Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 766

“Excuse me.”

“Oh? Is that you, Barsabe?”

Barsabe pulled back the cloth as soon as she made her presence known.

Accorella, who was about to give an injection, paused in surprise, while the mage fussed, telling her to focus. It seemed to be a magic amplifier.

“Captain! Watch what you’re doing!”

“It’s not like the needle will move just because I turned my head. Oh, it did move.”

“Caaaaptain!”

“Such a fuss. It’s not like you’re growing a bit of stubble.”

Accorella roughly finished the injection and greeted Barsabe. She had heard that Barsabe was found under the rubble, and her left arm injury looked severe. It was an injury that even Accorella couldn’t do anything about. She found a new amplifier among the scattered items.

“Are you alright? Have one of these. When the supply wagon couldn’t get into the castle, I thought we were all done for, but I guess this is what they mean by a blessing in disguise. I never thought the area would be so devastated.”

“What about Minister Ian?”

“Ian?”

Accorella looked back at her, puzzled. She seemed quite serious and urgent. Accorella shook her head, clicking her tongue, telling her not to be so serious.

“What is it? You have this atmosphere like something is still unresolved.”

“I want to see Minister Ian.”

“Yes, you can see him. But not right now.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?”

Accorella raised an eyebrow as if asking the obvious. What Ian needed now was absolute rest. The aftermath of the pursuit magic had left his body shattered.

Ian had said he was fine, but that made her even more anxious. As a mage and a scientist, she knew how absurd that was.

“Until Ian wakes up on his own, no one can disturb his rest. I’m sorry, but not even His Majesty the Emperor can.”

The Emperor? Don’t make me laugh. Not even if the Undergod crawled out again. Accorella was firm. She would never remove the soundproofing magic around Ian’s bed.

The mages approached, chuckling at the captain’s sharp attitude. They were trying to ease the tension.

“Hey, don’t be so harsh, Captain.”

“Yeah. It’s not like Barsabe is asking to see Ian just for fun. She must have a reason.”

“What is it? If it’s something magic-related, we can help. We’re getting small doses of the amplifier.”

Barsabe hesitated for a moment. Had they also lost their memories of ‘Verosian’? If so, she wasn’t sure if it was right to spread the rumors so carelessly.

When Barsabe remained silent, Accorella crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Everyone…”

After a while, Barsabe finally spoke. Her eyes were quite cautious, yet also looked determined.

“Do you remember the Masantar Temple?”

“Huh? Where?”

“The Masantar Temple.”

“Ah, Masantar. Yes, yes. I remember. How could we forget? It wasn’t even a few years ago. But why do you ask?”

The mages tilted their heads, looking puzzled. They had no idea what Barsabe was getting at.

“Then do you also remember what you saw there?”

“Uh…”

If Beric’s report was correct, they had definitely seen ‘Ian Verosian’ in the basement of the Masantar Temple.

‘That place was an abyss, and many things happened because of it.’

She didn’t know the details, but anyway. The mages were the ones who had witnessed Ian’s true form twice.

“That’s…”

But the mages didn’t answer right away. They all looked quite flustered, realizing that their memories were fragmented.

Something hazy, like shrouded in fog. Something that seemed within reach, yet it was doubtful if it had ever existed in the first place.

“Monsters. We fought a lot of monsters. Those who served the Undergod like High Priest Raju all came rushing in.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. That was a real pain in the ass.”

“We kept the communication magic connected, afraid of falling into the abyss.”

“Hmm. And…”

What was it? It felt like there was something else.

The mages groaned as they tried to recall their memories.

“…A strange magic annex.”

Then, Hale, who had been watching quietly, added. At that, Nakina and Tomi exclaimed as if they had realized something.

“That’s right! We saw that. But why did we see it?”

“I don’t know either. I just have a lingering image. Captain Hale, do you know?”

“No. I can only recall the shape.”

“This is strange. What is it?”

“What is it, Barsabe?”

The mages all turned to look at Barsabe at the same time. She clearly knew something about this strange and bizarre phenomenon.

“…I’m here to ask about that too.”

But Barsabe took a step back. Even the mages’ memories were erased, so she couldn’t carelessly let anything slip.

It could be Minister Ian’s intention, and above all, the controversy over the imperial bloodline was a very serious and sensitive issue. Spreading it carelessly could lead to unpredictable consequences.

“Ah! So, there’s something problematic for you too, Captain.”

“Hmm. That Undergod bastard. What did he do while dying?”

“It’s not that big of a deal, is it? It’s not like the memories were completely erased. I think it’s just a simple aftereffect.”

“The shockwave was pretty strong, though.”

“That makes sense. The Shadow God’s energy was swirling like a storm.”

Was that really it? Barsabe scratched her cheek, feeling doubtful. Was it just that she was less affected because she was underground?

The mages began to whisper among themselves with serious expressions. They wanted to know what had been erased, but how could they? They couldn’t even recognize the moment it was erased. The only way was to search each other’s memories and see if there were any differences.

