Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 393

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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 393
Fire. Never Twice
Discomfort and unease filled the conference room. The Mages leaned against the walls, stealing glances at one another, occasionally meeting the eyes of the Imperial Guards and Mage Knights. Their expressions were much the same.
In the center of the conference room, I sat with Captain Jeirat and Tweller, waiting for Prince Noah.
Tap, tap.
I reclined on the sofa, drumming only the armrest. Tweller and Captain Jeirat, sitting nearby, could not discern where my unfocused gaze was directed. They could only hope it wasn’t far.
“Count Ian.”
When Tweller called to me, I merely rolled my eyes to look at him. It was a considerably disrespectful attitude toward a fellow Minister and someone of seasoned experience, yet Tweller did not press the matter.
The boy seemed to have drawn an invisible line. And now that he was crossing it, the other side naturally lowered themselves.
“Before Prince Noah arrives, wouldn’t it be wise to discuss any changes? I believe it would benefit us as well.”
….
But I let his words go in one ear and out the other, my gaze returning forward. A few of the Imperial Guard subordinates bristled, but it soon subsided.
The atmosphere I was radiating now was overwhelming. Even the Ministers shrugged and let it pass. Who among those present could say a word to me?
‘Like a watercolor painting with all its colors drained away.’
Captain Jeirat watched me, turning an unlit cigarette over in his fingers. There were no issues with my outward appearance, but something profound had clearly shifted within me. They called it a side effect of magic, but still. Was that truly all there was?
Perhaps the side effect was merely the cracking of a shell, and some silent transformation sleeping within had awakened? Without that, there was no way to explain this serene yet peculiar atmosphere surrounding me.
Berik kept standing and sitting repeatedly, and was the first to notice Prince Noah approaching.
“He’s here.”
At his murmur, all the Bariel people sharpened their attention. Specifically, toward me.
Creak.
“Count Ian. Are you awake?”
Prince Noah, entering through the opened door, first checked my condition. It was a miracle that aside from minor scratches, there was no other damage. It was thanks to Berik catching me immediately.
As he pulled his chair forward, he sensed an unfamiliar atmosphere. Everyone was watching both me and him. It was natural, of course, but the quality felt different. Noah sat down slowly and spoke lightly.
“Why is everyone like that? Is there a problem?”
“Is there a problem?”
I let out a soft laugh and echoed Noah’s words. Tweller pretended not to hear and lit his cigarette, while Captain Jeirat worked to maintain his composure.
“Count Ian.”
“Look at the current state. Does it seem like there’s no problem?”
A brief nod indicated the Mages’ injuries. The Mages pointed to their wounded areas and laughed awkwardly, as if asking the Prince to overlook things since I was acting strange.
“I express my regret regarding the Mages’ injuries.”
“Expressing regret is insufficient.”
“Count Ian. What exactly do you wish to say?”
“I—”
I began to speak but swallowed the words along with a sigh. Then I rubbed my brow repeatedly, my expression darkening.
If my body had not been a bastard’s, if I had trained a bit more while in the imperial palace, or if I had made better choices and decisions before that—would the five Mages who came here for my sake not be absent from this place?
I closed my eyes firmly and composed myself. In my heart, I wanted to destroy and collapse everything, to turn back time. Ah, so this is why Damon regressed?
“…Five Mages have not returned. I regard this as a tremendous regret, and I believe Bariel has paid too great a price to consider this the cost of supporting Cliffford.”
Prince Noah swallowed dryly. It was a statement that could not be objected to.
Even if Cliffford fell under Burgos’s occupation, it would be the same as Bariel’s first defensive line being breached. The flooding of monsters would cause direct damage to Cliffford, but Bariel could still devise their own countermeasures when the time came.
“All of Cliffford is grateful for the sacrifice of Bariel’s Mages and has engraved that grace upon their hearts. In our official alliance with Bariel, we shall express that sentiment without reservation.”
“With what? Wine?”
I shook my head with a bitter smile. Even if Cliffford expressed gratitude, what significance would that hold for Bariel? And what honor would it bring to me?
As Prince Noah’s expression hardened, his subordinate cried out.
“Count Ian! Your words are excessive!”
“It is your words that are excessive. Where did you learn to interrupt conversations between superiors? Look around—your voice is the loudest here.”
Even Captain Jairat and Tweller, seated before us, maintained their silence. It was a rebuke to see a mere general dare raise his voice so brazenly.
Prince Noah raised his hand and withdrew his subordinate, then asked calmly.
“Count Ian. Tell me what you desire. As you know, dawn approaches, and we have little time.”
“Do not regard the locating and return of the mages as Bariel’s sole responsibility.”
It was true that Mage Knights and mages held an advantage in finding missing colleagues. Therefore, Cliffford was naturally preparing for battle rather than focusing solely on securing the mages.
The arrow had struck true. Prince Noah quickly composed his expression and shook his head.
“What are you saying? We are also concentrating on finding the mages’ whereabouts. We are closely monitoring contact between Burgos and the King of Ruswena. We have formed special task forces to conduct reconnaissance, and when information arrives, we will certainly take action.”
“That alone is insufficient. Only mages can confront mages, so even with considerable concessions, Cliffford’s soldier count falls far short. Especially considering Ruswena’s participation and their continued support.”
“I hear reinforcements are coming from Bariel as well.”
“Those are Bariel’s forces.”
I responded firmly, telling him to speak sense. I pressed my left temple and sighed, then spoke with a grave warning in my tone.
“I am giving you one day.”
“One day?”
“If Burgos or Ruswena holds any mages as prisoners, Cliffford must accommodate that position as much as possible and return my subordinates to me.”
