Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 365

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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 365
Fire. Distribution of Cracks
Buuuu- Buu-
Left and right. Retreat horns sounded simultaneously from both sides.
Burgos had determined the situation unfavorable due to the Sorcerer’s exposed identity and the Mages’ intervention, while Clifford’s forces, having confirmed Prince Noah’s safe return, signaled their soldiers to retreat back to the barrier and fortify their defenses.
Soldiers who had been driving blades into each other’s chests and backs suddenly faltered, gasping for breath. Even as they withdrew to their respective camps, they watched each other until the very end, stepping backward with caution.
Countless corpses lay at their feet. My senses failed to register relief at being alive. Corpses, the stench of blood, the sound of horns, the bitter taste of earth and dust. And above all, the sharp ache of wounds I hadn’t yet fully realized I’d sustained.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
Normally, the losing side would retreat while the victor pursued them. Only by completely crushing the fleeing enemy could one seize and maintain victory—that was the only way to see the end of war.
“Hah, hah….”
“Let’s go back! Turn back!”
“Support, give me some support!”
“Ugh…. Me, I too….”
“Help the wounded! Check on the survivors!”
It was strange. They had clashed as if intent on killing each other at the sound of the horn, yet at the signal sounding again, they now stood back-to-back, beginning to sort out the wounded from each nation.
Trudging along, not a single one unscathed as they returned to their camps—could anything in this world be more contradictory? Fortunately, as twilight completely faded, even that sight sank into darkness.
Whoosh!
“No, let go of me, there’s still one left!”
“Really? Here?”
“Be honest with me. You want to drop me and kill me, don’t you?”
“You’re the one who asked to be let go, Berik.”
The Mages seized Berik according to Ian’s command and dragged him toward the barrier.
Captain Akorella and her subordinates did the same. The barrier gate swung wide open, and they flew through the sky following the soldiers’ return. Soon, everyone had gathered atop the barrier in the command center.
“The smell! It’s maddening!”
“This is what a fragment of a demon beast is. Don’t you want to know the limits of the mana-sealing stones? If we classify and distinguish the residual power levels of demon beasts in the corpses and the respective mana stones that react to them, then going forward—”
Captain Akorella launched into a lengthy speech while holding Tiefe’s severed tongue, but everyone merely pinched their noses and frowned.
But what could they do? There wasn’t a single Mage who could dare talk back to the Captain, much less Captain Akorella.
‘When will Ian arrive?’
They could only hope Ian would arrive soon.
As if their wishes had been granted, Ian entered Clifford’s barrier alongside a blue-haired man. Everyone stiffened. Those clothes—weren’t they a Burgos Soldier’s? The startled guards raised their swords in caution, but Ian gestured for them to stand down.
“It is settled. This man is my prisoner.”
“A, a prisoner? How can you call him Bariel’s prisoner in the war between Burgos and Clifford? Who, who is that man? He doesn’t appear to be an officer….”
The guard trailed off, glancing at the Mages. But even the Mages seemed unaware of who Ian had brought. Berik approached the man and sniffed.
“He reeks of rot.”
“Berik, still the same as ever.”
“You know me?”
Blue hair and slightly pointed ears. Berik brought his fingers to his temples, trying to recall the familiar appearance. When Hasha silently mimicked a puppy with an “arf,” Berik’s expression soured.
“Don’t act cute. I’m still not feeling well.”
“…I am Hasha.”
“…Hasha?”
“Indeed, Hasha.”
“…Hasha!”
Where had I seen that face before? It struck me like lightning—the features of an Astana native! I suddenly remembered seeing a photograph of Hasha with her grandmother. Berik’s jaw dropped in astonishment as he spun around to stare at Hasha.
“What? How did you become human?”
“I was always human to begin with.”
“No, you were a dog. Fluffy and white.”
“Ahem, Lord Ian?”
As the incomprehensible conversation continued, the mages subtly raised their hands, signaling their desire to follow along.
General Clifford’s officers felt the same way. They had suddenly brought in a prisoner, and recognizing him seemed to create confusion about the situation unfolding before them.
