Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 208

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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 208
Cheture District 3
“Haa, haa…”
“Ugh, I’m dying.”
“Dying? You’re alive, aren’t you?”
“Is anyone hurt? Is everyone okay?”
The drenched Imperial Guards all knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. As the rain intensified with the approaching dawn, they all sighed as if they’d been given a second chance at life, shaking the water from their hair.
Before them lay a legion of armored bodies. A few guards who still had strength left dragged the enemy knights to the ground.
“This one is dead.”
“This one too. Dead.”
“Ah, damn it. This is ridiculous, really.”
Such was the curse of mana-stone armor. While it provided nearly absolute offensive and defensive power in combat, the moment it shattered, the wearer couldn’t withstand a Mage Knight’s attack and perished. The Imperial Guards casually kicked aside the fragmented armor and focused on confirming survivors.
“This one is alive, but bleeding heavily.”
“Move him! By the way, why hasn’t reinforcement arrived?”
“Usually they show up when someone says that.”
“Right. That’s their thing—they come after we finish the cleanup.”
Clop clop clop. I hear hoofbeats. Wow, no exceptions. None at all.”
Clatter clatter clatter. The sound of approaching figures could be felt from far away. The Imperial Guards joked lightly among themselves while waving their hands in that direction.
“Iaaaan! Ian!”
“Romandro. We’re here.”
Romandro, riding alongside Beols on his horse, waved a handkerchief repeatedly to signal his arrival to Ian. Captain Jairot wrung out the water from his upper garment and spoke.
“Beols, why are you so late?”
“Sorry. The rain was so heavy the bridge got submerged. We had to take a detour. Is everyone safe?”
After Riama’s death, only Beols and Jairot remained to lead the Imperial Guards. Though it shouldn’t happen, the worry gnawed at Beols, darkening his expression. He noticed Jairot had no wounds and handed him a cigarette.
“Whenever we sparred, Riama was always the one flying around the most.”
“She was young. Tsk. And besides, we had no information.”
“Was it manageable?”
“Five of them attacking at once wouldn’t have worked.”
Jairot and Beols immediately shared details of the battle that had occurred in the night. What approach they’d used, how the ranks held up, and so on. It was to respond effectively if the armored legion appeared again in the future.
“Please move the wounded this way!”
“Can you walk?”
“It hurts. Just slowly, please.”
The emergency transport carriage that arrived next moved the wounded in a line. In truth, only Barsabe was among their own, while most of the rest were enemy survivors. The next task was to keep them alive—very much alive—to extract their testimony.
“Captain. And Minister Ian.”
Barsabe, limping and supported on both sides, called out to the two men. The light of dawn was beginning to break clearly. Though the sky was still gray, the afternoon of this day would shine with bright sunlight.
“The pursuers seem to have been mostly drawn from District 3. Please investigate that area.”
“Understood.”
“Captain. Thank you for coming.”
…
Jairot clamped his mouth shut and turned away. Over his shoulder, he merely waved his hand as if urging them to hurry along.
“If I hear one more word about another corpse being discovered, you’ll face my wrath.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Go.”
Barsabe bowed respectfully toward me as well before boarding the carriage. Those in such a hurry departed Cheture first.
I signaled to Romandro, Captain Jairot, and Beols with a glance, suggesting we speak briefly. They stepped away from the chaotic cleanup and pulled out cigarettes.
“Steward Romandro, will you have one?”
“No, thank you, but my wife is expecting a child.”
“And you, Minister Ian?”
“I’ve quit as well. More importantly, what do you anticipate will happen once the sun fully rises?”
“By anticipate, you mean regarding Haiman?”
“Despite revealing themselves as Imperial Guards, they initiated an attack—a clear violation of national security law. The Mailideaili incident, the entanglement with Prince Gail—there’s not a shred of good news for the Haimanga family in any of it.”
Except that Arcen is a mage user. Of course, that advantage will become worthless within days. I glanced sideways at Beols.
‘Captain Jairot will take a negative stance toward Haiman due to both Barsabe’s death and tonight’s battle. The problem is Beols.’
Beols was one who received the Emperor’s words directly. Whether it was Jin or Arcen, he would seek to appoint a qualified successor without bias toward either side. If he were merely a passive neutral observer, it wouldn’t matter, but if he aided Arcen under the guise of maintaining balance, things would become complicated. Perhaps reading the suspicious yet composed glint in my eyes, Beols stubbed out his cigarette and added:
“My priority is His Majesty’s safety, and second is the Imperial Guard. Captain Jairot’s will is my will, so please don’t misunderstand.”
I smiled lightly and gestured casually. It was a signal to gather closer.
“Soon workers will arrive for their shifts. Since the bridge is flooded, you, Beols, will station people to block the path you came through.”
“But this is a private establishment, so we lack justification.”
“Simply say there’s risk of flooding and collapse from the torrential rain that fell overnight. Call it a special emergency measure equivalent to a disaster. I trust you understand that mixed crowds will hinder the search.”
It made sense. Captain Jairot and Beols nodded in agreement, while Romandro regarded me with an expression of wonder. Wasn’t this exactly what I’d explained to them during the night?
Knowledge and wisdom are different things. The ability to immediately apply what one knows is itself remarkable. Romandro cleared his throat and silently prayed: Please, let his child resemble Ian.
“Romandro?”
