Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 22

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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 22. The Tutor
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
At my words, the Tutor hesitated. He was a penniless wretch with nothing to his name. Though technically a bastard, he was far less consequential than me, a mere hostage.
So what could he possibly expect from someone like me?
“What exactly…?”
“Meet with my father sometime next week. The subject doesn’t matter, but the location should be the Garden, not the Office. And thirty minutes should be sufficient time.”
Generous enough to slip into the Office undetected during that interval. I needed time to melt the wax and stamp the seal.
The Tutor’s expression showed complete bewilderment.
“You don’t need to understand the details.”
“So… if I just do that, you’ll keep my relationship with Mollin secret?”
“Of course. Including the attempt to ransack the Butler’s room.”
“No! That’s a complete misunderstanding!”
The Tutor jumped up, waving his hands frantically. Given that everything was already exposed, his reaction suggested there was more to the story.
“Then?”
“I wasn’t trying to steal valuables—”
The Tutor’s mouth opened and closed. The confession reached his throat but wouldn’t come out. When I gave him a pressing look, he finally exhaled and spoke.
“I needed a travel pass.”
“A travel pass?”
“The frontlines of the Bratz Estate are off-limits to civilians. For me, it’s the only place where I can observe the Great Desert directly. I particularly need observations between Tower 3 and Tower 4, but the Count refuses to authorize it for safety reasons.”
But if I had the Butler’s pass…
It was stamped directly by Count Derga, so there were no restrictions. That made sense—if anything happened to the Count, the Butler would need to act as his proxy. The Tutor had tried to steal the Butler’s pass to complete his research.
“Is that so?”
I rested my chin in my hand, thinking carefully. I’d seen many people obsessed with a single subject like this. Their lives could be broken, but their research drive rarely wavered.
“How far has your research progressed?”
“I’ve been here for quite some time now. I’ve nearly completed all the climate measurements for the Bratz region, and I’m planning to leave for Blaster to continue my research there.”
His thesis topic was “The Correlation Between Climate Changes in the Great Desert and Blaster’s Seasons.” Naturally, he’d have to spend an indefinite amount of time there as well.
An interesting thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Is that so? Then let me ask you one thing.”
“What would that be…?”
“In late spring, I must leave here and enter the Great Desert to the Cheonryeo Tribe’s encampment. Could you calculate the climate conditions for that time?”
Deserts weren’t uniformly hot day and night year-round. Among the extreme temperatures, sandstorms raged with their own fury.
At my question, the Tutor murmured uncertainly.
“Precise calculations would be difficult. It would take some time.”
“That’s fine. I only need to know before I depart. You should have desert maps as well.”
“I have one, though it’s from ten years ago.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d prepare it separately. In that case, I’ll obtain a travel pass for you.”
“What? A travel pass?”
Since passes required a seal, I could simply stamp one more while creating Mollin’s.
The Tutor blinked at my confident demeanor, as if he’d heard me but couldn’t quite comprehend.
“What do you say? If you tell me everything about the desert, I believe I can give you everything in return.”
“I-I would be most grateful if you could do just that.”
I smiled brightly and extended my hand.
“Very well. Then let us strike a bargain.”
The Tutor stared intently at the boy’s hand.
Should he take it? Did the boy harbor some hidden agenda? My life rested in Count Derga’s grasp, and wouldn’t cooperating with this side result in exile being commuted to execution? As a scholar, he had no way of knowing such matters.
“I intend to live my own life, and you will live yours. Besides, the moment you use the travel permit, you’ll be crossing the Border anyway, won’t you?”
“…That’s true.”
Then there was no reason to hesitate further. Even if problems arose, he would be traversing the Great Desert by then.
The Tutor grasped my hand with resolute eyes. Who would have thought a bargain between a middle-aged man and a boy could be so solemn? I smiled and gestured toward the desk.
“Then, sir. Shall we discuss the details while we study?”
* * *
The Tutor’s pretext for summoning Count Derga was settled.
That he was suddenly quitting as a tutor. Since he would leave Bratz the moment he received the travel permit anyway, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
I carefully tucked the damp handkerchief into my pocket and turned to Hena. The thick leather gloves were essential as well.
“Hena. Do you have what I asked for?”
“Right here.”
She whispered so quietly that only Berik could hear, her voice trembling with caution. Hena produced a small wooden key that fit in the palm of her hand. One was for the Office, and one was for the drawer safe.
“I told the carpenter he would be paid within the week. Though truthfully, even if it’s late, he’ll be satisfied with just a bottle of liquor.”
After that day, Hena had snuck into the Butler’s quarters again. She had taken an impression of the key using mud and commissioned its creation from a carpenter using non-conductive wood. The surface was even coated with rubber solution.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Then I shall take my leave now.”
Creak.
As Hena left, I checked my pocket watch. The time I’d agreed upon with the Tutor was nearly upon us. I had to stamp both seals quickly while Count Derga’s Study was empty.
“Are you ready?”
“Ugh. Why do I have to do this?”
Tap-tap-tap!
Berik grumbled but followed close behind me. His skill at moving silently was quite impressive. As we made our way from the Guest House to the upper floor of the Main Building, we didn’t encounter a single soul. Part of it was our roundabout route, but mostly it was thanks to Hena informing us of the servants’ schedules.
