Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 460

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 460
Fire. Rutherford
“Can we go back?”
Melania turned around, nervously fidgeting with her fingertips.
Mountains of gold coins and various jewels stacked high. And scattered among them, this place was filled with priceless historical treasures that defied valuation.
Melania felt as though she were dreaming. She had thrown herself across a vast expanse of earth, only to find herself inside the imperial palace’s vault.
In truth, she couldn’t have determined whether this was the imperial palace or not until she saw the outside. Wasn’t the other party Rutherford? Still, the fact that the first person she met upon crossing over possessed eyes of orange hue—a mage—served as sufficient proof.
“Youngae. Could you be quiet for a moment? I understand your worry, but I can’t concentrate with all this noise. If your hands are empty, why don’t you pick up some of the gold coins scattered on the floor?”
A massive painting depicting earth and moon. And through its center, a deep crimson line drawn as though it were a wound.
Rutherford’s mages frowned and scolded Melania. Their colleagues had arrived and spread throughout the imperial palace, yet this one Youngae—from who knows where—was bustling about so noisily. Their nerves were bound to be on edge.
“Ugh….”
“Hey, hey. Wake up.”
“This is driving me insane. What the hell did you smear on this!?”
Rutherford’s mage ground his foot down on Akorelra’s head while cursing.
It was a painting made of mana stones. Ordinary contamination wouldn’t affect its function, but what the imperial mage had drawn was no simple paint. An unknown liquid. It had caused errors between the mana stones, preventing the return passage from opening properly.
One mage suddenly grabbed Akorelra by the hair and yanked her head backward.
“If you don’t keep your mouth shut, I’ll make you like that thing over there.”
“Ah….”
The mage was pointing at the Chamberlain. He had been led inside to guide Akorelra, only to meet his end. Blood spurted endlessly from the cleanly severed cross-section of his neck.
Beside him lay three Guards, and next to them five Servants who had been moving supplies. Even in the darkness, the forms of the corpses were unmistakable. Akorelra gazed at them with unfocused eyes, then let out a delirious laugh.
“Hee, hee-hee, hee….”
“You’re laughing?”
“Ah, damn it. You bastards don’t even know what you’ve smeared, yet you’re happy just because you’ve got numbers on your side?”
“Has she lost her mind!?”
“You all have friends? I have friends too. You bastards….”
“She’s completely insane. Completely.”
“Cartloine forty grams, Luron twenty-five grams, Tapiolog one hundred twenty grams, Dalron seventy grams….”
“What?”
The mage pressed his foot down on Akorelra’s nape, irritated by the noise. Blood rushed to her face, flushing it red, yet Akorelra didn’t wipe away her smile.
“See? Cough, I, I’m telling you but you, you can’t even understand it, can you?”
“Should we kill her? We need to reduce the number of imperial mages anyway.”
The mage drew a dagger from his waist and asked Rutherford. But Rutherford didn’t even blink at the commotion. He simply walked slowly through the exhibition hall, examining the imperial treasures. The deeper the marks of time, the longer his gaze lingered. Rutherford spun around and smiled broadly.
“No. That’s enough. You open the door. You need to finish it before the children return. Otherwise, you’ll die.”
Their master was not one to speak idle threats with lives on the line. The mages swallowed hard and nodded, then returned their focus to the massive frame, concentrating on opening the passage.
Taking this opportunity, Akorelra crawled toward the door. She had to inform everyone immediately. That name spoken in the conference room—Rutherford had infiltrated the imperial palace. He had harmed the palace’s people and hidden like shadows throughout the imperial palace to bring the Burgos soldiers….
“Ugh….”
“Mage. I see light in your eyes.”
“Let go-!”
“I’m complimenting you. But will you stay still for a moment?”
Crunch!
“Aaaaaahhh!”
Rutherford crouched beneath the crawling Akorelra and carefully seized her ankle. Without hesitation, he wrenched it. As bones dislocated with a sickening crack, Akorelra shrieked in agony.
“Rutherford. We found it.”
“Yes. Good.”
Had my subordinate not called from behind, I would have broken the other ankle as well, Rutherford thought as he followed his subordinate’s guidance deeper into the exhibition hall.
Colorful brooches arranged in a line atop a display case that reached to his waist. Rutherford hummed and laughed.
“Hmm. More than I expected.”
“Indeed. After the purge of the seven central nobles, there was a turnover, and it seems they all scrambled to lick the Imperial heel.”
“Good. Gather them all. Let’s see how the Bariel nobles respond.”
These were the seals of the Bariel nobles who had sworn loyalty to the Imperial throne. Surrendering one’s seal meant surrendering everything of one’s house—a direct demonstration of loyalty. I was curious what the nobles would feel, think, and do if the proof of that act went missing.
“Rutherford. We’ve secured all the gold coins. Everything is ready to move the moment the passage opens.”
“Good work.”
“The Imperial Palace will likely notice the situation soon. Should we join them?”
At his subordinate’s suggestion, Rutherford withdrew his pocket watch. Tick-tock, time continued its march, but an unforeseen problem troubled him.
According to the original plan, exactly two hours. Within two hours, I had to strip the Imperial Palace storehouse bare and retrieve Bania, the Burgos delegation, and Damon.
“Ah, this is truly vexing.”
“We will find another way out of the Imperial Palace. Rutherford, do not worry. We will open a portal if necessary to ensure your safety—”
“The portal isn’t the problem. The portal.”
As Rutherford’s mages cried out with renewed resolve, he chuckled and leaned against the wall.
