Margrave’s Bastard Son Was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 889

“……”

Ian stood there for a long while, hesitant to move and risk getting separated from his friends.

The gentle breeze, the warm sunlight, and the lush green leaves of the garden were beautiful, but a cold feeling crept into Ian’s heart.

‘Is this some kind of initiation?’

They did this at the Magic Department too. Is this how it is when you join any new group?

Ian pouted. The silence around him made it hard to keep track of time. He might be late for class, so instead of waiting for his friends, he decided to head back. He reached out towards the garden entrance.

Swish.

“……!”

He couldn’t leave the garden. It felt like he was reaching into deep water. The space itself was blocked off.

Ian hesitated and stepped back.

‘What should I do?’

If this is an initiation, there must be a way out. And if it’s an accident, they’ll call a professor.

“…Is anyone there?”

Ian cautiously called out, but his voice disappeared without a trace. A chill ran down his spine. Even though the day was bright, everything felt strange.

‘Could this be Chronie’s doing?’

If Chronie was trying to get rid of him, it was dangerous. Ian clenched his fist, releasing his magic power.

Zzzing! Zzzing!

His golden eyes became a little moist, but he didn’t cry. Fear had turned into anger. Ian cautiously walked deeper into the garden.

“Ian, things happen at Energe, unlike what you see on the surface. Chronie might try to harm you in the process.”

Ian remembered Romandro’s warning. Because the place was prone to incidents, they could use that to harm Ian. Ian was prepared, but he didn’t expect it to happen on his first day.

“If anyone’s there, come out! Fair and square!”

Ian peeked his toe out from behind a corner. Despite his dignified tone, his movements were quite cautious.

The well-kept garden was still empty. The deeper he went, the darker and denser the shadows became…….

“Come here.”

“……!”

Ian was startled by the sudden voice and turned around. There, sitting on a bench, was a stranger who looked exactly like him.

Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, even the same school uniform. Is this some kind of illusion from the garden? Ian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You, you, who are you?”

“If you go in, you can’t come out.”

If you go deep into the garden, you’ll get lost. You’ll wander forever in the lush greenery, not even knowing you’re dying.

“Who are you?”

Ian asked warily, and the boy smiled brightly.

“I’m Ian.”

“That’s right. And I’m Ian too. Come over here.”

Tap, tap. The hand patting the bench was gentle.

Ian hesitated for a long time before cautiously sitting on the edge of the bench. The boy smiled pleasantly as he looked at Ian.

“How is it?”

“…What?”

“Anything.”

Ian pouted again. How is it? Is he asking how it feels to be betrayed by the friends he made on his first day?

The boy’s nose turned a little red. His sadness had long turned into anger, but the stuffy feeling in his heart hadn’t gone away.

“You still look happy. That’s a relief.”

“I’m not happy at all.”

“Really?”

It looked nice to see him eating delicious food in a comfortable mansion, enjoying his studies, sparring with Barsabe, and sometimes strolling through the central alley to get some fresh air. The boy tapped Ian’s cheek.

“Don’t be too upset.”

If there are people who deceive you, there must also be people you can trust. Like the people who are by your side right now.

Ian narrowed his eyes and stared at the boy.

“…You’re suspicious.”

“Haha. I’m suspicious even though I have your face?”

“Because it’s my face!”

Why did you appear as me? Ian asked, and the boy replied in a clear voice.

“I wanted to remind you.”

“Remind me of what?”

“That there’s an answer in the Magic Department’s annex. And Ian Hadel—”

Ian’s eyes widened again. How does he know my name? The boy leaned closer to Ian and whispered.

“It’s good to see you. Grow up so preciously.”

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew suddenly. Ian frowned without realizing it. When he opened his eyes again, the boy was gone without a trace.

Ian took a breath in the silence that had returned. It was a strange experience, but it wasn’t as scary as before.

‘He was quite kind.’

Is that why? Ian gently touched the spot where the boy had been sitting. It didn’t feel warm.

‘Anyway—’

According to the boy, this place is dangerous. So, it’s also true that the friends who brought him here had bad intentions. In other words, there was a high possibility that they were connected to Chronie.

Ian took a deep breath and his golden eyes sparkled.

Zzzing! Zzzing!

Sharp winds burst around Ian. Since this seemed to be a space completely separated from Energe, he intended to break the barrier through various attempts.

“Yah!”

Ian let out a light shout, and three streaks of white lightning surged from his fingertips. Crackle! Sparks formed a dome shape in the air. It was quite similar to what happened at the Magic Department.

‘It’s there.’

The place where the barrier exists. Ian focused and bit his lip, then aimed at one point and poured out his power.

Whoosh!

The magic flowing through his body felt vividly alive. Something was bursting out endlessly, explosively.

“……!”

Ian smiled with joy without realizing it.

* * *

“Is it okay to do that?”

“Stop staring.”

“No, it’s just, doing that on the first day…”

“Shhh. Come this way.”

