Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 135

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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 135. Love is Madness
The general assembly convened before matters were brought before the Emperor.
Ever since Prince Marib and Prince Gail became involved due to the Marquis’s affairs, the meetings had never proceeded smoothly. The ministers were determined to handle matters with utmost care, lest any disturbance invite further participation from the princes.
Wesley observed the ministers’ discussions with an impassive expression.
“Very well, we shall decide that the Administrative Ministry will handle this matter. Next item. A report arrived yesterday from Mayor Karenna. It states that the bandit gang that had been plaguing the region has been eliminated.”
“Is that so? That is indeed fortunate news.”
“They gave us headaches more than once. It’s good to hear it’s resolved. They conducted the suppression themselves, you say? We nearly had to organize a subjugation force.”
“Hmm. If I recall correctly, that mayor didn’t seem like someone capable of such a feat.”
Karenna. A city with deep ties to Wesley, yet her expression showed no change whatsoever. The Prime Minister gestured for silence and began reading through the report carefully.
“Most of the bandits were annihilated during the suppression operation, and only the leader was captured alive for interrogation. However, several questions arose during the interrogation process, and they have contacted the imperial palace seeking consultation.”
“Questions, you say?”
“The bandits came down from the north and possessed several suspicious items. The details are not fully attached, but based on what was mentioned, it appears to be related to the undead…”
Wesley’s eyes widened rapidly as she listened quietly. The undead? They were saying the undead had been discovered in Karenna of all places?
“What do you mean?”
Wesley raised her voice involuntarily as she asked, but the atmosphere suggested that as the Magic Ministry’s minister, she would naturally be sensitive to such matters. One minister laughed awkwardly and ventured a comment.
“Minister Wesley, do not be so alarmed. We receive regular reports confirming that the Magic Ministry manages the necromancers well.”
“Indeed. Does Mayor Karenna possess the corpse of an undead? Or could she have mistaken a vagrant for an undead?”
The Prime Minister shook his head lightly at the ministers’ questions.
“There is no such mention, and it appears to have been identified through the bandit’s interrogation. Since Karenna has no information related to this matter, they are requesting that the imperial palace provide relevant materials.”
Information regarding the undead fell under Wesley’s purview. As the Prime Minister gestured, a servant brought the report and handed it to Wesley. Though she wished to maintain composure, her hands moved of their own accord. She read through the text with intense focus, and her brow could only furrow deeper with each line.
“Since Mayor Karenna has urgently posed several questions, I believe we should send answers regarding those through Jeonseogoo and dispatch related information by carriage.”
“…Questions. I see.”
Should the undead be classified as magical beasts? Had any slave merchants dealing in the undead received formal authorization from the capital? Was there a way to become undead without necromancy?
“I shall handle it.”
Wesley realized the questions were quite specific. There must have been a process leading to this point. As she bit her lip and handed over the report, someone posed a question.
“But you say Mayor Karenna conducted the bandit suppression herself?”
It was Taiha, the Minister of Imperial Defense. If the bandits came down from the north, the possibility of crossing the border had to be considered. Then surely there was grounds for holding him responsible? There was no Marquis stationed at the northern border to maintain vigilance.
“Yes, there were a couple of incursions, but it appears Karenna’s guard force suppressed them. However, they did receive assistance from external mercenaries. Is that not correct, Minister Wesley?”
“Yes. That is what is written here.”
“External mercenaries? Even a small city like Karenna has mercenaries, it seems. Hahahaha!”
While those ignorant fools burst into laughter, Wesley could not bring herself to join them. External mercenaries—their existence truly bothered her. If they were wanderers who had merely become entangled by chance, there would be no problem, but…
‘If a provincial mayor of a small city mentioned them to this extent, they must have played a crucial role in suppressing the bandits.’
Since this was a position delegated from the imperial palace, weren’t these people more devoted to public relations than anyone else? Wesley felt that the mayor’s brief mention was not something to be easily overlooked.
“In any case, I shall take full responsibility for this matter. Shall we proceed to the next item?”
Tap.
Wesley closed the report lightly and made her suggestion. It was appropriate for her to handle it within her purview. But Taiha, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
“Bandit jurisdiction falls under our ministry’s responsibility.”
“However, they have already been suppressed, and what the mayor is requesting are answers regarding various questions including the undead.”
“It appears slave merchants are involved, which also falls under our purview. Furthermore, the bandit leader is still alive. Minister Wesley, you need only compile clear answers and send them through Jeonseogoo, do you not? Strictly speaking, this is not a matter requiring a minister’s involvement.”
He meant for her to answer the questions and step back. Wesley let out an incredulous laugh and tapped her fingers on the table. Silence fell over the noisy conference room.
Here we go again.
The Prime Minister stroked his white beard and sighed inwardly. It was always the same when people bared their fangs over trivial matters. Either it was a new year, personal feelings were involved, or there were hidden agendas.
Taiha seemed concerned about his reappointment as minister, likely because it was a new year.
Unlike the independent Magic Ministry where power transfers were rare, other departments often clashed over reappointment evaluations. Things would continue smoothly without incident, but when did the Empire ever have a day without incident? Especially the Imperial Defense Ministry—wasn’t that the place where the leadership changed two or three times a year after each military campaign?
“Minister Taiha, it’s a new year. Why are you so eager to take on such responsibilities? Won’t that only burden your successor?”
