Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 356

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

Chapter 356
Fire. Your Name Is
Just as when I first brought Ian’s group to Cliffford, Noah charged forward through the brush without hesitation, parting the vegetation with ease.
Between the fresh scent of earth, I could faintly detect the smell of burnt ash. It was no mere illusion. Smoke rose visibly in the distance, toward the border.
Did they intend to set the blue sky itself ablaze? Flames and ashen dust swirled in all directions.
Whinnnnny!
Noah gripped the reins and hastily slowed his pace. Having reached the cliff above the forest, the battle situation below lay completely exposed to view.
Part of the barrier had crumbled, and through that breach, dark Burgos Soldiers poured in without end. The source of that acrid smoke was surely the border outpost.
“Prince.”
May confirmed it through her spyglass and called to Noah. Not only were their numbers greater than expected, but the question remained whether they could contain the continuous invaders now that the barrier had collapsed.
An officer following the Prince made a suggestion.
“We’ve identified two legions, approximately five thousand in total, Your Highness. Since they’re advancing toward the royal palace, I recommend we cut off their rear. The palace will continue dispatching reinforcements, so we can block them from both front and back simultaneously.”
“If we wait and observe their movements, we’ll only have the opportunity to choose our moment. There’s a village not far from here.”
“If we wait and observe, we’ll only witness the village’s destruction.”
“Consider the numbers. If we engage in a full-scale battle, we’ll only suffer meaningless casualties.”
“There’s a bridge in Baki that connects to the center. Defending that position must be our priority, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness. A decision, please.”
Noah paused in thought, gazing down below. The distance was so vast that the movements appeared like ants.
If only I could crush them beneath my foot right then and there. But the enemy numbered five thousand soldiers, while the vanguard I led consisted of merely one thousand. Just as he was about to draw his sword—
“Wait, Your Highness. Something seems amiss.”
May, who had been observing the border through her spyglass, raised her hand.
The already-collapsed section posed no problem for Burgos’s movement. Yet despite this, other sections of the barrier continued to erupt in explosions, tremors, and flames—which was peculiar.
Destroy it all for morale? That would be inefficient when they barely have time to advance immediately. Moreover, no soldiers were visible cleaning up the barrier debris.
“The barrier keeps exploding.”
“What? What’s happening?”
“Ah….”
May adjusted her focus, her expression darkening.
Strange creatures crawled up the wall. They resembled centipedes the size of a man’s forearm, and as they moved, they ignited and burst apart from their own combustion.
“Monsters….”
These were lesser monsters called Hundred-Legs. They were primarily found north of Burgos and were rarely seen in Cliffford.
The Hundred-Legs burned white-hot, shattering and incinerating the red barrier, then scattered while leaking some unknown contaminating substance.
“Burgos has deployed monsters.”
“Your Highness. I’ve heard that where Hundred-Legs inhabit, the soil dries and dies, leaving not even a weed to grow. These Burgos bastards intend to completely desiccate Cliffford.”
“Your Highness! Please give the order at once!”
“Yes, we’ll sweep them away fiercely, front and rear!”
Noah clenched his lips.
If those horrifying white centipedes burrowed throughout Cliffford’s lands and laid their eggs, then regardless of victory in this battle, Cliffford’s future was as clear as fire. I would never see it again—the vineyards ripening luxuriantly, the thick tree trunks, and the laughter of my people settling among them.
I would never see it again.
“However, Your Highness, you must consider this carefully. Their use of Hundred-Legs may not be merely for destroying the barrier and ravaging Cliffford’s lands—it could also be to pin us down from behind.”
Then, May added in a low voice.
That logic holds merit. Burgos’s objective is to first seize the royal palace and secure the Mages as reinforcements, so they may be intentionally binding the vanguard’s attention and forces to the rear.
But this is a trap Noah cannot easily reject.
“…The palace has forces. We’ll cut off their rear and secure the barrier. We’ll split the Burgos legion in half at Baki as the pivot point. Deal with the White-horns as well—prevent them from crossing beyond Baki into the center.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Move out! Captain 1 and Captain 2, go over the left forest. We’ll descend the right cliff.”