“Yes? Yes yes? Ah, yes!”
“You’re tired, but push a bit harder and search Sector 3. Send a formal complaint through the palace to the Haimanga family, and ensure the custody of those arrested at the scene is protected.”
“It seems they’ll be arrested again just a day after being released from the palace.”
“No matter how powerful Haiman is, this situation is spiraling beyond control. We must convene the Grand Council immediately.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll relay the message at once.”
Now it was no longer a matter of restraint but a necessary generational transition. The problems entangled with the Haimanga family were so complex and numerous that their troubles would inevitably become Bariel’s troubles. It was safer to quickly unload cargo from a sinking ship.
‘Come to think of it, compared to my previous life, the Haimanga family is now walking an entirely different history.’
The Haimanga family had remained prosperous even during the era when I was Emperor. Their banks were still established throughout the city, and without them, Bariel’s economy could not be discussed.
‘…Something troubles me.’
If I cause Haiman to fall, unlike the original history, what becomes of Bariel’s future? Will Sereo, taking their place, maintain the lineage positively or negatively?
History is a vast current, is it not? No matter how much one struggles within it, the waters only splash more fiercely, yet the flow from above to below remains unchanged. Like a pin pressed down by God—it can never be pulled out.
“Ian, let’s go.”
This time Romandro roused me. In the meantime, corpses and armor fragments had been quickly cleared away, leaving the streets clean. We decided to proceed with searching warehouses and buildings, focusing first on Sector 3.
Tap tap tap!
“Bring the Administrator! Cross-reference any unreported goods, and bring out anything even remotely suspicious!”
“There are people in this warehouse!”
“We were just working the night shift, that’s all.”
“We don’t even know what this is about. Really.”
“We belong to Co&Co, not Haimanga.”
“Though we do receive funding from Haimanga….”
Those who had kept watch through the night without leaving the Cheture district were dragged out one by one. They had to present identification, and even families were ordered to the guard station for brief interrogations.
“Now that I think about it, the Captain of the Cheture Guards is nowhere to be found. The commotion is bigger than expected.”
Beols flipped through the stack of documents secured from the District 3 Access Control Office, muttering to himself. All the regular soldiers except those guarding the corpse had been dispatched for the search, yet the Captain himself remained absent.
“My apologies. The Captain left Cheture due to personal matters. We’ve sent word, so he should arrive shortly.”
Ian, who had been reviewing the reports beside him, clicked his tongue. Hadn’t the same thing happened when they encountered that band of thieves in Karenna? He’d never seen a supervisor actually stay at their post when trouble broke out. At this point, it was practically a science.
Wheeee!
Then, a hand whistle sounded from the distance. Someone had discovered something suspicious. Ian and Beols immediately bolted from the office.
Patter patter!
The rain had stopped completely, but the ground remained soaked. Wooden crates were stacked in layers across the wet road. All of them appeared to be items from that suspicious warehouse.
“What is all this?”
“Ah, these are items from the Co&Co warehouse. Well, this side here is iron, copper, tin, and such that we supply to the Blacksmiths, and this side has no markings—we’re not sure if they’re traded as non-sale items.”
“And?”
“This, the pitch-black color—isn’t it exactly that armor color? The matte finish matches too, and when I fed a bit of mana into it, it reacted. I was concerned it might be an abnormal reaction, so I just checked it carefully.”
Creak.
One of the Guards opened the crate. At first glance, one might mistake it for coal. Round objects the size of a fist were stacked inside. Ian picked one up and examined it from every angle.
“Hmm.”
“Do you have any idea what it is?”
Matte black mana stones. I had a rough idea of a few possibilities, but I wasn’t an expert in that field. I’d need to conduct research to know for certain. I closed the lid and gestured to Romandro.
“Let’s send this to Captain Akorella.”
“Oh my, that Captain will be thrilled enough to faint. I wonder if she’ll even wake up this time.”
“If this is a newly discovered variety, it would certainly be quite significant.”
A shout came from deeper in the warehouse—another discovery. The emergence of a new mana stone, revealed through the confiscation of the Haimanga warehouse. I tossed the mana stone lightly to Romandro.
“Before we send a report to Haimanga, they might contact us first. Seize everything! All mysterious raw stones discovered here shall be confiscated by the Imperial Palace!”
“Yes, understood!”
“Come on, let’s move.”
“Assign a few to handle transport, and have the rest move to the next warehouse to continue the search. We’re focusing on District 3, but we’ll examine all districts before the day ends.”
Salute!
The Guards saluted at my words and dispersed. Romandro selected the mana stones to send to Captain Akorella, then made a suggestion to me. After all, I’d been soaked by rain and hadn’t rested while keeping my mana sealed.
“Why not take the raw stones and head inside yourself? There should be documents waiting in your office, so you can get some proper rest in a comfortable place. You can review the work right away.”
“Would you prefer I go?”
“Yes, yes. Go check on that Berik fellow while you’re at it. Pay your respects to Prince Jin as well. I’ll handle things here.”
At Romandro’s urging, my eyes lit up playfully. Just as I was about to refuse, a Jeonseogoo swiftly landed on my shoulder. It was from the Magic Ministry.
“…Then I’ll take the raw stones with me. Romandro, handle the work well and return.”
“What’s this?”
I waved the slip of paper lightly. Scrawled clumsily, there was a drawing of a cow. Berik had woken up.

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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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