Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 827

Acorella’s body swayed dramatically.

How could she forget this? Since when? No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t make sense. Wasn’t it Ian’s arrival from the future that led to their victory against the Undergod?

It was astonishing, and at the same time, frightening. To be so helplessly affected by an unknown force that could erase memories like paper.

‘…How could this be?’

She rubbed her forehead, searching through her memories, but couldn’t find any specific cause. The battle with the Undergod was her last memory, so something must have happened then….

‘What about other memories?’

The new memories that surfaced were all related to ‘Ian Verosian.’ From the moment she cut open the gypsy’s belly in Agiar to reclaim her name, to the day the mages fought the Great Beast beneath the Masantar Temple, they were all cleanly sliced away.

‘Could there be more?’

She wondered if there were still things she had forgotten, but there was no way to remember what she couldn’t recall. Like not knowing the existence of air before falling into water, she would never realize it without a catalyst.

Tap!

So, Acorella picked up the potion again. Now that she knew what she had forgotten was so important, she was afraid there might be more she hadn’t remembered.

“C-Captain?”

“What’s wrong?”

Two officials backed away from Acorella. She was someone they couldn’t understand. Why was she acting like that? Was it okay to drink so much? They hesitantly tried to stop Acorella.

“P-Please stop and put it away. This is also a warning for the Captain. The things that come to mind are so vivid that they seem real.”

“Y-Yes, yes. We’ll pretend we didn’t see you here on the second floor. We won’t tell anyone, so please stop. You’ll really get into trouble.”

Captain Acorella herself knew best what had started the current situation in the Imperial Palace. It was all because of the strange rumor about ‘Ian Verosian.’ But how could she implant such delusions in their minds? It was too much.

“It has just been confirmed that there are no signs of mind manipulation on Rutherford’s corpse. The Eastern mages verified it. But if you do this, new misunderstandings will arise. Please be careful and think deeply.”

“We’ll pretend we didn’t see this! We swear!”

The officials tried to erase the memories that had surfaced from the recall potion. They kept denying reality because of the discrepancy.

That was understandable. In the Imperial Palace, they were ready to kill anyone who even mentioned the name ‘Ian Verosian,’ and Acorella was known for her eccentric behavior.

“It’s not mind manipulation, you bastards!”

“Not mind manipulation? Then are you saying we completely forgot about this? How? Nothing happened. We didn’t even go to war.”

“That’s right. Nothing happened in the center.”

They couldn’t help but deny it because they didn’t know why they had lost their memories. If a mage lost their memory, they might assume it was a side effect of magic; if a warrior lost their memory, they might assume it was the aftermath of war or a curse from a monster… They had enjoyed their daily lives while the war was happening. As usual.

“Damn it, so-”

Acorella grabbed her dizzy head and collapsed. The cause of the memory loss? She didn’t know either. But Ian would know.

As her breathing became more labored, the officials glanced outside. It would be better to ask for help. For their sake, and for Acorella’s.

“Is anyone out, out-”

“Stop!”

Ziiing!

Acorella lightly released her magic with her fingertips. She was too dizzy to move even a finger, but she had no choice.

The two officials’ faces turned pale. Not only mind manipulation but also magic!

“Haa, haa-”

Acorella took a rough breath and racked her brain. This was a disaster. The situation was going to hell!

‘I can’t contact the outside like this. If these useless officials claim it’s mind manipulation, I won’t be able to refute it.’

The potion was made by Acorella personally, and the Magic Department was in conflict with the entire Imperial Palace. It was a plausible story.

‘I need to prepare.’

To refute it, she needed evidence. Even if the memories were gone, there must be some traces left somewhere… Then, suddenly.

‘Wait. Ian remembers, right? In other words, not everything was erased…?’

The possibility of more exceptions? Okay.

And one more thing. It would be good if it was a definite trace that no one could deny. Something with credibility….

‘The Agiar battle and Masantar Temple reports!’

Acorella decided it would be best to check those first. Not to prove it was mind manipulation magic, but to secure evidence that would remind them that they had simply forgotten the truth.

“Is anyone up there?”

But then, a member of the Imperial Guard came up to the second floor, looking puzzled. He had felt a faint magical power suddenly. He had keenly noticed the magic that Acorella had briefly released to stop the officials from escaping.

“Captain Acorella?”

“S-Save us!”

The guard stopped, seeing the messy laboratory and Acorella sitting on the floor. But he soon noticed the officials’ unusual expressions and reactions and frowned.

“What’s going on? Everyone, calm down. Captain Acorella, weren’t you supposed to be out of the palace? The Magic Department is currently under a no-access order.”

“Be careful, guard! Captain Acorella did some kind of experiment. It’s magic that implants strange memories in our heads!”

“What?”

The guard finally looked closely at the things scattered on the floor. The experimental tools still felt warm. The officials stumbled toward the guard and hid behind him.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“W-We seem to have had disrespectful memories injected into us.”

“Please do something! She even used magic when we tried to escape!”

They were all stomping their feet, not knowing what to do. The situation seemed serious. The guard cautiously approached Acorella to check on her condition.

“Captain, can you hear me?”

Acorella nodded with difficulty. Cold sweat dripped down her chin.

