Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 132

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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 132. Meeting My Match
“For the Guardsmen Captain to personally request a duel, it is truly a great honor for Berik.”
At my words, Guardsmen Captain Jairot gave a slight bow in acknowledgment. Berik wiped his blood-stained palms on his shirt and extended his hand to Jairot.
“Hehe. So, shall we go a round? Huh?”
Perhaps he was simply accepting the praise at face value. He looked genuinely delighted. Or maybe he was satisfied with having turned the man who had provoked him into a pulp. Jairot merely stared down at Berik’s outstretched hand with a stern expression, refusing to take it.
“Won’t you shake my hand?”
“…Will you permit a duel, Viscount Ian Hielo?”
I looked down at him with my chin resting lightly in my palm. There was a killing intent seeping through my expression. Unlike the usual unarmed sparring, I had deliberately grasped the hilt of my sword.
‘…He intends to kill.’
The reason for his behavior was the misunderstanding stemming from Petreio, just as it had been with Barsabe. He was of similar age to Petreio and had been a lieutenant, so they must have been comrades-in-arms for quite some time.
“Hey mister, you’re being rude. I extended my hand!”
Berik waved his hand indignantly, complaining loudly. His arrogant attitude and choice of words—he certainly needed to have some sense knocked into him. Just as in the desert, Berik grew one step stronger after facing intense crises.
Moreover, if he realized there were many skilled masters above him, he could learn humility and courtesy through direct experience.
“Very well. However, there is a condition.”
“A condition?”
Jairot’s brow furrowed deeply. There was nothing more dishonorable than wagering on a duel. But as if I had read his thoughts, I softened my words.
“It is not a wager, but would you prefer one?”
“…That would be most inappropriate.”
“Since there is clearly a difference in skill between you and my knight, either of you may end the duel whenever desired.”
“Ian… no, Master! What difference in skill!”
“Will you accept in the name of the Guardsmen Captain?”
Berik continued his ranting below, but I dismissed it easily. Unlike the desert, there was no one here to stop Berik if he gasped for breath. So I had to take precautions beforehand. Jairot shot me a steady gaze, then nodded.
“I accept.”
I decided I would cut out that insolent brat’s tongue first, Jairot resolved, reaching for his sword. But as Berik, tired of waiting, charged barehanded, he reflexively caught the fist.
Thwack!
“Oho, mister! You’ve got good reflexes.”
“….”
“Huh?”
Berik tried to pull his hand free, but it didn’t budge. Jairot’s grip tightened progressively, as if to crush Berik’s hand itself. Panicked, Berik thrashed and threw his other fist.
Boom!
“Let go! You won’t let go?”
“…Don’t be impudent.”
But in the end, both his hands were caught. With a sickening crack of bones, Berik screamed.
“Ahhhhh! You bastard!”
“During a duel, maintaining courtesy and respect is fundamental. Your reckless behavior is no different from that of a beast.”
“Shut up. Get lost!”
Snap!
Berik reversed the direction of his pulling force and pressed close to Jairot’s neck. Without hesitation, he bit down as if to tear away flesh. Jairot, who rarely showed surprise, startled and released Berik’s hands.
“Did you just bite the Guardsmen Captain’s neck? Seriously?”
“Wow, that bastard’s insane. That’s actually crazy.”
“It looks rough, but it was a decent move. If I hadn’t pulled back, your hand would’ve been crushed—you wouldn’t even be able to grip a sword afterward.”
“Good heavens. Not everyone from the streets is like that, though? Fighting someone like that in real combat would be troublesome.”
Now there wasn’t a soul in the training grounds who wasn’t watching them. The Guardsmen Captains and Viscount Ian Hielo’s escort were sparring! Where else could you find entertainment like this? While Jairot rubbed the back of his neck, Berik smiled and stroked his lips with amusement.
“Ah. The Captain is truly different. I’m genuinely shocked!”
“Your behavior is exactly like a dog’s.”
“Yeah, thanks for the compliment!”
Berik charged forward again, dusting off his hands. Regardless of other things, his learning ability in combat was sharp, and through instinct—through brief exchanges—he grasped how to handle Jairot. In that fleeting moment.
