Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 792

There’s an area where those who live by the motto ‘Anything for money’ gather. That place is Luggaspell. As it was a temporary stop for merchant guilds, it’s a region where large and small incidents occur due to money.

Central slum, vagrant’s bedroom, slave’s graveyard—all these words refer to this place.

*Ting.*

In the basement of a building close to a tunnel, the shadows of people stretched long and dark, moving back and forth due to the lamps placed throughout the corridor.

They turned their heads at the sound of the door opening. Two people wearing robes had entered.

“Ah. You’re the ones who were supposed to come?”

“That’s right.”

“This way, please.”

Eunrang frowned deeply at the unpleasant smell and grabbed Hohun’s arm. Everything was shabby, from the common rabble to the worn-out goods. She doubted whether proper work could be done in such a place.

As Eunrang stuck close behind Hohun, he put his arm around her shoulder as if to say it was okay.

“Hohun, is this place really alright?”

Hohun nodded instead of answering. After inquiring in various ways, this place was deemed suitable for discreet work without any repercussions. Above all, they were the only ones who had accurate knowledge about the East. That meant the quality of information was decent.

“Ahem, welcome!”

Marco, the head of the information broker, stood up abruptly and greeted them. He roughly pushed aside the clutter on the table to make space, and Eunrang rolled her eyes in annoyance. It was a terrible experience.

“Have you eaten?”

“Just get to the main point.”

“Oh my, my tongue is too long. I apologize.”

Marco hummed a tune as he looked for the report to give them. His sly, narrow eyes subtly scanned Eunrang and Hohun. Most of the customers who came here didn’t reveal their identities, but these clients with such unusual requests were a first.

‘Simple personal information of figures above the rank of minister in the Empire, the political situation within the Imperial Palace… especially all information about the Magic Department, and even a search for a woman named Melania.’

What kind of things are all these? As long as they paid properly, it didn’t matter, but he couldn’t help but be curious. Marco brought the report and casually asked again.

“You said you were merchants, right?”

“Yes.”

“What do you deal in? Since we’ve met like this, we could trade if you need anything.”

Eunrang and Hohun had disguised themselves as merchant leaders from a foreign country. They even added the setting that knowing the political situation of Bariel was important for distributing goods. Hohun drew a firm line.

“You don’t have anything we would find useful.”

“Ah, yes. Ahem.”

It must be something related to magic. Especially since they asked about the Magic Department. Marco awkwardly twisted his beard and presented the report. The paper looked particularly yellowish due to the lamplight.

“This is the personal information of those above the rank of minister that you requested. I’ve gathered information on their names and other personal details, as well as rumors circulating, so please check it.”

In fact, since they were such famous figures, getting information wasn’t difficult. He wondered if he should even accept the money.

*Thud.*

Hohun slowly read through the sentences, then pointed to a certain spot with his finger. Eunrang mumbled haltingly.

“Ian Hielo, disappeared 10 years ago and recently reappeared? How did that happen?”

“I’m not sure about that. The Magic Department Minister’s family register is in the outskirts, and his family all died in this war. I think he had a younger sister? Anyway, the interesting thing is something else.”

Marco chuckled as he added.

“Well, they say he hasn’t changed from 10 years ago.”

“What?”

“He was just a small child when he disappeared, but those who have seen him now say he doesn’t look much different. Is it because he’s a magician that he doesn’t age, or is he just naturally youthful? The previous Minister Wesley also didn’t seem to age much, it’s quite strange.”

Eunrang scoffed. How foolish. Could they really not know? It was because he wasn’t human.

‘He’s a demon, isn’t he? Damn it. And he dares to look down on us?’

In the East, there was an awareness of the abyss, but they knew nothing about the different timelines. That was because no one had ever returned alive from that place in the East.

Eunrang glared at Marco, grinding her teeth. At her blatant hostility, Marco cleared his throat and presented a new report.

“Ahem. Please take your time to look at it. I’ll tell you about that woman, Melania, separately.”

As Hohun reached for the report, Marco subtly pulled it towards himself. At his gesture, Hohun paused, then took out a silver coin from his pocket as if understanding. It was the remaining payment.

“After inquiring with the name and description, there is someone who matches, but is it true that she is from a noble family?”

“It’s certain.”

“That’s even stranger. Melania Haiman. The daughter of a central noble family that was destroyed 10 years ago fits perfectly, but as I just said, she can’t possibly be alive.”

The daughter of a family destroyed for treason. Eunrang and Hohun’s eyes met. Their eyes were filled with surprise and amusement.

‘Ian Hielo is hiding and keeping the child of a traitorous family.’

‘Are they lovers?’

‘They didn’t seem like it.’

‘Interesting. Does the Imperial Palace know?’

‘They wouldn’t know. But it doesn’t matter. At least the common people don’t seem to know.’

What kind of signals were they exchanging? Marco’s gaze shifted between the two. Hohun put his hand in his pocket again and handed over a small ring. It was the remaining payment.

