Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 106

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

Chapter 106. The Hunt Begins
The innkeeper merely shrugged her shoulders. Her attitude suggested she had neither the means nor the will to verify anything.
“The Magic Department?”
“Yes. An entire village was wiped out, after all. A mage came personally to oversee the investigation. Ah, you do know what a mage is, don’t you?”
Given that I traveled with a carriage of this size, it would be strange not to know, but the innkeeper asked just to be safe.
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“Aha. Yes, yes. I was worried I might embarrass myself if you said you didn’t know. Truth be told, I only learned what a mage was back then. They say they’re people with tremendous power. They create flashes of lightning and thunder, or so I’ve heard… Anyway, since they conducted a thorough investigation and left, it must be true. After that, we’ve been careful to cook all our food properly.”
I nodded as if listening intently, but my mind was churning with complexity. If an entire village had indeed been wiped out, it was certainly a serious matter.
But…
‘They dispatched the already understaffed Magic Department to investigate a provincial backwater town? Mages are those who practice magic, not people who handle tedious investigative work. Usually, special investigation units fall under the Administrative Department, not the Magic Department.’
Like Erika Berti. Perhaps Mollin also fell into that category. Those belonging to the Administrative Department and dispatched throughout the provinces were, in fact, a fairly fixed group.
“Please let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you for the soup.”
“I’ll call you when the meal is ready.”
Creak.
As the innkeeper bowed and left, Berik seized the moment, stuffing bread into his mouth with both hands as if he’d been waiting. Still, it seemed he’d learned how to maintain some decorum by now.
“So that dog lives in Danil then? Alone?”
“If that’s the only residence, then yes.”
“But you said all the villagers died. What about the dog’s food?”
At Berik’s chatter, I turned my head slightly toward the last piece of bread disappearing into his mouth. Berik noticed my gaze and pulled out what he’d half-inserted into his mouth.
“…Here, take it.”
“What good is bread that’s already been in your mouth? Just eat it. I was merely curious why you’re so concerned about the dog.”
“It’s not concern, it’s information gathering. That mutt bit my hand. If I meet him again, he’s really dead.”
“Next time? When would that be?”
I smiled faintly. The Magic Department’s involvement was suspicious, but the journey to the capital was long. I had no intention of returning in that direction.
Knock, knock.
“Ian. It’s me.”
“Ah, please come in, Romandro.”
Romandro, who had unpacked his belongings in the adjacent room, entered dressed for going out. Berik then wiped his mouth and looked up at him with curiosity.
“It’s almost evening. Where are you going?”
“They say they only sell beer here.”
“Good heavens.”
“I’ll pick up a few necessities while I’m at it. Ahem.”
“I’ll come with you!”
“No. If I go with you, what should take ten minutes will drag on forever. Anyway, I’ll be back soon. Is there anything you need?”
Rejected outright, Berik clicked his tongue and licked the soup bowl clean. I shook my head and examined the worn menu board hanging on the wall. The overall selection was reasonable, but nothing that would truly ease fatigue.
“On your way out, if anyone wants to eat something, tell them not to hesitate. Alcohol is fine, but remind the coachmen to keep in mind we’re leaving early tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
With that, I handed Romandro a pouch containing travel expenses.
“And tomorrow, we’ll take the route through Longhin. The bank is only open there, I’m told.”
“Is that so? I understand. Then I’ll see you later.”
“Yes. Please don’t overexert yourself.”
“Alright, alright!”
Romandro chuckled with delight as he left the room. It was a difficult journey in the depths of winter, yet his demeanor made it seem as though he were embarking on a pleasant excursion.
Thump!
“Ian, I’m full and warm… I don’t think I need to go to the Imperial Palace… *yawwwn!*”
“Did he fall asleep while speaking?”
Berik, who had been feigning nonchalance beside me, had instantly succumbed to slumber. I suddenly recalled a tale from some distant region—that the pigs there would fall asleep while eating.
‘He must have something in common with them.’
I let out a bewildered laugh and cleared away the dishes. Then I surrendered myself to the bed for a brief respite.
* * *
How much time had passed?
Thud! Thud-thud!
I opened my eyes slightly at the vibrations echoing from the floor below. Judging by the candle on the table, which was half-burned, a couple of hours had elapsed. Berik lay sprawled with his mouth agape. I rubbed my face against the pillow and frowned.
‘Why is the lower floor so noisy?’
Crash! Clang!
Still drowsy, I couldn’t discern what the sound was. It seemed like something breaking, yet perhaps not…
“Ahhhhh!”
But the moment a scream pierced the air, my eyes snapped open and I reflexively rose to my feet.
“Berik.”
“Huh…?”
“Wake up. Something’s happening outside.”
“It’s about time for a meal anyway. *yawn*.”
“No, that’s not it…”
Tap-tap-tap!
Bang! Crash!
Footsteps could be heard ascending from the first floor to the second. It seemed every door along the corridor was being thrown open.
Berik finally sensed something amiss and blinked. Yet he remained lying in bed, his hand fumbling to find his sword.
Slam!
As the door burst open, Berik hurled his blanket at it without hesitation. Simultaneously, he leaped forward and thrust his blade through it. By the silhouette, it was certainly a person, but…
Squelch!
“Huh?”
Berik’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar sensation. It wasn’t the feeling of piercing flesh, tearing through entrails, and blood spraying forth.
Whoosh.
As the blanket fell away, the assailant’s form became visible.
“What is this?”
The face was obscured by a mask, but the eyes visible through the gaps held no focus. Most notably, the blackened skin and the stench of decay that wafted up.
I wrapped my sleeve around my nose and muttered.
“Berik. Step back for a moment.”
“Huh? Y-yes.”
