Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 358

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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 358
Fire. The Composite Beast
Timothy wrinkled the bridge of his nose. The scent of blood carried on the wind suddenly churned his stomach. The cavalry riding at the vanguard—the Burgos flags they waved were stained with the blood of Clippoford’s people.
General Burgos, noticing Timothy’s concentration wavering, shouted. He was the current legion’s supreme commander and decision-maker.
“Commander Timothy! Is something the matter?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Don’t let your attention wander. That ‘thing’ trailing behind us could rampage at any moment—we can’t afford to lose focus now. Clippoford has begun moving their soldiers as well, so we must press forward with even greater vigor!”
The General gestured with a hearty laugh. At his signal, the military musicians blared their trumpets with all their might.
Buuuu, buu. The unceasing sound seemed to shake heaven and earth. Birds hidden among the leaves took flight, and creatures both large and small vanished across the forest.
The sound was so loud and heavy it made the ears ring. Timothy felt his mind growing distant.
“Commander Timothy!”
“No, my apologies.”
>”How can you be like this before such a great undertaking? Once we complete this mission and return, the King will bestow great rewards upon you. I envy your position. Hahaha! So let us perform worthy of that honor. Thousands of soldiers follow us, do they not?”
The General gestured for Timothy to look behind. Unaware that doing so only further unsettled Timothy’s mind.
‘Why am I in this position?’
Timothy was the representative of the diplomatic delegation, and thus essential at the border for Burgos to make its position clear, gain legitimacy, or achieve diplomatic compromise.
But he could not fathom why he was riding alongside the General. At times, depending on the terrain, he even rode ahead of the General. From a distance, wouldn’t it appear that he was the one leading thousands of soldiers?
Clop clop clop!
Neigh!
Military glory was an extraordinarily sensitive matter for warriors. There was nothing more important than being recognized for a mission undertaken at the cost of death and receiving its reward. Above all, command of troops was a warrior’s power and thus his honor. Sharing soldiers under one’s command with another was not easily understood.
Yet the man beside him was doing exactly that. He had welcomed Timothy’s vanguard position and actively accepted his orders and suggestions.
Everything was proceeding smoothly, yet an inexplicable unease kept his thoughts in disarray.
‘Come back safely, my dear.’
And above all, his wife’s parting words lingered in his ears. It was an ordinary business trip, but perhaps because its purpose was war, his wife and children—embracing him so tenderly—continued to weigh on his heart.
Clop clop clop!
The General glanced sideways at Timothy, recalling his secret audience with the King before the campaign.
‘You wish me to place Commander Timothy at the front? He is not a soldier.’
‘I know. But isn’t his accompaniment already decided? We’re simply moving that position forward.’
‘Your Highness. May I ask the reason? Forgive me, but standing at the vanguard means taking responsibility for that war. If I cannot convince myself and my subordinates, the battle’s efficiency will suffer.’
‘Placing Timothy at the front will minimize casualties.’
‘Pardon? What do you mean by that…?’
‘You’ll understand once you go. Don’t ask unnecessary questions. All the glory will go to you.’
He could not fathom the King’s intention. But the look in his eyes made it abundantly clear not to ask further, so he had no choice but to withdraw. Besides, since the King said he would provide everything needed, he had no grounds for objection.
Honestly, it seemed odd only on the surface—the arrangement posed no real problem. Who could say? Perhaps, as the King suggested, Timothy would take the arrows flying their way in his stead.
“A small city appears ahead. Once we cross there, we’ll be at the central outskirts leading directly to the capital!”
At his subordinate’s cry, the General raised his spyglass to look. He could see defensive fortifications. They were as tall and thick as those at the border, and soldiers could be seen moving atop them. Besides the Clippoford forces attacking from behind, this would be another garrison.
Moreover, the nearby homes were empty. It was clear that evacuation orders had already been issued in preparation for the offensive.
“How many Baekgaks remain?”
“Five units, sir.”
With nearly dozens per unit, they could easily breach the barrier again. The General issued orders to reduce speed and directed his subordinates accordingly.
“I’ll release them. Prepare yourselves.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Those wretched creatures are so primitive they won’t move as we wish. Isn’t that right, Timothy?”
How convenient it would be if they all clustered together and burst at once. True to their insectoid forms, these monsters scatter in every direction the moment they’re released—troublesome beasts through and through.
Timothy nodded in agreement, then suddenly froze.
Whoosh.
While everyone’s gaze remained fixed on the barrier, Timothy raised his telescope to the sky. A speck so tiny it could have been dust. He thought it might be a passing bird, but its movement seemed unnatural, arousing his suspicion.
Timothy soon recognized it bore the shape of a human, and he reported to the General.
“Mages!”
* * *
“Wow. Looking at it this way, it’s really swarming down there.”
“Ugh, so heavy. Berik, have you gained weight?”
“What? I’m the same as always.”
“Just what you’re carrying weighs more than a person. Don’t let go or we’re done for.”
“Right! If I slip, I’m dead! At this height, I really will be!”
Just as Timothy had done, I raised my telescope and surveyed the entire force. Prince Noah’s obstruction had proven quite effective—the numbers appeared to be roughly half of what I’d heard reported. Likely an advance company sent ahead.
The clear division between right and left flanks made it obvious that an experienced general was commanding them.
“Ian. Should we descend further?”
“No. Wait.”
Typically, weapons are held on the right and shields on the left, making the right flank responsible for offense and the left for defense—a standard tactic and formation. Of course, in the era when I lived as Emperor Ian, military strategy had evolved far beyond such basics through countless wars.
