Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 888

“So, to recap, the Prime Minister’s remarks at the time were quite political, and depending on how you interpret them, they could be seen as challenging the authority of the Imperial Family…”

In the lecture hall of Building 2, where the class was in progress, the professor’s slow, almost dragging explanation elicited starkly different reactions from the students.

Some were trying to stay alert and focused—

Snore, snore….

Others were completely knocked out, as if they’d been hit over the head.

Snoring could be heard from all over, but the professor, unconcerned, slowly turned the pages of his book.

Knock, knock.

“Yes?”

The professor adjusted his glasses and turned toward the door. The sound of the door forcefully sliding open made the dozing students snap to attention.

“Hello.”

A young boy with platinum blonde hair, who looked to be about six years old, stood there with a confident posture. Behind him, some older students stood awkwardly. They made eye contact, then quickly excused themselves and left.

The professor adjusted his glasses and asked,

“Ian Hadel?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Please take a seat in the empty spot.”

“Thank you.”

Ian looked for an empty seat. It was next to a child who was muttering something to himself with his head down. It was the third row from the front, but strangely, that seat was the only one empty.

“Ian Hadel? The mage?”

“Wow, I heard an Energes [a student of magic] was coming, but it’s true.”

“I told you. Why didn’t you believe me?”

“Shhh. He’ll hear you.”

Ian sat down and turned to his neighbor. The boy had long black hair and his eyes were fixed on the blackboard. The name tag read ‘Hans.’ Ian cautiously whispered,

“Hi?”

It was his first day of school, his first class, and his first friend. He was a little nervous and excited as he greeted him, but the response was dry.

“Oh, hi. Could you not talk to me during class?”

“Ah. Sorry.”

Meanwhile, the other children were whispering about Ian, wondering if he was the first mage student.

Regardless, Hans just glared at the other children silently. *Those who can’t even study, why are they so loud instead of sleeping like before? Have they never seen a transfer student before?*

“Gasp. Look at Hans’s eyes.”

“Shhh. Shhh.”

Everyone in the class knew how serious Hans was about his studies. He wouldn’t tolerate any noise, and the person sitting next to him wasn’t allowed to doze off either. He said it was distracting and interfered with his studies. That was why, in the packed lecture hall, only the seat next to Hans was empty.

“…So, where were we?”

“The Prime Minister’s remarks.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

Ian glanced at the notes on the blackboard and Hans’s textbook, then opened his own book.

“At the time, Emperor Jin Verosian, the previous emperor, led the war against the Great Demons to victory, but he had deep conflicts with his meritorious subjects, which led to a very chaotic political situation within the Imperial Palace…”

Ah. That was a familiar name. Ian’s eyes sparkled at the name ‘Jin Verosian.’ The Iron-Blooded Emperor, who had saved him from Crony and led him to the Magic Department.

“…In particular, a ‘mysterious mage’ known as the Golden Mage was subjected to historical erasure, leaving a gap in history. This can be somewhat inferred from records remaining in Vergos, Clifford, and Luswena. The content is as follows… ‘Jin Verosian successfully suppressed the rebellion of the Golden Mage, thereby solidifying his power—’”

“Professor.”

Hans raised his hand and asked,

“About the mysterious mage, if he was powerful enough to be called the top contributor in the war against the Great Demons, how did the Imperial Palace manage to subdue him?”

“Hmm. At the time, he had completely lost his footing in the Magic Department due to conflicts with the Imperial Palace. He was cornered and started a rebellion as if he was being chased. In the process, information was leaked due to the mistakes of those who conspired with him, and he was put in a situation that he couldn’t handle even with his magical powers—this is the general consensus among scholars.”

“How foolish.”

Hans snorted, and Ian, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand. The professor nodded, as if to allow the question.

“If he was that strong of a mage, wouldn’t he not have needed to conspire with anyone?”

As someone from the Magic Department, he would have known the Imperial Palace’s security system very well. So how did he end up in that situation?

Hans glared at Ian at the unexpected question. *What is he talking about? No matter how strong he was, how could he defeat so many mages alone?*

“That’s a good question, Ian Hadel.”

Eh? Hans turned to the professor in disbelief.

“Several parts of the rebellion process have been pointed out as not making sense. So, there are scholars who argue that Emperor Jin Verosian staged it himself to strengthen his imperial power.”

“…Why would the mysterious mage go that far?”

“Only he would know. If the purpose was to strengthen imperial power, we can assume he was that loyal.”

“Even at the cost of his life?”

As if he had been waiting for this question, the professor’s eyes sparkled.

“If one is deeply loyal, it’s possible. The basis for the scholars who claim the rebellion was staged is right here.”

“What is it?”

“After the historical erasure, traces believed to be from the mysterious mage were found all over Gaia.”

In other words, he didn’t die and wandered all over Gaia. If he had actually harbored a rebellion in his heart, he would have been executed immediately.

Hans frowned, wondering what that meant. He had already done some pre-learning before entering Energes. But he had never learned about such content anywhere. The professor’s words must be just a minority opinion not recognized by the academic world.

“Of course, whether it’s true or not is still under debate. That’s the problem with historical erasure. It leaves too much confusion for future generations.”

Tsk. The professor adjusted his glasses and urged the students,

“The content I just introduced is not officially recognized by the academic world, but rather the claim of a minority faction. Take it lightly.”

“Yes, understood.”

“And next…”

The professor trailed off and turned the page, and Ian grabbed his pen. The sound of writing was pleasant to hear.

Tick.

“…That’s all for today’s lecture.”

It was the fifth consecutive hour of lectures, excluding breaks. As the professor organized his desk and left, most of the students, except for Ian and Hans, collapsed onto their desks, groaning.

