quietly?”

“She’s struggling to survive.”

“Why would we give you our bodies?”

“Right. Even if we did, how do we know you wouldn’t stab us in the back again? It’s better to ignore her.”

“It’s better if you tell us the method and we try to do something about it. Or find a way to break it with magic.”

The mages spoke in unison.

Then Beric blurted out.

“Ugh. It’s annoying, just kill them all.”

It was a nonchalant attitude, as if he was saying to empty the trash can. The mages were horrified.

“W-wait!”

“Hey, Beric! Do you think we’re all as inhumane as you? They’re the residents of Bariel, not just anyone. How can you not feel sorry for them?”

“It’s the cleanest and easiest way, but you keep trying to go around in circles. What if they notice and scatter? Isn’t that a problem too?”

“But I don’t think they’ll scatter right away. They know the central support troops are coming, so they won’t act rashly, even to check their strength.”

“That’s assuming we don’t know their identities.”

Ian nodded, carefully examining the map. He was right. It would be fine if they just stayed in Karenna, but it would be a real problem if they noticed that information had leaked and disappeared. They were already busy enough, and they couldn’t afford to add the time and effort to chase them.

The mages’ eyes narrowed.

“Does the King of Tolun think that Mrs. Darcy is someone who would spill everything?”

“Well, looking at her, she does seem like that kind of person… But didn’t the King of Tolun cut the strings connected to Darcy first? If he thought she would spill everything, he would have kept her under surveillance.”

“Or maybe he thought she wouldn’t be able to talk because she was completely melted.”

“Hmm. That makes sense too.”

How could he have predicted that Mrs. Darcy could move her eyeballs and that the mages would create a letter board to communicate?

Ian shifted his gaze towards Kalamat.

“…Hail, Tommy.”

“Yes, Lord Ian.”

“The two of you go to Karenna and sort things out. Identify and bind those who are caught in puppetry, and break it. If that doesn’t work, eliminate them decisively.”

“…Understood.”

“Find all the drawings that lead to other countries and destroy them on the spot. Once the work is done, confirm that the Bariel support troops have joined the Clifford forces, and then return to Kalamat.”

Erica had said that Hawan would be with Bariel, but she was already dead. Only the wind knew which way the huge ship that had lost its rudder would move.

Ian asked Mrs. Darcy again.

“I’ve confirmed that Erica and one of her aides, from the Hawan rebellion’s leadership, have been turned into puppets. Are there any other puppets?”

Negative! Negative!

“Then that’s enough. The cleanup of Hawan can be left to the Bariel support troops and Clifford. Whether it’s negotiation or war, it’s up to those who came under the orders of the Imperial Palace to decide. The mages’ work here is done.”

The reconstruction of Hielo was also something to be done after the war was over. The mages had to hurry back to Kalamat, where Emperor Jin was. The King of Tolun knew that Jin was alone now.

“Yes, understood. Lord Ian, but it seems that it will be difficult for just Tommy and me to open a portal.”

They might be able to open a portal to the capital, but they couldn’t open a path to Kalamat in one go.

“How about opening a portal from Kalamat in about a week?”

“Good. I’ll open it above the Luswena Palace, so have everything ready by the evening in a week.”

Ian glanced at Darcy’s eyeball. It was a signal to completely kill her after the Karenna situation was settled. Hail, who understood this, nodded slightly.

Mrs. Darcy, who was rolling the letter board back and forth, didn’t realize that secret instructions were being exchanged about her. She was just wondering how she could get something equivalent to a ‘body’.

“Then—”

Hail picked up a glass bottle and put Darcy’s eyeball and the jelly-like liquid inside. Darcy was startled and looked around, but she couldn’t escape the enclosed space.

“I’ll open it again if I have any more questions later. If things go well, I’ll consider your offer positively then.”

This was the punishment that Mrs. Darcy had to receive. It was a punishment for her wicked, arrogant, and presumptuous lie that she would cut the puppet strings if they listened to her.

Mrs. Darcy spun around in the bottle, telling them not to worry.

“Lord Ian. By the way, about the support troops. Who do you think will come?”

“Wouldn’t it be one of the Imperial Defense Forces?”

“I was wondering if Lord Romandro might come.”

“Lord Romandro?”

“Yes. It’s the territory of Hielo, so Lord Romandro is the right person. Of course, outside of military support.”

He had lived there before, and above all, it was the direct territory of the Minister of Magic. So it was possible that Romandro would go instead.

But Ian, who was on the border, couldn’t guess what the Imperial Palace’s decision would be. He smiled, handing Hail a document.

“…That could be true.”

Ian didn’t know who might be among the Bariel support troops that were coming down at a tremendous speed.

“If you see a familiar face, give them my regards. Tell them we’re all safe.”