Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 844

Jin, Romandro, and the mages sat in a circle, their expressions grave. Nabu looked up at them slowly. It seemed something significant had occurred.

The mages murmured quietly, their fingers intertwined.

“This is a serious problem. Some of them have noticed.”

“A soldier entered the building earlier. We let him go, claiming he was lost, but that was a mistake. We should have eliminated him then.”

“So, he was a spy sent by Charlotte’s faction?”

“Yes. According to Nabu, Minister Rayburn seems to have confirmed it himself, based on that suspicion.”

Clang! The mages’ eyes flashed sharply. If they had known this would happen, they would have taken his head when they destroyed Rayburn’s mansion. Or they should have completely obliterated the land to prevent rebuilding. Tsk! The mages clicked their tongues in regret.

“Um…”

Nabu raised his hand slightly, a nervous smile beneath his mask.

“If it’s because Master Ian is in prison, how about erecting a barrier or… having him reside in my shadow?”

“Are you joking?”

Even in the well-maintained and decorated underground prison, Ian’s health was not good.

And now he was suggesting they put Master Ian in a shadow, a place so inhospitable it was hard to endure even for a short time? Was he insane? The mages glared at him, signaling him to be quiet.

“Hic!” Nabu flinched, and Romandro waved his hand, telling them to stop. He looked like he was about to wet himself!

“We can put up a barrier as a temporary measure, but it’s difficult to maintain because we need to use magic in many places, including Toolun. We should have spread a bigger rumor to block access itself. Like, anyone who gets close will go insane, or something.”

“It’s too late now. What’s the point of dwelling on the past? It’s useless. The measures we need to take now-”

Acorella wiped her nose and paused. No matter how much she considered it, only one method came to mind, and it annoyed her.

“We need to prevent the officials and nobles from realizing Master Ian’s intentions. If they find out, everything we’ve done so far will be meaningless. The nobles we’ve apprehended will slip away, and we can’t restore Master Ian’s reputation, which has been publicly tarnished.”

Due to the nature of politics, if you fail to defeat your opponent, you will be attacked twice as hard. The world was in an uproar over the accusation of treason, and the Emperor’s dignity and the Magic Department’s credibility would plummet. That was something they could never allow. Why else would Ian have gone this far?

“First, it would be wise to cut off the communication network of the nobles under investigation. You said a guard entered the building?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I don’t know how they were connected, but we can simply block it. The Magic Department will take charge of the nobles, Your Majesty. We will minimize the guards monitoring the nobles and have mages fill their places.”

The prospect of increased workload was palpable, but the mages nodded, acknowledging they had no choice. Jin rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

“I’ll handle the officials.”

“It’s something only Your Majesty can do.”

He straightened his posture, as if he had made up his mind.

“The key is how the other side will raise the issue. I suspect it will be through rumors.”

“I agree. It’s the easiest and most reliable method.”

Rumors would spread that the investigation into the traitor Ian Hiel was not being conducted properly, or that the Magic Department or the Imperial Palace was favoring him. They would then demand an investigation to correct the discipline. It was obvious.

“They won’t be able to claim they saw it directly.”

“If they do, we’ll be grateful. We can simply dismiss them, saying they were mind-controlled by the traitor Ian Hiel for approaching him. We won’t even have to pay severance, which is great.”

In that sense, rumors were a convenient, irresponsible, and destructive weapon. And at the same time, it was a means of attack available to everyone.

Jin lightly pressed his forehead and muttered.

“Should we make the first move?”

“That’s one way to do it.”

“That Minister Rayburn, who is about to retire, is risking everything for Ian Hiel’s pardon, to avoid a crisis?”

“But isn’t that the truth, not a rumor?”

“That’s why it’s more powerful.”

Hoping for Ian Hiel’s pardon meant they were trying to obscure his treason, and that in itself could be seen as treason. Acorella, having calculated the possibilities, nodded as if she had it all figured out.

“First strike wins.”

“Excuse me?”

“It means the one who strikes first has the advantage.”

What? How could a minister say such a thing in front of the Emperor? The mages stared at Acorella in disbelief, but she looked like she didn’t understand what was wrong. Rather-

“Don’t you understand?”

She was asking with her eyes if they were idiots.

The mages turned their gazes away, saying no. It was better to make a fuss when the Emperor wasn’t around.

“And one more thing.”

Romandro, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand slightly and spoke.

“There’s something very important left.”

“Important? What is it?”

“Ian shouldn’t know.”

“Ah.”

That’s right. Everyone agreed with Romandro’s point and exclaimed softly. If the nobles and officials found out that they were trying to counterattack with Ian as the target, he would surely say this:

“Let’s proceed with the execution ceremony quickly—that’s what he’ll say for sure.”

“Oh, his voice is so clear.”

“And more than anything, I hate that it’s actually the cleanest way to do it.”

Acorella added. It was the only way to end the current situation without resorting to various schemes. To execute Ian and erase his existence.

If that happened, the nobles and officials wouldn’t be able to raise any silly questions, and the Imperial Palace would lose all its power.

‘Once that happens, it won’t really matter if it’s revealed that Master Ian is alive.’

What could those toothless people do? Even if Ian Hiel was alive in a place with good water and air, who would listen? Even if Ian was brought back to the central marketplace, there would be no problem.

Anyway, Acorella thought that if they could just get through this period, it would be fine.

