Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 110. Moonlit Night
A massive moon rose behind the hill. Winter nights bore such crystalline, enormous moons that two galloping horses appeared as silhouettes against its glow. They seemed not to be climbing the forest, but rather leaping into the moon itself.
Clop clop clop!
Unlike Ian, who guided his horse while cradling Hasha, Berik had no such restraints. He shook the reins eagerly and spurred his mount forward.
“Come on! Faster! The moon will set!”
By this point, even without Hasha’s guidance, Berik sensed where the bandits’ lair lay. At the hill’s end. Instinctively, he knew their hideout lurked somewhere below.
Neigh!
“Well, they’ve set things up nicely here.”
Berik gazed down the steeply carved hillside. Weathered tents nestled among the grass, forming a makeshift settlement. Ian, following behind, surveyed the entire terrain and whistled low.
“So the bandits who wander about plundering do have an eye for land, at least.”
The geographical conditions were nearly perfect for concealment. One had to traverse the abandoned forest, race across hidden plains, and reach the very end before discovering them.
“Good. We’ve confirmed their encampment. Let’s head to Carenna and bring people back.”
The stolen plunder from the bandits lay piled in one place. Beside it sat Ian’s wagon, carelessly abandoned. There appeared to be a separate path wide enough for wagons to enter.
“What? Bring people back? How long will that take?”
Berik’s eyes gleamed as he grasped his sword hilt, ready to draw it at any moment. Ian shook his head.
“We cannot assess their full strength.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll kill them all anyway. And forget the mana stones—if those bastards burn the documents while organizing their loot, what then? Don’t you feel sorry for Romand?”
“Berik. I wish you’d wipe your mouth.”
Romand’s concerns were irrelevant; Berik simply wanted to rampage. Ian chuckled and asked Hasha, “Do you know where your body is?”
“Do you know where your body is?”
-In the central encampment.
Hasha’s dark eyes fixed intently on one location. Just then, several bandits approached the wagon, exactly as Berik had predicted.
“Look! Now Romand is done for! Newlywed with a newborn and about to be fired!”
“Berik. Do not let the Bandit Leader escape.”
“Yes, yes. Master, take the long way around. I’ll clear the path for you.”
“…Execute it flawlessly.”
Thwack!
The moment Ian gave his approval, Berik kicked his horse’s flank and bolted forward like an arrow. More accurately, he rolled down the steep hillside as if it were nothing.
Neigh!
Against the horse’s startled cry, Berik’s laughter rang out sharply through the air.
“Ahahahaha!”
Strange laughter echoing across the moonlit night. The bandits organizing the plunder looked up in confusion, tilting their heads. In the distance, a horse descended the cliff face like a wall.
“Huh?”
At first, they couldn’t fathom what was happening. Even those resting in the encampment emerged one by one, craning their necks to look.
“…What is this?”
“Seriously. Is he insane?”
“Some fool following us from the village?”
“No guard insignia.”
They drew weapons just in case, though truthfully, they felt no real tension. By all accounts, he would crash upon hitting the ground and die.
Crash!
As expected, the horse, unable to overcome its momentum, crashed directly into the nearby encampment. Objects stacked around it tumbled down, and dust rose in a thick haze, obscuring the view.
The bandits involuntarily let out a laugh.
“Tsk tsk. Stupid creatures should die early. It’s better for humanity that way.”
“You there, still alive?”
“Shut up. Anyway, what in the world is this suddenly——”
Neigh!
The horse, its senses scattered, bolted away in panic. It was the moment one of the bandits carefully approached and swept away the pile of debris with his foot.
Swoosh!
Berik’s blade drew a clean semicircle, stealing the man’s breath away. The movement was so fluid that the bandits watching from behind took several seconds to comprehend what had happened.
“This… madman…”
Only when their comrade’s pant leg darkened with blood as he collapsed on one knee did they realize. That red-haired one wasn’t a madman but an unknown intruder. The nearby bandits rushed at Berik, swinging their axes.
“Who are you?!”
Shwing!
Thud!