“Satisfactory.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“As a thank you, we’ll give you some information too.”

“Yes?”

Since Marco was someone who bought and sold information, his ears naturally perked up. The two stood up and casually said.

“Melania is alive. And she’s in the center.”

“What does that mean?”

What nonsense? Marco sniffed, puzzled, as the two raised their sleeves. With a rustling sound, their eyes turned golden.

‘…Magicians?’

“Together with Ian Hielo.”

The two disappeared in an instant, leaving only those words behind.

Marco was in disbelief, then abruptly stood up. Ian Hielo saved Melania? This…

“Where can I take this to make money?”

* * *

“You’ve arrived, Master.”

“Yes, I have.”

“You’ve come home early today.”

The Prime Minister of the Empire, Grimold, nodded as he got out of the carriage with difficulty. He straightened his back and let out a small sigh, then walked ahead as if nothing was wrong.

It was truly strange. He didn’t feel tired when going up and down the stairs in the Imperial Palace, but as soon as he left the palace, the joints in his whole body would twist and cause him pain. Perhaps it was because he was relaxing.

The butler of the mansion followed Grimold and presented a silver tray. More than a dozen letters had arrived in just one day.

“Everyone has a lot of business with an old man.”

“Please don’t say that, Master. You are the Prime Minister of the Empire, so it’s only natural. Everyone is waiting for just one line of your reply.”

“Enough. It’s hard to look at them, so take them to the study later.”

The butler smiled wryly and stepped back. His master didn’t waste even the time it took to walk from the mansion entrance to his office. But now, even that was difficult for him. It felt as if the weight of the years he had pushed aside was suddenly being felt.

Grimold paused when he saw a child running towards him from the reception room in the distance.

“Oh, Annie.”

“Grandpa!”

“Yes, what’s the matter?”

His granddaughter, Annie, ran with all her might to hug Grimold. But at that moment, a woman lightly pulled Annie by the nape of her neck.

“Annie. I told you not to run in the hallway, didn’t I?”

It was the Prime Minister’s daughter, Jellan.

Grimold hugged the struggling Annie tightly and smiled warmly.

“I’m fine.”

“What do you mean you’re fine?”

He still had enough strength to withstand Annie running into him. Grimold whispered greetings to the child for a while, then looked at his daughter.

“Anyway, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing. It just felt like it’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”

Jellan narrowed her eyes. Outside, he was the Prime Minister of the Empire, but at home, he was just a father who cowered under his daughter’s gaze.

“Father, when are you going to retire?”

“……”

“You said it last time. That you would retire when the war was over. The doctor said your health has gotten worse.”

“That man is a doctor. Where would there be a healthy person in a doctor’s eyes?”

“Father!”

Grimold subtly put his granddaughter down. Then Jellan stuck close and kept nagging.

“Think about your age. Mother went down to the countryside a long time ago to tend to the estate and is waiting for you. It would be nice if you could just relax now.”

“Yes. It would be nice.”

“Don’t just say it!”

He was already in his late eighties. No matter how much he had dedicated his life to the Empire, he didn’t need to do this until his twilight years. Grimold smiled kindly and patted his daughter’s shoulder.

“I want to do that too.”

“Then do it!”

“But the situation in the Imperial Palace is not favorable right now.”

“When has it ever been okay?”

Wasn’t it a place where people gathered, constantly fighting over power struggles and arguing over trivial matters, staying up all night to determine who was right and wrong?

The Prime Minister looked at the butler, looking a little tired.

“There, miss.”

While the butler took care of his daughter, the Prime Minister slipped away and escaped to his study. As soon as the door closed, fatigue washed over him.

‘Yes. The time to let go is coming.’

But not now. If he quit now, with Jaylut and Tweller gone, the Imperial Palace would truly lose its balance and collapse.

Moreover, considering that the Magic Department had gone on what seemed like a strike today, it was even more difficult to predict the future situation.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, a single envelope caught the Prime Minister’s eye. It was neatly placed on the desk, which was quite strange. All letters coming from outside were managed by the butler.

He glanced at the door for a moment, then approached and examined the envelope. There was no sender or recipient written on it. Was it Annie’s prank?

*Rip.*

As he tore open the envelope, a ring, a letter, and a single white feather fell out.

-We are magicians from the East.

“……!”

The Prime Minister was surprised and looked around. But there were no special traces left anywhere in the office.

-As proof, we will give you a ring brought from the East. We believe it will be a gem you have never seen before, just as we had never seen Idgal before.

Idgal? The Prime Minister frowned at the sudden situation.

-The enclosed white feather will help you see the true nature of the opponent. Those who live in a different world from us appear differently. It seems you also know roughly about ‘their world,’ so we won’t add much. We saw Ian Hielo with it. It was very interesting……

*Swoosh.*

A fierce gust of wind. Eunrang, who had been hiding in the branches of the zelkova tree in the mansion’s courtyard, narrowed her eyes and muttered.

“Oh, he read it.”