Neigh!
The moment Noah made his decision, everyone turned their horses’ heads as one. They knew the path to Baki ahead of the Burgos legion.
This was the land they had crossed their entire lives since birth, and moreover, the very ground where their ancestors were born, raised, and laid to rest. The geographical advantage was undeniable.
Noah and his soldiers raced down the steep path with bated breath, and soon spotted smoke rising once more in the distance.
Boom! Boom!
“Clear the way! If you don’t, you’ll all die!”
“You bastards, do you know where this is?!”
“Aaahhh! Argh!”
“Where are the Guards? Where did the Guards go?!”
“Save us, please save us!”
“Damn Burgos dogs!”
Crash!
The small village had become a hellscape in an instant.
Flames consumed every corner, crops were trampled and lost their dignity, and amid the fleeing, falling, and rolling people, the screams of children and adults pierced through.
Some fought back with hoes and short swords, but they crumbled without even grazing the armored soldiers.
“Your Highness, we must hurry—”
“Wait.”
Wait, wait, just a little longer. Noah muttered this to himself as he observed the situation. If I charged in now, I could save one or two lives. But if I miscalculate, I could end up surrounded by enemies and suffer a crushing defeat.
Their objective was singular.
To sever the enemy’s rear precisely.
Tap-tap-tap!
The Burgos soldiers swept through the village with blood-stained blades, and when their numbers had dwindled to half—
Noah raised his hand, and his subordinate blew a buffalo horn signal sharply. The captains who had gone left burst from the forest and descended upon the Burgos forces.
Clang! Clang!
“Kill them! They covet our nation!”
“Commander, they’re Cliffford soldiers!”
“They haven’t fully crossed the bridge yet.”
“First legion, continue advancing. Second legion, hold position. Forward! We keep moving forward!”
Black-armored Burgos soldiers and purple-armored Cliffford soldiers clashed in a chaotic melee. Friend and foe became indistinguishable.
The Cliffford citizens crawled between the rubble, praying for their nation’s victory, while Timothy, leading the charge, pressed forward without hesitation as if he had anticipated this very ambush.
The Burgos soldiers standing on the bridge opened the mouth of a massive cloth sack.
Hisssss.
Dozens, hundreds of White-horns poured out. The centipedes swarmed across the bridge and fell into the river below, and May witnessed it.
‘They’re trying to destroy the bridge?’
It was strange. Eliminating an escape route would be a clear burden for Burgos. Unless they were all prepared to die, wouldn’t it be natural to leave a path to retreat if the battle turned against them? Destroying the bridge was something Cliffford should want.
As Burgos intensified the heat and accelerated the explosions, May cried out.
“Prince!”
*Clang!*
*Screeeech!*
Noah, who had been cutting down Burgos soldiers’ necks with his own hands and traversing the battlefield, turned his head at May’s call. His armor and sword were already drenched in blood—whose, he couldn’t say.
“Burgos is trying to blow up the bridge!”
“What?”
Noah immediately recognized that Burgos’s actions were abnormal. But at that very moment, a deafening roar erupted.
*Boom! Bang! Bang!*
Burgos ignited and collapsed the bridge, and the tremor caused earth and stones to tumble down from the surrounding forest.
Noah mechanically swung his sword as he watched Burgos’s army advancing closer to the royal palace.
“Those bastards…”
*Gasp!*
*Crash!*
*Screeeech!*
They wouldn’t be throwing all their forces into the abyss of death without reason.
That meant even if they retreated, they wouldn’t return the way they came. In truth, this wasn’t the only border region connecting to Burgos, but…
“Kill them! Don’t let a single one escape!”
The Prince swung his sword wildly, shouting. Unable to discern their intentions, anxiety suddenly gripped him—had he made a wrong choice? He had to quickly settle this and face them head-on through a different forest path, not the bridge.
At that moment, five Burgos soldiers who recognized Noah as a commander charged at his horse and simultaneously drove their blades into it.
