Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 461

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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 461
Fire. Silence the Hound
“R-Rutherford—!”
Romandro’s cry, stripped of all composure, threw the imperial palace into chaos. As his body lurched forward in panic, the servants instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path for him.
Rutherford.
Some understood the weight and significance of that name with perfect clarity, while others, having only caught whispers of it, tilted their heads in confusion.
Romandro rushed past dozens of stares toward the space where Prince Jin stood, with Berik close at his heels.
Tap-tap-tap!
“Move!”
“Romandro, Berik—what’s happened?”
“It’s urgent! Didn’t you hear me say move?”
“Out of the way!”
Crash!
The servant guarding the reception room suddenly thrust his face forward to ask what was going on. In that instant, Romandro and Berik collided head-on with him, and all three tumbled to the ground.
The three of them lay in a tangled heap. Romandro clutched his throbbing head, while Berik staggered to his feet, blood trickling from his nose.
“Rutherford has invaded!”
Creak.
At that moment, Tweller, who had been awaiting word, opened the door himself. Behind his shoulder, Jin and Xiaoxi stood with worried expressions. Tweller looked down at the chaotic scene and asked.
“Romandro. Rutherford? What do you mean by that?”
“This is terrible, Minister Tweller! Rutherford—he’s infiltrated the imperial palace! They seem to be gathering around the exhibition hall, and Akorelra, the captain of the Magic Division, has been taken down.”
At Romandro’s cry, everyone’s expressions darkened.
Rutherford. A faction that manufactured artificial mana-sealing stones—what they called Idgal—and a mysterious merchant group seeking to establish a foothold in Burgos, which had lost its leader and now drifted adrift.
This was the basic intelligence the imperial palace possessed, but for those like Tweller who had lived through the depths of war, the understanding ran far deeper.
“Where is Count Ian?”
“He should be engaging the mages who came with them. First, we wanted to ensure Prince Jin’s safety, so—please, send reinforcements at once!”
This was the imperial palace.
Every entrance and exit connecting to the outside world was controlled by the Magic Division and soldiers, and everyone present knew that not even an ant could pass without authorization.
Tweller gripped his sword at Romandro’s trembling cry. This was grave. This was a national security crisis beyond comparison to even civil rebellion.
“Xiaoxi.”
“Yes, Minister Tweller.”
“Evacuate Prince Jin.”
Whoosh.
Both Tweller and Ian detected the strange, thunderous sound simultaneously.
Tweller, a veteran who had rolled through war his entire life, felt the explosion through his honed senses, while Ian, a mage born with genius talent, sensed it through his sixth sense.
What did this sound mean? And what did the fact that Magic Division Captain Akorelra had been taken down suggest?
“Summon every soldier in the imperial palace immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Romandro. How many mages went with Count Ian?”
“F-five? Or was it six? I’m not certain.”
“Tell the mages remaining here: until we have precise intelligence on the enemy’s strength, rash approaches and attacks are absolutely forbidden. The mages are to stand by until further orders.”
“Huh? Why?”
Tweller tapped his brow and gave the order, but Berik objected.
Mages are beings organically connected through magical power. If someone is injured, another mage can share their power to help. So when moving as a group, they have an advantage—a fact Berik knew well.
“Ian’s condition isn’t good right now! And if Akorelra, that lunatic, was taken down, wouldn’t we need to gang up on her? Don’t you know there’s no match against a mob?”
Here stood Troller, the minister who supposedly devours people alive. Yet he was acting like this? His subordinates quietly backed away down the corridor, and Tweller pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
“He has the nature of a colt, yet somehow he’s stuck well by Count Ian’s side.”
“Ian’s personality is no joke either, when you think about it.”
“Listen carefully. They’re ruffians who deceived the Magic Ministry and infiltrated deep into the imperial palace. You said a captain mage named Akorelra was taken down, right? That means the opposing side includes mages capable of handling the imperial palace’s resources.”
“Akorelra’s in research, so she’s naturally incompetent anyway!”
“Is that all? Rutherford is the key to manufacturing Idgal, the mana-sealing stones. What if all the imperial palace mages come to the front, and they happen to lose their power?”
Tweller pointed the cigarette at Berik. His sharp eyes gleamed even through the cigarette smoke. He respected the heart that cherished one’s comrades, but everything must be done within orders.
“If the imperial palace loses its strength, Bariel crumbles. If Bariel crumbles, the citizens’ future disappears. Berik. Is that what Count Ian would wish for?”
The order would not be reversed, and it commanded him to follow with all his might.
A calm yet weighty warning. Berik’s mouth hung open in displeasure, but what could he do? What Ian didn’t wish for, he didn’t wish for either. Berik grumbled but didn’t argue back.
Then Jin, dressed in his formal robes, walked out escorted by Xiaoxi and Captain Jairot. The Prince held Romandro’s trembling hand and asked worriedly.
“Rutherford is here? What of Count Ian?”
“Ian is… well, he’s holding them back well. Yes. Don’t worry too much, Your Highness. Just focus on your own safety. They’re terribly fierce people. How on earth did they manage to infiltrate the imperial palace in their right minds?”
“How exactly?”
“I’m not certain of the details, but I suspect magic may have been used.”
“And their purpose hasn’t been revealed either?”
“That is… yes…”
It was hard to gauge. Given the spatial peculiarity of the imperial palace, he suspected they meant to threaten the imperial succession, but that was mere speculation.
