Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 217

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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 217
A New Oracle
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
My pupils trembled as I finished reading the note. Romandro called out to me with concern, but I kept my gaze fixed on the paper without responding. I wondered if I had misread it somehow, so I read it again and again, but nothing changed.
Romandro turned to look at Ian.
“….”
But Ian merely sipped his tea with an impassive expression. Faced with such contrasting reactions from the two of them, Romandro ventured to make a request despite his hesitation.
“Your Majesty, if you don’t mind, may I see it as well?”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
“…Gasp.”
Romandro hurriedly took the note, and without realizing it, he stopped breathing. Based on my reaction, he had thought it wouldn’t be a favorable oracle, but….
-Cursed one, you cannot defy your fate. Die of your own will for Bariel. Then glory shall grace this world.
To anyone’s eyes, it was an oracle that matched my and Arcen’s circumstances. The cursed boy, myself. And a fate foretold from birth.
Romandro crumpled the note and looked around nervously. The servant remained bowed and waiting.
“Did the temple’s message come only to us?”
If so, it would be better to bury it here. The situation was already tilting toward Arcen’s side, and if it became known that such an oracle had been delivered, it would become uncontrollable. While there was much debate about the credibility of oracles, if a consistent message descended twice, even unfounded belief would take root.
“It was also delivered to the Administrative Ministry. Since only the department name was written without any special distinction, I suspect it contains the same content.”
“Oh no! This, this!”
Thwack!
Romandro struck his own forehead roughly and sighed. Of all places, the Administrative Ministry? Within half a day, everyone in the imperial palace would know of the new oracle. He clutched his head and collapsed onto the table.
“….”
Silence descended once more. Finding the quiet strange, Romandro lifted his head slightly. I seemed to be contemplating something, staring intently at one corner of the greenhouse, while Ian was savoring the aroma of his tea. One side was resolute, the other serene. Romandro felt puzzled and tapped Ian’s arm.
“Ian. Say something, will you?”
But Ian only blinked and signaled him to be quiet. At the moment Romandro raised his eyebrows at this inexplicable attitude, I spoke.
“…I am not the only cursed one in the imperial palace.”
“That is true, Your Majesty.”
“This oracle shall be understood as having descended not upon me, but upon Prince Gail.”
Prince Gail is also cursed. When you think about it, isn’t his curse more certain than my oracle, whose truth cannot be determined? His curse was a ‘fact’ whose source, method, and reason were clear.
Romandro, who had forgotten Prince Gail’s existence, exclaimed.
“That’s right. Yes, it is. This oracle has descended not upon Your Majesty, but upon Prince Gail. Yes, yes. That’s it.”
“Yes. I shall believe it to be so.”
I did not know exactly whom the oracle was pointing to, but I intended to believe it was Prince Gail. I knew all too well how cruel and arduous the fate derived from belief could be. I had experienced more painfully than anyone how belief creates a fate that becomes reality. From now on, I would not accept any false words into my life. I fixed my resolve while staring into the darkness.
“A wise decision, Your Majesty.”
Ian praised me without reservation. In truth, Ian already knew I would become Emperor, so the moment he saw “cursed one,” he thought of Prince Gail. But he waited until I realized it myself and acted upon it. I needed to fully recognize that I was precious.
“But what of Haimanga? If Haimanga learns of this, no—we need not even reach Haimanga. If Arcen’s power brokers learn of it, they will seize the moment and attempt to kill Prince Gail again.”
Already, because of the attack on Arcen, demands for Prince Gail’s summary execution were coming from all sides. If the interpretation of the oracle were twisted in that direction, they would not miss the opportunity to strike. At my concern, Ian nodded.
“Correct. In fact, all evidence against Prince Gail has been gathered. He conspired with Haimanga to incite rebellion, and the terms of that transaction have been prepared. The issue is the trial date.”
Unlike Prince Marib’s trial, which had proceeded swiftly with unified purpose, Prince Gail’s was more complicated. My side wanted to open the trial as quickly as possible, but Haimanga—precisely Haimanga’s side—would likely refuse to proceed with the trial before disposing of Prince Gail. They would continue to find various pretexts to delay the trial. Eventually, when we reached a breaking point, the trial would be held, but there was no denying that time was being wasted.
“For now, it would be best to observe the Grand Council and then set a new schedule.”
Ian gestured to Romandro. He was asking whether the matter of the indictment was proceeding without complications. Romandro then struck his chest confidently, as if to say he alone could be trusted.
“Understood.”
I unfolded the crumpled note with a slight gesture, muttering to myself as if to confirm once more that I was not the cursed one. Then Ian flicked his hand, releasing his mana. A small spark of flame was born at his fingertips.
Zzzing. Zing.
“Your Majesty. If you wish.”
If you wish, burn it away. Anything that goes against Your Majesty’s will has no reason to exist in this world. So, let me destroy it.
“Thank you.”
I understood Ian’s true meaning and smiled faintly. Without hesitation, I burned the note in the flame at his fingertips.
The charred ashes scattered briefly, yet they were pathetically light. The weight of the oracle that had pressed down and suffocated me was so insubstantial.
“Your Majesty. The sun will set soon. It would be best to return before the wind grows cold.”
“Count Ian, what of you?”
“Of course, I shall return as well.”
