This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 240

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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 240

‘If I run into Hailey like this? That would be trouble.’
The moment Bloden’s eyes snapped open from sudden wakefulness, Raven seized the opportunity to resume his nagging.
“Mark my words—Hailey will be waiting for His Majesty looking absolutely impeccable.”
“How could she, trapped inside the Gate? Unless she uses a Cleanliness Magic Stone…”
“I already told you—when I placed the jar of preserves in Hailey’s Pocket Dimension, I put all manner of things in there. Including that.”
“You did?”
Bloden looked back at him, and Raven’s momentum flagged. After a moment’s thought, Raven crossed his arms and stepped back.
“But I suspect she won’t know the Cleanliness Magic Stone is there. I meant to tell her once she became less reluctant to receive gifts.”
“Then what good is it? She needs to know it exists to use it.”
“Well, I hear His Majesty also placed various items in Hailey’s Pocket Dimension.”
“…Yes, I did.”
When Hailey had placed the meals she’d made into Bloden’s Pocket Dimension, he’d seized the moment and transferred rare medicinal ingredients and cooking supplies into hers.
He’d planned to tell her after the Birthday Festival ended.
That she could use them whenever she wished—that he’d filled her Pocket Dimension with all sorts of herbs and ingredients, including magical salves that could heal wounds instantly.
‘I wish she’d notice.’
As Bloden fell silent, lost in thoughts of Hailey, Raven continued.
“Either way, Hailey managed her household quite capably in that half-ruined cottage despite having lost her memory—didn’t she? She even rescued Baron when he was nearly kidnapped and cared for him despite their dire circumstances.”
Bloden nodded, and remembering the first time he’d encountered Baron, he effortlessly recalled the words Hailey had spoken to him then.

‘Max! There you are!’
‘I was so worried! Are you hurt anywhere?’
‘Ugh, you scared me! Wait until we get home—your sister’s going to give you an earful.’

It had been more than two years since then.
Hailey’s voice felt so vivid that Bloden found himself laughing softly without meaning to. Raven, ever alert, seized that moment and launched into his argument.
“Right now, Hailey is surely waiting for His Majesty to rescue her—confident that he’ll come looking clean and handsome, with his duties in perfect order. Women despise slovenly men, as you well know.”
“All right, all right.”
Bloden withdrew the Cleanliness Magic Stone from his Pocket Dimension and grasped it. A soft blue light swept across his entire body, leaving him immaculate.
“Excellent work. Now the only remaining details are that scraggly beard and those shadows under your eyes. Shave and get some rest. I’ll finish what I was doing in the Study.”
Unable to let even this pass without comment, Raven’s words drew a sigh from Bloden, who rose from his seat.

* * *

Having finished shaving and tidying himself, Bloden made up his mind and headed for the Study.
In the center of the Study lay a large table with an Imperial Map spread across it, and at the far end were stacks of newspapers and handbills divided into two piles.
Raven, who had been drawing lines in various colors across the map, looked up at Bloden’s approach.
“Oh, Your Majesty? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“Do you think I can sleep?”
Bloden began examining the newspapers and handbills first.
These papers were sorted into articles from the press carrying the voice of the Imperial Court and false articles attacking the throne from some hidden quarter.
“How are things with Nelloa’s propaganda campaign?”
“They say she took Clark away—it’s outrageous. I’ve been publishing counter-articles as fast as they come out, but…”
Raven sighed.
“The Lords are at their wits’ end because citizens, swayed by the false articles, are engaging in extreme behavior. In my view, simply executing them would be cleaner.”
Raven glanced at Bloden’s face, his manner suggesting he’d march out immediately if given the slightest permission. Bloden let out a dry laugh.
“There were men like that even in the previous Emperor’s day. What did Mother say to do then?”
“To exterminate their entire families, as it was no different from treason…”
“Raven.”
“Right… She said to resolve the root cause of the matter quickly. In this case, we’d need to find and destroy the place printing the handbills first, and above all, rescue Hailey.”
“That’s what I intend to do as well.”
“But Your Majesty, even after all these years, I have no sense of how to locate the source of these handbills. And Anna keeps insisting she only followed them because she didn’t want to die.”
Raven recalled the interrogation of Anna.
Anna had protested her innocence, claiming she was merely coerced, and had actively cooperated with His Majesty, divulging even the information Nelloa had pried from her.
Deep within the Gate, there was supposedly a dragon called Iturn.
“The one distributing the handbills turned out to be a Monster disguised as human. Watching low-intelligence creatures move so systematically suggests there’s a Monster leading them, but…”
Raven grumbled that while he was competent enough, interrogating Monsters was impossible.
“The handbills are scattered across the entire Empire at the same time on the same day—it’s difficult even to determine their point of origin.”
Raven held up the false article from the top of the stack and offered it to Bloden.
“I only glanced at the headline of that handbill distributed earlier, and it’s quite the spectacle.”

