Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 526

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

Chapter 525
Watching the Fire from Across the River
“Life is truly unpredictable. How did he even become a king?”
Berik sprawled across the sofa muttered continuously in amazement. Ten years ago, when he came up from the frontier trapped in a beast’s body, unable to do anything—and now that same person had returned to his homeland and ascended to the throne.
Berik sprang up and asked Ian.
“Didn’t you say they originally lived scattered in small tribal groups?”
“I did mention there were several factions. Hasha’s grandmother was the leader of the Sorcerer faction. It seems many things must have happened. But wouldn’t it be more natural for you to know better than me?”
Ian had been in the abyss, but Berik had never left the capital. Romandro, understanding the implication, shook his head while sharpening his pen nib.
“Unless they participated in the Burgos civil war, the small northern nations were outside Bariel’s interest. There was never active exchange with them, and no state events either, so the only way to know their current status is through correspondence. Well, that’s just how life is.”
“That Hasha fellow must be eating meat without limit now, right? A real life reversal, truly.”
“You eat meat without limit too. You’re not even a king, yet you live that way, so you’re the true victor.”
“Ah, Romandro. I eat while being very cautious.”
“Cautious? If you were any less cautious, you would have gnawed through all the pillars in the imperial palace.”
“Here we go again. Is it because of the pen slip earlier? Give it here! I’ll write it!”
“Forget it! I’d rather write with my feet.”
Romandro grumbled and pulled out fresh paper, unfolding it with reverent care.
“And Hasha survives through necromancy, so he doesn’t need to eat. Though I’m not sure how things are now.”
The Hasha seen in the Cliffford-Burgos war and the Hasha of now could look different. A life spent wandering through the corpses of the dead. There were similarities to Rutherford’s reincarnation, but fundamentally it was a different way of survival.
Ian also checked the list regarding Ruswena.
Whoosh.
“Eldetr succeeded him in Ruswena.”
“Ah yes. I know that well. It’s been three years, or four years since his enthronement? After he left back then, there was much happening in Ruswena too.”
When King Eriphony of Ruswena died in the imperial palace due to dazzlement, Eldetr hastily returned home, abandoning even negotiations for compensation. The death of a defeated king could appear as an opportunity for power to opposing factions.
Ian still acknowledged that Eldetr’s choice back then was not a bad decision.
“All the Mages went over to Bariel, and the king died unable to be held accountable. Eldetr continued the royal bloodline, but in terms of legitimacy, he falls short, I hear.”
“You said he was a cousin.”
“Right. Ruswena values direct bloodline more than other nations. Ugh, don’t even mention it. Burgos is causing trouble now, but Ruswena was no joke at first.”
Fierce civil strife erupting within the palace.
Bloodstained hands reached toward the empty throne, and golden fields swayed back and forth with the wind. It was a dizzying world. Watching Vivi’s small figure toddling away, I worried about the future every night.
“Still, Ruswena resolved things on their own terms, unlike Burgos. That’s fortunate, at least for them.”
“What is Eldetr’s political inclination?”
“He served King Eriphony, so he’s inherited much of that. He does pay war reparations faithfully, but he doesn’t show such a submissive attitude toward Bariel.”
“I see.”
Should I have settled things with Eriphony back then?
At the very least, I should have taken measures when he returned to his homeland. If not for the Rutherford matter, I could have tied up the war’s conclusion perfectly.
‘Jin must have suffered greatly.’
At such a young age, without confidence, he alone navigated this complex political situation and reached his current position as Crown Prince. Even walking a well-paved path would be exhausting.
Ian felt sympathy and slowly turned through the documents.
“Then Eldetr will not attend this enthronement ceremony. He will send someone else.”
“Oh, the Foreign Ministry predicted that too. The mana stone he requested was low-grade. But how did you know that?”
“There are unpleasant memories from the imperial palace in the past, and more importantly, Ruswena wouldn’t be a nation that benefits from Bariel’s downfall. Rather, if Eldetr himself were to attend, that would raise its own questions.”
International relations are built upon the accumulation of small details. They required careful interpretation and handling. Romandro nodded in agreement, and I added my thoughts.
“And to reclaim what was taken, this would be the natural course of action for Ruswena.”
“What was taken—you mean the Mages?”
Ordinary persuasion wouldn’t bring back the exiled Mages. Not only from the perspective of the individual Mages themselves, but Bariel wouldn’t simply sit idle and watch either.
From Ruswena’s standpoint, the easiest, most certain, and fastest method would be to eliminate the Mages’ sanctuary. Whether it’s Bariel and the imperial palace, or most effectively, the Magic Department.
I nodded in agreement.
“All of it included. Just to be safe, please compile and submit information on Ruswena’s internal situation as well. I’d like to have a clear picture beforehand. If Eldetr doesn’t attend, narrow down the candidates as well.”
Oh, more work again.
Romandro, who had been lost in thought, sniffled and began writing down the instructions on paper.
“And what about that matter? Have you looked into it?”
“Which one?”
“The Countess of Hollin.”
“Ah, right. Just a moment.”
Romandro, as if remembering, rummaged through the documents piled on the floor and pulled out several sheets of paper.
“I’ve made inquiries here and there… ah, it was really difficult to find traces. She hardly engaged in external activities. It’s been nearly ten years since she last appeared in social circles. The last information we had from the capital was before she went down to her hometown for recuperation—”
“Her hometown?”