That was when it happened.
“Prince Noah has returned!”
News that Prince Noah had survived and returned. Everyone turned their heads simultaneously, and I smiled with relief.
“Now that the Prince has arrived, it would be best if we all gathered together to speak. Please, everyone inside.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Continue strengthening the perimeter, and report immediately if you detect any movement from the enemy.”
“Let us go inside.”
“Akorelra.”
“Yes?”
I stopped Akorelra with an elegant gesture just as she was about to enter the war room. Then, smiling faintly, I glanced at Tiefe’s severed tongue. I wanted her to dispose of it.
Akorelra shrugged and handed the corpse to her subordinate, then casually wiped the filth from her hands onto Berik’s back as she entered with a shameless grin.
“Come on, you little shit, let’s go inside.”
“Back? What did you just wipe on me?”
“That bastard rolled around in corpses—why are you complaining? You can’t even tell. Let’s go!”
I, the mages, General Clifford’s staff and officers, and soon Prince Noah himself all gathered in one place. With the battle paused for now, things were likely proceeding similarly on Burgos’s side.
* * *
“So you’re saying this person is the successor of Astana? The acquaintance Lord Ian met when he went to the capital to receive his title?”
Those who heard of the relationship between me, Berik, and Hasha couldn’t help but marvel in astonishment.
If the wheel of fate existed, surely it would look like this. The small connection made in Karenna had stretched all the way to this battlefield in Clifford, where we now sat with our heads together.
‘Former Minister Wesley is forbidden from discussion.’
I silenced the mages with a glance. There was no need to officially inform Clifford’s side about Bariel’s shame. Of course, the curse she left for Gail as she died had already spread throughout Gaia in whispers.
“So through some incident, you took the form of a dog, then returned to Astana and reclaimed your body? Truly, the world is far deeper and wider than one might think.”
The general unconsciously shook his head and murmured. Monsters, magic—he knew of such things, but they were matters Clifford rarely encountered directly. Seeing it with his own eyes created a sense of cognitive dissonance.
“Rather than reclaiming my body, I found a way to borrow a human form. This body belongs to my cousin. She passed away from illness, and I am borrowing it temporarily.”
“So you’ll rot too as time passes?”
“…Berik, you truly haven’t changed. Yes, that is correct.”
“But if you keep changing bodies, you can live forever, right? That’s pretty good. Never dying even when you die.”
When Berik said this, Akorelra grabbed his cheeks and stretched them out, saying his thoughts were so shallow that perhaps his face should be too.
“You think not dying is good?”
“If I don’t die in a fight, I win everything! Ow!”
“If everyone dies and only you remain, what will you do? Huh? Eat all the meat by yourself?”
“Aaaah! It hurts! Are you trying to kill me?”
“Nature itself operates with perfect structure—even a single drop of water rolls along with its ordained form. Each life is given its precisely measured span of time. Do you truly believe happiness lies in exceeding that?”
Hasha hurriedly tried to stop Akorelra and Berik, then cried out.
“The lifespan of Astana Natives reaches three times that of humans! It is long, but with each body transfer, I feel my soul being gnawed away. I suspect I cannot perform this many times.”
“Is that so? I’m curious. Does Astana not possess something like a mana stone to offset this?”
“We do not. We are those who practice sorcery.”
Tap, tap.
General Clifford cautiously tapped the table, signaling restraint. Prince Noah, who had just returned, had maintained silence while his expression hardened.
He had departed with nearly a thousand soldiers, yet only a few had returned—as a leader, that devastation was unmistakable.
“So then, ahem. In any case, Hasha, the Sorcerer from Astana. Though he sided with Burgos, given his connection to Count Ian, we may assume he will now cooperate with us, yes?”
At the General’s question, Hasha hesitated briefly. It was only a moment. But unable to bear that silence, Noah suddenly erupted in fury and seized Hasha by the nape of his neck, dragging him forward.
“Answer me! Otherwise, I will cut you down this instant. Do you know how much damage the sorcerers have inflicted upon us? And Baekgak? Did you not teach Burgos how to handle him as well? Speak!”
