Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 435

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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 435
Fire. Identity
“There is someone I must meet in the abyss, Your Highness. I have no choice but to abandon everything to pursue that path.”
The moment I spoke these words to Jin, the boy crumbled.
Was this truly the Ian he knew? The Ian who had walked beside him with only Bariel in his heart, sharing the same life’s goal? He had believed that place on the hill was their resting place, yet it felt as though Ian had just released his hand, choosing to stop here instead.
It meant something far more important existed for him than that. Jin could no longer hold back and tears streamed down his face. I gently wiped them away.
“…I apologize, Your Highness.”
“Who exactly is in the abyss that matters so much? I am here, Sia is here, Berik is here. Are they not enough? Romandro and the Mages who follow you are here, and your mother Philia is here. You already understand the weight of the Empire’s citizens without me saying it. Is this person so precious that you would abandon everyone?”
My fingertips hesitated for a moment. How could I weigh one person against another?
Jin bit his lip hard and grasped my sleeve. He instinctively knew it was wrong, but this was all he could do now.
“Make me understand that this person is precious enough for you to leave us all behind. Otherwise, I will not permit it. This is a command from the Prince of Bariel.”
At the Prince’s refusal, I simply smiled. My green eyes meeting his held a warm light.
As Jin faced me in silent tenderness, his heart seemed to burn even more intensely.
“Your Highness. That person… they gave me everything and made my existence possible. Though it may be presumptuous, I came to the palace and the Ministry of Magic solely to meet them.”
So this person occupies a very large part of my heart. Jin sniffled and opened his eyes wide, ready to seize upon any inconsistency he could find.
“Is that all?”
“Of course, I came here for that person, but everything I have done has been for Bariel and Your Highness. That much is my sincere heart—please understand. And Your Highness, you and everyone else have taken a piece of my heart.”
I spoke carefully. Though I was smiling brightly, my eyes seemed somehow wet. Confused, frustrated, and lost, Jin did not notice.
“But I know my path. Along that path lies a flower I can offer to Your Highness—how could I turn my back empty-handed?”
“Count Ian. You are truly despicable. The officials were right about you.”
“Haha. Is that so? The officials have devoted their lives to the palace. They must have keen eyes indeed. Though I had hoped Your Highness would not see me that way.”
“Despicable. Everyone will say the same. Philia especially will be heartbroken. To throw yourself away based on a single small record from long ago is truly foolish. And even if it were true information, it has been ten years. There is no guarantee you will return safely. Yet you still wish to go? Truly?”
“Your Highness. May I speak even more harshly?”
I patted the back of Jin’s hand, which gripped my sleeve tightly.
“I am more capable than this man Bandor. It took him ten years, but I will complete the investigation of the cracks far more quickly. I can swear this before the name of Bariel.”
At my playful words, Jin’s lips twisted. But he had no counterargument. Unlike Bandor, who had merely passed through the Ministry of Magic in the palace, I was clearly someone who would be importantly recorded in Bariel’s history.
Apart from my genius and wondrous magical talent, the footprints I had left on Bariel in merely half a year were so remarkable that they could not go unmentioned.
“So please do not worry too much. The cracks in Cliffford are not merely Cliffford’s problem, are they not? Bariel, the center of Gaia, must personally step forward to resolve this.”
In Bariel a hundred years hence, as far as I knew, the cracks in Cliffford had never existed.
The past distorted by Damon’s regression. I had a duty to clean up that mess for both the present and future Bariel. I was the only one moving across different timelines. And above all, I was the Emperor of future Bariel.
“…I understand that much.”
“Your Highness. And there is one more thing you should know.”
I glanced toward Xiaoxi and signaled for him to secure the door thoroughly. Xiaoxi, who had been righting the overturned chair, approached the door and peered through the gap.
The faintly visible outside. Several people gathered in small groups discussing something intently were aware of this room, but none dared listen closely. In the palace, knowledge often became poison that stained one’s own blood. Who could approach between Jin and me, moving like a sharp wind?
Creak.
“What is it? Now I am afraid to speak with you.”
“It concerns King Damon. He is living a second life.”
“What?”
Jin’s brow furrowed, and even Xiaoxi, closing the door firmly, could not help but pause. I lowered my voice further and continued.
“I heard it from the Gypsy whom Damon was pursuing before. Your Highness has also met that Gypsy, have you not?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“The one who consumes secrets revealed King Damon’s hidden truth from within his belly to me. Since King Damon himself acknowledged it, there is no room for doubt on this matter. Above all, having already been defeated and taken prisoner, Your Highness need not concern yourself greatly with the facts. However, the problem is—”
“Wait. A second life? What do you mean by that? Is it what I’m thinking?”
“Yes. Literally speaking, he possessed both the time when he was Prince Damon and the time when he was King Damon simultaneously.”
“H-how is that even possible?”
“There are times when things occur in this world that human perspective cannot comprehend. Since all things are arranged by divine will, it seems only natural that we cannot fathom their meaning.”
For the first time, Jin sensed something like petulance and lamentation in Ian’s murmur. He had always been aloof, gazing only beyond the horizon, yet beneath the existence called God, he was revealed to be nothing more than human like herself.
Jin did not release Ian’s hand as she asked again.
“What was the problem you were about to mention?”
“Ah, that Rutherford stands behind Damon.”
