Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 467

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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 467
Fire. The Beginning of History
The space behind the painting where my father, the Emperor, had concealed himself was far stranger than I had imagined. Darkness filled every corner, yet small holes pierced through it, allowing light to seep out.
A flat world where the concepts of up and down, near and far, all dissolved into obscurity. The holes were barely large enough to fit a finger, yet when I drew close to peer through them, I could see the landscapes of the Imperial Palace in vivid detail, as if standing in each location.
“How curious. Was this part of that plan as well?”
“It seems the god you serve is only half-formed?”
“Even though I dwell within the body of the bastard Ian—”
Thus, Jin witnessed everything. From the moment Ian knelt, to when he rose to his feet. From calling himself the bastard Ian to questioning Rutherford about the abyss.
The Boy’s blue eyes trembled without anchor as he peered through the hole. Did Ian possess another self? Was that the Ian Jin knew? If not, then who was the Ian he knew, and where had he gone? Could he even claim to know Ian at all?
“Your Highness.”
Captain Jairot, grasping the situation, spoke carefully. The Prince’s gaze was completely fixed on Ian. Given the absence of questions that should naturally arise, it seemed best for him to point things out.
“Previously, there was the matter of Princess Melania vanishing before her execution. While there is no evidence, there are circumstances suggesting that Count Ian released the Princess.”
“…Captain Jairot.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Who exactly is Count Ian?”
The Prince murmured without tearing his eyes from the small hole. The Princess, faded from her former glory, was not an important figure to him now.
Or was she? I had heard recently that she and Count Ian had formed a connection in Bratz when they were young. If so, then she could indeed be a crucial clue to uncovering Ian’s true identity.
“Listen carefully. With me, in the abyss.”
The black moon cast the surroundings into shadow. As the World Tree stretched behind Ian, the Prince cried out without thinking.
“No!”
I could not let him leave like this. Had he not told me to use him as a stepping stone to reach even greater heights? I wanted to grasp Ian’s hand, take one step up, and then bid him farewell.
Whenever it may be, return safely. By then, I will stand so high that you need not worry, looking down upon Bariel. By then, without any tricks of fate, dream of a perfect Bariel with me.
“Your Highness! Hold firm!”
“Count Ian is! Count Ian is leaving!”
“You cannot leave! You must not leave! Your Highness is the sole heir of Bariel and currently the one protecting the Imperial House. To show yourself before Rutherford?”
“Then come with me!”
“Impossible! Absolutely not! I cannot permit anything that endangers Your Highness’s safety. If you must go, then strike me down first.”
The Prince thrashed with all his might, but Captain Jairot’s restraint prevented him from moving forward. The brilliant light just beyond his fingertips—if only he could grasp it, he could meet Count Ian at once. As the Prince’s face contorted, his vision blurred. Tears that could not fall were the cause.
“Release me, please! I beg you!”
“Think of Count Ian, Your Highness!”
He was burning with the desire to deal with Rutherford. But if the Prince suddenly appeared? Variables would arise, and his sacrifice could become meaningless.
At the cry to think of Ian, the Prince’s body went limp. The Boy’s eyes fixed on the small light as tears streamed down his face. Ian was sinking into the black moon alongside Rutherford.
“Follow Lord Rutherford!”
“What about the Second Imperial Palace?”
“What can we do on our own? Shut up and follow! Or stay here and have Bariel tear you limb from limb!”
Was it good judgment? Remaining in the Imperial Palace would only mean their annihilation. So following their leader Rutherford into either a rift or the abyss was statistically the better choice.
Rutherford’s group voluntarily stepped forward and leaped beneath the moon, while the Imperial Mages stood helplessly, shuffling their feet.
“Captain Akorella, we should—!”
“We can’t! Are our circumstances the same as theirs?”
“But… but Lord Ian—!”
“Shut up and catch those bastards trying to escape! That’s how you help Count Ian! You son of a bitch! Didn’t you kick me in the gut earlier?”
“Rutherford’s faction is attempting to flee! Seize them!”
“Bring reinforcements from outside! We cannot let them escape!”
Gulp, gulp—with each bite the moon took from the World Tree, it shrank smaller. Realizing the portal would close soon, the conspirators clutched imperial treasures to their chests and hurled themselves into the darkness.
The moment the protective barrier lifted completely, soldiers poured in with perfect synchronization, transforming the scene into absolute chaos.
‘Ah.’
So faintly, the black moon vanished entirely. I watched Ian sink away until the very end, my body turning to stone. I couldn’t even breathe properly—a wordless loss. Our eyes might have met, but I couldn’t be certain. In the moment I blinked away my tears.
“He’s gone.”
“…The moon has disappeared.”
Like a dream from some distant day, it vanished without leaving a trace. Only the corpses scattered across the floor, the blood, and the imperial treasures remained to prove this was no illusion.
Ian was gone.
Ian had disappeared.
Ian….
“Your Highness.”
Captain Jairot patted my shoulder as I wept silently. Though I had always harbored suspicions, Ian was undoubtedly one who sacrificed himself for Bariel. As a member of the imperial household, as Bariel’s subject, and as a person—this was an undeniable truth. He sighed and murmured.
“I apologize.”
“…I will resent you. Always, I will resent you for standing in my way. I could not bid farewell to Count Ian….”
“Yes. I will bear it gladly. I will regard even this as my duty and will not abandon it.”
Though I would always resent it, I would certainly come to acknowledge that Captain Jairot’s judgment was right. The sorrow of this truth made me weep all the harder. There was only him and me in this place. No matter how loudly I cried, the citizens would never know.