“There.”
Through the window, I could see the familiar back of a man’s head. Count Derga walking ahead, and the Tutor beside him. Even the Butler was gathered there most conveniently. As the Tutor stammered something, Count Derga’s expression immediately turned uncomfortable.
“Now you stay here and keep watch carefully. Don’t let anyone pass until I return.”
Whoosh—
And with that, I channeled my mana into him. As my golden eyes gleamed, my hair fluttered in the wind. Berik felt the quickened blood flow and let out a laugh.
“You look like you’re hoping someone comes.”
“Does it show? You read me well.”
“This is important. Berik. If you cause trouble, I won’t be able to handle it.”
“If it gets exposed anyway, you’ll kill me anyway, right? I mean.”
Berik waved his hand dismissively. If things went wrong and someone approached, his role was to create a disturbance and draw attention. The natural scenario would be that he’d been caught trying to steal gold coins from Chel’s room downstairs.
“I’ll be out soon.”
For that reason, I pushed a maximum amount of mana into Berik’s body. So he could escape easily, or even if he were whipped, his recovery would be faster than before.
Tap-tap-tap!
Creak.
I inserted the prepared key into the office lock and slipped inside. Though I hadn’t been here in ages, nothing had changed.
Thud.
Without hesitation, I made straight for Count Derga’s desk. I opened the largest drawer and peered into its depths.
‘There it is.’
A groove carved into the seam. A hole positioned perfectly where I could slide the diamond in with just a reach of my hand. I carefully withdrew the wooden key I’d prepared.
Whirrrrr—
And just to be safe, I gathered all the mana within my body. Even rubber-coated wood could be dangerous if the voltage ran high enough. If foreign energy entered through my fingertips, I’d reflexively deploy a protective barrier. Whether my bastard’s body could manage it remained to be seen, but…
Click.
The key slid into the hole with satisfying precision. As I pushed it all the way in, another secret drawer revealed itself.
“Ah.”
Inside lay a seal, a mana brooch, two gold ingots, and yellowed letters scattered about. I knelt down and examined the contents.
I placed a wax holder over the candle. While the spoon heated, I decided to examine the letters.
‘…Are these correspondences exchanged with the Cheonryeo Tribe?’
Damn it all—they were written entirely in the Cheonryeo language, making them impossible to decipher. I recognized a few scattered words, but they were far too fragmentary.
‘Next… female queen… after that?’
What in the world did it mean? If it were any other foreign language, perhaps, but the barbarous tongue of the Frontier lay beyond my capabilities. Instead, I copied the words onto parchment, intending to decipher them later.
Swish, swish.
The spoon had heated through; the wax melted into liquid. I poured the wax and pressed the seal into it.
Thump! Bang!
Once for the letter bound for Central, and once more for the travel permit I’d give the Tutor. After stamping them all, I skillfully cleaned up the wax residue. The key was wiping it away with a damp cloth before it hardened.
Hisssss.
The heated metal spoon cooled rapidly, releasing faint wisps of smoke. If Count Derga returned and sensed the warmth, it would be disastrous. I blew on the metal to hasten its cooling.
“Done.”
Everything had gone smoothly. I returned the items to their places and verified the seal had impressed properly. Now I just needed to leave…
Thump.
A sound from somewhere—footsteps.
My body went rigid. Was it from outside the door? No. If so, it would have been louder and more careless—meaning Berik had caused a commotion. That left only one place…
“Count? Are you here?”
The Steward’s office attached to the study. I suppressed my presence entirely and slipped behind the curtain. I couldn’t fathom why he was here. Count Derga never left his office unattended…
“Count?”
Creak.
The small inner office door opened, revealing the disheveled Steward. Thank heavens for the blackout curtains. If they’d been chiffon, I’d have been discovered instantly.
“Strange. I could have sworn I heard something…”
Puffy eyes as if he’d just woken. It seemed he’d collapsed here after working late yesterday—of all the rotten timing.
“…?”
The Steward sensed something amiss and stared at the curtain where I hid. Cautiously, he took a step forward.
Rustle.
The parchment in my grip was so thin that even my breathing produced sound. This heightened the Steward’s alertness and deepened my predicament.
“Who’s there?”
I turned my gaze toward the window. A brilliant sky. Sunlight poured down generously. Everything felt strangely still. It was my habit, my nature.
Composure instead of tension. Action instead of worry.
Mistakes could be corrected, but failure could not.
Screeeech—
“Aaaahhhhh!”
The moment the Steward grasped the curtain, I unleashed my mana. The compressed wind burst forth, scattering energy in a violent wave around us.
Simultaneously, the Steward’s nose erupted with blood as he collapsed backward, and the curtain he’d released fluttered behind him, but I couldn’t see who stood there.
Boom!
He lay sprawled on his back, only the whites of his eyes visible. I carefully drew the curtain closed and quietly slipped out of the office.
“Done?”
Berik, who had been sitting on the stairs, jumped to his feet at the sight of me. I gave a brief nod and led the way, rushing down the stairs. Through the window, the silhouettes of three men were still visible. In a glance, the Tutor looked up and our eyes met.
The composed expression of the boy was answer enough—everything had gone perfectly.

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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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