Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 402

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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 402
Fire. Grasping My Will
Tap, tap-tap.
I tapped my fingertips against the windowsill while half-cradling the box resting there. The cold, crisp dawn settled within my pupils.
The Mages could not bring themselves to look at their colleague whose head had just returned, and they remained silent, keeping their distance. I offered them nothing. Even when they asked what to do with the corpse, I gave no answer, simply surrendering my body to contemplation as though locked within a vast void.
As the sun began to rise at the far horizon, I murmured.
“…How likely is it that Ruswena handed Jang over to Burgos?”
“Pardon?”
Startled by the sudden question, they all turned their heads. But I remained in the same position. Faint sunlight seeping through the window settled upon my lower eyelashes.
I parted my lips once more. It was less a question than a soliloquy.
“Did Ruswena hand Jang over to Burgos?”
“Ah, well… assuming the boy’s words are true, I don’t think so.”
“I concur. They might hand over a robe to sow confusion, but securing a Mage’s person is an act directly targeting Bariel. It’s unlikely they would simply hand him over to Burgos.”
Have you been thinking about this all along? The Mages exchanged glances. From yesterday afternoon until this dawn, I had shed countless tears, and through them appeared to be sinking into myself. Though it was due to magical side effects.
In a situation where only my subordinate’s severed head had returned, my breaking of silence was inevitably strange.
“Sir Ian.”
“Has there been no reply from Ruswena yet?”
“No, sir. When it arrives, we’ve prepared to confirm it together with Prince Noah. You’ll receive it before anyone else. Sir Ian… but are you certain you’re alright?”
The Mages cautiously approached me. The box I held—the one containing Selena’s head—as though it were a weapon meant to harm me.
I tilted my head with a cold gaze.
“What is it?”
“It’s… Selena.”
“….”
“Would you allow us to have her funeral rites?”
“No. Selena’s body is missing. How could we?”
I refused with a firm gesture. Then, as though nothing were amiss, I descended from the windowsill and approached the Mages. With an upright, composed posture, I placed my hand upon the nearest Mage’s shoulder and spoke.
“I am fine. Though my heart grows cold with unease, what I must do now is bring my remaining subordinates back safely, and behead Damon to demonstrate righteous will to Burgos. So speak no more of your concerns for me. Your words reach me.”
They reach me, they change me. So hide such petty emotions as worry, anxiety, and fear. My expression and voice were calm and composed, yet my hand gripping the Mage’s shoulder was tense with force.
I paused to steady my breathing and turned my body.
“Now. Let us try again. If anyone has opinions to add, do so freely and without hesitation.”
I knew my state was not good. So if there were any shortcomings or oversights, I asked them to point them out without delay so nothing would be lacking.
The Mages hesitated and nodded. I, who had sworn to personally claim Damon’s life. They could feel this was the prelude to my vengeance.
“Hah.”
Snap!
I drew a light breath and flicked my fingertips once more. My slack consciousness seemed to flinch ever so slightly.
But it was still insufficient. I needed to be more composed, more serene—to possess the gaze of a god looking down from the heavens above.
“It appears certain that Burgos and Ruswena made covert contact. But why is the response time between the two nations so vastly different?”
One of the Mages raised his hand at my question.
“If it’s this delayed, isn’t there a possibility Ruswena won’t respond at all? They’ve aligned with Burgos, so they’ve judged there’s no need to act.”
“Rejected. No. If they entrust their position statement to Burgos simply because they’ve aligned with him, they’ll be relegated to secondary status in war initiative and future preferential negotiation rights. That’s impossible given Eriponi’s nature.”
“Then could it be a matter of reconciling their positions?”
“With whom?”
“Well, perhaps Burgos and they couldn’t align their views… or maybe between King Eriponi and his subordinates below him.”
“That does make sense.”
As I nodded in acknowledgment, the Mage smiled slightly with satisfaction.
They sat quietly and watched me pace back and forth. I circled the table, seeming to contemplate a world visible only within my own mind.
“We have Zaira in our custody. From the atmosphere, it appears the Ruswena Mages have never cooperated with the royal palace before. With the Elder dead and Zaira captured as a prisoner, internal discontent must have reached its breaking point. The deliberations related to this could be prolonged.”
“Then what if we send another message? Proposing an exchange of Zaira and Jang?”
“That’s something they should propose, not us. Because by detaining the Mages, they’ve already committed themselves fully to this war. With Bariel’s neutrality and the urgent need for retreat, we’ve already fulfilled our role by sending one messenger.”
I know this well. Now they—especially Damon under Burgos—would attempt to use the Mages as hostages to obtain what they desire.
Bariel’s declaration of neutrality.
Or the continental rift caused by my rampage.
As if to provoke my anger and urge me to calculate my moves, not a single letter accompanied the message. I understood intellectually that this was a clear provocation, a powerful move that Damon had laid down deliberately.
Crunch.
But understanding it didn’t mean my emotions aligned with that understanding. I clenched my fist within my sleeve and paused for a moment.
