Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 398

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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 398
Fire. As You Believe
-Your Majesty stands at the center of the world, and your belief becomes truth itself.
Amidst the child’s wailing, Ian suddenly heard Naum’s whisper. The way an Emperor perceives the world. A small counsel from his dear friend that had reached even Jin through him.
Zaira continued to shriek curses, but Ian, lost in thought, did not respond to her.
Soldiers with fearful faces bound Zaira’s limbs, and in that moment, a hidden blade flew toward Ian and struck his chest.
“So the Bariel Minister of Magic thinks he knows something? There’s nothing to it! Fool, idiot!”
“Hey, someone shut her mouth.”
“How dare you speak so disrespectfully before whom!”
“Is there anything impossible in this world? It exists, you just don’t know it. Say it exists! Admit you don’t know!”
Zaira lay sprawled on the ground, weeping bitterly, cursing Ian endlessly. Calling him a fool, a fool who made judgments without knowing anything. The head of mages, the light of Gaia and the salt of Bariel, yet knowing nothing.
-Your Majesty stands at the center of the world, and your belief becomes truth itself.
This time it was not Naum’s voice. It was Ian’s own. Gentle yet firm, the teaching he had imparted to Jin that day.
Ian leaned his arm against the railing and called to Zaira carefully. His voice was very small, yet because even the wind fell silent, all could hear it.
“…Child, do you believe you can save one who has fallen into the abyss?”
Shallow knowledge becomes poison.
Knowledge from his previous life and certainty from his current one seemed to have drawn invisible boundaries. A wall erected under the name of established doctrine. Ian saw it clearly. That forbidden magic was an end in itself, and thus could not be undone.
But in Zaira’s world?
If Zaira truly believed she could break forbidden magic, would that not become truth for the child? In the world of Gaia, the Emperor Bariel stands at the center, but in each person’s life, are they not the center of their own?
If there exists a way to undo forbidden magic in that child’s blank slate of a world, then it could exist there. At least in that place.
“….”
Zaira’s eyes widened as tears streamed down her face. Then Ian asked again. As if demanding a certain and clear answer. Somehow it sounded like a plea.
“Do you believe you can break forbidden magic?”
“…Yes. Even if you don’t know, someone else must. And if no one knows, I’ll find it myself. That’s why I’ll bring our grandmother back from there.”
The mages listening clicked their tongues inwardly. The child’s naive words, knowing nothing, were truly pitiful.
If one took that ignorance as a guide, it was clear what storms would come in a life both short and long. Dull, foolish, and in a way, laughable.
But Ian’s reaction was different.
“…How remarkable.”
Remarkable. Truly remarkable. The child possessed a world he had never dared to imagine.
Ian rested his chin in his hand, his eyes gleaming with genuine wonder. And he wanted to reproach himself for the words he had just spoken, for declaring with certainty that forbidden magic had no countermeasure.
He should not have spoken so easily. He should not have concluded so simply. Is it not easier to find what you believe exists, but harder to create what you believe does not?
Everyone turned to look at Ian with puzzled eyes at his reaction. Zaira too. The child let fall her final tear and looked up at Ian.
Whoosh.
The silent wind blew. Ian’s hair rippled like moonlight. Beneath it, his green eyes wavered.
Was it an illusion? Zaira attributed it to her own tears, and the others failed to notice Ian’s subtle change.
“Your name is Zaira, then.”
“….”
“I misspoke. Let me correct myself. There may indeed be a way to undo forbidden magic.”
It does not yet exist in Ian’s world, but as he gradually shifts his perception, one day he will encounter a world where it does. For Ian’s belief becomes truth itself.
“No, it must surely exist somewhere. I simply regret not knowing it. Zaira, hold your belief firm so that time cannot erode it. Keep it close and move forward. I wish that for you, truly.”
Zaira’s lips parted slightly at Ian’s sincere encouragement. She looked genuinely astonished. In Ruswena and everywhere else, few treated a young child with such flexibility. Especially not in an extreme situation like this.
