Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 783

“Something feels off lately.”

“You feel it too?”

The palace staff were enjoying a leisurely lunch break under the warm sunlight. They sat in a row on a bench, sipping their tea.

“It’s been like this since that day, right?”

“Yeah, since that day.”

It was the day when the Grand Council was held twice, morning and night. They had heard unbelievable rumors that the Emperor had openly confronted the Minister of Magic. They said he didn’t even make eye contact or exchange words during the meeting.

“It’s a bit much for the Minister of Magic. After Hielro was completely destroyed, to call the people involved to the palace and make agreements. If he had just overturned everything like Rusweena, he would have at least vented his anger. I would have felt the same.”

“Still, you shouldn’t mix personal feelings with official duties. If we secure the monopoly on the fire cannons, we won’t have to worry about other countries.”

“Is Minister Ian someone who mixes emotions with his work? He must have his reasons, you ignorant fools.”

“What? And how much better are you?”

“Rumor has it that there was a condition to hand over Idgal. Would the Magic Department be crazy to do that? Their position is already threatened by the introduction of fire cannons. No matter how close they are to His Majesty, some things are just not right.”

Sssip. They all sipped their tea at the same time. It was a complex issue that was understandable yet difficult to judge hastily.

“But in the end, they sent an invitation to Hawan, right? They’ll be here soon, with the fire cannons.”

“No matter what, Ian can’t win against His Majesty.”

“He probably doesn’t even want to win?”

“Really? You think so?”

“Why? Do you know something?”

“No, it’s just… ever since the construction of the Magic Department’s annex, he hasn’t given in on anything after the war. Don’t you think he’s changed from before?”

“Hmm. You’re right. Before, even if he voiced an opposing opinion, he would always follow His Majesty’s will in the end.”

“That’s why His Majesty is angry. How many days has it been now? He’s still cold towards the Magic Department.”

“I hope the Minister of Magic doesn’t get any strange ideas-”

Thwack!

“Ptoo!”

Someone suddenly smacked the back of the employee’s head, causing him to spit out the tea he was holding. His clothes were a mess. He turned around angrily, but then quickly shut his mouth.

“What did you just say?”

“Ah, n-no, good afternoon, Commander Acorella.”

“Are you all crazy? Gossiping about your superiors in broad daylight.”

“Oh, the lunch break is already over.”

“Oh, oh, that’s right! Oh my, I lost track of time.”

“Commander Acorella, please go about your business. Ahem!”

“You brats! Get to work!”

Acorella shook his report and chased after the employees, who screamed and ran away. After chasing them a few steps, Acorella stopped and frowned.

“Bastards.”

Even though he was cooped up in the lab, strange rumors kept reaching his ears. It started with the minor controversy about the imperial bloodline during the war. Then came the rumors that the Magic Department was moving to expand and solidify its power.

Acorella kicked the cup they had left behind.

Clang!

Romandro turned around, startled by the sound of glass breaking. Strange, did he hear things? He was about to continue on his way when he saw a group of mages gathered at the end of the hallway, looking agitated.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Seriously, if I had used magic, I would have won.”

“You idiot. Why did you even fight back?”

“Dumbass. If you were going to fight, you should have won.”

“No, if you think about it, wasn’t it a tie?”

“You have a double nosebleed, and that bastard just has a nosebleed.”

“Ugh!”

Romandro rushed over in shock and examined the mage’s face. It was scratched all over, and cotton was stuffed in his nostrils.

“H-how did this happen?”

“He said he had a fight with an administrative staff member.”

“W-what? This isn’t a school.”

The mages vented their frustrations to Romandro, looking upset. They said that whenever three of them gathered, they would always talk about the Minister of Magic. They all kept saying nonsense like ‘Ian seems to have changed,’ and how could they just stand by? They had gone through hell on the battlefield, and this kind of treatment was an insult.

“Romandro, please talk to Ian. It’s just… he wasn’t like this before, and it’s a bit concerning.”

“Yes, I know he has his reasons, but the atmosphere in the palace is really strange. His Majesty seems angry too.”

“It’s the first time they’ve ever confronted each other.”

“But, if they’ve agreed to bring in the fire cannons, isn’t it over? Why are they still picking on us?”

“Do they think we’re easy targets!”

Thud! Bang!

The mages suddenly became agitated, and Romandro desperately tried to pull them back by their sleeves. But he also sympathized with them. Ian was unnecessarily stirring up trouble.

“O-okay, just calm down. I’ll talk to Ian.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So don’t cry! Stop it!”

“Ah, it really hurts. That bastard must only work out after work. It’s unfair… I can’t leave work! Because I’m a mage!”

“Tsk, tsk. You’re too old for this.”

Romandro calmed the mages and then headed back to the Minister’s office. There was one more thing to report. He sighed deeply in front of the door.

‘Still, it’s a relief that the fire cannon issue has been taken over by His Majesty. If we had brought that in, it would have been a real mess. His Majesty did well this time.’

In Bariel’s history, balance was always important. And that balance had to be centered around the Emperor. But recently, Ian’s actions were the opposite, so it was natural for everyone to feel something was off.

