Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 196

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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 196
A Special Edition Report
Beneath Barsabe’s palm, a blue dagger shimmered into existence.
A weapon forged from mana itself. She pulled Berik toward her while channeling all her strength into a downward strike aimed at his armor.
Clang!
Whoooosh!
The strike landed precisely where his collarbone would be—a powerful, efficient attack that would have killed an ordinary person instantly.
But Barsabe’s mana blade shattered like sand upon impact with the armor. The fading light scattered so unexpectedly that she instinctively lowered her stance.
“…What are those things?”
A single blow had only left a scratch. Armor that could withstand a Mage Knight’s attack? Was it made from mana stones? Now that I think about it, where have I seen something like this before?
“Haiman, damn it, those bastards are killing me. This really hurts, seriously.”
Berik seemed to have difficulty breathing as he rubbed his ribs with a slight wheeze. Barsabe’s brow furrowed at his muttering.
Right. The armor design was similar to what the bank guards wore. But why were they doing this? And why were they threatening Berik—or more precisely, Maelidaeli?
“Where the hell did you crawl out from?”
“I’ve been following you since you left the palace gates.”
“So you have a taste for tailing people. How crude.”
“Ha.”
Was this idiot really calling me crude? Barsabe gritted her teeth and grabbed Berik by the collar. The group of armored soldiers she’d been facing had long since slipped from her attention.
“You lunatic, I don’t care what anyone else says, but you can’t talk to me like that. I just saved your ass from falling apart, and this is what I get?”
“Ah, right. Thanks for that. But you’ve got a record, you know. Last time too, you were tailing Ian and me, and you got caught, remember?”
“Shut up! I was on standby under Jairot’s orders. And it just happened to be you who came out, so I followed!”
When the palace gates had opened earlier, Jairot had issued instructions to several of his subordinates as he entered. Just in case, they were to wait outside, maintain order, assess the situation, and if communications were cut off, they were to regroup and take action.
“Why did you come out? How?”
“Ian sent me on an errand.”
“Is everyone safe?”
“Your friends? Who knows? Probably not, I’d guess. Ah, Riama—she’s with the same organization, right? That woman is dead. Those armored bastards killed her.”
When Berik nodded, Barsabe blinked as if she’d misheard him.
What was he saying? Lady Riama had passed away? One of the Three Great Knights, Lady Riama? By those armored soldiers?
“Those bastards tore the imperial palace apart. Ian’s dealing with the cleanup and it’s driving him insane, seriously. Ptui!”
The clues were fragmented but clear. Berik straightened his black sword and charged forward, deflecting an incoming fist. Barsabe stood frozen, watching his retreating back.
‘Riama was defeated.’
“No!”
“Ugh!”
Whoooosh!
A chill flashed, and Barsabe quickly grabbed Berik by the nape of his neck and dragged him back. With his center of balance destroyed, Berik staggered like a drunk, his legs flailing beneath him.
“What?! Don’t interfere!”
“You fool, you said Riama was defeated? Even if we both attacked at once, we couldn’t possibly win.”
The title of the Three Great Knights wasn’t given lightly. It was an honor bestowed only upon the strongest knights who stood beside and protected the Emperor, who was called the dignity of the world itself.
If Riama, one of them, had been defeated, two people had no chance of victory.
“No chance? Who decides that?”
“There’s nothing to decide. It’s already been decided.”
“For someone missing teeth, you sure talk a lot.”
“Hey!”
“I’m going to win!”
“You’re going to die!”
“If I can’t protect Viviana, Ian will punish me!”
Tap tap tap! Crash!
Whoooosh!
There seemed to be no distinction between strength and weakness in Berik’s mind. Just winning, killing, breaking—as if that was all the world contained, his eyes gleamed with fervor as he threw himself forward.
Berik carved through the gaps in the barrage of attacks, seeping into the midst of his opponents.
“Idiot!”
Gritting her teeth, Barsabe leaped in alongside him. She barely managed to deflect a fist aimed at the back of Berik’s neck.
Clang!
“I’m going to win!”
“Ugh, seriously!”
“Damn it, all I know is winning!”
Crash! Bang!
Boom!
The moment Berik flew through the air and brought the black sword down upon his opponent’s helmet, it erupted in violet light, releasing a tremendous shockwave.
