Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Formatting

Wesleigh sat with her legs crossed, staring up at the tall domed ceiling.

Hundreds of spirits were emitting a glow as they moved about the lofty space. Set against the dark background, it looked almost like a miniature universe. She caressed her long nails for a while before calling for her aide.

“Baretto.”

“Yes, Lady Wesleigh.”

“Take those reports away, will you?”

At her words, the aide didn’t budge an inch despite the documents in hand. If anything, he approached her with an expression like he’d just heard an amusing joke.

“Weren’t you waiting for them?”

On the surface, they detailed inviting beast mastery shamans from various countries and carrying out all kinds of academic experiments. Since countries skilled in beast mastery did not get along well, it also stated the intention to prepare a peaceful negotiation setting.

“Those shamans sure are funny. When they’re back home barely stopping themselves from killing each other out of frustration, bringing them together means the research results keep steadily coming in.”

“This is the Bariel Empire. They know causing trouble in a place created for peace would be problematic.”

Wesleigh mumbled sullenly as she lazily flipped through the report.

“Not to mention those eggheads sold their souls for academic pursuit. Being together, they’re probably having a grand old time.”

As she spoke, she pointed out a section – – which researched results of beast mastery used on plants, dead beasts, and live beasts. The details filled up hundreds of dense pages.

Her watching aide supplemented an explanation.

“Since mastery differs significantly between races, properly facilitating cooperation may produce mastery of a higher dimension. It likely won’t take long for that. Shall we submit an official report to the general assembly?”

“Yeah. The old coots must be getting antsy by now.”

It was fundamentally an official project undertaken by the Department of Magic. Stamping her seal of approval for Wesleigh to permit it, another document was placed on the desk.

“Additionally, here are the research results from using it on the living.”

Thwap

.

It was paperwork treated with top confidentiality, even within the Department of Magic. A personal matter of Wesleigh as the head. Brushing the seal aside, she solemnly turned each page with reverence. Disappointment flooded into Wesleigh’s eyes as she rapidly read through the sentences.

Wham!

“It’s no different from years ago.”

“My apologies. While there is a clear difference between the dead and the living, the techniques distort the moment spells are incorporated.”

“Isn’t that why I’m pouring money into figuring that out?”

As Wesleigh irritably tossed the report aside, her aide carefully suggested an alternative. Rather than pouring water into a leaking bucket, changing the bucket itself might be better.

“Lady Wesleigh, might it be better to delve deeper into domination magic rather than beast mastery? However outstanding Second Prince Gale may be, he could not have fully received the palace’s blessings as the son of a concubine rather than the legal wife.”

“Baretto! Consider what you just said.”

The palace’s blessings – it was the mysterious power originating from Baryel’s founding. It was even recorded in the empire’s mythos, and those known to exhibit its effects were noted in history.

‘One shouldering the glory of royalty will be unaffected by magical domination of the mind.’

It was the blessing god granted Bariel so the fate of the nation would not be shaken by magical tricks. There was much room for interpretation around “glory of royalty”, but it was largely taken to mean the Emperor and imperial family.

“And you don’t know His Highness Gale knows that?”

“My apologies.”

Wesleigh knew. That while she believed in, followed, and loved Gale, he did not think nearly as deeply about her. She had felt quite acutely countless times that her love for him far exceeded his for her.

One day, Wesleigh’s sharp intuition said this –

‘If Gale ascends to the throne, would he even marry me?’

“He’s such a prudent man that even in the bedroom, he doesn’t remove the mana seals from his body. Surely he would have barrier spells in place to similarly resist domination magic.”

Not just Gale, but Mariv and even the aged Emperor could not succumb to domination magic either.

That’s why she had to find roundabout methods, even leading her to beast mastery. While quite similar to domination spells, it could be seen as even more suitable for a blindly obedient relationship.

“Anyway, enough nonsense. Squeeze those shamans harder. An uprising is just around the corner yet there hasn’t been an ounce of progress.”

“I will correct the situation.”

“When I say fork over money, they come to their senses and work harder.

Tsk

. Pathetic.”

To soothe her irritable mood, Wesleigh took out a cigarette. The spirits drifting along the ceiling approached and created a small flame for her.

“Phew.”

Appreciatively caressing the spirit, she turned her head. It was laughable that she would go to such lengths to keep hold of Gale, and infuriating that Gale had made her into this.

“What about His Highness Gale?”

“I will attempt to contact him.”

“…No need.”

If she didn’t initiate contact first, it took quite a while for him to call her. Wesleigh tapped off the cigarette ashes as she lazily flipped through the remaining report.

“By the way, that guy Ian.”

“Yes, Lady Wesleigh?”

“He’ll be arriving in the capital soon for the new year’s celebrations, right?”

“With his attendance confirmed, yes he will.”

