Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 577

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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 576
Fire. Ian’s Life (3)
“Is that him? The one they call the first noble Mage?”
Wherever I went, whispers clung to me like stubborn shadows. The fact that I was a noble Mage alone drew considerable attention, but an even darker presence loomed over me—Chroni. My guardian remained Chroni’s father, and the mansion where I had stayed until the day before entering the palace was his residence.
“Oh, Uncle Ian. Over here. Allow me to introduce you. These are my direct subordinates. You’ve seen them a few times when you were at the mansion, haven’t you? How old were you then? About this tall?”
“Ha. A bit taller than that, actually.”
Chroni paraded me around, introducing me to everyone as if showing off a prized possession—a child he had raised with his own hands since I was five years old, stammering through my words. Everything about me had been packaged as a testament to Chroni’s capabilities.
“I hear his magical power is quite formidable.”
“Well, he’s still young—it’s just youthful vigor. Doesn’t Bariel have plenty of exceptional Mages? There will be much for him to learn from those above him. Uncle.”
“You’ve truly raised Ian so admirably, Lord Chroni. It’s remarkable. It must not have been easy.”
“What are you saying? You’re embarrassing me. Uncle still has much to learn.”
“By the way, the Magic Department still seems to be making a fuss about the mana-sealing stones. Since they haven’t responded, I was thinking of going there directly.”
“Why would you need to do that? With Ian here, can’t you simply ask him?”
“Ahem, gentlemen. Let’s discuss that matter separately later. Uncle hasn’t quite adjusted to palace life yet.”
“Oh my, my apologies.”
From the way they carelessly bandied about complaints in front of a Magic Department official to disguising requests as errands—I immediately grasped how utterly insignificant they viewed me.
As my expression hardened, Chroni noticed first and gave me a meaningful glance.
“Relax your face, Uncle. You must smile even when you don’t feel like it. That is the palace. And it was your choice.”
I hadn’t realized it at the mansion, but Chroni in the palace was a considerably dangerous man. He had seized the central power faction through aggressive and proactive political maneuvering, and I could instinctively sense he was someone who never satisfied himself, always hungering for more.
Why hadn’t I noticed this when we were at the mansion? Perhaps because he had been my entire world. Not knowing another world existed, I had been incapable of any judgment regarding Chroni whatsoever.
“Ian, did you meet with Lord Chroni?”
“Naum. Sorry I’m late.”
“I told you, you don’t need to go just because you’re summoned.”
“What about what you asked me to look into?”
“Here.”
I slowly read through the documents Naum handed me. The territories had been fragmented into ten pieces, and most of the various assets had evaporated. I could easily infer that all of it had been used for Chroni’s political maneuvers.
‘The price of becoming Vice-Minister of Imperial Defense.’
Though I had only recently stepped into the world, I quickly recognized that Bariel was in decline. In less than a hundred years, the Emperor had changed several times, and the palace had been swept by bloodshed repeatedly. It was a situation far more precarious than fantasies built upon sand. I understood why I, a collateral branch of the imperial family, had been entrusted to Chroni.
‘The imperial succession is already struggling to maintain itself, and yet they take in a collateral branch? It’s like harboring a beast that would tear out its own throat.’
Naum examined me carefully, then gently patted my shoulder.
“What if you reapplied for a new guardian?”
“…Would the judicial department accept it?”
Outwardly, Chroni had raised me perfectly, without any shortcomings.
Meanwhile, I was a naive fifteen-year-old child ignorant of the world’s ways, and I possessed nothing. In an empire where ministerial positions were bought and sold, there was no chance the judicial department would side with me.
I shook my head as if accepting defeat and folded the documents.
“But Naum, the Imperial Defense Department mentioned something about mana-sealing stones. What exactly are those?”
Naum’s brow furrowed instantly.
Mana-sealing stones were essentially the only means to check the Magic Department. Thus, centered around the Imperial Defense Department, various ministries were constantly proposing new distribution schemes for the sealing stones.
“The Emperor keeps the Magic Department close as his inner circle. That’s why they keep insisting that those people should manage the sealing stones. And on top of that, the number of Mages has been steadily declining.”