The Mages, who had been eagerly throwing out various arguments, keenly sensed this and fell silent.
“…There is one thing I must ask your permission for.”
“Permission? What do you mean?”
“Why would you ask us for such a thing?”
“Yes, that’s right. When you speak like that, it frightens us.”
I offered a faint, sorrowful smile.
“No. It is what I shall save.”
A declaration with an ambiguous object—whether I was asking for permission or saving the remaining Mages.
“I can swear by everything I possess. If Yen, Kanci, Tomi, and Jang can return, I am prepared to bear any cost. But we are the Ministry of Magic. Moreover, we are Bariel’s Ministry of Magic. During wartime, responding to the enemy’s demands must be done from a nation-to-nation stance, and this is not something that can be decided by private sentiment—it is the will of the Emperor himself. Therefore, should anyone else in this process—”
return dead, do not grieve as I do. Blame me and speak of my lack of virtue, but do not forget that you are Mages of Bariel.
I will hold a grand purpose. The death of Damon and the peace of the continent achieved under Bariel.
The Mages drew closer once more.
“Minister Ian. We have told you repeatedly. The danger concerning us is not something you should bear. It is all our choice and will, so please respect that.”
“And besides, one does not negotiate with human lives. Yen, Kanci, Tomi, and Jang may be suffering humiliation in enemy territory, but they will not have forgotten. That they are Mages of Bariel.”
“So we will look only to you, Minister Ian. What will you look toward?”
The Mages clasped their hands together one by one. They embraced each other and felt the presence of one another.
“From the moment Selena returned like that, everything was foreseen. We may dream of everyone returning alive, but we must not forget reality. We are in the midst of war, after all.”
Let us do our utmost. But in what cannot be achieved even so, let us harbor no regrets. Let us maintain the resolve to honor sacrifice as sacrifice for the greater cause. The Mages conveyed this to me through their eyes.
I placed my hand upon theirs and murmured.
“As Minister of Magic of Bariel, I will pursue the glory of Bariel and the Ministry of Magic.”
“We are with you.”
“So please, no more self-reproach. If you do, I shall resign.”
“So shall I. I’ll flee with my severance after the war ends.”
“We understand. Had Selena been present here, she would surely have joined us and clasped hands as well.”
Within their lighthearted consolation, I nodded.
There were moments when I had to release something precious simultaneously with the wind. This was one of those moments. I desired the safe return of the four Mages more than anyone, yet the more I wanted it, the more crucial it became to maintain firm negotiating advantage. As though they were worthless, as though the deaths of five Mages meant nothing to us. Could there be a greater irony than this?
Berik leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, merely watching Ian. Whenever their eyes met, he widened his gaze and bared his front teeth.
‘I’m watching you closely. If you cry again, I’ll bite you.’
And beside him, Akorelra continued monitoring the situation and recording something.
Ian picked up the leather gloves resting on the table. With reverent care, he put them on firmly, then checked his pocket watch.
“One hour from now.”
If Ruswena did not send a response within that hour, the Mages led by Ian would unleash an assault on Burgos’s main headquarters.
Though their numbers had drastically diminished and Ian’s physical condition was far from optimal, Damon had crossed the line. A foot that crossed over needed to be severed.
‘That Damon is attempting to provoke me through crude methods means the Rift still hasn’t received enough stimulation to the extent he desires. It also suggests the timing of the Great Earthquake is drawing considerably near. There’s only today left. Without excess, with absolute clarity, I must eliminate the enemy’s leadership—’
“All of you, do not take your eyes off Damon’s neck. And watch carefully. I will crush his breath along with Selena.”
Thump.
The Mages placed their hands over their chests and offered salutes in the Bariel Imperial Court manner.
So be it, then it shall be so. Ian nodded and turned away, continuing to adjust his gloves.
I was going forth prepared for the deaths of four Mages, yet the mere thought of it approaching made my breath catch repeatedly.
But I could not show it. When the sun rose, I would become Ian Hielo, Minister of Bariel. Just as I had been during those days as Emperor, I had to endure even if something shattered beneath my chest.
Knock, knock.
“Ian.”
Everyone turned their heads at the sound from outside. Had a response come from Ruswena? The Mages’ eyes gleamed with deadly intensity, and the Servant stepped backward.
“It’s, it’s not from Ruswena.”
“Ah, it’s not? I tensed my eyes for nothing.”
“What is the matter?”
“It’s the young Mage. The one in confinement.”
“Zaira?”
“Yes, yes.”
The Servant bowed deeply and relayed the message.
“She says she thought deeply throughout the night and wishes to meet you, Ian. She desires to offer formal greetings… Should we bring her in with the mana-sealing stones still in place? I did not hear the details, but she mentioned there are matters to discuss closely regarding the King of Eriponi of Ruswena. She, she says a spell has been placed, and she will speak directly only to you.”
“Let her in.”
Still a clever child. Whether that behavior would extend to wisdom remained to be seen, but Ian gestured with his hand to indicate permission.
The leather gloves, gripping firm resolve, moved softly.

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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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