Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12. A Proposal
While Chel went to the wardrobe room, only Ian and Mollin remained in the drawing room.
“Once you cross the border—”
The drawing room was quiet. The gentle clinking of dishes was pleasant to hear. At Mollin’s calm words, Ian lifted his head as well.
“You must miss this place greatly.”
“One never truly leaves their homeland, even in death.”
It was an oddly mature answer for a boy. I hesitated for a moment, but Mollin didn’t seem to mind.
“You appear quite interested in the Capital.”
“Indeed. What citizen of Bariel hasn’t dreamed of setting foot on the Capital’s soil?”
The Imperial Palace and the Papal See held special significance. They were both the birthplace of patriotism and the destination of holy pilgrimage.
Setting aside such grand reasons, the Capital held countless small festivals and events each month. For a boy—especially a bastard from the slums—it must seem like a place of dazzling dreams.
“It’s unfortunate. In a couple of months, once you cross the border, such opportunities will vanish entirely. By the way, has young Chel ever visited the Capital?”
Ian smiled broadly and shrugged.
Probably not. This place was the farthest frontier from the Capital.
The social debut of Bariel’s young nobles was the Emperor’s domain. Each autumn, when the grain ripened most beautifully, he would gather promising young nobles approaching adulthood and host a grand celebration.
“I suspect it will take longer than expected.”
In a year or two, both Chel and I would be old enough to debut in society. But in a situation where tomorrow itself was uncertain, I couldn’t rely on next year.
“If time permits, why not request a trip to the Capital from the Count? Young Chel will have many opportunities, but you won’t, will you?”
The nuance subtly emphasized Chel, as if comparing our circumstances and trying to provoke me.
But I responded calmly. I wanted to tell him to stop the preliminaries and get to the point, but everything had its proper order.
“I still have much to learn. I don’t think I’m ready.”
Yet Mollin seemed skeptical. Someone so clever wouldn’t struggle over a single letter like that.
Ian smiled and asked.
“Can you see the Imperial Palace if you go to the Capital?”
“Of course. I shall personally request Prince Gail to issue invitations for the young lords of House Derga. I noticed you were curious about mages last time.”
Mollin’s eyes gleamed, trying to discern whether Ian’s golden eyes were an illusion or reality. But Ian was too preoccupied with the name Gail to notice.
‘No matter how I think about it, that name sounds familiar.’
“Under Prince Gail’s service are many skilled practitioners of magic. It will certainly be a worthwhile meeting.”
“Ah.”
Ian covered his mouth with a napkin and laughed in disbelief. Thanks to the associated words “Gail” and “magic practitioner,” the name written beneath his faded memories surfaced.
“I see. It will indeed be a worthwhile meeting.”
There were only two types of people an Emperor needed to remember.
Those who had rendered great service, or those involved in treason.
The latter especially required careful handling of aftermath, so one could never be negligent. Even after a hundred years, periodic investigations were conducted to verify that bloodlines were truly severed.
‘The Second Prince, Gail. A traitor. A failed one.’
There was a reason the name had sounded so familiar. And if Gail’s identity was that…
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Ian narrowed his eyes and looked at Mollin.
Could it be that he had sensed traces of magic in this drawing room that day?
‘Prince Gail’s rebellion had the Ministry of Magic as one of its central pillars.’
The impact of that reached me profoundly.
Precious mages were purged en masse in that incident, and I, Emperor Ian, bore the full burden of it. At that time, nearly five hundred mages had dwindled to barely a hundred in my generation.
‘That’s right. So there was even a time I tore up a report in shreds. How could I have drawn mages into such trouble?’
Now it became somewhat clearer.
The reason Mollin approached me.
Seeing how he was playing this out, he had certainly sensed something during that drawing room encounter. As someone who wielded mana, he was preemptively courting talented individuals before they became mages.
“You seem uncomfortable, Your Excellency.”
“Not at all. It’s just….”
I studied Mollin’s expression. In truth, whether Mollin was certain about my mana or not, it wasn’t disadvantageous to my current situation. Rather, if I used it well, it was something worth welcoming.
I slowly touched the brooch on my chest deliberately.
“My eyes are a bit irritated.”
Then I immediately covered my mouth with my finger. To signal that our conversation was being recorded by the brooch. We needed to exchange our true intentions in silence.
“Is that so? Just a moment.”
Mollin looked briefly surprised, then stood and walked to the desk. He picked up a small notepad and pen and showed them to me.
“Would you try this?”
“Eye drops, I see. Thank you.”
He carefully handed me the notepad and sat close beside me. His hand moving the pen was fluid and unhesitating.
-A mana stone?
I nodded in affirmation. Mollin pressed his temples briefly, then furrowed his brow. It was a rare item even in the Capital, so how a frontier Count possessed such a thing was beyond him.
Swish.
But his hand writing on the notepad showed no hesitation. What he had been turning over in his mind was now inscribed.
-Do you wish to cross the border?
As if that were possible. I shook my head. The sound of scraping the soup bowl was captured alongside it.
