Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 97

The mine in Monne was practically abandoned.

First, the chaos in the territory during the summer had caused all the miners to lay down their pickaxes. They had come down to the village to protect their families and find food, and before they knew it, winter had arrived.

Working in winter was easier than in summer, but with the distribution of Gula [a type of food or resource], the warehouse was full, so there was no reason to return.

‘The coal profits aren’t that great, and the more we mine, the more the resources will dwindle. It’s better to hold onto it and use it when the time is right.’

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage rattled roughly, perhaps because it was night. The hawk, sitting quietly next to Ian, tilted its head as if wondering why it had to ride in this thing.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you fly freely, nor can I communicate with you. I’ll send you off at the mine.”

If he let it fly from the mansion first, it would surely get lost without being able to follow them. The pocket watch already indicated an hour since they had departed. It seemed like they would arrive soon…

Squeak.

“Lord Ian. The road is too rough from here, so the wheels are in danger. You’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

As Ian’s carriage stopped, the soldiers following behind also stopped and dismounted. While they were preparing their lanterns, Ian released the warrior hawk into the sky.

“Alright, let’s hurry. We just need to follow the hawk.”

“It’s going into the forest! Follow it!”

“Gather around the lanterns and walk!”

What a commotion in the moonlight. Fortunately, there were no clouds in the sky, so it wasn’t completely pitch black. Ian walked up the path, which barely existed, with the soldiers.

“Is that the mine over there?”

“Yes, it seems we’ve arrived.”

“Ah, there!”

Whistle!

The figure standing at the entrance of the mine stretched out his hand and whistled. Then, the hawk, which had been soaring in the sky, landed gently and folded its wings.

“Lord Ian. You’ve arrived.”

“Where’s Beric?”

Ian looked around, searching for Beric first. The other warriors were nowhere to be seen. He wondered if it was an urgent situation, but the expression of the warrior who had come to greet him was nothing more than ‘dumbfounded’.

“He’s inside, hitting something hard…”

“Hitting? What? A knight?”

“I’m not sure either. You’ll see when you look.”

As they entered the entrance, the air quality changed drastically. Ian covered his lower face with his sleeve and followed the warrior.

“Have you ever been here before? It’s my first time.”

“I’ve only heard about it in reports; this is my first time inside.”

He was surprised that the tunnel was wider than he had expected. The ceiling also seemed to be well-dug and higher than other mines of similar size. It didn’t seem to be a problem for the workers to move around.

“But why is he doing that inside? It would be dangerous if any heat was applied. Judging by Beric’s temper, I’m worried he might collapse the mine ceiling.”

At Ian’s playful question, the warrior laughed heartily. The sound of his laughter echoed through the mine, and the soldiers following behind let out a sigh of relief. Going into a mine at night was a terrifying experience. At least it seemed like they wouldn’t die, which was a relief.

As they went deeper, where the cold winter wind was no longer felt, the warrior pointed to one side.

“It’s here.”

A narrow entrance, like a dog hole. It didn’t look like a normal passage, but rather a crack caused by a collapsing wall.

Clang! Bang!

Clang!

“Haa, haa…”

“Beric. Stop and come out. Let me try.”

“Ah, really! What is this thing!”

“I said come out? You seem to be putting more effort into your shouts than your swings.”

Voices could be heard from inside. It was the conversation between Beric and the warrior who had accompanied him.

The light was so dim that it seemed like it would go out. It seemed they had come this far with only one emergency lantern.

“Beric.”

“Ah! Ian!”

Clang!

Beric was striking something with his sword. As the soldier holding the lantern next to him tried to walk ahead, Ian grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Lord Ian?”

“Give the lantern to me and the warrior, and you all go back and guard the mine entrance.”

Beric was just a little further in. It was better to send the soldiers back, just in case. They wouldn’t be of much help even if something happened.

“Yes? Ah, understood.”

Judging by their voices, it didn’t seem like a dangerous situation, but the order was sudden. However, the air wasn’t good, and the smell was acrid, so the soldiers didn’t mind leaving quickly.

“Hey, let’s go back from the rear!”

“Go back? Really?”

“It’s an order! Hurry, move!”

The soldiers turned back the way they had come, and Ian went deeper with the warrior.

Thump, thump.

Ian felt his heart pounding. It wasn’t a physical reaction due to tension, but a kind of external stimulus felt from a strong magical power.

‘No way. Why is this energy here…’

Clang! Clink!

“Agh! Damn it!”

“Your sword will break, Beric.”

“Oh? Ian!”

What Beric was swinging his sword at was something translucent and glowing purple. Judging by the bubbles inside, it seemed to be liquid, but the sword couldn’t make a scratch on it.

“Ian. What is this?”

“You think I know everything.”

“So, you don’t know?”

“I do.”

