Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 282

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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 282
Victory and What Comes After
Crash! Bang!
Flashes of light flooded the arena once more. The tremors rippling up from the ground grew heavier, and the relentless barrage of attacks began to crack the protective barrier.
The Mages who noticed this cried out in alarm.
“The barrier’s breaking! Hold it!”
“Everyone, step back for safety. Quickly!”
“Focus on maintaining it! Who’s handling the left side?”
Unlike the Mages moving frantically, most observers remained motionless, their eyes fixed on the match.
Especially the executives of the Imperial Defense Ministry on the second floor. They had leaned their bodies far over the railings.
Wasn’t this the most critical moment?
If by some chance, just some chance, Captain Jairot were to lose….
Crash!
Then, two figures emerged from the smoke. Berik and Jairot were tumbling across the ground, each gripping the other’s neck with their left hand.
Unlike Berik, whose sword was too long to allow proper striking range, Jairot remained free. After all, his blade was pure magical force without physical form.
When Jairot burst his magical power against his opponent’s temple, Berik’s head snapped back at a right angle and flew away. It felt like finally drawing breath.
“…Cough!”
Jairot breathed roughly and touched his own neck. They had both been strangled equally, yet why was he the one gasping for air? Had he been even slightly slower, his neck might have broken, Jairot thought without realizing it.
It had been a long time. This feeling.
Startling, blood boiling, and somehow exhilarating.
“…Ha. Haha.”
Berik was bleeding from his nose, mouth, and ears. Everything below his eyes was crimson red—he looked like a monster that had devoured a person.
“Damn, I thought my head was coming off.”
The Palace Guards fell silent, covering their mouths. Had they ever seen the Captain bleed while sparring with someone? More than that, had they ever seen him struggle like this?
Certainly not. Perhaps the deceased Beols and Riama had experienced it, but at least among the current Imperial Guards, there was no one who could shake Captain Jairot like this.
“Captain!”
“Berik. Do you have no pride as a swordsman?!”
“This is a foul! Stop the match!”
“Minister Ian! This is disappointing. This is unfair!”
The Guards raised their voices in protest, but Ian remained composed and unhurried. He passed the complaints directed at me to the official in charge.
“Was there any unfair conduct in Berik’s actions just now?”
“Ah, well….”
It certainly couldn’t be called fair, yet it couldn’t be called unfair either. All the prescribed rules had been followed. There was a clause prohibiting drugs, but magical power wasn’t classified as a drug.
The officials rushed to the headquarters to verify the objections from the Imperial Guards and other departments.
Crackle! Pop!
Bang! Crash!
Then, the continuous explosions suddenly stopped.
Berik’s sword pressed against Jairot’s throat.
And Jairot’s blade, which had been drawing an arc through empty air, now hung suspended.
Both fighters instinctively stopped simultaneously, sensing the match had ended. As the clamor that had filled the testing ground subsided, a remarkably profound silence settled over the arena.
“What should we do? Keep going? Or forfeit?”
“….”
Jairot exhaled deeply and raised his hand—a gesture of surrender. As he opened his palm, the mage sword faded away, leaving only a faint trace.
“Yesssss! I won! I beat the captain!”
“…B-Berik!”
“Romandro! Did you see that? Did you just see that? Incredible! Insane! Ahhhhh! This is amazing! Ian! You saw, right? When I did it like this—boom—I won! You bastards! I’m the captain now!”
Berik ran wildly around the arena, cheering like a madman. The silence shattered. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, while the palace staff exchanged bewildered murmurs. Chaos descended in an instant.
“Wow, that was incredible! He beat the captain! His name is Berik? An unaffiliated Mage Knight, right? Unbelievable!”
“Amazing! Slash, slash! Wow, this is something special.”
“Gasp. Is your side okay? That wound looks pretty deep.”
“No problem! Since there’s a hole in my side, I’ll just get stronger when it heals. Hahahaha!”
“W-well, he’s definitely not the culprit. He’s not even in the normal range.”
“Captain! Captain! Are you alright?”
“Call a doctor! Captain!”