The windows of nearby buildings shattered in sequence, and cracks spider-webbed across the ground. The one who took the direct hit staggered, barely managing to regain his stance.
‘This is dangerous.’
Crack.
A fissure ran through the helmet. Through the gap, the armored subordinate met Berik’s blazing eyes.
Are those even human eyes?
They burned crimson, containing the essence of scarlet flames themselves.
“So there really is a person inside. Heh.”
“This… this is insane…”
“I changed my mind. I’m going to focus on just one.”
Crash! Bang!
Boom!
With each leap from the ground, three or four attacks rained down. Berik laughed loudly, targeting only one point—the crack where he could see his opponent.
“If I kill this guy, does that mean I’m stronger than Riama? Huh?”
“Even a mad dog doesn’t act this recklessly.”
Whoooosh!
Thud!
Another grabbed Berik’s head and hurled him straight into the wall. After flying several dozen meters and embedding himself in the stone wall, Berik realized his neck wouldn’t move.
“Ugh. Ugh ugh. Damn, dying, ah.”
“The commotion is too loud. Let’s finish this before the guards arrive.”
“I don’t think they’ll come. Haven’t seen the guards since the palace was sealed.”
Crack. Fade.
Berik tilted his head, gauging whether any bones had shattered. Fortunately, they moved slightly.
Just as I cleared the spinning haze from my vision, Barsabe positioned herself between Berik and the armored soldiers, leveling her sword.
Clang!
“Do you know who your master is?”
“Stand aside. If you wish to die first, so be it.”
“My master doesn’t know what I’m doing right now. I suspect yours doesn’t either.”
The approaching soldiers hesitated at Barsabe’s sharp words.
Her mind churned with complexity. Thoughts and judgments formed simultaneously, spilling out unfiltered. Every second mattered desperately, so this was inevitable. She could only hope her words struck close enough to the truth.
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
With the palace sealed, these soldiers hadn’t received direct orders from Haiman either. They simply knew their master’s plan and had come to prevent anything that might interfere with it.
“Berik, tell me right now! Whose orders did you come under?”
“I told you, Ian’s.”
Berik wondered why she was suddenly asking that. He brushed the dirt from his body and rose to his feet, then noticed Barsabe giving hand signals with her hands clasped behind her back.
Right? Left?
One? Fist? Ground?
What was that?
“I’m conducting official business under the orders of Ian Hielo, Minister of the Mage Division. If you continue to obstruct me, I will report this to the palace and formally lodge a complaint with your master.”
“…The dead have nothing to say.”
“But I’m alive. Do you know what the Mage Division does during investigations? They administer truth serums. No matter how ignorant your master claims to be, he won’t escape responsibility. Ah, how rude of me. Should I have said ‘Duke Haiman’ instead?”
Whoosh!
Barsabe deliberately scattered her mana, blocking their vision.
It was only a brief moment. Through the streaks of light, shadows flickered and dispersed. Though Barsabe was but one, two silhouettes split left and right, vanishing.
“Chase them! They’re definitely heading for the palace.”
“Only a Mage Knight would pull such tricks.”
“Two on the right, two on the left! Catch them and kill them.”
“Capture them before they make contact with the outside.”
“One of you stay and secure this area!”
Four of the five armored soldiers split left and right, pursuing Barsabe. One remained firmly in place at the corner, and as Barsabe raced through the spider-web of alleys, it was inevitable that more pursuers would follow.
Tap tap tap!
Boom! Boom!
Watching the armored soldiers disappear, Berik laughed as if he finally understood.
‘Right, left, split them up, you take one, fight.’
They’d split right and left to lure them away, so I’d handle one soldier myself. Or die trying.
“Hahaha! Insane. My teeth are about to fall out along with my front teeth.”
“You laugh when you’re about to die?”
“Of course I laugh, you idiot. She’s handling four while I’ve got one. Hell, who’s dying here? Hehehehe.”
Spit!
Berik spat out blood-soaked saliva and gripped his black sword tighter. His grin revealed teeth completely stained crimson with blood.
His opponent swallowed hard and clenched his fists again.
The mad aura piercing through the armor. Though he knew he held the advantage in strength, the opponent’s energy burned so intensely it felt unreal.
“Ian! You bastard-”
“Shut up!”
“You said you’d buy me one! You said-”
Crash! Bang!
The deafening sound of collision.
