Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 876

“Young Master Ian?”

The man from the Zak County recognized Ian immediately. He was an old man with a full head of white hair, neatly combed back, and his suit was impeccably tailored.

Ian didn’t think he was just a messenger. Perhaps a butler?

“Greetings. I am Alexer, the butler serving Count Zak. I apologize for not attending the funeral of Lord and Lady Hadel earlier.”

Ian noticed Crony coming out of the guard office. He, too, was watching Ian and Alexer with a curious look, wondering what was going on.

“At the time, the Count was not in the central region, so the message was delayed, and his children also had their own circumstances, so they could not attend as representatives. Above all, upon hearing the situation, the Count wished to visit the Hadel family himself—”

It was a lengthy explanation.

Ian focused intently, trying to discern whether it was an excuse or an outright lie. Figuring out the truth behind the flattering words was the only way to know if the speaker was a friend or foe.

“So, young master,”

The butler paused, smiling gently.

“If you need a carriage or a driver, please use the one we have prepared. If you allow it, I will also take care of the aftermath. It’s only a couple of hours to the central region; wouldn’t it be more comfortable to stay at the Count’s residence than in a small village?”

That was the reason the butler had come all this way after hearing the news: to check if Ian was safe.

The child glanced at Romandro, as if asking for his opinion on what to do.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Romandro, understanding Ian’s signal, took the child aside and whispered.

“What do you want to do, Ian?”

“As a proposal, there’s no reason to refuse. But I don’t know if he’s connected to Crony, so I’m worried that if I leave the cleanup to him, the evidence might be destroyed.”

Romandro nodded in understanding. If he was on Ian’s side, it would be a welcome offer, but if not, it would be like handing over the evidence to the enemy.

“That’s a valid point. But in my opinion, it would be better to go to the central region since Crony is in this village. They can’t harm you recklessly there.”

The idea was to move to a safe zone before it was discovered that they had the evidence.

“How about testing him?”

“Testing?”

“If the Zak County handles this well, they’ll be on Ian’s side, and if not, they’ll be on Crony’s side. It’s better to identify the enemy and respond than to keep being wary of an unknown entity.”

It made sense. If they had an ambiguous relationship, they would suffer a great disaster someday. It was better to know the opponent accurately from the start.

Ian asked Romandro.

“Then, please investigate the bandits and identify the responsible guards in preparation for the destruction of evidence.”

“Yes, I will.”

Romandro replied through his teeth, smiling. Crony was still watching from afar. He deliberately turned his gaze and approached the butler, Alexer.

“Yes, then. You’re providing a carriage and driver?”

“You can leave right away.”

“I see. Can I take a moment to pack my things?”

“Of course. Count Zak was very surprised and pleased to hear that young master Ian is a mana user [a person who can use magic]. He has instructed us to provide all possible assistance.”

It seemed the news had already spread far and wide in the central region: that the five-year-old son of Lord Hadel was a mage. As the first and youngest, it was natural that people were interested.

“Ian, please get in first.”

Romandro ran towards the inn, saying he would bring the luggage. Of course, it included not only luggage but also evidence to prove the situation later.

“Hanna!”

“Yes, young master!”

Hanna also moved busily, and the surroundings quickly became noisy. In the meantime, Nershaln looked at Philia.

“…….”

She seemed intent on staying here to care for the patients. Unlike him, who had a purpose in the Imperial Palace, she was free. Philia approached Ian.

“Ian.”

“Philia, what about you?”

“I will stay here. I can’t leave the injured behind. And more than anything—”

It was right for at least one person to stay here and keep an eye on the situation. Knowing what Ian was worried about, Philia planned to keep a close watch on the movements of Butler Alexer and Crony.

Ian seemed relieved and took her hand.

“Thank you. Let’s meet in the central region.”

“Yes. I will visit you.”

“Definitely. Okay?”

“Of course.”

Ian and Philia shared a light hug.

Nershaln, who had been watching this, reached out his hand. The imperial greeting was awkward, but an unusual feeling of regret washed over him, and he felt he had to do this. Philia smiled softly and greeted him.

“I hope to see you again, warrior of the desert.”

“…….”

Ian glanced up at the stiff Nershaln. Hmm, what’s this? A look of bewilderment was in the child’s eyes. His expression was still rigid, but his earlobes seemed to be slightly red…

“Uncle.”

“Ah, Lord Crony.”

“Are you leaving right away?”

Crony smiled as if it was too sudden. Come to think of it, Crony, who had come after hearing the news from Hadel, had not brought a carriage or driver. It was as if he wanted the journey to the central region to be delayed.

Ian turned towards the carriage and replied.

“Yes. Since Count Zak is taking such care, it would be impolite to refuse. They say it’s only about two hours away, so I’ll hurry.”

“…I understand. I will also organize Hadel and go up soon. Have a good entry into the palace. Your uncle’s dignity will soon be Hadel’s dignity.”

“Yes. I will do well.”

So that your worries are unnecessary, I will do well.

Ian shot a look and quickly got into the carriage, and Romandro and Hanna rushed over with their luggage.