Was it called Pulura? The lower half of the body of the leader of Mereloff’s three knights was half-eaten inside it. Judging by the lack of wounds, the cause of death was clearly this strange ‘ore’.

“It looks like a type of magic stone.”

Could Beric not feel the magical energy? Ian held up the lantern to check his complexion, but his reddish cheeks could have been from swinging his sword, so he couldn’t tell.

“Magic stone?”

“You remember the brooch we used in Bratz before? It’s similar to that. It’s a stone that has gained special abilities by reacting to magic.”

“But this isn’t a stone. There are bubbles inside.”

“What you see isn’t everything. We’ll have to cut it to know for sure, but it’s definitely a magic stone.”

There were many types of magic stones. From the sealing stone that sealed Emperor Ian’s power, to those that could record voices or track locations, those that created pocket dimensions to act as backpacks, and those that amplified the magic’s wavelength with a possession box. Just as there was no end to magic, the same was true for magic stones.

“How did the knight end up like that?”

Ian gestured for him to stop and step back. He must have been hitting the magic stone until the blade of his sword was worn out. Beric wiped away the beads of sweat and answered.

“I chased him all the way here. The hawk is really good at finding prey. The trail was cut off in the middle, so I wondered if he had hidden here, and sure enough, he was.”

“Was he still breathing when you found him?”

“Yeah. At first, I thought he was unconscious, but he died quickly.”

“So you don’t know how he got stuck?”

“Looking at the bottom, there are traces of something flowing. It seems like it was a liquid that hardened due to some stimulus.”

As Beric muttered while squatting down, Ian grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back. Then, he lightly flicked him on the forehead.

Thwack!

“Ouch!”

“Don’t pretend it hurts. You’re all so reckless. What if you had been eaten like that guy?”

“No way. It’s so hard.”

“It could suddenly melt and engulf you, or it could keep coming out from somewhere. Tsk, tsk. Anyway…”

When Ian turned around, the warriors awkwardly avoided his gaze. He didn’t know how their personalities could be so similar.

Simple and fearless!

“You will report to Lord Nersarn.”

“Ah, Lord Ian. We clearly told him to go back. What could we do when Beric was so fixated and wouldn’t budge?”

Beric rubbed his forehead and frowned.

“By the way, if that’s a magic stone, is it very expensive?”

“It’s priceless.”

“If it keeps coming out, is this place a jackpot?”

“We’ll have to investigate…”

Ian’s reply trailed off. In order to investigate the extent and probability of the magic stone’s deposit, the help of the Magic Department was essential.

That meant that only the Magic Department could guess the location of the magic stone deposit.

“Ian?”

Ian looked at the magic stone with the knight’s corpse embedded in it and felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.

“…Right. I knew it.”

“What? What is it?”

“We’re going back to the mansion right now. Close the mine. Don’t let anyone in, and nail the entrance shut.”

“What about the corpse?”

“There’s nothing we can do right now. Let’s go back for now.”

Ian turned around as if urging them to hurry, and Beric, who had been squatting down, looked back and forth between Ian and the knight’s corpse with a bewildered expression. But soon, he and the warriors lit the way for Ian.

“If you’re suddenly like this, it’s scary?”

“Was it that bad?”

“What?”

“The sword swinging.”

“…Never mind. But didn’t you feel the magic? I felt it as soon as I stepped inside.”

“Huh? No. I was fine.”

Even if he was a magic swordsman, he was still a warrior at heart. Besides, he still had some shortcomings, so it was possible.

Squeak.

They drove back as fast as they had come and arrived back at the mansion. Hanna, who had not gone to sleep, greeted Ian, took his coat, and asked.

“Are you going to the bath? Lord Romandro is still in his office, but he fell asleep after having soup earlier.”

“No. I’m going to the basement.”

“The basement?”

It had been a long time since he had gone there. Ian stepped down the basement stairs without hesitation and soon stood in front of the prison at the end of the hallway.

“Open it.”

Click.

The prison, where the lantern was always lit because there were no windows. Mac and D’Gore, who had been sleeping, jumped up at the sudden sound. Molin was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

“W-what’s going on?”

Mac’s face was filled with bewilderment. The reason they had been left alive, as if abandoned, was because Ian couldn’t make a decision. What to do with Molin and his group.

“Lord Molin. A letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”

“Don’t touch my teacher! You!”

“It was about Lord Molin’s disposition.”

Ian stared at him and threw out a lie. The old man’s pale eyes seemed to shine with a unique gray color.

“Yes. What did it say?”

“It said that you should prepare, as you will soon be going to the Central.”

Molin calmly adjusted his book. He seemed to be thinking about something. How could anyone know what was in someone’s heart, but Ian somehow felt like he could read his expression.

‘No way.’

That attitude of disbelief.

Ian was convinced.

Molin knew the identity of the magic stone.