“Doesn’t the route from Bratz go through the Karenna region?”

Karenna – where the Astana clan that rejected her experiment proposal and fled had hidden themselves. Beast mastery shamans tended to have these shady, sinister sides to them, so most had readily accepted her suggestion and research had been steadily progressing, yet those people opposed her to the bitter end.

So she made it so they could never return home.

“The Astana King is quite pathetic too. To secretly grant asylum and take their story at face value.”

“There was a major earthquake then, so he likely lacked the capacity to care.”

Gnawing on her cigarette, Wesleigh recalled events from years ago. Though the memories had faded considerably now, the chaos itself helped them linger still.

‘Gale’s so perceptive though. Hearing about using it on the living, I’m sure he’d be suspicious.’

So what should I do?

They have to die. They have to shut their mouths forever in death, and be dealt with before the secret leaks out.

As his superior wandered off into thought, the aide roused her and continued presenting documents.

“Lady Wesleigh. Here is the next report.”

“Ugh, ruining my cigarette taste.”

“It can’t be helped. With the new year celebrations nearing, you have much to review and sign off.”

This one covers truth serums, and this is an internal Department of Magic meeting report about Ian.”

“Somewhere they want to take him?”

“The mood is to avoid him.”

“I see. Him being Mariv’s pup would make things difficult.”

Within the Department of Magic too there were countless divisions and subgroups. Determining if Ian really was a mage took priority, but…

“Tell them to prepare to take in new recruits anyway. I’ve forgotten how long it’s been.”

Wesleigh gave a self-deprecating laugh as she closed the paperwork. At the same time, the spirits floating about the ceiling also dimmed their glows and slowly seeped back into the darkness.

***

“Haah?! Wesleigh killed them all?”

At some point wholly absorbed, Beric had laid his upper body across the table. Hasha knocked the floor sharply with his tail as he retorted angrily.

—It wasn’t that woman, but her subordinates who came and ransacked everything!

At first, even some beast mastery shamans she was somewhat associated came to persuade grandma and Hasha. Saying how much money she was offering, how the research progressing further would ultimately raise the status and power of shamans, how that much money could help poor Astana tremendously, and so on.

Her being part of the Bariel Empire’s central power helped incentivize them too of course.

—In the end, grandma paid the price for rejecting, and I paid the price for defying principles.

‘This brat’s still a child?’

‘Kid, wanna come with us instead?’

‘There aren’t any kids among the test subjects yet right? Should we try beast mastery on him? Seems pretty obedient.’

Silently listening, Beric rustled through his pocket, glancing vaguely at Ian as if to say hmm. Just the leftover crumbs of bread he had scraped together from the warehouse. Beric flicked his tongue before throwing the food over to Hasha.

Plop!

“Poor bastard. Here, eat up and regain your strength.”

—How dare you treat me like some dog!

When Hasha bit him once more, Beric blinked at him in disbelief. No matter how he thought about it, the two of them seemed like oil and water in personality.

Ian broke off pieces of the bread and handed them over to Hasha.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Wait, how can this pipsqueak not know gratitude or decency or anything at all? Are you nuts?”

“Beric. For you to lecture on decency, truly shocking.”

“Hey! At least I’m human!”

As the bread drew closer, Hasha’s nostrils flared. Having run wildly over the mountains and forests, scavenging all sorts of things, it obviously didn’t suit the human Hasha’s palate. Seeing Ian gesture it was alright, he gulped it down without hesitation.

“Was

this

dog raised as a pet?”

—Yes. On that day, the only living thing in the house was my dog ‘Lucky’. But the technique went wrong, turning me into this. Fortunately for me, the shamans assumed I was an empty vessel without power who died. I escaped into some unknown source at the bottom of a well.

They had killed all the foreigners associated with Astana. Since they were the perpetrators, the investigation should have naturally fallen to them as well. Realizing the Department of Magic’s actions were far more serious than he thought, Ian lightly clicked his tongue.

—My body became undead due to the beast mastery. From the day I clawed out of my grave unable to leave, one day I met some thieves in the forest. Then my body started moving on its own against my will. No matter how much I barked or pulled at their clothes, it was futile.

Ian furrowed his brows and asked back.

“Were they intentionally seizing control of your body?”

—It didn’t seem that way. They were confused at first too since guards would come if the village noticed. So they killed me twice.

There was no emotion in Hasha’s testimony. He had watched his lifeless corpse be punched and stabbed with a sword.

—Realizing I wouldn’t die no matter how much they killed me, they took the body. After some time passed, somehow they figured out how to use techniques through my body. Each time more undead were created, my inner eyes would open.

That’s how he could see the situation through that undead back at the inn too. Things were far more complicated than I expected, with everything going awry

.

With a damp nose, Hasha nuzzled up into Ian’s side.