Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 509

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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 509
Fire. The Premier Blacksmith
Scratch, scratch—the pleasant sound of pen nib against paper filled the office. I had been sitting with perfect posture for hours now, drafting reports. My handwriting flowed in neat, unwavering lines until the moment I dipped the nib in ink again.
A presence stirred beyond the door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
“Ian. Count Baolruk Hollin should be arriving soon.”
“He’s already passed through the main gate?”
“Long ago. He’s adjusting his carriage speed to arrive at precisely the appointed time. We should prepare ourselves.”
I glanced at my watch and smiled faintly. Five minutes remained until the scheduled hour. It seemed trivial, yet even such a small gesture revealed much about one’s character.
He refused to surrender the initiative through waiting. While arriving at the imperial palace itself was one thing, waiting to meet the Minister of Magic was a matter of a count’s pride.
I rose from my seat and adjusted my attire, then instructed Romandro.
“Then I have no choice but to prepare accordingly. When the Count arrives, guide him to my office and bring tea.”
“Understood. I’ll see it’s done properly. Though word from the main gate is that the Young Lady is accompanying him as well.”
“The Young Lady? You mean his second daughter?”
“Yes. Just in case, I’ll bring an extra teacup.”
“Please do.”
Click, click. I fastened my buttons while considering this. The letter had clearly stated we would discuss weapons manufacturing rights, yet it was his second daughter, Princess Kaila, who accompanied him—not his eldest son. Perhaps he hoped to establish a connection with the Crown Prince, but it also suggested she held significant decision-making authority over family affairs.
I straightened my hair before the mirror, then detected commotion in the corridor. The guests had arrived.
Knock, knock.
With the knock, the second hand pointed precisely to two o’clock. I bid them enter and rose to greet them personally.
“Welcome, Count Baolruk Hollin.”
“Ah, Count Ian. So you do remember me?”
“Of course. You haven’t changed.”
In truth, we shared barely a handful of sand’s worth of personal connection. Ten years ago, Count Hollin was merely one among countless noble families, leaving little impression upon me. I had been far too occupied eliminating the seven central houses.
In any case, we exchanged greetings as though delighted to see each other after so long, and the Count introduced Kaila, who had followed him in.
“This is my second daughter, Kaila.”
“How do you do? What a lovely day it is. You’re quite the legendary figure, so I pestered Father until he agreed to bring me along. I’m so pleased to finally meet you.”
“The honor is mine, Young Lady. I am Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic. Please, be seated.”
Kaila settled onto the sofa, naturally arranging her voluminous dress.
She was one of the empress candidates Jin had mentioned, so I studied her carefully as we sat across from one another. Her beauty was considerable, yet something about her gaze felt distinctly cold.
“It must be quite some time since your reinstatement. You must have considerable backlog.”
“Not at all. The Ministry of Magic performed admirably in my absence, so we’re managing well.”
“Is that so? The entire imperial palace seemed frantic with preparations for war against Burgos, yet the Ministry appears to have leisure. That’s reassuring to see.”
His words carried a subtle barb, which I answered with a smile.
“My staff are simply exceptionally talented. They handle two or three times the workload of other officials—I’m embarrassed by such praise. Still, thanks to them, I’m able to receive you here. I was surprised to receive your reply so quickly, despite the sudden contact.”
And what of you? Despite contacting me abruptly, you entered the palace without difficulty, did you not? If we’re measuring leisure, you hold the clear advantage. I was speaking in roundabout terms.
The Count smiled and pressed his lips firmly shut, then hid behind his teacup. His beard obscured much anyway. Kaila, listening quietly beside him, merely smiled faintly—a look that seemed to say, “See?”
“I happened to have time available. Ahem. Well, since we both seem occupied, let’s proceed directly to business. What is this about discussing weapons manufacturing rights? It’s not another department—the fact that the Ministry of Magic brings this up is precisely what puzzles me.”
“Indeed. The matter is this: as you say, war with Burgos will break out soon. It will be quite extraordinary. Magical beasts and inhuman races will surely intermingle, and ordinary weapons cannot possibly contend with them. Therefore, the Ministry of Magic wishes to develop and distribute new weapons. Count, what are your thoughts on this?”
Kayla’s words held merit. The Count glanced at his daughter seated beside him, then chose his words with deliberation.
“I understand the Ministry of Magic’s intentions well. If necessary, producing it yourselves would be appropriate. However, mentioning business rights suggests you’re considering mass production, doesn’t it? During wartime, each party has different responsibilities. Magical beasts and non-human races fall under the Ministry of Magic’s purview, and you all accomplish feats of overwhelming strength without weapons. I still don’t understand why you wished to see me.”
Whether they developed weapons or did anything else, the Ministry of Magic should handle it independently. It had nothing to do with the Hollin family’s weapon business rights.
Ian shook his head lightly.
“The war with Burgos is merely the beginning. I hope all citizens of the empire can protect themselves against magical beasts. To achieve that, we need new weapon development under the Ministry of Magic’s direction. Currently, the Hollin family owns the largest weapons production base in Bariel, does it not?”
Manufacturing, production, distribution, and export—it was no exaggeration to say that all bladed weapons in Bariel passed through the Hollin family’s hands.
“What if you sold part of that foundation to the Ministry of Magic? Then we could proceed with research and production more swiftly and reliably.”
Swish.
As he spoke, Ian produced a map of the imperial palace vicinity that he had prepared beforehand. The territories owned by the Hollin family were marked in red.
