Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 929

The Magic Department was brightly lit even in the middle of the night. Ian was asleep in the lounge, while Arena and the mages were still struggling with the mountain of paperwork, groaning. The door to the Minister’s office was constantly opening and closing due to the constant back-and-forth.

“Sarak.”

“No response from Toolun?”

“Yes. As of today’s check, there are no unusual signs yet.”

“That’s strange. That’s where the Undergod originally based his operations.”

Arena pushed aside the pile of cups, and her aide immediately poured her a full pot of coffee.

“It seems not this time.”

‘This time,’ a rather meaningful expression. Arena had thoroughly searched the records of the past 100 years for information about the Undergod.

“The Undergod’s power comes from ‘belief.’ So, 100 years ago, it’s written that he expanded his power by using the faith of the people, centered around Toolun. But not this time?”

“Once faith is broken, it’s difficult to restore it, isn’t it?”

That was true. For Toolun, that day’s history was a humiliation, despair, and fear itself. The capital was devastated by the Undergod, and under Bariel’s rule, it had declined, becoming a country that reminisced about its past glory. It would be difficult to instill faith in the Undergod in them again.

“That bastard Undergod must need some kind of medium to come out again.”

“I agree.”

A shield that could gather faith and hide among the Gaians [people who believe in the god Gaia] who lived under the guidance of God. Arena muttered, tapping on each country on the map.

“Where could it be… Vergos and Clifford, especially Clifford, have friendly relations with Bariel, so they won’t be able to do anything rash.”

“That leaves Ruswena.”

“That’s a possibility.”

Ruswena, like other countries, maintained a moderate relationship with Bariel, but the emotions rooted deep within were somewhat different. Bariel had directly invaded their capital and executed their king, so their relationship was closer to a love-hate one.

“Shall we keep an eye on Ruswena’s movements?”

“That’s a wise decision, but…”

The aide carefully added,

“100 years ago, the Undergod already lost his power once and has only barely shown himself now. Rather than seizing power on a national scale to secure faith like before, I think it’s more likely he’ll use a smaller group of forces.”

Hmm. Arena nodded. It seemed unlikely that there would be a large-scale war like before, and more likely that they would create internal unrest and make noise.

If so, the peace of the Imperial Palace could be broken by ‘someone’ who the Undergod had planted a seed in. Just one person. That alone would be enough.

‘For example, it could be a mage.’

Arena signed the documents and instructed,

“Let’s keep an eye on things for now. Keep a close watch on Ruswena, and ask Ian to help out for the time being.”

“Yes. Fortunately, he’s handling his duties well without any trouble.”

“I don’t know what we would have done without him. What about Idgal?”

Besides opening portals, Ian had one more task: to try again to create and control Idgal, just like he did in the rift.

The aide shook his head.

“He says he doesn’t know how he did it. He doesn’t seem to have a grasp on it yet.”

“Ah, really. I should have seen it myself.”

That crazy Ako gets all excited whenever he thinks about it and explains it in a way that no one can understand, and Hale didn’t see it, so there’s no one to ask. The people from the Imperial Defense Force? They’ll try to slander with their own agendas and emotions, so their words are not worth listening to from the start.

“Tell Ian to keep trying. If he can create Idgal freely… it could change the game in many ways.”

What would happen? It could suppress the rifts, but paradoxically, it would be like the Magic Department itself being kept in check. It couldn’t be helped. To prevent Idgal from being released into the market, there would definitely need to be regulations on it.

Fortunately, Ian was a smart kid, so he seemed to understand that the existence of Idgal had dual meanings, but no one knew how things would turn out.

‘Do well, Arena. Damn it.’

Slap!

Arena slapped herself on the cheek, urging herself on, and the aide raised an eyebrow. Ian had to grow up based on good, no matter what. To be precise, following Bariel’s definition of justice.

“But what’s that?”

“Ah. It’s from the Imperial Defense Force.”

“Ugh, it smells. Annoying.”

The aide smiled and handed her the document.

“It’s a proposal for a state funeral for Commander Crony.”

“What?”

It was a proposal to honor the highest commander who had died in battle. They hadn’t even won, and they were the ones who tried to steal Idgal from behind.

“Wow, that’s ridiculous. The northern tribes haven’t said anything yet?”

The evidence that the Imperial Defense Force tried to steal Idgal was held by the North. But those guys would rather die than admit it, and they were in a mood to deny it. The moment they admitted it, their relationship with the Imperial Defense Force would be broken.

“Yes. It seems they’ve decided they can’t let go of their relationship with the Imperial Defense Force, especially since there was friction with the Magic Department.”

They had already fought with the mages, so that relationship was over. To protect the Northern Alliance from them, the help of the Imperial Defense Force was desperately needed.

Of course, Crony was dead now, and both the Minister and Deputy Minister positions were vacant, but how long would they leave them empty? It wouldn’t be long before things returned to normal.

“Anyway, they’re the most diligent when it comes to scheming.”

Once the Imperial Defense Force was back to normal, they would try to cover up and deny the Idgal incident with the help of the North. That was the only way they could avoid giving the Magic Department an excuse. Since they were in a life-or-death relationship, the North was constantly denying the Imperial Defense Force’s involvement in the Idgal incident.

