Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 235

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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 235
The Final Moment
Boom!
As the explosion erupted, the grand hall descended into chaos. While people rushed toward the exits to evacuate, mages streamed in through the entrances. The massive, tangled flow of the crowd swayed the surroundings dizzily.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Clear the way, damn it!”
“It’s alright. Please remain calm and exit slowly.”
“It’s dangerous. One person at a time, please!”
“Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts!”
“Be careful, please be careful, ugh!”
People tumbled helplessly in every direction, their screams echoing throughout. The chaos was so severe that it seemed far too raw to be the reaction of nobility.
Romandro sighed heavily and shouted.
“The Ministry of Magic will suppress this! Maintain composure and preserve your dignity!”
“A demon, isn’t it? A demon!”
“Everyone move aside! Exit in order of rank!”
Indeed, this was the great Empire of Bariel. Compared to other nations, it suffered almost no demon attacks, and these people enjoyed the finest lives within their peaceful existence.
It simply meant they had consumed demons as mere gossip fodder. Among them, there were surely those who had never truly believed demons existed.
Crash!
Bang! Boom!
Ian’s attack aimed precisely at Arcen’s heart.
But the boy deflected it with a small gesture. The two clashing forces repelled each other and dissipated. Like golden sand scattered into the void. Arcen laughed meaningfully at the sight.
‘What was that?’
Had he held back his power? Because of the light of the oracle nearby? Or the priests? The priests still drew breath. If it were Ian, he might have hidden other intentions. Perhaps he had truly been overwhelmed. Regardless, it favored him.
Ian observed the demon’s face and laughed along with him.
“How foolish. You’re thinking of survival.”
At Ian’s signal, the mages began drawing magical circles. Incantations were inscribed before every opening leading outside—windows, doors, and passages. It was as if invisible walls were being erected.
“I have warned you many times. If you are a demon, I will kill you. This place will be the last ground your human form treads upon.”
Zing! Zing!
The mages activated the magical circles, and the priests joined in, adding their sacred power. This was a demon recorded since the empire’s founding. Simply piercing its heart would not suffice.
Above all, if that creature left another curse upon its death, the imperial family could fall victim to a demon once more. Completely excising the rotted wood and burning it was the best course of action now.
“Ah!”
Each time light filled the magical circles, Arcen felt his breath catch. As the demon tried to flee in panic, Ian swiftly created dozens of concentric circles.
「Restraint」
The activation formula flashed brilliantly as the floor was ground away. Through the shattered cracks, magical energy surged forth, and from the ceiling it descended to confine Arcen’s position.
Boom! Bang!
As Arcen tried to extinguish the light, Ian unleashed relentless attacks. Deliberately, carefully, and slowly—as if stealing his attention.
Arcen quickly surveyed his surroundings and spotted Deilaina, who had lost consciousness and was being supported by her guards. They were just leaving the hall.
“Mother!”
A sharp crack rang out. Deilaina’s head snapped backward violently. As Jin turned in shock, Arcen stood watching them with tears streaming down his face. The guards tried to pull her away, but they could not move, as if bound by something.
“Mother. Will you abandon me? As you did with Jin? Will you do the same to me, the only one left?”
“Ugh….”
“Arcen! Please, stop!”
As Deilaina agonized, Jin spoke with barely contained fury—a wrath that had festered beneath the surface for a lifetime. Ah, there it is! Arcen shrieked with delight, as though he had discovered a delectable prey.
“Jin! Want me to show you something fun?”
Whoooosh!
Crack!
Arcen’s gaze fixed upon Jin. It was the moment I began condensing my magical power to block the demon’s whispers.
Beols, the Supreme Commander, came hurtling from nowhere and slashed his blade across Arcen’s face. The boy twisted his head to evade, but his right ear was torn clean away.
“Aaaahhh!”
“You wretched creature! Do you know where you are? You desecrate the Imperial Palace and threaten His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Commander Beols! Fall back! You mustn’t!”
Beols pursued the stumbling Arcen, attempting to drive his blade through him. But his attack froze mid-air. Arcen clutched his severed ear, breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face.
‘Black tears?’
“How dare you! How dare you! You—you—! Uuuaaahhh!”
Ziiing!
The demon’s shriek erupted in an instant, a cacophony of inhuman rage. Beols convulsed violently—the tremor born from his body moving of its own accord and his will desperately fighting against it.
“Beols!”
Brainwashing is the subjugation of one’s consciousness. It was among the threats I remained most vigilant against.
The saving grace was that this was merely a child’s body, not a fully matured form—the extent of his rampage had limits. He could not simultaneously brainwash countless people before drawing his next breath.
That is why I had deliberately refrained from provoking him, choosing instead to restrain him….
Swish.
The blade that had been aimed at Arcen suddenly turned toward Beols’s throat. The child’s eyes rolled back, whites gleaming, as he poured forth a curse dripping with malice.
“I’ll tear you to shreds!”
Crack!
Beols drove the blade into his own neck.
Drenched in the gushing blood, Arcen laughed with unbridled glee. Though the scene was grotesque and horrifying, his voice carried such an oddly cheerful lilt that it created a jarring discord.
“C-Count Ian, what do we do?”
“…Everyone, keep drawing the incantation circles. Guards, escort His Highness Jin out of here.”
“Your Highness, you must leave. Release the Lady Deilaina.”
“L-listen to me, Mother, just listen. You can do this, can’t you?”
“I am bound by an unknown force. Come with us!”
At my command, the guards lifted Jin into their arms. The hem of the dress she had been gripping so tightly finally slipped from her grasp. As Jin wept, tears streaming down her face, she held the image of her mother until the very last moment.
Ziiing!
