Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 278

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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 278
His Own Reasons
The meeting had run far later than intended. While everyone else hurried to leave, Captain Jairot remained at his seat, enduring the light reproaches of those passing by before finally organizing the reports he needed to handle personally.
He reached into his inner pocket, searching for a light to ignite his cigarette.
A lighter appeared before him. It was Quintana.
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“Aren’t you heading home? It’s late.”
“And what about you, Captain Jairot?”
He seemed to have something on his mind. I clenched the cigarette between my teeth and exhaled smoke.
The Prime Minister also made no move to leave. We remained in our places as if waiting for the conference room to empty. The officials who had been throwing remarks at me read the atmosphere and quietly filed out with hushed murmurs.
Creak.
Slam!
Only the servants waiting outside, the Prime Minister, Quintana, and I remained. I tapped my half-burned cigarette into the ashtray and asked.
“Is there something you wish to ask, Prime Minister?”
“Captain Jairot. How long has it been since you entered the palace? If my memory serves, it’s already been well over thirty years.”
“I entered when you were Vice Minister of Administration.”
I smiled faintly. Truly, it felt like ancient history. Back then, Petreio, Barsabe’s father, had been beside me, and Riama and Beols had trained together as my cohort. Those grueling days spent pursuing the honor of being the empire’s strongest and the glory of protecting the Emperor had passed in an instant.
“Thirty years. A truly long span of time. Jairot, I know you. You are one of deep loyalty, keen intellect, and unwavering resolve.”
“Please don’t reprimand me indirectly. I am a warrior.”
The Prime Minister laughed and furrowed his brow slightly. Ian had already shown discomfort throughout the meeting and issued warnings, and the Prime Minister sought to offer one more hint. Quintana watched the two of us while exhaling faint smoke.
“The palace has only recently settled. I understand your intentions deeply, but this time you made a mistake. Why would you throw a stone into calm waters? And at a festival where the empire’s citizens gather together. Berik and Xiaoxi are the tools of Lord Jhin.”
They stand beside a lonely young prince. Yet you create such discord. The Prime Minister shook his head slightly in reproach.
“It is only natural that Count Ian does not hide his displeasure.”
“Prime Minister. Berik and Xiaoxi are not the tools of Lord Jhin, but rather the tools of Count Ian. Look carefully at where these two truly stand.”
“Jairot.”
“Beols—”
I invoked the name of Beols, one of the Three Great Knights, as if asking them to hear me out. A knight who had protected the Emperor alongside me, a close friend who had died so meaninglessly in the Arcen incident.
“Not long ago, a message came from Beols’s residence. They said they found a small letter he had left for me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That is what I wish to ask you, Prime Minister. I too do not understand what Beols intended.”
Whoosh.
I withdrew a neatly folded letter from my breast and placed it on the desk. A gesture for them to read it. Quintana unfolded the letter on behalf of the Prime Minister.
—Jairot. If this has reached your hands, then I am living in another world now. This was written the night before Lord Arcen’s mana verification ceremony. Jairot, my colleague and dear friend, I ask of you earnestly. Complete the solemn duty entrusted to me. Let only the Emperor’s authority stand firm at the center of the world.
Quintana paused for a moment and glanced sideways at the Prime Minister.
—No one in the palace may carelessly shift the balance. Not the Prime Minister, not the Minister of Magic, nor anyone else. Remember and uphold this. When the horizon tilts, rocks roll downward. Those rocks will harm the Emperor.
The Prime Minister let out a quiet groan internally.
Beols had been present when the Emperor was frozen. He had shouldered the Emperor’s final concerns directly. The Emperor had feared that in his absence, someone might exploit this to commit treason.
Particularly, the Prime Minister and Ian, who did not carry imperial blood, would have been the targets of such concern. Deilaina, after all, was still a member of the imperial family.
“The role of the Three Great Knights is merely to ensure the Emperor’s safety and well-being. I cannot fathom why Beols harbored such worries or why he entrusted them to me.”
