This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 25

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

Chapter 25

“You’re going to do it voluntarily?”

Bloden looked down at Raven, who was kneeling on one knee before him.

“You were desperately trying to hide your grinning face, weren’t you? Your face even turned bright red from holding back laughter.”

“…Ah.”

Did you notice that too in the midst of all that?

“You seemed quite delighted to see me getting disciplined?”

Of course. Where else would you see such a rare sight? It would be the first time in the entire history of the Empire.

But as Baron’s subordinate, Raven could never voice that thought, so he immediately prostrated himself on the ground and clasped his hands behind his back while keeping his head down.

“No, sir. However, I must apologize for causing Your Majesty to misunderstand.”

Bloden looked down at Raven, who had his head pressed to the ground.

If this were a spirit he had directly contracted, it would simply obey without question. Was it because that wasn’t the case, or was it because he was a supreme-level spirit?

Raven’s words about “wanting to eat lunch together every day” weren’t said out of romantic interest in Hailey. They were said in expectation of Bloden’s reflexive outburst.

He must have wondered who held the strongest authority here, and took the opportunity of being invited to confirm it.

Bloden realized this while sitting in the thinking chair, staring at the wall.

“You’re talking about misunderstandings after playing tricks with words you didn’t even mean. Keep using Nuna like that and I’ll give you tough work.”

“No, sir. I was also sincere about wanting to eat lunch together. Your Majesty, Hailey’s food is delicious and easy on the stomach.”

“Enough.”

Bloden clicked his tongue lightly and started walking.

“Stop the show and follow me. We need to go check while Nuna is out.”

“Ah, you’re going to see if what you claimed was a Sea Slime Hole is actually a Derivative Gate.”

Raven sprang up and brushed the sand from his hair.

‘Ha, he saw right through it.’

At the same time, he made a resolution.

‘Either way, I need to earn as much of Hailey’s favor as possible.’

At least while Bloden was Baron, he couldn’t win against Hailey.

Raven grinned as he watched Bloden’s retreating figure, but soon noticed something unusual.

“But Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“You seem to have grown taller in the few days I haven’t seen you.”

“…”

“You have grown, haven’t you?”

Bloden sighed.

“Yeah. Quite a bit.”

It usually took considerable time for depleted magic power to recover and return to his original form.

But his current growth rate was much faster than expected.

“Did you perhaps withdraw the entire Demon Lord’s Army?”

“No, that’s why it’s strange.”

“Doesn’t Hailey have any suspicions?”

“Thanks to the continuous rain, she doesn’t know yet.”

Very fortunately, Bloden had never stood face to face with Hailey while she was inside the house.

Thanks to that, Hailey remained unaware that Baron had grown so much taller.

“Your Majesty’s recovery speed seems unprecedentedly fast.”

At Raven’s words, Bloden looked down at his hands while walking, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Right. My condition is strangely good too.”

“Then why don’t you just withdraw all the troops and return to your original form?”

Raven, gauging the timing, chuckled.

“Just imagining Lady Beldenburrow collapsing in shock upon seeing Your Majesty brings me joy.”

Bloden frowned. Just thinking of the ambitious regent made him feel unpleasant.

“Shut up.”

Bloden glanced toward where Hailey was. Now that they were quite far away, even if Hailey spotted the light, she wouldn’t be able to determine its cause.

“Salamander.”

“Piyuk.”

With a small cry, a lizard wreathed in flames emerged.

“Light up the area so we can see around us.”

“Piyuk.”

Salamander increased its flames and moved diligently to illuminate Bloden’s path.

Bloden quickened his pace slightly and asked Raven.

“How’s the kidnapping case going? Any progress in the investigation?”

Bloden had come across information about the child kidnapping case by chance.

After delivering the victory report from the Northern Gate, when he stopped by a nearby village, a child in their mid-teens crawled in, covered in injuries and frozen solid.

They immediately began treatment, but unfortunately, the child’s condition was too severe to save them.

As the child was dying, they testified about what had happened to them. Though their pronunciation was unclear and not everything could be understood, the words they repeated desperately were comprehensible.

Snoril, orphan, human trafficking, I thought I’d die from the beatings so I ran away and came here. There are many children like me. Please save them.

They couldn’t determine where the child had escaped from or who had abused them.

That’s why Bloden came to Snoril and met Hailey, while Raven took charge of the investigation.

Since then, Raven had been quietly making inquiries. But he couldn’t find any stories of parents who had lost children anywhere.

“There’s nowhere to obtain testimony. The men matching the descriptions you provided haven’t been found either.”

Bloden nodded at Raven’s report that he would continue inquiries until leads emerged.

Then, realizing the ground had become uneven, Bloden stopped and looked around.

The wide terrain, where seawater pooled sporadically, was filled with rocks large and small.

“It should be somewhere around here.”

“Which rock do you think the Derivative Gate is under?”

Black smoke began rising from Raven’s body as he spoke almost to himself. Soon Raven’s appearance became translucent, and black flames began rippling across his entire body, jutting out irregularly.

“Since we don’t have time to search one by one, I’ll sweep away all the rocks at once.”

Watching Raven return to his true form, Bloden quietly spoke.

“Stop right there.”

With Bloden’s command, the black flames went out with a puff.

Raven, returned to his usual appearance, opened his eyes wide in bewilderment.

“…What?”

“You were planning to blow away this entire area.”

“Shouldn’t I?”

“That’s why I’m saying no.”

“Why not?”

“It’s loud.”

Bloden shook his head with a serious expression.

“Most importantly, this place has octopus.”

“Octo…”

“Is there any reason to kill all the octopus and make Nuna cry?”

Raven, who had been standing dumbfounded, ran his palm down his face and sighed.

“Sigh… Then what do you plan to do?”

“Since I need to expend magic power anyway, I’ll do it.”

Bloden stretched while interlacing his fingers.

“Camen.”

After the two-syllable call, the quiet earth rumbled softly and a rock mass suddenly emerged.

“Is the roof repair all done?”

Camen bent forward with his characteristically slow movement.

“Good. I’m going to clear away all the visible rocks at once. After we’re done, you need to restore the rock positions to their original state. Take whatever magic power you need.”

Camen, who had looked around in all directions, quickly sank into the ground.

Soon, black, red, and purple energy began to rise like smoke from Bloden’s body, swirling together.

Since Bloden had given permission, Camen began to draw upon his magical power in earnest.

Large and small stones began rolling around, causing faint vibrations. At the same time, octopi and various sea creatures that had lost their resting places were startled and wriggled before burrowing into the ground.

When not a single stone remained in their field of vision, the vibrations subsided, and the energy rising from Bloden’s body also calmed down.

Bloden crossed his arms and continued giving orders.

“Salamander, check if there’s a Derivative Gate.”

“Piyuk.”

Salamander quickly began exploring the ground. The fire at the tip of the swiftly moving fire lizard’s tail drew long trails of light.

After moving around for a while, Salamander soon stopped and let out a long cry.

“Piyuuk!”

Baron and Raven approached where Salamander was.

There was a hole about 30 centimeters in diameter, with a dark blue light subtly emanating from the ground.

Raven crouched down to examine the Gate and let out a low groan.

“Your Majesty, it is indeed a Derivative Gate.”

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