Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 493

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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 493
Fire. Golden Light Over the Fields
“You have no magical power at all?”
“Unfortunately, this is the first time I’ve felt such a bottom.”
“Good heavens.”
Captain Heil stroked his chin in apparent surprise. He’d wondered why I had come north instead of heading to the imperial palace after returning from the Abyss, but there was a reason after all.
The Mages straightened their postures and examined me carefully, as if they couldn’t believe it. They’d been relieved to see no external injuries, but it seemed there was more to it. What on earth had happened in the Abyss that my magical power had been completely depleted, of all people?
“From what I recall, this is the first time I’ve witnessed this. You unable to use your magic, Ian. Didn’t you say it’s been several days since you emerged from the Abyss? By your standards, you should have recovered somewhat by now.”
“How far can you go?”
“Even opening my magical channels is impossible.”
“This is unbelievable.”
When the Mages hesitated, Berik scratched his ear dismissively. After all, I’d been rolling around in the Abyss—surely I could manage to recover a bit of power, right?
One of the Mages, noticing that indifferent gaze, spoke firmly, snapping his fingers for emphasis.
“This isn’t something to take lightly, Berik. Ian possessed far greater and stronger magical power than other Mages. That’s why he often endured alone even when everyone else had reached their limits.”
“So?”
“So that means it’s been completely depleted. Opening one’s magical channels is as instinctive as breathing. If that’s become impossible….”
The Mages all turned to look at me. Though their expressions were grave, I met their gaze with an easy smile.
Ah, please stop smiling. This is a serious moment, and it makes me want to smile too. As the Mages wore troubled expressions, Captain Heil rolled up his sleeves.
“Since we can’t gauge it, let’s try it first.”
“Huh? In other words, we need to pour in an absurd amount of power? The cost-effectiveness is terrible.”
“The cost-effectiveness that’s terrible is your disguise, Berik. Once we raise Ian to a certain level, his recovery will accelerate.”
Captain Heil extended his hand politely, and I grasped it without hesitation.
In that instant, a desperate hypothesis flashed through the Mages’ minds. What if I had permanently lost my magical power?
Long ago, there was a man named Bandor who had returned from the Abyss. Though he survived in another’s body, he too had been stripped of his qualifications as a Mage. By the Abyss itself.
“Wait, wait just a moment! Captain!”
“Is it alright to do this here? Shouldn’t we return to the imperial palace first and try then? Just in case….”
The Mages simultaneously seized Captain Heil’s wrist and cried out. If the hypothesis were true, if I now possessed an ordinary person’s body, I couldn’t receive his magical power. Instead, adverse effects would occur as if poison had been poured into my body.
“It’s fine.”
But I shook my head lightly, as if I had already glimpsed their concerns.
“Bandor lost his magical power in the Abyss for a different reason—the Abyss itself wasn’t the cause of that loss. And more importantly, I clearly felt you all approaching from a distance.”
What could be more certain than that? Since the Mages were connected through sensation, I gestured for them not to fear and to share their strength with me at once.
Captain Heil’s eyes, with a cigarette clenched between his teeth, transformed into golden irises in an instant.
Zzzing! Zing!
Whoooosh!
Magical currents circled slowly around us both. It was warm, like the spring breeze itself.
Berik still watched from atop his horse, chin in hand, while the Mages clasped their hands together in prayer. Please, let there be no more suffering or trials for Ian.
“Ah.”
Zzzing! Zing!
How much time had passed like this? Sweat began dripping steadily from Captain Heil’s chin. He shrugged his shoulders and laughed meaningfully, as if something had gone wrong. At this, the Mages covered their mouths and tensed.
“Ian, we have a serious problem.”
“What’s wrong?”
“At first, I thought I was mistaken because it had been so long, but I wasn’t. It’s far beyond my capacity.”
Over the past decade, I remained unchanged, yet something within me had transformed. The depth of my mana vessel, already so vast that it made one’s tongue hang out in awe, had become unfathomably deeper.
Even if Heil transferred all of his power to me, it wouldn’t be enough to fill it.
“Didn’t you feel it as well, Ian?”
“Ah, a little. I thought something felt off.”
“…I’ll transfer as much as I can, but I’m afraid it won’t have much effect.”
I casually wiggled my small hand. Was it because I’d ventured into the abyss? Or had I awakened to the fact that this body itself belonged to God? Or perhaps it was a blessing bestowed by the Divine. I couldn’t tell.
Berik sprang up as if he didn’t understand, demanding clarification.
“No effect? What do you mean by that?”
“Literally—it won’t make a dent. The depth of my mana vessel has become so vast it’s incomparable to before. Recovery will take far longer, and when I do recover—”
When I recover, I’ll wield power on an entirely different dimension. My vessel was already capable of holding the entire Magic Division, but now it transcends that by an immeasurable margin. Heil couldn’t even begin to imagine how vast and unfathomable my limits had become.
“So you’re saying I’m an empty shell for the time being?”
“Stop calling me a shell! You’re hurting Ian’s feelings!”
“What? Ian, are you upset?”
“It’s not even polite to ask that!”
“You there, since we’re the same rank, why aren’t you showing me respect?”
“That’s rich coming from someone with the same rank. Get lost.”
While the Mages and Berik bickered, I felt a faint flow of mana stirring within me. Before, I’d been completely empty, but thanks to Heil’s help, I could now sense the current.
How much would I need to recover before I could use magic without issue? As I gazed down at my own palm, the Mages gathered around one by one and placed their hands upon it.