“I determined it best to establish production facilities near the imperial palace, and coincidentally, they all belong to your lordship’s territories. Remarkable. Over the past decade, you’ve demonstrated truly exceptional business acumen.”
“…You mentioned a foundation, but what exactly do you mean?”
“Literally, the entire process related to manufacturing. If that seems burdensome, even a portion would suffice. What matters is that the Ministry of Magic succeeds in producing quality weapons.”
The Count examined only the map without responding. Though Ian dressed it up with honeyed words, it amounted to nothing less than selling business rights for payment.
‘A portion? What scheme is this?’
Wasn’t there an enormous difference in quality and value between a sword that could merely slice meat and one that could slay magical beasts? The business gap would widen progressively, eventually pushing the Hollin family into complete obsolescence.
This was a critical matter. It wasn’t enough to refuse—he needed to prevent the Ministry of Magic from implementing this altogether.
“I have one question, Count Ian.”
At that moment, Kayla smiled softly and lowered her fan slightly.
“Please, Princess.”
“Is it truly necessary for the Ministry of Magic to manufacture and produce this themselves? It would be tedious and laborious. What if you outsourced to the Hollin family instead? We possess the finest blacksmith guild in Bariel, and as you mentioned, we have a perfectly established weapons production foundation. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to send your mages to us?”
It meant: don’t take what’s ours; give us what’s yours.
Ian shook his head and refused outright.
“The quality and commercial viability of weapons capable of countering magical beasts will be revolutionary, not merely excellent. They require management led by the imperial palace itself, not by a single family.”
At the phrase “a single family,” Kayla’s lips curved upward softly. It was an expression attempting to conceal displeasure.
“What about the price?”
“Kayla.”
Marquis Hollin started in alarm and cautioned his daughter. Asking about price indirectly expressed willingness to accept the transaction.
Kayla then covered her mouth with her fan and whispered to her father.
‘Weapons capable of countering magical beasts will be recognized differently from ordinary weapons.’
The Hollin family’s business rights were limited to “ordinary weapons.” Primarily weapons used by soldiers—any combat blades fell under “ordinary weapons” and could only be manufactured and distributed under the Hollin family name.
But weapons against magical beasts? They might be recognized as something other than “ordinary weapons,” potentially resulting in separated business rights. It wasn’t certain, but considering the relationship between the Ministry of Magic and the imperial court, it was entirely plausible.
“For the land value, I’ll offer twice the price the Hollin family initially purchased it for. Regarding the production foundation’s value, that would be approximately one year’s budget of the Ministry of Magic.”
“One year’s budget? I’m afraid I must decline installment payments.”
“Don’t worry. I also prefer to settle accounts all at once.”
This wasn’t a household budget being emptied—how could an entire year’s budget of an imperial palace department be paid in a single lump sum? Unaware that other departments were indebted to the Ministry of Magic, Marquis Hollin merely furrowed his brow and pressed his lips together.
“What do you think? I consider it reasonable. One year’s budget would be roughly ten percent of the entire production foundation, wouldn’t it? Given the scale of business you conduct, it likely won’t even be noticeable.”
Though Ian spoke with levity, the Count sipped his tea in silence. He needed to find some pretext to refuse, but none came readily.
What could possibly stand against the noble cause of serving the empire’s citizens? The only breakthrough seemed to be pulling the business toward the “outsourcing” option Kayla had proposed.
As the Count cleared his throat, Kayla carefully set down her cup.
“However, the thing is…”
“Yes, Princess Kaila.”
“Blacksmiths form a significant portion of our production base. The Hollin family has built our business through long-standing bonds with them. While our prosperity is recent, those foundations run as deep as our family’s history. However, if we suddenly announce the sale of some operations to the Imperial Palace’s Magic Ministry, I’m uncertain how they’ll receive it. Isn’t that so, Father?”
Precisely. That was it. The Count quickly added his support.
“Belonging to the Imperial Palace would certainly carry greater prestige than serving a single family, but these blacksmiths have stood with us across generations. Heh. I’m not certain how smoothly this will proceed.”
“Ah, you needn’t worry about that.”
“What do you mean? We cannot accomplish anything without blacksmiths.”
“The blacksmiths hold the technical expertise of the Hollin family. We’ll leave them be and instead transfer their apprentices. Surely not all these blacksmiths have been passed down through generations, given that your prosperity is so recent.”
I echoed Kaila’s words and cut off her objection. Yet the matter remained so puzzling that Kaila couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
How could the Imperial Palace conduct business using mediocre blacksmiths? If we were simply pouring money to check the Hollin family’s influence, the economics wouldn’t work out. Unless—
‘Are they questioning quality?’
As if I had read Kaila’s thoughts, I answered.
“There will be no issue with quality. We have a blacksmith of our own prepared for this.”
“…I pride myself on the fact that every renowned blacksmith in Bariel belongs to the Hollin family.”
“The world is vast, Princess Kaila.”
Then, a familiar voice from outside. I smiled, noting the timing was perfect.
“Has he arrived?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Pardon the intrusion, Count. And Princess Kaila. This is the blacksmith who will work with the Magic Ministry. Shall I introduce him? You may be quite surprised, so please prepare yourselves.”
How impressive could this blacksmith possibly be? The Count gestured for him to show his face, and the door opened.
“Pim. You’ve traveled far.”
“Well, seeing you here confirms you’re truly a palace person.”
“…!”
Pim, of the Dera Tribe from Lazasan.
At the unexpected sight of a mole’s appearance, the Count coughed as if choking, while Kaila quietly poured tea for her father, her face concealed behind her fan.

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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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