Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 845

Minister Rayburn hastily adjusted his attire as he ascended the main palace steps. He had been momentarily flustered by the sudden summons, but he quickly realized this could be an opportunity. If he could accurately gauge the Emperor’s intentions, their plans would be even more successful. As Rayburn entered, the chief attendant gave him a slight nod. “Shall I announce you?” “Please do.” *Ahem!* Rayburn straightened his uniform collar, fully prepared. “Your Majesty, Minister Rayburn of the Foreign Affairs Department is here to see you.” “Let him in.” *Creak.* The moment Rayburn stepped into the office, he paused, seeing Jin and Acorella sitting on the sofa. Their expressions were as usual, but there was an underlying chill he couldn’t ignore. Rayburn cleared his throat nonchalantly and greeted Jin. “Your Majesty, you summoned me. I was just-” “Shut up.” “Pardon?” Shut, what? Shut up? Rayburn’s eyes widened as if they might pop out. He reflexively clamped his mouth shut and lowered his posture. When the Emperor was in a bad mood, this was the best course of action. ‘First strike, nice.’ Meanwhile, Acorella, watching this, nodded inwardly and cheered. If the Emperor told you to shut up, then of course you had to shut up and listen. The key was who mentioned the incident first, and no one could beat the Emperor. “Minister Rayburn, there are very disrespectful rumors circulating within the Imperial Palace.” “Yes?” Rayburn was startled and raised his head, only for Jin to frown deeply. Hadn’t he been told to keep his mouth shut? “The rumor is that you are trying to reduce the sentence of the traitor Ian Hiel.” “Th-that’s absurd-!” He wanted to say it was absurd, but Rayburn couldn’t. Before the Emperor’s order to shut up, it was actually true. To be precise, the goal wasn’t to reduce the sentence but to uncover some kind of deal between Ian’s treason and the Emperor. However, from the outside, it looked the same. “I heard that there were those who disobeyed orders and approached Ian Hiel’s underground prison, which is strictly off-limits. Rayburn, I believe you know about this.” *Whew.* Acorella felt like whistling. This was a contradictory attack the Emperor had thrown at Rayburn. What if he said no? ‘If Rayburn says he hasn’t seen anything and that no one else could have either, it’s the same as admitting that the rumors of collusion between the Imperial Palace and Ian are just nonsense.’ However, he couldn’t agree either. If he did, not only would he have disobeyed orders, but he would also be accused of mind manipulation as the Emperor had said, and the game would be over. Rayburn paused for a moment, assessing the situation. ‘…So it’s true?’ Rayburn was certain. He didn’t know how the Emperor and the Magic Department knew about his plans, but if they were reacting this sensitively, it was proof that it was based on fact, wasn’t it? The Emperor’s pressure was fierce and bewildering, but it was an unexpected gain. “…It is not certain whether anyone entered the underground prison. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to ask Commander Acorella, who is in charge, rather than me?” Acorella made a small ‘ah’ sound, then quickly added, “That’s what I’ve gathered. I was told Minister Rayburn would know.” According to the lackey’s information, Rayburn himself had entered the building. If not, she would tear that damn mask of his to shreds. Minister Rayburn questioned Acorella’s response. “Excuse me, but what is the source of this information? Who is it that presumes I would know, I wonder.” He was trying to figure out where the leak had come from. Acorella raised an eyebrow at Rayburn’s question. She seemed to be debating whether to reveal the lackey. He was an informant for the Magic Department, but considering his nature of moving through the shadows, it wouldn’t hurt to reveal him, would it? Yes, let’s just spill it all-! “Rayburn.” But Jin stopped her. He was frowning as if he was dumbfounded. “I don’t recall giving you permission to ask questions.” He was warning him to answer the questions he was asked, not to try and take control of the conversation. As a former diplomat, he was quite good at shaking the lead in a conversation. Rayburn lowered his head again and pressed his lips tightly together. “There is only one thing I want to ask Minister Rayburn. Are you interested in Ian Hiel’s pardon?” “How could I be? Anyone who disrupts the order of the great Bariel Empire will pay the price for their crimes. However-” “However?” Rayburn spoke cautiously. Since he was going to die sooner or later anyway, he was trying to buy some time. “I don’t know what kind of strange rumors these are, but this is truly unfair. What purpose would I have in helping the rebel Ian Hiel? This is damaging to my reputation, so please allow me to investigate this matter and reveal the truth.” Look at this? Jin lightly lifted his chin. “Ian Hiel, the center of the rumors, is also a subject of investigation.” Was he trying to take the authority to investigate Ian in this way? “If you wish, I actively support the swift execution of those involved in this incident. Your Majesty, all of this has happened because of the gap between Ian Hiel and the nobles’ claims, so wouldn’t it be better to eliminate the source of the conflict?” Jin and Acorella noticed at the same time. This bastard was testing them. To see if they were really serious about executing Ian Hiel. Acorella was about to retort, but Jin stopped her first. “Of course. Then I will inform the central nobles.” That Rayburn had suggested expediting the execution. For the officials, the biggest problem right now was the personnel reshuffle, but not for the central nobles. They were fighting for their lives, or rather, to avoid the destruction of their families. But what would it mean to carry out the execution? It was the end of the rebellion. The central nobles would be finished without a chance to defend themselves or recover. Even the act of offering tributes to the Imperial Palace to extend their lifelines would become meaningless. “Are you sure about this?” Rayburn, weren’t you and the central nobles on the same side? The words he had thrown out to test them were so sharp that they seemed like they would stab both friend and foe. In fact, Jin and the Magic Department had already found a body to replace Ian, so there was no problem at all. The only downside was that Ian would have to leave the palace a little earlier. But. ‘If that can break the collusion between the central nobles and the officials, I’ll gladly do it.’ Jin would never miss the opportunity Ian had given him. Acorella glanced at the Emperor, but she didn’t add anything either. She just sighed softly inside. Rayburn, too, seemed speechless and couldn’t find a suitable answer. * * * Acorella got out of the carriage and rummaged through her pockets for a cigarette. As she put the dry stick in her mouth, a mage lit a spark at her fingertip. She raised one corner of her mouth and looked at him. “Save your magic power, you idiot.” “How did it go?” “It’s settled for now, but…” Acorella trailed off and entered the Magic Department building. The confrontation had ended with Rayburn’s side backing down. How had the Emperor, who was so young, grown so much? When she looked at Ian, it was as if time had stopped, but when she looked at His Majesty, she could feel the passage of time. “Everyone’s lives are on the line, so they won’t back down easily. We need to take measures too-” At that moment, Acorella turned her head with an ‘huh?’ at the loud noise coming from the backyard. It was the middle of the night, were they crazy? She went to the backyard with the mage and lit her cigarette with a smile. “Ian, wow! Amazing! How can the calculations be so easy? I’m not kidding, I’ve been agonizing over this for three days.” “You just need to think simply and look at the top and bottom rows separately. Do you understand?” “Yes, so you’re saying this part was the problem?” “…You haven’t understood anything.” “Idiot, not there, here!” “…You come and sit here too.” Ian was fixing the portal magic circle that would connect to Tolun. It didn’t seem to be a problem since it was just checking the formulas and verifying the calculations, not using magic power. The mages seemed happy to meet Ian at the Magic Department after a long time. “Hey, Acorella!” Beric waved his hand when he found Acorella. The mages and Ian also turned around, and she crossed her arms and tilted her chin. “Yeah.” “Where have you been playing and just crawling in now?” “Who’s playing? You’re the one playing around.” Ian chuckled and got up from his seat. Suddenly seeing them like this, he felt that Jin, who would be running the country with these two, was amazing. Neither of them had a subtle personality. “You’ve worked hard late at night.” “It’s nothing. Ian, is the night air okay for you?” “Yeah. It’s not cold, it’s nice and cool. Shall we go to the Minister’s office for a moment?” As Ian approached Acorella, the mages grabbed his sleeves and clung to him. “Ian! Just a little bit, can’t you help us a little more? We’re almost done, if we stop here… I’ll be sad!” “Hmph, do your own work yourself!” “Beric, you really shouldn’t say things like that.” “Why? I do the work I’m assigned. I’m just not good at it.” “Ian, you haven’t looked at mine yet! I’m in charge of the hardest part. Really.” Acorella raised her hand and warned with a ‘tsk’, and the mages calmed down a little. But they still didn’t seem to give up, so Ian soothed them. “I’ll go see Acorella for a moment, so wait here.” “Do you promise?” “Yes. I promise.” Ian tilted his head as if asking Acorella to lead the way. Now, the owner of the Minister’s office was Acorella, not Ian. She led Ian with a limping gait and awkwardly opened the door to welcome him. *Creak.* “Come in. Something feels strange.” “Really? It suits you very well.” Ian sat on the sofa and looked around for a moment. Since it was the middle of the night, no one from other departments would come unless an incident occurred. The mages outside would also block them once. But even so, Ian had a feeling that he shouldn’t stay here for long. It was probably because he realized that this wasn’t his place. “Is the work manageable?” “No?” He thought she would at least say it was manageable as a formality, but it was Acorella after all. She denied it immediately and slumped as if she was about to die. “How did you do your work, Ian? I really respect you. I don’t usually say things like this, but I acknowledge you, Ian. You can’t ignore your experience as Emperor.” “You’ll get used to it soon. What about the reports I corrected?” “I checked them. And I reflected a lot.” “Excellent.” “Would you like some tea?” “Would I?” He would have refused normally, but Ian gladly accepted. The tea set that Romandro had arranged to suit Ian’s taste was still there. “You have something to say, don’t you?” *Clink.* Acorella asked quietly as she made tea. Then she gulped, as if she was uneasy. Ian crossed his legs and looked around, then casually tossed out a question. “I was curious about the situation in the Imperial Palace.” “You don’t have to worry about it. His Majesty must have told you? That everything is fine.” “Really? Aren’t the officials or nobles suspicious?” “Not at all? They’re all keeping their tails between their legs and just watching carefully, afraid of dying.” As Acorella turned around with two teacups, her eyes met Ian’s. Ian smiled languidly and approached Acorella to receive the teacup. Ian whispered with a smile. “You’re not good at lying either, are you?”