Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 710

“Seriously, why is everyone sleeping?”

*Thump*. Someone lightly placed a stack of papers down.

Hale opened his eyes at the soft sound and cautiously looked around. The space was familiar, yet unfamiliar. It was definitely the Magic Department, but the layout seemed a bit different. And more than anything, the mage in front of him was someone he had never seen before.

Hale realized he had been dozing off with his arms crossed. *What is this? Where am I? Could this be a dream?*

“Did you guys have a company dinner yesterday? If you’re going to lie down, at least finish your work first. The payment deadline is coming up; this is going to be a problem.”

At that moment, Tommy and Nakina raised their heads not far away. They also looked confused, then carefully got up. The mage, whom they had never seen before, woke the three of them and then left the office as if his business was done.

The three of them were left alone. They couldn’t say anything and just stood there for a long time.

“W-what is this……”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I just opened my eyes and was here.”

“Captain Hale, how much do you remember? This isn’t a dream, right?”

“……”

The three of them quietly looked at each other, then simultaneously raised their hands. *Ready? Okay, let’s go!*

*Whack! Whack! Whack!*

Hale slapped Tommy’s cheek, Tommy slapped Nakina’s cheek, and Nakina slapped Hale’s cheek all at the same time.

“Ow, damn it! Tommy, you bastard, you put some feeling into that, didn’t you?”

“It hurts like hell. Couldn’t you have been a little gentler?”

“It’s better than getting hit by Nakina.”

They held their burning cheeks and looked around again. The texture of the paper, the warmth of the sunlight, the sounds of people in the distance, the leftover jerky someone had been eating… Everything was real. They slumped into their chairs and muttered in disbelief.

“We were just at the Masantar Temple.”

“My last memory is being submerged in Priest Razu’s blood.”

“Me too.”

“Lord Ian said it, didn’t he? That the flow of time is different in the abyss sea. Could it be that we’ve come to a different time?”

“I don’t think so. If that were the case, that mage wouldn’t have treated us like we were ‘supposed to be here’.”

“That’s true. Then where the heck is this……”

Hale rummaged through his pockets. There was a dry cigarette case inside. He put a cigarette in his mouth and recalled the last image of Priest Razu.

“He’s a user of illusion magic. He took Laromedia and shattered Beric with a single finger.”

“So, this is all an illusion? I can’t believe it.”

“If it’s real, that’s one impressive bastard.”

For now, that was the only way to think about it. They hadn’t heard anything from Ian about what happens in the abyss sea.

They peeked out into the hallway to see if anyone was passing by.

“Then where could Lord Ian be?”

“I’m worried about Beric. That damn colt.”

“Let’s go out and look around. It’s the Imperial Palace, so moving around should be-”

Ah. Wait a minute. Tommy, who was speaking, stopped as if he had realized something.

“This is the Imperial Palace.”

“Right? It doesn’t look like some back alley stable.”

“Would Priest Razu know about the Imperial Palace?”

“…What?”

“Even if it’s an illusion, ‘we’ are the ones creating the situation. Could someone who has never experienced the Imperial Palace show an illusion of it? Whatever the cause, this is a phenomenon caused by ‘us’.”

“So?”

“And Lord Ian said earlier that there was all sorts of darkness in the abyss sea.”

“Tommy. Get to the point.”

Hale, Nakina, and Tommy squatted down in the middle of the Magic Department hallway and whispered. The passing employees looked at them strangely, but when they saw the mage robes, they nodded in understanding and passed by. It wasn’t like it was the first time mages had done something weird.

“So, this is an illusion based on ‘someone’s darkness’. I think it’s highly likely to be Lord Ian.”

“What’s the basis?”

“…Because Lord Ian is the only one who could have darkness in the Imperial Palace.”

Hmm…. It seemed plausible, but they couldn’t be sure.

Nakina, who had received a cigarette from Hale, scratched her head and added,

“But, if this is an illusion based on the real Imperial Palace, wouldn’t there be some record of the abyss somewhere?”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“Right? Looking at the documents the mage gave us when he woke us up, there was a well-organized monthly plan. But the problem is whether we can actually access the abyss-related materials.”

“Let’s go check it out. It’s better than squatting in the hallway.”

“Good. And let’s find Beric and Lord Ian too. What do you think, Captain?”

Hale nodded in agreement, and they immediately left the hallway and walked out of the Magic Department. They nonchalantly accepted the greetings of the employees as they passed.

And then, what they encountered was-

“Ah.”

The Magic Department Annex. The one Ian had so desperately wanted and pushed for.

The three of them were momentarily speechless and froze. Even though it was an illusion, it felt like they had glimpsed some kind of hope that Ian had been harboring inside.

No matter how much you explain with words, writing, or pictures, could you ever imagine the same thing? But not now. They had seen the same thing, so they could imagine it.

“S-shall we stop by for a bit?”

“Yeah.”

The three of them entered the annex, feeling unnecessarily nervous. Unlike the main building, it was quiet. There were endless rows of books and documents.

“Excuse me.”

It was then. Someone behind them asked them to move aside.

It was a man with brown hair and a gentle-looking face. He was carrying a precarious stack of books. At that moment, an employee ran up from the opposite hallway to help him.

“Naum. This way.”

“Okay. I’m coming.”

Naum? That name sounds familiar. Hale watched Naum’s back as he disappeared around the corner, then let out a small exclamation.

“…It’s him.”

“Who?”

“The one who used forbidden magic for Lord Ian.”

Ian’s friend, teacher, and family.

