Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 76

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

Chapter 76. Taking a Cut
“Ian! Ian!”
Hena’s voice rang out as she crossed the Garden. I turned my head from trimming the Gula saplings, and she thrust a letter into my hands, breathing heavily. There was no seal, but the envelope’s durability spoke of quality.
“A letter has arrived from Merelrof!”
“Ah. I see.”
I removed my gloves and accepted the letter. It didn’t seem to be from the Count himself. If not, then the person capable of holding a pen in that Manor was predetermined.
“It appears the Butler sent it.”
“What? Not the Count?”
“There is no seal, so it cannot be. Had the Count sent it, he would never have had you deliver it.”
He likely would have emerged from the Main Gate and threatened you to have me receive it directly. Regardless of the circumstances, the distinction between the Count and a Baron who hadn’t even held an investiture ceremony was clear.
I elegantly tore open the envelope and examined its contents on the spot. Hena, unable to read, rolled her eyes as she studied my expression.
“Is it the content you were waiting for?”
“…Not something I was waiting for, but welcome news nonetheless.”
I folded the paper lightly and patted Hena’s shoulder. Then I gave instructions to Berik, who lay lounging in the shade of a tree.
“Berik. Stop playing and come down to the basement with me.”
“The basement? Why there?”
“Bring Romandro as well. Contact the kitchen and have them mix some flour with appropriate ingredients to form lumps.”
The Butler was asking on the Count’s behalf whether Gula trade was possible.
-Greetings, Baron Ian. I beg your forgiveness for addressing you informally and for taking up the pen in the Count’s stead. The Marquis Merelrof currently lacks the capacity to respond.
The informal address was because I had not yet received a surname. The claim about lacking capacity to respond was an obvious lie. My first letter to Merelrof had reported the assassination incident involving the conspirators, yet no formal response had come.
‘The Butler likely wrote the congratulatory letter regarding the title conferment as well.’
-Regarding the conspirators you reported, Merelrof is conducting a thorough investigation. Please wait a little longer. I write this letter to inquire whether you might open Gula trade to us.
We have heard that you strictly forbid trade with outsiders. We respect that intention, but with the approaching winter in mind, I take up this pen.
This is a personal proposal unrelated to the Count. However, should you grant permission, I will ensure a mutually satisfactory transaction.
I humbly ask for your generous consideration and close with this.
-Samon, Butler of Merelrof Manor.
I slowly waved the letter, quietly turning over the Butler’s name written at the end. Samon—Bariel was a place where diversity coexisted, yet each territory certainly had its own character. The name didn’t seem to be from Merelrof origins.
“What exactly are you planning to use this for?”
“You work quickly, Berik.”
“It’s not difficult to knead flour together.”
In just a moment, Berik held a lump of dough the size of a thumbnail. Its color was peculiar—I couldn’t guess what had been mixed in.
Not that I particularly wanted to know.
Crash!
“Ow! Ian!”
“Romandro, you’ll fall.”
“Ouch, that hurts. A letter from Merelrof, you say? A Gula trade proposal? I came running the moment I heard.”
“No. Unfortunately, it was sent by their Butler, not the Count. It seems the Count’s appetite hasn’t awakened yet.”
I handed the letter to Romandro and smiled. His eyes moved rapidly as he confirmed its contents. If there was still a hill to hide behind, it meant there was a place to procure supplies besides Bratz.
“…Is it Sherion?”
“Likely so. We’ll send people to the Hawan Kingdom as well, but bandits appeared and drew blades, did they not? We cannot send many people, and there will be no volunteers.”
“Right. Starving to death is certainly less painful than being pierced by a blade. That avenue is closed off now. Hm. Su, was it? That Cheonrye Tribe woman?”
Through Su’s carrier pigeon, I had been receiving detailed reports of everything that transpired in the gorge that night. And of all the convenient timing, Erika appeared at precisely that moment.
Whether she perished, I cannot say with certainty, but rumors spread swiftly that the Hawan Kingdom had dispatched soldiers to suppress bandits in the region. For the foreseeable future, anyone with sense would avoid that area entirely.
“In any case, the Cheonrye Tribe handles matters more efficiently than expected.”
“Especially when it comes to physical work, sir.”
“It will take ten days to reach Sheiron, perhaps a bit longer depending on the route… but the return journey will be the real problem. The altitude there is high, and snow falls early.”
Berik, Romandro, and I descended into the cellar, discussing the situation. Then we all turned our gaze simultaneously toward the closed door—the room where the sole survivor of those who had rushed at me to kill me was now confined.
“Open the door.”
Creak.
At my command, two guards unlocked the cell. The man who had been curled up on the bed inside suddenly sprang to his feet and prostrated himself on the floor. His unkempt beard and rough skin spoke volumes of his suffering. It was only natural—he had been living like livestock in a windowless room.
“Colin.”
“Y-yes, yes…”
He lifted his head slightly, his trembling body quivering like an aspen leaf. What was this about? Was he about to be executed?
“Eat this.”
“What?”
“Eat it, and I’ll send you home.”
I exchanged a glance with Berik and smiled. Without understanding what was happening, Colin had no choice but to obey. Berik held up the dumpling in his hand, then roughly grabbed Colin’s cheeks and pried his mouth open. Colin thrashed reflexively, but he was no match for Berik’s strength.
“Ugh! W-what is this! Please, please…”
“Worried you’ll die? Don’t be. You’ll die anyway if you don’t eat it.”
Berik shoved the dumpling deep into Colin’s throat. Then, pinching his nose shut and tilting his head back, he prevented him from spitting it out. Colin writhed on the floor, grimacing at the unpleasant taste.
