Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 791

“The Magic Department Disappeared”

“The Magic Department is empty? What does that mean?” The Prime Minister turned his head, looking bewildered. Jin, equally surprised, put down his report, while the administrative staff member who delivered the news kept bowing, unsure of what to do. What a commotion to start the morning with.

The Prime Minister even took off his glasses, asking again, “I asked what happened.”

“I apologize. The staff member on duty said that in the early morning, Assistant Romandro from the Magic Department came and submitted a large stack of leave requests.”

“Romandro? Leave requests?” It wasn’t something the administration approved; it was processed internally by the Magic Department and shared for work purposes.

The Prime Minister suddenly felt a throbbing headache. He had bad memories related to the Magic Department’s leave. Ten years ago, didn’t they all take leave to save Minister Ian and fly to Cliffopord? That incident was still vivid in his mind.

“So?”

“At first, they thought it was mixed with other reports, but as they flipped through, they realized they were all leave requests. They were so surprised that they rushed to the Magic Department, but it was already empty.”

The staff member said, handing over the stack of documents Romandro had left behind. The Prime Minister’s brow furrowed deeply as he lightly flipped through them. Almost the entire staff of the Magic Department had taken leave.

“What is this-” The Prime Minister squeezed his eyes shut. It was beyond bewildering, but surprisingly, they had all followed the rules meticulously. Leave for mages was under the jurisdiction of the Magic Department. While it could be morally criticized, there was nothing to say about it in terms of work. However, even within that loophole, the Prime Minister found one flaw.

“Your Majesty, the purpose column is blank. I don’t know what their intention was in leaving the palace, but for the entire Magic Department to suddenly vacate their posts is an act that disregards the safety of the Imperial Palace. It’s dereliction of duty, and furthermore, negligence of duty.”

“Hmm.” However, Jin remained silent, recalling the previous night. Ian and Romandro’s night outing. It seemed related to that explosion.

The staff member, sensing the mood, cautiously added, “However, the Minister of the Magic Department is still in the Magic Department.”

“What?” What was that supposed to mean? The Prime Minister, dumbfounded, turned his head again.

But he soon realized why that was the case. While leave for mages was handled by the Minister of the Magic Department, the minister’s own leave required the Emperor’s approval. Since no documents had been submitted to His Majesty yesterday or today, it was right that he was still there.

“I saw a faint light coming from the Minister’s office in the early morning. It didn’t seem like a light, but rather magic. Just in case, I knocked on the door, but there was no response.”

It wasn’t like the door was open either. He had pressed his ear to it, but he couldn’t hear anything. However, there was a faint shadow flickering through the window, so it seemed…

“It seems they’ve isolated the space with magic. There are no issues with the Imperial Palace gates or the barrier, so I assume they are working inside.”

“The Minister’s office? Why?”

“I’m not sure about that…”

“They are truly puzzling people.” The Prime Minister sighed, unable to understand. The Minister of the Magic Department and all the mages were inscrutable for their own reasons. He closed his mouth as if hoping the Emperor would make a decision.

Jin pondered for a while, then picked up the report again.

“Keep looking into it until you confirm that Ian is in the Minister’s office.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” And? The Prime Minister waited for his next words, but Jin didn’t continue. He just tapped the report, looking at the Prime Minister as if asking why he wasn’t reading it.

“Your Majesty, this is not something to overlook.”

“It is a puzzling matter, but I have no authority over the Magic Department’s leave. They are not people who will leave and not return, so let’s wait a bit. There haven’t been any problems due to their absence yet.” Above all, Minister Ian is still in his place, isn’t he? Jin said, gesturing to the attendant waiting outside. It was an order to bring the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

“Prime Minister, you may leave now.”

“…Your Majesty. Please make a wise decision and uphold your dignity. It is unprecedented for an entire department to suddenly vacate their posts like this.”

No, it had happened before. Ten years ago, the Cliffopord incident. But Jin didn’t bother to add that. The Prime Minister thought that the Magic Department was the same as ever, then got up from his seat. He believed that the mages’ arrogance was definitely a problem.

Squeak. In front of the office, the Prime Minister encountered Beric, who was just entering. Beric gave a casual nod and then closed the door himself, as if telling the unwelcome guest to leave quickly.

“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”

“Last night. What happened?” He was asking about the results of the order to have two Imperial Guards remain and survey the vicinity. Beric scratched his head and reported as if reciting a passage.

“We believe it was an explosion that occurred in the basement of an abandoned building not far from here. Judging by the faint, familiar magic detected, it’s likely the trace of a mage—Ian.”

Ian attacked someone?

Jin leaned back on the sofa.

“There was some blood at the scene.”

“Blood? Whose?”

“I don’t know.” The only one seen was Melania. Then, was the blood Melania’s? But why would Ian attack her? The more he dug, the more questions arose.

As Jin frowned, Beric added quietly, “If you’re curious, I can go to the scene.”

