Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 685

“Sir Ian, this way.”

“Tell the mages to rest for a while. Once they’ve settled, have them return to work and write their reports. Especially regarding Mrs. Darcy, I will personally inform His Majesty and the officials, so make sure it’s a detailed examination.”

“Yes, Sir Ian. I’ll convey that. Please, get some rest yourself.”

*Creak.*

The cold air inside Kalamat Castle had turned warm. Was it the effort of those serving the Emperor? Or was it that the long-abandoned castle was welcoming the warmth of a person after so long?

Ian only roughly unbuttoned his outer coat and lay down on the sofa.

‘Haa.’

When he closed his eyes, fragments of memories seemed to prick him like thorns. At the end of them were Nersarn, Hanna, and the residents, and the forbidden mages who had lost their ego and self-destructed.

But deeper inside—

‘If Mother knew…’

There was Philia.

Ian vividly remembered how brightly she had smiled when she was with Nersarn.

And the more he remembered, the more afraid he became. ‘The sorrow of losing a lover’ was an unknown emotion to him. He couldn’t gauge the depth of the emotions she would have to endure. Would the expression ‘a heart torn to shreds’ even be enough?

If Ian was a rock in the past for Philia, something that held her in place, then Nersarn would be her happiness in the present and future.

*Clink.*

Ian poured himself a drink from the bottle on the table and took a sip. It was to let go of the worries about Philia that naturally came to mind.

Right now, he was at war with Jin, and they were on the verge of reaching Toolun, the base of the Undergods. It wasn’t just his mother. Countless others must already be wandering through hell, having lost their loved ones.

‘Let’s get a grip.’

It was when Ian thought that and downed the rest of his drink. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘Judging from the Erica incident, Toolun’s influence must be rampant in Hawan. But they don’t have the Eastern fire cannons to counter the mages.’

If he were the leader of Toolun, what choice would he make? Wouldn’t he shift the role of Ruthwena, which was pressuring eastern Bariel, to Hawan?

Ruthwena used forbidden mages, and Hawan has a new weapon called fire cannons… Ian pressed his temples in annoyance.

‘If problems keep arising on the border, Bariel’s forces will inevitably be dispersed. Annoying.’

The only solution was to end it in Bariel before Hawan pushed in from the border. To strike Toolun and, at the same time, to keep Hawan in check with the help of Clifford.

But what about the remaining forces of Hawan? Erica died hoping for Bariel’s mercy, but they were still alive, weren’t they?

*Thump.*

Ian placed a wooden piece on the map and pondered. If it were just Hawan’s power alone, there would be no problem in checking them with Clifford, but if the fire cannons, the power of the East, were involved… well.

‘Should I change the shield piece?’

There was also the method of dealing with Hawan, who was a nuisance in the back, first, and then having Vergos block Toolun from the front.

‘It depends on how well Lady Kyla Holin can rally Vergos.’

If Vergos could hold off Toolun well, they would become stronger with the blood they shed.

But this was too risky. Vergos had suffered severely from the war, and they lacked the power to stop the shamans and puppeteers. If those guys were to absorb Vergos, it would immediately become Bariel’s burden.

“It looks like we have to split up…”

It was the moment Ian muttered that. There was a loud crash from outside. It wasn’t hard to tell it was Beric.

“Ian-aaa!”

*Bang!*

Beric, who had kicked the door open with great momentum, briefly scanned Ian’s face. It was just a fleeting moment, but Ian could sense Beric’s intention. He chuckled softly and shook his head.

“You’re in good shape, Beric.”

He had been dismissed to rest, but he couldn’t stand it and was running around like that.

Ian put down his glass and turned to look at him. His nostrils were flaring, and he had a look of disbelief.

“Ian, what the hell is going on?”

“What?”

“Siaosi and Chloe are in a relationship! For real!”

Beric exclaimed in shock, and Ian quietly covered his ears. It seemed something had progressed since the Accorella and potion side effect incident.

It was surprising, but nothing new. That’s how the social scene was. All sorts of things happened in youth even without the power of magic, and there were already embers between Siaosi and Chloe.

“It’s a good thing, so stop making a fuss and go rest.”

“Are you crazy? It’s Chloe! The one who slaps!”

“Rather, it’s beneficial to His Majesty. If Siaosi becomes the son-in-law of the Davion family, their support will be entirely His Majesty’s. It’s like gaining another ally.”

Putting aside Chloe’s personality, if you only look at her background, she is a perfect match for Siaosi. Davion was a prestigious family, held real power in the Imperial Palace, and was wealthy.

“If you’re going to keep making a fuss, go to Commander Jayrut. He’ll be happy to see you.”

“He’ll be happy and then make me work.”

“It’s natural for those with energy to do more work.”

Ian said that and looked down at the pieces on the map.

There were still things to worry about. He needed mage forces to send to Hawan, but he hadn’t decided who to send.

Including himself, most of the mages were running low on magic power. Even if they took magic recovery potions after joining Accorella, they couldn’t do anything about the accumulated fatigue in their bodies.

‘Since I have some understanding of the fire cannons, it would be right for me to go, but it’s more important to stay by Jin’s side. I don’t know when or how Toolun will move. …In many ways, Hale is the right person.’

When Hale returned, he would have to send him to Hawan again after a short rest. His mission would be to collect fire cannons and investigate the Eastern forces, and to work with Clifford to stop Hawan. If he sent a few magic swordsmen with him, there would be no problem in carrying out the mission.

