Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 112

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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 112. Toward the Center
Fate does not require much time to shift. Just as Karenna, who had tasted hell during the bandit attack, could now hope for peace as the crescent moon set.
“The bandits? You’re saying their hideout was destroyed?”
“I’m not sure. I heard it from a guard friend, but apparently that’s what happened.”
“A pursuit force must have caught them during their retreat!”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case. From what I hear, mercenaries came separately.”
“Mercenaries? Did we even have the tax revenue to hire mercenaries?”
“Regardless, all the bandits are dead now, aren’t they? Right? Except for that one leader!”
“Yes. That’s what matters! Those wretches—if they were going to die anyway, they should’ve done it tonight!”
“It’s done. What’s already happened is done. At least we’re safe now. The guard finally got to do something.”
“That’s not it. It wasn’t the guard—it was outsiders.”
“Outsiders? If there are outsiders of that caliber in Karenna now…”
Residents gathered in small groups, rehashing the nightmare of last night, their words trailing off. At the same time, they recalled the procession of carriages. They vividly remembered how delighted the innkeeper had been about the arrival of such generous guests.
“Could it be them?”
“They didn’t seem ordinary, but how could they have defeated the bandits…”
They slowly turned their heads to gaze at the center of the small city. It was toward the inn where the outsiders had stayed.
Meanwhile, while the guard transported the bodies, my party retrieved the carriage and brought it back to the inn. We were short a couple of horses, but we made do.
“Romandro. Have you confirmed all the luggage?”
“Yes. All the documents are accounted for. Ah, what a relief.”
He had methodically unloaded each box and checked inside thoroughly. Romandro gave me a thumbs up with a genuinely satisfied expression.
“Good thing the delay didn’t exceed a day.”
Originally, we were supposed to leave Karenna early in the morning, but since we needed to procure new horses and a coachman, it seemed we’d depart late in the morning. I asked Romandro and his subordinates to handle the arrangements and entered the inn. Staff were mopping the blood-stained floor.
“Come on, Ian. Aren’t you hungry?”
Among them, Berik sat confidently, tearing into meat and bread. Across from him sat Hasha. The way they shared a single plate seemed quite natural.
“You eat plenty. You exerted yourself greatly.”
“Ah, if you put it that way, I won’t refuse.”
Crunch!
“Ian. The Captain of the Guard has brought the Market Master.”
“How efficient. Show him in.”
Before my words had even finished, the Market Master rushed into the inn with his crown exposed, moving hurriedly. He stood bent at the waist, looking flustered. The staff who had been mopping also stopped in confusion.
“Ah, greetings. I am Onix, Market Master of Karenna.”
He was a stocky, short man. His collar was disheveled, his face flushed, and his voice was shrilly excited. I examined him quietly from head to toe.
“Must we introduce ourselves separately?”
“No, sir. I’ve heard about you. That you’re a nobleman attending the New Year’s gathering. I also learned that an Imperial Advisor is accompanying you.”
I fell silent for a moment. Only Berik in the back, eating diligently, tilted his head in confusion. The others felt their minds grow complicated under an almost unbearable pressure.
“While bandits invaded and devastated the city, what exactly were you doing as Market Master?”
“I, I apologize. As I mentioned, problems arose in another city…”
“Come closer.”
At my command, the Market Master hesitated before stepping forward. This close? Or a bit more? Uncertain of the proper distance, the moment he raised his head.
‘Gasp.’
I met Ian’s green eyes. It was surprising enough that he possessed such rare beauty, but his unexpected youth left me speechless. A noble title at that age. The thought suddenly struck me—how unfairly the world was arranged.
“You smell of alcohol.”
“That is….”
I was finished. My luck had been utterly demolished.
Not only had I been attacked while thoroughly intoxicated, but I’d been caught by a nobleman and a central bureaucrat. The Market Master frantically rubbed his forehead against the ground, hoping the blood scent might be masked, offering apologies with each gesture.
