Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 368

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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 368
Fire. Each to Their Own Place
Crash!
General Burgos slammed his fist against the table.
The sharp, grinding sound of splintering wood echoed clearly, and the officers remained silent with their heads bowed.
When they had breached Clifford’s barrier—no, when they had conquered two villages including Baki and arrived at this place—their momentum had been fierce, as though victory were already within their grasp.
But was that fervent heat merely a fleeting blaze, like the sun itself? The moment night fell, their morale had grown cold and brittle.
“Continue reporting.”
“Yes, sir.”
In the direct confrontation at the front, they had gained nothing but the deaths of their soldiers.
They had ventured far from their homeland with limited forces, deep within enemy territory. Reinforcements would come eventually, but with the Baki bridge destroyed, their arrival would be difficult at best. The situation was dire.
The officer cleared his throat hesitantly.
“We have successfully evacuated all the Sorcerers and changed their attire. We cannot determine how the Mage identified them. The cultural differences between tribes are so vast that no common distinguishing features were apparent. It seems likely they used magic.”
“But you said yourself that Sorcerers’ power differs from magical force. That cannot be it.”
“Then what?”
No one could offer an answer readily.
None dared to guess how a Sorcerer could be singled out from among so many people. That a bastard Mage from the borderlands had connections with the northern minorities. And that what he carried was Bratz’s brooch.
“Sigh.”
The General groaned and rubbed his face. Since they had evacuated all the Sorcerers from the camp, they would have to devise new strategies.
And above all, the loss of even one Sorcerer meant the loss of one Synthetic Monster. Already, four had been rendered useless by those madmen in the Mage’s company.
“This is troublesome indeed.”
The General muttered darkly, surveying the officers, and their faces grew even more rigid. Had they not even managed to capture Prince Noah, who had struck from the rear and withdrawn so brazenly?
From all their battles, large and small, they had gained nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“General, sir. I believe we should breach the barrier at first light. We have supply concerns, and the longer we wait, the less advantage we possess.”
“Yes, that is true. The soldiers who witnessed the Mage’s existence firsthand have lost their fighting spirit entirely—this is perhaps the most serious problem. If we successfully breach the barrier, morale will recover.”
“Hmm.”
The General deliberated. King Damon had issued orders before the campaign that he must reach the royal palace or capital by a certain date.
He counted the days on his fingers, and the complexity in his mind only deepened. Time was running short.
“But what did the Clifford—no, rather, Bariel’s Mages do with the Sorcerer they took?”
“Hasha, he was called. An Astana Native.”
“Yes, that’s right. He doesn’t possess any particularly vital information, but still, I’m concerned. What if he revealed the appearances of the other Sorcerers? I’ve heard that Sorcerers have similar auras and are sensitive to recognizing one another.”
“It could work to our advantage. We might lure the Mages using a Sorcerer as bait. What troubles me is only that one Synthetic Monster back there refuses to budge.”
The creature reeking of decay stood firm at the rear, leaving their camp divided like scissors, split left and right.
Then, a voice from outside the tent. It was Timothy.
“General, sir. I have something to report.”
“Lord Timothy? Please, come in.”
He excelled on the battlefield, yet was excluded from such crucial councils. He could not fathom his own purpose, but since the Prince willed it so, he simply endured in silence. Timothy glanced briefly around the interior, then nodded.
“Regarding the prisoner brought in, sir—we’ve confirmed his identity. He is one of the envoys from Clifford, and I have seen him in Bariel. He is among Prince Noah’s closest confidants and a true power within the royal palace.”
A small sigh escaped. So they had salvaged something after all.
Though they had lost the Sorcerer, capturing one of Noah’s closest advisors as a prisoner was an invaluable stroke of fortune. The officers’ faces brightened as they added their thoughts.
“That’s right. I noticed their movements were quite refined. And they traveled in a small elite group with Prince Noah. They’re definitely worth negotiating for. Let’s exchange Iza for the Sorcerer.”
“Hmm. Well, how influential are they really? Even if they’re a delegation, the numbers would be substantial.”
“If Lord Timothee remembers them, then you should understand immediately. Just as you serve the Prince, they must be very important figures.”
Timothy didn’t respond to the officers’ words. He couldn’t affirm with certainty whether he was truly an important subordinate to Damon. He deliberately changed the subject.
“In my opinion, there’s a possibility she’s Prince Noah’s lover. The relationship between those two when I saw them in Bariel seemed quite intimate. No matter how long they’ve been together since childhood, there was no sense of distance between royalty and their subordinate.”
“A lover! Ah, excellent.”
“How interesting. How very interesting.”
“Are you continuing the interrogation?”
“Yes. But I think it would be good to observe her once. She has considerable spirit, and ordinary people cannot match her. General, please see her yourself and decide what to do. In my humble opinion….”
May was no ordinary woman. Whether to let such a person go free or to recover the Sorcerer—Timothy himself couldn’t dare guess which would be more advantageous in the current situation.
If May returned safely, not only would a capable subordinate rejoin Noah’s side, but it would also bolster the Prince’s morale. From what Timothy had observed in Bariel, Prince Noah seemed emotionally volatile and had a sensitive, somewhat prickly temperament—a judgment he could make based on that.
“It might be better to kill May here and abandon the Sorcerer. After all, the Sorcerer isn’t responsible for just one Synthetic Monster.”