“There, Jairot.”
“Yet remarkably, I’ve come to feel that the current situation within the Imperial Palace is flowing quite similarly to what Beols was concerned about. You witnessed it just now.”
When I showed my displeasure, every official in the conference room prostrated themselves, pressing their noses to the ground. This was certainly not typical behavior.
Having weathered both the rebellion and the demon outbreak, my presence in the Imperial Palace now exceeded that of the current Emperor himself. To surpass the Emperor was, in essence, to surpass Jin.
“As a result, I feel somewhat apologetic for making the conference difficult, but this is self-inflicted. It has come to this because other departments are failing to fulfill their roles properly.”
Unlike other departments that were intricately interconnected, the Imperial Guards operated independently. The Guards were a direct department under the Emperor, and the appointment of the three commanders was not even decided at the New Year’s conference.
Only the Emperor’s will. That alone was the core of the department, the directive they must protect and follow.
Now the Emperor lay bedridden and the Prime Minister, acting as regent, stood beside him, but it was certain that even he could not breach this domain.
“Both Berik and Xiaoxi possess excellent skills. But that is precisely the problem. Do you not understand? The reason Count Ian sent both of them to the selection.”
He was deploying Berik to the Imperial Guards and Xiaoxi to the Imperial Defense Ministry to expand his influence.
The Prime Minister could not respond and merely continued stroking his beard. His mind was troubled with worry. Should he inform Jairot of the Emperor’s freeze, as he had Beols? Or should he maintain secrecy at the very least?
“From what I have observed, anything beyond this point is dangerous. It is like a frog slowly cooking to death in warming water. No matter how much Lord Jin follows Count Ian, how can one control the human heart? Consider the Princes.”
One of them wielded a sword against his own father, the Emperor, and another abandoned his lover with his own hands. I truly do not understand what the human heart is.
Quintana, who had been listening quietly, pulled an ashtray toward herself and tapped her cigarette.
“Berik is a Mage Knight, so it might be worth the risk, but Xiaoxi is not?”
“I misspoke, Minister Quintana. Have you ever observed Xiaoxi up close?”
“No. Only from a distance when facing Lord Jin.”
“From what I have seen, Xiaoxi is particularly dangerous. Especially because his connection with Lord Jin began through Count Ian’s command.”
Who does he truly regard as his master? That was the crux of it, yet it could never be known unless one were the person involved. And precisely because it could not be known, the possibility of danger was proportional.
The Prime Minister placed his clasped hands against his forehead, then murmured.
“I see. I understand your intention, Jairot. Then, you will continue to provoke Count Ian bit by bit going forward?”
“Who else would do it? The other commanders are no longer here.”
Scattered power gathers toward a single point. Since there was currently no force standing in opposition to Ian, even if everyone else remained silent and hidden, if Jairot continued to step forward, they would become ‘aware.’
That they could voice opposing opinions through that channel.
And that they could check his power.
*Whoosh.*
Jairot placed his hand over his chest in a gesture of oath.
“I shall move only for the Imperial House, precisely for His Majesty the Emperor. That Lord Jin will inherit that position in the future is already decided. This is also work for his sake.”
Quintana smiled with a mixture of bewilderment and intrigue. Count Ian was the same, and Jairot was the same—both were certainly working for Lord Jin’s sake, yet how could the results be so different? They gazed toward the same destination, yet walked paths in exact opposition.
The Prime Minister pondered briefly, then gave a small nod.
‘There is no need to inform him of His Majesty’s freeze. Whether he knows or not, Jairot’s position will not change. If he learns of it, he might instead become more sensitive to Count Ian’s movements, or to my own.’
“Very well. I understand your intention for now.”
Honestly, the Prime Minister had no reason to object. That Jin relied on Ian so deeply was both too ideal and not ideal at all.
Could Jin endure it if even the smallest gap ever appeared? Since Jairot offered to step in and check him, to keep him vigilant, the Prime Minister found it something to be grateful for.
“However, I will not be involved. The path you have chosen to walk, walk it alone.”