“Butler, is there only one carriage?”

“Yes. That’s right. Is the luggage compartment not enough?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just worried we might encounter bandits again.”

“Ah. Don’t worry about that.”

Alexer smiled kindly and closed the door.

“The Count will not allow that to happen.”

Clack.

At the butler’s signal, the driver cracked the whip loudly. The carriage started slowly. Soon, it picked up speed, and the scenery rushed by.

It felt like things were happening in a whirlwind, and Ian couldn’t take his eyes off the window. Crony and Philia flashed by outside the window, and behind them, Nershaln’s hooves echoed loudly.

Hanna, after confirming that Nershaln was nearby, inadvertently looked at Romandro. Eh, why does he look like that? His face didn’t look good.

“Romandro, don’t worry. You saw Nershaln fighting earlier. What are you so worried about?”

“No, well… just in case. Even if he’s a desert tribe warrior, it’s hard to beat a magic swordsman.”

“Magic swordsman?”

“Ah, you don’t know. Does Ian not know either? Who Count Zak is?”

Ian straightened his posture. Besides being his mother’s teacher, he had no information. Not only about Count Zak, but the child had not heard about many nobles in the central region. He was not yet old enough to engage in external activities.

“No. I’ve never met him.”

“Ahem, ahem, let me explain briefly. The Zak County is not a very old family. About 100 years old? Considering the short history of the family, their position in the central region is very high. Especially among the martial families. The founder was a magic swordsman from the Imperial Guard.”

Ian’s eyes widened. How could the head of such a prestigious martial family be his mother’s teacher? He had never heard that his mother had learned martial arts.

“Ah, magic swordsmen are similar to mages, but they are a bit different. Although not as many as mages, they are still rare, and most of them work as elites in the Imperial Palace.”

“They are as precious as mages.”

“That’s right. The Zak family has produced such magic swordsmen for generations. Of course, only one or two per generation.”

“Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yes, it’s practically impossible. Anyway, Count Zak is not a magic swordsman, but he used to teach at Bariel University. Perhaps that’s when he formed a relationship with Ian’s mother?”

He would find out when he met him.

The carriage tilted greatly as it climbed a hill. Romandro raised a hand to show them not to be surprised.

“Once we get over this, you’ll soon see the central region.”

“It was closer than I thought. We could have walked.”

“Haha! The pack animals might think differently. Look at the slope of the hill. They would be out of breath if they walked up.”

Ian laughed at Romandro’s joke. And soon after, as he said, the view opened up, and the central region came into view at a glance.

Beautiful buildings surrounded by high walls. Ian’s blue eyes sparkled with the clear sky.

“How is it?”

“It’s so, so… beautiful.”

“Yes, it’s the heart of Gaia. Welcome to the central region, Ian.”

“Wow…”

Ian’s heart pounded fiercely as he got closer to the central region. His excitement was at its peak, but as a scion of a noble family, his posture was impeccable. Of course, the tips of his feet were still tapping restlessly.

Clatter, clatter!

Neigh!

Hadel was not a small or underdeveloped region compared to other local territories, but it was no match for the central region.

Was this what it meant to be in a different world? All sorts of unique attire, foreigners, unfamiliar animals, huge avenues, endless postal lines connecting buildings, huge carriages, flying people…?

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong, young master?”

“A, a person just flew by.”

“Ah. It must be a mage. Who came out at this hour?”

“Then, can I-!”

Ian was so surprised that he jumped up.

“Can I fly too?”

He only knew that he was a divine power user, but he didn’t know exactly what abilities he had or what he did.

Romandro, finding the child’s reaction quite cute, smiled and nodded.

“Of course! It’s not just flying. You can move mountains and overturn rivers. Why do you think Crony is so on edge? If you grow up a little, no one will be able to harm you.”

Wow. He could fly too. Ian clenched his fist and asked Romandro.

“We’re going to the Imperial Palace first, right? I want to visit the Magic Department first!”

“Of course. Reporting to the Imperial Palace is first. We’ll go to the Zak County residence after we’ve finished all the work.”

At Romandro’s words, Ian sat back down quietly. He looked a little embarrassed for having made such a fuss. The child began to look at the scenery outside again, and soon discovered something strange.

“Is that a tomb?”

A flower tomb piled up in the middle of the central square. It was clearly in the shape of a tomb, but people were walking around it naturally, as if it were part of their daily lives. Some were throwing new flowers on it. Since the carriage had stopped on the street, Ian could see the scene in detail.

“Ah. Yes. It’s the flower tomb in the square.”

“Whose tomb is it?”

“No one knows.”

“No one knows?”

Romandro covered his lips with his finger and whispered as if it were a secret.

“It is said to be a tomb commemorating the ‘Golden Mage’ who was given by God for Bariel and Gaia a long time ago.”

“Is it like a legend?”

“Well, there are no records, but it’s not quite a legend either. The traces haven’t completely disappeared.”

Romandro thought for a moment and then muttered. It was just something like that. Something that no one knew but everyone knew, a part of past history.

“You will learn more about it when you go to school later, young master Ian.”