The axes were thick enough to shatter ordinary blades in a single strike. But Berik deflected them with remarkable ease, and the startled bandits retreated, muttering among themselves.
“That… the feeling just now…”
Something felt wrong. It was a counterattack so smooth and slow it seemed to defy gravity. The bandit noticed Berik’s red eyes glowing. It wasn’t moonlight.
“Come now. Raise your hands.”
Berik grinned wickedly, pointing his blade at each bandit’s face.
“Which one of you here robbed Karenna in the village?”
“Ah, so you’re from the village. Why? Come for revenge?”
“You? Were you in the village?”
“What if I was?”
Whoosh!
A sharp, clean gust of wind. It was the power of the Mage Knight that Berik had unleashed. The mana Ian had given him in the village still remained.
“So I missed one. How irritating.”
Slash!
Berik dove between the bandits as he muttered. His blade moved with the speed of light. Those bright, gleaming red eyes. Like those of a beast that hunts prey in the night.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Die! Hahaha! You, you’ve seen my face!”
“Damn it, come out everyone! Emergency!”
“What’s all this commotion?!”
“Ahhhhh! Help, help——!”
The moment merciless slaughter began.
Ian watched from atop the hill. Hasha, cradled in his arms, tilted her head curiously, studying Ian’s expression.
—Why are you like that?
“Hasha, does watching Berik remind you of anything?”
—He seems like a reckless fool. In Astana, living like that would be difficult.
“Bariel would say the same. Very well. Let’s head down. Berik said he’d clear the path for us.”
Ian urged his horse forward, leaving the chaos echoing behind him.
‘No matter how skilled a Mage Knight Berik is, he takes it too far. He has no fear, and he enjoys mindless slaughter. It’s rather peculiar.’
If I went to the Central where everything in the world gathered, I could learn more about Berik.
I descended the hill and arrived at the entrance to the encampment. Due to Berik’s commotion, the Gatekeeper had abandoned his post.
“Let’s go.”
Hasha stiffened as if tense. We entered inside, but there was barely any sign of people. They seemed to have rushed out in a group to catch a single intruder.
Crash! Bang!
A thunderous sound erupted in the distance, confirming my suspicions. I advanced toward the center of the encampment with Hasha’s guidance. Finding corpses was important, but more crucial than that was the carriage.
“Hasha. If you wish, I’ll let you down. I need to check if the carriage is safe first.”
-There’s nothing I can do in this form anyway, so it’s fine.
I dismounted and approached where the carriages were stationed. When a Thief emerged from behind a cargo compartment, I unleashed mana without hesitation.
Boom!
A brief flash erupted, and the Thief was knocked backward.
‘One, two, three….’
Everything that had been plundered remained intact. I confirmed that the storage boxes containing mana stones and stacks of documents were all undamaged and nodded.
“No problems.”
The moment Hasha heard my murmur, she bolted forward. Toward the Central Encampment visible in the distance. With each bound, cold air rushed into her lungs, seeming to freeze her mind. All of Hasha’s senses were fixed on the encampment.
Whoosh.
“Hm?”
The moment we reached the encampment, a massive Man emerged from inside. Perhaps because Hasha was looking up at him, but his physique was so enormous it seemed his head might touch the ceiling.
“What?”
The Bandit Leader. Hasha froze and retreated. He quickly grabbed the Dog by the scruff of the neck and lifted her into the air.
“A mutt?”
Yelp!
To survive, there was no choice. Hasha thrashed about desperately, pretending to know nothing to provoke his carelessness.
That was when it happened.
“Big guy!”
Berik, drenched in blood, shouted loudly. He was dragging a corpse behind him, and the Bandit Leader seemed to have lost his wits at the absurd sight.
“Are you the leader?”
“You, you bastard!”
Whoosh!
The Bandit Leader threw Hasha aside and immediately drew his axe. He thought it was merely a small disturbance. Usually, on nights when plundering was successful, his Subordinates would be too intoxicated with pleasure and alcohol to sleep.
“Your Subordinates were pretty good. The feel of the blade is exquisite.”
