Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 806

“We’ve arrived!” A signal from outside the assembly hall snapped the officials to attention. They straightened their backs and waited. Ian Hielo, the Minister of Magic, that tenacious man, was said to be barely back on his feet, yet he was already attending the general assembly. And at a time when neither the Emperor nor the Prime Minister were present. The officials exchanged nervous glances, trying to compose themselves. “Will it be alright?” “Of course.” Minister Ian couldn’t possibly be unaware of the surge in magic stone prices, especially with the news that the construction of the annex had begun in earnest. They shuffled through their documents with slightly trembling hands, making final preparations. As long as they didn’t make any slip-ups, they wouldn’t be held responsible for the price surge. The initial spark might have come from the Imperial Palace, but the storm had been stirred up by the merchants. “We did our jobs. Justly so.” “Yes. Questioning this would be overstepping. Absolutely.” “Haa, but why is my throat so dry?” Just then, someone came rushing in from outside. “H-he’s coming in.” He must have gone out for a smoke and bumped into Ian, then hurried back. Soon, the doors of the assembly hall slowly opened. Ian, looking a bit thinner, appeared with a stack of reports tucked under his arm. “Ah, Minister Ian!” “I heard you weren’t feeling well. Is it alright for you to be moving around like this?” “You’ve been through a lot. Please, have a seat over here.” Ian simply offered a subtle smile and nodded. Meanwhile, Romandro, who had entered with him, scanned the assembly hall with narrowed eyes, clearly on guard. Judging by Romandro’s demeanor, the officials understood the situation. ‘He knows.’ ‘He knows.’ As soon as Ian sat down, he turned to Rayburn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and greeted him. “Minister Rayburn.” “Yes? W-what is it?” “I heard that your mansion was damaged because of the Eastern mages. Please accept my deepest condolences.” No, it wasn’t the Eastern mages who destroyed it, but your mages! Rayburn barely swallowed the words that rose to his throat and forced an awkward smile. “If we had handled things more quickly, such an unfortunate incident wouldn’t have happened. I am truly sorry.” “Oh, no, it’s nothing. Not at all. The mages saved us, yes. We’re alive thanks to them. Ahem.” “I’m grateful that you see it that way. Are you managing alright? If there’s anything the Ministry of Magic can do to help, please let us know. We’ll assist in any way we can.” On the surface, it was a kind offer, but Rayburn and the other officials were extremely tense, carefully considering each word. They all knew that if they were too eager, they could be easily caught in a trap. Rayburn hesitated for a moment, then, noticing the other officials’ gazes, shook his head. “No, it’s alright. There’s no need.” “Oh. Is that really so?” There was something ominous in his tone, and Rayburn was startled, turning to look at Ian. He was still smiling, but there was something chilling about it. Rayburn instinctively realized that Ian’s offer was a ‘last chance’ being given. “Ah. Then, um, I’ll let you know later.” “Very well. Since this is a formal setting.” Ha! Look at that? The other officials stared at Rayburn’s response in disbelief. But what could they do? It was a final offer. Rayburn could only keep sending silent signals that he had no choice. Ian organized his reports and asked, “By the way, Minister Rayburn.” “…Yes, please speak.” “Why did you suspend the passage permits for the merchants? It seems they have no issues with their qualifications.” It was a casual question, but Rayburn felt his heart sink. This was it. Rayburn reflexively recited the lines he had memorized all night. “We received a report that the list of goods the merchants declared didn’t match the actual list. So, we took temporary measures to investigate.” “Is that so? And the investigation is complete?” “Of course. We’ve issued the permits without any problems now.” “It would be best to revoke them again.” “Pardon?” Rayburn turned his head sharply at the unexpected remark. He thought he must have misheard. But Ian repeated himself clearly. “I suggested that you revoke the passage permits again.” “W-why is that?” “It seems they are colluding to manipulate the price of magic stones, disrupting the market economy. As you know, magic stones aren’t just simple jewels. They are essential for magic research, various industries, and even national defense. They are playing games for their own selfish gain, which the Ministry of Magic cannot overlook.” So? What are you going to do about it? Ian raised his voice slightly, as if to make sure everyone could hear. “All the merchants involved in this incident should be punished, and it would be best for the Ministry of Magic to manage all magic stones circulating within Bariel from now on.” “No, wait a minute, Minister Ian!” “Is that even possible?” The other officials, who had been subtly listening, jumped up in surprise. If the Ministry of Magic were to manage all the magic stones in Bariel, it would be like giving wings to the already wealthy and powerful ministry. But Ian tilted his head as if he didn’t understand. “Why do you say it’s not possible?” “There are countless magic stone merchants in Bariel. How would the Ministry of Magic handle all of that?” “Thank you for your concern, but you don’t need to worry about the Ministry of Magic’s workload. Haven’t you all been saying that the Ministry of Magic has plenty of space, and building an annex is excessive? We’ll increase our workload to match that excess.” What kind of nonsense is that? The officials were speechless, their mouths agape. On the other hand, Ian looked very pleased, his face full of satisfaction. “If the Ministry of Magic manages the magic stones, such incidents won’t happen again. Minister of Foreign