Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 451

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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 451
Fire. Overwhelming
“Your Highness. This is not a matter for concern.”
The Prime Minister pressed the bridge of his nose with evident frustration. In other matters, he was a man of clear judgment, yet why did he reveal his age only in moments like these?
Prince Jin held his forehead as he listened to the officials clamoring around him. Or perhaps he wasn’t truly listening at all—merely letting the noise wash over him without truly hearing it.
“I understand Your Highness’s reservations. It is true that Count Ian is suspicious in many ways, yet he is undoubtedly a rare talent precious to Bariel. If we send him to Cliffford, he will naturally enter the Rift as intended, but then we would know neither the date of his return nor whether he lives or dies, would we not?”
“He himself wishes to go. Why do you continue to obstruct him? He is indeed talented, but when his position becomes vacant, another will surely emerge to fill it. Does the Magic Ministry lack talent? It was the same under Former Minister Wesley. They said there would be no Grand Mage of his caliber. Yet look—Count Ian appeared, and now Bariel can embrace a new mage once more.”
“Setting everything else aside, the proposal Cliffford has put forth is quite reasonable. Wasn’t this what we intended from the beginning? They offer to hand over all construction rights without reservation—there is no better foothold for checking the two nations.”
“Yes. I agree as well. Particularly, Your Highness has ordered military repositioning toward Burgos. Rather than lose Burgos to some merchant lord named Rutherford, it is far more advantageous for Bariel to absorb it. A man of unclear intentions who creates things like Idgal seems about to plant his flag in the neighboring country. Surely we must prevent this?”
“I thought they would negotiate back and forth, but seeing them hand it over without hesitation suggests the situation in Cliffford is worse than expected.”
“Whether we call it fortune or… hmm. It is quite favorable for us.”
“It is counterevidence. Counterevidence that the severity of the Rift continues to deepen. This will have profound consequences not only for Cliffford but for Bariel as well!”
Crash!
Unable to bear the barrage of arguments striking his ears, I slammed my hand upon the table. Having always been gentle and docile, such passionate emotional expression was unprecedented.
All the officials froze in shock, their mouths agape, and several, their eyes rolling, quietly retreated from the room.
“I understand well what you all argue. I have heard it until my ears ached. But—”
“Your Highness.”
The Prime Minister knelt beside me. I thought he would repeat what he had said before, but in that moment, the Prime Minister’s utterly unexpected words pierced deep into the boy’s heart.
“When the interests are so clear, yet Your Highness hesitates thus, it means Count Ian’s very existence is already a loss.”
“…Prime Minister.”
“The advancement of magic, Bariel’s future, and absolute dominion over Gaia—all good. I too understand well the brilliant world Count Ian will bring. Yet by thus clouding Your Highness’s resolve and obstructing the clear progression of interests, his very existence becomes a harm to Bariel. It has been so for some time now.”
Ian, whom I had regarded as one who would foster my growth, had now become an obstacle to that very growth. An imbalance created by the desire to cherish him and keep him at my side.
I opened my eyes wide as though a new world were shattering before me. I finally understood why Ian had continued to wish to leave despite my objections.
“The sole Crown Prince of Bariel weighs the future of the empire’s people against the future of a single mage. Your Highness. This cannot be.”
No matter how many thousand gold pieces Ian’s value might be worth, if he clouds my judgment, he is evil. The Prime Minister made his decision thus and prostrated himself flat on the ground. Save for the Emperor, he rarely bowed his head, which meant he regarded me as equal to the Emperor—and that this was counsel given at the cost of his life.
“Your Highness. If I cannot set this negotiation aright, there is no reason for me to remain in this position. There cannot be. As one who receives a stipend, if I cannot fulfill my role properly, how could I remain in the palace?”
“Prime Minister!”
“Make your decision. This is my final counsel.”
As the Prime Minister spoke thus, dozens of officials following him also pressed their foreheads to the ground. Only a few dissenting officials remained standing awkwardly.
I looked toward Xiaoxi, and he shook his head as though to say there was no choice.
“…Very well.”
Permission finally fell from my lips. To receive all construction rights from Cliffford and to provide unstintingly everything necessary for reconstruction.
Now that it has come to this, there is truly only one thing left for me to do.
“However, I will add provisions to the agreement with Burgos.”
“What provisions do you speak of, Your Highness?”
“Include mana stones in the compensation for damages. The types of mana stones shall be determined with consultation from the Magic Ministry, and I will hear no opinions on this matter. Mana stones fall under the purview of the Magic Ministry alone.”
The Prime Minister examined me briefly with confusion, but soon realized there was no issue and nodded. Rather than reducing other portions, I was asking to receive mana stones additionally, so there was nothing to coordinate with other departments. Above all, this was an absolute gain for Bariel, so there was no reason to object.
“Yes. It shall be done, Your Highness.”
“Convey this to Count Ian.”
“We are truly honored by your wise decision.”
“…You have no reason to thank me.”
We each did what was required of us. It was merely our duty, so gratitude was an unnecessary emotion. The Prime Minister signaled the officials with his eyes to move quickly.
Tap, tap, tap!
Crash! Bang! Screech!
Then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
The Prime Minister flinched in alarm, only to see the servants drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath. And blood staining their hands.
Xiaoxi immediately grasped the hilt of his sword, sensing something grave had occurred. The Prime Minister and other officials did the same.
