Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 260

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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 260. Before the Appointment Ceremony
“Is this something a person should do?”
The Healing Mage stationed in the Magic Ministry rebuked me. The mana I felt flowing from her fingertips was far from ordinary.
My heartbeat was irregular and unstable, faint as though it might cease at any moment, and worst of all, the warmth was cold. My condition was scarcely different from Berik’s, whose entire insides had been turned inside out.
“It’s a side effect of the mana amplifier…”
“You know it’s not just that.”
“True enough. There’s no way I don’t know about the side effects. It seems like a complex reaction based on that, doesn’t it?”
The mana amplifier had created fractures throughout my body. And in the midst of that, I had researched and experimented extensively with Idgal, which absorbs mana, and even came into close contact with dragon scales, a sacred artifact. The Healing Mage muttered while lifting my side.
“Ugh, how embarrassing.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Scales are forming.”
“What? Really?”
Scales rising along my waistline. Beneath the scales, my skin was torn and blood was beading up. I traced over it with my fingers, then frowned in confusion.
“This is it. An abnormal hypersensitivity reaction to dragon antigens.”
“…Call it an infection. Does it hurt?”
“No, not yet.”
“…You’ll need to take painkillers in advance.”
Rough and foreign. My immune system must have truly weakened. I don’t even remember what Captain Heil told me, and now my body is reacting like this. I’ve reached my absolute limit.
I flopped backward onto the bed as though everything was tedious.
“It’ll hurt more soon, won’t it?”
“What exactly did you do during those days you were ill?”
“I don’t know. When you’re in the basement, your sense of time disappears.”
“…With your condition like this, you kept taking those strange medicines you made yourself.”
The Mage pulled a small medicine bottle from my pocket. I had told her to stop eating strange things, but this mad scientist apparently thought state-approved medicines were just for show.
As the Mages shot me deadly glares, I put on protective goggles to block their stares.
“If I don’t take it, I feel like I’m dying.”
“So now you’re dying anyway.”
“…I’m the captain.”
“Captain or not, if you’re dead, nothing matters.”
At least I still have the energy to talk back. It must be thanks to Captain Heil continuously infusing me with mana while bringing me here.
I kept wiping my mouth with the towel on the table. The bitter, metallic taste of blood wouldn’t fade.
Knock, knock.
“Count Ian.”
“Akorella, how is your condition?”
He looked tired, but that was all. He didn’t look like someone who had hung twenty-one corpses in the square, permitted the crowd to stone them, and personally confirmed the heads of the remaining bloodlines from seven families.
At Ian’s question, I rolled my eyes as though I were dying.
“How will you treat it?”
“Well, this is a complete package deal.”
“A package? Did you just call it that?”
“Since it’s based on the side effects of the mana amplifier, we can take measures, but there are already many physical complications progressing. That part should be left to the doctor.”
“You said your memory keeps cutting out.”
“My memory completely blanked out halfway through the trial. I seem fine now, but I’m not sure what will happen if my condition deteriorates again.”
“Ah, now I understand. You were spouting nonsense knowing you’d lose your memory?”
“Please, Captain.”
“Ha, just joking.”
Captain Akorella lifted her side, revealing scales embedded in her flesh. Where the coughing blood had stopped, that area now glistened with fresh blood. Romandro, who had followed her in, gasped in shock and covered his mouth. What in the world was that on human skin?
“Do you know what this is?”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
“These are dragon scales. They used to be more common, but you don’t know about them. You can think of it as an endemic disease that typically occurs near dragon habitats. When the pathogens carried by dragons transmit to humans, scales like these emerge. However…”
I tilted my head in confusion. Dragon scales weren’t flat like this. The ones we confiscated from the Chetuhr region were three-dimensional enough to be mistaken for raw gemstones, weren’t they? Captain Akorella tapped her side repeatedly as she continued.
“When these become infected, they gradually swell and harden. Like those black stones.”
“Akorella! Why are you talking about it like it’s someone else’s problem?”
“It’s fine, Romandro. This was a disease attributed to careless dragon breeding—unsanitary conditions or abnormal breeding practices. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen cases like this because everyone manages their dragons properly now. Though I’m not sure if the cure is in storage, the formula definitely exists.”
“Is it contagious? Is it safe for us to talk like this?”
“Wow, disappointing but a rational response—I have nothing to say. Kekeke. Yes, it’s fine. It doesn’t spread between people. You need direct contact with the scales to catch it. I just happened to contract it because my condition is a bit off right now…”
“If your condition is off, you’re more susceptible?”
“Probably. Children and the elderly are vulnerable too.”
“We’re all in bad condition right now!”
“Hahaha. Romandro, you look fine though.”
While Romandro fretted and paced anxiously, I stood quietly, rubbing my chin.
Based on what Captain Akorella said, I could infer that the scales confiscated from the Chetuhr region were problematic, and their source was the root of the issue.
I brushed back my hair, which had fallen partway down, and asked. After a busy day of schedules, my neat appearance from this morning had become disheveled.
“Should we dispose of everything we confiscated from Chetuhr?”
“That would be best. As for the black armor already made, I’m not sure. I’ll investigate.”
“Captain!”
“Not me—my subordinates. Yes, yes. Understood.”
Captain Akorella raised both hands in surrender and flopped back down. Unfortunately, there was no choice. If we mismanaged this and an epidemic spread, how would we handle the aftermath?
