Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 337

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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 337
Fire. Laughter Gathered in One Place
My breathing feels easier. Even through the haze, I sense a refreshing breeze—not merely brushing the surface, but gently stirring through my insides, carrying away the heat.
My senses heightened, and all manner of pleasant sensations seemed to pour over me. Warm sunlight, the rustle of blankets, a faintly sweet scent from somewhere, and alongside it, familiar voices.
“Wow. Count Ian, you’re smiling. You’re actually smiling.”
“Look here, it’s true? You must be comfortable.”
“Let me see too. My goodness, your face is split in half with that smile.”
“Don’t spare the mana. Pour it in. We’re all watching.”
“Tch, come on. I’m doing fine on my own.”
My eyes slowly opened with a glimmer, leisurely and naturally.
And so, the mages clustered around the bed hadn’t even noticed I’d regained consciousness, continuing their murmuring. One of them suddenly locked eyes with me.
“Oh, Count Ian’s eyes are open.”
“What?! Count Ian, are you with us?”
“Can you recognize us? Say something. A, e, i, o, u.”
“Don’t push yourself, but how does your body feel?”
….
Mages filled my blurry vision. One head, two, three, endless.
I wondered if I was dreaming. This was clearly Clipoford, yet my mind felt strange from the contract magic of my illegitimate self. How could the mages who should be guarding Bariel’s Magic Division be here? As I stared blankly at them, several burst into tears.
“C-Count Ian, you don’t recognize us?”
“You just woke up. You’re still disoriented.”
“What if Count Ian becomes an idiot? Sob.”
“Enough of that nonsense, step back! Count Ian, we’ll continue channeling mana. Tell us immediately if anything feels uncomfortable. Ah, if speaking is difficult, just blink your eyes.”
Zing. Zing.
The mages surrounded me, pouring mana into my body. So this was the pleasant sensation I’d felt in my drowsy state.
I sensed vitality rising from deep within my body in real time and twitched my fingertips. When I’d first regained consciousness, I couldn’t even turn my head easily, but now it felt like I could lift my arms and move them.
“All of you….”
“Count Ian is speaking!!!”
“Ian! Does it not hurt anymore!?”
One word, and it became chaotic.
Berik, who’d been standing behind, pushed by the mages, tried to swim forward through them, while the mages held their ground, pushing him back with their bodies. The peaceful atmosphere from before had vanished entirely, leaving only a bustling marketplace.
As I slowly raised my upper body, someone quickly tucked a pillow behind my back. Berik’s eyes went wide as he jumped to his feet.
“Ian! You can sit up? Before, you couldn’t move a single finger! Amazing! Yeah, magic really is incredible. Come on, do more. Okay?”
“That’s why, move over there. You’re in the way!”
“If my presence alone is in the way, isn’t that a problem?”
I rubbed my chest and looked around. The spacious bedroom was completely filled, and even the connected reception room beyond was crowded with people. Judging by the numbers, most of the Magic Division had clearly come over here.
I sighed and clenched and unclenched my fist.
“…What happened to everyone?”
“Captain Akorella created a mana amplifier without side effects. We used it to come through the portal.”
“Then what about Bariel now? Who’s left there?”
At my question, everyone fell silent like they’d eaten honey, their eyes just rolling around. Except for the two handling the palace entrance and Romandro, it was completely empty.
I stared at Heil with an incredulous expression. I couldn’t believe that the Captain would leave Bariel unguarded like that.
“Count Ian.”
As Heil knelt and met my gaze from the bed, the Mages behind him dropped to their knees in unison. Only Berik looked bewildered, glancing left and right before plopping down with a thud.
“I know you’ll scold us. But after crossing into Clipoford, we couldn’t reach you, and the last news we received was that you were on death’s door. Before being a Minister, you are the head of the Magic Division. We determined that saving you was the highest priority, and we stand by that decision.”
“That’s right. The Imperial Palace has been treating the Magic Division strangely lately, and if you were gone too, it would truly be disastrous.”
“Count Ian, even if you scold us, please do so with some strength behind it.”
“Yes. Until then, we won’t listen to anything you say.”
“Exactly! Ian, don’t scold these Mages! They’ve ruined the vineyard, and the King over there keeps sobbing, but don’t scold them anyway! If things had gone normally, wouldn’t they have come back with medicine?!”
“Aaaah! Berik, be quiet!”
“Yeah. You keeping your mouth shut is actually helping!”
As Berik, wedged in the middle, threw his hands up and shouted, a couple of Mages clamped their hands over his mouth and tried to restrain him.
The vineyard was ruined? Why was the King crying? Everything was confusing, but I rested my head against the pillow for a moment to gather my thoughts.
I could roughly imagine what had happened in the Imperial Palace during my absence. The opposing factions must have seen this as their opportunity to limit or interfere with the Magic Division’s influence. However…
‘Since most of the Mages came to Clipoford, the Imperial Palace will experience a violent reaction.’
Whether positive or negative. This was a critical matter that could lead to work paralysis, and if information leaked to foreign powers, even military conflict was a possibility.
As I furrowed my brow and touched my temples with my fingertips, everyone fell silent and watched my expression.
‘Is Count Ian angry?’
‘Seems like it, doesn’t it? Oh, what do we do.’
‘But seeing him move like that is reassuring.’
The Imperial Palace—more precisely, the Prime Minister and the Imperial Defense Ministry—had acted so recklessly that they’d charged ahead without thinking, and now confessing it before me was genuinely embarrassing.