However, he didn’t think Ian had made a wrong decision. There must be some reason that others couldn’t understand, but he couldn’t openly say. Romandro was sure of it.

Knock knock.

“Ian, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

Even though the outside was in chaos, Ian looked as calm as ever. His clothes were neat, his posture was straight, and he was holding a pen as always. Romandro placed the report in front of him and casually mentioned,

“Um, Ian. The palace is noisy these days.”

“Yes, it seems so. I could hear the crying from outside.”

“You heard it?!”

Ian glanced at Romandro and then went back to his work. He had always been a workaholic, but it seemed worse lately. It was as if he was running out of time, dividing his day into small segments.

“Has the construction company been decided?”

“We’ll go with the one that won the bid last time. Timothy is also coming back to the center.”

“Ah. Timothy.”

That’s right. Naum’s ancestor and the key figure in the construction of the Magic Department’s annex. Ian nodded as if he had forgotten. With enough people and money, the construction itself wouldn’t take too long. All the necessary magic stones were also prepared.

“Please hurry.”

“What’s the rush? Ian, if you keep doing that, your pretty face will get all wrinkled. I was quite the looker when I was young, you know. Huh? What’s with that look?”

“……”

“Anyway, I became like this after joining the administration. Look! Scary, right?”

Roar! Romandro jokingly made a funny face, but Ian only gave a faint smile and didn’t react. Knowing he didn’t have much time left, Ian needed to hurry with everything.

Especially the construction of the annex.

‘I wish I could see it completed.’

Would it be possible? Ian recalculated his plans in his head. Romandro looked at Ian with concern and then organized the scattered documents. That’s when it happened.

Tap tap!

“I told you not to run in the hallway.”

Loud footsteps came from outside. Then, a knock and the door opened at the same time. A mage shouted with a flustered expression.

“Ian, it’s a disaster!”

“Oh my, what is it now! Did someone get a nosebleed again?”

“No, it’s not that. The invitation we sent to Hawan has been returned.”

“What?”

Romandro paused with a ‘huh?’ expression. Ian also seemed a bit surprised by the sudden news. But he quickly understood what it meant for the invitation to be returned.

“…Are they dead?”

“W-who died?”

“I don’t know. His Majesty is calling an emergency meeting.”

Tap. Ian put down his pen. Then he wondered if he should be happy or not. Since the invitation was returned, the import of fire cannons was indefinitely postponed. It was clear that finding the location of the fire cannons would be difficult. It was definitely good news for the Magic Department.

“Romandro, prepare yourself.”

“Ah! Okay, okay. What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Through the door, mages with cotton stuffed in their nostrils peeked their heads out. They all looked exhausted.

Ian got up from his seat and picked up his jacket.

“Everyone, please endure a little longer.”

“Ah, n-no, it’s nothing!”

“Yes, there’s nothing to worry about!”

“Of course. We’re perfectly fine.”

They didn’t care about the other departments talking behind their backs. They were just upset. The mages smiled and greeted Ian.

Ian left the room. Romandro followed closely behind him.

“But if the invitation was returned, does that mean the rebel organization has collapsed?”

“It must mean it’s an emergency situation of that magnitude.”

“Oh… the civil war must be serious. But if it’s the leader of the rebels, they should have some level of security.”

“That’s what most people would think.”

“Most people?”

“Yes. But you never know.”

“Wh-what?”

“They might have been killed by someone.”

Romandro blinked and then opened his mouth wide. He jumped up and down, saying it was impossible.

“We didn’t do it!”

* * *

“The informant? Can’t we reach them?”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs looked troubled at the Prime Minister’s question. He had just received the report himself, so it wasn’t easy to grasp the situation. He shook his head and stammered.

“Yes, there has been no news since the last message. All that’s certain is that the rebel leadership is dead.”

“Are you sure?”

“The bodies of the rebel leader, Caetano, and his key aides were found on the outskirts of the capital of Hawan.”

So, the situation had completely flipped.

The Prime Minister sighed, rubbing his forehead. He was not one to openly show his emotions, but he couldn’t help it with the current situation.

“What about the fire cannons?”

“Their location is unknown.”

It was important to know where the fire cannons had gone. It would be a relief if they were still in Hawan, but what if they had fallen into the hands of an unexpected force or disappeared? It would be impossible to gauge the flow of the situation.

Either way, it was an unpleasant situation. Just the fact that there was a variable somewhere meant that Bariel had too many things to consider.

“How did this happen, sigh.”

“But… there’s something strange.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs reported cautiously.

“All the bodies had their heads cut off, and the cuts were strangely clean. There were also testimonies of seeing strange lights at the time of the incident, but this is not certain.”

The Prime Minister paused and turned his head towards the Emperor. The Emperor was looking out the window and didn’t react. The Prime Minister couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

“It’s certain that they didn’t use a blade. It looks like traces of magic or sorcery, but as far as we know, there were no mages or sorcerers involved in the civil war. They seemed to be in contact with mages from the East, but they have no motive for this…”

“No-”

It was Jin who broke the silence. His eyes were sharp. His gaze was fixed on the Prime Minister.

“There could be any number of motives.”

If someone new had intervened.