“Ian, now it’s our turn.”
“It’ll be less than Captain Heil’s, but well, that’s what ‘many hands make light work’ means, doesn’t it? We’d be delighted if we could be of help.”
“Many hands make light work! Oh, I understand that one now.”
“Ian. Please accept this.”
Zzzzzing! Zing!
Across the vast plains, a shimmering golden light. Waves of mana rising from me and the Mages at the center.
Among them, one Mage I’d last seen ten years ago shed tears like chicken droppings anew, moved by the moment. Back then, it was power that drove me toward death, but now it was meant to help me—and that filled him with emotion.
As mana concentrated, my golden hair swayed slowly in the wind.
“How does it feel?”
A Mage, beads of sweat forming on his brow, asked carefully. He was asking if it was helping at all, but my answer was unexpected.
“It’s warm.”
“…!”
“…!”
The Mages’ eyes widened simultaneously as if they might burst from their sockets, and immediately they all poured their mana forth with greater force. Warm, he said, smiling with those fresh green eyes—how could they possibly stop?
Sensing the Mages were overexerting themselves, I tried to withdraw my hand.
“You should keep some strength for the journey to the capital.”
“It’s fine. Once we return to the barrier, Captain Akorella sent us mana recovery potions. You should take some too, Ian. They’re not spectacularly impressive to look at, but they do work.”
“Recovery potions? Not amplification potions?”
“Yes, it’s only been ten years, after all. Captain Akorella had quite the time of it. Haha. She’s made all sorts of things. Once, a basement explosion was so massive that she had to give the top floor to the Mana Stone Management Division.”
Listening to the Mage laugh so freely, I thought she remained unchanged. I suddenly wondered what else she might have created besides recovery potions. She would surely have made something remarkable.
As the Mages urged me not to worry and gripped my hand firmly, I nodded in understanding and received all their strength into myself.
Zing! Zing!
“Huff, huff….”
“Alright, that works.”
“Guess we’re getting old too, aren’t we?”
“Please don’t lump me in with you all. I’m still fine.”
“Wipe the drool from your mouth before you speak.”
Time passed like that for quite a while.
As the sun gradually deepened in color, the Mages lay sprawled across the field in a line, with only me standing in the center. Though everyone was drenched in sweat, they were grinning as if refreshed.
Berik chewed on dried meat and chuckled.
“Ian, looks like you’ve worn out all the kids.”
“Will everyone be able to make it to the barrier?”
“Yes, yes! Just a little rest, a little rest and we’ll be fine! Haha!”
“Good fellows. Sigh. Ian! Can you open your mana now? We’ve poured all these kids into it, so surely that much is possible now?”
At Berik’s question, the Mages lifted their heads slightly to look at me. Please, let it work?
“…Yes.”
I seemed to ponder something for a moment, then nodded.
The next instant, the wind around me stopped abruptly, then exploded outward with force. The short grass swayed refreshingly, instantly cooling the sweat from the Mages’ bodies.
Zing! Zing!
“Wow, woooow!”
“It works, it works! This is enough for today, Ian! Now we just need to head to the imperial palace!”
“Yesss!”
As my green eyes glimmered with gold, the Mages cheered. They embraced each other and rolled across the field, and some even pounced on Berik, who gladly carried them. Though it was only brief, they had confirmed there was no problem with my mana, and indirectly sensed that some of its power had returned.
“The sun will set soon. Ian, let’s head to the barrier first. Does everyone have the strength to fly?”
“Just a moment, really. Just five more minutes!”
“By the way, Heil.”
As the Mages playfully begged with their hands, I gestured toward Berik with a nod.
“I hear the Atan Clan has been causing problems in the area. Berik will be holding talks with them under orders from Prince Gin.”
“…Is that the troubleshooter the imperial palace sent?”
“Oh, damn it. I have no expectations at all. Berik, you do know what negotiations are, right? Don’t go getting heated and start fighting? Beyond the barrier, there are cracks everywhere, making the mana sensitive.”
“Am I a child?”
As I watched Berik and the Mage bicker, Heil, as if it worked out perfectly, looked northward and spoke to me. Now that I thought about it, I could faintly see the barrier.
“It’s true that the Atan Clan has been causing disturbances nearby. But before coming here—before meeting you—I encountered Efdiram first. She said she was going to find Rutherford and head to Burgos. Given that you’ve returned from the Abyss, I suspect Rutherford is somewhere in Burgos as well. In any case, since she’s heading that way, there shouldn’t be any issues from the northern barrier for the time being. Whether it’s appropriate to have Berik meet Efdiram in the current situation is….”
It could stir up unnecessary trouble.
What if my existence becomes known in the process? No one can guarantee whether that would be a gain or a loss. Not even I.
“However, if it’s an order from the imperial palace, we should follow through. If we miss this opportunity, Berik might end up chasing the Atan Clan into Burgos.”
At someone’s argument, I snapped my fingers lightly. As if to say, exactly that.
“Are the Atan Clan still within Bariel?”
“Since they were spotted in the northern mountains, they won’t cross the border before tomorrow night, will they?”
“Good. Very appropriate. Heil, guide Berik to where the Atan Clan is by tomorrow, without worrying about anything else. Berik, you—”
“Me? Why?”
Berik pointed at me with a blank stare, his eyes wide and round.
Ian grasped his arm firmly and gave him instructions, much like an adult sending a child on an errand. Though Ian’s head was slightly smaller than his.
“From now on, listen carefully to what I say and remember it. You can manage that much now, can’t you?”

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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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