Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 875

Ian watched with wide eyes as Romandro worked.

He slipped the potion into the bandit’s mouth, and the bleeding stopped instantly, new flesh visibly growing. The bandit’s pale complexion returned to a rosy hue, and his half-gone mind seemed to snap back to awareness.

Romandro clicked his tongue, sounding regretful.

“This stuff is really expensive… Tsk.”

It was a masterpiece among the works of the legendary Head of the Magic Department, Acorella. Thanks to this potion, casualties were reduced to a record low, and it was a treasure that had helped Bariel develop, playing a part in the golden age from the time of Jin Verosion until now.

The only flaw was that the magic stones needed for its production were extremely rare, making mass production impossible.

“Consider yourself lucky. Even the most prominent nobles in the capital would wait in line for this stuff you’re gulping down.”

“Cough, cough…”

The bandit twitched and gasped. Not from discomfort, but from the sudden release from pain and exhaustion.

He slowly raised his head, blinking.

“W-what is this?”

“Are you coming to your senses?”

“Am I, am I dead?”

“Well, that depends on what you do next.”

The bandit looked at his healed hand, seemingly trying to grasp the situation. Romandro, annoyed that he wasn’t paying attention, smacked his hand with a loud thwack.

“Answer my questions. You were in a lot of pain earlier, weren’t you? If you lie again or stay silent for no reason, you’ll go through that process again.”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

“Was your goal not robbery, but were you hired by someone to attack us?”

Romandro asked directly, and the bandit’s eyes shook. A moment of silence. Ian, who was right next to Romandro, also narrowed his eyes as if urging him to speak.

When the bandit only moved his lips, Romandro clicked his tongue and stood up.

“Tsk. What a waste of potion. Hey, you outside! Restore this guy to his original state!”

“No, what!”

“Why? What? Or are you going to pay for the potion?”

When the sound of the guard outside was heard, the bandit turned pale and shook his head. Romandro knocked on the door to signal the guard to wait.

“Alright. Now, tell me. Everything you know.”

“I, a few days ago, someone came to me. They said that when the crescent moon rises, around noon the next day, carriages would pass by, and they told me to kill, kill them all.”

The day after the crescent moon. It was someone who knew Ian’s schedule of departure from Hadel. Romandro frowned and rubbed his chin.

“Kill them all? They didn’t specify anyone?”

“…”

“That’s a lie, Romandro. I heard it clearly.”

Ian added, and the bandit frowned, looking troubled.

“No, yes, well, to tell you the truth, they said there would be a young boy, and even if they missed the others, they shouldn’t miss that boy.”

“How can someone be like that? Look. Do you want to kill this pretty five-year-old boy?”

“We have to make a living. It’s our job.”

“You’re not even paying taxes, and you call that a job!”

Thwack! Romandro’s angry knuckle hit the bandit’s head. It seemed to have hit harder than he intended, as tears welled up in the bandit’s eyes.

“And?”

“Th-they told me roughly how many people there would be and what their strength would be.”

“Who was it?”

“It was night… and they were wearing a robe, so I don’t know who it was… but it was definitely a man.”

“You joined hands with someone you don’t even know?”

“I got paid, why do I need to know that?”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

Ian realized. The reason Chrony moved separately from him was not only for an alibi but also to hide that he was the mastermind.

If they had moved together, the bandits, who didn’t know he was the client, would have attacked him as well.

“The money?”

“Huh?”

“The down payment. How much did you receive, and where is it now?”

“Th-twenty gold coins. I’ve already spent it all.”

Twenty gold coins was equivalent to a year’s income for an average farmer. If they paid that much as a down payment, it meant they had considerable financial backing.

Everything pointed to Chrony. Romandro crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then opened the door and shouted.

Clack!

“Guards!”

“Yes, we’re here.”

“These guys were hired. There’s been unjust enrichment, so investigate again from the beginning. You must recover it! It’s a whopping twenty gold coins!”

Gold coins? The guards’ eyes lit up.

If they recovered the ill-gotten gains, most of it would be allocated to the town’s guard budget. It was a huge amount, enough to expect a hefty bonus beyond just meat dishes.

“Understood for now.”

“Ah, and-!”

Romandro was about to add something, but the guards rushed into the interrogation room without listening.

The ones who were hired by Chrony were the higher-ups, including the captain of the guard. The guards who hadn’t received any benefits wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Bang!

Romandro muttered to the closed door.

“I should have done that after the potion wore off…”

Otherwise, they would recover immediately after being torn apart, their bodies would be fine, but the pain would be vivid. It was nothing to throw away a person.

But what could he do? Romandro shrugged as if he didn’t know and turned to Ian.

“Shall we go out for now? Young master.”

Soon, terrible sounds would leak through the door. Ian nodded at Romandro’s question.

As expected. As soon as he came out of the interrogation room with the child, the bandit’s terrible screams echoed through the street.

* * *

Hanna, Philia, Romandro, and Ian sat around a table in the inn room.

The four of them stared silently at the crumpled piece of paper on the table. The silence continued, and Hanna’s cheeks flushed red.

“I’m sorry…”

“Huh? No, it’s not!”

