Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 884

“You paid the inheritance tax in cash?”

Cronie’s voice rose, surprised by the unexpected report. He took the documents the butler handed him. The details of the Hadel family’s tax payments were meticulously recorded.

“…Fully paid? Is that even possible?”

It couldn’t be a forgery. These were the original documents, obtained through the ‘discreet consideration’ [a euphemism for a bribe or favor] of the head of the Central Tax Bureau.

*Rustle.*

“They say it was fully paid at the Central Branch of Hyman Bank. It doesn’t appear they sold any estates, buildings, or mines.”

“…Physically impossible. But a full cash payment? As far as I know, their cash reserves were tight. How on earth?”

Didn’t he even place a provisional seizure on their assets?

To pay the inheritance tax, help from relatives was essential. To do that, Ian would have had to come through him. No matter what, Ian should have come to his mansion in person!

Cronie pressed his temples, a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Who on earth lent him the money?”

Since he was staying at Count Zak’s residence, was it them?

No. No matter how prestigious a martial family they were, they couldn’t have the cash flow to just cough up hundreds of gold coins. Especially not in such a short time.

‘Then, the Magic Department?’

The Magic Department had taken over Ian’s guardianship. They had enough motive to do so.

But how could he not know? If it were that much money, rumors would have spread throughout the Imperial Palace. Perhaps Minister Arena had lent it to him personally, but still, it was a bit suspicious.

“Anyway, so the inheritance is already complete?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…A pity.”

If Ian Hadel had died before inheriting, there would have been no need to pay taxes. Now, money was going out twice for no reason.

As Cronie chewed on his cigar, the butler delivered another message.

“There’s a message that Ian Hadel has joined the Magic Department.”

“What’s so new about that?”

Cronie frowned as he unfolded the letter. He had already seen it with his own two eyes at the Hadel mansion. The golden illusion the child had created.

-…He is said to be entering the Central Energes Academy and participating in Magic Department activities after school. Judging by the Magic Department’s reaction, his magical power is unprecedented, to the point where he is being considered as the next Minister of Magic.

‘What? Minister of Magic?’

Cronie rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had misread. He knew all too well what it meant for those esteemed mages to be discussing the next ministerial position for a mere five-year-old. He felt a chill run down his spine.

“…This is really not good.”

The inheritance was no longer the issue. Even now, Ian Hadel seemed to suspect his involvement in his parents’ deaths.

What if that child grew up to become the Minister of Magic? He wouldn’t be able to be controlled by power, and certainly not by force. Mages were not easy to subdue, even with hundreds or thousands of soldiers.

‘Things weren’t supposed to go this way.’

If he had become Ian Hadel’s official guardian as originally planned, there would have been no problem. No, it would have been better. He would have been able to coax the ‘child’ who was to be the next Minister of Magic and make him completely his own. There would be no better ally, but things had gone awry, making it a headache.

‘I’ll kill him.’

There was no time to hesitate. He had to kill the boy, who was growing every day, to ensure there would be no future trouble.

“Is he still planning to stay at Count Zak’s residence?”

The butler tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled. Cronie’s question wasn’t meant to elicit an answer but was for him to organize his thoughts.

“As long as he stays at the mansion, there’s no way. It’s best to look for an opportunity when he goes out. Butler?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Bring some people.”

Currently, Ian’s shields were the Magic Department and Count Zak. Cronie began to explore his options.

‘First, the Magic Department.’

If the Magic Department found out he was trying to harm Ian, he would face a backlash. No matter how much he had established his position in the Imperial Defense Forces and throughout the Imperial Palace, if the Magic Department came at him head-on, neither he nor his allies would be safe.

‘Count Zak’s side is just as tricky.’

He was one of the most powerful and prestigious martial families in Bariel. He was also the family of Herch, the captain of the Imperial Guard. He couldn’t be touched easily either.

…Then, he had no choice but to target Ian in a place where the influence of both was weak.

“…’That child,’ I believe he attends Energes.”

“Ah, yes, that’s correct.”

“Bring him here by carriage. I have something urgent to discuss.”

Bringing him by carriage meant doing it discreetly. The butler bowed, indicating he understood, and left the office.

Left alone, Cronie threw off his gloves and looked out the window.

‘The Magic Department and Count Zak. If I had to choose the more dangerous one, it would definitely be the latter.’

He was assisting the Emperor directly, and recently, he had even dispatched Onlihollo as a butler. Judging by the way he was poking around the guard office, even though he wasn’t an official investigator, it was clear he was trying to find clues.

‘That won’t do.’

The carefully prepared meal was about to be completed, and he couldn’t let it go wrong.

*Crunch.*

Cronie stared at his reflection in the window, gritting his teeth. His canines gleamed through his angry smile.

…Ian’s shields?

‘Shields are always fun to break.’

* * *

“Enrow, Enrow……”

Meanwhile, Ian, Romandro, and Hanna, having completed the inheritance tax payment, were at a nearby government office, looking up information about the Enrow family.

When Ian stood on tiptoe, resting his chin on the table, Hanna picked him up so he could see the documents.