“W-what is this commotion?”
“S-something terrible, something terrible has happened! Count Ian…!”
“Count Ian? What happened? Surely not—!?”
“It can’t be, right?”
Had Ian staged a rebellion? Several officials’ faces turned pale as fear flickered across their expressions. It was a natural reaction, given how they had just been speculating about his origins and intentions.
The servant gasped for breath, his expression stern as if dismissing such nonsense.
“Lord Ian has collapsed while coughing blood.”
“Suddenly? What could have caused it?”
“We don’t know. The doctors have rushed to attend him, but they say he’s… not breathing….”
Thud!
Jin shot to his feet in shock, uttering no words. The man had been perfectly fine in the conference room moments ago—how could he have collapsed while coughing blood? And not breathing? Jin’s hands trembled as he approached the servant.
“…How did this happen? Was it an aftereffect from the war? But not breathing… there was no such occurrence before.”
He seemed not to comprehend what “not breathing” truly meant. It was not the same as symptoms like dizziness, chills, or bleeding—
‘Death.’
It meant death itself.
Tap, tap, tap!
Dash!
“Your Highness!”
As the servant prostrated himself without another word, Jin sprang forward and rushed past him. Running at full speed down the corridor. Officials and servants cried out in alarm, and Xiaoxi swiftly pursued the boy.
When had I run like this before? Perhaps this moment would be seared into Jin’s memory with burning intensity. The endless corridor stretched before me. I ran, heedless of who stood in my path, chasing only the sound of chaos.
And at the end of that corridor, Ian lay.
“Lord Ian! Please, regain consciousness!”
“D-damn it all! What did you do!?”
“Wait, please move aside. I’m a doctor! I’m a doctor!”
“We must arrest all the Ruswena and Burgos soldiers within the palace! He collapsed after drinking tea with them!”
“Where are the Healing Mages?”
“The problem is, their mana has become unstable due to the Idgal encountered in the war.”
“Everyone gather here! Pour all your mana into Lord Ian!”
“We are innocent! We merely suggested the tea, but it was the Magic Ministry that brought it. And Count Ian came of his own accord! The King himself nearly suffered the same fate!”
“Silence! How dare you flap your mouth!”
“My mouth? Ha! Look at this!”
It resembled a marketplace. The Mages crowded together, shouting frantically, while the Bariel Guards, Ruswena, and Burgos simultaneously proclaimed their innocence.
Through the throng of Mages, brilliant light seeped forth. Mana gathered and seeped into Ian. As Jin approached, the Guards scattered left and right, clearing a path.
“Your… Your Highness.”
“Prince Jin is here! Clear the way!”
“Your Highness, you mustn’t see this. Please step back for a moment—!”
“Move!”
The Guard, who had been shielding my eyes out of concern for the boy, flinched at the thunderous command and stumbled backward.
As I drew closer, I could clearly make out Ian’s form sprawled across the floor.
“…Count Ian?”
His hair hung limp and lifeless. His white shirt was drenched in blood. Those brilliant emerald eyes were nowhere to be seen, and the spine that had always stood so straight was now bent like a bow.
I approached carefully and took Ian’s hand.
“…!”
Shockingly cold skin. It was rigid and frigid in a way no human hand should ever be.
Only then did I truly comprehend what it meant that he wasn’t breathing. My eyes darted around in panic, despair, and fear, unable to settle anywhere.
“What… what are you doing? Hurry… keep channeling your mana.”
“Your Highness, Prince Jin.”
“What are you standing about for!”
I seized the Mage’s arm roughly and shook him, and he froze in confusion.
Then, someone entered my field of vision. It was Eriponi, standing at a distance with a fan concealing her face. And beside her stood Bania, the Burgos envoy.
The two women were whispering something to each other amid the chaos, and it looked far too suspicious.
“Eriponi!”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Eriponi’s eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced at me with a frown. I strode toward her with great strides. The difference in our builds was so pronounced that she felt no sense of intimidation.
“Count Ian collapsed after drinking tea with you?”
“I was truly at a loss for what to do. He drank tea that came from the Magic Ministry, and he fell like that. I suspect there may have been something wrong with the tea. It could have caused a misunderstanding between nations.”
The implication was that if Eriponi herself had drunk it, it would have been catastrophic. In other words, she was asserting that Ruswena was uninvolved in this matter, but to my eyes, that shameless expression and demeanor seemed deeply suspicious.
And above all, with Ian lying there like this, what need was there to assign blame? Everyone present was guilty. The crime of letting Ian die. The crime of not dying in Ian’s place.
So I, the Prince, decided to demand accountability.
Responsibility for the grave sin committed with such brazen audacity.
“…Kneel.”
“Pardon?”
“…I said kneel.”
I looked up at Eriponi and issued the command, and her royal countenance twisted hideously. No matter that she was the Prince of Bariel, to demand she kneel before all these witnesses? However unfavorable the circumstances, she was still a reigning monarch. There was no justification, no evidence that would permit such a thing!
Eldetr, sensing the King’s displeasure, moved forward to protest, but was blocked by Xiaoxi’s blade.
“Ha!”
What in the world was this! Eriponi’s indignation was plain to see, but I merely muttered under my breath.
“…If you don’t kneel now, I’ll cut off everything below your knees.”
Everyone understood instinctively.
This was the final warning spoken in words.

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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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