Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 926

It was lunchtime at the Imperial Palace, the only time the overworked staff could catch their breath and get some fresh air.

Everyone was in the restaurant’s garden or on the terrace, enjoying the delicious food and basking in the sunlight.

Then, it happened.

*Thwack!*

The restaurant door was flung open with a bang.

Normally, the restaurant was so noisy that such a commotion wouldn’t even register. But today was different. Whether they were about to bite into bread, flicking cigarette ash with a smile, or a junior or senior staff member, everyone paused and turned towards the door.

“…What’s wrong?”

“It’s a disaster!”

“Is it something to do with the Magic Department?”

“Haven’t those people arrived yet? I can’t take this anymore.”

“No! They’ve arrived, they’ve arrived—!”

As the staff member’s words trailed off, gasping for breath, people began to rise from their seats, eager to know what was going on. Some looked ready to run out immediately.

However, everyone froze at the staff member’s next words.

“Imperial Defense Force Captain Crony is reported to have died in battle! And, and the Undergod has appeared. They say an Idgal [a type of magical stone] burial site has been discovered—”

“What?”

“What are you talking about?”

“…Therefore, Minister Arena has called for a grand council meeting!”

This news was a bolt out of the blue. The staff members ran like mad to their respective departments. Dishes fell, and shoulders bumped, but no one cared. They only looked ahead and ran.

“Damn it, how did Captain Crony die in battle? What’s the damage to the Bariel forces?”

“There’s no mention of that.”

“I’m going crazy. If it’s the Undergod, are they talking about the one from 100 years ago? Send messenger birds to each temple. And, ah, what about Clifford and Burgos?”

“Minister Arena said she will give instructions soon.”

“Damn it, our minister is on a business trip today.”

“Contact her to come back quickly!”

*Thwack! Bang!*

Those who had already heard the news were frantically searching through documents, and the hallways were filled with shouts and screams.

This was the highest level of emergency alert. Not only had the commander-in-chief of the war died in battle, but what? The Undergod?

*Tap tap!*

The ministers and staff of each department rushed to the council chamber in an instant. Carriages were tangled haphazardly, and the sound of hurried footsteps echoed loudly.

*Bang!*

“Oh, have you had lunch?”

Having arrived, sweating profusely, Arena greeted them with a smile while leisurely drinking coffee. Beside her sat Ian and Aco, and a stranger, while Freddy, from the Imperial Defense Force, was seated opposite them.

“Minister Arena, what is going on?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. His Majesty will explain the details when he arrives, so please take a seat and wipe off your sweat.”

“Ah, yes. Yes.”

His Majesty is coming. Well, no matter how unwell he is, he wouldn’t stay still in a situation where the Undergod has reappeared.

Arena leisurely sipped her coffee, waiting for the Emperor to arrive, while the others kept glancing at her and the Magic Department people, showing signs of unease.

Then it happened.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”

At the announcement from outside, everyone rose from their seats. The Emperor slowly took steps with the support of his attendant, and the ministers suddenly realized that it had been a very long time since they had seen the Emperor move.

“…Sit down.”

At the Emperor’s words, everyone took their seats. He gestured to Arena as if to start, and the Magic Department members distributed reports to everyone. The sound of papers rustling was heard for a long time.

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

“That’s what I’ve heard. Aco, Ian, mercenary Hale, and that person over there, Imperial Defense Force Guard Freddy, were at the scene. The testimonies of the northern tribal chiefs also match, so there’s no room for doubt about this.”

Even if there was no room for doubt, could it be accepted so easily? While the ministers whispered among themselves, the Emperor stared at the report with a calm gaze. Arena, watching the Emperor’s expression, added.

“For some reason, the Undergod’s power seems to have been revived. Attacks by monsters are expected at each rift, so we need to prepare for this. I request that special weapons to deal with monsters be ordered from the Dera tribe to arm as many soldiers as possible.”

“Each, each rift, you mean?”

“I mean the 12 rifts that Bariel is currently aware of and managing. There may be new rifts, but we can’t predict that, so I’ve excluded them for now.”

“Oh dear. This, oh my! Does this mean a great monster outbreak is coming?”

“I don’t know. But the certain fact is that we must live a different life from now on.”

The ministers’ faces turned pale as they understood Arena’s warning that the past 100 years of peace had been broken.

“Currently, five mages remain in the north to monitor the situation. If there are no unusual reactions, we will reduce it to three, and we will dispatch mages to Burgos and Clifford to check for any abnormalities.”

“You mean to leave the Imperial Palace?”

“It’s unavoidable, except for essential personnel. Therefore, I request that the war in the north be converted from a truce to a complete end. It’s not the time to worry about that side right now.”

There was no damage from the battle with the northern minority tribes, and in fact, all the Imperial Defense Force executives, including Crony, who was trying to take advantage of the situation, were now gone, so the very motive for the war had disappeared. Moreover, a quick end to the war was what everyone, including the Emperor, wanted.

The Emperor nodded slightly in response.

“That makes sense. Order all forces to return, except for the troops preparing for monsters on the northern border. And order the Dera tribe to send weapons to deal with monsters to the north first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Crony’s death was a shocking event, but it was not a regrettable one. It was even less of a pity.

The ministers glanced at the report and then at Ian. They roughly understood the situation, and now it was time to find out ‘why this happened’.

“I am Freddy, a guard from the Imperial Defense Force.”