“Ah, yes. Here it is.”

The government employee shuffled through the documents and pulled out a sheet.

“About 100 years ago, the family began when Siao Shi Enrow was granted the title of Baron.”

Ian’s eyes widened at the employee’s explanation. Again. Something that started 100 years ago was reaching him.

“Was it during the reign of Emperor Jin Verosian?”

“That’s right. You’re very bright, young master.”

These days, nobles were giving five-year-olds advanced education? They were truly ruthless. The employee thought to himself as he continued his explanation.

“Yes. He was a commoner who became a Baron after serving as an officer in the Imperial Defense Forces. It says he served Emperor Jin Verosian from his days as a prince and was promoted for his contributions.”

“Then where is their estate now? I heard it’s not in the center.”

At Ian’s question, the employee looked at the map.

“There was a long period when he only had the title and no estate. Then, in the process of marrying Chloe Davion, a noble lady of the Davion family, he purchased an estate in the eastern outskirts of Bariel.”

“The eastern region?”

“Here, look.”

Ian wiggled his finger and pointed to the map. It was the outermost part of the outskirts, bordering the frontier. Next to it was written ‘The Great Desert.’

Hanna recognized it and added,

“It seems to be the desert that Nersarn mentioned.”

“…Cheonryeo?” [Likely a proper noun or place name]

Then Nersarn would know the Enrow region well. He should ask him about it in detail when they meet again.

“Anyway, are you saying that the eastern estate that Siao Shi Enrow purchased was originally our Hadel family’s?”

“Hmm, well, there’s no record of that. It’s also not clear if the sale proceeds you mentioned came from that process.”

“Not clear? If a sale took place, the seller and buyer should be clear.”

“The buyer is clearly Siao Shi Enrow, but there is no record of the seller.”

“That’s absurd. Are you making fun of me?”

“Haha. I apologize. It’s not that, but the Imperial Palace deleted it. The government office can only confirm it as blank.”

The Imperial Palace deleted it? Why? Ian looked puzzled, and the employee also smiled, looking just as confused.

“It could be confidential or restricted information. The conclusion is that it’s impossible to confirm whether the eastern estate belonged to the Hadel family. It could be related to another estate, so it would be best to check the ledgers held by each family.”

Due to the urgency, they had already used half of the 1,000 gold coins. If the Enrow side had made a mistake and sent it incorrectly, they would have to return it, so they needed to explain the situation and ask for understanding.

“So, the Enrow family is still in the east?”

“Yes, the family and the estate are still intact.”

“It would be good to send a letter.”

“I recommend that. That’s all we can confirm on our end.”

The three of them left the government office and went to a cafe right in front of it. When two coffees and a chocolate milk came out, they all simultaneously slurped their drinks through plant-stem straws. It felt like things were endlessly unfolding.

“Young master, it’s a relief that we managed to pay the inheritance tax. Now that the inheritance is complete, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Romandro, I’d like to send letters to both Hadel and Enrow.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll prepare them. Both will be to request verification of documents and ledgers, right?”

He understood immediately. Ian dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

“But I don’t know if the ledgers from 100 years ago will still exist.”

“It’s a bit ambiguous. If we look for them, we might find them, but if we can’t, we might not find them even if we die and come back to life……”

But Romandro reassured the child, telling him not to worry.

“Even if it’s not the Hadel family’s money, it’ll be fine. Now that the inheritance is complete, we can sell assets to return it. They’ll understand the situation.”

“You think so?”

“Of course.”

*Haaah.* The three of them let out a small sigh of relief, slightly relaxing. The warm sunlight, the delicious drinks, and the relief of having completed a task filled them.

“Then, now-”

Hanna, who had regained her energy with the coffee, was the first to slowly raise her head.

“Shall we go do the real work?”

“The real work?”

“We have a lot to buy.”

First, a mansion to live in the center, furniture, a carriage, and most importantly-!

Hanna pointed her finger at a group passing by in the distance. Ian and Romandro turned their heads at the same time. Students running and giggling.

“We need to prepare for school.”

Ian had never had the opportunity to mingle with his peers. He was the only noble child in the Hadel estate. His classes were also conducted one-on-one with a private tutor.

“Prepare for school……”

Ian murmured, unable to take his eyes off the students, and asked,

“Is that the Energes uniform?”

“Romandro, is that the Energes uniform?”

Hanna smiled brightly and passed the question on. Romandro slurped the rest of his coffee and pressed his temples. He had drunk the cold drink too quickly.

“…Ugh. No. Energes has a navy blue design with a red stripe. Alright, let’s hurry and move? It’s better to get everything done when we’re out.”

Romandro looked around quickly, gauging the distance.

“…It’s impossible to walk ‘there.’ Let’s take a carriage, Ian.”

“Where is ‘there’?”

“Ah, there’s a place that sells everything you need for Energes, including the uniform, all in one place. It’s like a department store. You can buy most things there at once.”

Romandro answered, glancing at Ian for a moment. They would have sizes for a five-year-old… right?

‘Well, it’s a store that has everything except what’s not there. Ahem.’