*Neigh!*
The horse thrashed in pain and fell forward. Noah tumbled to the ground as well, and May rushed over in shock to guard the Prince.
“Move! Get back! Prince!”
“The Prince—!”
“Damn it!”
*Screeeech! Screech!*
*Clang!*
Blades flew at him from all directions.
The tension was suffocating—one moment of lost focus and his breath would be cut short. Noah nearly reflexively parried the attacks, deflected them, and rolled again. May tried to pull him up onto her horse, but it wasn’t easy.
Covered in blood of unknown origin, Noah fought across the battlefield on foot. Then suddenly, he felt an odd sensation wrapping around his ankle and hesitated.
*Hisssss.*
Burgos creatures. Those that had crawled out from the collapsed bridge debris were seeping through the gaps in the battlefield.
The moment light began to fill the creature’s pale belly, Noah thrust his sword into it. Hot, foul liquid dulled the blade’s edge.
‘If Burgos creatures are here, that means—’
*Boom! Bang!*
Explosions would occur everywhere, and the moment Noah made this deduction, the earth shook.
Corpses were torn to shreds and flew into the air; the living burst alongside death; those screaming in agony and collapsing appeared indiscriminately from both Burgos and Cliffford’s forces.
“Prince! Please!”
May pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to reach Noah, but it was impossible. Noah shouted back at her.
“Focus only on cutting down the enemy!”
“The White-Horned creatures keep climbing! Retreat to the forest!”
“Yes, Prince! We should go up and strike down Burgos as he climbs!”
“May! There, the boy!”
“But—!”
Screech!
The White-Horned creatures showed no discrimination between Burgos and Cliffford soldiers. The enemy forces seeking to survive would inevitably attempt to climb into the forest, so it was advantageous to seize the position first and knock them down.
May, who had been moving toward Noah, twisted her body following the Prince’s gesture.
“Hurry!”
Patter, patter, patter!
Noah charged forward, cutting through the enemy ranks, while May ascended into the forest, cradling a boy who appeared to be three or four years old in her left arm.
Those on horseback escaped relatively easily, but Noah remained trapped in the midst of the battlefield. It was the moment May set the child down and prepared to rush back into that chaos.
Whoooosh.
The entire ground of Baki village began to glow slowly. The White-Horned creatures, unaware of the confusion around them, were about to ignite once more.
Fallen corpses and faint warmth seeping through the gaps in buildings. Not only Noah but even the Burgos soldiers froze in alarm.
“What… when did this…?”
“Prince!”
“May, no! It’s about to explode!”
Noah ran with all his strength, trampling over corpses. Even as he did, he cut down those who lunged at him, and his heart began to pound as the rising heat intensified.
‘Ah.’
Boom!
Crash! Bang!
The White-Horned creatures detonated in a chain reaction, rumbling explosively.
With a tremendous blast, a shockwave swept through, and flames lashed out in all directions. The Cliffford Captains, including May, were momentarily blinded and forced to shield their faces.
May was the first to regain her senses and look around.
“Where… Prince?”
The skin of the fallen had melted away, making it impossible to identify anyone. She could only distinguish by their clothing, striking down and kicking away the Burgos soldiers who were crawling up.
Even so, May searched desperately with her eyes for any trace of the Prince. But she could not find him.
“May! Get a hold of yourself! The Prince is right there!”
Whoooosh!
It was only when one Captain pointed to the empty sky with a nod.
Noah was suspended in the air, gripping someone’s hand. A Mage—one called the most sacred, closest to divine power.
“Hah…”
Noah looked down at the devastated village beneath his feet, then gazed up at the Mage.
“I was just on reconnaissance. We nearly had a disaster.”
“Did Count Ian send you?”
“Yes, yes. You could say that.”
“What is your name?”
The Mage surveyed the broken bridge, the White-Horned creatures, and the devastated village before answering. Madmen—what exactly did they bring with them, including that strange monster from before? Unbelievable.
“There’s no need for you to know the name of someone like me. Since I’m Ian’s man, it’s as good as Ian saving you.”

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