Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 129

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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 129. Behind the Scenes
Before the window where moonlight poured in, I stood motionless like a stone sentinel, my forehead pressed against my palm. All the crucial plans for the New Year’s gathering had crumbled to ruin. I should have suppressed Ian’s magical power to its absolute limit and broken his momentum, yet…
“Wesley.”
“Baretto.”
I turned my head at the Steward’s approach. After pushing away the light of the oracle, I had confirmed blood stains on the magical circle when I examined it. It seemed that was what caused the malfunction, but with the banquet in full swing, a detailed inspection was impossible. All I could do was wait with open eyes until the nobles grew tired of their revelry and returned home.
“The banquet hall has been cleared. The remaining nobles have also moved to other party venues.”
“I see. What of Prince Gail?”
“…Prince Gail has also joined the party.”
The imperial family gathering had concluded, and Prince Gail immediately participated in the social gathering. Unlike Prince Marib, the First Prince, who was in a position of direct contention with the nobles, he could approach them far more naturally. That would become his strength, his foundation.
“Any other messages?”
“None, ma’am.”
“Nothing, even though I mentioned the blood stains?”
“That is correct, ma’am.”
I furrowed my brow and gnawed at my fingernails. I had certainly expected some reproachful message or instruction to come down, yet there was nothing. With each tap of my heels, my black hair whipped roughly about.
Crash! Thud!
As I threw open the back door of the banquet hall, the servants cleaning inside startled and turned to look. But upon seeing my fierce expression, they naturally lowered their heads.
Zing. Ziiing.
I placed my palm on the magical circle where I had released the oracle’s light and opened my magical power. Each time I blinked, sparks flew from the purple aura enveloping me. When a servant unfamiliar with magic stood dumbfounded watching me, the Steward blocked the view with his body and shook his head.
“Get back to work.”
“Ah, yes, yes. My apologies.”
Zing!
My gaze pursued each formula of the magical circle relentlessly.
“…No matter how I look at it, the placement of the blood stains is too precise.”
Rather than touching this and that indiscriminately, only the critical control section had been covered. The Steward watching from the side offered his opinion tentatively.
“However, is Ian not merely a newcomer who has just arrived from the provinces? Since he lodges outside the palace, he saw a magical circle for the first time on the day he entered. It would be impossible for him to immediately correct something created by you and the main force of the support division upon first sight.”
“Then you believe this to be mere coincidence?”
The Steward shook his head. It could not be called coincidence. In any case, the correction had been perfect in result, and the outcome was equally flawless.
“Upon investigation, there was someone who saw Nakina making contact with Ian.”
“Nakina?”
My eyes narrowed further. Nakina—was she not a mage under Captain Heil of the Magical Operations Division? Unlike the Magical Support Division, which primarily handled internal work, the Magical Operations Division went out into the field directly for external assignments.
“There should be no point of contact.”
Perhaps that was why there was a subtle undercurrent of friction between the two divisions. I was naturally the superior of all as the Chief Administrator of the Magical Division, but since I wielded the Magical Support Division as my own hands and feet, the balance of power inevitably tilted.
“…Place someone to watch that division.”
“Yes, understood.”
Could it be that Nakina had helped Ian to check the Magical Support Division, or more broadly, to check me? The misunderstanding born from Nakina’s meaningless goodwill continued to tangle in my mind.
Whoosh.
“I’m going to see Prince Gail.”
“Administrator. That is not a good idea.”
“As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, I must send an enrollment request to Ian. I need to discuss this with him and plan our countermeasures, don’t I?”
I cut through the servants cleaning and moved without hesitation. The south annex where the separate palace stood was brightly lit. The laughter of nobles playing as though there were no tomorrow, fueled by music, dance, and wine, filled the air with noise.
“My, Prince Gail. Whatever do you mean?”
“Does it sound like a jest?”
“Of course! Everyone here would take it as a joke!”
“Your Highness is quite fond of Melania, aren’t you? Haha.”
Prince Gail continued chattering at the center of the nobles, his public smile never wavering. When the Steward approached and whispered something in his ear, his slightly relaxed eyes found Wesley.
“Pardon me. I shall return shortly.”
“Oh. Where are you going? You must come back soon.”
“I’ll fetch the wine I’ve been saving.”
Click.
The two of them stepped onto the terrace, and without hesitation, both reached for cigarettes. The hearty expression Prince Gail had worn while laughing and chattering at the party vanished, replaced by boredom as he stroked his chin and lit hers for her.
“The magical circle?”
“I just confirmed it again on my way here. The bloodstains caused the distortion, that much is certain, and someone definitely modified it intentionally. It seems there’s someone helping Ian.”
Prince Gail’s brow furrowed. The cool night air felt refreshing against his skin.
“That seems unlikely.”
“Why is that?”
“Because of Marib.”
Marib’s loud support for Ian wouldn’t lose its significance, would it?
“If someone from the Magic Ministry helped Ian, it would either be personal favor or Marib’s orders. In the former case, we could simply dismiss it as unfortunate circumstances, but in the latter…”
Wesley exhaled smoke with a soft puff and swept her hair back. She understood what Prince Gail was implying.
“True. If there’s a mage aligned with Marib, they’d be instructed to stay away from Ian.”
After all, a hidden card could be exposed. It would be more stable to publicly discredit Ian while moving a different mage behind the scenes.
If there were another way, what would it matter if Ian suffered embarrassment through magic? The best approach was to keep both Prince Gail and Wesley from suspecting anything.
“My suspicion is that either it was personal favor, or Ian fixed it himself.”