The students who pushed Ian into the garden quickly left, glancing back repeatedly.

For a five-year-old noble, he was easier to handle than they thought. They felt sorry for doing this on the first day, but they had no choice.

‘Those guys…….’

Meanwhile, Hans, who noticed the children hurrying somewhere, tilted his head. Weren’t they the kids who were eating with Ian Hadel earlier? They were useless, only good at sticking together like idiots. Hans sighed lightly.

‘But I don’t see Ian Hadel.’

Well, it’s none of my business.

Hans walked down the hallway and saw students rushing into the outdoor lounge. It seemed like they were meeting someone, but the person’s figure was hidden by the curtains.

However, judging by their slightly hunched postures and flustered expressions, they were clearly meeting a superior.

‘Ah, that’s bothering me.’

Hans glanced up at the roof. A red dragon was constantly flicking its tail and looking around.

If there was a dragon freely roaming around the center of Bariel, there was only one.

‘What is the Magic Department doing?’

Was its name ‘Perry Foreman’s Ray Dragon’ or something? Every time he heard it, he thought the person who named it had no sense. Their aesthetic sense was terrible.

Screech.

When he returned to the classroom, most of the seats were empty. Hans glanced at Ian’s bag next to his seat and then opened his notebook to review the lesson. He could hear the voices of students gathered in a corner, sharing desserts.

“But Ian Hadel’s family is really rich.”

“He’s a branch of the imperial family, so he must be rich.”

“But he’s from a local lord’s family, so wouldn’t he be so-so compared to the central nobles?”

“I don’t think so? My uncle works at Hyman Bank. Rumor has it he had 1,000 gold coins in cash.”

Hans’s pen slipped. 1,000 gold coins? It was an amount he couldn’t even imagine in his life. It was an enormous amount of money he couldn’t even get in board games!

Hans’s mouth twisted. People who live hand-to-mouth desperately hope to become magicians. Because becoming a magician can make you rich just with the salary!

But Ian Hadel already has everything.

‘He’s cute too.’

Ugh. This is annoying.

Hans chewed on the remaining bread crumbs and continued writing. He started to feel hungry again as he digested it.

“But his parents are all dead. At that age.”

“He has problems with his relatives too, so he’s staying at Count Zak’s mansion. Is that true?”

“Yeah. I saw him going to school with Barsabe this morning.”

No parents…….

Hans’s pen stopped again. That was similar to him. At least he had his older brother, but Ian Hadel seemed to have no one.

“Those guys earlier, they took Ian Hadel to ‘that place,’ right?”

“I heard that’s what happened.”

“Where? I didn’t hear.”

“You know, that place. ‘The Incinerator’.”

Hans’s head turned involuntarily. He leaned back in his chair and asked.

“Ian Hadel went to the Incinerator?”

“Huh?”

The so-called Incinerator.

It was a name that didn’t match the beautiful garden at all, but the reality was the opposite. The garden created independent spaces every hour, and as time passed, it became harder to reconnect with the real world.

They used to use it for waste disposal and high-risk laboratories, but so many people went missing that they banned entry to the area.

“I don’t know?”

“You just said it.”

“I don’t know. Besides, why do I have to answer all your questions?”

Hans stared at the student. The student flinched at his calm gaze. Hans was usually quiet, but if he didn’t like something, he would come up and hit you on the head with his pencil case without warning.

Hans thought for a moment, then slowly got up from his seat.

“…You don’t have to answer everything. But you’re being really prickly for no reason.”

Do you want to see what real prickliness is? I’m starving and annoyed, damn it!

Hans muttered curses under his breath, and the students quietly shut their mouths. If they started a fight, the school would side with the top student, which was disadvantageous.

Screech.

Hans quickened his pace and ran towards the Incinerator. Was he trying to save Ian Hadel because he felt sorry for him? No way—

“But Ian Hadel’s family is really rich.”

He was running for the crumbs.

When Hans arrived near the garden, he noticed that the no-entry rope was gone.

‘It was planned.’

Only the dragon was tilting its head and watching the garden.

They probably didn’t remove the no-entry rope in front of Ian Hadel. Would a noble child want to cause trouble at school on his first day? They probably just tricked him by saying it was a normal garden.

“Let’s see…….”

Hans looked up at the sky and calculated the time. To go into the garden, meet Ian Hadel, and come back……

“……?”

Crack.

There was a crack in the clear blue sky. Hans rubbed his eyes and looked closely at what it was.

It was a crack that was slowly, slowly growing…….

“Huh?”

Boom!

Hans’s body staggered from the sudden explosion. He didn’t even know what kind of explosion it was. Was it right to say that it felt like the air had burst?

The passing students also flinched reflexively, and the trees and bushes in the schoolyard fluttered as if they were about to fly away. Only the dragon was tilting its head and watching the garden.

-Kyu?

Then, a small figure appeared from the dust.

Kyu’s tail tapped the roof happily.