Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor

Chapter 287

“Huh?”

The mage who came to deliver documents paused with a puzzled expression.

The office was firmly closed with an attendant standing guard outside. This meant Ian’s office, which never went dark even at dawn, was empty.

Where had he gone in the middle of the night? Visiting another department? As the mage stopped in the middle of the corridor, the attendant greeted and informed him.

“He stepped out briefly.”

“St-stepped out? You mean outside the palace?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Damn it! Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

To think the Minister wasn’t even in the palace! If he’d known this, he would have thrown his overtime to the dogs and gone home.

No, at this point “escape” would be more fitting than “going home.” Why sacrifice his lifespan writing reports when his superior wasn’t even around?

The mage immediately turned and ran down the corridor. His colleagues lounging in the lobby clicked their tongues at the sight.

“Look at him run. Such energy. Was he slacking during the day?”

“Minister Ian isn’t in the palace! He went home!”

“He must be crazy. What nonsense… What!?”

“The office is empty if you want to check.”

“But the Minister didn’t have any outside appointments today?”

“That’s why I’m saying he went home. I’m leaving first. Goodbye.”

He hadn’t mentioned anything earlier in the day though? The mages briefly exchanged glances before simultaneously jumping to their feet.

Time to go home right now. Time to get home and sleep deeply. Even if work remained, it didn’t matter. With no one in the office to approve documents, what could they do?

Patter patter!

Neeeigh!

Just as the mages were running down the main building’s stairs, carriages pulled up in a line and stopped right in front. And then familiar faces appeared.

“What are you all doing?”

“Huh? Did something happen?”

It was Beric and Romandro, followed by Ian stepping down. Several mage colleagues also emerged from the other carriages.

Ah, those guys. So they hadn’t gone home after all.

“…Is there a problem?”

“Oh, w-welcome back! We were eager to deliver reports to you. Haha. That’s why we came out to greet you. So, you’ve been somewhere?”

Ian gave a faint smile seeing the mages’ empty hands. But he simply ignored it and walked past them while giving instructions.

“If you have anything to bring, bring it. I’ll wait. I expect to work especially late tonight, so anytime. Those who were on field duty are dismissed.”

“Yes, Minister. We’ll see you tomorrow- no, this morning.”

“Good work.”

The mages who had tried to escape were dragged back into the Ministry of Magic following Ian, and the group arrived at his office.

Creeak.

As soon as the door closed, Romandro, who had been standing perfectly fine, collapsed face-first onto the sofa. With a groan-like sigh.

“Ian, what do we do? She was already hard enough to find, and now she’ll be even more cautious about hiding.”

“She knows the Imperial Palace joined the pursuit. She’ll likely leave Bariel soon. We should tell the border patrol to be extra vigilant.”

Ian also expressed his regret while removing his outer coat.

Even the magical barrier proved useless. Though mages watched the sky and soldiers turned the alleys inside out, she slipped away. How could she vanish so completely, as if darkness was part of her very being?

“Beric. Did you say she crawled when you saw her in the morning?”

“Hm? Yeah. Since she had no legs.”

Beric, who had collapsed on top of Romandro, responded while playing around. He was putting his full weight into pressing down. Though Romandro kicked and struggled telling him to move aside, Beric paid no attention.

“It seems her mobility changes at night.”

“That’s why she asked to meet Beric at night. In case something happened and she needed to escape. Oh come on, move aside! You fool!”

She was someone who carried the dangerous temptation of secrets within her. Now he understood how such a person had managed to survive this long.

If they’d had more time, they could have gathered information and prepared properly. Romandro scolded Beric while stretching his cheeks side to side.

“If only you’d told us earlier, hm? Earlier!”

“Uuugh. It’s amazing I didn’t forget at all!”

True. It’s remarkable he remembered to tell them at all. As Ian pressed between his brows showing his fatigue, Beric observed him carefully. Was it because he went out after so long? He looked even more exhausted than usual.

“Ian, are you okay?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Your face is all pale. What did the old lady do?”

“Come to think of it, your conversation was quite long. Ian, what did you talk about?”

Even Romandro joined in, moving closer to Ian. Though Ian waved his hand saying they were too close.

“…I learned the secret of Burgos’ previous king. Though it wasn’t publicly known, it seems their relationships were extremely unstable.”

“You mean the predecessor of the current King Damon?”

“Yes. It seems there are hidden bloodlines scattered about, besides King Damon. I suspect that’s why the king is trying to find the Gypsy – to discover them.”

When appropriate truth meets silence, lies are born. Ian cut out the fact of the Burgos king’s regression and only conveyed fragments.

The more people who knew, the more holes through which things could leak. This was better known only to Ian.

Information about the future would be clearer and more certain from him.

After all, he was living through the same era twice. Even though Ian was from a hundred years later, there were still disadvantages.

However, now he knew who his opponent was.

That alone brought balance.

“When is King Damon scheduled to arrive?”

“Three days before the main inauguration ceremony, so let me see.”

Romandro counted the days on the calendar.

Just under two weeks remaining. Since the leaders of the three nations would stay during the same period, it would be difficult to approach them personally.

Ian remained silent with his chin propped up, as if deep in thought.

“About the alliance of the three nations.”

“Hm? Why bring that up?”

“Who do you think proposed it first?”

He was asking who first suggested they band together, taking advantage of the chaos in Bariel.

“I’d think it was Ruswena. Wouldn’t they have received news faster than other countries through Hayman? Their delegation even visited the Imperial Palace.”