“Beric, now go back to your room.”

“What about you?”

“This is my room.”

“No, what are you going to do? If you’re going to drink, I’ll join you.”

“…Where did you learn the word ‘join’?”

“I’m the best drinker, this is basic!”

Then Beric peeked into the liquor cabinet. How much good liquor does the Minister of Magic have? He carefully examined the bottles, but it was hard to read what was written on the labels. It was because they were Vergos wines from Clifford.

While Beric was frowning and groaning, not knowing that, Ian sensed another presence.

*Crash!*

…It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to rest. Judging by the sound, it didn’t seem like someone bringing a report.

Ian narrowed his eyes and looked towards the door. As expected, the shouts and pleas of Accorella and the mages were heard in succession.

*Bang! Crash!*

“Sir Ian! Sir Ian!”

“You bastards, are you really going to do this? Let’s do it, huh?!”

“Please help us, Sir Ian! Commander Accorella is trying to torture Mrs. Darcy!”

“Nooo! That’s not it! I just want to see how Mrs. Darcy is able to live! You’re all curious too!”

The eyeballs of Mrs. Darcy in the glass jar were spinning. It was an instinctive reaction. If she fell into the hands of that crazy mage, she didn’t know what would happen to her last remaining sight.

The mages moved the glass jar around to avoid Accorella’s grasp, and she attacked by kicking while limping.

“Are you going to do this in front of Sir Ian?!”

“Then why did you come this way?”

*Abyo!*

Since Commander Hale wasn’t there, there was no one who could handle Accorella’s rampage. Beric was drinking from the bottle, watching the scene with interest, and the mages were pleading while looking at Ian.

“Accorella.”

“Yes?”

Ian called Accorella’s name softly. Her hand stopped in mid-air. At this, Mrs. Darcy rolled her eyes as if she was about to faint.

“Before starting a new study, I think it’s the right attitude for a researcher to finish the previous one first. Please submit the mine development report that we worked on while we were in Hielo.”

“Ah, that—”

Accorella smiled awkwardly and couldn’t finish her sentence. She had prepared a diary of her observations of Lady Chloe, but the mine report wasn’t ready yet… She blinked sheepishly, and the mages took this opportunity to quickly stick to Ian’s back.

“Do you see ‘this’ as just a strange creature? It’s connected to the lifelines of the Toolun puppeteers. If you do something wrong and burst an eyeball… it’s going to be terrible!”

“That’s right! Commander Accorella didn’t see anything!”

“Oh, you guys are?”

“Boo. Accorella, step back.”

The last one to jeer wasn’t the mages, but Beric. In that short time, he had surprisingly emptied half of the bottle. He playfully pointed his thumb down and kept saying things.

“Are you crazy!”

*Whoosh!* Accorella threw a punch straight, but Beric easily dodged it by just tilting his head and laughed.

“Even if I’m an idiot, I won’t get hit by a lousy mage!”

*Bam!*

But as if to make his words meaningless, the top of Accorella’s head hit his chin. This was the signal for another round of loud shouts.

Ian was about to move them all outside, but he stopped. He knew the real reason why Beric had come to his room.

‘What a thoughtful guy.’

Beric’s gaze when he appeared, kicking the door open, was too obvious, and his intention was clear. He was checking to see if Ian was struggling alone with ‘that’ memory.

Even if he wanted to deny it, Ian couldn’t. He had let out a sip of alcohol while thinking about the deaths of Nersarn and the people of Hielo.

Ian knew. If they didn’t shake him up like this, those things that had sunk below the surface would slowly rise again.

“Are you all not going to rest?”

Then shall we work? When Ian asked playfully, the mages and Beric paused.

Leaving Ian alone versus working hard.

It was a choice between death, but the mages’ worries were short-lived. There was no other choice. Maybe it would be easier later if they did it now? Looking at the rolling eyeballs, Mrs. Darcy also seemed satisfied.

“Then—”

We’ll work here, the mages were about to say.

“…?”

Everyone felt a strange magical energy and stopped abruptly. It was very small and faint, but there was definitely a flow. Everyone except Mrs. Darcy looked out the window at the same time.

“Did you all feel that just now?”

“Yeah. What was it? It was so short.”

“Sir Ian. Shall we check it out?”

“That would be good.”

When the mages, who had jumped up at Ian’s command, were about to grab the doorknob, another presence was heard from outside. Again? There were too many visitors today.

*Bang!*

“Huk!”

When the mages opened the door, the pale-faced servant was startled and stepped back.

“S-Sir Ian. I apologize.”

“What’s the matter?”

“A portal of unknown origin appeared and disappeared in the sky just now. It was so small and instantaneous that there was no major problem…”

The servant handed over a small note, trembling.

The mages received it and immediately handed it to Ian, and Ian frowned. There was only one person who would open a portal here and contact him.

“Sir Ian. Could it be a message from Commander Hale?”

*Rustle.*

There was a faint bloodstain on the back of the note. Ian felt uneasy as he unfolded it and read it, and then he froze.

-Sir Ian. I apologize for having to send this message by note due to the limits of available magic power. There is a big problem. Lady Philia’s life is in critical condition. Tommy and I are holding on with our magic power, but I don’t know. Please send a healing mage immediately.

O