Freddy introduced himself and spoke. It was the same content as the argument he had with the Magic Department in the north. It seemed that Ian Hadel had a connection with the Undergod, and he was at least partly responsible for Crony’s death.

However, contrary to Freddy’s expectations that there would be a big reaction, the ministers’ response was lukewarm. No, it was closer to ignoring it as if they had made a promise. After a long silence, one of the ministers reluctantly asked.

“…Ahem. So, the mage Ian Hadel?”

“Yes. Minister of Culture.”

“Do you have anything to say about this?”

The dead were already dead, and Arena was sitting right in front of them, perfectly fine. The decision on whether or not Ian was connected to the Undergod was up to the Minister of Magic. The balance of power had already shifted, so who would object to this? Crony, who was already dead? Or the toothless Minister of the Imperial Defense Force?

“I don’t know how the Undergod appeared so quickly either.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Even as the Minister of Culture said that, he was watching Arena’s reaction. If a war with monsters broke out, the Magic Department would hold the greatest power, more than the Imperial Defense Force. It was already a powerful department, but until the Imperial Defense Force was reorganized, it would almost exclusively dominate the Imperial Palace. To have such thoughts in front of the Emperor was blasphemous, but…

All eyes were on Arena now, but she did not reveal her intentions.

“Your Majesty, and ministers of each department. I am frustrated that there are clear limitations in trying to capture the situation on the ground with just words.”

At this, Freddy stood up abruptly and shouted as if appealing.

“The Imperial Defense Force demands the complete isolation and thorough investigation of the mage Ian Hadel. Furthermore, we request that those who accompanied Ian also be included in the investigation. There were questionable aspects at the scene.”

It was a consistent claim. Aco and Kyu did not do their best to save Crony, and Hale helped the enemy Astan by putting up a shield.

However, the ministers still looked at the Emperor and Arena with a lukewarm attitude.

“…Do you see the part where Ian controlled the Idgal?”

Arena held up the report and pointed out the content. Everyone nodded slightly and focused.

“Idgal is clearly a threatening magic stone for mages. You could lose your magic power permanently. But that also means it’s a threatening substance for the Undergod and monsters.”

Arena placed her hand on Ian’s shoulder.

To be honest, she wasn’t sure if her choice was truly the right one. It was true that Ian had magical talents that defied common sense and a genius-level intellect.

But what if all of this was a plan created by the Undergod? What if the end of the future with Ian was covered in despair, and she would regret and resent her current choice?

‘I don’t know, damn it.’

For some reason, Arena didn’t feel the Undergod’s words in her heart. It was not her own child, and they might have all heard things, and above all, wasn’t that guy the source of evil itself?

‘I’d rather trust Ian a hundred times than trust that guy.’

Even if that belief was wrong, it didn’t matter. If, just if, the child was related to the Undergod-

‘We can raise him well.’

Continuously watching him closely and instilling good in him. Wouldn’t that be one way?

Anyway, her conclusion was that Ian Hadel could not be kept outside the Magic Department. For whatever reason.

“The Magic Department plans to investigate Ian Hadel and research his Idgal control abilities to find a way to deal with the monster attacks and seal the Undergod.”

“Isn’t that… too dangerous?”

“That’s what I’m saying. To keep someone whose potential is unknown in the Imperial Palace… I, ahem, am a bit concerned.”

“Are you talking about the Magic Department’s underground prison?”

Although they were ministers who read the political situation well, they clearly distinguished the threat to the entire Imperial Palace. There was no reason to keep a suspicious child with blasphemous charges in the Imperial Palace.

Ian was present, and Arena’s intentions were clear, so they couldn’t say it openly, but in fact, it would be best to just exile or dispose of him. No matter how much of a genius mage he was, there was no reason to risk Bariel’s fate.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor also groaned softly and fell into deep thought. No emotion could be read in his lifeless eyes.

Ian glanced at the Emperor. The Emperor who had asked for a freeze, saying that the next Emperor’s seat was his, a blessing passed down from the previous Emperor. What was he thinking as he looked at him now?

It was Arena who broke the silence.

“I apologize, but the Magic Department has determined that there is no danger from Ian Hadel.”

“On what basis? It’s only been a few hours since this happened, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. So?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Arena conveyed only the objective facts, excluding her personal feelings for Ian.

“The Undergod killed Commander-in-Chief Crony, and then laid out hints about Ian Hadel and disappeared. If Ian Hadel was truly related to the darkness, he would have started acting as soon as the hints were given.”

Before being surrounded by people and hearing nonsense about being isolated or killed. He would have massacred the Imperial soldiers who were there, and he wouldn’t be standing still like this now, with the Emperor in front of him.

“But…”

Isn’t that not enough to clear him of suspicion? As the ministers trailed off, Arena added with a sigh.

“And frankly, it’s difficult to run the Magic Department without Ian Hadel.”

“Excuse me?”

“Didn’t I say that we need to focus on managing the 12 rifts scattered throughout Gaia, including Burgos and Clifford? That’s the number excluding the rifts that may appear in the future. If we send mages to all these places, who will protect the Imperial Palace? What about the Magic Department’s work? But if we can open a path that leads directly to the rifts, it can be reduced to an external assignment rather than a dispatch.”

“Minister Arena. I don’t understand.”

“So-”

The genius-like and wondrous depth of magic power. An intelligent mind that immediately understands the truth of magic. The portal that a dozen mages can barely open once or twice a day…

“Ian opens that portal several times a day, by himself. Do you understand now?”