‘If I get caught, I’m done for! So I just need to avoid getting caught! Perfect!’
Berik shifted his attacks to focus on his lower body instead of his upper. By lowering himself and driving forward from below, it became difficult for Jairot to catch him as easily as before.
‘More clever than I expected.’
Thwack! Thwack!
Jairot deflected the attacks effortlessly while observing his opponent. It was a kind of occupational habit—the analytical patterns that developed from commanding subordinates.
‘And though crude, he possesses natural talent. His strength, his speed—nothing to fault. Above all, his nerve is excellent. That’s something difficult to obtain through training alone.’
Then suddenly, Petreio’s face came to mind. Yes. It’s a shame, but this one…
“That’s enough now.”
“Huh?”
Berik, who had been delivering spirited kicks, faltered. He thought he hadn’t given an opening to attack, but with Jairot’s single word, the atmosphere shifted. As if he were sitting in the palm of his hand.
Whoosh!
Crash!
At the same moment, Jairot’s fist—like a stone—drove into Berik’s face. His vision went dark with pain that felt like his skull would shatter. His body flew upward, and the world spun.
“Damn.”
He was sprawled on the ground in one blow. Berik wiped the blood flowing from his nose, his expression shocked. In all his life, he’d never felt a punch this fast and powerful. It couldn’t even compare to the Cheonryeo Tribe.
“Wow, that landed clean but he didn’t lose consciousness.”
“Maybe he’s unconscious with his eyes open? Or it missed.”
“No way, his body flew through the air—how could it have missed?”
“Huh. That, that bastard. He’s getting up.”
The world spun before his eyes. Berik staggered to his feet and began laughing. Ian watched from the railing, observing him calmly.
“Hahaha. Ha. Wow, you really…”
Smack! Thud!
Before he could finish speaking, Jairot’s merciless assault poured down. Jairot gripped the fallen Berik’s neck with his left hand while pressing his solar plexus with one foot. Each time his right hand struck Berik’s face, dull blood erupted.
“Count Ian, shouldn’t we stop that? In a moment he’ll stop breathing. Ah, no matter how cheap the meat ration is, he seems like a waste. Ahem.”
Unable to bear it, Malon glanced toward Ian. But Ian, who had witnessed Berik’s depths in the desert, knew he hadn’t been driven to his limit yet.
“Ian!”
Berik, being pummeled, gasped out Ian’s name. It was the moment when both his fists barely blocked one of Jairot’s attacks. The voice sounded like the scream of someone on the verge of death, and everyone in the training grounds held their breath.
“I’ll kill this bastard!”
“Go ahead. Do as you wish.”
“Uaaaagh!”
Zing!
Boom! Bang!
The moment Ian gave his permission, Berik unleashed his magical power. In an instant, blade-like winds whirled around him. Jairot and the Imperial Guards froze in surprise.
‘A Mage Knight?’
Crash!
Berik barely shook off Jairot through sheer magical force, his body lowered as he heaved for breath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—the gaze of a predator whose pride had been wounded.
“Ah, damn! This really hurts like hell.”
“What’s going on? Is he a Mage Knight?”
“Why? You think I’ll go easier if you call me a Mage Knight? Don’t make me laugh! I’ve taken forty-five hits so far, you bastard! I’m gonna return every single one. Wow, it’s been so long since I had fun! Huh? Fun! Ahahaha!”
Tap-tap-tap! Crack!
His movements were incomparable to before. The spectators could barely track his afterimages, gauging his trajectory only through fragments of motion, while Jairot retreated continuously to create distance. Wherever Berik’s feet touched the ground, explosive surges of energy erupted.
Zing!
“Die!”
“Ugh!”
Boom!
Jairot caught Berik’s fist and couldn’t help but groan. The gap had widened immensely. Even accounting for magical power, wasn’t this like being reborn entirely? And the way he attacked with such ferocity, as if reason had abandoned him…
“Damn it.”
Zing.
“Captain!”
“The captain is using his magic!”
“That’s impossible!”
Jairot had unleashed his own magical power. The Guardsmen Captains watching covered their mouths in disbelief. For him to open his magic was something that only happened in battles against magical beasts.
