Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 925

“So, you’re saying the Undergod killed Captain Cronie?”

Inside the cramped tent.

It was so crowded with mages, Imperial Defense Force officers, and even tribal chiefs that there was barely any space left. Arena massaged her temples, a headache throbbing, while the mages whispered amongst themselves.

“Undergod? You mean the Shadow God, right? We sealed him away a hundred years ago.”

“How did he come back out?”

They had anticipated something might happen, but this was beyond their predictions. As the mages murmured, Cronie’s subordinate from the Imperial Defense Force added,

“Moreover, that Undergod called the child ‘his child.’ He spoke very affectionately and kindly!”

He pointed at Ian. Ian flinched at being singled out but couldn’t deny it. It was the truth, after all.

Aco also looked away, as if frustrated. Too many ears had heard it to deny it.

“Hey.”

Arena, who had been massaging her temples, glared at Cronie’s subordinate and warned him sharply.

“State your affiliation and name before you speak.”

How presumptuous, was this a marketplace? His attitude of reporting to the Magic Department Minister was very irritating.

At Arena’s low voice, he paused and cleared his throat.

“…I am Freddie, Captain Cronie’s escort.”

“Okay, Freddie. You said the Undergod called Ian ‘his child’?”

“That’s right. Furthermore, he asked if we didn’t want Captain Cronie to die, and then he reached out and dragged the Captain away. In the process, the mages were passive.”

Ian’s face flushed. He didn’t know why the Undergod called him that, but every time someone brought up that incident, shame surged within him, and he bit his lip. The Undergod, a child of a demon. Could it be that he really was such a being?

As Ian shrank back, unable to say anything, Aco, who had been listening beside him, raised both hands.

“Passive my ass. Can’t you see both my arms are broken?”

“You didn’t use magic!”

“You’re not supposed to use magic in the rifts, you idiot! It only provokes them and makes them stronger. If you don’t know anything, just shut your mouth!”

“What did you just say!”

“Should I say it again? Shut up before I beat you to a pulp!”

Aco tried to get up as if to swing his broken arms, and the mages hurriedly grabbed him from behind. As the commotion grew, Arena banged on the table.

“Everyone, quiet.”

Then, she slowly turned to look at Ian.

“Ian. Do you have any idea why the Undergod called you that?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“I see.”

I see. Arena’s response was short and simple. Freddie looked dumbfounded.

“Is that all?”

“What else?”

“No, I mean, shouldn’t you use the Truth Serum that the Magic Department favors, or thoroughly investigate why the Undergod said that? If Ian Hadel is connected to the Undergod, he should be held responsible for Captain Cronie’s death!”

“That’s right!”

The Imperial Defense Force personnel all shouted excitedly. They had all seen it with their own eyes. When they were half-submerged in the rift, who did the dragon save?

“We fell in together. But the dragon only saved Ian and came back!”

“And above all, Ian controlled Idgal to completely seal the hole. If it had been closed just a little later, we could have saved the Captain.”

“Wait a minute.”

Arena, who had been listening calmly, reacted for the first time. She gestured with her chin at one of her subordinates. Her eyes were more menacing than ever.

“What did you just say?”

Ian controlled Idgal?

The atmosphere changed in an instant, and the mages also stopped moving, holding their breath. On the other hand, Freddie raised his voice triumphantly.

“Ian controlled Idgal! He reassembled the things that were shattered by the earthquake, and even filled it in thicker and more evenly. Isn’t Idgal a substance that nullifies magic? For a mage to create such a magic stone! This is proof that he is connected to the Undergod!”

It was a clearly overstepping statement. However, Arena and the mages couldn’t find anything to say in response. To be honest, everything he said was true.

Mages who wield magic and Idgal cannot mix. It is because they are fundamentally conflicting properties. But how could one person handle both powers? If anything, Idgal is a substance to control mages. In other words, isn’t it a substance that is advantageous to the Undergod?

At this, one of the mages retorted.

“That’s not true! I heard that Idgal was used to win the Great Demon War a hundred years ago. And Idgal is being used in various rift sites, including Clifford, right now! Officially!”

“But I’ve never heard of a mage who can create it! Does the Magic Department know about this?”

No one answered. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that they couldn’t find anything to say. Then, Aco stepped forward to retort.

“Ian’s power is clearly based on magic. We need to investigate how he creates Idgal, but… that act alone cannot be interpreted as being connected to the Undergod. Rather, the problem lies with the Imperial Defense Force!”

“What?”

The officers were furious at Aco’s words. Regardless, Aco pointed at Freddie with his bandaged hand.

“Do you think I don’t know? You’re secretly colluding with the Northern Alliance, pretending to fight a war! You’re trying to secretly smuggle out Idgal! If we hadn’t come first, those bastards would have destroyed all the Idgal and taken it!”

The tribal chiefs who were pointed out by Aco were startled and protested.

“No, we were just, just retreating.”

“Bullshit! And then you made such a fuss telling us to get out of the way? You even tried to grab our shadows and beat us up, huh? Minister, I got hit by these bastards, you know?”

If the connection between the Imperial Defense Force and the Northern Alliance was revealed, the act of opposing the mages to mine Idgal alone would be a big problem. It would mean that the Imperial Defense Force tried to collect Idgal secretly from the Magic Department, and in the process, even caused the risk of activating the rifts.

The chief of the Megetu tribe protested.

“Then! Isn’t it you mages who secretly sided with our tribes and schemed behind our backs? You put up a shield around Astana, didn’t you?”