A considerably complex web of political circumstances was tangled together in confusion.
Though I had grown deeply interested, adapting to the Magic Department came first. The world before me was incomparably vaster, more wondrous, and more brilliant than any knowledge I had encountered before. Drawing magical circles, uncovering their activation methods, training, and understanding them—a single day was never enough.
Tap.
“Ian. Get this done by tomorrow.”
“By tomorrow, sir?”
“What? Can’t you do it? Then borrow some hands from the Imperial Defense Department.”
Moreover, the wariness that had begun due to our difference in status gradually transformed into outright rejection as Chroni gained influence within the palace.
‘A mage with connections to the Imperial Defense Department.’
His attitude was far too clear, and I couldn’t even begin to fathom where to start mending this relationship. Throughout my entire life, I had only learned how to treat Chroni, never how to treat people.
“Give him tasks he can actually do.”
“…Naum.”
“If you can’t do it, how is a newcomer supposed to handle this? Or we could all do it together. You’re off today anyway, right? Perfect. Let’s grab something delicious after. I’ll help too.”
Had Naum not helped me at crucial moments, I would have never adapted to palace life, I’m certain of it.
Gradually, I spent more time with people, and my days became filled with discovering my identity as a mage. Looking back, those were the days I laughed the most in my entire life. It must have meant I was happy.
“The Emperor has passed away.”
Not long after, I faced a tremendous storm.
I was put forward as the next Emperor with the full support of the pro-Emperor faction. I was a distant branch of Verosion, a sacred mage, and a young boy who could be swayed according to the powerful ministers’ wishes. Most importantly, it became possible because everyone in the palace knew there was a rift between me and Chroni.
“Emperor? Uncle, that’s absurd. Are you so young that you don’t understand the weight of it? Be wary of those who whisper sweet words. They will ultimately lead you to ruin. Uncle, I raised you with all my heart.”
For the first time, Chroni came to the Magic Department to try to persuade me. He seemed desperate. He knew my potential better than anyone else.
After all, wasn’t I the child he had raised with all his heart? More brilliant and keen than anyone, a being whom God had blessed with abundant love.
“I know our relationship is not as it once was. Uncle, see this? This is what I feared. Had I remained at the estate, you and I would have continued to love each other as parent and child. But since you entered the palace, we have undergone many changes. Surely you don’t claim not to understand what it means to ascend the throne with the support of the pro-Emperor faction.”
It meant I would directly clash with Chroni.
My expression remained calm, but inside, waves rippled through me repeatedly. Chroni was, after all, my father. My father, rooted in my heart since my earliest days, whom I had followed with all my soul. Though a crack had formed in our bond, there existed something between us that could never truly break.
“Chroni. I—”
But the path forward was already set. I shook my head and answered with difficulty.
“I have come to love Bariel.”
I would become Emperor. So that I might restore Bariel’s tilting sky and straighten its trembling earth. If I could, I would find meaning in my existence in this world through such actions.
When I spoke thus, Chroni’s eyes shifted subtly. He had realized persuasion would not work.
“…I understand, Uncle.”
When resolve is firm, pushing harder only backfires. Chroni took a step back and decided it would be better to modify his strategy toward maintaining his connection with me.
“If that is your will, I too shall lend my support.”
And that was a very accurate judgment.
When Ian Verosion ascended as Emperor, those unaware of the circumstances expected the situation to finally stabilize. They believed he was someone receiving support from both the pro-Emperor and anti-Emperor factions simultaneously.
But the problem was that I lacked the power to mediate their power struggles. Rather, I became a pretext for them to use against each other.
“The Emperor is a mage, yet he speaks of managing the mana-sealing stones to check him? That is dangerous talk. It would be more appropriate for Chroni, his guardian and blood relative—that is, the Imperial Defense Department—to oversee them.”
“What are you saying! The mana-sealing stones cannot be handed over. This concerns the very survival of mages.”
“Your Majesty! The Imperial Defense Department’s authority has become far too great. We need measures to check this.”