Berik attacked it, but there was no reaction whatsoever. Even as the blade withdrew with a whisper, not a trace of red blood appeared. Berik examined his sword in confusion, and the more he did, the stranger the assailant twisted his body, turning his head left and right.
“Why is an undead even here…?”
Undead. A collective term for corpses that do not die. If that were the case, did it mean there was a necromancer nearby?
The undead staggered, smashed its head against the wall, and began to mutter something.
-…uh.
“What is that bastard saying?”
“Shh.”
Outside, the howls, screams, and sounds of fierce combat continued. Ian and Berik held their breath, concentrating on the undead’s words.
-Urrrrgh.
“…?”
It was merely meaningless sounds. Yet the voice itself felt strangely familiar—it resembled the dog I had seen during the day.
Crash!
The moment I realized that, a presence appeared outside the door. This time, not an undead, but real people—thieves.
“Ah, there you are. The coachman and his horses are down there?”
“Damn it, how is this situation even unfolding like this?”
Berik shook his sword irritably, and the thief laughed wickedly as he tried to enter through the door. Then the undead stood rigid, blocking his path.
“What’s this, why is it like this?”
He tried to push it aside, but it stood firm and would not budge. As if telling him not to approach Ian and Berik. The thief then unhesitatingly severed its limbs and shoved it aside.
Crash!
Thud!
The undead fell forward helplessly. In its eyes as it looked up at Ian and Berik, life flickered for the first time, then vanished. Before the bewildered pair, the thief thrust his sword forward.
“Where might you distinguished travelers be coming from and going to? Judging by the ten carriages you’re pulling, your purses seem quite full. Might I take a look?”
Squelch!
Before the words even finished, Berik drove his blade into the thief’s abdomen with lightning speed. Unlike the undead, this time thick blood dripped steadily.
“You asked how things were unfolding, didn’t you? You bastard.”
“Gasp!”
“Ah, yes. This is normal. Now I’m finally feeling something satisfying.”
Berik smiled with satisfaction watching the blood drip. The thief stared down at his pierced abdomen, blinking his eyes as if unable to comprehend. But then a scream erupted explosively.
“Aaaahhh!”
As if to convey the magnitude of his agony, he shrieked and lunged at Berik. But Berik simply grabbed his face and smashed it against the wall.
Crack!
“Grrgh…”
Once more.
Crash!
The first time his nose shattered, the second time the door caved in and he crumpled. I left the undead still staring up at me with open eyes and stepped into the corridor.
“Please! Please spare me!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Is this all the food you have? Where else is the warehouse?”
“T-the stable… that’s all there is next to the stable.”
Looking down over the railing, I saw a band of thieves holding the inn staff captive while plundering. They swept everything into moldy sacks, staining the path they had taken with blood.
Crash!
“Ahhhhh!”
I pressed my forehead, struggling to make sense of the situation.
First, it seemed the gaze I’d felt earlier in the day really was from bandits. They’d been watching for the carriage to enter the village, waiting only for nightfall.
“Berik.”
“Yeah?”
Berik was stomping on the head of a fallen bandit. I grabbed his forehead and infused my mana into him.
Zzzzzt.
“There are bandits downstairs. It looks like we’ve drawn them here.”
“So I should kill them all?”
“I have questions for them. Keep one alive.”
Berik wiped the blood from his blade on his shirt and leaped downstairs. His footsteps were light, like a child running to receive a gift.
Boom!
“What, what is this?”
While Berik carved a path through the first floor, I hastily gathered only the most important belongings. Then I turned to the undead and asked.
“Hey. Was that the dog from before?”
-….
No answer. Its neck was severed, mouth only gaping open and closed. Its eyes rolled rapidly up and down, beginning to lose their light. It was a signal that something connecting the undead to me was slowly severing.
-Uuuhhhhh….
With a groan, putrid liquid seeped from every opening in the undead’s face. Death of death. The murky green liquid soaked into the floor, and I swallowed a sigh as I stepped over the corpse.
Crash!
“Ah, wait! Come on! Come on, you bastard!”
Berik was having an absolute blast, turning the first floor into a complete wreck. A dozen or so bandits were reduced to bloody pulps, and all the shop’s miscellaneous items lay shattered and scattered.
“Berik!”
“What?”
“Stop and hurry to the stable!”
I rushed out through the back door. Not far away, I could see a wooden door leading to the stable. Once outside, I could fully grasp the severity of the situation.
Crash!
“Ahhhhh! They appeared again!”
“You crazy bastards! Get out!”
“Please! Help us! Help us!”
“Get the children to safety first!”
Flames and screams erupted everywhere. Women ran barefoot clutching children, while men wielded whatever could serve as weapons to fight the bandits.
“Sir Ian. What is happening?”
“Ah, you!”
One of Romandro’s subordinates. His flushed face suggested he’d been drinking somewhere and couldn’t properly grasp the situation.
“The carriage has disappeared.”
“What?”
As I stepped inside, the agitated horses tossed their heads back and forth. Just as the subordinate said, the spot where the carriage should have been was completely empty.
“Damn it, all our luggage was in that carriage.”
Is it just luggage? There are plenty of important things starting with mana stones. I pressed my forehead and murmured.
“You go find Romandro right away. Hurry and gather everyone.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Ian, what about me?”
“Berik. You….”
That’s when it happened. A shout of different resolve echoed faintly, distinct from the residents who had been resisting. Karenna’s guard unit had mobilized. If we held out a bit longer, reinforcements would likely arrive from other districts.
Wheeeee!
The bandits who had been rampaging like madmen whistled and exchanged signals. The meaning was clear—retreat.
“Catch all the ones running away.”
“Can we kill them?”
“Even better.”
“Oh yeah! Berik is heading out~!”
Thwack!
With my permission, Berik shot out like an arrow toward the outside.

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