“Blegh…”
“He’s swallowed it. Ian, he’s swallowed it all.”
“Good. Colin, I will now send you back to Merelrof.”
“W-what? Th-thank you so much…”
“But you have work to do first.”
I crouched before him and tidied his hair, my touch as gentle as one might use with an obedient dog.
“Have you ever been to Sheiron?”
“Sh-Sheiron? No, I haven’t, sir.”
At Colin’s answer, I showed a hint of disappointment. But it didn’t matter. His role in Merelrof was not to be a guide, but quite the opposite.
“From now on, I want you to listen carefully to what I say. When you return, you must keep absolute silence about everything that happened here, and no one must learn of your whereabouts or your mission.”
It was a reasonable proposal for Colin as well.
If it became known that I—still only half a nobleman, technically—had attempted to kill a noble, I would certainly face trial.
“Instead, you will volunteer to join the group being recruited at Merelrof Manor for the journey to Sheiron.”
Whether many or few would volunteer was uncertain; it would depend on the atmosphere within the territory. But a sturdy young man like Colin should be able to join the trading expedition one way or another.
“And by any means necessary, prevent the group from reaching Sheiron. Or ensure they return empty-handed. You may destroy the wagons, bind them all together—do as you see fit. But they must not return for at least a fortnight.”
Colin blinked, unable to comprehend my words all at once. So I was asking him to act as a spy? He reflexively shook his head.
“H-how could I possibly…”
“Weren’t you the one who took money to kill people? This should be easy for you.”
“No, Ian. I was truly wrong.”
“If you fail to follow my orders, you will die.”
“What on earth….”
Zing.
My eyes shifted to gold as I released a faint surge of magical power. In a room without a single window, my hair whipped about, and Colin’s body went rigid at the sensation of magic he’d never experienced before.
“What you just consumed will dissolve into your body and transform into blood and flesh. The moment I confirm that my plan has gone awry, I will unleash this power without restraint. Then your blood will turn to poison, your entire body will melt away, and seep into the earth.”
“Ugh! Ack!”
My voice, whispered in a measured tone, carried a chilling edge. Colin began to retch, but Berik immediately clamped his mouth shut and bound his body.
“However, if things proceed smoothly, I promise you freedom. I will personally lift the magic I’ve placed upon you. Compared to your comrade who has already departed for the afterlife, wouldn’t that be quite fortunate?”
In other words, don’t entertain foolish thoughts. Colin nodded his head vigorously, his expression filled with dread. It felt as though what had gone down his throat might strangle him at any moment.
Creak.
“Come now, step outside.”
I opened the door and turned my body. Through the half-open gap, the staircase came into view. Bright light pouring down from above. It had been so long since he’d seen daylight.
“We can’t have him returning home looking like that, can we? Berik, make him presentable.”
“I’m quite the swordsman, so my shaving skills are deadly.”
“Don’t slit his throat.”
“Eek!”
“Only joking. A jest.”
At my jest, Colin clutched at his own neck. Berik chuckled and dragged him out, and Colin became intoxicated by the outside air for the first time in nearly a month. It felt as though he’d just stepped back from death’s threshold and was truly alive again.
Romandro, who had been watching, offered me a suggestion.
“We should probably assign someone to keep watch, just in case.”
“Yes. Please provide a suitable person.”
“Hmm. Let me see, I’ll find someone.”
It was only natural. What I’d fed Colin was nothing more than crude flour paste, so it was fitting to install one more genuine mechanism as insurance.
“But if you’ve decided to go to Sherion, it seems we’re nearly at the final stage.”
“That meticulous fellow… Ahem. No, that’s right. If that particular Count is willing to pay extra to go all the way to Sherion, then yes, we can assume he’s been backed into a corner.”
“We should start gathering Gula.”
A crow crossed the sky. Against the high blue expanse, the black appeared distinctly darker. It seemed time to gather the last hope and prepare for winter’s arrival.
“If the deal goes through, would one gold coin per sack of Gula suffice?”
Romandro, who had been leading the way, turned back and asked.
He was curious about the price I intended to sell Gula for if the deal succeeded. In truth, since these were things that grew in mountains and fields, putting a price on them was somewhat extravagant, but we had already established a standard rate of one gold coin per three sacks.
“One coin?”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“I intend to receive at minimum—truly minimum—ten gold coins per sack.”
There would only be one opportunity.
I had already reported to Prince Marib that Gula was edible. What began as mere rumor in the Central region might actually be happening at the highest levels.
Perhaps after this winter, once the New Year celebration concludes, the value of Gula will become known throughout all of Bariel.
‘By then, supply will increase and it won’t be sellable, so I must make a substantial profit this time.’
Honestly, if I could, I’d want to completely empty the Merelof Manor’s warehouses. The merchant guild will return to Merelof again, and spring will come around once more. Will the Merelof Manor warehouse remain bare forever simply because it’s empty this winter?
“That seems like an excessive amount. Given the Count’s temperament, is it even possible?”
“If he’s on the brink of death, even Marquis Merelof will come to understand. No matter how many, gold coins cannot be eaten.”
I smiled and turned my gaze toward boxes stacked in one corner of the Garden. They were Gula gathered as taxes.
Romandro felt an inexplicable pressure emanating from Ian’s radiant smile. He couldn’t help but think that if he were to make an enemy of this man, his life would become unbearably difficult.

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