Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 296

Chapter 296

The palace gatekeepers were playing cards with strips of dried meat hanging from their mouths. Even during shift changes, such conduct would normally be unthinkable.

But who cared? Bariel was celebrating, and cheers could be heard even from atop the walls. In a world drunk on wine and laughter, weren’t they citizens of the empire before being gatekeepers?

“Did you see Clifford earlier?”

“Yeah. They were killer. How can human bodies move so lightly? It wasn’t even dancing – more like acrobatics.”

“I thought it’d be just a show parade, but they didn’t stop even when entering the palace. Damn, they’re overflowing with energy.”

Above all, entry was restricted except for foreign guests. Something about ensuring smooth palace operations. In other words, they were bored.

“Dammit! Who shuffled these cards?”

“I fold. Can’t even wipe my ass with this hand.”

A gatekeeper who’d given up on the game leaned against the outer wall, clicking his tongue. Soap bubbles and flower petals rained down among the crowds moving like ant colonies.

It was such a peaceful, warm scene that a cold beer would make it perfect.

“Hm?”

If not for that single horse cutting through the crowd. What madman would bring out a horse on a day like this? The already crowded streets became even more chaotic.

Just as the gatekeeper was about to signal the soldiers below, he noticed the horse’s head was fixed toward the castle gate.

“Open the gaaaate!”

“Beric?”

His hair was a mess from being jostled around, and he looked extremely tense, probably worried the horse might cause an accident. Beric looked up and shouted again.

“I said open iiiit!”

“Wait a moment!”

The gatekeeper immediately went down to check if there were any notices from the Ministry of Magic. No matter how well-known someone was, entry was impossible without authorization.

Fortunately or unfortunately, at the bottom of the record sheet was the Ministry of Magic’s note: “Beric Return Transit Authorization.”

“Ah, Clifford left this when they passed earlier. Beric, wait. I’ll open the side gate.”

Click

While a carriage might need more, the side gate was enough for one person and a horse.

Beric entered the palace like he was fleeing something, frantically dusting off his clothes. Up close, he looked even more disheveled.

“Why aren’t you with Lord Ian? And why come through the civilian road?”

“Errand. They said only royal people can walk on the main road, right?”

“…That rule’s suspended during festivals.”

“Ah. Shit.”

Beric rolled his eyes as he realized he’d made things harder for himself. Following Ian’s orders, he’d traced Clifford’s carriage tracks around the outskirts but found nothing special.

And now the return journey had been difficult too. Suddenly he felt starving.

“Where’s Ian?”

“Well, the Clifford carriages didn’t seem to be heading to the main palace. Must be some issue. They went to their temporary residence palace, so Lord Ian probably went there too. The mages were escorting them.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Beric!”

The gatekeeper grabbed Beric as he was about to mount his horse and whispered:

“Hey, any chance you could get some of that tribute wine from Clifford?”

“Wine? What wine?”

“I heard their country’s wine is super sweet, and His Highness probably won’t drink it… Surely they’ll give some out as rewards? If you get any, share a bit with me. I’ll pay you well.”

Beric felt his hungry stomach respond.

Meat and wine!

The path to heaven wasn’t complicated. That’s all he needed. Beric waved his hand casually and urged his horse on. His destination was Clifford’s detached palace, where wine, meat, and Ian awaited.

Clip-clop!

Neigh!

Carriages were gathered haphazardly in front of the detached palace. It was quite different from how Ruswena’s carriages had been neatly lined up, but Beric wouldn’t know that. He just walked among the people unloading and moving cargo, looking around.

“Please make way for a moment.”

“Just move the silk boxes directly without unpacking.”

“Make sure to check the dye barrels’ bottoms aren’t leaking! That stuff’s a real headache if it spills. This way, unload this way!”

Palace officials in charge of tribute gifts were moving about, but none were familiar faces. Not a single mage in sight. Just as Beric was about to turn back, thinking he’d taken a wrong turn:

“Don’t go that way. Lady May said not to approach while the prince is resting.”

“Ah. So that’s where it is. What about these?”

“Bring them along. That storehouse over there is empty.”

The prince they mentioned – was it that stinky prince?

Beric rolled his eyes and poked his head into the corridor. Several guards were firmly stationed in front of the quarters. They turned their heads at Beric’s presence.

“Are you a palace official? What business do you have?”

“We-welcome! Yes, yes. This is Bariel, right?”

“…? Thank you.”

What’s with him? Is he slow? Though his status seemed legitimate since he was in the palace…

As the guards grew wary, Beric walked past with an awkward smile.

That smell. If I could just get one good whiff, I’m sure I’d figure it out. It’s driving me crazy.

Beric glanced furtively at the detached palace’s wall. While he wasn’t sure if this place was like others, buildings usually had at least one garden, big or small. If he went that way, couldn’t he somehow make it look accidental?

They’d just arrived here too, so they wouldn’t know the layout. How would they know if he’d taken a wrong turn or climbed over the wall?

Hmm. Good. I’ll sneak in super secretly, just take a sniff, and leave.

After confirming no one was around, Beric jumped onto the wall. Light movements and quiet footsteps. Everything was perfect. He curled his body as much as possible and crept along the wall.

