Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 239

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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 239
Fire. Three Hours Earlier
It was the moment when Ian declared the demon’s annihilation. Most eyes fixed upon him, yet many others studied Duke Haiman’s complexion with keen interest.
The Duke’s bewilderment—a sight I had never witnessed before—had plummeted to the absolute nadir of human despair. Haiman, who stood between the imperial family and nobility, made no effort to conceal his distress, releasing soft groans of anguish.
“Damn it.”
“D-Duke.”
He had conspired with Prince Gail and already thrown the imperial palace into chaos once. To overcome that disaster, he had pushed Arcen forward as the heir—yet here came this bolt from the blue! A demon? The cursed product of the empire’s very founding? It was maddening, infuriating. But what made it truly catastrophic was that his rival, Ian, had discovered it and resolved it.
If only the demon had risen again. If only everyone had died, killed one another, and everything had collapsed. Then their sins would have been lost in the confusion, their forms unrecognizable.
‘Even now, even now, if I could just eliminate that bastard somehow—!’
His thoughts spiraled in desperation when a voice cut through the chaos.
His jaw clenched as he listened, mind racing for any possible solution.
“…Prince Gail Berosion, the Second Prince of Bariel, has passed away.”
Haiman’s teeth, which had been grinding relentlessly, suddenly stopped. His head snapped up in shock. Those around him gasped in unison, their breath catching in surprise.
Prince Gail was dead. All those desperate measures to kill him before the trial had become meaningless. He had walked to his own demise.
“Did you just hear that? Unbelievable!”
“Prince Gail has passed away.”
“Something seemed amiss when he climbed those stairs earlier. Could it have been a sacrifice for Bariel?”
“Sacrifice? Hardly. He was simply seizing an opportunity that failed. A body bound by charges of treason. By eliminating the demon, he could at least restore some dignity to his fallen name, making it easier to negotiate with the Ruswena faction during his exile.”
“Still, one thing is certain—he ascended those stairs prepared for death.”
Disorderly voices drifted without purpose, shallow and frivolous. But it was brief. Haiman’s faction, which had been watching for any opening, exchanged silent glances and fell quiet.
As the Mages, the Imperial Guard, and the escorts rushed into the building to manage the situation, they naturally withdrew and clustered together.
“Duke. We must devise a strategy.”
“Y-yes, let us leave the palace first. We should gather our private forces and deliberate. Have each contact their estates and assemble there. As for Lady Deilaina… no, things are too complicated to concern ourselves with that now.”
“Will that not cause problems?”
“If we continue like this, problems are the least of our worries—we’ll all be dead!”
They had supported the demon that sought to destroy Bariel. The game was essentially over. The Magic Ministry had already saved the imperial palace twice, and the prince they harbored had become the empire’s sole heir.
And that was not all. The Emperor, having lost his position, could no longer fulfill his role. It was clear that Ian would become the true master of the imperial palace.
I could see no path forward. Both front and rear were sealed shut, and despair rose to my very throat.
“We leave the palace.”
Whatever happened, returning to the estate was wiser than remaining in the palace. Ian’s condition seemed dire—perhaps this was our opportunity. If there truly was no other recourse, we would attempt exile to Ruswena as Prince Gail had done.
It was the moment they began preparing the carriages.
“Wait.”
The Prime Minister, who had been conferring with the Mages, suddenly raised his hand. Haiman dimly perceived what measures he would take. The Mages had begun rushing toward the palace’s main gates. The Prime Minister cleared his throat loudly and deliberately.
“Ahem! Until the situation is fully contained, all entrances and exits to the imperial palace will be sealed.”
A demon had infiltrated the palace disguised as a prince. Another prince had died because of it. What greater humiliation could Bariel’s history bear?
This was a matter that could not be recorded in history, so the cleanup had to be perfect. Control, erasure, and fabrication for future generations. Everything needed to be rewritten as if Bariel existed before Arcen’s birth.
To accomplish this, sealing the exits to contain the witnesses was the first priority.
“Everyone will proceed to the First Imperial Palace’s main hall under escort.”
The Prime Minister made no mention of scheduling a strategy meeting, suggesting some form of investigation would occur beforehand.
Arcen had used brainwashing, they said. It was proper procedure to determine whether anyone else had fallen under the demon’s influence. Though with the Mages and Priests so occupied, I had no idea when my turn would come.
“Ah, yes. I was trapped like this before as well.”
“Once you enter the imperial palace, there’s no leaving, my lord.”
“There’s no helping it. The matter is far too serious. One way or another, it was already certain we wouldn’t be leaving today. Simply having dealt with the demon is something to be grateful for.”
“This way, please! I shall guide you!”
The nobles whispered among themselves as they boarded their carriages. One by one, they disappeared into the main building of the First Imperial Palace following the gestures of the Imperial Guard—a direction opposite to the exit. Duke Haiman and his followers, unable to do anything about it, reluctantly settled into their carriage.
Neigh!
‘The palace gates must be sealed by magic. They cannot be breached by physical force.’
Duke Haiman twisted his beard as though he might tear it out. Think. Observe. Consider how to survive, how to overcome this crisis.
Before, panic had driven him only to thoughts of escape—but now, thinking calmly, wasn’t that the most amateurish of mistakes? The Duke arrived at the First Imperial Palace and remained silent, assessing the situation as his followers gathered around him.
“My lord.”
Two hours passed. As the sky deepened, someone approached him.