Bariel is Bariel, and Cliffford is Cliffford. I had no intention of losing my people while accommodating another nation’s circumstances. No—I would not lose them.
“In battle, prioritize the safety of the mages above all else. If that becomes difficult due to Ruswena’s participation, issue a conscription order. Is Cliffford not a nation whose advantage lies in its large population?”
A conscription order—commanding even non-soldiers to participate in the war. Citizens already living near the barrier were joining in, but most remained silent, waiting only for news of the war’s end.
Noah rose from his seat in protest.
“That cannot be done.”
“Why not? The royal palace must already know the number of those eligible for conscription.”
“That is—!”
“What is it? Did you calculate that since Bariel’s army is coming, Cliffford’s people need shed less blood?”
“Count Ian!”
“If you cannot stand against them, Cliffford must squeeze every last drop and plug that gap with your blood. Until the mages’ fates are confirmed and all of them return to my hands, Bariel will not fight to aid Cliffford—we will fight for ourselves.”
I glanced at Tweller and Captain Jairat and nodded. It was a gesture confirming their agreement. In truth, both the Imperial Defense Ministry and the Imperial Guards had come under orders to secure the mages’ return, so there was no room for objection to my decision.
“One day, I said.”
Tap, tap. I lightly struck the table as a warning.
“If the mages’ safe recovery remains impossible after that, I will personally see that everything collapses.”
It meant I could disturb the fissures sleeping beneath Cliffford’s earth. From now on, at least until my subordinates returned, I would regard Cliffford not as Burgos’s breakwater, but merely as a foreign nation at war.
Fissures? Monsters? Even if everything were consumed by calamity, Bariel would endure. I could swear this with everything I possessed.
To the god looking down from the heavens above, and to my Bariel that exists in past and future, and to all that stirs the hearts of Naum and myself, I swear this oath.
Prince Noah washed his face with dry hands and made no effort to hide his sigh.
“Count Ian. It seems you are making this decision under the influence of magical side effects. Would it not be better to rest a while longer and discuss this again?”
“You were the one who said dawn approaches and we have no time. Your words lack consistency.”
I would not reconsider. I firmly refused and crossed my legs.
Deep within his chest, an inexplicable tremor arose. Ian did not yet recognize it as sorrow, as an overwhelming burden pressing down upon him.
His mind was consumed entirely by the faces of five mages—those who had supported his back when he stood against the Elder, those who had told him to endure if he wished to endure, to retreat if he wished to retreat.
They had fulfilled their duty, yet what was he doing now? How had he lost those who followed him?
“…I cannot do this twice.”
Ian murmured with his face buried in his hands. To witness those who died simply because they were his people—truly, this was something he could not bear to see again.
“Count Ian?”
Jairot called to him, a cigarette held in one hand. Was the backlash from the magic worsening? He quickly searched for Akorelra, but she had barricaded herself in the makeshift laboratory and would not show her face.
Instead, Heil approached Ian and asked.
“Count Ian. Are you well? Shall I bring more sedatives?”
“No.”
Ian pushed away Heil’s hand and shook his head. Do not come closer. With a glance, he conveyed his refusal to Berik, who followed behind him as well. You too, do not approach.
“Berik. You belong to the Imperial Guards, so in combat you must follow Captain Jairot’s orders.”
“What? I don’t want to!”
“Whether you want to or not makes no difference. That is the system.”
“Old man—no, wait. Captain Jairot! I’ll stay by Ian’s side. Look at his condition! He’s a bit out of it… no, damn it. What I mean is, I’ll do my best to assist him. Captain Jairot, sir.”
Berik raised his hand pleadingly to Jairot. Judging by the way his fangs were bared, bringing him along would be problematic regardless. Jairot crushed out his cigarette and nodded.
“Yes, Count Ian. Please continue to keep Berik with you. He is insufficiently trained and will not be of great help in executing operations.”
“Huh? That doesn’t feel great either way? Could you have said it more kindly? Huh?”
Few could accept and manage Ian. It was unfortunate that Berik was one of them. Perhaps if Romandro had been here, things might have been somewhat better.
“….”
Ian responded with silence, and everyone in the conference room watched his emotional state with keen attention.
But that too was brief. Ian rose from his seat and straightened his outer robe.
“Prince Noah. I pray that when morning comes, all things will be illuminated. It may become difficult to see the sun in Cliffford from this point forward.”
If he gave everything to save the mages, and if a rift opened and monsters flooded through, then Cliffford would become a land where the sun does not rise.
Prince Noah stood up in response and faced Ian.
“So then, I understand. If you bring the mages, I will cooperate as before. I too will ask for your aid. Mage Knights, would you follow me for a moment?”
“Yes, understood.”
“We will send word first from our side.”
Whether there were prisoners held, whether they lived or died, and how they might be handed over—Prince Noah made up his mind to organize messengers and left the conference room.
Jairot completely crushed out his cigarette, then gestured to the Mage Knights to follow the Prince, while Tweller remained seated and looked up at Ian.
“…Count Ian.”
The weight the boy was carrying seemed considerable. How could one so young, just come up from the frontier, bear such a burden? Tweller met Ian’s gaze, which looked down upon him with indifference, and smiled faintly.
“Would you speak with me for a moment? King Damon and various other matters are so murky that I cannot find a thread to follow. I wish to seek answers through your keen insight, Count Ian.”
Ian readily accepted by sitting down again, and gestured for everyone to leave. Tweller did the same.
His subordinates departed the conference room with reluctant steps, and soon only two remained in the now-quiet space.

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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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