Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 145

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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 145. Ashes
Those lying prone slowly lifted their heads at the sudden silence. The constant shouts and bursting magic had abruptly ceased. I glanced around, wondering if it was over, but everything remained as it was.
“W-why is everyone acting like that?”
“Count Ian’s magic just stopped Wesley.”
“What? That’s great! Count Ian! Show us what you’ve got!”
“P-please stop the witch! Please!”
“What are you all doing? Why are you just standing there gawking?”
“Jairot! Magic Department!”
“Get Prince Gail behind Count Ian and protect him!”
The ordinary citizens, not understanding what had gone wrong, began shouting loudly. Yet despite this, the Mages and Palace Guards remained frozen like stone, unable to move easily.
‘Now, Ian’s magic actually worked?’
‘He made an impression at the New Year’s gathering, but to this extent?’
‘No, the opponent right now is Minister Wesley.’
‘Could this also be Minister Wesley’s illusion magic?’
A newly recruited Mage who had just joined the Magic Department surpassing the Minister of Magic who had risen to the position of youngest court noble at such a young age! This couldn’t be. It was as absurd as a newborn knocking down a seasoned Warrior rolling around the training grounds.
“Ian, that worked perfectly! My goodness, well done!”
“…Um, Romandro.”
“Hm? What, what?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d step away from me.”
Romandro had been happily shaking my arm when he froze. Step away when he was terrified out of his mind? I silently pointed my chin toward Wesley. Her gaze had completely shifted from Gail to me.
“Eek! Good heavens! Ian, be careful, be careful!”
Romandro, flustered and at a loss, stumbled backward and practically crawled away. A Palace Guard helped him up, and I carefully surveyed my surroundings. Everyone was still watching me as if they’d lost their minds.
‘The forbidden magic definitely worked. The intensity of the mana is still too early to assess.’
I had been deliberating whether to help Gail, but now there was no choice. If only I could do it, then I had no choice but to succeed. There was nothing more foolish than showing a passive attitude here. I should use this as a stepping stone to firmly establish my presence.
“Ian! Keep your wits about you.”
Nakina was the first to approach me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and bent down slightly. Matching her gaze with mine, we both glared at Wesley together.
“Right now, it seems you’re the only one who can land an effective blow. The commanders will arrive soon, so until then, make Prince Gail’s safety your top priority. Have you ever used offensive magic? Or defensive magic?”
“…No, but I’ll manage it.”
“Great answer. What incantations do you know?”
“I don’t know any of those either, but I’ll manage if you help me.”
“Even your posture is perfect. Good.”
Countless magical incantations passed through my mind, but I lightly shook my head and answered that I didn’t know.
“Ian.”
It was Wesley calling me. She was smiling brightly with surprise. With blood vessels rising on her snow-white skin, it was difficult to notice that she was smiling.
“My goodness, so that’s it. I see now.”
Everyone tensed and held their breath at the sight of the woman muttering as if she’d lost her mind. But I could discern her true intention. From the mana sphere attack just now, she had realized that I was a product of forbidden magic.
That I was someone who never existed in this world, and thus had been a thorn in her side all along.
“Wesley. Your every word, your every step creates sin.”
“It was you in Karenna too, wasn’t it?”
The flow of mana grew increasingly fierce. The disheveled woman’s hair slowly came undone, and soon flames ignited at her fingertips. Everyone held their breath, fearing that inhaling the heat would burn their throat and lungs.
“And so Gail came to understand. Ah, now I see what’s happening. Ian. It was all your fault.”
As Wesley’s momentum grew fierce, Nakina opened her magical power. She was revealing the incantation through light.
Zzzing! Zing!
Magic was a form of scholarship, and until one mastered it, there was no choice but to go through each step of the casting process. If one could internalize it and imprint it in their mind, it would be possible without any hassle, but that was another matter.
However, even so, the results varied dramatically depending on how vividly one could visualize the image, so ranking a mage’s talent was not particularly difficult.
“Nakina, no explosions!”
At Tomi’s cry, Nakina nodded. This was the lobby of the Great Meeting Hall. If we couldn’t lure the target outside, a strong impact could backfire on us. So we had to use magic that would bind and subdue the opponent.
「Binding」
It was a basic spell among those that could be used in the field, yet a complex pattern materialized before Nakina’s body. The magic circle glowed in concentric rings, and dozens of activation formulas swirled chaotically in its wake.
“Ian! Read it correctly! Then it becomes like this!”
Geometric shapes emerged from the ground beneath Nakina’s feet. If lightning had shattered into pieces, surely it would look like this.
The magic rapidly climbed the walls and spread to the ceiling. Then, finding the target’s location, it mercilessly rained down around her.
Crack! Boom!
Pillars of light crashed down in front, behind, and on both sides of Wesley. Her hair scattered once more from the impact. Her exposed face showed no fear whatsoever. She had already surrendered her life to summon the forbidden magic.
“Ian, did you see? Can you do it?”
It was an incredibly brief moment. The time it took for Nakina to open her magical power and cast the spell was only a few seconds. The other mages listening from the side jeered and shouted.