“He’s the one who can control them from the greatest distance. You’ve seen the power of the Synthetic Monsters, haven’t you? With Mages now involved, we’ll certainly lose without them. Each one is crucial, so we must absolutely find the Sorcerer.”
Several officers strongly objected, waving their hands in refusal. The others seemed to have no particular disagreement. They figured that since these men were doomed anyway, it was better to let one person live and gain control of the monsters.
Timothy shrugged and lifted the tent flap. The General and officers slowly made their way out toward where May was bound.
“Mmph! Mmph-mmph!”
“Wow, stop that. Huh?”
Thud! Thud!
“Hold her! Grab her again!”
They had bound her hands because she tried to slit her own throat with a dagger, and gagged her because she tried to bite her tongue. But May didn’t give up, repeatedly slamming her forehead against the ground and crying out for death. She would rather die than be captured as a prisoner by the enemy and bring shame upon Clifford.
“Tsk.”
The General glanced at Timothy and clicked his tongue. He immediately understood Timothy’s intentions. Such strength was almost unbelievable.
The soldiers finally bound her to a wooden stake, and May sighed as she watched blood dripping down. Could she stop her own breathing intentionally? If she did, could she bury Clifford’s secrets that lay within her forever?
If her corpse could rot and scatter, becoming formless and disappearing, she felt she could do anything.
“She certainly seems to be a real power in the palace. She knows quite a lot. She’s trying to take her own life before being tortured.”
An officer standing near the General whispered softly.
With rough, ragged breathing and blurring vision, May couldn’t even distinguish whether what dripped through the gag was her saliva or blood.
“Before handing her over as a prisoner, shouldn’t we examine her hands for a while? We might be able to extract useful information.”
“I’m opposed.”
Timothy immediately countered the officer’s suggestion.
“Torture marks will certainly be discovered. If she’s truly Prince Noah’s lover, we’ll only provoke the other side. If you’re going to do it, I think it’s better to finish it ourselves rather than hand her over.”
“But—”
“And consider this. Does Iza look like someone who would open her mouth just from a little torture? On the battlefield, the General and officers are responsible and leaders. But prisoner exchange negotiations are much like diplomacy. In this matter, please follow my opinion.”
He was firm. Either torture and kill her, or abandon the Sorcerer. Or alternatively, return her as intact as possible.
The General stroked his beard repeatedly, deliberating. Ideally, he’d torture her, exchange her as a prisoner, and find Hasha, but Timothy’s logic was sound.
“Send word to Clifford. Prepare a messenger.”
“Yes, General.”
“And conceal her wounds as much as possible.”
The battle had already concluded with an unfavorable outcome. There was no benefit in unnecessarily provoking Clifford. At the General’s command, everyone bowed their heads and dispersed, and Timothy followed after them.
May frowned at the phantoms passing back and forth before her eyes. It felt as though someone was gently wiping her forehead with cool cloth.
“Noah….”
May murmured softly before losing consciousness, and the Soldier failed to catch what she had said.
Moments later, a Messenger rushed toward the barrier, waving Burgos’s flag.
* * *
Torches spread one by one across the barrier’s top.
The red brick wall, which had hidden itself in darkness, gradually revealed itself, and soon the dignity of the Soldiers aiming their bows beside it was illuminated as well.
As Clifford’s banner waved grandly, the barrier gate opened. The Clifford Soldiers guarding the front of the barrier split left and right to clear a path, and those emerging from the main gate could now face the Soldiers from Burgos’s side.
Tap tap tap.
Only the sound of horses being led echoed quietly.
A prisoner exchange was essentially an inviolable state. If one launched a surprise attack here, they would face public dishonor and condemnation, but did such things matter in the pursuit of victory? Since it happened quite frequently, everyone proceeded with the prisoner exchange cautiously.
“I am Racal, Battalion Commander of the First Battalion of Burgos! Show us the Sorcerer Hasha from Astana on Clifford’s side! Here, we have the one you desire!”
Whoosh.
He brought the torch close to May’s face to demonstrate there were no issues with her identity.
Then light shone from Clifford’s side as well. The bound Hasha stood there.
“When the horn sounds, have the prisoners walk toward the opposite side simultaneously! You’ll regret any foolish actions!”
“Shut it. That’s what we should be saying.”
“One, two, three!”
“Move slowly, slowly!”
Buuuu-
A horn sounding in the dead of night.
May and Hasha slowly walked past each other. When May reached Clifford’s side, a blanket was draped over her and the Doctor’s examination began immediately.
But when Hasha arrived—
“Spread your hands, left and right.”
A body search was conducted first, in case Clifford’s side had planted something on him. He noticed the necklace hanging around Hasha’s neck and raised an eyebrow.
“This is something I brought from my homeland. The others who traveled with me will testify to it.”
“Hmm.”
After searching him several times, he nodded. The Soldiers mounted Hasha on a horse and galloped toward Burgos’s camp, while the Battalion Commander himself backed away slowly, keeping watch on the barrier.
Tap tap tap!
Urgent, tense, and executed without a single discordant note between their mutual understanding—the prisoner exchange. Hasha clutched the necklace tightly as he recalled Ian’s orders in his mind.
‘Shake the camp, confirm the Sorcerer’s location. And—’
Hint to Timothy that his family is destined to die.

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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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