…It was truly a sample of terrible handwriting. Hanna had broken into the guest room and copied part of Chrony’s letter, but it was hard to read the contents due to the bad handwriting. And above all, there were even fragmented sentences…

Romandro looked at the paper as if he were going to bury his nose in it.

“So, Lord Chrony murdered the lord and his wife of Hadel, and furthermore, he’s trying to kill Young Master Ian. He’s after the Hadel family’s inheritance.”

“Hanna heard it directly, and it seems my mother knew as well. And this-”

Ian took out a magic stone and showed it.

“It’s a magic stone capable of recording voices, and it has a recording of Chrony’s group’s conversation. The sound quality isn’t great, but it should be audible enough.”

…Ugh. Romandro crossed his arms and laid out the evidence on the table.

Hanna’s letter was not valid as evidence. It wasn’t the original.

And the magic stone, they would have to listen to the contents, but with this alone, it was difficult to connect Chrony and his group…

“It’s dangerous.”

Romandro concluded firmly.

He was the one who killed the lord and his wife and hired the bandits. Where was Chrony now? They couldn’t even guess what he was doing outside the inn, in the guard building.

“If he realizes that we’ve noticed, and even have evidence, we don’t know how he’ll change. I’ve heard some rumors about Lord Chrony of the Imperial Defense Department in the Imperial Palace. He’s said to be cruel and cold-hearted, and his thinking is like a knife, so he only has allies and enemies.”

That he clearly distinguished between allies and enemies meant that he could assess the situation before doing anything.

It was a sad thing to say to Ian, but once he decided to get rid of the lord, there was nothing they could do. He only targeted prey that he could hunt.

“We shouldn’t touch him carelessly, Ian. Chrony has already heard about the interrogation process. He’ll think we’ve noticed something. This alone is already a step into danger.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“Let’s go to the Imperial Palace first. It’s better to close our eyes and ears and go to the Imperial Palace first, then plan for the future. There are Chrony’s allies there, but there are also many who are hostile to him.”

Isn’t there a saying that the enemy of an enemy is a friend? Ian bit his lip as he carefully put the magic stone back. He understood, but he couldn’t help but feel angry inside.

“I’ll submit a report to the Imperial Palace in the capital. I’ll also include the bandit attack, but-”

“Could you write that they were targeting the Magic Department instead of me?”

Ian grabbed Romandro’s hand and asked.

“If you do that, we can put the Magic Department in the front and bypass Chrony’s blade.”

People’s interest would also increase. The bigger the situation, the more people would gather, and the harder it would be for the opponent to act recklessly.

Romandro narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“Are you asking me to write a false report?”

“Of course not. You’re an employee of the Magic Department, and I’m also affiliated with the Magic Department, so it’s not entirely wrong. It’s clear that the bandits were targeting a child, me, but there’s no need to emphasize that.”

Besides, aren’t you already trapped in the fence of truth? If the fact that Chrony was targeting Ian was revealed as it was, Romandro, who was a witness and helper on the scene, would also be in danger.

Romandro nonchalantly raised his eyebrows and replied.

“Well, reports are supposed to be concise anyway.”

It meant that he would grant the child’s request.

Ian smiled at Romandro’s answer.

“If the Imperial Palace takes an interest, the bandits can be escorted to the capital.”

“A more detailed and fair investigation will be possible.”

“And above all, we can use the Sildam potion.”

“Sildam potion?”

“Ah, it’s something that the crazy former head of the department I mentioned earlier made. It’s a potion that reveals truth and lies. It’s been commercialized for a long time, but there are many things that neutralize its effects. Using it in an unverified procedure lacks credibility.”

Knock knock.

A sudden knock on the door.

Hanna, Philia, and Romandro quickly cleaned up the table, making a fuss. They gathered the scattered papers and answered.

“Wh-who is it?”

Could it be Chrony? That sinister guy. Was he eavesdropping outside? Everyone shouted nervously, and an awkward voice was heard.

“Another guest has come.”

It was Nersarn. Philia carefully opened the door, and the bronze giant looked down at her.

“They said they came to see Young Master Ian.”

“Here?”

Nersarn nodded in agreement, and everyone looked at the window, puzzled. Chrony had already come from the Hadel territory, so where else would someone come looking for Ian? Romandro carefully examined the unfamiliar carriage and muttered.

“That’s a seal I’ve seen somewhere…”

Hanna also looked closely at the flag and then clapped her hand as if she had realized something.

“Ah!”

It was the seal of Count Zak. The teacher of Ian’s mother, Zeria! Hanna turned to Ian, delighted.

“Young master! It seems that someone from Count Zak’s family has been sent! They must be trying to help us, right? You should go out and see.”

They might have come running after hearing that Ian was in danger.

Unlike Hanna, who was jumping up and down, Ian calmly straightened his clothes.

“I don’t know.”

His mother’s instructions at the time were…

“Count Zak is my teacher. He is a trustworthy person, so if you have any difficulties, ask him for help, but if he asks for the seal, turn around immediately.”

He was not someone to be completely trusted. And above all-

“I’ll know when I see him.”

He didn’t even show his shadow at his parents’ funeral.

Ian bit his lip tightly and went out of the inn.