I looked down at the Mages. I couldn’t discern what emotion lay in my gaze. After a somewhat heavy silence, I finally spoke first.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“…Pardon?”
Regardless of how things had unfolded, what was done was done. And I understood well enough that the Mages’ actions were for my sake. So there was only one thing I could say. Gratitude and comfort.
“You must have gone through difficulties because of this situation. I’m grateful to all of you, and you’ve worked hard.”
“…!”
Joy, relief, and elation spread across the faces of the Mages who had been on the verge of tears.
They crowded close to my bed and began recounting everything that had happened in the Imperial Palace in meticulous detail. How the Magic Division had been treated during my absence, what had occurred, and how dramatic Akorelra’s appearance had been.
Crunch.
“Oh, Count Ian. You’re awake?”
Just then, Akorelra entered from the reception room with her cheeks bulging full of grapes. In her hand was a syringe filled with some unknown liquid. I looked back and forth between the Mage and Akorelra with a suspicious expression.
“A Mana Amplifier with no side effects?”
“Yes. According to Captain Akorelra.”
The Mage nodded with a determined expression. She approached me with a pleased demeanor, spinning around. The path cleared instantly before her mad advance.
“Count Ian. I’m Akorelra. The smartest one in the Magic Division.”
“Isn’t Ian the smartest?”
“Right. You, second smartest after Ian, Berik—keep your mouth shut. Anyway, you can take it three times in a row, but after that I haven’t been able to test it, so I’m not sure. Once we return to the Imperial Palace, I’m planning to conduct proper experiments.”
Akorelra’s eyes gleamed as she swept her gaze across the Mages. They instinctively avoided her eyes, and she sat beside the bed, rolling up my sleeve.
“It works by amplifying based on the amount of Mana remaining in your body. Since you can move now, take one shot, and then after you’ve recovered more, take another. Then we can open a portal and head straight back.”
Drip. A drop of medicine leaked from the syringe needle. If it were anything else, I might hesitate, but given Akorelra’s competence and the fact that most of the Mages had already taken it, there was no reason to refuse.
Ian readily extended his arm.
“Here we go.”
“Ugh, Captain. Please be gentle. I’m begging you.”
“Enough with the complaints!”
As Ian’s face contorted in pain, the Mages grimaced in sympathy. The sensation of the drug coursing through his veins felt vividly real.
Yet even with the Mages pouring their mana so generously, it seemed insufficient to fill Ian’s vessel completely. The amplifier’s effects weren’t manifesting as strongly as expected. Everyone waited with bright, eager eyes for Ian’s reaction.
Knock, knock.
A presence made itself known beyond the door.
The King of Clipoford and Prince Noah. Berik’s testimony about him sniffling appeared accurate—his already puffy eyes were particularly pronounced.
“Once you’ve finished your urgent business, we need to talk.”
Not only had he crossed the border without permission, but he’d crashed directly into the royal palace. On top of that, he’d destroyed the King’s prized vineyard.
Citizens gathered at the main gate of the palace, startled by the sudden appearance of the black moon, while Clipoford soldiers and officials, dismayed by the palace’s lax security, had already issued emergency mobilization orders. Quite literally, the entire nation had been thrown into chaos.
Prince Noah glanced at Ian, who was propping himself up on his elbows, and quietly clicked his tongue. Before the man fully recovered, he needed to win over the Mages first…
“Your Majesty. I apologize for the disturbance. If you could spare me a moment, I shall dress properly and—”
“No, Count Ian should rest more—”
“Ian! You mustn’t move!”
“That’s right. You just woke up! If you collapse again, we really can’t handle it. I’m not Bariel, so I need to distribute mana carefully.”
As Ian attempted to rise, the King startled and waved his hands frantically. The Mages kneeling in attendance did the same, jumping to their feet in unison and insisting Ian remain still.
“Would it be acceptable if I received the audience in his stead?”
“Very well. And you are?”
“I am Captain Heil of the Mana Operations Division.”
The King alternated his gaze between Akorella and Heil. He preferred the one who’d at least greeted him earlier over the one grinning foolishly while holding a syringe. The King gestured for Heil to follow, then turned to Ian with instructions.
“Count Ian, request an audience once you’ve composed yourself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am truly grateful.”
He raised his eyebrows meaningfully and held up a finger.
“Everything is connected, and thus this too is the will of Clipoford.”
Creak.
Heil departed with the King, and Berik muttered while scratching his ear.
“What’s he talking about?”
“Clipoford culture. It’s not about everyone fending for themselves—it means that if you dig a little, everyone is connected. You fool.”
“Oh, connected? Like grapes? Is that why people in this country like grapes so much? But I’m not a fool—what does ‘fending for yourself’ even mean?”
“Ian, you’ve somehow taken him under your wing. Come on, let’s keep channeling mana. Now that Heil’s gone, let’s give it our all.”
Akorella clicked her tongue and gestured for Berik to move aside. Ian then smiled faintly, and everyone in the room laughed along with him.
“Ian, pardon us.”
Zing. Zing.
They placed their hands on Ian’s arms and knees, then channeled mana once more. Berik danced behind him in an inexplicable manner, cheering him on, while Ian simply laughed, leaning against his pillow.
Ian’s laughter. This was what they’d endured all that hardship to witness. The Mages felt a deep sense of fulfillment. And Ian, too, became aware of an indescribable emotion seeping into his heart.

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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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