Especially if the Imperial Palace was the source—the situation would become far more complicated.
“Romandro.”
“Yes, understood.”
Romandro immediately rushed out to carry out my order to eliminate the scales.
Captain Akorella spat blood-tinged saliva into a bucket beside her and made a request.
“Anyway, Ian. Since I’m in this condition, please give me paid leave. And a bonus. I’d be grateful if you paid it in Luronstone.”
“…The memory loss?”
“I don’t know. What’s causing that symptom.”
My best guess was that it resulted from a collision between the mana amplifier and the absorption agent Idgal, but I couldn’t be certain. Once my condition improved slightly, I’d need to research it immediately. Who knows—I might even develop a potion that erases memories!
Captain Akorella hugged her pillow and giggled. Perhaps noticing this, my colleague mage’s eyes gleamed as she roughly smacked the captain’s protective barrier.
“The basement is off-limits.”
“What!? Are you insane?”
“The captain is the insane one. Do you not understand what leave means? Get your head straight and take care of yourself, please. The same goes for you, Ian. And since we’re on the subject, I have something to say. You bled last time, but you didn’t call us.”
Oh no. I quickly stood up, looking for an escape route.
In the wake of two consecutive crises, these mages had been running about far more than their peers, bearing the brunt of the burden. Moreover, there were only two Healing Mages. The captains’ exhaustion and injuries were impossible to ignore.
Screeeech.
“Count Ian! Count Ian!”
“Captain Akorella. I’ll handle your leave of absence.”
“Where are you going? Wait!”
“Rest well and receive treatment.”
Slam!
Captain Akorella stretched out her hand, calling for my help, but the door shut mercilessly.
Her hand hung suspended in empty air. She giggled and lay back on the bed in proper posture. Then, as if dizzy, she furrowed her brow and fumbled for the bucket.
“Ugh—”
Captain Akorella spilled blood for a long while. Tears reflexively welled at her eyes, but they were invisible due to the reflection of her protective goggles. The Healing Mage sighed upon witnessing this and continued patting her back while infusing mana into her.
“How is Captain Akorella doing?”
Meanwhile, as I emerged into the corridor, I encountered Jin. The Boy seemed deeply worried, his hands clasped tightly together. I knelt lightly to meet his gaze.
“She doesn’t appear to be doing well.”
Though he joked as usual, her complexion, the instability of her breathing, and the tremor in her voice were all evident. The bucket beside her had been full of bloody fluid. She had only just barely passed through the crisis.
“Is that so? Sigh, what in the world is happening?”
“Set your worries aside, Your Highness. Captain Akorella is a strong one, after all. Rather, I suggest you refrain from visiting this area for the time being.”
“Why?”
“It seems Captain Akorella dislikes showing herself in a weakened state. And while direct contact with Kaklin, the infection vector, is necessary, I’m concerned. It’s said to be dangerous for children, the elderly, and those with weakened immunity.”
“Then I should be careful as well.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Soon, we would investigate whether the members of the Mana Stone Management Division who had been in close contact with Kaklin, as well as the Imperial Guards and related personnel, were infected.
Given that only Captain Akorella was affected this way, the amplifier had become a kind of trigger for the disease’s manifestation. Others should be fine, but there’s always the possibility of complications.
Tap tap tap!
Jin, who had been walking ahead, spun around. He was concerned about Captain Akorella, but there was something else weighing on his mind just as much. I nodded, inviting him to speak.
“I heard that it’s customary for me to personally write the invitation letters to foreign guests attending the heir appointment ceremony.”
“Ah.”
Typically, the heir appointment ceremony was held after coming of age—roughly around Prince Marib’s age, to give an example.
By that time, one would naturally have built relationships with foreign heirs or high-ranking officials, and personal invitations would be sent. It was less a matter of custom and more a natural occurrence.
“Do you happen to maintain separate relations with any foreign envoys, Your Highness?”
Jin was young, had been cursed until recently, and just days ago Arcen had held sway. Naturally, he could have no foreign connections. I posed the question gently, and Jin shyly shook his head.
“No, I don’t.”
“Then there’s no need to send personal invitations. Should you forge connections later, it would be better to write the invitations for the coronation ceremony yourself.”
The coronation—the day he would ascend to the throne of Emperor. On that day, Jin would personally summon his guests.
The Boy’s blue eyes sparkled brightly. Ever since meeting the Citizens this afternoon, the throne had become all the more precious to him.
“Understood.”
“Still, these are Your Highness’s guests. Offering them personal hospitality in place of handwritten letters will suffice. Would it not be wise to familiarize yourself with them before they arrive?”
“Of course! Tell me, Count Ian!”
Jin bounced lightly and grasped my sleeve.
Unfortunately, I too was not well-versed in foreign affairs. While I possessed knowledge of history both great and small, I was nearly ignorant of who currently held real power in those lands and what their inclinations and characteristics were.
“I apologize. I’m not well-versed in such matters either, so… shall we study together once Romandro returns?”
“Romandro? That sounds good.”
To move pieces on a chessboard, one must at least understand what those pieces are, mustn’t they? How they move, the manner in which they move, when they can move—and so forth.
I gestured to Xiaoxi and gave my instructions.
“Once Romandro finishes his tasks, have him report the relevant documents to me. And we shall begin preparations for the family’s reorganization and the inauguration ceremony.”

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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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