“Shall we push them a little harder?”

“No, we can’t. How long has it been since the declaration of the end of the war? First, have them report on the situation there. Astana? They’re friendly to the Magic Department, right?”

“To be precise, it seems they are friendly to Ian.”

“That king is a strange old man. If we want to get evidence, we have no choice but to dig into Astana. Let’s officially request a meeting and invite them to the Magic Department.”

“Yes, I understand. Minister, what about the state funeral proposal…?”

“Tell them to get lost. I’m working without even having time to wash, and who are they asking to take care of that bastard Crony’s mess? Do they have no conscience?”

They would have to refuse under the pretext of a lack of manpower.

In any case, the state funeral would be held without the Magic Department. It would be a little boring without magic, but a memorial march was possible, and an event was needed to unite and boost the morale of the currently unstable Imperial Defense Force. And in fact, it was customary to mourn a commander who died in battle.

“Anyway, now that it’s come to this, everything’s been overturned.”

Arena muttered softly, resting her chin on her hand. She remembered the moment when Ian had resolutely asked her to send him to the North. That Crony had killed his parents, and that if he didn’t face him now, he would live in fear forever…

‘It ended unsatisfactorily.’

Now that Crony was dead, Ian would no longer be threatened. But at the same time, Ian could not uncover the truth about his parents’ deaths, and there was no need to question the death of Lato Alphart, Crony’s biological father.

“Anyway, that bastard.”

The aide, who was gathering documents, flinched and turned to her.

“Are you talking about Crony?”

“You get it right away. Isn’t that right? Look at how he caused all sorts of trouble and then died like this. I thought he was a bad egg from the start.”

“But as a result, it turned out well.”

“It’s not refreshing. Something that feels unsatisfactory will become a problem someday.”

The aide pondered for a moment. A problem? What problem could arise from Crony, who had been sucked into the rift and whose body couldn’t even be found? Well, it seemed like she was too immersed in the perspective of Ian, who held a grudge.

“I’ll take care of the documents. It’s already dawn, so get some sleep. I’ll wake you up.”

“In how long?”

“In an hour and a half.”

“Ha! Thank you.”

But aren’t you going to sleep? Arena asked, flopping down on the sofa. More than half of the mages left in the office were already dozing off with their heads tilted back.

But the aide just smiled and grabbed the doorknob. As if to say he would finish his work.

Squeak.

As he stepped out of the door, a familiar face appeared in front of the aide.

“Lord Romandro?”

“Ah, Aide.”

The two people who met in the hallway exchanged a brief greeting. They were both a mess, so they were a little surprised. Romandro chuckled as he headed towards the lounge.

“I brought some clothes for Ian. I saw that he’s been wearing the same clothes for three days.”

“Oh dear. I should have paid more attention.”

“No, no! It’s my job. You must be busy enough with the Minister’s work.”

Romandro smiled contentedly, holding a paper bag full of clothes.

“But Ian is really amazing, isn’t he? I’ve been working in the Magic Department for generations, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a genius mage. Ah. I heard there was one a long time ago, but I don’t quite remember…”

“…Do you know what Ian thinks about Lord Crony’s death?”

“Crony?”

“Yes. The Minister is a little worried. A past that hasn’t been resolved leaves a mark on the heart.”

“Ian has been so busy lately that I haven’t had a chance to ask him in detail, but-”

How many times had he seen his face since he came back from the North? Romandro answered, trying to remember.

“He did say he couldn’t believe it.”

“Couldn’t believe it?”

Even though he saw Crony sink into the rift up close, he couldn’t believe it. Did that mean he couldn’t feel it?

“He said it was like he was still alive.”

“…I guess that’s what the Minister meant by a resolution. When things are finished as if swept away by the situation, it doesn’t feel like it’s over even when it is.”

“Well, since we couldn’t find the body… I don’t really feel it either. Haha.”

Romandro gestured that he would go to the lounge and added,

“But what’s certain is that Ian just needs to grow up safely from now on.”

“That’s right.”

“The child’s time will not stop flowing. I need to keep up with him diligently.”

It was a good conversation, the aide bowed politely.

After parting with the aide, Romandro carefully opened the door to the lounge and looked for Ian. At the end of the lounge, he saw Ian lying quietly on the bed, breathing softly.

“……”

It was a frivolous thought, but he was sleeping so peacefully. Romandro straightened the bedding and placed the clothes at the child’s bedside. Then, he slowly pondered the conversation they had just had.

‘Yes. Ian’s time will not stop flowing.’

Romandro poked Ian’s cute cheek and smiled. He was curious about what the child would look like when he grew up. It was then. Ian, who had been sleeping soundly, tossed and turned.

“Hmm.”

Huh! Romandro was startled and froze, afraid that Ian might wake up. Fortunately, Ian buried his face in the pillow as if he felt good, and soon fell into a deep sleep again.

‘Sleep well, Ian.’

Click. The dimly lit light went out completely. A silence that seemed to stop the world engulfed the room. But Ian’s time was definitely flowing, and it would not stop in the future.

That’s how 10 years passed, and it was one night before Ian turned 16.