Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 839

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

“My voice is going to give out.”

“Minister Ian, does it suit your taste?”

The mages, who had been chattering noisily for a while, slumped down in their seats, exhausted. It was finally the changing of the guard for the guards. If no one outside was listening, there was no reason to make a fuss for no reason.

Ian sipped his black tea and shrugged.

“A little.”

“Hmm…”

Considering that, you’ve cleaned your plate, haven’t you? Even the whipped cream is gone. The mages smiled mysteriously as they cleared the dishes. Ian remained expressionless, but he seemed subtly satisfied.

“Well then, shall we start the real investigation, Minister Ian?”

“What have we been doing until now?”

“A complete waste of time.”

“Your objectification is excellent.”

The mages pulled up chairs and moved closer.

“What exactly happened?”

“According to Captain Acorella, it was because of the rain.”

Ian also had many questions. How did things turn out so that everyone gathered to greet him? He could roughly guess, though.

“During the war, I was the one who gave everyone the conviction that Bariel would win. For the underground gods who are based on faith, my very existence is fatal, so they erased all traces of me.”

“…Then the rain was indeed the cause. It’s truly terrifying. To be like that without even realizing it.”

“Banus will still remember. As a sorcerer who manipulates water, he could filter the rainwater of the underground gods.”

“Ah! That’s why!”

It was the point where the identity of the strange rumors that started from the well was understood.

The mages crossed their arms and constantly refined their memories. Since they had been cut off and reattached, they had to fill the gaps well now.

“Anyway, Minister Ian, this time you went too far. If you lost your memory, you should have told us, okay?”

“That’s right! You should have thought about solving it together, how could you do this? Thanks to you, everyone suffered a lot.”

“I’m sorry. But there was no other way.”

One of Ian’s wishes was to keep the Magic Department from getting involved in this matter.

The mages raised their eyebrows and glared at Ian before letting out a sigh.

“Give me your hand.”

It was to share their magic power. They knew that Ian’s physical condition was not good, so they wanted to buy him time, even if it was just a little.

However, Ian shook his head, saying it would be useless.

“That’s not the kind of problem that can be solved with that.”

“It’s okay. It’s better than doing nothing, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I think-”

“Hand! Give me your hand.”

“……”

“Hand!”

The mages cut off Ian’s words firmly and urged him.

Oh, well. Ian had no choice but to extend his hand, and he received the magic power that the mages gave him. It was a little unsettling how it kept coming in endlessly.

“As you know, you need to save the power you will use. His Majesty is dealing with the central nobles, so if those cornered use force, the Magic Department will have to step in.”

“Geez, you’re so chatty. You talk too much.”

The mages were startled and widened their eyes. The last words were not said by them. Then who was it?

They turned around at the same time and met Beric, who had entered unnoticed. Beric tilted his head while holding a silver tray in one hand.

“Just take what you’re given. You’re not the Minister of Magic anymore. Stop worrying about work.”

“Beric.”

“Food?”

“I already ate.”

Beric looked at the plate with chocolate cream on it and stared at the mages in disbelief. As expected of those who only push pens, look at the way they eat.

“Are you crazy? You guys should be feeding him!”

“Minister Ian said he wanted to eat it, what are we supposed to do!”

“Cake is dessert, dessert! You ignorant fools. You wouldn’t know if you haven’t eaten properly.”

While Beric and the mages were bickering, Ian quietly opened the silver tray. There was well-cooked meat and rice piled up.

“But Beric, why did you come?”

He couldn’t have come just to deliver this.

“Why else? As the commander of the Imperial Guard, I came to check if you’re being investigated properly.”

Beric gestured for everyone to sit down, then cut the meat himself, adding that it seemed like he brought enough for the mages as well.

“The news of your treason has spread throughout the center. The Imperial Guards are at the central nobles’ mansions, conducting searches, and all the evidence of confession is sufficient, so there is no problem in proving the charges. But the implicated nobles keep denying it, so it will take some time to dispose of them.”

For a long, long time, as long as possible. That was what the Emperor, Beric, and the Magic Department were thinking.

“Is that so?”

“Are you happy?”

“Just… it’s bittersweet.”

Disposal meant the erasure of records and hanging. Beric frowned as if annoyed by Ian’s calm reaction. But the hand that gave Ian the fork was very gentle.

“So, we’re looking for a corpse.”

“A corpse?”

“A corpse to put on the execution stand instead of you.”

As Ian asked and picked up the meat, the mages also took their share one by one. Then, they all looked at Ian in bewilderment and asked again.

“Then, did you think we would really put Minister Ian on the execution stand?”

“Minister Ian, you’re more cruel than I thought.”

“Eat your meat first. It’s getting cold.”

A male corpse with a similar physique was needed. So Beric and the Magic Department were going around hospitals and prisons to see if there was a suitable person.

“We will change the appearance with magic and put it up. We are discussing whether to hang him or adopt another method. Burning is the easiest. It’s also easy to destroy the evidence.”

“We will ask Katimaco to solve the problem of moving the corpse. I never thought puppetry would be used like this.”

There is no one in the center who does not know Ian’s face. That means that Ian will eventually have to leave the center. Ian nodded in agreement.

“Yes. Burning is better. Once it’s burned, it doesn’t matter if the magic is undone.”

Ugh. You’re a terrible person. The mages narrowed their eyes as if they couldn’t help it.

“So, do you have any place you want to go?”

“Are you talking about a place to live in seclusion?”

“Yes, you can go to Hielo, but it will be very uncomfortable for you to live there.”

