Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 37

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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 37. The Betrayer of the Great Desert
“Hyah!”
I kicked the horse’s flank sharply and galloped into the forest. It was the woods adjacent to the Merelov Estate, the opposite direction from the Great Desert that bordered our lands. There was a temporary Training Ground that had been established in the previous generation to secure that position.
Deo would be there with the private soldiers.
‘No, he has to be!’
The soldiers stationed at the Manor had been dismissed due to the investigation team’s pressure, but the private unit centered around Deo remained.
“Deo!”
I dismounted and rushed toward the temporary Training Ground. My voice echoed back as if my desperate cry had become a mere echo.
The surroundings were silent. Not a single sign of life.
“Surely not, surely not….”
Was there always another disaster waiting beyond the worst?
Terrible possibilities flashed through my mind. Had the escaped Butler managed to warn Deo? And even if he had, would Deo have….
“Count!”
That was when it happened.
The Training Ground flag fluttered and a voice rang out. I gasped for breath and stepped inside, and soon I could see the soldiers who had been hiding.
“Deo!”
“Count. Are you well? What of the Cheonryeo Tribe?”
Originally, when the Cheonryeo Tribe arrived to shake the investigation team, I had planned to provide support from the rear. Since direct confrontation with the Central Army held meaning beyond mere resistance, I had intended to place the Cheonryeo in the middle as a buffer.
“It fell through. They betrayed us. We must recapture the Manor before the Central Army arrives. We need to hold out until Prince Marib’s reply comes.”
Though I suffered this humiliation under the guise of the Borderlands, it was also for that same reason that it was worthwhile. Bratz had two to three times more soldiers than other estates, and the unique terrain provided numerous variables.
Was that all?
Because of the Cheonryeo Tribe’s presence, we were thoroughly prepared to enter wartime at any moment. The fact that we could rally soldiers despite the investigation team’s sudden assault was proof of that.
For the first time in my life, I felt pride in my estate and my soldiers.
“We accept your command.”
“Unlike the Central Army, the investigation team’s forces are not formidable. Let’s go. Go and kill them all. Tear them to shreds and make them beast feed.”
Deo laughed with his head bowed.
There were always those who desired war. And now Deo was one of them.
‘If we win this battle, military command will surely come to me.’
Then in the Bratz Estate, he would wield power second only to me. Chel? Even if that fool became the successor Count, the blood and sweat Deo shed this day would be remembered forever.
His heart, too—a man of lowborn origins standing at the peak of his life—began to race.
“Let’s go! To reclaim our daily lives!”
“Uaaaah!”
As Deo shouted, the soldiers’ roar echoed like waves. A shout so fierce the mountain itself trembled. Mountain birds startled and took flight, and between them, a massive hawk glided leisurely.
Whiiiish.
In the distance, the long procession of the Central Army was reflected in the hawk’s eyes. The Bratz Estate, passed down through generations. A blood feud between our own people that had never occurred before and would never occur again—it was drawing near.
Su, watching it all, reached out and caught the hawk, fixing Kusile’s head toward the Great Desert.
* * *
Berik’s body was drenched in cold sweat. The aged Physician grabbed bundles of medicinal herbs and stuffed them into the punctured wound on his side, continuously pouring an unknown black liquid into his mouth.
Kakantir leaned against the entrance of the tent, observing this, and casually asked.
“How long until he can get up from bed? A month?”
“Kakan, those not of the Cheonryeo Tribe possess lower resilience. An ordinary person would have died instantly. However, given his spirited nature, I suspect he may hold on for three or four months.”
“Three or four months. That puts you in a difficult position, Count Ian.”
The confrontation between Count Derga and the Central Army was on a knife’s edge.
Even if I were to advance with the Cheonryeo Tribe at my back, my personal military strength consisted solely of Berik. Should he be unavailable in this chaos…
I smiled faintly and brushed the matted hair from Berik’s forehead. Sweat and sand clung to it in a tangled mess.
“It’s manageable.”
“You seem to have something in mind.”
“Whether Berik awakens or remains unconscious—either way, there’s always a path forward, is there not?”
Kakantir left his seat at the sound of Nersaren’s voice calling from outside. The Physician continued grinding blood-soaked medicinal herbs to treat Berik. As time passed, Berik’s dark complexion seemed to grow increasingly pallid.