The raid on the Imperial Palace was meant to effectively bolster Burgos. If I moved Burgos with funds diverted from Bariel itself, wouldn’t one side suffer losses while the other maximized gains?
Moreover, to preserve legitimacy as much as possible within Burgos, I needed Damon’s body. It would be preferable if he lived, but truthfully, even if he died, it wouldn’t be a major problem.
Rutherford slowly brushed back his black hair and murmured.
“When will I escape the Imperial Palace and return to that hillside, and how can I open such a massive portal immediately? This is not work you can handle. Inevitably, only our people will be left behind here.”
“…Rutherford.”
His words were meant with the thought that subordinates remaining behind would leak information about him, but they misinterpreted it differently and showed quite moved expressions.
Melania, watching quietly from one corner. Clark was gathering and organizing corpses, while the mage crawling across the floor continued undeterred toward the door. What on earth was this situation?
‘Am I truly walking the right path?’
A small but fierce longing to restore the name Haiman in Bariel had guided her to stand before Rutherford.
But was this not beyond her capacity? If this truly was the Imperial Palace, and if that mage crawling there belonged to Ian, what should she do?
Though her house had been exterminated, Ian had spared her life. In repaying that debt, much of her actions now diverged from his path. At least, by her own standards.
“Sigh.”
Melania clutched her head and sank down, while Rutherford’s group passing by merely glanced at her without offering further words.
Creeeeak.
Akorelra trembled at her fingertips as she barely pushed one door open. Through the narrow gap, light from outside poured in brightly. Rutherford fastened his watch back to his waist, then strode toward her and seized her ankle.
“Hey. Where are you going? You need to fix the problem you caused.”
“Ah, ugh, damn—”
“Want your right leg broken too? Hm?”
“Get lost, get—”
Ziiing! Zing!
Whoooosh!
Akorelra defiantly unleashed her magical power. With the force to blow away that smug face, she hurled it directly toward his visage. But it dissipated helplessly like fireworks bursting underwater, leaving only a brief flash of light before vanishing entirely.
Akorelra stared up at Rutherford with wide eyes. This sensation was….
“Rutherford. Since he keeps being such a nuisance, why don’t we just kill him?”
“You should at least figure out the corridor situation before talking about killing him. Hmm? Don’t be so irresponsible and speak without thinking things through.”
“…My apologies.”
“If each of you simply performs your role in your respective positions, everything will proceed without issue. Understand?”
“Yes, Rutherford.”
Rutherford tidied Akorelra’s disheveled hair, then slowly rose to his feet. The Mages were handling the corridors, and his Subordinates had gone to rescue the Burgos Soldiers. So he too had work to do.
Creak.
Ian. I should bring Ian here. It was the moment Rutherford thought this and opened the door to step outside.
“….”
An empty, vast corridor. A Boy with golden hair and golden eyes stood alone. Rutherford’s eyes widened slightly, and soon a smile spread across his lips.
“Hahaha.”
At their master’s laughter, the Subordinates shifted their gazes, and they quickly deduced the identity of the beautiful Boy before them. As if it were nothing of consequence, they returned their focus to their tasks within the exhibition hall.
“How dare you act so recklessly in this place.”
A sharp, cutting voice. Ian made no attempt to hide his fury as magical power dripped from him. To commit such an outrage here, in the very heart of Bariel’s imperial palace—no matter if Rutherford was a god’s proxy or anything else, I would tear him to shreds and protect my dignity.
But Rutherford seemed entirely unbothered by Ian’s rage, approaching with a bright smile.
“Ian. I was just about to come fetch you.”
“Stop right there.”
“You’ve grown so well. Much of your childhood self still remains.”
“I said stop!”
「Binding Restraint」.
Zing! Zing!
Crash!
As Ian unleashed the binding restraint magic, beams of light erupted from beneath his feet, cascading down the walls and ceiling.
He had intended to bind Rutherford, but with a light wave of his hand, Rutherford shattered Ian’s magic.
Shatter!
As easily as breaking glass.
The smile gradually vanished from Rutherford’s lips. He tilted his head with an air of bewilderment, then carefully examined Ian’s face. At a very close distance. Ian’s form rippled in Rutherford’s black eyes.
“Ian?”
“…!”
Tap!
When Rutherford lightly lifted Ian’s chin with his fingertips, Ian shoved him away roughly as if insulted. Whatever connection existed between the Bastard Ian and this man, right now—
“Ian. When your master arrives, you should come wagging your tail. Where did you get such venom in your eyes?”
“My master is Bariel.”
“Oh my. Is that so?”
It was the moment Ian gathered magical power in his hands once more, about to unleash it at Rutherford.
Rutherford issued a brief command.
“Kneel.”
“…!”
Boom!
In an instant, gravity pressed down upon my shoulders. Before I could even comprehend that something was wrong, my body staggered and I braced myself against the wall.
“Ian. Kneel.”
“I….”
Boom!
I was bewildered. It wasn’t magic in any conventional sense—merely words spoken, with no special apparatus in sight—yet how could the author’s command reshape the very world itself?
As I persisted, cold sweat streaming down my face, Rutherford furrowed his brow.
“Ian, there is no shame in kneeling before your master. Have you truly forgotten my face after all this time?”
Rutherford slowly caressed my head while pressing downward with inexorable force. My knees buckled against the irresistible weight. From clenching my teeth so hard, blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.
And finally, succumbing to that overwhelming power, I knelt. Rutherford smiled as though pleased with my obedience, gently stroking the boy’s head.
“Well done. My child. Remember this always. This is the posture you shall take before me.”
【The Marquis’s Illegitimate Son Was the Emperor】 Part 1, Complete.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————