“Please confirm if what they are saying is true.”

“Damn it, it’s not mind manipulation… it’s what we recovered.”

“Oh, dear.”

Regardless of the truth of the potion, it was true that she had illegally entered the Magic Department, forcibly administered the potion to the officials, and even used magic.

The guard scratched his chin, looking perplexed, then helped Acorella up.

“Captain, I’m sorry, but please come with me. You are under arrest for disobeying the Imperial Order and misusing magic. Please understand that this is in accordance with the Imperial Law.”

“No, wait a minute-”

“We will prioritize treatment, but since you have threatened the officials with magic, I order you to wear a magic-sealing stone. This way.”

Acorella struggled to break free, but her body was weak. …Right. She had realized something new. It was the importance of proper dosage. Always test on others first….

“No, more importantly, Ian! Call Ian! Or let me see His Majesty!”

“…Captain Acorella. Do you not understand the situation?”

The guard sighed softly and looked around. Other officials were gathering, having heard the commotion. She had disobeyed the Emperor’s order, entered the Magic Department, administered a mysterious potion to others, and was now being arrested for using force with magic.

“Be quiet. There is a procedure. If you want to see Minister Ian or His Majesty, finish the investigation first and then make a separate request. What exactly did you drink?”

“Shut up! I’ll tell you what I drank myself, so stop talking so much. You, you’re Beric’s lackey, aren’t you? Fine. Bring Beric here!”

“You’ll hurt yourself, Captain. Hey, go get the bracelet.”

“Yes! I understand!”

As if she could do anything in her condition.

As Acorella’s struggles intensified, another guard put a magic-sealing stone bracelet on her wrist.

Clink!

“Hey! Are you guys crazy! I’m Acorella! Acorella of the Magic Department!”

The bracelet was as thin as a thread, but it was enough to control her magic. Acorella was dumbfounded and grabbed an official by the collar, simultaneously headbutting him in the jaw.

Crack!

“Ugh! My nose!”

“Captain!”

“Let go of me!”

“The more you do this, the more trouble you’ll get into!”

“Ian-!”

Acorella wanted to shout with all her might. That Ian Verosian was right, that he was the Emperor from the future.

But she knew what would happen if she blurted it out in this situation. Acorella gritted her teeth in frustration, then gave up and relaxed her body.

“Haa.”

She already felt nauseous and had a splitting headache… Damn it.

The guard supported the weakened Acorella and put her in a carriage. She needed treatment urgently. Although she had caused a commotion because she couldn’t control her temper, her condition looked objectively bad. Her face was pale, her lips were dry, and she was drenched in cold sweat.

“The two people who were with her.”

“Yes!”

“You two come along as well. To the interrogation room.”

“Ah, I understand.”

It seemed like bad luck had struck them. The two officials boarded the back of the carriage with tears in their eyes.

As the carriage departed, people returned to their places, murmuring.

“But when did Captain Acorella come in?”

“Did she use magic? She really has no sense of timing. To act like that even in this situation.”

“What potion?”

“I don’t know. The two officials drank it, but they’re keeping their mouths shut. It’ll come out during the investigation. Huh? Another carriage is coming in?”

As the carriage carrying Acorella left, a new carriage entered. It was from outside the Imperial Palace. A guard approached the carriage and knocked on the window.

Tap tap.

“Who is it? This is the Magic Department. Access is restricted to authorized personnel for the time being.”

“Ah! Hello. I’m from the Mailie Daily, ahem. Well, I’m looking for someone.”

“Mailie Daily? The main palace is on the other side.”

“I have business with the Magic Department….”

The president of the Mailie Daily kept glancing around, sweating. Wait, Minister Ian? Isn’t that different from what you said? You said there would be a captain named Acorella at the Magic Department? The atmosphere is not good at all.

The guard took a step closer, as if telling him to leave, and guided him.

“Go to the main palace. You can handle any business related to the Magic Department there.”

“…Yes, thank you for your trouble.”

The president closed the window and signaled the coachman to go to the main palace. Captain Acorella? Well, she must be somewhere in the Imperial Palace. The person who is the Minister of the Magic Department wouldn’t have given a false report, so it would be best to go to the main palace, get any additional statements about the Mailie Daily article, and then examine it carefully.

Neigh!

As the second carriage left the Magic Department, the guard dusted his hands as if relieved.

Then-

“Hmm?”

A carriage was passing by in the distance, crossing the main road. It had a familiar flag.

“The Magic Department?”

He couldn’t have mistaken it. It was definitely the Magic Department’s flag. The guard straightened up, thinking it might be coming this way, but the carriage went straight to the main palace without stopping.

People began to murmur again.

“What’s going on?”

“Huh? Isn’t that Lord Romandro’s carriage?”

“Really? I don’t know.”

“I think it is.”

“How is this going to turn out?”

Two outsiders had arrived at the Imperial Palace-

It was the president of the Mailie Daily and Melania. Two carriages, each carrying one of them, entered the main palace at the same time. Following the path where Acorella had been escorted.

Tap tap!

“Please hurry!”

“Yes, I understand.”

As the main palace came into view, Melania took off her robe and boldly revealed her face. As if foreshadowing a new wind that would sweep through the Imperial Palace.