Rustle

After moving a bit, bushes came into view. It was the garden attached to the annex. Though it was more like a private backyard than a garden. It seemed designed to be enclosed for privacy, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom.

Let’s see, where might the wine prince be? Huh?

Beric stopped, hiding his face behind tree branches. Someone was curled up and lying face-down in the middle of the lawn.

Never mind the luxurious fabric – above all, that orange hair he’d seen in Romandro’s portrait. The exposed nape was tanned.

That must be the wine country prince. He was holding a lush, glossy orange tail to his chest.

Holy shit, what the fuck? Weird taste. Wearing an animal tail. Even the neighborhood kids wouldn’t dress up like that. Tsk tsk.

While festival-goers wore all sorts of costumes, he hadn’t expected the high-and-mighty wine country prince to do the same. Is this what they mean when they say people are all the same?

Beric watched the prince intently while sniffing. But somehow he wasn’t moving at all. As Beric watched mindlessly, he suddenly recalled the conversation between Ian and the delegation chief.

Crap! Right! They said he was sick – did he die? I should get Ian-

Rustle

Just then, fox ears slowly rose up.

Twitch twitch, moving naturally as if reading the wind. At the same time, the tail drew a gentle arc as it tapped against the ground.

Beric realized something was off and was shocked.

What the fuck…

The prince’s eyes gleaming in the sunlight were definitely those of a beast.

Beric crept back along the wall as silently as he’d come.

***

“And then this and that happened! Now do you understand?!”

BANG!

Beric pounded the wall satisfyingly as he spilled everything he’d experienced. His tightly clenched fist looked quite determined.

But he was met with Romandro’s slanted eyes, Xiaoshi’s blank expression, Jin’s awkward smile, and Ian just sipping his tea.

Xiaoshi approached again to sniff him.

“…No smell of drugs either.”

“That’s fortunate. If he’d caused trouble during the appointment ceremony, he’d be dismissed from the Imperial Guard without warning. If it’s not alcohol or drugs, did he get heatstroke? Though it’s not that hot yet.”

As Romandro muttered while examining Beric carefully, Beric clutched his head and shook it back and forth.

“Aaaagh! No, I’m totally fine! Completely sane! The wine country prince’s ears went boing, tail went whoosh! His tail was swishing like this!”

Beric recreated the prone position he’d witnessed. Romandro closed his eyes, saying he couldn’t bear to watch, while Xiaoshi crouched down to carefully examine Beric’s pupils, just in case.

“…His pupils are normal too.”

“Xiao, you gonna keep treating me like I’m crazy?”

When Beric bared his teeth and growled, Ian set down his teacup with a sound.

Tak

“You mean he’s one of the beast-folk?”

“What’re you talking about? I don’t know about that, I’m just saying he had fox ears and a tail!”

“That’s what we call beast-folk.”

Beast-folk.

It referred to races with bestial physical characteristics, not something commonly seen in daily life. This was mainly because their different appearance led to social ostracism. If they had magical power too, they were often treated as monsters and met miserable ends.

“Ian, no need to listen to this heat-addled fool.”

Romandro firmly denied it with a wave of his hand. And for good reason – they weren’t talking about some random passerby, but Prince Noah himself. First in line to succeed Clifford’s throne.

“I’m totally sane!”

“While I’ve never seen him myself, there are records of Prince Noah visiting Bariel when he was young. No, not just Bariel – being first in succession, Prince Noah handles regional diplomacy. If he had beast-folk traits, of course there would be rumors!”

“Have you ever seen beast-folk yourself, Lord Romandro?”

“Me? Hmm. No, I haven’t.”

Though he’d traveled all around the border regions as a reconstruction specialist, he’d never met one directly. He’d only confirmed their existence through hearsay.

But Ian didn’t dismiss Beric’s words as completely preposterous.

So it hasn’t been revealed yet.

A race that had faded due to persecution – that’s what everyone thought. But through future research results and social phenomenon analysis, this would be proven a false belief.

They hadn’t faded away. They had simply blended into society while hiding their existence.

You could call it racial evolution for survival. Though they were no different from humans, their appearance alone brought threats to their lives. Some beast-folk evolved to manifest their traits only in specific situations. If what Beric saw is true…

He must be a beast-folk in the process of evolution.

Could the Clifford royal family itself be beast-folk? It would be understandable if they deliberately hid it, as being beast-folk could bring quite disadvantageous positions in international diplomacy.

“If Beric didn’t drink-“

“Yeah yeah. I seriously didn’t drink a drop.”

“And didn’t take drugs-“

“Ugh, what’s that? I’m totally clean and proper!”

“Then it seems worth investigating.”

Beric eagerly responded to each of Ian’s statements. He clenched his fist in celebration at having his words believed.

Then he stuck his tongue out at Romandro and Xiaoshi, wiggling his bottom too. Romandro smacked his behind hard, telling him to stay still.

“But how? We can’t drag out a sick prince, and barging in wouldn’t be proper either. Just going by this guy’s word seems a bit… I don’t see any way.”

In response to Romandro’s concern, Ian set down his teacup.

“Why wouldn’t there be a way? This is the imperial palace, after all.”