Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 540

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

Chapter 539
Fire. Clink?
Clatter.
Romandro set the empty bottle on the desk. Ian, who had been drafting a report, looked up and caught sight of it, then offered a faint smile.
“King Clipoford certainly has impressive decisiveness.”
“Indeed. There’s still time before the coronation, yet he handled matters quite decisively.”
“And the Lepin Envoy representative?”
“They’ve been carried off. Looks like the bottle did its job properly.”
“That’s fortunate. If they’re not wandering about, it actually makes things easier for us.”
The words were curt and cold, yet Romandro nodded deeply in agreement. Everyone was being ground down due to insufficient manpower. If someone could be laid up and lighten the load, that was something to be grateful for!
“That said, I knew Clipoford people enjoyed drinking, but this is truly remarkable. Good heavens, it’s as if wine flows through their veins instead of blood. Once the Lepin envoy collapsed, they said it was cause for celebration and broke out an entirely new vintage.”
The situation had far exceeded expectations. Did these people not understand what intoxication even was? Romandro clicked his tongue and tossed the glass bottle lightly toward the fireplace.
Crash!
Whoosh!
The magically kindled flames melted the glass bottle without a trace. Countless pieces of waste that had emerged from the Minister’s office had vanished in the same manner, and no one had ever discovered them. Once the Lepin envoy awakened, they would certainly lodge a protest about the truth serum. Thorough cleanup was absolutely essential.
Truth serum? Nonsense! Any evidence? Bariel was prepared. Ready to counter that they had drunk alone and made a mistake—so where was the accountability to be placed?
“Since the nation is unstable, they likely haven’t enjoyed drinking and festivities for quite some time. It’s practically their identity, so it’s rather unfortunate. Please convey to them that we should spare no expense in food and drink for our honored guests.”
“Of course! This isn’t some place like Ruswena, and Clipoford is Bariel’s ally—it’s only right that we treat them generously!”
“By the way, what did Ruswena’s side have to say?”
Ian set down his pen. Since King Clipoford had done his part, it was time to examine the details. Romandro lowered his voice and whispered.
“As expected, it seems they intend to deploy the black armor on the front lines of war. Based on the Lepin nuances, it feels like they’ve already completed thorough preparations. To match that quantity, dragon scales would be essential. King Clipoford even confirmed the existence of illegal breeding facilities.”
When a dragon dies of natural causes, scales are the first thing to decompose and vanish. Since these creatures have such long lifespans, witnessing death itself is rare, yet they’ve crafted countless suits of armor from scales? It suggested that illegal activities were involved.
Slide.
Ian pulled a thick stack of documents from the corner of the desk. It was the full text of the Dragon Sanctity Inviolability Treaty. An international accord stipulating that the bodies of living dragons must not be utilized for any purpose.
Having apparently read through it once already, Ian flipped through the pages without hesitation.
“Since it’s an international treaty, making it public discourse should be our priority. Once the Lepin envoy awakens, they’ll report their own mistake to Ruswena’s side, which would then prevent us from finding evidence of the illegal breeding facilities.”
“We’ll need to hurry. Though I suspect it will take some time. Just informing each nation and arranging a convocation date and location will take several months.”
“Moreover, we’re currently facing war. If all the nations that form Gaia’s backbone enter the conflict, no one will pay attention to dragon treaties.”
War destroys everything, yet certain boundaries exist that cannot be crossed. Handing a severed parent’s head to a weeping child, poisoning food given to starving refugees, forcing prisoners of war to suffer humiliation—such acts.
“The Dragon Sanctity Inviolability Treaty is certainly a duty we must uphold, but in wartime, judgments will shift moment by moment depending on circumstances. They’ll certainly turn a blind eye under the guise of war. Especially Burgos, who maintains friendly relations with Ruswena and is hostile toward Bariel, will have no qualms about violating the treaty.”
“That’s a fair point. Unlike other times, in wartime they’ll be bound together under the name of allies. And if it were just Ruswena’s problem, that would be one thing. But if any nation receives black armor support, they all become accomplices. They’ll all deny the agreement in unison.”
“A promise and history upheld for centuries by all—we cannot allow it to crumble in this manner.”
It would be better to hold Ruswena accountable after the war ends. By then, no one could overlook Ruswena’s wrongdoing.
“It would be wise to deliberate a bit longer. First, let’s give Shatima a heads-up.”
“Understood. I’ll arrange a meeting right away.”
“And regarding Princess Kaila—”
Boom! Boom!
Just as Ian was about to continue his instructions, commotion erupted outside. A sound different from the usual. Romandro instinctively sensed danger and moved closer to Ian’s side.
Knock! Knock-knock-knock!
“Akorelra?”
“Ian! Look at this! Please!”
Crash!
I had merely asked if this was Akorelra, but she burst through the door without hesitation. A dragon followed in her wake, its head tilted sideways to avoid scraping the ceiling.
Romandro staggered as if he might faint, barely managing to cry out.
“Ako! What are you doing bringing that thing inside?!”
“No! Look at this! Ugh, damn it! These Ruswena bastards, this is unacceptable!”
“Why?!”
“Turn around!”
-Kyuuu?
As Akorelra tapped the dragon’s flank, it carefully backed its hindquarters inward with an awkward waddle. In the process, its long tail swept across the sofa and knocked it over. Romandro, unable to restrain himself any longer, collapsed in a graceful heap.
“Is there a problem?”
“A problem? Yes, there is! Ian, look carefully here. The scales on the upper portion are relatively softer than the lower ones, don’t you see? The color is much lighter too.”
“I see it.”
“Do you understand what this means?”
Akorelra didn’t wait for my answer and immediately continued.