A mage draped in robes—one connected by golden meridians deeper than blood vessels. The one who had sent a letter to Duke Haiman on behalf of the Magic Ministry. He carefully reported what had transpired at the scene of the incident.
“…Arcen’s essence remains. It will certainly prove he was a demon. Ian destroyed the demon with a sacred incantation circle and collapsed from the backlash—he’s currently receiving treatment. Romand is in the same condition. Deilaina is hovering at death’s door. It seems there’s no hope for her.”
“Hmm.”
It was fortunate that Ian had collapsed, but it was unfortunate that Deilaina had no hope. Jin seemed to hold deep affection for his mother.
It had been a mistake caused by the demon’s machinations—the pretext to seek forgiveness through his mother was now gone.
“And the survivor said something strange. Arcen claimed that Ian is of imperial blood. As proof, he cited the blessing of the imperial family that cannot be affected by brainwashing.”
“What?”
Duke Haiman’s voice rose at this unexpected nonsense. His followers, who had been watching anxiously, focused their attention even more intently. The mage, feeling burdened, pressed his robe down firmly and vanished.
“My lord. What was that fellow saying?”
Duke Haiman stared blankly ahead. Despite his composed expression, his fingertips continuously scraped and tore at the armrest of the sofa. A path had begun to emerge—a chance to survive.
“…Listen carefully from now on. This moment will be the crossroads between life and death. First, we too were brainwashed by Arcen’s influence. Otherwise, how could we have pushed a demon as Bariel’s successor? Isn’t that right?”
“Y-yes, your words are most reasonable.”
“Of course! The demon was controlling us!”
The truth mattered little. After all, the Magic Ministry possessed the antidote to brainwashing, didn’t it? According to Ian’s will, falsehood and truth would be obscured. The key was to establish and assert an external justification. Even if it seemed as fragile as a sandcastle, justification held meaning simply by existing.
“And—”
The greatest problem at present was the bond between Ian and Jin. Ian had given Jin real power through the Magic Ministry as a tool, and Jin had added legitimacy through the imperial family. I could not face both of them at once.
“Arcen called Ian of imperial blood, it seems. Prince Jin heard this as well.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Again, the truth mattered little. Rather, if Ian were truly of imperial blood, it would be truly troubling. The honor of the first imperial mage would be bestowed upon Ian, which meant the birth of a new emperor.
“What do you intend to do?”
“…What indeed.”
Ian was solid, with no cracks to exploit. Therefore, I must shake the relatively fragile Jin. Shake that young body again and again until he no longer knew who stood beside him.
“That Ian is of imperial blood—ha, it’s absurd even to say it. But in any case, it will become a topic whose repercussions cannot be predicted. Wouldn’t a Minister of Magic approaching his coming-of-age ceremony be more suited to the throne than the young and insignificant Jin?”
There was always only one seat. The throne went without saying, and the position of heir was also singular. Once he realized that the aide who had helped him was actually the most threatening existence, the relationship would inevitably become different from before. If I kept shaking him, if I did so, a chance to survive would emerge.
Someone who had been smoking cigarettes continuously added hesitantly.
“Well, Count Ian’s mother is still very much alive. It seems we cannot drag this out for long.”
“This is an imperial palace where even princes die—what’s one commoner!”
Crash!
“Get your wits about you. If we cannot devour them, we will be devoured. Our necks are already halfway in their jaws.”
Duke Haiman cut off the foolish prattle with a sharp rebuke. The ashtray flew against the wall and shattered into countless pieces.
Here he was, about to be torn limb from limb, and they dared concern themselves with such trivialities? Duke Haiman gnashed his teeth through the billowing smoke.
* * *
Jin entered the conference hall with studied composure. The nobles and officials lingering in the corridor recognized him and bowed their heads.
Yet was that truly respect viewed from below? Somehow, their courtesy seemed to fall short of reaching all the way down.
“His Highness Jin has arrived.”
“Oh, heavens. His Highness….”
“Count Ian is….”
Whispers that never quite reached Jin, scattering into silence. I felt a faint tremor of fear in their eyes—the same faces I had worn when confronting that demon who bore my exact likeness.
When they saw me, Arcen naturally came to mind, and with him, the terror of that first demon I had ever faced. It was only natural—
‘Yet such naked display was anything but natural.’
What was this? What could it be? The atmosphere among the nobles felt decidedly wrong. If it wasn’t my resemblance to him, were they questioning my very bloodline—whether I truly shared his royal blood?
“His Highness Jin enters.”
Creak.
As the servants pulled open the conference hall doors on both sides, the scattered commotion suddenly ceased. Simultaneously, hundreds of eyes poured down upon me.
Without thinking, I clenched my left hand inside my sleeve. Ian always held it for me. How empty it felt now.
‘Dry your tears. Your Highness is a person of great worth.’
‘If you endure and push through, this will not come again. And should it return, Your Highness will prevail.’
Yet his words of comfort remained vivid, etched deeply into my heart.
I noticed an empty seat near the Prime Minister and walked toward it. Hundreds of eyes followed my every movement with deliberate slowness.
Tap.
I sat immediately in the chair Xiaoxi pushed forward and straightened my spine with rigid composure. Duke Haiman sat directly across from me, yet I maintained an expression of perfect serenity.
“Your Highness. Are you well?”
The Prime Minister’s question and Quintana’s worried gaze. I answered without even granting them a glance. Now there was only myself left to hold the imperial palace standing.
As a prince. As a prince….
“Of course. Let us begin the conference.”
My first step forward without Ian.

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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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