Prince Gail chuckled lightly, chewing on his cigarette. He recalled Ian’s appearance in the second-floor banquet hall. The more he observed, the more Ian seemed reckless and bold—definitely not an ordinary man.
“That’s absurd. How could someone fresh from the borderlands manage such a thing?”
“Even you would find it difficult, wouldn’t you?”
“…”
To be honest, penetrating a magical circle layered with the incantations of many mages—as bright as divine revelation—and fixing it in one go would be difficult even for Wesley. But Wesley quickly corrected her expression and shook her head.
“Your Highness. I am Wesley.”
“Haha. You’re right. I misspoke.”
She didn’t want her value diminished in Prince Gail’s eyes. Prince Gail gently caressed the nape of Wesley’s neck as he asked.
“That divine revelation Ian displayed—what level of magical power would you say that indicates?”
“…For his age, it was quite respectable. Better than expected, actually.”
Wesley answered while avoiding Prince Gail’s gaze. Every department in the imperial palace would do the same, but particularly those like the Magic Ministry and the Guard, which judged solely on ability, harbored intense wariness toward rising talents.
“Is that so?”
Prince Gail replied without further comment and lowered his hand. Silence settled between them, with only the faint sound of music from the inner banquet hall.
‘If Ian truly fixed the magical circle and possesses superior magical power, then he’s a card that absolutely cannot be given to Marib.’
Then a woman appeared at the window—the noblewoman Melania who had been laughing and chattering with Prince Gail earlier. The sole youngest daughter of the Haiman family, renowned for banking, and a woman carrying royal blood from a nation bordering Bariel.
“When dawn breaks, I should send Ian a recruitment request.”
“You mentioned earlier that you’d follow the Magic Minister’s wishes. But if you confirm it and send it officially, who knows what Marib might say behind the scenes. It would be better to include several departments as options—the Magic Support Division and a few others where we can gauge reactions.”
Prince Gail said this while extinguishing his cigarette against the railing. He then left a light kiss on Wesley’s cheek and nodded. It was his way of indicating he should head into the party.
“Prince Gail.”
Wesley called out his name, but he merely turned back with a frown. It was clear he wanted her to use his proper title.
“…Your Highness Prince Gail. I shall see you later.”
“Take care of yourself.”
Crash!
As the terrace door closed, both their shadows vanished completely. Wesley rested her elbows on the railing, cradling her head in her hands. The throbbing had grown so intense it made her dizzy.
“…Sigh.”
“Would you like another one?”
The Steward standing beside her produced a fresh cigarette. Without answering, Wesley simply turned her head and placed it between her lips. The moment it ignited, flames seemed to dance in her dark eyes as well.
* * *
“Good day to you, Viscount Ian Hielo.”
An Official from the Ministry of Magic greeted me with courtesy. I noticed the parchment in his hands was quite thick.
“The magical power demonstration you presented at yesterday’s New Year’s reception was truly impressive. I am grateful for allowing us to witness such a beautiful spectacle. With that in mind, I have brought an application for entry into the Ministry of Magic, hoping that Viscount Ian Hielo would lend your magical power to the great Empire of Bariel and His Majesty the Emperor.”
Rustle!
He unfolded the parchment with great confidence and began reading the preamble in an elegant tone. It was mostly comprised of the Ministry’s history and introduction, and only ended around the time Berik, who had been listening with interest beside me, let out a tremendous yawn.
“…Thus, the Ministry of Magic is the most prestigious department in the current imperial palace. These are the treatment conditions being offered to Viscount Ian Hielo, and below are the departments selected and recommended by Minister Wesley. Please consider carefully and provide your response at your earliest convenience.”
“Very well. You’ve worked hard since this morning.”
“Not at all. Ah, if I may be so bold, might I request a handshake?”
This was his last opportunity before I entered the Ministry of Magic. I readily accepted the Official’s request and shook his hand, after which he offered another respectful bow.
“I look forward to your favorable response. Thank you.”
Tap!
With measured steps, he departed in the imperial carriage, disappearing into the streets. As I unfolded the parchment, I couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected contents.
“They’re more courteous than I expected.”
“No matter how much they may oppose you, a new recruit entering the Ministry of Magic after such a long time is still a new recruit. It’s only right to show this much courtesy. Besides, I doubt the Magical Support Division would be handling this kind of work.”
First, the document detailed my assigned salary and welfare benefits in great detail. A total of ten gold coins per month. Compared to commoners, it was substantial, but relative to other Ministry members, I was essentially starting from the bottom.
“Setting that aside, the departments recommended by Wesley are as follows: Magical Support Division, Magical Operations Division, Magical Research Division….”
The departmental structure wasn’t significantly different from what I already knew.
‘I clearly told Minister Wesley yesterday in the second-floor banquet hall that I would leave the choice to her. Since Prince Gail heard it, Wesley would naturally know as well, yet she’s sending back a predetermined list like this?’
Wasn’t that a bit strange? I had given her the choice, yet it was returning to me in this form? It was the complete opposite of her attempt to seize the initiative during the magical power demonstration.
‘If that’s the case, it seems she wants to see what I choose… I wonder what she’s anticipating?’
“Ian? What are you thinking so hard about?”
“I’m trying to understand what this means.”
“Ah, I see. You wouldn’t know this. The Magical Support Division is….”
As Romandro explained earnestly, I tapped the edge of the parchment thoughtfully. And soon, as his explanation came to an end, a smile had formed at the corners of my mouth.
It was the smile of someone who had figured it out.

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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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