“It’s been regenerated multiple times—dozens of times, in fact. The upper scales bear the marks of having shed dozens of times. These dragons don’t even molt, so why would the scales be shedding?”
“I was already receiving a report on that matter.”
“It’s the worst case. Just by the degree of hardness, this could be considered a disability.”
Akorelra ground her teeth, muttering. This dragon was supposed to endure bitter cold and withstand scorching winds, yet in this state, it was hopeless—no different from a fish dying on land.
Romandro, who had collapsed moments earlier, struggled to his feet and asked.
“It looks fine on the surface, but is it really that severe?”
“Imagine if someone plucked out your hair dozens of times and made you bald, Romandro. Would your scalp be fine?”
“Gasp!”
Shocked by the analogy, Romandro reflexively covered his head. When applied to humans, it was truly horrifying.
“And there’s one more thing—”
“There’s more?”
“I’m not sure what it is, but this one isn’t purebred.”
“What?”
Akorelra pulled a report from her pocket. The ink was smudged and blotchy, as if she’d scribbled it hastily and brought it immediately.
“The chemical reaction is completely different from when we analyzed the scale material ten years ago. It looks like a dragon on the outside, but what comprises it is different. Look at this, damn it! The front is all burned!”
“Ah, you’re right.”
Since it had looked wretched from the start, I hadn’t noticed easily. Akorelra’s hands trembled as her eyes blazed.
“We need to bring in a dragon specialist to treat it. Otherwise, this one won’t survive long.”
“So there was a reason for setting a ten-year deadline.”
They were certain it would die within that time. I gently stroked the dragon’s brow and asked.
“You don’t know what was mixed into it?”
“No. I still can’t determine that. It’s something I’ve never seen before. If the purpose was truly to harvest scales, it was likely mixed with something possessing superior regenerative abilities.”
“Ian, when Lepin wakes up, shouldn’t we protest immediately and send it back?”
-Kyuuu?
At the mention of sending it back, the dragon reacted alertly. With eyes wide open, it eagerly rubbed its head against Romandro’s belly. Romandro, startled, collapsed sideways once more.
“I will not return it. It is evidence of wrongdoing that Ruswena handed over with her own hands.”
“Yes, I agree. We have no choice but to save him by any means necessary and show what we’re made of. What in the world was she thinking sending him here? Did she really believe he wouldn’t get caught? That’s even worse! What does she take me for!”
“It’s likely she believed getting caught didn’t matter.”
It was proof that she had wagered everything on this war. Just as I had worried, at this point in time, no one would dare question the Dragon Accord itself.
So she had pivoted her strategy to maximize the acquisition of scales during this opportunity, investing them in the war to seize victory. Should they triumph, it would be built upon the black armor, and no one could then mention Ruswena’s transgressions.
“Wait! Then, then does that mean when everyone goes to war, this one and I stay behind in the Imperial Palace’s Magic Department?”
Suddenly, Romandro, who had been collapsed on the sofa, sat up in alarm and raised his hand.
“If it’s not a pureblooded dragon! In other words, if it’s not a dragon as defined in the accord… couldn’t we take it to war as well? If we put it forward openly, we could publicize this so quickly that Ruswena won’t have time to react!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, think about it. The enemy will condemn us, but if they realize this is all a result of Ruswena’s illegal actions, won’t it create fractures on their side too? The dragon flies well through the sky and has symbolic value, so it’ll be helpful in many ways! Ugh! Don’t lick me! Please!”
As Romandro pleaded with crossed arms, the dragon paused. But when Akorelra patted its side reassuringly, it excitedly rubbed its head against Romandro’s belly again.
“Well, that sounds plausible. If Bariel’s military strength increases with the dragon, the enemy nation will blame Ruswena. Why did she present something like that and create this problem?”
“Right? Exactly! That seems right!”
“But the thing is, it’s so gentle…”
As Akorelra rested her chin in her hand and looked the dragon up and down, it blinked its eyes with a somewhat dejected expression. Then she struck its side with all her might and shouted.
Smack!
“Don’t lose heart, you little thing! It’s not your fault!”
-Kyuuu!
“Even Berik is useful, so what makes you think you’re not? Huh?”
-Kyu!
I paused to consider.
Setting aside whether it would help Bariel’s military strength, deploying a dragon as a weapon of war could invite international condemnation.
However, that condemnation would be based solely on treaty violations. As Romandro had pointed out, the Dragon Inviolability Accord defined a dragon as only a ‘pureblooded dragon.’ There was no explicit mention of ‘hybrid dragons.’
And.
‘Even if it’s a hybrid, a dragon is a dragon—the open sky would be far more comfortable for it than our unprepared and clumsy efforts.’
I judged it to be a meaningful proposal and nodded.
“Understood, Romandro. Then please prepare a report on this matter. I’ll submit it to Prince Jin by today.”
“Today? Ah, yes. Today is good. Like Prince Clipoford, with that kind of decisiveness.”
For a moment, a flood of tasks rushed through my mind, but what could I do? I had no confidence in handling the dragon alone without the mages. This way, with work piling up, was actually better.
“Also, I should inform the Dera Tribe to craft protective gear exclusively for the dragon. We’ll use it for propaganda, but since it’s an essential protection, please ask them to pay attention to durability.”
“Understood. I’ll convey that by today as well.”
“Put more power into it! The world isn’t easy, but you need to show that you’re not easy either!”
-Kyuuuu!
With Akorelra cheering from the side, the dragon lifted its head happily and opened its mouth.
Then in an instant, a torrent of searing flames poured forth.
Whoooosh!
“…!”
“…?”
All three of us froze as if time had stopped, staring at the flames that were subsiding.
I had thought the dragon’s abilities had disappeared back in the early days of Gaia?
“…What is this, you—”
As Akorelra’s mouth fell open, the dragon grinned, revealing its black teeth.
-Kyuu?

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