“What will change if you go, Beric?”

“I can smell the blood.”

“Ah.” Jin paused for a moment, having forgotten Beric’s talent, but then shook his head. To find out what happened there, it was best to hear it from the people involved.

“That’s enough. It would be better to find Ian or the mages in that time. Find out where everyone went, including Melania. You can sense magic, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Yes, I understand.” Beric was also planning to look for Ian even without Jin’s orders. He thought the Magic Department had gone crazy, but he was also a bit worried, and he felt a little left out…

“Then, I’ll report back.” Beric bowed and left the office.

Jin casually organized the documents and continued his work, but his gaze kept being drawn to the window, towards the direction of the Magic Department.

* * *

Clang! Crash! Crash! Eunrang, unable to contain her anger, threw whatever she could grab. Eastern porcelain that would have made the central nobles gasp in shock was being smashed without mercy.

Hohun just sat silently, waiting for Eunrang’s anger to subside. After a long while, he rummaged through his clothes and took something out. It was a white cloth.

“Haa, haa-” Eunrang, panting with her hands on her knees. The tips of her fingers were torn from the shards. Hohun wiped her wounds with the cloth and bandaged them tightly.

Eunrang looked up at him, her eyes red.

“What should I do, Hohun?”

“…”

“That damned brat’s words, could they be true?” That the great mage of the East, her master, already knew about the spirit object incident.

As Eunrang’s shoulders trembled, Hohun held her firmly.

“That can’t be true.”

“Right?”

“He said that when entering meditation, even if the sky were to tear, he wouldn’t know. All existing senses are focused solely on one’s own Qi [life force], thoughts do not exist, it’s a state of nothingness, and consciousness is submerged in a world made only of the self, becoming faint. You and I both know this, so why are you confused?” It was still too early for her master’s meditation to end.

Eunrang rubbed her arm roughly, muttering as if frustrated. The characters engraved on her skin did not disappear, only turning red.

“That damned bastard.” It was unclear who she was cursing. Ian Hielo, who had manipulated them? Or her master, the great mage Ja-an (慈眼) [a Buddhist term meaning ‘compassionate eye’], who had placed the shackles of eternity on them?

Eunrang slumped forward, muttering, “What should I do now, Hohun?” She wanted to rush into the Imperial Palace right away and demand the box, but the two of them couldn’t face all the Bariel mages. Moreover, the brat’s statement that her master might know everything, though not trustworthy, was driving her crazy.

Eunrang hugged Hohun, restless like a lost child. Hohun hugged her back, whispering, “First-” It was right to go with what was certain.

“It’s certain that Ian Hielo was hiding his identity in the Imperial Palace. It seems Melania didn’t know either.”

“Yes. Melania, she was also suspicious. She seems to be from a noble family, but she’s working as an informant behind the Minister of the Magic Department.”

That he was hiding his identity in the Imperial Palace meant that it shouldn’t be revealed. They didn’t know the details of his situation, but it didn’t matter. They had already obtained a clue.

“Didn’t you say that the Magic Department and the Emperor’s side are in conflict?” Eunrang nodded. It was better to confirm the exact situation separately, but it seemed that was the case overall.

“Then, we can send this to the leader of the faction that opposes Ian.” Hohun took out a white tiger’s fur from his pocket. It was a precious item passed down through his family, but now was not the time to worry about that. Eunrang blinked, puzzled.

“Hohun, are you talking about the Emperor?” Wouldn’t it be too difficult to contact the Emperor? The Magic Department would have strengthened their security after this incident.

Hohun shook his head. “There’s no need to go all the way to the Emperor.”

“Then?”

“Even the Prime Minister or a minister-level official like Hielo would be enough.”

“Hmm.” That’s right. If they just used the white tiger’s fur, it would quickly reveal that Ian Hielo was hiding his identity.

Hohun added, recalling his memories, “I heard that Bariel doesn’t have a Prime Minister, but a Chief Minister.”

“Then we can use the Chief Minister.”

“Yes. Let’s look into that side. And also investigate Melania.” Eunrang got up, her eyes flashing with anger. After calming her emotions, her thoughts were a bit clearer. Right, even if her master knew the whereabouts of the spirit object, what could he do? Given the distance, he couldn’t rush here in an instant.

Before that, they just needed to take the box from Ian Hielo and hide again. Then, Eunrang and Hohun would surely escape their master’s grasp and regain their freedom.

“Eunrang, rest here. I’ll go and find out.” Hohun said that and immediately turned and left.

Left alone, Eunrang took out the hairpin she had in her hair and drew constellations and Eastern characters on the floor. Each time a character was completed, it shone in gold.

Buzz! Buzz! Swish! This was one of the forms of divination passed down through Eunrang’s family. It was a curse-type attack that examined the target’s fortune and placed weight on their misfortune.

Eunrang smiled faintly as she looked at the shining characters. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Ian Hielo.”