Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 265

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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 265
The Path to Freedom
“Welcome back.”
Xiaoxi, who had been watching over the Magic Bureau alone, greeted his masters. Ian and Jin looked somewhat tired from their outing, but what was wrong with Berik? His side wound had reopened, and he was spewing curses that were difficult to hear.
“Captain Jairot, you bastard, ugh—”
So it was Captain Jairot’s doing. Then it was surely a consequence of Berik’s own rudeness.
Xiaoxi skillfully retrieved the first aid kit from the storage cabinet. As Ian’s nosebleeds had become more frequent, the doctor had taken to keeping one in the office.
“Quiet, you fool! Is Captain Jairot your friend?”
“When I become captain, he will be!”
“Ah, the captain should have pinched your other side too.”
“Does this look like a pinch to you? He clawed me! Ow! It hurts! Please apply it gently!”
Romand received the salve from Xiaoxi and tended to the wound. Fortunately, it didn’t seem serious enough to call the doctor again.
While the two continued their bickering, Ian, as always, examined the desk in his office. He was checking to see if any documents had arrived during his absence.
“Nothing has come in.”
“Good. Everyone was gathered at the conference hall, so there wouldn’t have been any reports to process.”
That was fortunate. Honestly, I was a bit tired myself, so the prospect of resting until tomorrow morning felt like a blessing. I reached into my inner pocket and gestured for Xiaoxi to come closer. Jin then pulled a chair near and rested his chin on it, as if waiting for something amusing.
“Xiao, you can read, can’t you?”
“Yes, thanks to Your Highness.”
“Here. This is yours.”
A crisp, high-quality piece of paper was folded neatly. Xiaoxi hesitated as he looked at it, so I gestured quickly for him to take it. As he carefully accepted it, Romand also stopped his treatment and watched for Xiaoxi’s reaction.
“Read it.”
“…Welcome as a citizen of the Great Empire of Bariel.”
For an official document, the opening phrase was remarkably sentimental. It detailed the permission to live as a person rather than someone’s property, along with the rights and obligations that came with it.
But Xiaoxi was captivated by the first sentence and couldn’t move beyond it.
“Xiao, what’s wrong?”
Aren’t you happy? I had expected a bright smile, but instead, he looked as though he might cry. Xiaoxi gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“No, it’s just—”
The lives of countless people flowing through my blood came to mind.
My mother and a father I never knew. And then my mother’s mothers and my father’s fathers. Perhaps siblings I might have had. All of them lived and died miserably without ever obtaining this single sheet of paper.
Isn’t it truly fleeting? I am no different before and after receiving this paper, yet through the permission of an intangible someone, I have become an entirely different being.
A person. Someone whose personhood and dignity are recognized.
And a citizen of the Great Empire of Bariel at that.
“I felt grateful that I could end this line here. Thank you.”
The bloodline of slavery that had continued for eons was severed in this moment. Xiaoxi read every single character of the certificate and murmured thanks repeatedly.
“That’s enough with the thanks. As I said, I didn’t do this purely out of kindness. Fifty gold coins. For a tenant farmer with a large family, it would be a heavy sum, but it should be appropriate for you.”
It meant to repay it slowly. Typically, a commoner’s monthly wage was one gold coin. Fifty coins would require nearly four years of saving without spending a single penny.
However, Xiaoxi was currently Jin’s only capable hand, and there would be opportunities to work in the imperial palace in the future, so he could expect greater income. Besides, what expenses would there be when he was being fed and housed?
“Once I repay it, what will happen?”
Xiaoxi looked back at Jin and Ian and asked. Once he repaid it, would he no longer be able to stay with them? If the master-servant relationship and the debt both disappeared, where would Xiaoxi himself go? Having been bound by others his entire life, sudden anxiety washed over him.
Ian, as if sensing his thoughts, draped his coat over the back of his chair and answered.
“Sia. Freedom will taste sweeter than your worries. Let’s meet again in a few years. Remember yourself as you are now. I suspect the you of the future will be quite amazed by who you are today.”
It was like watching a child entering water for the first time. Now he hesitated in fear, but soon enough he would unfold his will without being bound by anything.
Xiaoxi carefully folded the certificate and gripped it tightly in both hands.
“Soon, I hear the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Defense Ministry will be recruiting talent. Berik says he’ll apply—”
“You bet I will! I’m completely done for, seriously! Argh!”
“Sia, will you apply as well?”
Xiaoxi knew that Ian’s every action carried intention. It was no coincidence that he presented the certificate of manumission now—it was preparation for the talent recruitment. After all, slaves would surely be excluded from the selection process.
“Yes. I will.”
Now that he had become a free person, he had no choice but to earn his own living. It was time to prove his worth as a person, not as a slave. He would simply have to perform well in the talent recruitment, as his masters desired.
Ian nodded with satisfaction, and Romandro continued examining Berik’s wounds while offering praise.
“That’s right. Well thought. As you do one thing and another, you’ll find what you truly want. Look at this brute Berik. Though he’s rough and crude, his desires are clear, so doesn’t his life seem enjoyable?”
“What are you saying to someone whose side wound just burst open?”
“That’s something you earned by doing as you pleased. Accept it humbly.”
Bonk!
Romandro flicked Berik on the forehead as if to tell him to stay still.
“You’ll need weapons and protective gear, it seems. Sia, let’s go out together soon. It’s been a while since you’ve been home, and we can see Viviana while we’re at it. Yes, yes.”
“Me too! I’m applying as well, so why won’t you prepare anything for me?”
“You have the Black Sword!”
“Ian! I need some spending money too!”
At the mention of the two going out, Berik raised his hand and shouted. Spending money? Ian narrowed his eyes and examined Berik carefully.
“What do you need it for?”
