Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 853

“Play the music! Faster!” Ja-an, shoulders swaying, rose to his feet, causing the imperial orchestra, poised to play a stringed piece, to pause in confusion. They had performed at countless prestigious banquets, but this was a first. It wasn’t a ball, so how much faster did he want the melody?

As Ja-an weaved through the orchestra, urging them to increase the tempo, the conductor turned back, seeking help.

Shrug.

Acorella shrugged, as if to say, ‘You’re on your own.’ What a crazy old geezer. He was having a blast by himself, gulping down precious wine by the bowlful, and then, declaring, ‘This is the taste of the West!’ he was now running wild.

“Now I understand why he didn’t come through the main gate but smashed through the barrier first.”

“Why is that?”

“Imagine him walking in normally. Would you have thought he was the Great Mage of the East? You’d have chased him out as some crazy old beggar.”

“That makes sense.”

“This is giving me a headache, seriously.”

As Acorella massaged her temples and muttered, Ja-an returned to his seat and flicked his robe aside. Then, he mixed the prepared drinks as he pleased and downed them in one go. Ja-an exclaimed with satisfaction.

“Kyaa! The palace where the Emperor resides is like heaven, whether in the East or the West. It’s no wonder everyone strives so hard; not even the immortals are this enviable. Come, white heron, join the crows! If a pear falls, pick it up and let’s have some fun!”

It was hard to understand what he was saying, but it was clear that he was in high spirits. The problem was that it all sounded like nonsense. Ja-an tore into the meat and gestured to Acorella, who was standing at a distance.

“Won’t you all join me?”

“Yes, well. If that’s the custom of the East.”

Acorella sat across from Ja-an and picked up a wine glass. The old man poured the wine to overflowing and smiled, urging her to drink.

“You are the head of the Magic Department, correct?”

“Acorella, do you remember? You seem quite drunk already.”

“Even if I am old, do you think I would forget what happened just now?”

How strange. He looked like he was in his mid-30s at most, but how old was he to act like that? Acorella emptied her glass in one go and wiped her mouth. The magicians were shocked by her action, while Ja-an chewed on his food, his eyes gleaming with interest.

“You know your liquor!”

“It’s my job to taste all sorts of strange things. Anyway, I think it’s time we got to the point.”

“The point?”

Acorella paused for a moment, then slightly lowered her head.

“First, I think it’s right to apologize and move on. As you suspected, we used the relic.”

Acorella admitted that they were able to create the ‘Tethering’ magic thanks to it. Ja-an didn’t seem to care how significant this was in terms of magic.

Acorella continued to explain.

“However, at the time, we thought the relic belonged to someone else. We didn’t even know how it entered Gaia [the name of their world].”

“Hmm. Your willingness to admit it is commendable, but it’s all just excuses and meaningless to me.”

Clink. He refilled his glass as if to say, ‘Go on.’

“If there’s anything you need to recreate the relic, the Magic Department will actively support you.”

“Hmm.”

Ja-an thought for a moment, then openly laughed and replied.

“Isn’t that a good thing for you all?”

“Excuse me?”

“The relic was my essence. I can recreate it, but it will take considerable time and effort. But that’s not important, so let’s put that aside. Shouldn’t we consider the gains and losses first?”

Ja-an pointed at Acorella and the magicians with his finger. His finger was greasy from eating with his hands.

“Let’s see… You all will be able to witness the level of Eastern magic under the pretext of helping me, which is a golden opportunity to greatly advance Western magic. On the other hand, what about me? I lose my relic and have to give free lessons. The more I talk about it, the more it seems like I’m the only one losing out. Is it just me? Hmm?”

‘Oh, so the old man isn’t drunk?’ Acorella’s eyes narrowed. She wanted to argue, but it was true.

She was sincere about helping with the relic’s creation, but she couldn’t say she didn’t have ulterior motives. Researching magic that spanned both East and West! How exciting was that? Including a magician in the delegation to the East was for the same reason.

Ja-an pulled down the skin under his eyes as if he knew everything.

“I see it all, you guys!”

“…That’s a misunderstanding.”

Acorella gave a perfunctory smile. Her lips were visibly trembling, but the magicians pretended not to notice her effort.

“Then, what kind of compensation do you want?”

“Compensation, compensation… Hmm.”

“If you haven’t thought of anything, we can postpone it and discuss it again. There are mountains of things to talk about, like Eunrang, Hohon, and Yeonmok.”

With a flick of her hand, Acorella signaled Hale to bring her some documents. Ja-an stared at Hale, then smacked his lips as if something was bothering him.

“Since you chased after these three, I interpret that you also want the right to decide their fate.”

“What a complicated way of speaking! Just say it directly.”

Acorella handed over the stack of papers and explained.

“First, this is the estimated damage caused by Yeonmok, who ran away with the relic. He used forbidden magic to damage the ‘Magician’s Forest’ in Luthwena. It’s a historically significant magic site, so it’s meaningless to put a number on it, but this is just for your reference.”

Was his eyesight failing? Ja-an moved the paper around, examining the letters.

“Isn’t Luthwena the neighboring country?”

“They were defeated in the past and became a vassal state of Bariel. And there are magicians from there here.”

‘See over there?’ Acorella gestured, but Ja-an just sipped his wine, looking uninterested.

“There are more details about Eunrang and Hohon.”

