Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 327

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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 327
Fire. Secret Contract
While Ian and his party faced off against the Cliffford carriages.
Otrik descended before the checkpoint, supporting Philic. The atmosphere was quiet with few people waiting. This was the checkpoint closest to the Cliffford Kingdom, which was why inspections and procedures here were more stringent than elsewhere.
The Border Guards who had been waiting inside rushed out in surprise.
“A, a Mage?”
“Greetings. What brings you here? We only heard that the Cliffford Envoy would arrive soon.”
“Are you alright? This person’s complexion looks rather….”
Boom!
As Otrik showed his credentials, a loud roar echoed from afar. The Border Guards flinched and crouched low, raising telescopes to examine the source.
Among the charging caravan, an object swiftly gliding through the air. Looking closely, it was a person. A beam of light flashed that defied identification even to the naked eye, and tremors like an earthquake traveled up through their feet.
Otrik rushed into the checkpoint and shouted.
“Close the border temporarily. Do not let the Cliffford carriages pass. Raise the stop signal!”
“What? But all the permits have already been approved?”
“No time for that, hurry!”
“Ah, yes yes! Understood! You there! Block the gates first!”
“Buffalo horns! Flags!”
They had only been thinking of waving their hands cheerfully beside the wide-open border, telling travelers to proceed carefully. What kind of sudden calamity was this?
The Border Guards scrambled about, beginning to raise the iron chains. Then they climbed atop the guard tower, waving red flags, and soon the buffalo horn trumpets blared in alternation.
“Blow it louder! Haven’t you eaten?”
“I, I ate before coming out.”
“But the speed isn’t decreasing at all. What if they don’t stop?”
The way they were charging was extraordinary. It looked like they were pushing at maximum speed as if something had gone wrong. If they collided at this rate, shouldn’t they evacuate? What about the Mages?
As the Border Guards murmured worriedly, Otrik snapped at them irritably.
“What do you mean what if? We have to stop them. Go ahead and set up obstacles. I’ll—”
Zzzzng. Zing.
As Otrik released his magical power, the Border Guards’ eyes went wide and they froze. They called themselves Border Guards, but weren’t they people who had been born and raised their whole lives on the frontier? As Otrik gathered his strength, Philic, who had been lying motionless beside him, suddenly grabbed his arm.
“Otrik. Give me some of your magical power.”
“Huh?”
“You saw earlier. I can’t help with anything right now. Just a little will do. Hurry.”
It was a perfectly natural request. Mages exchanging power with each other was nothing unusual, and especially in situations like this, it was more efficient for two to create a protective barrier together, even if each contributed less, rather than one person straining themselves to their absolute limit.
Philic extended his hand, but Otrik gazed distantly at the far mountains, looking troubled.
“I’m sorry, but I’m fine. Let me try alone.”
“…Do you understand what you just said?”
Not just one or two carriages, but dozens charging at full speed, and he was going to stop them alone? As Philic stared at him incredulously, Otrik’s ears turned red and he shook his head.
“I know, I do know. Sorry. You help the Border Guards from behind. That seems better.”
“M, Mage! Look, the ground is suddenly rising!”
“Ahhhhh! Is, is that okay?”
“Who told you to stop blowing the buffalo horn? Keep going!”
….
At the Border Guard’s words, Otrik turned his head.
Seizing that moment, Philic hesitantly retreated. Now everything became clear to him. From the very beginning when Ian had drained every ounce of his magical power as a test before departure, to now when his colleagues refused to share their strength with him.
Otrik didn’t seem to know the full details yet, but it was unmistakable that Ian’s command stood firmly behind all of this. Philic ignored his thundering heart and continued backing away.
‘The Mages have stepped forward, so the Cliffford carriage will stop. If that happens—’
Then everything would be exposed. In that case, it would be best to leave Bariel first. Right now, when everyone’s attention was on the carriage. There would never be a better opportunity than this.
Philic suddenly bolted toward the border.
Tap-tap-tap!
‘If I can just cross that, I can escape immediately.’
“Huh? Mage? Why are you—”
“Get out of the way!”
“Mage!”
“Philic!”
Philic ran with all his might as if falling forward. He shoved the bewildered Border Guard’s shoulder with all his strength and passed right through. They had never imagined a Mage would attempt illegal border crossing, and right before everyone’s eyes at that.
At the commotion, Otrik turned around, and reflexively gathered and detonated a sphere of magical power.
‘Otrik, could it be—’
An almost reflexive reaction. The response created by Ian’s covert command.
‘If Philic takes hostages or causes problems by attempting to escape, suppress him decisively.’
Boom! Bang!
Philic tumbled forward. The Border Guards who grasped the situation rushed at his back and restrained him, and soon others joined in to help.
Philic clenched his teeth. He desperately wrung out every last bit of his strength and unleashed his magical power. He was about to blow away those clinging to his limbs.
“Philic! What are you doing?!”
“Let go! Let go of this, I said! Damn it!”
“What have you done!”
“Ahhh! Mages! Why, why are you doing this!”
Zing! Zing!
Boom! Crash!
The collision of large and small magical forces created a deafening roar, and groans, screams, and shouts all vanished in an instant.
* * *
“Hmm. We really beat him up. We really did.”
Berik looked down at Philic, bound tightly with rope, and muttered. Covered in blood and unconscious. Berik lifted his lips, opened his eyelids, and playfully swung the limp arm like a toy.
Barsabe tapped his shoulder with her knee.