Affairs, wouldn’t you agree? How dare they try to deceive the Empire by falsifying their import declarations?” “No, that wasn’t it. That’s just what was reported, and after investigation, there was no problem.” “No. It would be best to strengthen the foundation at this time.” “Excuse me, Minister Ian.” Ian tapped the table with his pen as if he couldn’t hear. Then, he rested his chin on one hand, curling his lips into a mischievous smile. “In a completely new way.” At Ian’s declaration, the officials were dumbfounded. They had only intended to block the construction of the annex and gain some minor benefits, but how had things turned out like this? They shook their heads as if to clear their minds and began to stammer out objections to Ian’s proposal. “Minister Ian. We respect your opinion, but how do you plan to collect all the magic stones currently circulating in the market? It’s inefficient. And we can’t open the national treasury to help the Ministry of Magic with its work.” “Yes, that’s right. If you want to organize things, you have to pay the price. If you take such measures, it will be like tightening the merchants’ lifelines, and they won’t easily release their goods in the future.” “Let me state this in advance! We cannot provide a single penny beyond the Ministry of Magic’s budget!” “Of course not-” Amid the commotion, Ian smiled brightly and gestured for the officials not to worry. The officials were once again mesmerized by the fluttering cuffs of his sleeves. “I’ll handle it myself.” “Handle it? How-” “Oh dear. You’re behind on the news. I’ve decided to return the Hielo territory.” “What?!” The officials from the Davion family finally seemed to realize something and quietly touched their foreheads. “A large sum of money will come in at once, so you don’t need to worry about the budget.” “No, wait-” “Is there a problem?” Does Ian not have any sense of the future? It’s not enough to save every penny to buy a house and land, but he pours all the cash he gets into the Ministry of Magic. Is this even right? What kind of crazy person uses their own money to support their workplace? Ian calmly organized his documents and added, “Anyway, that’s all you need to know for now. I’ll be meeting with the merchants involved in this incident soon, and I’ll share any further news as soon as possible.” It was expected that Ian would meet with the merchants, but if it was not about the magic stone price issue but about the Ministry of Magic’s business expansion, then the situation was different. The merchants would immediately realize that their livelihoods were in danger, and they were likely to confess their connections with the officials to Ian to avoid this. ‘Oh, what should we do? This wasn’t in the plan.’ The officials’ pupils trembled. Regardless, Ian even hummed a little tune as he prepared for the assembly. “Does His Majesty the Emperor know about this?” At someone’s question, Ian slightly raised his head. Referring to the Emperor was a kind of gamble. It was clear that everyone in the Imperial Palace was wary of the Ministry of Magic due to the misunderstanding of the incident of the annihilation of the Hwan rebels’ leadership. That’s why the construction of the Ministry of Magic’s annex had begun so vaguely. But if the Ministry of Magic monopolized the distribution rights of magic stones, the situation would be different. They needed a breakthrough. “No. I haven’t reported it yet, so he wouldn’t know.” Ian shrugged his shoulders as if to show off. “But would it matter much?” Even the Emperor couldn’t stop it. The justification was now in the hands of the Ministry of Magic. It was a cheeky and audacious remark, but no one dared to object in front of everyone. At least, if the Prime Minister had been present, he would have added a warning that they shouldn’t do that. ‘As expected.’ Ian sighed slightly, as if he had anticipated the reaction, and then lowered his head, pretending not to notice. Then, he added casually, as if letting it slip, “As you know, I haven’t been feeling well lately. So, I’ll prioritize the urgent tasks that have been piling up over these minor matters, and I’ll report to His Majesty as soon as I have the chance. You don’t need to worry.” “Worry? It’s nothing like that.” “Yes, Minister Ian will handle it well.” They all answered like that on the surface, but inside, they were clearly calculating complicated things. Ian tapped his fingertips and waited for a moment. He wondered if there was anyone clever enough to recognize his bait and try to grab it. “By the way-” And surprisingly, the one who took the bait was an unexpected person. It was Minister of Foreign Affairs Rayburn. Perhaps because of his experience dealing with delegations, he carefully observed Ian and asked, “Are you feeling very unwell? You seem a bit thinner than before, but your judgment seems clear.” “I’m glad I seem alright on the outside.” “Is it because you overdid it in the Tolun War before?” The other officials wondered why he was asking such a thing, but Ian thought he was doing a good job. If you want to live, you have to find a breakthrough somehow. “That’s about right. Fatigue has accumulated, and in many ways.” Ian ended the conversation abruptly. Then, Minister Rayburn raised his eyebrows as if he was puzzled, and then looked straight ahead. The officials were all whispering to each other, trying to figure out how to deal with Ian’s unconventional actions. They kept winking at Rayburn, but he didn’t react, lost in thought. ‘In many ways. That’s quite meaningful. Is he even capable of using magic?’ Squeak. “Everyone’s here early.” Just then, Minister Quintana entered and greeted them. Since neither the Emperor nor the Prime Minister were present, she had the authority to lead the meeting. Quintana observed the unusual atmosphere in the assembly hall and carefully picked up the gavel, tapping it lightly. “Silence, please. We will now begin the general assembly.”