<Emperor Bloden Ilpein Has Fled at Last! Only Close Advisors Remain in the Imperial Palace, Managing the Crisis. Regent Anna Beldenburo, Who Has Taken Up the Abandoned Imperial Crown, Declares Protection of the Empire Alongside Nelloa.>

“The body text is unnecessarily long, so I haven’t read it yet. Shall we take a look?”
At Raven’s words, Bloden examined the article. He furrowed his brow and studied it for a long moment before asking.
“Raven, when printing these handbills, does the ink density sometimes vary, or do spacing errors appear in multiple places?”
“It might happen once in a blue moon, but these are professionals—they shouldn’t make mistakes like that.”
“Then read this part for me. No matter how much I look at it, something seems off.”
“Pardon?”
Raven examined the article Bloden was pointing to once more.

[As the Emperor’s absence grew
long
er, the anxiety of the Empire’s
people
has only intensified. Imperial Palace offi
cials
have likewise been unable to provide clear answers regarding the Emperor’s whereabouts. Some quarters have even begun to suggest that those close aides remaining in the Imperial Palace are merely managing the cri
sis
, while the Emperor has already departed the capi
tal
. Meanwhile, claims have also emerged that around the Imperial Palace, forces attempting to obstruct Regent Anna Beldenburo’s return are conducting espi
on
age operations.]

“Long, people, cials, sis, tal, on, age.”
As Raven read only the darkened letters aloud, Bloden asked again.
“What if you read only the parts where the spacing is off?”
“Long, cials, sis, age? That forms the word… Gasp? Your Majesty, is this a hint?”
Raven looked at Bloden in surprise.
“You’re thinking the same thing, aren’t you?”
Bloden immediately retrieved Clark’s journalist’s notebook from his pocket dimension and opened it.
It had been kept rather than returned—Clark’s notebook was filled with all manner of scribbled notes. There were some stories that exposed the dirty secrets of several nobles, but at that time nothing particularly caught the eye.
However, on the final page, several printing house addresses had been written down.
“Bring me the map book.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Black Libia.”
A phantom raven appeared at once and bowed its head to Bloden. Raven, swiftly returning with the map book, quickly marked all the printing houses from the notebook on the map in red pen and showed them to Black Libia.
“Check all the buildings at the marked locations. Be careful not to be seen, and if you find anything suspicious at all, return immediately and report.”
-Black Libia. Your Majesty’s order. Acknowledged.
Black Libia disappeared swiftly.
After that, Bloden traced the lines Raven had drawn on the map with his finger, examining them carefully.
Bloden had by now sealed countless derivative gates. Yet that had not been complete destruction—only the collapse of certain passages and the blocking of entrances.
Monsters could not surface to the world above, but the passages connected to the main gate continued to form another world far beneath the ground.
And the lines Raven was now drawing in various colors represented a map of the passages identified so far.
After studying them as though memorizing a map for some time, Bloden finally pointed to one location with his fingertip and spoke.
“Raven. As soon as Black Libia finds Clark, go and drag him back to the Imperial Palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And thinking about it, it might be faster to simply enter through here and make our way toward the Imperial Palace rather than trying to breach that derivative gate.”
Raven’s eyes widened. The location Bloden was pointing to was the entrance to the main gate in the Northern Region.
“Y-Your Majesty. Are you certain? As you well know, the Northern Region’s environment is entirely different from here. It will require an enormous amount of mana.”
“I know.”
“What are you planning?”
“Prepare a military expedition for tomorrow at once.”
“A-a military expedition?”

Just then Black Libia returned and tapped the map book with her beak, pointing at a location.
—Present. Monster. One place. Here.
“The Roan Times Branch on the outskirts of Utra Territory, then.”
Bloden lifted one corner of his mouth and spoke to Raven.
“If you drag Clark here, Nelloa will try to get another reporter and wage an opinion war.”
“That’s true enough.”
“What’s better than me personally leading a military expedition to shut down all this nonsense at once?”
“Your M-Majesty!”
Raven covered his mouth, eyes alight with emotion.
“You are a genius, Your Majesty!”

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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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