“Nakina, are you joking? How are we supposed to do anything after seeing that once!”
“Right, even we’d struggle with that! Having strong magical power and applying it are two different things. Probably.”
“Stop that and just keep pouring out magical power!”
“Keep their attention until the commanders arrive!”
“She doesn’t even read the situation.”
“Get your head in the game! Don’t waste effort!”
“Damn it, all of you shut your mouths! You’re making a mess! I’ll crack your skulls.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Nakina let out a sharp rebuke, and the mages bit their lips like bees in honey. Even with their combined strength, they were barely managing, yet they kept acting like this. Nakina calmly watched Wesley pass through the pillars of light.
‘It’s not working as expected.’
Normally, the binding magic’s function was to limit the opponent’s range through the magical power flowing between the pillars. But Wesley was approaching without any restriction. Nakina turned to Ian anxiously.
“I saw it clearly, Senior Nakina.”
“…Ah.”
Ian was smiling. More than any words, his smile said everything. That he was confident, that he could read every incantation she had just shown. Before Nakina could say anything, Ian activated his magic.
Zzzing. Zing.
Burst!
Golden eyes like a lion’s. His pupils dilated as magical power exploded violently from his entire body. Ian transferred the incantation Nakina had shown him directly into his mind and cast it without any process. Light began seeping through the cracks in the marble beneath his feet.
“Th, this is….”
“Scatter! Everyone get back!”
“H, he’s insane. Completely insane.”
The weight of magical power pressing down on Ian like gravity. As cracks spread across the marble, the light grew fiercer. Soon, everything around him—the walls and ceiling touching every surface—was consumed by light.
Boom! Bang!
Dozens, hundreds of beams of light falling from the ceiling. Every large and small beam wrapped around Wesley with perfect precision. The black smoke she conjured dissipated helplessly each time Ian’s magic struck.
As the gaps gradually filled, Wesley screamed with all her might, trying to break through the magic.
“Ian, are you determined to obstruct me until the end! You too are dabbling in the forbidden-”
Boom!
“It would be wise to stay silent, Wesley. I remind you, every word you speak continues to pile up as sin. Wouldn’t silence be better for your wellbeing?”
Just as she tried to cry out the forbidden secret, I unleashed a torrent of light upon her head without hesitation. Wesley deflected it lightly with her hand, but the attack came nonetheless.
Nakina paused, uncertain which aspect of this spectacle deserved her astonishment most.
‘How many strands of light are falling? And he’s weaponizing basic magic into offensive spells. This is….’
Possible? Even in the transcendent realm of magic, there existed boundaries of common sense, did there not? Not only Nakina but the other mages as well found themselves mesmerized by the cascading beams of light pouring toward Wesley.
Boom! Crash!
“Like a meteor shower….”
I couldn’t tell who muttered that, but those nearby found it a rather apt comparison. In broad daylight, within a half-open lobby, we witnessed the cataclysm of a meteor storm.
“…Well, but you see.”
Romandro lay flat as well, observing the spectacle. He tugged at a Palace Guard’s collar and whispered.
“Why does Wesley simply remain still?”
From her first appearance until now, she had made threats but launched no true counterattack. She had merely pressed inward, specifically seeking to meet Prince Gail. Even when the mages attacked in unison, she had simply ignored them.
‘No counterattack.’
I felt it too. Unlike the neutralized magic of the others, mine was proving effective against Wesley. The evidence lay in her continuous deflection of the light with her hands.
“Hey, isn’t something strange about Minister Wesley?”
“Right. The heat keeps intensifying, and I’m not sure if this is the right way to describe it….”
“It feels like my body is burning.”
“Yeah. Yes, that’s it. That’s exactly how it feels.”
Flesh peeled away in the scorching heat. It felt as though she were burning her very life force to continue moving.
She breathed heavily, then turned her gaze toward Prince Gail. His eyes burned with contempt, yet a smile bloomed across her face.
“Prince Gail.”
Zing! Zing!
Boom! Bang!
In that instant, Wesley called out Prince Gail’s name and unleashed her magical power to its maximum. The tremendous explosion shattered my light beams effortlessly. She lunged at Prince Gail in a flash, wrapping both arms around his neck.
“Your Highness!”
“Attack! Quickly!”
“Tear her away! Remove that witch!”
Their shock was brief before turning to horror. Wesley had seized the back of Prince Gail’s head and pressed her lips to his.
“Prince Gail. Did you truly think I would kill you?”
“Insane….”
“Death would never let you understand my suffering.”
That was when I understood. Wesley had not breached the Imperial Palace’s defenses with forbidden magic to spill Prince Gail’s blood, but to place an eternal curse upon him. Perhaps she had come here to make him aware of it directly.
“Prince Gail, you shall ―and thus ―, forever ―.”
Black smoke swirled around Wesley. My mind grew hazy, and her curse reached my ears in fragmented pieces. Yet Prince Gail seemed to have heard it clearly, his eyes widening as he spewed profanities unbecoming of his station.
“You madwoman!”
And in an instant, he drove his sword toward her neck. But Wesley’s form had already become smoke and dissipated, leaving only hot ashes swirling in the air.

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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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