“Damn madman!”
Clang! Clang!
Without hesitation, the two rushed at each other and clashed weapons. A bone-chilling metallic screech erupted. Hasha, who had been sprawled on the ground, barely regained her senses and entered the encampment.
“Haaah!”
Crash!
A momentary expression of surprise crossed Berik’s face. Whether it was because of his build, the force with which he wielded his axe was entirely different from the other Bandits.
“Huff, huff….”
The Bandit Leader, having lost his axe, breathed heavily while dripping with sweat. Seeing this, Berik deliberately threw his sword to the ground.
“…?”
“I think you’d enjoy beating more than cutting.”
“Look at this cocky bastard, talking back like that.”
“If I get hit by a punk like you, how much is it gonna hurt~!?”
Thud!
The two men rushed forward simultaneously, extending their fists. They exchanged blows repeatedly. With each prolonged exchange, the Bandit Leader felt an instinctive sense of dread. He realized that Berik was deliberately taking his hits.
Crack! Smack!
Gradually, Berik’s strikes increased in frequency. Blood clung to Berik’s knuckles, though whose blood it was remained unclear.
“Hahaha! Just as I expected! Your flesh is nice and firm—sticks well.”
“Cough—! Gasp!”
Boom!
Thud!
The final blow. The Bandit Leader’s face caved in, and he staggered before losing consciousness. Berik brushed his hands lightly and reached for his sword.
“Berik.”
Ian’s voice came from behind. When he turned, Ian, leading a horse, signaled with his eyes to stop.
“There’s much I need to question him about. You can’t kill him.”
“Ah. Master, you’ve arrived?”
Berik wiped his blood-stained hand across his nose and grinned brightly. Truly refreshed.
“I’ve cleared the path nicely for you.”
“The path is rather… crimson, isn’t it.”
“Nobles of high standing do enjoy walking red carpets.”
The ground was a mess, soaked with the blood of the fallen bandits. The sensation of earth saturated beneath the horse’s hooves transmitted directly underfoot.
Ian dismounted and surveyed Berik’s condition thoroughly. Covered in blood, it was difficult to discern whether he was unharmed or not.
“Where’s Hasha?”
“Went inside the encampment.”
“Keep watch over the Bandit Leader just in case.”
“Huh? I’m curious about what’s inside too.”
Whoosh.
Ian ignored Berik and walked toward the encampment entrance. The outside was one thing, but stepping inside, a distinctly unpleasant stench assailed him. Ian followed Hasha’s footprints.
“Hasha?”
In a small guest house within the encampment, Ian discovered Hasha sitting quietly, her back to him.
-You’ve come.
A Blue-Haired Child’s corpse sat in a chair. Bound with rope to maintain posture, the body had slumped halfway down, lacking any will to remain upright. And above all, the grotesque state of advanced decay.
Hasha gazed upon her shell and murmured.
-So this is what death is.
She remembered herself in the mirror. Those bright, sparkling eyes, those rosy cheeks, and even those dimples that had sunk in. Hasha’s voice caught as she continued.
-It seems I must return this to nature now. As it should have been from the beginning.
“Are you certain you wish to do so? There’s no guarantee that Hasha’s spirit remains.”
-I cannot fathom how control of the undead transferred. Before someone more greedy takes notice, it must be destroyed. The bandits outside still live, do they not? If they awaken and attempt to cast spells, matters will become troublesome.
It was sound reasoning. Yet there was a vast difference between rational judgment and its execution—it required considerable courage. To destroy one’s own chance at living in a human body.
“Hasha. I shall personally encourage your decision.”
-….
Hasha did not answer. She did not even look at Ian. She simply gazed upon her final moments until the very end, committing them to memory.
Zzzziiing.
Ian condensed his mana and burst the corpse’s head open. Cerebral fluid spilled forth, and the child’s once-intact form became grotesquely distorted. Hasha, without realizing it, shed a single tear.
Now she had truly crossed a river from which there was no return.
Dead yet not dead—she had become such an existence.

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