*There are so many interesting subjects, but why are we new students only listening to this kind of torture?*

“Hey, Ian Hadel?”

“Yeah.”

Ian, who was organizing his notes, looked up at his classmates. They all seemed hesitant, as if they had something to say. When he stared at them, one of them spoke up.

“Hey, would you like to have lunch with us?”

“Ah.”

He was actually hungry. Ian turned to Hans next to him and said,

“Sure. Hans, would you like to join us—”

But Hans didn’t even give him a chance, quickly getting up and grabbing his bag. Then, muttering something to himself, he left the lecture hall alone.

“Don’t mind him. He’s always been weird.”

“He must be very passionate about his studies.”

“It’s because of the scholarship. I heard his family isn’t doing so well.”

“Even so, he’s too sensitive. He suddenly hit me in the back of the head with a pencil case last time, you know?”

“That’s because you were snoring too loudly.”

“No, but still!”

While hanging out with his friends, Ian kept glancing at the direction where Hans had disappeared. Was it because he was so focused during class? He kept catching his eye.

When Ian took out his lunch box, the students’ attention was drawn to it. They wondered what was different about what a noble ate.

“Ooooh!”

“It’s all meat?”

“Haena packed a lot for me to share.”

“Ooooh!”

Leaving his friends who were mercilessly forking at his lunch box, Ian glanced out the window. Hans had already gone outside and was crossing the campus. That was the main gate?

Squeak.

Hans stood outside the main gate, waiting for someone. The surroundings were quiet. The guard, who seemed used to Hans’s appearance, was casually filling out his duty log.

Ding!

“Hans!”

From afar, a person was riding a bicycle down the slope. It was a boy with long brown hair tied back, and a gentle smile. Hans’s sullen expression gradually brightened.

“Hyung [older brother]!”

Squeak!

The boy, whom Hans called ‘hyung,’ stopped his bicycle and handed a small lunch box to the child. It was just some dry bread, jam, and a boiled egg, but that was all.

“Sorry. Am I too late?”

“No. I just came out.”

“Go inside and eat. You must be hungry.”

Due to Hans’s family circumstances, his older brother was delivering the lunch he received from his workplace. It was the most edible food in the house.

“What about you, hyung? Are you leaving right away?”

“Like always. Study hard today too.”

Ding!

The older brother lightly flicked the bicycle bell and smiled. At the sound, the guard at the post looked up at the two brothers.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Hey, you’re always working hard—”

The guard glanced at the lunch box in Hans’s hand and greeted them. They were a rare pair of brothers with deep affection for each other these days. He saw the older brother come every day to make sure his younger brother had a meal.

“Be careful going back, Naum.”

Naum bowed and then vigorously pedaled his bicycle back the way he came.

Hans stared at his retreating figure for a long time, then munched on the bread and swallowed it in one bite. *There’s no time to be spacing out like this.*

*My brother is suffering like this because of me, I have to get that scholarship no matter what.*

Hans quickly finished his lunch and turned around to go back to the lecture hall.

“……?”

On the roof of Building 2, he saw unfamiliar wings and a tail.

Hans frowned and looked closely, wondering what it was. The guard also looked up at the top of Building 2, following his gaze.

“Huh.”

That’s….

“Isn’t that a dragon?”

“…Why a dragon?”

“I know, why a dragon?”

“…….”

It was bewildering, but this was Energes. Anything could happen. Hans shook his head and went his way, and the guard, with a nonchalant expression, picked up the call device to report the matter.

* * *

“Hey, Ian.”

“Yeah.”

Ian answered with his cheeks full of meat. One of the students cautiously suggested,

“We have some time left before the next class after lunch, would you like me to show you around the school?”

“Hmm, just a moment.”

Ian looked at the timetable he received from the headmaster and pondered. As the children said, there was about an hour and a half of free time.

“Okay. I’d appreciate that.”

“Do you have a map?”

“No, I don’t.”

*Was there such a thing?* They gave him everything else, but how did they forget the most important map? Ian thought that there must be a reason why the professor was so unpopular.

The students smiled faintly at Ian’s words that he didn’t have a map.

“It’s okay. We don’t have one either. They say there are no maps for security reasons. Instead, we memorize them by taking notes as we go around. It’s huge and vast.”

“Ah.”

*I was mistaken.* Ian rolled his eyes and thought of Headmaster Dashua’s fluffy face. He felt a little sorry.

“It’s not only big, but the paths are also complicated and there are many hidden places, so it’s easy to get lost.”

“I see.”

He had gotten lost a few times in Count Jacques’s mansion. Was it like that? As soon as they finished their meal, the friends left the building and kindly explained as they walked around the campus.

“This is the faculty building. It’s a bit different from the administration office. And over there is the library, the cafeteria, the training ground…”

“The students who mainly learn Eastern sorcery have many classes in the West Building. The buildings around the training ground are for the martial arts series, including magic swordsmen.”

“And this way, Ian.”

In a corner of the bright campus, there were flower beds that looked like the entrance to a garden. However, unlike other places, it seemed a bit more gloomy, and it was unusual that there were few people around.

“What’s this?”

“This is a garden that students often visit. The inside is much larger and well-decorated. Would you like to go in?”

“Yeah.”

Ian followed his friends into the garden without much suspicion. They hadn’t even taken a few steps when the surroundings suddenly became lush. It felt like the background had changed in an instant.

Curious, Ian smiled and turned around.

“This place is really—”

*Amazing!* Just as Ian was about to exclaim in admiration—

“…Huh?”

The boy realized that he was alone in the garden.

His friends had disappeared in an instant.