Viviana gripped the short sword firmly with both hands, bracing her shoulders. From inside the building, only sounds could be heard—no figures were visible.
Click-click, whirring.
Tap! Tap-tap! Screech!
While the printing press churned, the Mailed Daily staff hammered away at their typewriters without pause. They kept stamping out the same sentences, over and over. To produce as many extra editions as possible.
Crash! Boom!
Click-click! Tap-tap!
“Argh! Damn it!”
“Flip the paper over!”
“We’re running low on ink! Get some from the back storage!”
“Search! Search! Argh!”
“While copying, stamp them by hand too! Keep going!”
The steady, monotonous noise from the office and the violent, sporadic crashes from outside created a harmonious discord. Viviana continued to pray to the gods.
How much time had passed?
Someone grabbed her shoulder.
“Countess!”
“Yes!”
Everyone’s faces were flushed with excitement. Trembling with exhilaration and tension, sweat dripping down their faces. An employee pointed at the clock and shouted. It would soon be five o’clock.
“We’re done. Let’s go!”
“Yes, yes! Let me help!”
“There’s our wagon out the back door. We’ll load the extra editions there and head to the main road! We’ll get as close to the imperial palace as possible and distribute them!”
“Let’s go! Lock the door behind us! It’s dangerous!”
“Come on, hurry!”
Ten boxes of paper had been printed in one hour. Viviana rolled up her sleeves and moved them to the wagon, then took her place beside the coachman’s seat.
“Those who can’t ride in the wagon, find shelter first! Five o’clock—the palace gates will open! Once it’s safe, we’ll meet again!”
“Please, please.”
“Yes. Please.”
They didn’t exchange many words, but their eyes bid each other farewell. Mini and one staff member climbed onto the back of the wagon and gripped the secured boxes tightly.
Neigh!
Tap!
“Hyah!”
The horse, anxious from all the commotion, seized this moment and galloped forward with vigor.
As Viviana rounded the building, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock. There was Berik, drenched in blood and disheveled, clinging to the building’s entrance frame with both hands.
“Berik!”
“Ah, damn…”
“Berik!”
“Damn it!”
An armored soldier nearly lunged after the carriage, but his feet were suddenly bound. It was Berik’s doing, wrapping around him and holding him fast.
“…Where do you think you’re going?”
“Get out of my way!”
“…No, please stop.”
Tap-tap-tap!
Viviana twisted her head backward to look at Berik. Everything except his pupils had turned crimson, making his face unrecognizable. She clenched her lips tightly and shouted.
“I’ll be back soon!”
“Ian, bring her back.”
“Stay alive! Please stay alive!”
The carriage expertly navigated through the alleyway and raced down the main street.
For the past three days, hardly anyone had ventured onto the streets. When Mini spotted people in the distance, she wept as she scattered papers.
“Extra! Extra edition!”
“Extra! Prince Marib and Prince Gail clashed at the imperial palace!”
“The Magic Division mediated and resolved the situation!”
“Extra! Extra!”
Tap-tap-tap!
Small papers fluttered in the wake of the carriage’s passage. People standing along the roadside picked them up one by one and read them, then immediately looked toward the imperial palace.
“An extra! Finally, we’re hearing something!”
“Give me one too!”
Prince Marib and Prince Gail?”
“What about His Majesty? Good grief! What are the princes doing?”
“Extra! Extra!”
Dong—! Dong!
The sound of bells ringing in the distance.
It was the chime marking five o’clock.
Viviana gathered her scattered hair into one hand and shouted.
“Extra! The palace gates will open shortly!”
Dong! Dong!
At that very moment, the tightly sealed castle gates slowly opened. The crowd waiting ahead stirred and gradually moved forward.
“Extra!”
Whoooosh!
A sharp wind cut through the gap with precision, heading directly toward the carriage Viviana rode in.
“The Magic Division is restoring order at the imperial palace!”
“What? Huh?”
The man holding the carriage reins faltered and hesitated as the cold presence drew near.
It was wind.
Exceptionally sharp and massive wind—perhaps even a veil of magic.
“Extra!”
Patter-patter-patter! Patter!
Whoooosh!
The wind pierced through the carriage.
Papers that had been scattered haphazardly suddenly soared into the air, and in an instant, they dispersed in all directions on the current.
Like the pollen the Magic Department had displayed before the New Year’s celebration, the extra editions completely engulfed Bariel.

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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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