Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 934

Squeak. “Spin it! Spin it! Keep spinning!” “Ughhh! I’m going crazy!” Stepping through the red door, a completely different world unfolded. Under the dazzling, colorful lights, people were gathered as if possessed. The air was thick with the unpleasant smell of cigarette smoke, and everywhere, there were desperate screams, shouts, and cheers. “Ian, this way.” This was another kind of hell, different from the demon-infested hell of the Bariel borderlands he had experienced over the past few years. If that place was stained with blood and tears, this place was covered in greed and desire. “What are you doing?” “Ah.” Ian was genuinely shocked by the sight he was seeing for the first time. If Hans hadn’t pulled him along, he might have stood there frozen. The people pushing in from behind made annoyed noises, telling them to move faster. Ian moved along with Hans and asked, “How big is this place?” “I don’t know for sure because there are many underground levels. It’s not a suitable place to look for someone.” He thought it was big when he saw it from the outside, but he didn’t expect it to be this big. Odel’s description of the Black Order member was quite distinctive, so he thought he might find him right away if he was lucky, but this was something else. “I’d have to come every day to even have a chance.” Looking for someone while wandering around was almost impossible. Hans looked around, then recognized someone and waved his hand happily. “Mister!” It was the owner of a nearby tavern where Hans used to live in Rugerspell. He moved a crate of liquor aside and turned to look at Hans. At first, he seemed not to recognize him, but soon a bright smile spread across his face. “Well, if it isn’t Hans!” “Oh my gosh, it’s been a while.” “Yes, yes. You’ve become a fine young man. I almost didn’t recognize you. How’s Naum doing?” “My brother is busy, as usual. How have you been, Mister?” “Well, as you can see, I’m doing well, selling liquor even in the middle of the night. But what brings you here? Surely you’re not here for fun?” When Naum awakened as a mage, Rugerspell was turned upside down. There were people who regretted not treating him better, people who kept visiting Hans’s house out of curiosity, and even people who had no money but asked to borrow some. The tavern owner was the only one who brought food to congratulate him. “I’m not here for fun. Don’t worry.” Knowing the brothers’ situation well, the tavern owner raised his eyebrows as if worried. He seemed to think that Hans might have become lazy and indulged in pleasure because of his mage brother. Hans carefully pulled Ian to his side and whispered, “We came from the Imperial Palace, and we’re looking for someone.” “Oh, is that so?” If it’s the Imperial Palace, it must be the Magic Department! That’s the only department Hans has connections with, isn’t it? The tavern owner quickly understood and offered them drinks, telling them to sit at the bar. “Who are you looking for? I’ve been sitting here and selling liquor every night for three years now. I’ve seen the faces of most of the guys at least once. The problem is that I can’t remember them. Hahaha!” Ian took a glass and bowed his head. It seemed more natural to have something in his hand than to be empty-handed. “We’re looking for a man with a large mole next to his nose, narrow, slanted eyes, and missing front teeth.” “Hmm. I think I might have seen someone like that?” The owner tilted his head. Just from the description, he seemed so ugly that he should be memorable, but no one came to mind. He suggested to Ian, “If you want to find someone, why don’t you put up a poster?” “A poster?” “Over there.” Ian followed the owner’s fingertip. There were papers plastered all over one wall, so many that the wall was no longer visible. “‘Lending money,’ ‘Borrowing money,’ ‘Looking for people to join a game,’ ‘Looking for items,’ and so on. There are even guys who just write a bunch of curses, but it’s quite active.” “Do you think it will be effective?” “It’s better than doing nothing, isn’t it? Guys who need quick cash look at it with their eyes wide open. There are even guys who make money just by using that.” Well, it wasn’t a bad idea. When Ian nodded positively, the owner handed him a napkin and a pen. Ian took the pen and hesitated for a moment before asking Hans. “Write it for me.” “Me? Sure, why not? But why?” “My handwriting is too neat, it doesn’t fit this place.” “…Tell me.” As Hans spoke through gritted teeth, the owner burst into laughter and turned away. Glasses clinked as they moved around, fulfilling the endless stream of orders. “Looking for a man who ripped me off. Man. Mole next to his nose. Slanted eyes. Missing front teeth. Will reward anyone who provides information. Inquiries at the tavern. One silver coin.” “Make it two coins.” “Okay, two coins.” Hans scribbled the words on the napkin and pinned it in the middle of the wall. This way, all the money-hungry people would flock to find the Black Order member. Very naturally, and without any trouble. “Let’s do this here. Shall we look around since we’re here?” “Is it okay with time? It’s already very late.” “One day is fine.” “Then I’ll go to the right. Hans, you go to the left. Let’s meet here again.” “Okay. Be careful.” Hans told him not to take off his robe and turned to the left. Ian also turned to the right and pushed his way through the people rushing about. He looked at hundreds of faces as they passed by, but there was no one suspicious. “Hans, how is it?” “I didn’t see him.” “Let’s go down.” The lower they went, the darker it felt. The upper floor had a lively atmosphere because of the tavern, even though everyone was half-crazed, but the lower floor seemed to be filled with something more dangerous and desperate. Ian frowned at the endless cheers and screams, then suddenly stopped walking. “Hans.” “Yeah?” Ian carefully gestured with his head. He was pointing to a man sitting at a card table. Hans adjusted his glasses and frowned. A mole next to his nose, and somewhat slanted eyes. “I don’t know if he’s missing his front teeth?” “Let’s go.” Ian sat down in an empty seat at the table where the man was. Hans whispered, looking flustered. “If you sit down, you have to play the game.” “I’ll play. I exchanged some chips earlier.” “What? When?” When some unfamiliar and young-looking people whispered, the gamblers at the table looked at them suspiciously. Hans, noticing their gaze, carefully stepped back. Fortunately, the man with the mole next to his nose was looking at his cards with his mouth tightly shut. ‘He’s not smoking a cigarette, and he doesn’t have any alcohol.’ Ian signaled to Hans with his eyes. ‘Get some drinks here.’ Hans looked worried but nodded as if he had no choice and ran upstairs. Then, he suddenly wondered why he was so flustered. Isn’t Ian a mage? He could blow up the entire building if he wanted to, so what was he worried about? “Will you join the game?” “Yes.” Ah. Right, he was worried that Ian would lose all his money. No matter how rich you are, everyone is the same at the gambling table. No matter how much money you have, it melts like ice in the summer and evaporates like steam in the desert. How many times had he heard stories of people who lost their homes and families after getting caught by the ‘pros’? ‘Ian, just wait a little!’ Please, take it slow! Does he even know the rules of the game? Does he even know how much one chip is worth? Hans felt dizzy and ran up the stairs two steps at a time. Meanwhile, Ian checked the cards he had just received and slowly looked around at the other players. “A young kid like you already knows to come to a place like this?” “Why does his face look unfamiliar? It’s not a face you’d easily forget.” Although his face was shadowed by his robe, it was not a beauty that could be hidden. Ian didn’t respond and pushed his chips towards the dealer, accepting the bet. Thud. “Call.” “How rude. I call too.” “I’ll follow. Ahem.” Everyone said a word or two, but the man in question kept his mouth shut and focused only on the game. Then, when he glanced at Ian, noticing his gaze, Ian naturally turned his head towards the dealer. * * * ‘Ian, Ian, Ian!’ Hans ran down the stairs with both hands full of glasses. Unfortunately, the tavern was so busy that it took a while to get the drinks. More time had passed than he had expected, so how was Ian doing? Had he checked the man’s front teeth? Crash! Clatter! “Damn it! This is impossible!” “That bastard, he’s cheating!” “Give me my money back! I said give it back!” Loud shouts could be heard from somewhere. The gamblers were briefly interested as if something had happened again, and the building staff rushed in to calm the excited people. “Hey, don’t make a fuss.” “Damn it, if you have eyes, look! Is this even possible!” Huh. It was near the table where Ian was. Hans spilled more than half of the drinks as he pushed his way through the crowd. Unlike Ian, who was sitting calmly, the men who had been sitting with him were jumping up and down, raging. “Ian-” Hans’s eyes widened, wondering what was going on. In front of him were piles of chips. It seemed like there were three times, no, five times more than before. On the other hand, the other players’ areas were empty. “Oh, Hans.” “You, you, what happened?” “As you can see.” I won it all. When Ian said it nonchalantly, the man pointed his finger and shouted at the top of his lungs. “He’s definitely cheating!” “Hey, did you see anything?” The staff member asked the dealer, but the dealer shook his head. It meant that there was nothing particularly strange or suspicious. Ian, with his arm resting on the chair, looked at the man with the mole next to his nose. Even in this situation, he wasn’t opening his mouth… “Neeeaaaaaaah!” “……!” The man suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs as if he was going crazy. Ian was also surprised by the sudden outburst. But soon, he got up from his seat as if he had achieved his goal. “Hans. Give everyone at this table a drink.” “Huh? Uh, uh. Here, if you’re feeling hot, please drink this.” Hans roughly placed the glasses on the table and collected the chips instead of Ian. Ian looked at the stairs leading to the lower floor and suggested to Hans, “Shall we go down one more floor? Isn’t the arena on the lower floor?” “What about the man from earlier?” “He had all his front teeth.” “Ah.” Ian had seen it. The man’s front teeth were perfectly in place when he screamed. Since he wasn’t the person they were looking for, there was no reason to stay on this floor any longer. “But Ian, did you know how to play the game?” No, what on earth do they teach at the Magic Department? To Hans, who was already dumbfounded, an even more absurd answer came. “No.” “…Then how did you do it?” “Just by watching and guessing?” He learned the rules by watching and even won money? It was the moment when Hans was speechless. “Hey-!” It was the people who had lost money to Ian earlier. They chased after Ian, threatening to punch him at any moment. “Give us our money back! You cheater!” “Oh, oh, why are you doing this?” Hans was surprised and tried to stop them, but he couldn’t overcome the strength of the half-crazed men. The gambling hall staff just watched, as if they were annoyed, and the others also didn’t want to get involved in a pointless fight. No, to be precise, they didn’t care. “My money-!” “Ugh!” As Hans was pushed back, Ian naturally clenched his fist. He couldn’t use magic, so he would just subdue them appropriately… Thwack! At that moment, someone kicked the man in the back, sending him flying. Thud, thud! The man tumbled down the stairs with a dull sound. His companions instinctively rushed in, but they were easily subdued by one hand. “You bastards. I have to go make money, and you’re bringing me bad luck. Won’t you move? Huh?” The stranger cursed irritably. A bruised and torn face, fierce-looking eyes, and a slight overbite when he spoke. And also- ‘Red hair.’ “Berik, are you using your strength before going up to the arena?” “I don’t know. They’re not moving out of the way. It’s already too narrow.” Ptui! The man named Berik spat and went down the stairs. In the distance, an arena was prepared for him. “……” Ian took a step back to make way, and Berik stared at Ian intently as he passed by. It was the first moment their eyes met.