Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 285
Chapter 285 – Time to Trade Secrets
On a night illuminated by moonlight, a small carriage racing through the streets came to a halt in the middle of the main road.
Long shadows stretched across the polished stones. The only sign of life was the distant, staggering footsteps of a vagrant.
Ian adjusted the lantern light and gave instructions.
“We’ll walk from here.”
“I’ll prepare, sir.”
“This is no ordinary gypsy, so be on your guard.”
While it would be ideal if they could persuade her to come along willingly, given the nature of gypsies, that was clearly going to be difficult. In that case, they had no choice but to use force to detain her.
Her existence would give Bariel an advantage in its relationship with Timothy, and by extension, the Kingdom of Burgos. Ian nodded lightly as he surveyed the alley.
“This area and that one are particularly maze-like. Block them off completely with barriers.”
“Yes, Lord Ian. Don’t worry.”
As their superior repeatedly emphasized caution, the subordinates became even more focused. They checked the map one last time before melting into their assigned alleys, disappearing. Their determination was clear – not even a mouse would be allowed to pass without Ian’s orders.
“Let’s go. Ian, the moon is beautiful tonight.”
In contrast, Beric was as carefree as if he were out for an evening stroll. He even started humming as he took the lead. He was trying to pinpoint the exact location based on his fragmented memories.
“Beric, are you sure it was the night of the half moon? Why is it so quiet? I don’t see anyone.”
“Come on, I told you it’s right. Sir Romandro, how do you live not trusting people like this?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust people, it’s you that…”
“Shh.”
The two stopped abruptly at Ian’s sudden signal.
Ian’s gaze fell on the space between two buildings. There was a pile of objects of indeterminate purpose. Covered with cloth, its boundaries were difficult to discern in the darkness.
Romandro, squinting, noticed something wriggling beside it.
“Gasp.”
A faintly glimmering crystal ball. It was the one they had seen in the park! Romandro fidgeted nervously, whispering incessantly to Ian.
“It’s her. It’s the same gypsy we saw with His Highness. The crystal ball is so distinctive, it left an impression.”
“What are you all doing there? You’re not expecting a legless old woman to come to you, are you?”
Ian nodded, gripping the lantern with his left hand. It was a signal. They had found the gypsy; everyone should be on alert.
Beric squatted in front of her, giggling.
“Granny, hello. Have you been waiting long?”
“Waiting? It’s just that you’ve come on my night.”
“Judging by how you’re talking, you’re really fine. See, Sir Romandro? I told you I didn’t cause an accident.”
Instead of replying, Romandro politely tipped his hat and nodded. Seeing this, the gypsy savored an exclamation of great interest.
“Hmm. Aren’t you the gentleman I saw in the park before?”
“We meet again.”
“Why are you being so formal? What’s different between the gentleman from that day and me now?”
Isn’t there a saying that the first meeting is by chance, the second is by fate, and the third is by destiny? Moreover, gypsies are worshippers of fate. She instinctively knew that meeting Romandro again was no ordinary occurrence.
“Interesting. Very interesting.”
“Granny. The really interesting one is who I brought separately. Fortunately or not, Ian also wanted to meet you.”
The gypsy’s gaze traveled slowly from bottom to top. Luxurious leather shoes, neat trouser cuffs and coat, gently swaying golden hair. And the moment she met Ian’s absinthe eyes.
Swoosh.
The gypsy unconsciously hunched her body and moved. Very slowly, and languidly. As if in a trance, barely aware she was moving. She tried to crawl out on her arms, approaching Ian.
Is this how a blind ant feels when it finds something sweet? If after circling and circling, it finds something sticky and sweet right in front of it, wouldn’t it want to burrow into it, swim in it, lose itself in it?
The gypsy savored the joy rising deep in her chest as she reached out her hand.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh my, oh my goodness.”
“Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic.”
“Yes, yes. In all my life, I’ve never seen someone like you. Even the King of Burgos doesn’t have such a flavor. How can this be? That good-for-nothing ruffian has actually done something praiseworthy.”
Good-for-nothing ruffian? Beric, who had been quietly insulted out of nowhere, tried to add something, but Romandro quickly stopped him.
The gypsy was showing tremendous interest in Ian. This should be enough for things to proceed smoothly. They couldn’t afford to provoke her unnecessarily. Romandro, covering Beric’s mouth, stepped back five paces.
“Ian Hielo, you say?”
“That’s right.”
“My! You must have a real name, mustn’t you? That too is a tremendous secret. Tell it to me. Hmm? Then I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
His real name, that would be Ian Verocion.
But Ian just smiled gently and knelt on one knee in front of her. As he matched her gaze more closely, the gypsy felt a thrill running down to her nonexistent legs.
“Gypsy. What is your name?”
“I have none. I am the one who eats secrets.”
“I see. Then, do you perhaps know? That the King of Burgos is looking for you.”
“Is it only the King of Burgos? In this world, there are countless who want to cut open my belly. There are thousands of voices in here.”
…Do we need to cut open her belly? Ian hesitated momentarily at the gypsy’s words. Noticing this, the old woman added playfully.
“You want to cut open my belly too, it seems. But remember why I’m still alive.”
If she were to die, thousands of voices would burst out and deafen the ears, and stale thoughts would drive one mad.
Instead of returning to their owners, the secrets would spread into the world, creating chaos. Though he couldn’t know the details, Ian understood the principles of the world.