“Tusty, a small provincial city in southern Bariel. But according to recent reports, the Countess is said to be in Burgos.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I lifted my head to ask, and Romandro twirled his beard and flicked it. As if he himself didn’t quite understand.
“It means the Countess is the one handling weapon distribution in Burgos. The Hollin family has made no official statement. Since it’s a private matter, that’s natural, but the fact that they don’t deny it suggests it’s true. So when I checked, there are indeed entry and exit records.”
The weapon distribution routes within Burgos were one of the Hollin family’s business secrets. Therefore, the family had to take the lead in managing it, and since only the Countess had disappeared from the family, everyone implicitly assumed she was the one managing it.
Berik, who had been listening quietly, asked with suspicion.
“You said she went down to that Tusty place. But Burgos? Something smells fishy about this. Hmm.”
“She could have gone directly from there to Burgos. Anyway, that’s all I’ve found out, Ian.”
Romandro shrugged and set down the documents, but there was no response. I was rubbing my chin with the back of my pen, deep in thought about something.
“One more thing.”
“What now, what else?”
“The characteristics of the Burgos royal family. Could they have black hair and violet eyes? That would help clear up some questions.”
Genetic traits certainly exist for each bloodline. Just as Bariel has blue eyes and Ruswena has cyan hair.
While I couldn’t be certain about Burgos, Bania, Damon’s half-sister, possessed the same black hair and violet eyes, making this a very reasonable deduction.
But if the Countess active in Burgos and Princess Kaila displayed the same characteristics?
“It’s remarkable in itself that a Countess who never appeared publicly would go to a nation in civil war and successfully secure business routes, continuing to manage them. When the business rights were first acquired, didn’t the imperial palace raise concerns about this matter?”
“They simply granted the business rights. What Burgos does and how they do it is entirely the Hollin family’s choice and method. It’s not something the imperial palace should involve itself in.”
“It seems the Countess is likely a Burgos native.”
“What? No, no. She’s from a noble family in Tusty.”
“We can’t be sure. At this point, it’s most reasonable to assume the Countess is a Burgos native. Especially if she’s of royal blood, she could have formed distribution routes by colluding with pro-Bariel royalists.”
Romandro picked up the documents awkwardly and set them down again.
No, Ian. The Countess is from a noble family in Tusty, he wanted to add. But since your reasoning had merit, he simply pressed his lips shut.
Knock, knock.
“Ian? Are you there?”
“Come in.”
“I took important documents to the Administrative Department, but the person in charge wasn’t at their desk, so I brought them back.”
Just then, the Mage entered the office humming cheerfully. For someone who’d made a wasted trip, he seemed oddly delighted, which prompted Romandro to ask with curiosity.
“You look awfully pleased. What’s going on?”
“Oh, don’t even get me started. Do you know what I heard while I was at the Administrative Department? My goodness, my goodness. The world these days is truly dynamic. It’s fantastic.”
“What are you talking about? Why are you like this?”
The Mage returned the documents to me and continued chattering.
“Right now, all the officials from the Davion Family who were in the Administrative Department and other divisions have completely vanished. So work is practically at a standstill, but do you know why they all left the palace together?”
His tone suggested he’d heard something deliciously scandalous and amusing.
I merely smiled faintly and twirled my pen, but Romandro and Berik couldn’t contain their curiosity as their eyes sparkled with interest.
“Well, isn’t it the rumor that the Hollin Family was colluding with Burgos?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“What are you talking about?”
I paused, setting down my pen and turning to look at the Mage. From the gleam in his eyes, it seemed there was something even more juicy coming.
“Something about a jewel was mentioned, but I’m not entirely sure about that. What’s important is that this was brought up by the Davion side’s daughter, Princess Chloe. Apparently, it happened during a tea party. She had a minor altercation with Princess Kaila.”
“A minor altercation, you say…?”
Thump-thump. Romandro and Berik clasped their hands together, waiting eagerly for the Mage’s next words. The Mage, as if rising to the occasion, picked up an empty cup from the desk and held it up. The two men’s eyes began to shine brighter than any jewel in the world.
Splash!
“Gasp! Really?!”
When the Mage made a motion of splashing water, Romandro cried out in shock, and the Mage snapped his fingers.
“But that’s not all. This one went like this.”
Rolling up his sleeve, he swung a full-force slap at Berik!
Crack!
“Ow!”
“Oh, sorry. Why did that hit?”
“You madman, of course it hit when you slapped me!”
“But you usually dodge so well. Ah, I’m sorry. That was intentional. No, it was an accident.”
While Berik whined, clutching his right cheek, Romandro eagerly urged the Mage on. Come on, finish the story!
“She hit her? Which one, which one was it?”
“Given how the Davion side rushed out, it must have been Princess Chloe Davion who got hit, right?”
“My word, how surprising. Of all families, those two vying for the Empress’s position did that to each other.”
“Exactly. People who can usually handle most attacks with ease doing that… I’m dying to know what they talked about. Since the slap came from Hollin, the water must have come from Davion first, right?”
Ah! I’m so curious, so curious!
Romandro kept shaking his head and clicking his tongue repeatedly, while Berik rubbed his slightly swollen cheek against the sofa.
“Watching a fight is the most fun, ugh. Ian! Let’s go watch! Davion and Hollin are about to really go at it! Let’s go pick a side to support!”
Tap.
I calmly set down my pen and smiled gently.
“Should we?”

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