Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 899

“Huh?”

Arena, who had been diligently flipping through reports, finally looked up. She didn’t know where they’d been or what they’d been doing, but they were covered in dust, drenched in sweat, and their clothes were all wrinkled. The two young nobles looked absolutely disheveled.

And next to them, two unfamiliar brothers stood awkwardly.

“What? Did I just hear wrong?”

“These are my friends, Hans and Hans’s older brother, Naum. Naum *hyung* [older brother] is a mage! I checked myself.”

When Ian calmly introduced Hans and Naum again, the pen slipped from Arena’s hand and fell with a thud.

She turned to Romandro with a look that said, ‘Hey, if this is a joke, stop it right now,’ but he didn’t deny it; instead, he just wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

“No way.”

“Why?”

Why was it impossible? Hans and Naum tensed up at the unexpected reaction. They had entered the Imperial Palace for the first time, full of hope that they could become mages, but was life not going to go as planned?

But Ian squeezed Hans’s hand as if to say it was okay. Barsabe did the same on the other side. The three children held each other’s arms tightly, as if solidifying their bond, and stared at Arena.

“No way!”

“Why?!”

Arena let out a cheer that was almost a scream and punched the air.

“Uwaaaaaa!”

“……?”

“It’s a record. This is a record!”

“Um, Minister?”

“Ahem. Um. Ah, yes. The celebration is for later. Ian, how did you confirm it without the Light of the Oracle? Did you witness it by chance?”

Arena clasped her hands together and calmly looked down at Ian. The child carefully reported.

“I shared a little of my mana.”

“What?”

Arena’s smiling face instantly turned cold.

The children, except for Ian, instinctively knew something was wrong. Arena frowned and asked again.

“You shared mana with a commoner?”

“Minister, I’ve learned how dangerous it is for an inexperienced mage to use magic on a commoner.”

“You learned, and you still did it? I believe there must be a reason.”

“From the moment I first saw Naum *hyung*, I felt it. My sixth sense. So, I was sure and shared my mana. It seemed like that was the only way to open his soul without the Light of the Oracle.”

Arena’s eyebrows curved. What was this child saying? A sixth sense, felt it without mana sensitivity?

‘Is that even possible?’

Those who have opened their mana pathways can do that. But that’s only for those who have awakened their mana.

Naum hasn’t awakened yet, meaning he’s a commoner, right? How did he feel it? He wouldn’t be lying.

‘Is this what they mean by geniuses are different?’

Arena rested her chin on her hand and nodded slightly. Since the child’s mana level was extraordinary, he might have abilities she couldn’t understand, she concluded.

When Ian bit his lip as if nervous, Barsabe and Hans, who were firmly guarding him, held his arms even tighter. It was okay, they would protect him if he got scolded.

“Ian Hadel.”

“Yes, Minister.”

“Even if you were sure, you are still inexperienced. So, be careful when using your power in the future. Arrogance always comes disguised as certainty. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

Ian slightly lowered his head as Arena sternly scolded him.

A brief silence followed, and then Arena grinned and lightly tugged on Ian’s cheek. Ian’s eyes widened in surprise, and Arena grinned as if she was having fun.

“Oh, you’re so cute!”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s go! Tell all the kids to gather in the backyard.”

Arena rushed out of the minister’s office without even putting on her coat. Ian and the children followed her, bewildered. Arena ran down the hallway, banging on office doors.

“Emergency call! Emergency call!”

“Now? What happens if we ignore it?”

“You die.”

“Ugh, seriously. I have a mountain of work to do.”

“If you’re calling us just because you’re bored, I’m going on strike.”

“It seems like we have another newbie, so stop complaining and come out, you bastards!”

*Thump!*

Hans was startled and clung to Naum at the violence of her kicking the door and yelling. He had imagined the Magic Department to be dignified, but it was anything but.

“*Hyung*. It’s rougher here than the printing house…?”

Naum just smiled. He was still young and clearly didn’t know. Even if it seemed rough, a workplace where you could treat your superior like that was a really good workplace.

“A newbie?”

“That crazy mage in the basement?”

“No, it sounds like they’re talking about someone else.”

“What? Another mage? Is it possible to have another one?”

“Guys, let’s stop talking to the Minister about manpower. She must be really stressed.”

“Yeah. I bet she just picked up someone off the street and is claiming they’re a mage.”

The mages grumbled but gathered in the garden. Arena stood facing Naum and explained simply.

“Since his path is open, we don’t need the Light of the Oracle. Let’s get right to it. Show me your mana. With all your strength.”

The mages watched Arena and Naum with doubtful expressions. Seeing what was happening, it seemed like it might be real? Some whispered to Ian.

“Ian, who is that kid?”

“He’s my friend’s older brother. I thought he might be a mage, so I brought him.”

“Brought him?”

What was this sound of gold coins falling from the sky? The mages were bewildered and whispering when suddenly—

*Ziiing! Ziiing!*

Naum’s brown eyes suddenly turned gold, and his long hair began to flutter.

A warm power surged from his fingertips. As Naum clumsily gathered his strength, a wind rose. The wind circled around Naum as if it had a will of its own.

The mages were collectively shocked.

“I-it’s real.”

“A real mage!”

“Shit! Crazy!”

*Whoosh!*

If Ian’s mana was like a fierce lightning bolt, Naum’s was like a calm and heavy breeze.

Ian smiled lightly when he saw it, and Hans clapped wildly, tears streaming down his face. On the other hand, Arena and the mages were dumbfounded.

“No……”

Ian wouldn’t know. Unlike Ian, who had shown such tremendous mana that it broke through the protective barrier, Naum’s mana had a different kind of value.

Normally, a typical mage would produce a flame the size of a candle or create a small mana orb. But Naum?