Nakina and Tommy were startled and followed him. Naum, who was organizing books in the library, raised his head and looked at them with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah. Well-”

“I, I, is Lord Ian here?”

When Tommy called Ian’s name, Naum’s brow furrowed. He asked the employee who was helping him organize the books in the corner to leave and closed the door.

“Listen, you guys. There are already rumors going around in the Imperial Palace; you shouldn’t be adding to them.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a reprimand for how carelessly you speak the Emperor’s name. Even if others do it, mages should support His Majesty. How can you be so reckless-”

“Gasp!”

*This is the era when Lord Ian was the Emperor! …That’s right. Of course. If it’s Lord Ian’s darkness, it would naturally be from that time, why did I overlook that?*

As Naum was about to add another word, Nakina grabbed Tommy’s head and slammed it onto the table.

*Thud!*

“I’m sorry! This guy, he just lost his mind for a second!”

“Ugh! Yes, yes, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention!”

It was such a rough apology that Naum’s intention to scold them was rendered meaningless. As he looked at Nakina and Tommy with a dumbfounded expression, Hale intervened.

“They just woke up from a nap and aren’t in their right minds.”

“No……”

“But, what do you mean by rumors?”

Naum turned his head and was silent for a moment. *What else could it be? The movements of the Imperial Defense Department were unusual, so there were rumors spreading from the mouths of disrespectful people everywhere.*

Naum closed the book and sternly instructed the three of them.

“Be careful with your words. I won’t make an issue of it since you’re showing remorse. But you’ll have to take responsibility for your slip-ups. Organize all the books that have come in here.”

Naum said that and left. Nakina, who was standing there blankly, flicked Tommy’s head.

*Tap!*

“That’s a great thing to do.”

“I’m sorry……”

*I’m so busy, and now I have to organize books!* She thought about running away, but she gave up when she saw Naum talking to an employee in the hallway, keeping a close watch. *Sigh, the ministers of the Magic Department are never easy to deal with, no matter the era.*

“We’re screwed. If we run away from here, it’ll definitely cause a commotion.”

“Haa, shall we do it quickly?”

“You do it all, you jerk.”

Tommy grumbled and picked up a book, while Hale and Nakina rummaged around, hoping to find some clues.

Then, suddenly, Tommy found a familiar name written on the cover of a book.

‘…Huh.’

-Vivi.

*Vivi? Isn’t that Lord Romandro’s daughter’s name?*

It wasn’t a unique name, but it wasn’t a common one either. Tommy flipped through the pages and then stopped. His eyes widened slightly.

“Captain Hale. It looks like Naum is about to leave. Shall we go now? Tommy! What are you doing?”

“Ah, w-wait a minute!”

Tommy hurriedly grabbed a pen and wrote something on the first page of the book. Nakina and Hale looked at him with puzzled eyes, but he kept shaking his head and pushed them out.

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you later. I’ll tell you later. Let’s get out of here first.”

*This is the only chance.* Nakina moved nimbly around the corner and slipped out, and Hale and Tommy followed easily.

The three of them quickly walked towards the main building where the Imperial Palace archives were located.

“If we go that way, will we be able to see Lord Ian?”

“I don’t know if the Emperor Ian and the Ian we know are the same person.”

“We’ll know when we meet him. There’s a path this way!”

“There are some slight changes.”

*Tap tap tap!*

They couldn’t use magic carelessly. This was a rule within the Imperial Palace, regardless of the era, and besides, they were currently in a position where they had escaped the surveillance of the Magic Department Minister Naum.

Moreover, they didn’t know what kind of effect their magic would have on this illusion, so they had to be careful. First, they would go to the archives, gather as much information as possible, and then…….

*Tap tap tap!*

*Neigh!*

It was when they reached the main building.

From afar, a line of majestic carriages came rushing in. The soldiers guarding the bottom of the stairs saluted in turn, and the people passing by also stopped in their tracks.

“Those carriages……?”

The fact that people stopped and saluted was a formality that only applied to the Imperial family.

Hale, Tommy, and Nakina stood still and stared at the carriages. When a soldier opened the door, a man appeared with a dignified presence-

“Lord Crony. Thank you for coming all this way.”

“Don’t mention it. If His Majesty the Emperor is looking for me, I must follow.”

It was Crony.

Nakina clenched her teeth and was about to rush forward without realizing it, but Hale and Tommy reflexively grabbed her arms and barely stopped her.

“…Bastard.”

“Senior. I hear you calling him a bastard.”

“Tommy. You be quiet too.”

Crony dusted off his collar and then went up the stairs of the main building, and the three of them could only watch his back. The sight of him approaching Emperor Ian…….

*Tap tap tap!*

“Uwaaahahaha!”

It was then. The three of them sensed a very familiar energy. A man was running towards them from afar, shouting with all his might.

“You son of a bitch-!”

It was Beric.

Where did he come from, and what was he doing here? Hale, Tommy, and Nakina grabbed Beric, who was quickly passing by, and hid in the bushes.

*Rustle!*

“Hmph! Ugh!”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

“Shh. Shhh!”

Crony, who was going up the stairs, turned around at the sudden commotion, but he couldn’t see them as they were already hidden in the bushes. Only a few soldiers who had been looking straight ahead barely caught a glimpse.

“…Was that a mage?”

“Yeah. Pretend you didn’t see anything. Things are a bit like that these days.”

The soldiers looked at Hale, Tommy, and Nakina’s attire and quietly turned their eyes away.

Meanwhile, the four of them met in the bushes. Tommy quickly whispered, gagging Beric’s mouth.

“Beric. This is Lord Ian’s darkness. Just stay quiet!”