It detailed how they threatened Minister Rayburn and other Bariel officials, damaged property, and even included the cost of the meals they had been eating at the imperial palace.

“Are you asking for money?”

‘He can read the common language.’

Acorella was surprised and couldn’t answer right away.

“No. How could we do that to a distinguished guest? We are simply informing you that Bariel is being considerate of you.”

“So, because you owe me, you want me to let the relic issue slide? That’s what I’m hearing.”

“That’s also a misunderstanding.”

They couldn’t figure out Ja-an’s intentions or nature. So, they were subtly conveying a message in case he made unreasonable demands. ‘Don’t go too far. You may be the Great Mage of the East, but this is Gaia.’

“But you know.”

Ja-an, who had been deep in thought, tossed the paper away.

“No matter how I look at it, there are a few people missing.”

“Excuse me?”

“When using the relic, surely three people would have shared the ‘orb’? But among those here, I can only sense the energy from one person. Where are the others?”

Ja-an was staring directly at Hale. Hale had eaten two of the three orbs in the box, and Ian had eaten the other one…

“They’re dead.”

Acorella said calmly.

“They were executed long ago for treason.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“It’s good that you asked. There was a sentence in the box that hinted at side effects. Eunrang and Hohon didn’t seem to know about it. Could you tell us what it is?”

Hale hadn’t shown any symptoms yet, but they needed to know.

Ja-an gestured for Hale to come closer. When he stood beside him, Ja-an touched his forehead with his fingertip.

“You may or may not know, but magic resonates with the soul.”

“I know.”

“Good. You’re at that level, then?”

‘I can talk to him?’ Ja-an put his arm around Hale’s shoulder and sipped his wine.

“I don’t know about the West, but the East has entered an era of chaos. The Emperor is a fool, and the monsters that feed on screams are endless. I thought we needed a higher level of magic to quell the chaos.”

The relic was what made that possible.

The reason why Eunrang, Hohon, and Yeonmok, who had gone mad from the harsh training, coveted it was simple: they could become strong easily. Hale had also guessed this from the sentence written on the relic.

“But there’s no power without a price, right?”

The act of creating a new magic circle for future generations is not a simple sacrifice. It’s about those who need it borrowing the power of the soul to wield higher-dimensional abilities.

“You called it ‘Tethering,’ right? It will self-destruct within 100 years and become unusable.”

“…Why is that?”

“If used infinitely, the user’s soul will erode.”

“…?!”

Acorella and Hale’s eyes widened simultaneously. ‘What was that just now? Soul erosion? Did I hear that right?’

Ja-an added, throwing punches in the air.

“So, you have to settle things within the allotted time. Monsters and all, I’ll grind them down to bone dust…”

“Wait a minute! So, that side effect is soul erosion? Please explain in detail what that is.”

“Isn’t it obvious? Soul annihilation. There’s no next life. Ah, does the West have the concept of reincarnation?”

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

Crash!

Acorella jumped up, trying to flip the table, but Hale quickly stopped her. Ja-an chuckled without any sign of surprise.

“You can’t get something for nothing.”

“You like raw things, it’s rotten!”

“If it was a risk of passing off something rotten, you shouldn’t have eaten it?”

“You-!”

“The greater the difference in the users’ levels, the steeper the slope. That means the soul erosion is faster. Hey, you guys standing there like idiots. Bring me some ink and a brush.”

Acorella, interpreting as best she could, shouted.

“Paper and a pen!”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Ja-an pushed the dishes on the table to one side and grabbed the pen. He looked like he didn’t like the feel of it, but he used it quite skillfully.

“It was written like this in the box.”

-This is an item created by the Eastern magician ‘Ja-an.’ Its purpose is to divide the sixth sense into the ‘soul,’ and further, to achieve a higher level of ‘mastery.’ Three users must eat the ‘orbs,’ combine their powers, and create a ‘formation.’ If you transcribe it into a ‘spellbook,’ the one who ‘uses’ it can gain power close to ‘divinity.’ Be warned that the greater the difference in the ‘level’ of power, the more dangerous it is. And to recover, the one who ate the ‘orb’ needs __. Finally, the time limit is within 100 years.

“Is that right? It’s a bit hazy.”

Hale nodded slightly. It matched what he remembered. Acorella snatched it away and shouted.

“Why did you leave the recovery condition blank?!”

“It’s my prerogative, you pony.”

Ja-an leaned back and laughed.

“Hey, hey, bring more wine! Why is the Emperor so busy that he hasn’t even shown his face!”

“Yaaaah!”

“Minister, wait! Just wait!”

The magicians rushed in and pulled Acorella away, then apologized to Ja-an and left. Even though the door was closed, the commotion outside was still loud.

Ja-an, still lying down, turned his head and muttered softly.

“So why are you lying? Dead, my ass.”

Ja-an, with his foot on his knee, tapped his toes. His smile was long gone, and his eyes had deepened.

‘Raising the level of magic means gaining that much more power. If a beast-like creature uses it, it will cause a big problem. Judging by the energy that flew in, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary person…’

Ja-an was curious. He wondered if the Westerners who used the relic were good enough by his standards. If not, he would have to kill everyone involved to prevent a disaster.

“Ah, it’s tasty. Yes.”

As if nothing had happened, he changed his expression, wiped his nose, and quickly ate some food.