A general had dared to strike a mage’s cheek. Dared to lay hands on one who possessed power close to the divine.
“…Why? Why would you say such a thing?”
“I hope you’ll find it. So that we can all live in a better world. That’s all.”
A better world. Zaira recognized that it held similar meaning to the distant world her grandmother had spoken of.
Ian clicked open his pocket watch to check the time. Not much remained before dawn.
‘Sending a mage rather than a scout was to confirm internal circumstances. They’ll be aware that the flames have been lit, so there will certainly be movement.’
Whether it would be contact between kings or a night attack remained uncertain, but the former was far more likely. This was Cliffford, after all—a foreign force could not move easily through darkness here.
“Zaira. Tell me one thing. Does Ruswena have our mage?”
“They have him! One! He’s alive!”
Berik, who had rushed up with a clatter, answered in her stead.
One. At that information, everyone exhaled a complicated sigh. That he was alive was good news, but the fate of the remaining four remained shrouded in mystery.
“What’s his condition?”
“…It’s not good. Prince Eriponi won’t allow the transfer of magical power. He says he’ll decide after consulting with Burgos.”
“Madmen! What will they do if he dies!”
“Who is he? Describe his face.”
“He was unconscious, so I couldn’t speak with him. A man who appears to be around thirty. Brown hair.”
“That’s Captain Jang. There are only Tomi and Captain Jang among the men. This is driving me insane. Really.”
“Listen! How bad was his condition?”
“The doctor did treat him! He did, but they just didn’t share magical power, that’s all. I don’t know the details!”
The mages spoke out in chaotic succession.
Though Ian’s presence had diminished since becoming Minister, Jang was a former captain of the Mage Research Division. That one of their key forces was dying on the brink of death—their turmoil was only natural.
Ian raised his hand lightly to calm them.
“Zaira. I don’t think you came on reconnaissance alone.”
“…I don’t know.”
Zaira bit her lip, as if to say she would remain silent on that matter.
Just as the Bariel mages had their bonds, the Ruswena mages certainly had their own connections. Zaira’s unilateral action would have surely startled them, and there was every chance they would hold her accountable upon her return.
So Zaira thought it best to avoid mentioning that side of things as much as possible.
“Captain Jairot.”
“Yes, Ian.”
“Strengthen the guard along the right side of the barrier.”
Eriponi would never have sent the child alone. This was about approaching the enemy’s barrier and gathering intelligence, after all.
Moreover, Zaira was a child who had lost her grandmother today. There were too many inconsistencies to select her merely because she was suited to concealing her presence.
Ian turned his gaze to Zaira.
“Zaira, do you have any other family?”
“Why are you asking?”
“If not, I propose you naturalize into Bariel.”
“Ian!”
The mages gasped and covered their mouths. Their situation was already like this because of the Ruswena mages, and five were missing—and now naturalization?
And look at her condition. She’s a child who lost her grandmother to their hands. With such a stubborn temperament, there’s something unsettling about her—how could you make such a proposal?
But Ian pushed past the objections and continued.
“Unlike Ruswena, Bariel possesses abundant information about magic, and the imperial court spares no support, so research progresses vigorously. Above all, every subject reveres the greatness of magic. Zaira, if you wish to unravel forbidden magic, seeking assistance through Bariel’s Ministry of Magic would be a wise choice.”
“I am Ruswena.”
“The center of your life still lies far away. When you die someday, you might call yourself a citizen of Bariel.”
Ian coaxed sweetly, but Zaira couldn’t even dare mention the word naturalization. After all, her younger brother was imprisoned in the royal palace, wasn’t he? Besides, the mages in Ruswena were like family too.
Ian noticed her expression hadn’t changed and raised an eyebrow.
‘She seems to harbor resentment toward the King of Eriponi, yet she won’t even consider it. She has family elsewhere.’
“If there’s anyone you wish to bring, we would gladly welcome them as well. Bariel is a nation overflowing with compassion and benevolence.”
“Ian—”
Just as someone was about to cry out that they didn’t want to, that they didn’t wish to mingle with Ruswena, their former enemy, several mages covered that person’s mouth.