“I-I-I merely had a drink at an important family gathering, and this is how it became. I am truly sorry.”
Ian shifted his gaze from the Market Master to the Captain of the Guard.
In truth, detecting lies was more effective by observing the expression of the bystander rather than the person in question. The guilty party desperately constructed a false face to hide the truth, but the listener beside them remained relatively less tense.
‘A lie.’
The Captain of the Guard’s lips were peculiar.
Neither crying nor laughing—his lips were pressed together in an expression of discomfort. Ian crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.
“Stop talking. The stench of alcohol reaches even here. Under Karenna’s law, what becomes of captured bandits?”
At the mention of alcohol, the Market Master startled and covered his mouth. Then, recalling Karenna’s law, he carefully offered his answer.
“…Execution is certainly confirmed, but under Karenna’s city law, those who commit plunder and murder, especially in organized groups, are punished with flogging.”
Whipping across the back, and when consciousness faded, awakening him personally to continue—repeated until flesh disappeared, showing a living hell. That was Karenna’s law. By the time the wretch’s breathing became thread-thin, the gallows would be erected.
“Good. I have business with the Bandit Leader, so I shall settle matters here and proceed to the detention facility.”
“T-The detention facility?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah….”
The Market Master’s face became troubled. But soon he shook his head, brushing it aside.
“No! In the meantime, I shall prepare a Coachman and horses so you may depart.”
His attitude was not poor. I turned my back to indicate he could withdraw, and the Market Master retreated while maintaining his tension until the very end.
Creak!
“Phew.”
My heart had plummeted to the floor before reattaching. The Captain of the Guard handed me something to drink and offered consolation.
“At least he seemed busy with the New Year’s gathering. Since he said he’d depart by morning.”
“Right. If he were heading up instead of down, that would’ve been troublesome. He’s young but has quite the temperament. He’s going to receive a title appointment, they say?”
“I believe they are those who distinguished themselves in the war.”
The Captain of the Guard still could not believe in Berik’s abilities. How could one man alone annihilate so many bandits? The Market Master also muttered nervously, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
“If they’re magic users, it’s possible.”
“Are you referring to those who came investigating from Danil before?”
“Yes. In any case, I cannot deny having nothing to say to those bastards. If an Advisor were to submit a report, it would truly become difficult. He says he wishes to see the Bandit Leader—do you know the reason?”
The Market Master asked, but the Captain of the Guard could not possibly know.
Ian had not specifically mentioned anything regarding the undead. There was concern that a simple bandit incident might become complicated, and if Wesley happened to discover Hasha’s existence, it could become troublesome in many ways.
“If he has business, it seems there’s only one possibility.”
“Indeed, that must be it.”
I lost my words, lost my Coachman, and lost a night of proper rest. The conclusion was that the noble lord would not leave that wretch alone.
“This won’t do. I’ll go administer the flogging myself.”
“I shall prepare.”
“Make the flesh fall away cleanly, yes. Let’s do that. Then my anger might subside.”
Since the guards had failed to score, the calculation was to earn points by any means necessary. It was a completely misguided judgment, yet no one noticed.
* * *
Berik patted his satisfied belly with a contented smile. He hadn’t eaten dinner and had been moving around so much that his hunger was inevitable. Once the interior of the inn was roughly organized, I opened my mouth to speak to Hasha.
“So, what are you planning to do now, Hasha?”
-Without my grandmother and the body already taken care of, it seems I must return to Astana. For now, there’s truly no other way.
“Your grandmother is the head of a faction, you said.”
I recalled the Elder in the photograph and tried to grasp the situation. If she’s the head of a faction, she would have many allies, but formidable enemies as well. There seemed to be another reason why she hadn’t returned to Astana to escape Wesley.
-That’s why I’m asking—could you possibly take me to the Capital? I’d have to go through there anyway to reach Astana.
“Once you reach the Capital, what will you do in that Dog’s body?”
At my final question, Hasha clamped her mouth shut. Truly a bleak and difficult predicament. I gently stroked the back of her neck and made a proposal.