“Chroni is nothing but the Emperor’s guardian father. The strength of the Imperial Defense Department is the strength of Your Majesty, and yet—tsk tsk. How disloyal!”
“Is that what you call an argument? There is widespread resentment toward the Imperial Defense Department outside. Why was the investigation into the civilian deaths in the Chetur district so poorly conducted last time? Your Majesty, some suspect the perpetrator received special treatment because he was Chroni’s direct subordinate. This will damage Your Majesty’s honor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Which department has benefited most thanks to the Emperor from the Magic Department? The budget expansion has not been subject to proper scrutiny.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!”
Crash!
I slammed the desk roughly, as if pleading for him to simply hold his tongue. My gaze was fixed on Naum.
‘Naum, help me.’
It felt as though the only way forward was to have Naum ascend as the new Minister of Magic instead of the corrupt one currently in power, standing beside me.
It was a reasonable and prudent approach in theory, but reality always diverged from expectation.
“Naum is eyeing the position of Minister of Magic. Lend me your support.”
“It seems Your Imperial Majesty has intentions, Minister. But isn’t the Magic Department an internal electoral position? Rather than asking us, wouldn’t it be faster to handle this matter within the Magic Department itself?”
“Lord Chroni! Yet the Emperor always takes your words to heart, does he not? I will transfer some authority over the Mana Sealing Stones to you. Please persuade His Imperial Majesty.”
Chroni laughed. More brightly than ever before.
“Yes, well. I shall certainly try.”
When Naum Obia took control of the Magic Department and ascended to the ministerial position, the management of the Mana Sealing Stones simultaneously transferred to the Imperial Defense Ministry, and the pro-Emperor faction lost key personnel, causing their influence to collapse.
Everything happened so swiftly that I couldn’t manage the situation at all. It had been the right decision, certainly—rational and without alternative. Yet in changing the leadership of the Minister of Magic, I suffered an enormous loss of power. The balance had shattered.
“Your Majesty. It is no matter. Authority can be reclaimed. I, Naum Obia, stake my name upon it.”
I believed I still had time. Though the scales tipped increasingly to one side, I thought it could be reversed. I was young, yet possessed infinite potential for growth, developing visibly with each passing day. As the sun rose and set, my political acumen would shine ever brighter.
“Your Majesty. We must wage war.”
Chroni cast his shadow upon me once more.
The Imperial Defense Ministry chose war as a means to expand their influence while driving me and my inner circle beyond the palace walls. The justification was abundant.
“For the citizens to revere Your Imperial Majesty, who hails from outside the imperial palace, you require achievements befitting that status. Nothing shines brighter than a monument written in blood. Why not simply, and lightly, settle the border disputes in the frontier regions? With powerful magic, you could establish Bariel’s prestige anew, and morale would soar to the heavens. Having never ventured beyond the capital, this would be an excellent opportunity. In many ways.”
Every department save the Magic Department approved of war. Even among the Mages, those who desired conflict began to emerge. It was a sign of defection, yet I could not avoid it.
“The Minister of the Imperial Defense Ministry shall accompany you. I shall remain to guard the palace.”
Chroni, who had lived his entire life standing behind others, had seized the opportunity of a lifetime. He would remain alone in a palace without a master.
Thus, my downfall had in fact begun from my earliest childhood. From when I was five years old.
* * *
“It was my negligence and failure.”
I murmured quietly, recalling that day’s mistakes as if reviewing a lost game. Had it been now, I would not have done so. Had it been now, I could have responded with greater flexibility.
“Your Majesty.”
I smiled weakly and gazed at Jin. His expression was so desolate that his heart was entirely apparent. In truth, everyone in that place felt the same.
“I regret it, but it is well. For I have finally rediscovered the value of failure.”
It was you, who stands with me under the name Verosion. There were countless things I could teach Jin based on that failure, so how could I not rejoice? Because I existed, Jin could exist, and through him, my history a hundred years hence continues—this is not failure, but a process. The history of Verosion has never ceased, not for a single moment.
The history of Verosion has never paused, not once.

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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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