“Everyone, keep your mouths shut, and Master Ian is quick-witted.”

“Ah, it’s not just quick-witted. It’s like mind-reading.”

“Hide it no matter what. Got it?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And did you find a suitable corpse? It just needs to be the right build, Romandro.”

Romandro shuffled through the documents and shrugged.

“Ian is surprisingly well-proportioned.”

“What kind of lovesick nonsense is that?”

“No, but really. Even if the height and weight are the same, the feeling isn’t the same. I did manage to get a similar corpse, and it should be arriving through the back gate of the Imperial Palace tomorrow. I’ll freeze it and use it at the right time. What about the contact with Astana?”

This time, a mage sitting on the opposite side flipped through some papers, asking for a moment.

“We’ve made contact. They said they’re coming as quickly as possible. But it seems King Hasha was very surprised.”

“Ah. Because he’s friends with Ian.”

“To get help from Katimaco, we needed to explain the situation to some extent, so we gave a rough message, but it seems he’s still having a hard time believing it. So, when Katimaco comes to Bariel, we’ll deliver a memory potion through him.”

“Good. It’s better to prepare in advance than to rush. Let’s put some effort into bringing Katimaco. Is a portal possible?”

“…We’ll have to try.”

The mages groaned softly. They had to open a portal to Toolun officially and another one to Astana behind the scenes. And on top of that, the workload would increase if they were in charge of investigating the nobles. They scratched their heads in frustration, but they didn’t say they couldn’t do it.

“Let’s all suffer a bit.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then let’s get up. I’ll summon Minister Rayburn’s side right away. Minister Acorella, report on the progress.”

“As you command.”

The one who speaks first wins. A clash between ‘There seems to be an investigation into collusion with Ian Hiel’ versus ‘High officials and nobles are moving to pardon Ian Hiel.’

But since Jin was the one who had the upper hand, there was no problem.

“Alright! Let’s move too!”

“Yes, Captain!”

Paak!

Acorella flicked a mage’s forehead. She was under a lot of stress from her ministerial duties, and these guys? As she glared, Romandro naturally pushed her back.

“Come on, let’s get the minister moving first!”

“I’m not going to talk anymore.”

“Hurry! Let’s escort our minister, everyone.”

“Yes, yes!”

As Acorella walked away, her robe fluttering, Romandro and the mages followed behind her.

Nabu was left alone again. He watched the people walk away for a long time before slowly returning to the shadows. And then he disappeared into the darkness again to gather miscellaneous information from the Imperial Palace.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time.

Ian opened his eyes. He was in pitch-black darkness, unable to tell if it was day or night. He could hear quiet footsteps outside. Ian remembered what the mage had said.

“Master Ian, have you felt any strange presences when you’re alone?”

It seemed like there were still strange approaches to the building. If they were going out of their way to find a traitor like him, it must be for a significant reason. It was either someone sent by a central family or high officials who were about to be replaced. Ian slowly got up.

‘That’s right. They’re not the type to sit still and be defeated.’

Even a worm will wriggle when stepped on, and those arrogant people wouldn’t just stick their necks out and admit everything.

The fact that they were taking such risks to find Ian meant that they had realized there was another intention behind Ian’s treason.

‘Seriously-‘

Ian frowned slightly. Their digging into Ian was like telling him to leave the Imperial Palace quickly. He wanted to stay a little longer.

Swoosh.

A shadow stretched out, and Ian raised his head cautiously. Then-

“Huh?”

He made eye contact with Beric. He seemed quite surprised, probably thinking Ian was asleep.

“Beric?”

“You weren’t asleep? I thought it was your bedtime?”

“What brings you here?”

“Do I need a reason to come? I just came.”

Beric said that and placed a book and a bag of snacks he had tucked under his arm on the table. He had brought some things to keep Ian busy and some snacks in case he was bored. Beric nodded, saying it was good timing.

“If you’re awake, let’s go out. It’s not good for your health to be locked up all the time. The night air is cool and nice.”

“Is it night now?”

“Can’t you even tell the difference between night and day?”

Ian stared at Beric’s large hand that was extended to him. When he gestured with his fingertips, Ian smiled, looking a little embarrassed.

“It’s a bit difficult to go outside.”

“Why?”

“It would be a real problem if someone saw me.”

“Don’t you know that this area is controlled?”

“Still, the Imperial Palace has eyes and ears everywhere.”

“I’ll just poke them all out. If they have eyes, I’ll make them blind, and if they have ears, I’ll make them deaf.”

How about it? Isn’t it okay? When Beric raised his eyebrows and urged him again, Ian smiled faintly. Ian reluctantly took Beric’s support and took a step.

“Beric. I received a letter from Taoma a while ago.”

“I heard. The price of Silask has gone crazy, right?”

“But I need it. Anyway, thinking about Roel made me think of the Great Desert as well. The journey we took together from Bratz to the Great Desert.”

Beric matched Ian’s slow pace.

“Looking back now, that was really fun.”

“Fun? I thought I was going to die from the heat.”

“Yeah. It was terribly hot.”

Haha. Ian chuckled softly. Beric smiled bitterly with an unknown emotion.

“But if I get the chance, I’d like to go there again. It must have been really good back then.”

“You can go, you’re unemployed now.”

When Beric said it casually, Ian nodded. The night sky was full of stars. Just like the night sky he had seen in the desert.