Even the guards’ footsteps ceased. They staggered and collapsed forward, and Jin tumbled with them, falling to the ground.
“Jin! Listen carefully to what I say now! I have never used my power on your mother!”
Jin flinched as she pushed herself up. Fear flickered across her expression. What was this demon wearing my face saying now?
“Your mother abandoned you entirely by her own choice. Even without me, you would have been abandoned—so do not blame me unjustly. My pitiful little brother.”
“…That’s a lie.”
“It is no lie. Have you heard of Philia, Ian’s mother? I used my power on her as well, but she resisted to the very end—I failed. If Deilaina harbored even the slightest love for you, she would never have treated you so.”
Boom!
Ian thrust a beam of light into Arcen’s crown as if commanding him to shut his mouth. But with his momentum rising, Arcen swatted it away with all his might and screamed again. Not a shred of falsehood in his words—his expression of innocence was flawless, a bonus feature of his performance.
“One more thing!”
“Your Highness. He’s lying. Cover your ears and leave.”
“Ian, he’s of imperial blood! Hahahaha!”
“…!”
Such a baseless, absurd claim. Everyone knew the obvious truth—that Ian’s father was Count Derga and his mother was Philia. Even the mages who had been endlessly inscribing spell formations stopped in shock.
Ian’s gaze remained cold as he compressed his magical power to its maximum. As if he intended to blow that creature’s head clean off.
“Jin. You didn’t know? Why would Ian help something like you? It’s all because that thing has ulterior motives! Once I’m dead and only you remain, it will surely reveal its true nature! A far more dangerous being than I am, so be careful! Ahahaha!”
Crash!
Ian’s attack pierced through Arcen’s neck. The boy hunched over, spilling black blood, yet his laughter never ceased. Remarkably, his voice remained clear and unaffected.
“Don’t believe me? Shall I show you?”
“Gasp! Ugh!”
“Aaaaah!”
“I-Ian. This is… ugh.”
“Wait, step back! Cough!”
Arcen melted away. He had exhausted even the power that maintained his human form. All that remained was a gelatinous mass, with only a head and a frantically beating heart atop it.
“Only the imperial bloodline receives the blessing to resist mental domination! Behold! Jin, my brother! Who stands here unscathed before this?”
The mages all collapsed forward, crying out in agony. The priests wreathed in sanctity reacted even faster, having long since lost consciousness.
Jin stepped backward, glancing around. Only Jin and Ian—two souls breathing before that demon’s presence.
“Count Ian?”
“…Your Highness.”
Instead of answering, Ian grasped Jin’s shoulder and pushed him backward. As Jin retreated slowly, one step at a time, he suddenly realized he had been guided outside the door.
“Count Ian!”
“We shall meet again. Is anyone there!”
“Your Highness, this way!”
“Count Ian! Wait!”
Creak.
Slam!
Jin tried to shake off his guards and approach Ian, but he could not. The coldly shut door prevented it. Or perhaps it was Ian’s incomprehensible gaze.
“Hahahaha!”
Each time Arcen laughed, his remaining heart convulsed violently.
Ian walked between the fallen bodies. With each step, ripples spread and new spell formations materialized. Unlike the mages who had inscribed them one by one, he created them simply by perceiving them.
Zing.
“How fitting for a demon. Ugly to the very end. I cannot send you off gently. Feel every ounce of pain you are capable of experiencing.”
“Ha, hahahaha!”
Arcen began to gasp. As Ian picked up a sword lying on the ground, even his face began to melt away. In his own way, he was preparing for a final, desperate end.
“I once thought meeting you now was a blessing. Your evil would only have grown fiercer with time, making things difficult. But I was wrong. You should have died the moment you were born ten years ago. No—you should never have been born at all.”
“…Ian. I have something to tell you as well.”
Toxins rose from the gelatinous mass. As the miasma grew thicker, Ian’s brow furrowed. It was unbearably repulsive.
“You will never obtain what you desire. I know this. The next Bariel is calling for Jin.”
That is why Jin’s bloodline descended through his brother. It is a warning that if you harbor ambitions for the throne, your desires shall not come to pass.
Ian grasped his sword with an air of inevitability and took another step forward.
“That works out well. I too believe Jin must stand beside the future Bariel.”
“…!”
At that, Arcen cried out urgently and wrapped himself in even more potent venom. So toxic that magic could not dispel it. This was Arcen’s very essence—the depths of the curse that had persisted since the kingdom’s founding.
“Go on, try to pierce me! If you kill me, you will die as well. And if you die, Jin will not last much longer!”
Ian gazed down at his thrashing heart in silence. He could well imagine what would become of Jin’s standing in the imperial palace should he perish. Haiman would certainly move against him, and hyena-like vultures would descend upon the young Prince to tear him apart.
But if he could not dispose of Arcen here?
‘Time favors Arcen.’
The demon would regenerate and ensnare Jin once more. Moreover, he would bring ruin upon Bariel. Beyond Arcen, another demon would seep into the imperial palace.
“…Demon. That is no choice at all.”
Zing. Zing!
Ian drew forth all the power within his body. In that instant, the magical circles inscribed throughout the hall ignited simultaneously and converged upon his blade. Like the currents of the cosmos, innumerable lights swirled in an incomprehensible dance, enveloping Ian.
“Th…!”
Arcen’s venom surged upward in defiant rejection of its end.
Screeeech.
Boom.
The hall doors swung open. Ian turned to look back, his sword still raised toward the void.
“Quite the heated party for broad daylight.”
It was Prince Gail. Though Arcen’s malevolent aura permeated the hall, he walked in without hesitation. He flicked a cigarette in greeting.
“Mind if I join?”

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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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