Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 134

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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 134. The Market Master’s Letter
“What in blazes are you doing, Heil?”
“There are limits to how recklessly you can act!”
“Ahhhhh! Quick, do something about this!”
Chaos erupted. I was inwardly startled myself, but the man who’d actually suffered the burn was far worse off. He lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his hand scorched by cigarette flame, his voice trembling with pain. His colleagues rushed over to assess his condition, and soon a man who appeared to be his superior grabbed Heil by the collar.
The size difference was so great that it looked less like he was grabbing and more like he was hanging from Heil.
“Have you lost your mind? Is this some kind of test?”
“Captain Seilo, please calm yourself!”
“Let go of me!”
Among captains, magical prowess was generally balanced, but Heil was the exception. Look at that physique. Moreover, unlike the Magical Support Division that handled only administrative work within the palace, they were field operatives who ventured out regularly to exterminate monsters. Their combat instincts—honed through killing and eliminating enemies—were incomparable to ordinary mages.
“Seilo, whoever seeks to kill another must be prepared for their own death.”
“What nonsense!”
“Your subordinate tried to burn our boy’s palm clean off, so I simply got there first. Do you have an objection?”
Seilo slowly released his grip and examined his fallen subordinate. A flame-type magical circle was inscribed on the man’s right hand. Had I grasped his hand directly, my entire palm would have suffered severe burns.
“Still, your conduct was excessive!”
“Excessive? Then I apologize. I should have summoned the flames myself instead.”
….
Heil pulled out another cigarette and muttered to himself. His stock had been rising lately thanks to the Roxan battle, but his combat-type magic had been renowned long before that. The weight and penetrating force of his spells had left quite an impression, setting aside political considerations.
If he actually used magic here….
“Bad luck for you! Remember that the Magical Operations Division is a community. Manage the new recruits properly, and if something like this happens again, I won’t let it slide. I’ll report this to Wesley!”
Seilo stormed out with a loud declaration, not even waiting for a response. The other departments watching also made their exit just as quickly.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Welcome, newcomer. You’ll have quite the time ahead.”
“Don’t talk to me, idiot.”
“Come on. Let’s go. Let’s get to work.”
“Excuse me. I’ll just slip past.”
While they showed interest, they radiated a clear desire to avoid entanglement. The conference room emptied in an instant, leaving only silence in its wake.
“Sigh.”
It was Tomi who broke the silence. He exhaled deeply and glared at Heil. What was he about to say? That’s what I was wondering.
“I told you I don’t like being burned by cigarettes. The ashes fall everywhere.”
With that, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began cleaning the floor. Nakina giggled and, like Heil, lit a cigarette.
“Tomi has some oddly extreme cleanliness habits. Anyway, be more careful from now on. You need to develop your mana-sensing ability. How do you expect to function as the youngest member when you’re this dull?”
It seemed Heil mistook my attempt to shake hands as something I hadn’t noticed. Well, it didn’t matter. Since I’d handled it without stepping forward, I could only laugh.
“Thank you.”
“Right, right. Now that you’re in the Magical Operations Division, let’s do our best at whatever comes. Relax around us.”
Those who could trust each other with their backs in combat.
If I recalled correctly, that was the image of the Magical Operations Division. It made sense given how urgent and dangerous field work was. At that time, it seemed the goal was to cultivate capable individuals to that standard….
“What about the other members?”
“Ah. None of them came in today. They’re all on leave after returning from the Roxan battle. Since we never know when we’ll be called out again, they don’t come in unless necessary. You’ll meet them gradually.”
A department’s atmosphere always follows its leader. As I glanced at Heil, he grinned and extended his hand—for the handshake we’d missed earlier.
“Good to see you, youngest.”
“The pleasure is mine, Captain.”
Even if he had lived as a Warrior rather than a Mage, he would have succeeded—such was his commanding physique. He tapped my shoulder twice, then stretched languidly. A gesture suggesting we abandon the tedious formalities.
“Well then, shall we grab a drink?”
“A drink in broad daylight? Let’s just have some beer.”
“Ian, you drink beer, right? I’m not familiar with noble tastes.”
“Of course. However, I have companions with me.”
“Companions? Who?”
Creak!
The front door of the conference hall burst open before he could finish speaking. Berik, his face swollen and puffy, stumbled out shrieking in alarm.
“Iaaaan! Everyone’s coming out—why aren’t you? I thought we’d gotten separated!”
I had told him to wait at the entrance of the conference hall building, but seeing the Mages departing, he apparently couldn’t resist venturing inside. The members of the Mage Operations Division stared at his appearance, their jaws dropping.
“…What in the world is that?”
“His condition is completely off, yet he manages to walk.”
“This is Berik, the Mage Knight I brought with me. He’s in this state from sparring at the training grounds.”
“So he’s the one who fought Captain Jairot?”
“That’s correct.”
Tomi and Nakina’s gazes locked simultaneously. The Mage Operations Division was already understaffed, and now that Ian had arrived, he came with a Mage Knight as his right hand? And that one, no less, who was currently the talk of the town?
‘This is completely a bonus, isn’t it?’
‘A bonus, a total bonus!’
Tomi and Nakina’s eyes gleamed with delight. They approached warmly and draped their arms across his shoulders. Berik’s expression twitched at the sudden physical contact.