“Stop fooling around and quickly apply the magical seal stones.”
“Yes, yes. Understood. But I wonder if he lost his teeth too?”
“…You’re dead.”
Unlike Berik, who was giggling with laughter, Otrik sat in the corner of the checkpoint, tears streaming down his face. The sense of betrayal toward his colleague and the guilt of having hurt someone with his magic were overwhelming. Though the other Mages patted his shoulder, Otrik only wept harder.
“Sob, no, I… Philic…”
“I know, I know. That bastard’s a bastard.”
“Since I’m not in field operations, sob, I’ve never used magic on people before, so that’s why… I’m sorry. And the Border Guards too…”
“Oh no, it’s fine. We’re okay. We’re soldiers after all. Small wounds are part of the job.”
Though the usually quiet checkpoint had never been this chaotic before.
The Cliffford Envoy’s wounded were waiting for a doctor from a nearby village, while those who could move were collecting the wreckage of the broken carriage. I surveyed the scene, then called out to the boy standing there in a daze.
“Come here, Prince Noah.”
There was no response.
May stood right beside Noah. She deliberately avoided looking at Philic, but that very avoidance confirmed my suspicion. She was definitely someone I knew.
“The Mages are bringing a doctor from the village. Once things are settled here, we’ll inform Cliffford of the situation. But before that, it seems we have some matters to discuss.”
I couldn’t leave Bariel’s territory without laying everything bare. If I did, I couldn’t request any assistance from Cliffford, leaving us stranded in this wasteland.
“Fine, fine. I understand. Sigh.”
Noah gestured to May to bring something. She reluctantly nodded, and only Noah and I separated from the chaos to sit facing each other.
“It was a few days ago. To be honest, I’m not sure exactly when.”
“Four days ago, estimated to be late night into dawn.”
“Yes. Four days ago. Nothing special about that day. We were passing through a forest when night fell, so we made camp there. And just as you suspected, we were attacked.”
Creak.
May carefully entered and set down a heavy pouch. I could feel something clinking inside—it was full.
“At first, I thought it was just a band of thieves, but the further it went, the stranger it became. Eventually, I drew my sword.”
Noah showed me his sword and shrugged. I’d thought the jewels embedded in the scabbard made it ornamental, but I was wrong. The blade was a dull black. It was coated with melted mana-sealing stone.
“But Philic had no wounds.”
“Right. That’s because the one who crossed swords with me was someone else.”
“…So there was another conspirator.”
“Didn’t you expect that? I wouldn’t know about you, but that one doesn’t seem any different from other Mages. How could a single person take on an official Cliffford envoy delegation?”
Though I’d seen plenty of unfortunate sights due to the curse, he was still a nation’s heir. He would have naturally prepared for danger upon entering Bariel’s central territory, and the Guards beside him would be skilled enough to rival Knights. When I gestured with curiosity, the Guards drew their swords to show me.
Shink.
“Does Cliffford use precious mana-sealing stones in such a manner? Merely melting them into swords?”
“The kingdom only needs to be wary of Mages from outside, so that’s the best we can do.”
It wasn’t wrong. The imperial palace’s goal was to consolidate the Magic Division, while foreign nations prioritized eliminating them entirely.
“So do you know who was with Philic?”
“Don’t you know better than I do?”
Noah gestured toward the pouch with a nod. When I opened its mouth, it was full of jewels I knew very well.
Idgal. Glittering in amber, the Mages’ Achilles heel.
“…I see. I know better now.”
That person was the one who told Philic of Melania’s survival. Contact with Melania meant a connection to the Rutherford Merchant Guild. The Idgal was nothing less than evidence that confirmed everything.
“They wanted the jewel bestowed by the King. The intention seemed clear enough, but we had no choice.”
It was night, it was an ambush, and we were in foreign territory. Noah’s side had no choice but to accept the other party’s proposal. But we made a choice that changed the situation here differently…
“That was an unfortunate choice.”
“It was the best we could do. Until you all came chasing after us.”
In exchange, we received the Idgal.
If we’d merely been robbed of the jewel, we could have used it as leverage to gain the upper hand in the alliance we were about to forge. Well, we’d still suffer the humiliation of an official royal delegation being bested by mere handful of people.
“It was a Mage. I couldn’t predict what leverage the jewel bestowed by the King might become if I failed to protect it!”
“Still, it was right that you revealed it. If you hadn’t—”
My position as head of the Magic Division would have become precarious, and tension would have arisen in diplomacy between the three nations.
Noah chose to cover everything up instead and secure the ‘price’ in return. A price incomparably more valuable than any fertilizer gained through alliance. The very power to check the Mages.
“Is that all Idgal is capable of?”
“….”
I had been observing the Mages’ abilities directly from Bariel and was about to return. Those who rain flowers from the sky, create universes, and uphold the very status of great nations.
If I could only secure Idgal, equivalent to a mana-sealing stone, then Cliffford could likewise acquire response capabilities comparable to Bariel.
“Prince. From this point forward, I will not ask twice. And should any discrepancy be discovered between our conversation and your actions, I will extend no mercy either.”
Noah’s eyes widened, but he could not offer any particular retort. He was reading the situation with perfect accuracy.
“…A contract a hundred times that amount has been concluded directly with Cliffford. Jewels were handed over as payment instead.”
I pressed my forehead silently. Even this alone carried considerable weight, but a contract a hundred times greater? It was clear that Idgal production was proceeding far more actively than anticipated.

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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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