Everyone was struck speechless by shock and astonishment, unable to utter a word. Across the vast training ground, only the fierce battle cries of Berik and Jairot echoed.
“This bastard…”
Crash!
It felt like fighting a beast with bare hands. Jairot pushed Berik back forcefully, then drew his sword. A chill like winter frost scattered along the blade’s trajectory.
“So you’re choosing your own end.”
“Ah. You want to use a sword? Fine, I’m game.”
Screech.
Berik grinned wickedly and drew his own blade in turn. His crimson eyes, gleaming with magical power, seemed to churn like molten lava itself.
“Last time I only cut your chest hair. I never got to see how well flesh slices. Ah, I’m so excited!”
“You’re insane. You’ve lost your mind.”
“Didn’t you know? You can’t survive the world with your sanity intact!”
Zing! Zing!
Crackle!
Responding to Berik’s magical power, the sword ignited in violet flames. In an instant, scorching heat filled the air, and thick smoke soon billowed forth, threatening to choke the lungs.
Small lightning bolts flickered within the smoke. Having never heard of such a blade, Jairot hesitated.
“What kind of sword is that…?”
“I don’t know! I picked it up somewhere!”
“Berik!”
“Huh?”
Just as he leaped forward to swing his blade, Ian’s voice rang out loudly. Berik reflexively stopped and turned around.
“Did I not tell you not to channel your magical power into the sword?”
“Ah, yes. But couldn’t you just let me see it once?”
“No.”
Not until the sword’s true nature was revealed.
While Berik pleaded, turning back, Ian and Jairot exchanged a covert glance.
“I mean, since we don’t know what it is, let me just swing it around and—”
Crack!
Jairot seized the moment and struck the back of Berik’s neck with his fist. He’d woven magical power into the blow itself—an ordinary person’s neck might have snapped.
“Ugh!”
But who was his opponent? Berik let out only a brief cry before losing consciousness entirely. At the same moment, the sword, which had been resonating with magical power, reverted to its original black hue.
An awkward silence blanketed the training grounds. The Guardsmen rushed over to check on their captain’s condition.
“Captain! Are you all right, sir?”
“What should we do with this bastard? Should we take him in?”
“It was just a sparring match. Why arrest him?”
“Sir, Captain! You’re bleeding!”
Barsabe hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and steadied the captain’s neck. Then, very quietly, she murmured almost under her breath.
“Captain. I’ll tell you while treating this. I’ve brought my father’s keepsake.”
At her unexpected words, Jairot’s eyes widened. But this hardly seemed like the place for such a conversation. He left the training grounds, attended to by his worried subordinates, and Ian descended to the first floor as well.
“Berik. Are you all right?”
“Mm…”
“Tsk.”
I crouched down and pressed my hand to his forehead. Just as in the desert, magical power was surely the finest remedy for restoring vitality.
Zing.
As my eyes shifted to gold, Berik’s furrowed brow gradually eased. Malon, who had followed me down, couldn’t bring himself to step on the blood-stained floor.
“Is he… dead?”
“No. He is not one who dies easily.”
“Then what was that sword?”
“…”
I merely shrugged, as if I didn’t know either. The heat from moments before had vanished without a trace, leaving only the cold, dark blade lying on the ground.
* * *
Meanwhile, at Romandro’s estate.
Mrs. Viviana was enjoying a peaceful moment with her cross-stitch when she sensed movement outside. Mini felt it too. She hurried out and opened the door to find a mail carrier standing there.
“Good day. Is this the residence of Romandro?”
“It is. Do you have a delivery?”
“Yes. It’s from Mayor Karenna. May I deliver it here? The recipient is listed as Ian.”
“Yes, yes. Ian is staying here. I’ll take it.”
“I’ll need your signature here…”
Mini received the letter and pressed the estate manager’s seal firmly upon it. It was quite a thick envelope. Mrs. Viviana set down her cross-stitch and asked.
“Mini. What letter is this?”
“It’s from Mayor Karenna.”
“Let me see it.”
Unlike Mini, who couldn’t read, Viviana was able to decipher the characters written on the surface.
‘…A Thief Interrogation Report?’

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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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