Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 897

Hans glanced back at Ian and Barsabe, who were following him.

They were in the middle of Lugerspell. It was already eye-catching for children to be walking around, but they were also wearing Energes school uniforms. And that wasn’t all; their bags and shoes were all top-of-the-line, the highest quality.

‘…Do they even realize?’

That the rough characters in the slums were watching them.

“Hey, sis. Why are people staring at us?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m pretty.”

“Me?”

“Me!”

…So, she does know.

Hans sighed and entered the alleyway. The carriage had already left. He couldn’t just leave them in the middle of Lugerspell, so he’d have to keep them at home until his brother got off work. Ian and Barsabe stuck close to Hans, following right behind him.

“Oh, Hans. Are you done with school?”

“Hello, mister.”

“And who are your friends?”

The owner of a pub inside the alleyway, who was wiping down a table, greeted them cheerfully, holding out his palm. Hans naturally slapped his palm and walked past, and Ian and Barsabe followed suit.

“It’s not like only weird people live in Lugerspell.”

Hans retorted curtly at Barsabe’s mutter.

“Of course not. People live here too.”

The problem was that there were more unsavory types gathered here.

The three of them navigated through the endless alleyways, going deeper and deeper. It was the moment Hans was about to turn the right corner.

Crash!

Clatter!

“Let’s go back.”

“Why?”

“There’s a fight.”

Inside the narrow alley, people were tangled together, throwing punches.

Hans turned around and pulled on Ian and Barsabe’s clothes. But Ian couldn’t take his eyes off the scene, as it was his first time seeing something like this, and Barsabe was also intrigued, feeling like she was watching a real-life martial arts match.

“You cocky bastard!”

Thwack! Pow!

Looking closer, it wasn’t a brawl, but a one-versus-many situation. Hans pulled the two closer and warned them.

“Don’t even think about interfering. They’re famous troublemakers here. They fight like that every day, but they never die.”

“Shouldn’t we help them? Or call the guards?”

“Guards? In Lugerspell, the guards are like cleaners. They’re the ones who come and clean up after everything’s over.”

Ian blinked, looking a bit shocked. What he had seen when he came to the center were mysterious mages, clean and wide roads, and kind people. But this place was like a completely different world.

Hans noticed Ian’s reaction and tried to persuade him in a slightly softer tone.

“You really don’t have to worry. That’s just their daily life. If we call the guards and make a fuss, it’ll just get louder. And it’s annoying for me too. This is my neighborhood, so I’d appreciate it if you followed my lead.”

“Ah, okay. Sure.”

“…That’s why I told you not to come.”

Hans’s ears turned red, as if he was a little embarrassed. To a noble young master who had grown up so delicately, this must seem like a very strange world.

But Ian smiled brightly and grabbed Hans’s hand.

“I’m sorry. It’s because I don’t know anything.”

It was an apology, acknowledging his inexperience and narrow perspective. It wasn’t about judging whether his situation or background was right or wrong, but simply that he lacked experience.

“……”

Hans had been born and raised in the slums. He knew how to distinguish between pretense and sincerity. And there was no lie in Ian’s feelings right now.

“What are you doing? Let’s go quickly.”

When Ian tugged at his sleeve as if urging him, Hans’s eyes turned red. The boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve and turned away.

“…Let’s go. We’re almost home.”

“Okay.”

He looked like he was angry, so Ian was dejected. He poked Barsabe’s arm, urging her to hurry up.

Barsabe, who had been mesmerized by the brawl, smacked her lips and followed Ian.

“They fight well.”

“Who?”

“That guy over there, the one getting beat up alone. I can see why the others ganged up on him. He fights well. And he’s got guts.”

Ugh. If she could, she’d set up a chair and watch, but that wouldn’t do, would it? Barsabe drooled in disappointment, and Ian pushed her back hard. They had to follow before Hans got even angrier.

Tap tap!

