Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 364

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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 364
Fire. Meeting Again
Akorelra’s descent carried multiple meanings.
It signified that a Mage had directly intervened in the war between Burgos and Cliffford, which immediately created an insurmountable imbalance in morale.
If those approaching divine power took to the battlefield, wouldn’t it be obvious which way the scales would tip?
The battlefield, which had seemed to rot terribly from the synthetic monsters, now emanated a sacred vitality sprouting forth. Small yet undeniable, its life force could be felt throughout one’s entire being.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Captain Akorelra, be careful!”
“Yeah, don’t mess around! That thing’s tongue is incredibly long!”
“Wow, getting told not to mess with a mutt—I’ve lived long enough to see everything.”
Zzzing. Zing.
Akorelra’s eyes gleamed as she unleashed her mana.
Her irises shifted to gold. Since she primarily handled research in the Magic Division, her mana was weaker compared to captains of other departments. And above all, her basic physical strength as well.
“Hraagh!”
But what compensated for that was her mana stones. Just as a swordsman grips a blade and an archer draws a bow, she seized a dagger embedded with mana stones and dashed swiftly toward the monster.
Tiefe’s maw split open as its long tongue shot forward with terrifying speed, aiming for Akorelra’s heart.
“Mess with your tongue and it gets cut off!”
Shliiing!
Akorelra severed Tiefe’s tongue completely with her dagger. She had drawn out physical strength through mana, but that was all.
The lizard’s tongue was sliced as easily as paper—an effect of the mana-sealing stone. The moment the blade struck, it destroyed the monster’s regenerative ability and its very existence, reducing it to mere flesh.
Akorelra watched the severed tongue flop on the ground and her eyes sparkled.
“Ah, this is killing me!”
“Captain, isn’t it regenerating?”
“Huh? It’s not. Since it’s dead anyway, the regeneration can’t work. Let me see if the skin gets cut too. Pick that up and hold it carefully! I’ll need it for experiments.”
“Pardon? This? You want me to hold this?”
“Lose it and you’re in trouble!”
Akorelra shouted this and lowered her body toward Bergman’s abdomen, charging forward.
But Berik arrived first, kicking the creature’s belly. Its massive weight slid backward and tumbled.
“Hey, don’t butt in unnecessarily!”
“Give me a turn too. I want to cut something.”
“No way, you fool. Wait until supplies arrive.”
“Ahhh, hurry! I know where its core is. I’ll do it quick and clean.”
“I said no! Get lost!”
While Akorelra and Berik bickered, the synthetic monster staggered to its feet. From the severed tongue’s cross-section, thick and foul liquid dripped steadily. It would be blood in a human, but since this was a rotting corpse, the mucus itself was truly grotesque.
Akorelra scratched her nose and handed the dagger to Berik.
“No. Our mutt should go.”
“You don’t want to get your hands dirty, do you?”
“That’s more efficient, isn’t it? Go on! Ah, handle it as cleanly as possible. I want to take that and try a few things with it.”
“Yes, yes. Going now. Cutting meat is something I’m pretty good at.”
This is ridiculous. Since when did he start eating meat to say such things, honestly.
As Captain Akorella brushed off her collar and glanced around, her eyes met those of the Burgos soldiers encircling them with spears. They made no effort to hide their tension and fear, for they knew that anyone who could pierce through a composite monster like Berik would be no match for them.
Who would wish to hurl themselves against a wall? Even if they did, they’d want to be the very last, creating nothing more than a ripple.
The soldiers moved in unison around Captain Akorella, maintaining a fixed distance between them.
“Ahahaha! Is this a threat? It feels more like an escort.”
“P-please, Mage, leave this place! You’re not even from Cliffford!”
“That’s right. This is a war between Burgos and Cliffford. Why would the M-Mage Bariel interfere?”
The non-commissioned officers standing behind the soldiers threw out their words one after another. If they couldn’t suppress her by force, persuasion was their best option to make her withdraw.
Captain Akorella tilted her head, her golden eyes gleaming.
“Funny. Then why did you drag in minorities?”
* * *
May squeezed her eyes shut. Soon, the enemy’s blade would sever her neck and steal her breath.
They say that when death approaches, memories of the past flash before your eyes. The day Noah first wept and confessed his curse to her, the moment she embraced him, and the great and small events that had occurred in the royal palace—all appeared like phantoms in her mind.
Crash!
But then she realized her body bore no injury. As she cautiously lifted her head, the composite monster twisted grotesquely, swaying back and forth.
The soldiers, startled by the sudden abnormality, retreated backward. Soon, May crawled toward the corpse of her fallen comrade, seizing the opportunity created by the sudden darkness that descended, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe.
‘Why is it doing that?’
It was an opportunity for May, but she couldn’t fathom the reason. Why were those things that had moved so well, as if alive, now convulsing like they were running wild?
Zing. Zing.
“A mage! The mage has come this far!”
“What should we do, Captain!”
“D-draw your bows! Maintain formation and don’t scatter! Simultaneously, fire arrows into the sky. Keep in mind the vast expanse above and shoot without gaps! Fire!”
A mage! The news that a mage had reached the rear ranks spread, and the surroundings fell into chaos. To be precise, I was merely flying through the sky to observe the overall situation.