“Rutherford is a merchant guild. How does a mere trading company exist behind a nation’s king?”
“It is no mere trading company, Your Highness. It is the source of Idgal and directly connected to King Damon’s return. Allow me to show you this.”
Ian rose from where he had knelt and retrieved his report from his desk. It was a document meant only for Jin, not shared with the other officials. Within it, all the information Ian had gathered thus far was organized with perfect clarity, and Jin hurriedly scanned through the text.
A sharp sound.
“This makes no sense.”
“It makes no sense, yet Damon accomplished it. Quite a remarkable king indeed.”
His tone was filled with irony, but Jin did not respond, continuing only to read Ian’s report.
Too many things rushed into her mind at once. The Idgal accessories that had quietly gained popularity when Ian was at the frontier. King Damon’s wealth and siblings. Marib’s rebellion. The war…
“Do you know what Rutherford’s purpose is?”
“Unfortunately, I have nothing to tell you. However, judging by his actions, he appears far removed from worldly concerns such as mere wealth, honor, or power. With this war, trade routes for Idgal have opened to neighboring nations except Bariel. Money is merely a number to him.”
Ian tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.
Rutherford. I do not know him, yet he knows me. More precisely, he knows the illegitimate Ian.
However, the disparity in perspective arising from this information imbalance created a deeper angle than expected. I cannot see him, but he can see me—this difference in vision.
“It would be wise to observe how Rutherford reacts to King Damon’s execution.”
Having said so, Ian rose from his seat and returned to his place.
Ian had grown distant once more. Jin placed the report on the table with a soft thud, her eyes showing displeasure.
“Well, Your Highness. There is one thing I must ask of you.”
“A request?”
Startled by the word “request,” he quickly relaxed. Had Ian ever made a request before? He was the one who designed everything and ‘obtained’ what he desired.
“What is it?”
“The next Minister of Magic will necessarily differ from me in color for smooth operations. Strong internal policies will be needed to restore order to the divided Ministry.”
“You knew the Ministry would be divided.”
“Of course. Did I not cause great upheaval as its head? Where there are those who waver, naturally there will be those who remain steadfast. I do not mean to condemn or praise. The Ministry will sway greatly, but it will never break or shatter. They are those who possess divine power, and in a sense, they are truly brothers and sisters.”
“…By strong internal policies, you mean construction of a separate building.”
“Precisely. Regardless of the new minister’s political standing, it is what Wesley and the entire Ministry have desired. The budget is already allocated, so if the imperial court provides just a little support, it can proceed without difficulty.”
“I have no reason to agree. Did you not say yourself that Count Ian would become my stepping stone to strengthen imperial authority? And now, after letting you go, I am to permit a separate Ministry building? The logic does not align. And above all, I dislike that you cannot remain as Minister.”
Ian laughed softly.
“Still, please reconsider. Once the separate Ministry building is completed, I will return to the imperial palace even while investigating the rifts.”
Jin’s ears perked up. Ian had just revealed the condition under which he could halt the rift investigation midway. Of course, even if he returned, everything between them would not be as it was before.
“The next minister will not welcome me, so I may not stay long regardless.”
Once the annex was completed and I obtained clues about the Abyss from the Rift, I would surely return to Bariel a hundred years hence. So I would depart once more.
I offered Jin a subtle hint, but he failed to grasp it and furrowed his brow.
“Isn’t the next Minister either Heil or Akorelra? Why do you not welcome him?”
“Water that has flowed must continue to flow. If water reverses its course and returns, who would welcome it? Moreover, in the position of Minister, personal relationships must be thoroughly excluded. Ah, and please exclude Akorelra from consideration.”
“Hmm. I see.”
A brief silence fell between us. Jin’s eyes darted about before he suddenly sprang to his feet and cleared his throat repeatedly. His attempt to redirect the conversation only made its conclusion feel lighter.
“I, I am confused now and need time to reflect. Inform everyone to postpone the meeting by a day. King Damon’s recovery is also a concern, and it seems no one can offer proper opinions at this moment. Thanks to someone.”
Bang!
So he had learned to rebuke openly now. Just as I was about to admire this, Jin strode out of the conference hall. The officials were startled by the suddenly opened door and followed him, while I sat alone and exhaled a weary sigh.
The Rift—within that shimmering crevasse lies the Abyss. So I must not burden my steps with melancholy weight. I closed my vacant eyes and contemplated the blurring future.
Bariel a hundred years hence—I am Emperor Ian Verosion.
* * *
“…Don’t you know this song well?”
At Philia’s trembling voice, I sensed something was amiss. The way she imbued the song with meaning.
I instantly recalled the note from my Mother that I had received through Count of Bratz. The textbook answer hovered on my tongue—that I knew it, that it was a cherished melody my mother had sung to me in childhood—yet I hesitated.
My gaze fell upon Philia’s belly. Was there a slight swell of pregnancy? When I entered the Rift and returned to the future, that woman would lose her son once more. Unless the illegitimate Ian returned in his own body.
“Yes. It is somewhat familiar, but I do not know it well.”
I recalled Philia’s voice calling me her “beloved stone,” and spoke thus.
I am not the illegitimate Ian, so even should I disappear, do not waver and forge through the fierce currents. Yet again, these words would not leave my tongue.

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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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