Clap!

Then, Accorella clapped her hands together, telling them to be quiet.

“Everyone, quiet! Be careful not to let anything leak outside. Let’s discuss it again when Ian wakes up.”

“Yes, understood.”

“And Barsabe, you can’t see Ian right now anyway. You can wait here if you want. While getting healing magic.”

“Ah.”

Barsabe looked at her damaged left arm and nodded. Then, she looked inside the cloth-covered area. Because the space was separated by magic, she couldn’t feel any presence.

“When will he wake up?”

“He’s been sleeping for two days straight, so he’ll probably wake up sometime soon.”

Accorella nonchalantly injected herself with a shot. After a while, when her magic power had recovered a bit, she held out her hand to Barsabe.

“Grab on. I’ll heal you.”

* * *

The blue moonlight seeped through the gaps in the tent.

Ian’s fingertips twitched, and then his eyes slowly opened. His whole body felt heavy, as if every tendon had been severed.

Swoosh.

Ian turned over and carefully raised himself up. His head spun, and a wave of nausea surged from within. He struggled to get off the bed and slowly pulled back the cloth.

“…”

The mages were curled up asleep in the corner. Ian didn’t know why Accorella was lying on the table.

Ian looked at them carefully and then noticed Barsabe sitting in a chair. She was alive, Barsabe.

There was no commotion coming from outside. Except for the guards, all the imperial soldiers were asleep. Ian picked up the kettle and poured some water.

“…Ah.”

At that sound, Barsabe’s eyes snapped open. It was a reflex. When she wasn’t lying down to sleep, she was always on high alert, so she couldn’t sleep deeply. All the Imperial Guard members were like that. Except for Beric.

“Minister Ian.”

“Shhh.”

Ian put his finger to his lips, as if telling her to lower her voice. The mages’ snoring was pleasant to hear.

Barsabe nodded and whispered softly.

“I waited because I had something to tell you.”

“Come in here.”

Barsabe, having received Ian’s permission, stepped inside. As the cloth was drawn, an astonishing silence filled the air. There was no snoring, no wind, not even the sound of insects.

Ian sat on the bed and looked up at her.

“What is it? If you’ve been waiting for me, it must be urgent.”

Why didn’t you wake me? I’m fine.

Barsabe waved her hand, telling him not to say such things.

“It was impossible. The Magic Department was strongly opposed.”

“I see. I’m sorry for that. So?”

“…Um, Minister Ian. Something is strange.”

“So, what is it?”

Even though the soundproofing magic would prevent any sound from leaking out, Barsabe whispered even more secretly.

“Everyone seems to have forgotten that you came from the future.”

At those words, Ian’s head slowly rose. His half-dazed eyes were gone, and they were now shining brightly. The blue moonlight fell upon his green eyes.

After a long silence, Ian smiled, as if surprised.

“Fate is truly a mysterious thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t expect you to remember me.”

Not Jin, not Beric, but Barsabe.

Barsabe couldn’t understand what Ian meant. She just thought, so it’s true, ‘Verosian’ was erased from the world, and the Minister knew about it. She couldn’t guess how this had happened.

While she was confused, Ian asked.

“How did you know?”

“Rumors are spreading.”

“Rumors, huh.”

“Rumors that you are of imperial blood. A woman who appeared from the water told them, and I think it’s probably Banusa.”

“What’s the basis?”

Ian poured water into a new cup.

“During the battle, Banusa and I were buried in the basement of the palace. But when I was rescued, she was already gone. And decisively, a woman who came out of the water is related to Banusa’s abilities.”

“That’s right. It can’t be a monster.”

With Bariel having defeated the Undergod and won, how could a monster appear?

“Besides, Banusa knows your identity. Everything fits the circumstances. However, one thing is strange…”

Why did she spread the rumors?

When Barsabe paused for a moment, Ian’s gaze lowered.

“Barsabe, you may not know, but during the battle, it was necessary to eliminate the followers to restrain the Undergod.”

It was close to a massacre, Ian didn’t add. That was a sentence that didn’t suit Jin’s actions.

But Barsabe quickly understood the meaning. Banusa was just someone who wanted to escape from the king and save Tolun from the Undergod. But in the process, if the people of Tolun were brutally killed while she was absent-

“Ah.”

It could be an act of revenge. Banusa knew that ‘Verosian’ had been erased and was trying to use it to confuse Bariel.

As her thoughts continued, Barsabe frowned. But how did Banusa know? That ‘Verosian’ had been erased?

Swoosh.

Then, Ian handed Barsabe a glass of water. It was half-filled with clean water.

“Calm down for now. It seems like the conversation will be long.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Barsabe took the glass as if she were possessed. Was it her imagination that Ian’s smile, as he urged her to drink, looked somehow lonely?

Suddenly, Barsabe felt the blue moonlight was cold. So cold that it felt like something in Minister Ian had fallen into a deep winter sleep.

Oh