“Ian, arrows are about to be fired.”
“I see.”
Whoosh!
Ping! Ping!
The soldiers drew their bowstrings with all their might, aiming at my vicinity. Rather than striking in one blow, their response was more about overwhelming with numbers to drive me away or contain me.
Zing. Zing.
“Ian!”
As arrows swarmed toward me, I casually waved my hand to create a protective barrier. With just a single gesture.
Where an ordinary mage would inscribe formulas on the ground and carefully construct a wall through calculation, I simply created one from thin air while standing, as if swatting away flies.
Ting! Ping!
Arrows tipped with Idgal rained down like a downpour. With each volley, cracks spread across my barrier, and I swiftly generated a new one.
“A-are you alright, Ian?”
“It would be troublesome if a stray arrow struck me.”
It was a nod indicating that I had seen the overall situation and should now withdraw. The moment the mage nodded.
Whoosh!
The composite monster’s tongue pierced through the arrows and flew rapidly toward me. The startled mage burst a mana sphere to block it, but it continued rising without hesitation.
“Ian, this is dangerous. Let us go to where Berik and Captain Akorella are.”
“Wait.”
The Mage urged him forward, but Ian merely furrowed his brow and did not move. Even as arrows continued to rain down, shaking his protective barrier.
‘What is this?’
The movements appeared to be merely feigning an attack, devoid of true intent. He slowly examined the area below, and soon encountered something peculiar.
Among those who darted about in all directions wielding weapons, someone stood perfectly still with a raised hand. A necklace was wound tightly around his wrist, with a crimson gem dangling from it.
“Count Ian?”
“Ah, this is troublesome.”
“Count Ian!”
Zing! Zing!
I descended toward the one with the outstretched hand. As I drew closer, the threat of arrows intensified, yet I paid it no mind. Protected by barriers that continuously formed and shattered, I rapidly approached the one holding the gem.
“The Mage draws near! This is our chance!”
“Do not miss this opportunity!”
“Captain, the Mage appears to have recognized the Sorcerer!”
“What? How is that possible?”
“I am uncertain, but—”
“Protect the Sorcerer!”
The Officers mistook my intentions—they believed I sought to kill the Sorcerer. And with good reason; should he perish, the composite monsters would become nothing more than rotting corpses.
Upon the new command, Soldiers surrounded the Sorcerer and immediately threw themselves down to shield him with their bodies. Yet through the gaps, the Sorcerer’s hand remained visible, still displaying the gem.
“What are you doing? Hide yourself below!”
“Conceal your body!”
But he remained steadfast. Even as he fell and his vision was obscured, his resolve was unwavering—the gem would remain visible.
I closed to within several meters. Now not only archers but infantry as well rushed at me with swords and spears drawn. The Mage continued to deflect them as if standing guard, but magical power has its limits.
“Count Ian! Please come up—”
Zing. Zing.
Crash! Bang!
「Huoluo」.
In that instant, a colossal inferno erupted from my back. It took the form of a giant woman, twisting and stretching as if to limber up her entire body.
Unlike the scorching aura of the blazing flames, nothing actually burned. Only the reflexive terror of humans fearing immolation by the heat caused them to instinctively retreat.
The flame-shaped figure swept about like wind, carving out space around me.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Fall back! Fall back!”
“Fire! It’s fire!”
Perhaps it was mass hysteria. Some Soldiers clutched at their own unburned hands and rolled about, while others threw dirt and soil in an attempt to save them.
The illusory flames flickered and danced with the wind. The Mage stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at my back.
What had he just witnessed? The protective barrier was one thing, but how could such advanced magic be activated and controlled in an instant?
The Grand Mage who had sworn the Mage’s oath had spoken of reaching such heights, but could it truly be that Ian walked the same timeline as him?
Whoosh!
I snatched the gem from the air as if fishing, seizing the man’s wrist. Though Soldiers clung to him in an attempt to restrain me, how could they stop one who rose effortlessly as if gravity did not exist?
I examined the gem closely, then declared loudly for all to hear.
“I have taken the Sorcerer as a prisoner. If you wish to negotiate, cease combat immediately and enter a ceasefire. Otherwise, I will hunt down every remaining Sorcerer and kill them all.”
A composite monster began lumbering after the direction in which I disappeared. But soon, as the distance became too great, it simply sat motionless like a masterless dog. Even as Soldiers tried to push it forward, it did not budge—it had truly returned to being nothing more than a corpse.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
“Count Ian! Is he really a Sorcerer? What will you do if you bring him here? You should kill him at once!”
The Mage scurried after me, his voice trembling with panic, but I merely lowered my gaze to meet the man’s eyes.
Blue hair—unmistakably the hallmark of an Astanan.
And—
“Hasha, you’ve changed much in our time apart.”
One who bore a refined brooch of the Bratz family.
“It has been long, Count Ian.”
It was Hasha. There had to be a particular reason for a member of the minority peoples’ succession to participate in Burgos’ war effort. Hasha understood that my actions stemmed from concern for his predicament.
“I’ve only ever received your aid.”
“Don’t worry. Now I intend to receive from you.”
Burgos’ true intentions that Cliffford and Bariel knew nothing of, and the reason the minority peoples had been mobilized—I had no doubt that Hasha would reveal all of it to me.

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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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