Unlike other territories, there were overwhelmingly more people who knew Ian in Hielo. He couldn’t just hide in his mansion, and even if they all kept quiet, there was a limit.

Ian pondered for a moment, then smiled as if it wouldn’t work after all.

“It’s better to go to a completely unfamiliar place.”

“Yes, I think so too. It will take some time to adapt, but it will be more comfortable for Minister Ian. Then we will decide on this part separately and tell you. Romandro is finding a mansion and servants under His Majesty’s orders.”

The mages chattered about their plans, then suddenly closed their mouths. Then, their eyes turned red and moist, as if they realized that the Magic Department would be without Ian. As they wiped away their tears with their sleeves, Ian smiled.

“Anyone would think you guys were the ones being investigated.”

“We’ll come to see you often. We’ll come to visit every vacation.”

“Thank you for the thought, but there’s no need for that. It’s enough to think of me occasionally. Now you guys should also take care of your own lives.”

“I don’t want to? I’m going to visit. Now that Minister Ian is not a minister, we will do as we please.”

“Yes, if you don’t like it, become a minister again.”

Oh, dear. Ian couldn’t refute it. It was all true.

“Oh, and please tell Acorella to bring me the documents inside the desk in my office?”

“Yes? Are you going to work?”

“There are things I haven’t finished. It will be easier for Acorella if I approve them myself.”

For example, things like finalizing business expenses. Even if the imperial palace and other departments object, if they claim that ‘the previous Minister of Magic handled it,’ it would be much easier to resolve the matter.

The mages sighed as if they couldn’t help it.

“Okay. But!”

“But?”

“We’ll bring it to you after you finish your meal.”

“…I’m full from eating cake.”

At Ian’s muttering, Beric pointed at the mages, saying, “Look at this.”

“Look, he doesn’t eat his meal because he ate sweets first! Anyway, he’s lost his appetite.”

“No, but this is too much!”

“It looks like a cloth! I’m the commander!”

“I, I’m a mage!”

“So what! A low-rank!”

“L, low-rank?!”

A second round of fighting broke out between Beric and the mages.

Ian quietly watched them, munching on his meat. Do they know that they are smiling even while they are yelling at each other? It seemed like the distance that had naturally grown due to the rigid relationship between the imperial palace and the Magic Department had returned to normal.

Clunk.

At that moment, there was a sound of people outside. The guards who had finished their shift had returned. Beric and the mages stopped at the same time and made a sound.

“Uh, uh-”

“Ian Hielo! You!”

“D-Do you admit your crime, or not? Huh?!”

Thud! Bang!

Boom!

…It’s starting again.

Ian leaned back on the cushion as if he couldn’t bear to listen anymore. Hmm, how long will it take for Jin to organize the nobles and hold the execution ceremony?

While Ian was nibbling on his meat and estimating, the guards standing outside gripped their spears tightly, tense.

“As expected, the Imperial Guard has a different kind of force.”

“I know. But they used to be close.”

“What can you do in the face of treason? The place where they are interrogating the nobles on the other side is also brutal.”

“Really? How so?”

The guard shook his head as if terrified, recalling the scene again.

“They cut them off after one word. Then cut them off again after another word.”

“Their initial control is amazing.”

“It seems like they’re going to investigate really thoroughly. I think all the carriages waiting outside will have to go back. It will take a lifetime to finish investigating the nobles.”

Bang!

At the sound of something breaking, the guards flinched again and straightened their posture. The imperial palace is truly a scary place.

* * *

“Your Majesty.”

The Prime Minister carefully entered, observing Jin’s complexion. He expected that Jin would be very upset because of the treason, especially from someone he considered the closest.

However, contrary to his worries, Jin, who was sitting at his desk and handling official duties, looked as calm as ever.

“You’ve come.”

“Are you at peace, Your Majesty?”

“I feel like I’ve heard that so many times now. Please, sit down.”

Jin offered the Prime Minister a seat on the sofa and kept flipping through documents. After a brief silence, Jin closed the papers as if he had finished his work.

“It is true that Lord Ian conspired with the nobles to commit treason. And he actually entered the imperial palace and carried it out.”

“It is truly an act that will anger the heavens!”

“That’s right. Anyway, the treason ultimately failed, and the Magic Department has also severed ties with Lord Ian as a result of this incident, so the imperial family’s concerns about the Magic Department will also subside.”

The Prime Minister bowed his head, indicating his agreement.

“However-”

Jin murmured softly.

“Currently, there are quite a few officials in the imperial palace who are involved with disobedient nobles, so I’m thinking of taking this opportunity to carry out a full-scale personnel reshuffle. It seems that waiting until the new year is not appropriate.”

The position of the Minister of the Imperial Defense Department was vacant, and there was a lot of commotion until a new person was appointed to the position of the Minister of Magic.

Moreover, the disposal of high-ranking officials who were previously involved in various suspicions, like Minister Rayburn, had not been carried out-

Now that everything was finally settled, it was their turn.

“That is a wise decision, Your Majesty.”

“Then, Prime Minister, please prepare a list of recommendations. I will refer to it when selecting new talents.”

“I will do so. Then, if you could tell me the scope of which positions you intend to fill-”

“Everyone below me.”

Jin said firmly, and the Prime Minister’s hand stopped abruptly in mid-air.

If it was everyone below the Emperor, it included himself, the Prime Minister. In other words, it meant that he should step down and hand over his position to his successor.

“Didn’t I say that I intend to establish a new cabinet at this time?”