After running through the alley, they arrived in front of a shabby building. It didn’t look like a residence; there were all sorts of boxes scattered at the entrance.

And between them, men were sitting idly. Hans stopped as soon as he saw them.

“Oh, Hans. Long time no see?”

“…What brings you here?”

“What do you mean? We didn’t come because we missed you. There was no one at home, so we were just sitting here. Where’s Naum?”

“My brother said he’d be late today…”

“He wasn’t there?”

“Huh?”

“He wasn’t at work. I heard he got fired a while ago. Didn’t you know? Are you sure he’s making money?”

Hans’s face turned pale. What was he talking about? His brother was working odd jobs at a nearby printing house, wasn’t he? Then where was he working now?

Hans was about to run towards the printing house in shock, but the men grabbed him by the neck.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let go of me!”

“We need to get what’s ours, too.”

Hans struggled while dangling, but the grown men didn’t budge. Ian and Barsabe were about to approach in surprise, but Hans shouted.

“Don’t you guys get involved!”

“Oh, you should get help from your friends in life.”

“Shut up! They have nothing to do with this!”

“You little brat, where do you get off yelling like that!”

When the man grabbed and shook Hans roughly, Barsabe shouted.

“Hey! Isn’t that too much? If you have business with Hans, you should just wait quietly, why are you grabbing a kid?”

“Who’s this? A rich young lady? But why is she covered in dirt?”

“Um, everyone, calm down—it would be nice if you put Hans down first.”

Or else that hot-tempered magic swordsman over there might smack your butts with a stick!

Ian stammered, trying to stop them, but the men scoffed and flicked Ian’s hand away. Ian fell on his butt from the sudden impact.

“If you’re not going to pay up, don’t get involved. I hate brats.”

“Wait a minute, this one’s kind of cute. Where do you live? Do you have parents?”

“Leave Ian alone!”

“Oh, so your name is Ian? Hehe.”

Ian glared at the men with wide eyes. He felt anger rising from deep within his chest to the top of his head.

“…Why are you asking about my parents?”

The men didn’t notice that Ian’s tone had changed. To them, it just sounded like a cute tantrum.

“Just because. It’s good to know?”

“Why?”

“Kids with parents are a pain to sell. We get less money.”

When the man grinned maliciously, a shadow fell over Ian’s face.

“How foolish. Focusing on useless information.”

“What?”

“Do you not know what it means to wear an Energes uniform?”

“I don’t know?”

They knew it was a school for exceptional talents, but if they were Hans’s friends, they probably weren’t that different? Maybe they had a good memory, or were good at calculations, or maybe they had a talent for useless number games.

Ian grabbed Barsabe’s hand and brushed the dirt off himself.

“Hans, did you borrow money from these people?”

“…Yeah.”

“Do you have the money to pay them back now?”

“No. I have to ask my brother.”

“Then, is it okay if I lend it to you?”

“……”

Hans bit his lip. It was humiliating, but he had no choice. If he didn’t send them away, Ian and Barsabe would get caught up in this.

Hans nodded slightly, and the men whistled as if they had hit the jackpot.

“Oh, you’ve got good friends, Hans.”

“We’re supposed to get twenty silver coins today, will that be enough?”

“Hey kid, can we check your bag?”

When one of the men tried to grab Ian’s bag, Ian raised his hand and lightly stopped him. The men’s hands stopped on their own.

“……!”

What stopped the men wasn’t power or status. It was just the intangible force emanating from the child. That was all.

Ian said.

“Before that, we have something to settle between us.”

“Between us?”

“This.”

It was the dirt stain on the bottom of his bag from when he fell.

What about it? The men looked at Barsabe and Hans. Barsabe was holding a stick, ready to swing it at any moment, and Hans was just blankly watching Ian’s actions.

“My bag got dirty because of you guys, so you have to compensate me for that first. Then I’ll give you my silver coins.”