“I do not seek your company. Should I stumble along the way, you must take a different path.”
“Quite so. Then, what of Berik?”
“By my estimation, he will likely place somewhere within the top ten, thus entering the Imperial Guards.”
I must handle this more carefully and closely. I turned to face the Prime Minister and placed my hand over Beols’s message. It was a gesture asking if there was anything more to say on this matter.
“…I see. Let us adjourn.”
“…Yes. Please go in.”
The Prime Minister pretended not to hear and stood up, leaving the tournament grounds. Quintana, following behind him, added as she turned away.
“Captain Jairot. Setting aside what is right or wrong, please be cautious. When you focus too intently on one thing, you miss what lies beside it. I worry that in trying to see into Count Ian’s heart, you might overlook Lord Jin’s tears.”
I will remember, Jairot acknowledged with a nod.
As the two left, the Palace Guards waiting outside entered. As if signaling it was time to depart.
“Captain. Shall we head out?”
“Yes. Handle this carefully. Once we return to the office, I’ll have a report prepared and distributed.”
Jairot handed the documents to his subordinates. The selection festival was far from over. He too had much work to do.
* * *
Following Ian were Romandro and a servant carrying a golden tray. Upon it lay letters from various nations.
They were responses to Jin’s appointment ceremony invitation. Having heard that Jin was with Xiaoxi, they were changing their course.
“How are Berik and Xiaoxi’s conditions?”
“Hmm. Berik is fine, as expected. I’m a bit worried about Xiao. Since he can’t receive mana from anyone but the Healing Mage.”
“Is he in bad shape?”
“Not exactly. He said he’ll have a rough time. But from what I’ve seen, that doctor seems quite serious. Ever since seeing Berik’s injuries, he doesn’t even seem to regard ordinary wounds as wounds anymore.”
Tap tap tap.
The servants standing before Xiaoxi’s room noticed Ian and Romandro and quickly bowed. As they alerted those inside, the door opened. Jin was sitting beside Xiaoxi’s bed, reading a book.
“Count Ian.”
“My lord. I heard you were here and came. The responses to your appointment ceremony invitation have arrived. Shall we read them together?”
“Ah yes. I was waiting for them as well.”
I examined Jin carefully. I thought he would be distressed with Xiaoxi lying there like that, but he seemed better than expected. Jin felt my gaze and tilted his head curiously.
“Why do you look at me that way?”
“It is nothing, my lord. Has anything troubled you? You must have found it inconvenient without Xiaoxi.”
“No. It was fine. I have so many attendants.”
“…I see.”
Romandro knew Jin’s expression from the window earlier, bathed in the sunset glow. It seemed he had grieved more than anyone, yet he never let it escape his lips. Admirable. Romandro guided Jin and opened the door.
“Let us go to your office, my lord. We should review the responses and discuss today’s events and what lies ahead.”
“Yes. That would be good.”
Xiaoxi lay in a proper posture, breathing evenly. Berik had been a mess even while dying. I looked at Xiaoxi’s torn and bruised face for a moment, then moved the book from the bed to the table.
Whoosh.
At that small sound, Xiaoxi’s eyes opened. Perhaps he had been pretending to sleep from the start. If he could wake at such a sound, he would have regained consciousness long ago at Jin’s presence.
I looked toward the door. Romandro and Jin were already out of sight.
“Master.”
“Yes. Xiao. How is your body?”
“…I am fine. Is everyone else well?”
A truly meaningful and implicit question. I pondered for a moment, then pulled up a chair and sat beside him. It seemed Xiaoxi didn’t understand why he had come to this state.
“There is nothing for you to worry about. You were injured the most. Xiao. Do you understand how you came to face Berik?”
“Captain Jairot tested me….”
So he understood to some degree. Perceptive. I acknowledged with a nod instead of praise. Then, as if sharing a secret with Xiaoxi, I whispered softly.
“But Xiao, there is a more important reason.”
“What is it?”
“Because you called me your master.”

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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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