Thanks to that, Astana did not receive a single attack and kept its position intact. Of course, Hale had safely escaped using invisibility magic, so there were no witnesses or evidence, but circumstantially, it was clear that the mages had helped.

Aco paused for a moment, then retorted.

“D-do you have proof?”

“It’s a reasonable inference! It was clearly a mage’s shield. Am I wrong? For a mage to help the enemy Astana and hinder the Imperial Defense Force, isn’t that treason?”

“You’re a funny one. Why should we hear such words from the Megetu tribe? If anyone should say that, it should be the Imperial Defense Force!”

“Quiet, quiet, quiet!”

Thump! Bang! Bang!

Arena slammed her fist on the table with all her might. It was a complete mess. Having roughly grasped the twisted situation, she looked around at the tribal chiefs.

“I understand the situation roughly, but why are you guys still here? You said you were retreating?”

Then, the tribal chiefs and the Imperial Defense Force exchanged glances for a moment. It was the chief of the Megetu tribe who spoke.

“…The Undergod is an important matter for us as well.”

“We have temporarily ceased hostilities.”

This northern land where the rifts were located. The minority tribes were the ones who suffered the most damage when demons poured out. Therefore, they had made a truce with the Bariel side and were investigating the Idgal hill. In fact, there was nothing to investigate, they were just watching to make sure the Undergod didn’t appear again.

“You’ve ceased hostilities?”

Ah. Arena nodded as if she understood. It was a very reasonable decision. She instructed Freddie.

“Then, lead the Bariel soldiers back to the center immediately.”

“Huh? Return?”

Freddie and the Imperial Defense Force personnel protested at the sudden order.

“What are you talking about? And this is not a matter for the Magic Department Minister to interfere with. I will inform His Majesty of the situation and receive his orders.”

“Informing His Majesty of the situation should be done after you enter the Bariel border. The Undergod and Idgal are entirely under the jurisdiction of the Magic Department.”

Arena’s tone changed to polite. This indicated that it was an official statement.

“No one knows when, where, or what will happen again. In this situation, unfortunately, the Imperial Defense Force is of no help. If you value the lives of the Bariel soldiers, choose to withdraw from here and return, or go back inside the border.”

Now that the Magic Department knew about the existence of the Undergod and Idgal, she was declaring that all matters related to them would be decided by the Magic Department. Arena then urged the tribal chiefs as well.

“You all, please don’t leave, and have a deeper discussion with the Bariel side. It is a path for peace in the north, so I ask for your cooperation.”

“Ah, ahem.”

An awkward silence fell. The Imperial Defense Force was reluctant to withdraw, leaving behind the mountain of Idgal, and the tribes were hesitant to face the Magic Department without the Imperial Defense Force. Why? Because they had also attacked Ian and Aco to get Idgal!

When there was no answer, Arena raised an eyebrow.

“You may refuse. However, how we interpret it is our responsibility, so keep that in mind.”

You bastards, you attacked the mages to get Idgal, right? I’ll make you pay the price for that right now. Arena’s chilling eyes warned them.

The tribal chiefs’ answer was essentially one.

“Ah, yes, yes. We understand. Let’s clear up some misunderstandings and discuss things for the safety of Gaia. It’s an honor to meet the Magic Department Minister like this, but… the situation is what it is.”

“Well, it seems like things are settled, so let’s move. The Imperial Defense Force, I’ll see you at the Imperial Palace.”

Arena nodded and then stormed out of the tent first. The tribesmen who were gathered outside were startled and stepped back. Regardless, Arena looked around and soon found Kkyu and Hale with torn wings.

-Kkyu!

“Oh my, it’s a mess here too.”

“You’ve arrived.”

“Hale. While you were protecting Ian, why didn’t you help Aco and Kkyu too?”

“…There, there were circumstances.”

Hale whispered cautiously and gestured with his eyes. He couldn’t reveal in front of everyone that he was the one who had put up a shield around Astana.

“Let’s look at the rift first.”

Arena, who had guessed this, sighed softly and went up towards the Idgal hill. The mages followed her in a rush. Behind them, the Bariel army’s bugle sounded, ordering a retreat.

Swoosh.

Ian also followed Arena with Aco. The Undergod, and Idgal too. What if the Magic Department thought he was strange? Ian was worried about that. A mage turned around.

“Hey, Ian.”

Then, with a heave, he picked up the child.

“Hold on tight, it’s slippery.”

The mage’s attitude of treating him casually. Ian pressed his lips together.

Carried in his arms like that, they reached the top of the Idgal hill, where a huge rift appeared. Arena knelt on one knee and looked down.

“Ian, Aco. Is this the right place?”

“Yes. It is.”

“It’s incredibly huge.”

How on earth did they seal something this big? Arena frowned and leaned her face towards the ground. Darkness flickered beyond the opaque amber color. Arena rolled up her sleeves and focused, placing her hand on the ground.

Zzzing. Zzzing.

It wasn’t easy because of the Idgal, but she didn’t stop concentrating. There was a magic-reaction device for times like this, but it wasn’t currently in the Magic Department. When you don’t have teeth, you use your gums [a saying meaning to make do with what you have]. It was a subtle energy detection that only Arena could do.

And after a while-

“Ah.”

She sighed softly.

“It’s already started.”

A clear demonic energy that exceeded the normal range. Arena groaned softly and bit her lip. It was the moment the 100 years of peace was broken.