“There’s no need to remember. Things that tempt one to harm oneself are poisonous.”
“Correct principle! Hahaha!”
“Let me ask one thing. If I want to know someone’s secret, is there no way? You ‘eat’ secrets to make them disappear, so does that mean they’re gone forever once you do?”
The old woman gestured for him to come closer. As Ian carefully leaned in, she grasped his sleeve and whispered.
This was something special, told only to those with particularly delicious secrets.
“Old ones are digested and disappear. Smaller ones vanish even faster. Even I can’t help it, but I can recall what remains. But doing so leaves me empty and in pain. If you can give me a secret to replace it, no, an even richer secret, I’ll help you.”
“…You’re quite a hungry one.”
“That’s not for you to say. Those with many secrets are inevitably deficient. What are you lacking? And thus, what are you trying to fill?”
Ian fell silent at the gypsy’s question.
What Ian lacked, or rather, what he wanted to fill – it was formless like the gypsy’s secrets, more essential, and at the same time, definite.
But…
“It’s a secret.”
“Ahaha! My mouth is watering, it’s watering.”
He couldn’t tell the gypsy. After all, everything said from now on would be used as currency in their trade.
As Ian smiled gently and replied, the old woman burst into laughter that almost made her convulse. It seemed as if the moonlight was brightly settling on the empty street.
Ian gestured for Romandro to step back further. It was time to trade secrets.
“Well then, let me tell you one more thing before we begin.”
The gypsy meaningfully rubbed her crystal ball. Following her hand movements, the universe inside the ball moved in a spiral. As if human fates were intertwining and swirling.
“When I recall and spit out a secret, its owner can speak it aloud, so they’ll realize the secret has leaked. Also, it’s not as intact as when I first ate it. The longer the time has passed, only the form remains. If you’re still okay with that, let’s try exchanging. Your secret for one in my belly.”
The moment Ian nodded, indicating he would agree to the trade, he suddenly realized. Why the King of Burgos was searching for the gypsy.
‘If a secret is leaked, the person involved becomes aware. Is that why the King of Burgos is searching so desperately? To find out to whom it was leaked, and bury it completely? Or perhaps to deal with it before it leaks? It would be better to hear everything I can first, then make an overall guess.’
“Why do you look like that?”
“I’m amazed you’ve lived so long.”
Honestly, when he had only heard Jin’s account, he thought the secrets were completely incinerated. But if it worked like this, wasn’t her very existence precarious?
The gypsy giggled and hugged her crystal ball.
“What nonsense. Of course, when you eat something, it takes time to digest. If it’s solid and large, it takes even longer. After that, it’s true that it disappears completely from the world. I didn’t lie. And do you think I make this offer to just anyone?”
It meant that Ian’s secret was that tempting. A secret large enough to fill her stomach after emptying it out.
Ian carefully drew out a secret from the corner of his mind. Something he had forgotten at some point because it had been there for so long.
“…I’m hiding a lot from those I’m with.”
“I can see the bottom of the secret you’re willing to give. Even if you just cut off the top, it won’t fill my stomach, so please reveal everything.”
The act of hiding itself was a secret, but savoring each thread of it was a meal for her. She couldn’t just taste the side dishes knowing there was a feast. The gypsy gestured for him to wait.
“A hungry person can only be kind. I’ll give you a little first. Now, what did you say you wanted? The Kings of Burgos?”
“First, let’s start with the ‘dead’ former king’s secrets.”
To ensure no one would notice his trade with the gypsy, he first asked for the secrets of the dead. She flicked her finger lightly, as if doing him a favor.
Rustle.
The crystal ball glowed. At the same time, she pulled back her robe. There was a gap on the side of one cheek. It looked like gills, just as Jin had described.
The old woman grinned, then tilted her head slightly and brought forth a secret. The gap on the side of her cheek moved slightly. That, it seemed, was the mouth that spewed out secrets.
“The previous… king and queen of Burgos… hated each other. It was so extraordinary that they would… imagine each other’s death at all times. It began…”
The voice was faint and thin, making it difficult to understand. Ian frowned and leaned in closer, but there were still significant gaps. Being secrets from a previous generation, it was clear that more than half had already melted away.
‘When checking past records, it was difficult to find any special mention of the relationship between the king and queen. Outwardly, they must have managed to keep up appearances.’
“It started from the birth of the current king. He was an intelligent, flawless child, but… strangely, problems arose as the child grew. As time passed, the king and queen each had children with different lovers, and they… secretly infiltrated various parts of Burgos. Their identities are as follows…”
The hidden royal bloodlines of Burgos. Ian listened intently to every word the gypsy uttered, as if engraving it in his mind. Is this what the current king wants to know? To find his siblings hiding their fangs somewhere?
Rustle.
The gypsy suddenly looked up at the sky. Her pale eyes seemed to shake uncontrollably. Like those in the crystal ball. Like the universe itself.
“The King of Burgos knows this. And in exchange, he told me.”
The gypsy moved close to Ian and merely flapped her gills. Now it’s your turn to pay the price.
Ian drew out a secret hidden deep within.
“…I am not Ian Hielo. I am Ian Verocion from Bariel a hundred years in the future.”
“It was he who drove a wedge between the king and queen. The hatred between them was fanned by him.”
“…I was the Emperor.”
“He says he is living his second life.”