“Hahaha! That’s hilarious. Compensation for a little dirt? You’re full of it, kid. Don’t try to find fault, okay?”

“Does it look like I’m finding fault? Do you know how much this is worth?”

When Ian replied confidently, the men exchanged glances. Should they just take him and run? Then one of them chuckled and asked.

“Let’s hear it. How much is it?”

“Two gold coins.”

“…What?”

At that moment, Ian grabbed the men’s sleeves instead. He held them tightly, as if to say, ‘Don’t even think about running away.’

“Uh, how much?”

“I said two gold coins.”

“That’s right! I picked it out with him!”

Barsabe added slyly, making it sound like it was true.

What? A kid’s bag was worth two months’ salary? The bewildered man pushed Ian away again and then raised his hand in annoyance.

“Shut up, you guys! I’ve been putting up with you since earlier-”

Zzzing! Zzzing!

“……!”

“……!”

In an instant, Ian’s blue eyes turned gold. The men, and even Hans, froze in shock. It was the first time they had encountered eyes that didn’t seem human.

“Putting up with us?”

Who was putting up with whom?

As the wind swirled around Ian, the men backed away. A, a mage! They were beings from a distant, high place. There was no chance of winning against them with force. No, it wasn’t about calculating the chances of winning, but whether they could even return alive!

“Heeek!”

“We, we’re sorry!”

How could a poor, feisty guy like Hans be with a mage like that? It was something they had never imagined, so the men tried to run away in a panic.

Ian was about to release his magic, but-

Whack!

Barsabe was faster. She struck the men’s knees and shins with her stick.

Thwack! Thwack!

“Aaaah!”

The stick was stuck upright next to the head of the man who had fallen forward. Barsabe squatted down and whispered softly.

“…Money.”

“Huh?”

“Take out all the money you have and leave. Didn’t you hear earlier? That bag is worth two gold coins.”

The men reluctantly emptied their pockets and took out their coins. Barsabe smiled contentedly and casually slung the stick over her shoulder.

“Then, as a sign that you should get lost-”

She swung the stick with all her might and struck the man’s butt so hard it looked like it was split in half.

Whack!

“Aaaah!”

The fight was over in an instant. Ian helped Hans up, who was sitting there blankly. Hans looked back and forth between Ian and Barsabe and then asked cautiously.

“…You two, aren’t you nobles?”

Especially, that Barsabe, wasn’t she the granddaughter of the famous Count Jacques…?

At Hans’s question, Ian chuckled.

“When you’re wearing an Energes uniform, there’s no such thing.”

* * *

“Hup!”

Naum carefully walked with a huge bag of waste on his back. As the printing house’s situation worsened, they had to reduce staff, and unfortunately, Naum was included.

They told him to come back when things got better, but he couldn’t just wait forever. He had found a temporary job at a waste collection site. He hadn’t told Hans yet, worried about him…

‘If I get used to the work, I’ll be able to get off work on time, right? Hans must be back from school already.’

The work was twice as hard, but the good thing was that he could give Hans money for lunch starting tomorrow.

“Naum!”

“Yes, boss!”

“I heard your younger brother came to see you?”

“Huh? Who?”

“Finish up your work and go see.”

Naum was surprised and put down the waste, then went outside the warehouse. There, three dirty children were standing in a row, waiting for him.

Hans, who had found his brother, ran to him, crying.

“Bro-!”

“Hans. How did you know I was here?”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I was looking for you!”

“Sorry, did you go to the printing house?”

Naum patted Hans and looked at Ian and Barsabe. What brought these two friends here…? Ian carefully extended his hand to Naum, who didn’t know what was going on.

“…I’m Ian Hadel.”

“Ah, Hans’s friend? Nice to meet you. I’m Naum. My hands are dirty-”

Naum hesitated, but Ian grabbed his hand without hesitation. And then, without realizing it, he said something strange.

“I’ve been looking for you. I’ve been looking, looking…”