Nothing was certain yet. So evacuation was the right course. Jin was currently Bariel’s only prince and led the empire in place of the bedridden Emperor.
“Your Highness!”
Tap tap tap!
From the end of the corridor, high-ranking officials who had heard the report came rushing out in shock. Their faces showed they had never experienced anything like this in all their lives. Being unprecedented in history, they feared as if Bariel itself had been split in two.
“There are intruders in the imperial palace?”
“And they say it’s the Rutherford Merchant Company—is this true?”
“It’s true. For now, everyone evacuate. We have no idea what their objective is. Tweller! Make capturing the Rutherford group your priority, but if that’s not possible, annihilate them.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Tweller received Jin’s order and disappeared. The advisors watching his departing figure suddenly realized something.
“What of the Magic Ministry? What are they doing?”
“Count Ian is currently engaged with Rutherford. The remaining mages will move with the Imperial Defense Ministry. Everyone, don’t worry—”
“Your Highness.”
One of the officials called to Jin carefully.
“Is it wise to deploy both the Imperial Defense Ministry and the Magic Ministry together?”
“What?”
It was a rather grating remark. Jin, who had been about to move in the opposite direction from Tweller, stopped and turned to face him. For just a moment he didn’t grasp the meaning, then his brow furrowed deeply.
“…Now listen here.”
“Rutherford is a faction that caused chaos in Bariel with Idgal during the past rebellion. Moreover, didn’t Count Ian himself reveal at the grand council that he was involved in manufacturing Idgal? A sudden infiltration into the imperial palace where the Magic Ministry stands strong. This is something difficult to accept.”
“Yes, that’s right! Who would know? The intruders might have infiltrated with the help of the Mage Division!”
“In fact, it would be impossible without their assistance, I believe.”
“It would be wise to isolate and monitor the Mage Division first, Your Highness.”
“Could it be that the Mage Division and Rutherford are in league together?”
“It’s quite possible. Very much so!”
“To be honest, Count Ian’s account doesn’t add up. He claims he created it, but has no memory of it?”
“Now I understand! King Damon said Count Ian’s bloodline belonged to the imperial family, didn’t he? Rutherford and Damon are partners. They deceived us into believing Count Ian was an imperial descendant to shake Bariel, weren’t they?”
“All of you, enough! Enough!”
Crash!
A ceramic piece flew toward the feet of the excitedly chattering officials. Jin had hurled a decorative object.
The officials’ momentary shock quickly gave way to realization—Jin was furious. His teeth ground so visibly that it was plain to see. When the Prime Minister approached to calm him, the boy roughly waved his hand away.
“Why! Why are all of you so desperate to devour Count Ian? Is it because you resent that a lowborn rose to the position of imperial minister?”
“Your Highness! That is not the case!”
“We act only for your safety and Bariel’s….”
“Did I not tell you to step back! Leave everything and depart from here now—!”
Jin screamed as though pouring out all the anguish he had been holding inside.
Checks and balances. For those invisible yet precious things, Ian and I have grown distant from each other. Fearing he would struggle to walk ten steps alone, I bore five of them myself. Now that he walks well on his own, I said I would take a different path.
“…Is it fear of magical power that makes you bark so?”
“Your Highness! That is excessive language!”
“Listen carefully to my words, all of you!”
Ian has sacrificed himself every time. Moreover, he urged me to use him as a stepping stone to climb higher. With a body destined to disappear anyway, he smiled as he offered himself entirely for my strengthened power—it was suffocating to witness. And yet, they dared….
Jin issued a quiet warning to the officials.
“…Do not bark. Only a frightened dog barks.”
Thud!
After speaking thus, Jin turned away. With Captain Jairot at the lead, the Imperial Guards escorted the Prince as they rushed out.
“Your Highness. Where shall I escort you?”
Dozens of safe houses positioned throughout the imperial palace. He was asking which would be most suitable. Jin pondered briefly, then nodded toward the central building of the First Imperial Palace visible in the distance.
“I will go to my father.”
“Your Highness?”
To the Emperor lying in frozen suspension—why?
Jairot was momentarily bewildered by his intent, but soon understood. The secret passage within the painting that the Emperor had used. He intended to hide himself there. It was unquestionably safe, and he could observe how events unfolded at a glance.
Jairot nodded and issued orders to the other guards. The refuge within the painting was information shared only among the captains.
“The other guards will control and defend the central imperial building. If any officials require assistance, you may aid them.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Whoosh!
Berik suddenly burst through the ranks of the guards, his eyes blazing. Jin knew what Berik wanted. The boy signaled his willing permission.
“Berik. Go to Count Ian. Support him with all your strength. Your task is to bring the Mage Division back intact.”
Though the war between the three nations had concluded, its current ran as fierce and turbid as the depths of a great river.
The King of Ruswena had died under his own curse, the King of Burgos was imprisoned by the imperial family, and in the very heart of Cliffford, a continental rift had opened wide.
With the political situation among the three nations in such turmoil that the future remained utterly unpredictable, Bariel needed to solidify his position as a great power. And naturally, the existence of the Magic Ministry was what made that possible.
“Berik alone won’t be sufficient, Your Highness. I’ll send Barsabe along with him. Barsabe!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“I’m heading out now!”
“Berik! Come with me!”
Tap tap tap!
Barsabe saluted Jin, then immediately chased after Berik.
Another deafening boom erupted. Jin furrowed his brow, staring at the smoke billowing upward. Something was clearly amiss happening inside.

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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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