“Well now, we’ll be working alongside Ian from here on. We’ll be seeing you often. Looking forward to it. I’m Nakina.”
“I’m Tomi! We’re heading out for drinks—want to come?”
“…Drinks? Is there meat too?”
“Of course! Now that the youngest has arrived, the Captain’s buying!”
“I’m in the red this month.”
“Who cares~? Let’s go! Food, meat! Drinks!”
“Let’s drain the Captain’s wallet!”
“Oh yeah! But who’s the Captain anyway?”
“You’re an idiot, aren’t you? Look right there—doesn’t that bandit-looking man seem like the Captain? Well, it’s fine. I like idiots. I’ve noticed that no one takes a hit quite like an idiot does.”
The three of them bonded instantly and stuck together. Watching from behind, Heil and I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. Heil nodded and made a suggestion.
“I’ll brief you on the detailed work schedule while we drink. Let’s head out.”
* * *
Click.
“My goodness.”
Opening the door, Mini felt as though she’d been transported back to the day of the New Year’s conference. Watching Berik, who could barely support his own weight, the Coachman sweating profusely as he carried him, and Ian exhaling with difficulty. That night had at least been under cover of darkness, but what was this happening in broad daylight?
“What on earth happened? Oh my, Berik! Are you alright? How badly were you beaten to end up like this?”
“Berik’s here? That’s right, he’s completely wrecked!”
“We must call a Doctor. This way, please lie down!”
“Tsk tsk. I told you to be careful, didn’t I!”
“Hmm? But why does it smell like alcohol….”
Mini, who had been making a fuss, wrinkled her nose as she sniffed the air. Romandro also paused, examining the soup stains on Berik’s clothes.
“He got quite drunk at the Magic Department’s welcoming ceremony.”
“But it was you who joined the Magic Department, Ian. How did this happen?”
“Hehe…. Ah, I can’t eat anymore. Stop!”
“Stop, you fool! Yes, stop this at once!”
Smack!
“Aaaaah!”
“Oh no, I hit the bruise. Sorry.”
As Berik cried out, Romandro fumbled to soothe his wound. I collapsed onto the sofa and gave them a rough account of the day’s events.
Berik had sparred with Jairot at the training grounds, gone through the initiation ceremony, and attended the welcoming feast. So much had happened before the sun even set—I was utterly exhausted.
“You must be tired, Lord Ian. Would you like some warm tea?”
“Please, Mini.”
“Well, I’m just grateful his neck is still properly attached after sparring with Captain Jairot.”
Romandro clicked his tongue and handed me a letter that lay on the table.
“A letter arrived while I was out.”
“Oh, it’s from Karenna.”
“The Market Master interrogated a thief and sent a report. Take a look. Hasha! Hasha! Where did he go this time?”
“Where has Hasha gone?”
I broke open the sealing wax and glanced around. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen Hasha, who usually sat in the corner of the sofa. I didn’t recall seeing him this morning either.
“He’s been going out frequently these days. I have no idea what he’s doing.”
“Tell him to be careful. Wesley will be watching.”
Given Hasha’s serious nature, I wasn’t particularly worried, but one could never be too cautious. At my warning, Romandro nodded and draped a blanket over Berik. He also carefully removed the black sword hanging from Berik’s waist and set it on the floor.
Rustle.
I massaged my eyes and opened the letter. The handwriting was surprisingly small and dense with content.
-Greetings, Lord Ian. I am Onix, Market Master of Karenna. I hope you arrived safely at the capital. Thanks to your help, our town has returned to normalcy.
Thus, I bring you the news you’ve been waiting for. It concerns your question: ‘Why did the blue-haired boy follow the thieves?’
The question of why Hasha, whose body had been under a curse, followed the thieves when he encountered them remained unresolved. As I turned the page and continued reading, I frowned.
-The Bandit Leader is not certain, but he testified that it likely stemmed from the Atan Clan’s black sword.
The Atan Clan. A warlike race primarily active north of Bariel, they were known as the Blood Clan. In the future, they would greatly expand their power during the monster attacks that shook the empire, only to be destroyed by the Imperial Palace Guardsmen Captains. But that was later.
‘Yes. I had already suspected as much.’
-Regardless of the truth, please understand I’m merely relaying what was reported. The Atan Clan sustains themselves by drinking monster blood, so it’s questionable whether they’re even human. The black sword they use to summon monsters is precisely that, and the blue-haired boy likely followed for that reason, he confessed.
At the time, Hasha’s body was not human—it was undead.
If it reacted to the black sword, that made sense.
-I must ask: Is the blue-haired boy you mentioned not human? As the interrogation continued, the thief spoke only in riddles about slave traders and corpses, so I determined this was beyond what a provincial city could uncover.
I realized the flow of the letter was taking a strange turn. On the final page, I found myself pressing my forehead without thinking.
“Why would he do something I didn’t ask him to do….”
“That Market Master? He looked incompetent at first glance! But why? What is he saying?”
-Therefore, I have submitted a detailed information request to the Imperial Palace, so please wait a little longer. I humbly beg your forgiveness for my negligent handling before. Also, please convey my regards to Advisor Romandro who was with you. Then, I shall report again. Thank you.
In other words, the Imperial Palace—or more precisely, Wesley—might learn of the situation in Karenna.

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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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