“I’ll take you to the Capital and help you get to Astana from there. In exchange, I’d like to record your testimony as a notarized account of what you’ve experienced.”
“You’re coming with us? Ah, the carriage is cramped.”
“Berik. It’ll be fine as long as you don’t sprawl out.”
Hasha’s eyes sparkled. Berik merely belched—*burp*—and made no effort to hide his displeasure.
“Also, I hope you remember my name forever.”
It meant to remember who had helped her on the day of her true death, and what that person’s name was. Hasha murmured it as if engraving it upon her heart.
-Ian.
“Yes. Good.”
-I! An!!
Hasha spun her tail as if she might take flight at any moment. In the process, she kept tapping Berik’s arm, but no matter how much she struck, it wouldn’t break.
“We don’t have much time before departure. If there’s anything you need to prepare, do so properly.”
Morning had arrived. The goal was to depart before noon at the earliest. The moment my words finished, Hasha bolted outside.
*Tap-tap!*
*Arf-arf!*
“It seems Dog sounds come naturally when you have a Dog’s body. *Burp.*”
“Berik. Stop eating and come along.”
“That was the dinner I missed, and now I need breakfast! Hey? Breakfast!”
I ignored him and stepped out into the street. As my vision brightened, the devastated landscape of Karenna became even more tragic. The residents awkwardly approached as I headed toward the detention facility.
“Um….”
A Man covered in dirt and dust. He scratched his nose and bowed his head.
“We heard you caught those bandits.”
“You even saved us during the night—how can we ever repay such kindness?”
“Thank you! Here, it’s meager, but….”
“Ah, that’s enough—”
The residents bypassed me as I tried to refuse and approached Berik instead. He grinned widely at the unexpected hospitality and kept nodding his head.
“Thank you! Thank you for saving us!”
“Mm-hmm. I saved you. I did the saving. Hehehehe! I used more strength than my master.”
“Huh? You have a master?”
“Ah. A master, you say? That blonde-haired person over there!”
“Then that person is the one who saved us!”
“Thank you!”
At Berik’s single word, the gratitude shifted to him instead. Berik stood there dumbfounded, his mouth agape, while I chuckled warmly and headed toward the detention center.
“Ian!”
“Hurry along.”
“Seriously? This is ridiculous. I did all the work!”
Berik whined and scurried after me. Upon arriving at the detention center, I was guided inside by the guards who had been forewarned.
“Ah! You’ve arrived!”
The Market Master stood drenched in sweat, clutching a bloodstained whip, and proudly displayed the bandit’s battered body. It seemed he’d given him quite the thrashing.
“I’ve beaten him thoroughly, sir. He’s unconscious, but if you wish, I can strike him more!”
I stared at the unconscious bandit leader in disbelief.
“I had questions to ask him. How am I supposed to interrogate him if you’ve knocked him senseless?”
“Yes? That is, what do you mean…?”
“It seems you eat common sense as a side dish when you drink.”
“No, I didn’t mean to…”
The Market Master rolled his eyes again, clearly flustered. I glanced at the rising sun outside and then at the unconscious bandit, clicking my tongue. Time was pressing on…
“Bring me paper.”
“Yes? Of course!”
I wrote Romandro’s residence address on the paper and gave my instructions.
“Once he awakens, interrogate the bandit and send me a report. Ask him ‘how the blue-haired boy came to follow him.’ You have a fortnight.”
In a way, this worked out well.
Even when Berik drew his sword, the bandit had hidden the truth, so I wouldn’t get answers easily otherwise. But with multiple torture specialists here, they could extract a confession by any means necessary.
“If I don’t receive your letter within that time, I will report your dereliction of duty to the Imperial Palace. Furthermore, if you gossip about this to anyone, I will personally return here.”
I handed over the paper with a nod. If I came back, he’d be a dead man walking. The Market Master hiccupped repeatedly as he accepted the paper with both hands.

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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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