“Your Highness. For now, it would be best to exit and attend to the palace. Many are concerned.”
I lifted my head. Light was seeping in from all directions. Officials gathering to assess the situation, armed soldiers standing alert, servants rushing urgently about, and citizens crowding the palace gates.
The countless moments awaiting me felt suffocating, as though they would kill me. Would all these things pouring down, masquerading as light, eventually consume me?
“Your Highness.”
Then, from one particularly chaotic location—the Ministry of Magic. The mages were engaged with an intruder targeting Damon. As I watched quietly, I murmured.
“Damon….”
The leader of an enemy nation and a regressor connected to Rutherford. Hadn’t Ian told me? That he was living a second life.
My blue eyes gleamed coldly, even viciously. One would never guess they had held burning tears just moments before.
“Captain Jairot. This is my command.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please give your orders.”
“Deploy all Imperial Guards to the Ministry of Magic at once. Secure King Damon.”
“All of them, Your Highness?”
“I will go as well.”
I murmured thus and bit my lip. He deserved to be torn to shreds, but for now, I had no choice but to use Damon to properly unravel Rutherford’s schemes.
I slowly stepped out of the portrait and roughly yanked open the reception room door myself.
Crash!
“Your Highness?”
Xiaoxi and Romandro, who had been waiting at the door, spun around in shock, but I paid them no attention and ran toward the Ministry of Magic.
What was happening? Xiaoxi slowly followed after me, while Romandro kept glancing at Captain Jairot, silently asking for an explanation.
“His Highness is heading to the Ministry of Magic.”
“The Ministry of Magic? But Damon is there—why would he go there? Your Highness! My goodness, he moves so quickly. How can he move about so recklessly when it’s dangerous?”
“Romandro.”
“Yes?”
Captain Jairot gently grasped Romandro’s arm and informed him.
“Count Ian has left.”
“…What do you mean?”
Romandro’s eyes widened in confusion. Left? Where could he have gone? Abandoning the Imperial Palace in danger?
“He went into the Abyss with Rutherford.”
“I… don’t quite understand.”
“I will inform the Ministry of Magic myself. Romandro, please convey this to Ian’s family and friends.”
“Wait!”
Captain Jairot left only those words and passed by Romandro.
The Abyss? Ian? That wasn’t like him at all—someone so irresponsible wouldn’t just leave. Was this a joke? No, Captain Jairot wasn’t the type to joke. It made no sense. And above all, did Ian even have friends?
Clop clop clop!
A horse galloping from the distance. It was Berik. The moment Romandro saw him, understanding dawned. Right. If he had to name one, Berik was Ian’s friend.
“B-Berik!”
Romandro waved his hand listlessly, and Berik yanked the reins roughly.
“The black moon rose. What happened? Where’s Ian? Is he alright? No, damn it. Efdiram said something about Ian going somewhere else….”
Seeing Romandro’s dazed expression, Berik trailed off. Something felt wrong. An eerie silence stretched on, and Romandro began stammering incoherently.
“C-Captain Jairot said Ian left.”
“…Where to?”
“But that word ‘left’ doesn’t really apply to where he went. And I don’t know what happened to Rutherford. Prince Jin went to the Ministry of Magic, you see?”
His words stumbled and lacked coherence. Berik dismounted and grabbed Romandro’s shoulders.
“Speak clearly.”
His grip was rough. Romandro’s brows furrowed deeply as he choked back tears.
“Ian… he went. Into the Abyss.”
* * *
The Imperial Guards surrounded Prince Jin as they rode.
Captain Jairot kept glancing at the Prince’s tightly clenched fists. Didn’t they convey that resentment—that he wished to seize a sword himself and strike?
The reddened eyes and wet cheeks hinted at the Prince’s tears, yet no one could acknowledge it. The Crown Prince’s blue eyes burned with fierce fury.
Clop clop clop!
“Capture him alive. Even if all of Damon’s limbs are severed, it matters not. Kill every intruder as well. As long as Damon lives, anything else is acceptable.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And immediately inform King Clifford and Prince Noah to send word to Clifford’s capital, Prodohna, about whether the black moon has risen near the fissure.”
“Understood.”
“If it has, investigate what became of those who emerged from within. If manpower is insufficient, requisition it from the Imperial Palace.”
Prince Jin ground his teeth as he entered the Second Imperial Palace. The sounds of mages in combat echoed from within. He gestured to hurry, and Captain Jairot and the Imperial Guards activated their mana, launching themselves upward.
Zzzzzing!
Whoosh!
‘I don’t know what became of Rutherford, who followed Ian, but even if he’s dead, his forces won’t collapse in an instant. They seek to exploit the vacancy of the Burgosian throne, so I must keep Damon alive at all costs.’
Then those backed by Rutherford’s power and the royalists who valued legitimacy would clash, bringing endless civil war to Burgos.
If I seized Burgos, it would become far easier to penetrate Rutherford’s shadows. For that to happen, Damon—the legitimacy of the royalist faction—had to remain alive at all costs.
‘Damon. Live and witness it clearly. How your nation tears apart and crumbles. How the kingdom of Burgos descends into the abyss of hell because of your existence. As a member of the royal family, there is no tragedy greater than this.’
BOOM!
CRASH!
A massive explosion erupted from the Ministry of Magic.
It was the sound of an unprecedented Imperial Palace invasion coming to an end, and moreover, it was Bariel’s signal flare to dominate the chaos within this turbulent era.

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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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