Regardless, from what I could observe, Damon’s intention to use this incident not merely as a probe but as the opening move of something larger seemed unmistakable.
‘It would be useful to know who the general is, but the reports from the border only mention Timothy.’
Was this Damon’s strategy? A calculated move, suspecting that I held Timothy in special regard. I’d foreseen this since the moment he made contact with the traitor upon entering Clippoford, but no matter how I considered it, my options remained limited.
‘…For Naum’s future.’
My existence had twisted certain aspects of history, but from a broader perspective, the grand framework remained intact. As long as Timothy lived, he retained the opportunity and future to naturalize into Bariel—which meant Naum’s possibility of existence also remained.
Between Emperor Ian and the illegitimate Ian, a hundred years stretched between us. From a divine perspective, it was remarkably brief, but from the viewpoint of humans living within history, such moments accumulated into eternities.
And those moments were sufficient to cleave fate and transform lives.
“Ian. There it is! What I mentioned! Do you see the enormous carriage in the middle of the procession? It’s behind that!”
“Look! Look at me too!”
“Stop squirming, you’ll really fall!”
Following the Mage’s fingertip, I adjusted my telescope’s angle. Between what appeared to be supply wagons, a peculiar creature came into view.
“Ah…”
“Now you understand why I couldn’t explain it? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
You know what it is, don’t you? The Mage’s eyes gleamed with absolute certainty, his fists clenched as if demanding I speak the answer aloud.
But my response was unexpected.
“I’ve never seen it either.”
“What? Really? You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“Not joking. Truly.”
His expression went blank as if he’d heard something absurd. I chuckled and held the telescope to Berik’s eye. He furrowed his brow, observing the bizarre creature walking among the soldiers.
“Huh? Uh, uh? That’s… that thing, isn’t it!”
“It’s a creature born from necromancy.”
“Right, that’s it!”
“Berik, stop pretending you know and keep quiet, would you?”
“No, I do know. I’ve seen it before. When we passed through Karenna’s village, Hasha was a person, but she was a dog, right? But they said that was because she died. Ian, isn’t that right? I’m right, aren’t I? Answer me quick!”
What nonsense.
The Mages frowned seriously and considered whether to let go of their hands. But Ian nodded with an approving smile.
“Yes. I’ll tell you what happened in Karenna later when we have time. For now, what you need to know is that it was created through necromancy. Let’s see, what parts were stitched together….”
Whether from the stench of decay, all the Soldiers leading the creature had covered their noses with cloth masks. The body of a bear the size of a wagon, a lizard’s head, and its entire surface bristling with sharp spines.
I muttered to myself.
“Judging by how it walks, the torso appears to be a Bergman, the head is a Tiefe, and the spines look like weapons coated with poison.”
“A Bergman? Ah! I know! Isn’t that the reddish-brown bear?”
“How did Burgos even capture that? It must have been difficult with just Soldiers.”
“Or maybe they only got the corpse. That’s how necromancy works, right? There are rumors it’ll even desecrate graves if needed.”
“But if it crawls around that slowly, honestly it’s not very useful, is it? Su, we’re in the sky right now!”
When Berik playfully kicked at the air, the two Mages staggered and gripped their power firmly.
“That may be true for us, but Clippoford is different. You’ve never seen a Bergman, have you? Despite how it looks, they’re incredibly fast.”
“Neither have you.”
“Of course not! Bears tear people apart.”
“I can tear people apart too.”
“…What am I even talking to you about. Never mind.”
The Mage warned Berik, emphasizing the danger, but his expression showed he wasn’t taking it seriously. The Mages asked me.
“Ian. What should we do? Wouldn’t it be better to stop it before it reaches the wall? The King of Clippoford has formally requested our aid, and I’m wondering if unnecessary conflict serves any purpose. Let’s just kill them all.”
Burgos’s forces that had already advanced should be eliminated, and by unnecessary conflict here, they meant casualties on Clippoford’s side.
I watched the gradually slowing column of troops and asked.
“…It seems everyone only knows about the Bergman and doesn’t know about the Tiefe.”
Ah. They’d been caught red-handed.
They’d tried to agree and move past it.
Berik burst out laughing as he watched the Mages’ faces.
“Haha, idiots. Caught you.”
“This won’t do. Berik, I’m letting go.”
“Sorry, aaah, sorry!”
The Tiefe used its long tongue freely to capture prey. It could lay it on the ground like a trap and drag things in, or it could dart out flexibly and snatch flying targets.
But the problem was that its length exceeded imagination.
“It won’t reach here! Let’s just shoot it down!”
“Even if we ignore the Soldiers, can you even hit it?”
“What does it matter? We just need to blow the head off the ones under necromancy! The lizard’s head is huge! Just smash it!”
“It’s the result of combining multiple parts. Would they expose its weakness so openly?”
“Huh? Then?”
I noticed the large-scale changes in the left and right flanks gradually narrowing. The composite creatures they’d brought numbered thirty by my current count. I couldn’t rule out the possibility of them controlling other creatures besides Baekgak.
“The spines coated with poison protect the exterior. The real head is inside that body. Unless you split it open and destroy it, you can’t kill it. Literally, those things are already dead.”
“Ah, so we need to get closer.”
“There is another method, though.”
That colossal black tide. Either find and kill the Necromancer hiding within it, or locate one concealed elsewhere. Either way, this promised to be a rather challenging battle.
I gestured toward the royal palace, signaling our return. We would need to coordinate with Clippoford.

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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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