“Your Highness, please calm yourself!”
“Good grief, why is this happening! I’m going to tear Hasha’s neck again!”
“If you do not cooperate with Clifford, I will kill you at once, and Astana as well—”
“Prince Noah.”
Clink.
Ian set down his teacup. It was a small gesture and a quiet call, yet it sufficed to calm the atmosphere of the war room.
“Is this because of the Mei Envoy?”
The death of Mei and her elite guard. Since Hasha had directly controlled that composite beast, his fiery reaction was understandable. Yet Noah needed to recognize that this would not solve the problem.
“Mei is… ah.”
“We do not yet know if she is dead or alive.”
“She was surrounded—beasts before her, soldiers behind.”
“Until you see her corpse, consider her alive. That is the strength by which those who send loved ones into war endure. Your situation differs, but ultimately, there is no other way.”
Noah released Hasha’s nape and wrapped his own head in his hands. Neither weeping nor raging. Simply, calmly, he struggled to settle the turbulent anxiety rising within him like a tempest.
“Did not the King say so?”
“…Say what?”
“That Your Highness is the center of the world. Should the Mei Envoy be thought dead, so too will all the world think it.”
Noah’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment.
Though raised with royal education, he had never heard such words spoken. Was this not the very mindset of an Emperor who governs all of the Gaia continent?
Was it because he served an Emperor? Was this the difference between an Empire and a Kingdom? As Noah hesitated, Hasha revealed the truth.
“The King of Burgos made a proposal to the Minority Successors of the northern regions. He would wage war against Clifford, and to those who answered, he promised active support in matters of power struggles and succession within the tribes.”
The north was truly an age of chaos.
Within Astana itself, several tribes were in endless conflict, and to unite them required more certain and powerful external aid. For Hasha, it was a proposal he had no reason to refuse—perfectly suited to his needs.
“So you created the composite beast and mobilized it here?”
“I swear upon my honor, I did not know Bariel was present, Count Ian.”
“You owe Clifford an apology!”
“Whoa, whoa, everyone calm down. If my head keeps ringing, my stomach will churn again.”
As Noah rose abruptly, Berik feigned retching to diffuse the tension.
Hasha clenched his lips. Threatening Clifford for Astana’s benefit was purely his will, the will of his followers, and ultimately would become the will of all Astana. How then could he apologize? No matter how noble his opponent, Prince Noah was, Hasha could not retreat.
“Hasha. That’s enough. There’s no one here without circumstances. However, now that you’ve come to know of our existence, I hope things will be somewhat different going forward.”
Ian nodded as if he understood. Well, it wasn’t as though they had invaded Bariel itself, and this was a matter concerning Clifford, a foreign nation, so adjusting things appropriately would be more efficient and beneficial.
“Of course. Considering the debt I owe to Count Ian, it wouldn’t be enough even if I devoted my entire soul to repaying it going forward.”
“What about me? Hasha, I’m here too!”
“As for you, Berik… yes, I’m grateful for that.”
Hasha smiled faintly and placed what hung around his neck onto the table.
“Just as King Damon has numerous reasons for targeting Clifford, the northern minorities’ participation in this war has equally numerous reasons.”
Clink.
Bratz’s crimson brooch. Seeing that thing disguised as a necklace, old memories seemed to surface one after another.
“Reasons? What are they?”
“The north is currently overflowing with demons, and what’s called the ‘Rift’—their source—stretches endlessly. Unless we abandon the land, the demons appearing there won’t disappear.”
“But?”
“King Damon told us that Clifford also has a similar Rift. If we develop that location and concentrate the magical anomaly reaction there, the Rift crisis in the north could improve somewhat.”
Prince Noah and General Clifford’s faces turned pale. In other words, right now, they were essentially saying they would disperse the chaos from the northern continent into Clifford?
“You’ll understand the details if you listen to this. Count Ian.”
“Ah. Yes. This has proven more useful than I expected.”
The Bratz brooch had a recording function. Ian injected magical power lightly, and the jewel glowed red.
Then, the conversation King Damon had shared with the Minority Successors began to play.

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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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