Foolish words. In the midst of war, wasn’t winning over mages the best way to weaken Ruswena’s forces?
Ian was now trying to realize that through the girl. He understood this wasn’t a matter to be handled emotionally simply because colleagues had been lost and wounded.
Zaira stared at them for a moment, then shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“Not ‘I don’t want to,’ but ‘I can’t’—how pleasant to hear.”
As Ian smiled faintly, Zaira unleashed her magical power. Her eyes tinged with golden light. She was attempting to escape.
The soldiers gasped and looked toward Ian, their spear tips raised sharply, while those capable of wielding magic immediately released their power.
Zzzzzing. Zzzing.
“Zaira. Don’t be clever—be wise.”
Amidst that power, Ian stood leisurely against the railing, his counsel carrying weight.
“We can kill you here, which means the failure of our mission, and ultimately brings harm to those precious to you left in your homeland.”
Kill her? Zaira scoffed inwardly. She had been careless and taken a blow from the Mage Knights, but she hadn’t unleashed her full strength either. Breaking through these whimpering mages and soaring into the sky was nothing to her.
Zzzzzing! Zzzing!
Boom!
「Restraint」
Brilliant threads of light erupted swiftly from beneath Ian’s feet, plunging downward toward Zaira. Dense and sharp. Zaira lay on her back, eyes wide open as she stared at them.
“Ian! I told you not to use magic! You’re getting weaker, and again! Bring meat! Meat!”
“Berik, eating meat doesn’t cure everything. Do you think you’re the same as Ian? Call Captain Akorella! Let’s do something about the amplifier!”
“Hey! Captain Akorella said no! If you open the door during the experiment, you die on the spot. Never mind, Ian. Release the restraint. We’ll handle it instead.”
“Ah, of all people to hit Idgal…”
“You hollow shells, step back!”
“Such polite words. Bastard.”
“Mages with power, step forward! Let’s gather the restraint!”
After the commotion, as the mages capable of wielding magic rolled up their sleeves, Ian gently shook his head to stop them.
“It’s not efficient.”
“Pardon?”
“Zaira’s magical power is quite formidable. No matter how many of you combine your strength, you cannot surpass it. One layer from me alone is better than many layers from all of you.”
“Then, should we offer our power again?”
There was no way to help. As the mages shuffled their feet, Ian laughed—a faint smile, yet clearer than before.
“Go finish your meal.”
“Look, look! Ian likes meat too! Come on, eat the rest of it, Ian. And just one bite for me.”
“Strengthen the right barrier’s guard posts. The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Defense Ministry will assist Cliffford in executing the operation. You may rotate soldiers as needed.”
“Ah, yes. Understood!”
Clang!
The soldiers carefully saluted and removed Idgal’s spear. Zaira sprang up like a beast, but Ian’s pillar of light immediately sealed off the space above her completely, like closing a lid.
Boom!
“What is this! What’s happening!”
“You don’t know basic magic speed? Though I must say, it was strange from the start that your grandmother uses cold magic.”
“Stop showing off! I’ll break it!”
Zing! Zing!
Crash!
Zaira flared with light and unleashed her mana repeatedly, but the wall made of light remained solid. Those who had been anxious relaxed upon seeing this, gradually releasing the tension from their bodies.
“Zaira. If you don’t naturalize as Bariel—that is, if you don’t cooperate with us—you are a valuable sacrifice who could save Jang. Wait there for now. Once I assess the situation, I’ll decide what to do with you.”
Ian nodded as he spoke.
“If you have anything to say, I can listen anytime. Cool your head there and call for me later. And when that time comes, it would be better for you to treat me with proper respect.”
Then he turned and walked inside without looking back.
Berik looked between Zaira and Ian before hurrying after Ian.
“Ian! You’re not going to lock me up there too, right?”
“Why? Did you do something wrong?”
“No, no. I was just asking just in case. You know, just to be sure.”
“Hey! Release this!”
Boom! Boom!
Zaira created light and shouted, but no one listened.

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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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