The Magic Bureau was both their workplace and their sanctuary. I brushed the ash from my hands and rose from my seat. The outside world might be cold, but within the greenhouse, warmth still lingered.
* * *
Perhaps it was because I had spent the entire day preparing from early morning and had even witnessed my brother’s death. I fell asleep in the carriage and was carried inside by Xiaoxi. I wished Ian and Romandro could rest as easily, but reality was far from kind.
Rustle.
“What’s next?”
“Maildaleily has requested a special interview. Remember that? In exchange for printing the extra edition, Viviana promised them an exclusive.”
“I remember. Schedule it during any remaining time. Once the mana verification ceremony begins, things will become even busier, so sooner would be better.”
Mountains of documents greeted Ian and Romandro. Certainly, there hadn’t been this much when they left this morning—likely reports from Quintana and the other ministers had been mixed in.
“And here, the indictment to be submitted.”
Romandro set down a thick stack of papers. What amounted to about a span of a hand was entirely a list of charges against the Haimanga clan for treason and serious crimes. Seeing it was more extensive than expected, Ian’s eyebrows rose.
“Quality over quantity. If unnecessary items are mixed in, the judiciary will waste time sifting through them, which works against us.”
“These are all based on facts. Or should we only charge them with the black-armored rebellion? Then we’d need about twenty pages total.”
“Wait a moment.”
Before it was formally submitted to the imperial palace, this was Ian’s final verification procedure. Since it was being filed under the Magic Bureau’s name, it was ultimately the same as filing it under his own name. He carefully reviewed it and pointed out sections requiring revision.
“Here, revise this. Move the order of the list. Haiman does hold shares in Cheteur, but nothing has been confirmed yet. It’s better to move it back.”
“Mm, just a moment. Yes, I understand.”
Romandro’s quill moved diligently. They continued working like this for quite some time when a sound came from outside.
Knock! Knock knock!
Ian glanced at the clock. It would soon be past midnight. From just the knock, he could guess who it was, so he gave a light permission.
“Captain Akorella? Come in.”
“Oh?! How did you know?!”
“Only Berik or you knock on the door like that.”
“Haha. Well, I heard that you’re submitting the indictment against Haiman tomorrow.”
She waved a thick stack of documents with one hand, laughing. Romandro, now at the point where the mere sight of white paper made him feel nauseous, covered his mouth and sent a look of shock.
“Additional materials? Ugh.”
“My, are you experiencing Viviana’s morning sickness in her stead?”
“It’s not morning sickness—it’s just that now whenever I see new paper, I feel sick. Truly.”
“Black crystals obtained from the Cheteur region. These are the research results.”
Ian accepted Akorella’s report with a puzzled tilt of his head. Research results already? That made no physical sense whatsoever. Ian pressed his brow with a slight wince.
“Captain Akorella. Don’t misunderstand—if you were concerned about what might be attached to the complaint, I would have politely refused.”
“It wasn’t done hastily. Of course, the investigation is still ongoing, but this content may be essential to include in the complaint, so I’m bringing it to you.”
Essential content? I paused to consider, then slowly read through the report. As I did, cracks appeared in my otherwise composed expression—unmistakably a sign of surprise.
“If I’m understanding this correctly…”
Romandro recalled what Akorella had mentioned about the combination of organisms and waited for my question. Would I be able to understand?
“You’re saying this is dragon scale?”
Clang. Romandro had lifted his coffee cup to shake off some drowsiness, but dropped it entirely. It made sense—while dragon teeth and various bones could be found with some frequency, dragon scales were another matter entirely.
“D-dragon scale? Scale? The kind of scale I know about?”
‘This is definitely problematic.’
I sighed and rested my chin in my hand.
Dragons were sacred beasts deemed inviolable by the world’s definition. Regardless of their population numbers, the myths surrounding them had made them so.
Romandro’s trembling hands went through the motions of washing his face, then he turned to me.
“Ian, do you know of ‘the Dragon’s Sacrifice’?”
In the chaotic primordial age, mighty dragons became weapons for humans and ravaged the battlefields. The continents split from the flames they breathed, and the chasms were filled again with their tears, a cycle repeated for centuries until the present crust was formed—or so the legend told.
Seeing such a terrible sight, the Divine stripped the dragons of their power and ended the war.
“It’s the account of how dragons lost their strength due to human greed. Every nation that calls itself a nation has signed the Inviolability Pact. Bariel was the one that signed it as a representative, after all.”
“You know it well.”
In short, the entire world had formed an alliance: don’t hunt dragons. However, there was an exception—the corpses of dragons that died naturally could be used, and their teeth and bones were often forged into swords.
Akorella tapped the report and added, “That’s why I was a bit confused. There was definitely something similar to magical power, but the crystalline structure was different. Oh, and apparently when dragons die naturally, their scales are the first thing to decompose and disappear. They’re extremely difficult to obtain.”
“That’s why I was a bit confused. There was definitely something similar to magic power, but the decision was different. Oh, and they say that when dragons die of natural causes, their scales rot away first. In other words, they’re extremely difficult to obtain.”
“You mean there’s a high possibility it was obtained while the dragon was still alive?”
“I think we should investigate the possibility of a separate supply factory. There are actually several large ones near Bariel.”
From birth until death, there are state-certified factories that raise dragons for a hundred years, waiting for their corpses. I handed Akorella’s report to Romandro and gave my instructions.
“Include this in the complaint as well.”

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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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