“What a rare sight. Someone who surpassed the captain in a match! Today calls for a drink, absolutely!”
The Palace Guards rushed to Jairot and supported him. His arm was cut, and he had deep wounds scattered across his body. Jairot limped and rejected his subordinates’ assistance.
“I can walk on my own.”
“Captain. This is your victory.”
“Yes. So please don’t be too disheartened. We—”
As his subordinates offered awkward consolations, Jairot’s expression turned genuinely displeased. He wiped the blood trickling down his neck carelessly and responded.
“What are you all saying? Have you forgotten the purpose of this match?”
The primary objective of this selection was to appoint two captains. So naturally, Jairot had anticipated a difficult match and hoped for exactly that outcome.
The three captains would work together to protect His Majesty and lead the Imperial Guards as ‘colleagues.’ He never expected Berik to rise up like this.
“Hey, you! I’ll remember your face clearly. When I become captain, don’t forget you’re working for free. Kahahaha!”
Berik stuck his tongue out at the Palace Guards, mocking them.
Some of them bristled and reached for their swords, but their colleagues held them back. There was no need to engage, and even if there were, it was questionable whether they could win.
“That’s enough. Ignore him.”
“Let’s clean up and wrap this up. Captain, let’s move.”
“Guardsmen Captain.”
Ian called out to Jairot from where he leaned against the railing. In contrast to the bustling staff behind him, he appeared remarkably composed. It was easy to imagine how satisfied he must be that his subordinate had defeated the captain.
“Well done. I’ll send a Healing Mage to your unit. There are still about nine matches left, so focus on management. If physical conditions aren’t uniform, it could raise fairness concerns, wouldn’t it?”
“Minister! Are you giving us medicine while also giving us the disease?”
At someone’s impudent remark, Ian’s eyebrow twitched. His gaze turned cold in an instant. It was not language befitting someone of his rank and status to hear.
Ian tilted his head and issued a warning, his tone dripping with chill.
“Be careful. I have no desire to learn your name.”
“My apologies, Minister. I’ll receive treatment and see you again.”
Jairot stepped forward as if shielding his subordinate and bowed in his stead. Then he hastened his steps and left the training grounds.
The Palace Guards followed him, glancing back at the crowd. More precisely, they were watching Berik being lifted up in celebration among the masses. All of them wore expressions of genuine concern for what lay ahead.
“Shall we get up as well?”
“Yes. Let’s do that. Ahem.”
The Imperial Defense Ministry officers exchanged glances and rose from their seats. They offered Ian formal congratulations, but that was all. Words devoid of emotion evaporated in an instant.
“This is maddening.”
“Shh. Count Ian is still in sight.”
“What does it matter if he is? He won’t hear us anyway.”
“No, I could understand the Guard position, but Captain? This crosses the line. He’ll be guarding right beside the Emperor himself. It’s absurd.”
The officers vented their worries and frustrations between their teeth. They already couldn’t deny his influence—he had Jin, the next Emperor, firmly in his grasp—and now he was extending his reach to stand beside the Emperor himself?
The empire was falling into Ian’s hands. Those unaware that the Emperor had frozen in place could only shake their heads, denying the reality before them.
“This is far too dangerous. To be frank—”
To be frank, if Ian were to assassinate the Emperor and the Prince, who could stop him? The imperial line would be severed before anyone even noticed.
He was too close. The position beside the Emperor was something they could not tolerate. The officers exchanged glances, warning each other to be careful.
“Swallow your words. There are still Mages about.”
“Yes. I understand. Sigh, but still.”
“Let’s go see Captain Jairot first. We can check on his injuries and organize the schedule. That would be best.”
And we’ll devise countermeasures. Isn’t Jairot the only one who can prevent this situation? He was the current Captain of the Imperial Guards and held the authority to make decisions.
The officers’ footsteps all turned toward one direction.
Tap tap tap!
The sound of orderly footsteps echoed through the corridor. People murmured among themselves at the officers’ rigid atmosphere, parting left and right to make way. It was chaotic, yet everyone acted in their own manner.
“Goodness, you fool! You did well! You did well, but come down here now! Your side is split open! We need to treat it! Yes?”