“No, what……”

“This year is amazing.”

It wasn’t just ordinary light; he was summoning and controlling the wind. This was an incredible ability in a different way than Ian. After all, mana wasn’t just for destructive power.

While the mages were watching in a daze, Naum focused intently, feeling the power flowing through his body. Then, suddenly, the phenomenon stopped.

“Ah.”

It was an amazing ability for a first try, but Naum sighed in disappointment at his diminished mana. But even this was something. Naum turned to Hans and winked, telling him to stop crying and wipe his tears.

“Ha, geez.”

Arena grabbed her forehead and slumped forward. Ian was startled and tried to catch her, but Arena stood up on her own and punched the air again.

“This is it!”

Recruiting new members after a long time? That wasn’t the big deal. They were genius newbies who would become gems with just a little polishing!

Arena pointed at the dumbfounded mages and shouted.

“From now on, any of you who are slacking off will be in real trouble! Huh? We have three new recruits at once, so if you say you don’t have time or it’s too hard, it’s going to be you or me. Got it?”

“U-u-u-!”

“U-u-u my ass. Oh, God. Thank you so much.”

“Minister, who will be in charge of that friend?”

“Normally, it would be the senior, but as you can see, it’s a bit…”

Ako was practically a veteran newbie, so she was busy researching in the basement, and above her was Ian Hadel.

But Ian also had a lot to learn, and more than anything, he had too much to do. Garden maintenance, checking the snack storage, taking Kkyu for a walk, changing the flowers in the office, and so on.

Arena pondered for a moment, then snapped her fingers and pointed at a mage.

“You do it.”

“R-really?”

“What? Why are you so happy? Didn’t you say you were quitting yesterday because you had too much work?”

“Me? Haha. No way.”

Arena glared at him once, then lightly dusted her hands as if everything was settled. Then, she called out to Naum.

“You’ll start working tomorrow, right?”

“Tomorrow? Ah, I need to tell my previous workplace…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. The Magic Department will send someone to take care of it, so start working tomorrow. Let’s get the contract written? Huh?”

Was this okay? Naum smiled awkwardly and nodded. Arena snapped her fingers, and paper and a pen fluttered down from the air.

“Before the Magic Department, you’re working at the Imperial Palace, so there will be a simple background check. Write your name and address here, and the employment contract is on the next page.”

At the word ‘contract,’ Hans leaned in and read along. He never forgot anything he saw, so he was trying to use all the random legal knowledge he had picked up. Naum scratched his cheek, feeling embarrassed.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? It’s okay. You don’t have to sign it now. Ian Hadel even brought a lawyer to check it.”

Even though it was from the Imperial Palace, it was better to be sure. Ian added with a hee-hee laugh.

“Should I introduce you?”

“Ah. I appreciate the thought.”

He didn’t even have money for food, so how could he afford a lawyer?

Naum found a paper at the very end titled . It didn’t seem to be an official document, but rather something the Magic Department followed internally.

“Strikes are allowed up to twice a year, no stealing each other’s snacks, if you lie about not having a mana recovery potion when someone asks to borrow one, you’ll lose a hand, don’t put off cleaning Kkyu’s poop…”

What was all this? Naum tilted his head in confusion, and Arena tapped the paper, emphasizing.

“This is the most important thing, more than the contract in front. Make sure you understand it well.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Any questions?”

“Um, what about the salary…?”

That was the most important question.

Arena smiled awkwardly at Naum’s question.

“Newbies get a little less. I’m a bit sorry about that.”

Naum’s face darkened slightly. Right, even if he was a mage, a newbie was a newbie. There was no way the salary would be high.

But it would be higher than the printing house, right? He had received 12 gold coins a year, so if it was around that much, he could manage to live without too much trouble.

“Was it 12 gold coins? Right?”

“Yes, that’s about it for the first year.”

Naum was relieved. He had been worried that it would be too little, but thankfully the salary was the same. Usually, one gold coin was a commoner’s living expenses for a month, so 12 a year was just about average. Plus, working at the Imperial Palace would come with various benefits, and thinking about the future, it was definitely a good opportunity….

“After deducting various things, it’ll be about 100 gold coins a year.”

“……?!”

Naum and Hans’s mouths dropped open at the mage’s words.

“W-was 12 gold coins a, a monthly salary?”

“What else?”

Arena, seeing Naum’s pale face, added as if making excuses.

“Ah, is it too little? Ugh, those cheapskates, who are they giving that to? Just hold on a little longer, even if it’s hard. I’ll try my best to get it raised a lot next year. You can’t quit because it’s hard until then, okay?”

It was a joke. She also knew how much money this was, since she was a commoner herself. In fact, the real problem was that even if you got a lot of money, you wouldn’t have time to spend it because of overtime and business trips… Arena hid this behind an awkward smile.

But later, much later, if they survived and retired, they could live happily in their old age. All the mages were living with that hope.

“*Hyung*-ah!”

“Hans!”

Meanwhile, Naum and Hans hugged each other and screamed again. They were finally saying goodbye to hunger! The mages smiled faintly as the two cheered. They had all been commoners once, and they had reacted the same way when they first came.

‘Ian Hadel was so rich that he didn’t react much, which was boring.’

*Thump.*

The two brothers stopped rolling around and stopped at Ian’s feet. Ian smiled and looked down at them, and the brothers, with the backlight behind Ian’s smile, murmured.

“Is he an angel?”

“I think he’s an angel.”

“Haha, what are you saying? Hans, get up. *Hyung*, look over there.”

Ian helped the two up and pointed to the back of the garden.

“That’s the annex. Your ancestors built it.”

The building, harmonized with the lush landscaping, was truly beautiful. Ian suggested with a nod.

“Want to go take a look?”