-When there is Chel as the legitimate heir, it would be unreasonable, would it not? And you have a biological mother separate from this, do you not? If you leave Bariel, the Countess would not let it stand.
His preamble matched what I had anticipated.
He prodded at the deep resistance in my heart by mentioning the boy’s sole weakness—his biological mother. They wanted me to remain here instead of Chel.
‘If he saw me use mana, then as expected, he’s trying to draw me to Prince Gail’s side and add strength to their faction. If not….’
Since they were rebels, there was only one answer.
They intended to set me up as a puppet and devour House Bratz’s territory. Though its management was in disarray, it had several times more soldiers than elsewhere because of it.
Above all, the success of a rebellion hinged on swift action. If we made this place our base before other frontier nobles could send reinforcements, we could effectively block their advance.
‘But there’s a question. What about Count Derga?’
Either way, gaining the Count’s cooperation was the faster and more certain path.
‘The current power holder is on Prince Gail’s side, so Count Derga and I are in immediate opposition. An approach from Prince’s faction wouldn’t have been unfavorable to him, would it? They wouldn’t have mentioned rebellion outright, and would have merely probed at quietly forming a faction. But seeing that they’re trying to persuade me, it’s natural to assume that fell through.’
Though it was a brief time, I knew Count Derga.
How could someone so greedy and sensitive to political maneuvering reject an approach from the Prince’s faction? It would make more sense if he were playing both sides, walking the tightrope… but from Mollin’s attitude, it seemed he had outright refused.
I regarded Mollin with a calm gaze.
-You’re offering to help me?
-If you wish it.
-Why?
Why does Count Derga show no interest in the power struggles of the Central government?
In that moment, I recalled the documents I’d seen in his office. A military expenditure ratio so astronomical I couldn’t fathom how it functioned. The taxation was catastrophic, yet I wondered if even that could sustain it. I’d even begun to suspect whether his territory possessed some special resource.
‘Could it be that this man is….’
Embezzling the taxes owed to the Imperial Palace?
If so, everything aligned perfectly. His deliberate distance from Central affairs, the abnormal economic structure, even Dgor’s hectic schedule.
Tap, tap.
Mollin gently tapped my arm to redirect my attention. He wanted me to answer his final written question. I wrote my response in small letters.
-What do you want from me?
He communicates well. Mollin mentioned without reservation the golden eyes from that day.
-Might you be a mana user, Ian?
-I’m not sure what you mean.
I denied it flatly. Revealing myself as a mana user would bring more harm than benefit at this stage. Besides, my counterpart was someone plotting rebellion with the Ministry of Magic backing him. It was wiser to conceal my identity until I could protect myself.
Mollin tapped the notepad silently. The old man’s eyes gleamed sharp, searching for deception.
-That’s unfortunate.
-Are you withdrawing your offer because of this?
-Not at all. We need you, Ian. If you assist us properly, I’ll go to the Capital and oppose your conscription. Then you’d have no reason to cross the Border.
“Are the clothes comfortable?”
Just then, Dgor’s voice came from outside. It was clearly a signal that he’d be entering soon—time to end our conversation.
Mollin gathered the notepad without any sign of alarm, sweeping the pages into an ashtray. He placed a small ember inside and sealed it with the lid.
Creak.
“Oh?”
Chel, wearing his newly tailored clothes, hesitated as he opened the door. The atmosphere felt oddly tense. Mollin greeted him with a benevolent smile.
“My, the seamstress truly has excellent skill.”
“Dgor gave it to me as a gift. Thank you for that.”
“It was my fault for spilling water. Now, shall we finish our meal? By the way, where is Mac? He’s taking quite long.”
Before the words even finished, the door opened again. Mac entered alone, without his escort.
“If a man fell into a barrel of wine, he wouldn’t drown—he’d die a drunkard. They told me to sample it, and I got carried away.”
Mac’s cheerful remark instantly revived the luncheon’s atmosphere. I responded with a smile and continued cutting the remaining meat, while Mollin exchanged glances with his two subordinates.
‘Well?’
‘Sharp-witted, as expected.’
At the first luncheon, Mollin had conveyed Prince Gail’s intentions to Count Derga, but the Count’s response had been unsatisfying.
The moment I opened the door in bewilderment, I met those golden eyes. If handled well, there was value there. Especially if he were a mana user—I’d consider it a gift from the heavens.
But the boy flatly denied it….
‘Keep watch.’
Mollin twitched his left eyebrow, issuing instructions to Mac and Dgor.
Meanwhile, I gazed at the fork in my left hand and the knife in my right, and it felt as though I held both the Imperial Palace and the Cheonryo Tribe in my grasp.
Whoosh.
Then the steak placed in the center would be House of Bratz. If I utilized both simultaneously, I could carve through everything cleanly.
“The meat truly is excellent.”
I added a comment and smiled with satisfaction. Then I continued naturally.
“The escort guards have exhausted themselves, so we won’t be able to travel far today. After we eat, shall we take a stroll through the park to aid digestion? I’d like to see the lake Mollin mentioned.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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