Wesley pointed this out with rather insulting language, implying that Taiha might be dismissed after taking on the work. Taiha’s thick eyebrows twisted visibly.
Why was Wesley acting like this? If she just backed down, there would be no problem at all. I couldn’t understand it. By Taiha’s own logic, this wasn’t something she should directly intervene in.
The Prime Minister looked between the two of them, mentally calculating their moves. She was someone whose momentum pierced the heavens, so I wasn’t sure if this was mere whimsy, but…
Bang, bang, bang!
“Minister Wesley. Please compose yourself.”
“I will, once that person stops spouting nonsense.”
“Minister Taiha’s point also has merit. Therefore, regarding Karenna, I ask that both departments handle the matter together. If you cooperate while each takes responsibility only for your own jurisdiction, there should be no problem. Let us move to the next agenda.”
The Prime Minister sided with Taiha. Wesley’s expression became incredulous, but most ministers confirmed the next report as if they’d expected this.
So she should have maintained the line properly.
The balance achieved through appropriate checks had shattered at the new year gathering. It was because of the “Truth Serum” developed by the Magic Ministry. Before appointing high-ranking officials, they wanted to administer a magical potion that would make people speak truth and sincerity. I couldn’t fathom what they were thinking creating such a thing.
“Yes, next is…”
“Continuing with the report…”
Where in this world could you find someone so clean that not a speck of dust would fall from them? And the Magic Ministry created it? What were they relying on? Departments other than the administrative branch ruled by the Emperor had banded together after a long time and were actively opposing this matter.
It seemed like the appointment of the Chief Justice would be where this began. I wondered how it would play out.
Count Hailot, whom Prince Marib was actively pushing for as Chief Justice, was the designated candidate. He was recognized as talented both externally and internally, but the problem was his upright character made him at odds with the Magic Ministry.
Whoosh.
Wesley gestured to her steward. When he approached, quietly attending the meeting, Wesley covered her mouth with her hand and whispered something. Everyone pretended not to notice, avoiding eye contact, but they all sharpened their senses to observe the two of them.
“Baretto, summon all the command mages.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And tell the Mana Stone Management Division to prepare as well.”
“I’ll ensure everything is ready.”
After giving her orders, Wesley’s sharp gaze swept across the ministers in the conference hall. No one was watching, but everyone felt their necks stiffen involuntarily.
Everyone, as always, wished for one thing.
That the meeting would end quickly.
* * *
“Should I have let him die back then?”
Romandro muttered seriously while reading the mayor’s letter. To hear such words from his mouth instead of Berik’s.
“It seems Berik has rubbed off on you.”
“Huh? No, isn’t it true? If Minister Wesley finds out, there’s no greater danger than that. Hasha aside, we who know the secret can’t guarantee our own safety either. She’s a woman who wiped out an entire village.”
Speaking it aloud made the reality hit hard. Romandro’s complexion grew increasingly pale, and soon he cried out in alarm.
“Ahhhhh! That’s right! We’re in danger right now! Oh no! Should I report this to Prince Marib?”
“Calm yourself, Romandro. Rash action could expose our hand. First, we need to confirm whether the mayor’s report has reached the imperial palace. If it hasn’t arrived yet, we can intercept it, and if it’s already been submitted, we need to see what it contains.”
In other words, it was time for Romandro to move. Since the grand conference was sharing matters across departments, a little inquiry would easily reveal the information.
“What comes next?”
Romandro asked, his palms sweating as he continuously wiped them on his shirt. What came next would be my responsibility, wouldn’t it?
“Now that I’ve entered the Ministry of Magic, I’ll gather information as well.”
Even if necromancy research was a public matter, there would surely be a difference between what was known externally and what was known within the Ministry itself. And more importantly….
“Why they conducted research on casting necromancy on the living as a ‘secret.'”
Wesley’s role in the imperial palace seemed clear. The vanguard in Prince Gail’s rebellion. But in the history I remembered, the undead were never used in any rebellion.
‘Then perhaps this matter is something Wesley is conducting individually. There’s a possibility Prince Gail doesn’t know about it. The key will surely emerge from this gap.’
A secret—in other words, the reason it became a secret.
And if unraveled again, that becomes a weakness.
“Wesley’s weakness….”
I pondered thoughtfully, and words spilled from my lips without realizing it. Romandro, who had regained his composure, reflexively wiped away cold sweat and responded.
“The weakness of Minister Wesley? That’s a bit of a misnomer.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“If we’re talking about his weakness, it would be Prince Gail, but the very notion that Prince Gail is a weakness doesn’t quite hold up, does it? He’s the second most powerful in the Empire. Well, that’s what I mean.”
I quietly mulled over his words.
Everything Wesley does is for Prince Gail….
But if Prince Gail doesn’t know about the necromancy incident, then it would be for Wesley’s sake.
‘Surely not.’
An absurd hypothesis crossed my mind. Turning the living into undead to place them under her command? Then surely not—targeting Prince Gail?
‘Unless she’s lost her mind, there’s no way….’
“In a sense, Minister Wesley has gone mad. There’s a reason they say ‘driven mad by love,’ isn’t there?”
“Good heavens.”
Romandro muttered to himself and continuously scanned through the Market Master’s letter. When I looked at him with a startled expression, Romandro instead grew flustered and blinked.
“D-did I misspeak?”

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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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