“I want to buy protective gear too—”
“You’re going to buy meat and eat it, aren’t you?”
“Ah, well! Of course I’ll buy meat and eat it! Oof!”
Berik covered his own mouth and held his breath.
Does this fellow think of nothing but eating? Romandro clicked his tongue while organizing the first aid kit, and Jin, who had been listening quietly, carefully tugged Ian’s sleeve.
“Um, Count Ian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I, I also….”
Jin swallowed the end of his words awkwardly. When Ian bent down kindly and said to ask for anything, Jin cried out.
“I want to go outside and see things too!”
“Oh, so Prince Jin is also asking Count Ian for spending money.”
“You brat, Bariel is Your Highness’s servant. Who asks whom for spending money….”
Born in the temple and spending his infancy there, Jin had never once ventured outside the imperial palace. There was no reason to, and no need. The palace was vast, contained everything, and still held many unknown places to explore.
‘True enough. Prince Marib and Prince Gail naturally went out to build their power by meeting nobles and observing the people’s sentiments throughout the capital. But a young prince has almost no justification for leaving. And Deilaina has also severed contact with her family.’
Jin gripped Ian’s sleeve tightly, his eyes sparkling. It was no different from the desperate grip with which Xiaoxi had held the certificate. He had already met the citizens in the courtroom and tasted that joy. Once you know something, how can you not desire it?
“Count Ian. Please? Once I become the heir, I’ll certainly be unable to leave even more. I’ll be buried in studies and training every single day. This is surely the most leisurely period of my entire life!”
A ten-year-old child speaking of his life—Ian smiled softly and patted the back of Jin’s hand.
“Your Highness. Romandro and Xiaoxi are going out on personal business. If you wish to accompany them, you must disguise yourself and conceal your identity. For an official procession, there would be much to prepare.”
“Of course. I understand.”
“And when Your Highness departs, I shall accompany you.”
Even with elite knights assigned to him, I felt uneasy sending Jin alone. It seemed I could only find peace if I stood by his side.
“…I desire that as well!”
The possibility of approval was becoming clearer! Jin bounced on his toes without realizing it, hopping with excitement. Despite my reminders to maintain composure, the flush refused to fade from his face.
“Understood. I shall arrange a date within this week.”
“Wonderful! Count Ian! Thank you!”
“Not at all. When Your Highness matures, there will be many occasions for such incognito outings. Consider this preliminary practice.”
Prince Jin’s first incognito excursion. Romandro scratched his chin, contemplating what needed to be prepared.
First, I would need to inform the Imperial Guards and select knights to follow discreetly, confirm the route, and arrange forged identification documents. While it was called an incognito outing, cooperation from each department was essential for its success.
“Then we’re all going together?”
“Berik, promise me you’ll behave properly outside. If Prince Jin is with us, even the smallest disturbance cannot be tolerated.”
“Excellent! Ian is the best! Your Highness, I heard from Captain Heil about a tavern that serves mead with honey. He said it’s absolutely delicious. Let’s have fun there and grab a drink—”
“You fool!”
Smack!
Romandro delivered a final blow to the head. How dare he suggest a tavern to Prince Jin! His eyes widened in disapproval at such nonsense.
“Why not! He said they farm their own honey there, so it’s incredibly delicious! They sell milk too! Your Highness can just have that!”
“Very well, Berik. Since this is my first time venturing out, please teach me much. I am truly curious what the citizens of the empire enjoy and find pleasure in.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll guide you! Hurrah!”
“Your Highness, do not trust him. That one is directionally challenged.”
Berik darted about excitedly while Romandro whispered warnings. Jin burst into laughter at whatever was so amusing.
I observed the scene while organizing documents. Jin’s mood had seemed poor just moments ago, but perhaps it was merely fatigue.
‘He kept his conversation with Quintana secret.’
I recalled my exchange with Jin and smiled slightly. Keeping secrets was the beginning of establishing one’s own identity. It was a green light among green lights—truly commendable.
Above all, one destined for the imperial throne must know how to stand alone.
“And outside, be especially careful that Prince Jin’s identity is not exposed!”
“Goodness, I understand! Really, you’re such a nag. So what should we call him instead of Prince Jin? What? I’m not being disrespectful!”
At Berik’s outburst, Romandro hesitated. Then he glanced back at me. That’s right—when going out, we typically use assumed identities, so we’d need to establish new names, wouldn’t we?
I felt the gazes of three men upon me and lifted my head. As if to ask what the difficulty was.
“Let us say that Prince Jin and I are brothers. Xiaoxi and Berik can pose as servants. Romandro, perhaps ‘Uncle’ or ‘Elder Uncle’ would suit you well.”
“B-brothers? Count Ian and I?”
Jin’s eyes widened enormously. So when addressing me outside, he would have to call me ‘brother’? Unbelievable!
“I quite like it. I approve!”
“Wait, why must I be an uncle by marriage among all possible relations? Isn’t that cumbersome? I think ‘Uncle’ would be better.”
At Romandro’s words, Berik clutched at his wound and giggled.
“Ah, Romandro. For an unrelated guardian, that’s perfect. Your appearances are far too different. Isn’t that right, Ian?”
Ah! Romandro snapped his fingers in realization, but upon understanding the implication, his expression grew melancholy. Seeing this, Jin panicked and took his hand to comfort him.
“Romandro, do not worry. Your child will surely resemble Viviana.”
“…Your Highness, I am grateful for the comfort.”
“A-are you weeping?”
“No. I am merely… sorrowful.”
Jin continued to soothe Romandro, unable to suppress his laughter. What would I see when I stepped outside? What would I experience? With these people by my side, everything would be enjoyable.
The Boy turned to look at Ian, who was skimming through the documents, and smiled with resolve. It was a conviction born from unwavering faith that everything would turn out 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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