“I know! Romandro, Sia! Where is Sia?! Oh, there he is!”
“….”
“I did well, didn’t I? Yes?”
“….”
“He won’t speak even at times like this. I might just bite him.”
As Berik showed his fangs and chided him playfully, Xiaoxi simply nodded briefly. Berik clung to his back, ranting and raving incessantly. Romandro decided this wouldn’t do and set out to fetch him.
“Your Highness. One moment, please.”
“Very well.”
Jin, who had been exchanging greetings with Berik, suddenly turned toward Ian. He thought he would be delighted, or at least smiling, but….
‘Count Ian?’
His calm gaze and expression were peculiarly subtle. Perhaps because the surroundings were so loud, his solitary figure drew even more attention.
Ian was staring straight ahead.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but—
Tap tap tap!
“Count Ian?”
“Ah, Your Highness.”
Jin approached and tugged at Ian’s sleeve. As if the thoughts that had frozen him shattered at once, Ian smiled.
Ah, thank goodness. I’m not sure what it was, but it seems I did well interrupting Ian’s thoughts. Jin urged him on without appearing concerned.
“Let’s treat Berik’s wounds and call it a day. Go home early.”
“Yes. That would be best. Things are rather chaotic.”
“There will be turmoil inside and out. Captain Jairot lost to a newcomer, after all.”
Ian agreed by clasping Jin’s hand. Then, meeting his gaze, he spoke.
“Yes. There will likely be quite a bit of talk, Your Majesty. You’ll find it noisy as well, so it would be wise to steel yourself.”
Though Jin didn’t fully grasp the meaning, he answered that he understood. Apparently pleased by this, Ian wrinkled his nose playfully. Jin mimicked him, wrinkling his own nose in return.
* * *
“Ah, so it really is true that a man must earn his keep! Look at this, the table’s about to break! Well? Eat before it does! I’m grateful for this meal! Yes, eat well!”
Berik sat on the bed, tearing into the meat with both hands.
The doctor wrapping bandages beside him frowned in exasperation, but Berik had no consideration for such things. How could one stop a man who played both the drum and the janggu, and greeted everyone with such enthusiasm?
Romandro picked up scattered clothes from the floor and scolded him.
“If you knew you had to earn your keep, why didn’t you do it sooner?”
“Romandro. Come on, don’t you know life is all about seizing the moment? I just beat the Captain, didn’t I? When I become Captain, right? It’s good for me, it’s good for Ian, and it’s good for you too, isn’t it?!”
“The more you talk, the more you sound like a common ruffian…”
“Kraaah, this tastes amazing! Ooh!”
Ian sat at the opposite table, observing the scene. Fortunately, the wounds didn’t appear to be deep.
“You’ve worked hard. Berik. I congratulate you in advance on the championship.”
“Yeah. It was tough. But since I’m becoming Captain, won’t you congratulate me on that?”
Berik tore at the meat while correcting him. But Ian simply smiled and declined.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you hear? This time, the selection of the Captain position will include internal evaluations from the Imperial Guards themselves.”
Thud.
Berik dropped the meat he was eating. Romandro also recalled Jairot’s remarks from the conference and let out a small gasp.
Taking Riama’s betrayal as a lesson, the Imperial Guards would be conducting their own character evaluations.
“What, what did you say?”
“Originally, it was based on merit alone, but this time it’s different. There were concerns at the time, but now everyone should be relieved. You could say it’s Captain Jairot’s foresight.”
“No, damn it. Where does something like that come from?”
Berik slammed the table while still holding the meat. The doctor pinched his side, pleading silently for him to stay still. But Berik paid no mind, thrashing about and clutching his head.
“Please, just stay still!”
“Ugh, if I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have threatened to dock your pay!”
“That doesn’t seem to be the issue, Berik.”
“Damn it. I shouldn’t have stuck my tongue out!”
“…Doctor, continue the treatment.”
“Aaahhh!”
The doctor batted away Berik’s flailing arms from above his head, wrapping the bandages tightly. His expression suggested he wasn’t sure whether he was treating a person or a beast.

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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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