Looking at overall possibilities, that made sense. But knowing the King of Burgos was a regressor, Ian couldn’t exclude him.

In his two repeated lives, wouldn’t he have judged this the perfect timing for an alliance? If so, it was proof that Bariel was now in crisis.

“…We should prepare thoroughly for our guests.”

“Of course. Everyone in the Imperial Palace is doing just that.”

Knock knock.

Just then, hearing movement outside, Romandro opened the door. It was a mage who had failed to escape, now loaded with reports.

As Romandro stood at the door talking with him, Beric poked his head in slightly.

“Ian.”

“Yes?”

“You gave the old lady a secret, didn’t you?”

He seemed curious about what was given. But now Ian’s body couldn’t tell even if he wanted to. Ian arranged his papers while responding playfully.

“She said she ate many delicious things while you were sleeping.”

“That’s a lie. His Highness said you can’t speak after having your secret eaten.”

“You knew and still asked? You’re more impressive than I thought.”

“I want to give a secret too and hear something interesting. But the old lady said I don’t have any secrets. So I’m asking – do you know about me stealing meat from the dining hall?”

“Since it wasn’t just once or twice, which time are you talking about?”

Beric sprawled out saying that settled it.

As the night outing to capture the Gypsy drew to a close, Beric fell asleep right there, and Romandro who had been helping Ian also collapsed in the next room.

Only Ian remained, treating the silence as music while processing the remaining documents. As dawn broke, very faint footsteps could be heard.

Rustle.

Ian stopped what he was doing and looked toward the door. Someone seemed to have stopped in front of it, hesitating due to the hour. If it were a mage, they wouldn’t act like this. Realizing it was time for Jin to wake up, Ian called out first.

“…Your Highness?”

“Lord Ian.”

“Please come in. You’re up early.”

Having come right after waking up, he was dressed casually. Jin poked his head in with a regretful smile.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t slept?”

“I have a free afternoon schedule today. What brings you here?”

Ian turned in his chair to welcome the child, gesturing him to come closer. If he had woken up from sleep, Ian was about to add kindly that he would read him a book. Just then-

“Didn’t you say you were going to catch the Gypsy at night? I was curious how it went. Since the King of Burgos is concerned about her, I’m concerned as well.”

Ah. A child with the qualities of an Emperor. So he’d lost sleep worrying about this.

Ian stroked Jin’s disheveled hair with a bitter smile, as if there was no other way to express his embarrassment.

“My deepest apologies. The Gypsy proved truly extraordinary, and we lost her. She’ll likely leave Bariel soon, so the border patrol may be our last chance.”

“She was indeed mysterious. Was there no particular gain?”

Ian relayed the same information he had told Romandro and Beric. The child’s pale eyes fixed firmly on Ian.

For some time now, Jin had wanted to look deeply into Ian. What was in that mind, what did he see, and what did he want to see? These curiosities made him turn thoughts over and over, leading to more questions.

“Why do you look at me so, Your Highness?”

“…Lord Ian.”

The child called to him with a careful smile. His soft voice matched the dawn perfectly.

“Do you have separate intentions for proceeding with the Ministry of Magic annex construction?”

Ian paused at the unexpected question. He met the child’s gaze directly before asking in return. There must be a reason for suddenly bringing this up.

“May I first ask why you inquire about this?”

“The number of mages has decreased, yet the Ministry of Magic has grown larger. The reason for needing an annex is unclear, so your actions puzzle me. Though you say it’s being done with your own funds, that makes it even more suspicious. You don’t seem like someone who would waste time and effort on unnecessary things.”

Though Jin was careful, he couldn’t hide the underlying hint of opposition. Ian raised his eyebrows as if briefly surprised, then nodded. As if encouraging him to continue.

“And they say the trees in the garden received the fairies’ blessing. I’m a bit worried that something terrible might happen if we cut them down.”

Are you worried? Then I won’t do it.

Jin hoped Ian would say that. Then Jin too would reply:

No. I just meant it would be better to convince everyone.

“Your Highness. That is merely an unrecorded rumor.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

But Ian’s response differed from expectations. Though kind, it felt somehow distant. The words “What would you do if I oppose it?” lingered on Jin’s tongue, but the child held back well.

Not yet. Whatever Ian’s answer might be, the right time would be when he himself found no issues. The young lion’s claws twitched slightly.

“I understand. Now get some rest. My heart troubles me, fearing you might collapse again.”

Jin gripped Ian’s hand tightly. Their warm energies mixed together, seeming to dispel the dawn’s chill. Ian responded by embracing the child.

“Please set your heart at ease, Your Highness. Your peace is everyone’s peace.”

The child left the office with a bright smile, and Ian stared down at his palm that still held warmth.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Jin had begun harboring doubts and resistance. An admirable yet subtle emotion. He gently stroked the table with his warm hand.

The wariness that arose since the Hayman incident. It wouldn’t have suddenly erupted after settling down – was there a trigger?

The child mentioned the garden trees. This was one of the main arguments of those opposing the annex construction. Someone on the opposite side of Ian must have told him.

Was it Barsabe?

Or…

‘But His Highness burned one of the papers. I tried to save at least half, but it had completely turned to ashes.’

Looking at traces of the paper he had burned, Ian suddenly recalled Philea’s words from long ago.

She said that when Gale handed over the traitor, he had thrown away one page to threaten them.