“Please watch over him for a moment. I need to grind fresh medicine.”
The Physician instructed me, then departed carrying an armload of supplies. The space fell silent. I drew a breath and placed my hand upon Berik’s forehead.
‘I’m uncertain if this will work. Berik. Still, it’s better than doing nothing.’
Continuing as I had done before—channeling my mana into him. His condition was grave, yet it would surely help. Had Berik not demonstrated his abilities as a Mage Knight? I wanted to believe the effects would be far more pronounced than before.
Whirrrrr. Whirrrr.
I activated my mana.
Unlike before, when I had pushed it in gradually, now I maintained a continuous flow. As a result, I felt as though I could not stop exhaling.
“Ah…”
How many minutes had passed?
Beads of sweat that had formed began to pour down, and my vision started to blur. Yet Berik showed no response. When I felt I could endure no longer, I withdrew my hand.
Crack.
“What are you doing? Count Ian. Are you well?”
The Physician, who had just entered, stopped short and asked. I steadied myself against the edge of the bed, swaying as though I might collapse.
“I’m fine.”
“Why, why suddenly…?”
“Dizziness. Pay it no mind.”
“Just wait a moment. Once I finish grinding my herbs, I’ll bring something for the dizziness right away. Eh? Look at this?”
The Physician, who had been grinding cloth, paused upon seeing Berik’s face. The groaning and unconsciousness had given way to breathing that was remarkably stable. He ran his fingers over the damp medicinal herbs. Far less blood came away.
“What exactly is this man?”
“…Berik?”
“Not his name. I didn’t witness the battle myself, but everyone was making quite a fuss about it.”
The Physician continued his treatment with a murmur. He glanced as though seeking an answer, but I turned away, my strength completely drained.
“…Kakantir?”
Kakantir entered holding something in his hand. He smiled with curiosity upon seeing my condition.
“My, are you running short?”
“Short of what, sir?”
Kakantir wordlessly placed a dried leaf upon a round candle holder. With a crackling sound, thick smoke filled the tent. The clan leader carefully burned the leaf, then held it to Berik’s nose, and soon offered it to me as well.
“It is the Cheonryeo way of evading death.”
“Will it be effective for Berik?”
“Who knows. I’ve never seen an outsider use it. But at the gathering, I noticed he had some reaction to it.”
A secret technique of the tribe that eased pain and drew forth all one’s vitality in a single surge. They were inherently strong, yet they could not ignore the effects of the dried leaf. Indeed, in trade with Bratz, was not the dried leaf itself designated as a restricted commodity?
Yet sharing it with an outsider was something else entirely.
The gesture carried deeper meaning, and it stirred something unfamiliar within me.
“Thank you.”
I chewed the leaf thoroughly. After the initial bitterness came a sour, prickling sensation. Kakantir watched me for a moment, then continued speaking.
“The hawk I sent with Su returned first. Su is waiting at the Borderlands.”
“You mean that enormous bird, sir?”
“Yes. As you said, Count Derga has been cornered. It seems he’s been gathering soldiers.”
I could estimate Bratz’s military strength to some degree. I’d seen and heard enough while living at the Manor. More importantly, I’d witnessed how much he poured into maintaining his private forces, so that wasn’t the concern.
“What of the Central Army?”
“No reports on that yet.”
The real problem was the scale of the Central Army and the investigation unit. Only by knowing their numbers could I anticipate the likely course of battle and prepare accordingly. I felt my heart beginning to race and spat out the leaf.
“Rest for a few days. We have time.”
The moment Kakantir left, I collapsed onto my side and curled up. The Physician glanced over and pulled the blanket up to my shoulder.
How much time had passed?
Whoooosh.
I suddenly opened my eyes to a gust of cold wind rushing in. Night had fallen dark. The Physician was nowhere to be seen, and the candles had burned out. Only the faint scent of the leaf lingered faintly in the air.
“…Berik?”
Berik was no longer sweating, but remained unconscious. I leaned my back against the bed and rubbed my face to shake off the drowsy haze.
Whoosh.
Then I heard movement outside.
The wind alone hadn’t woken me. I stared quietly toward the entrance and felt along the floor. Berik’s discarded belt held a dagger.
“Who’s there?”
No answer came.
I walked slowly toward the entrance, the moonlight pouring in behind me casting my shadow long and thin. I could instinctively feel someone standing before the door.
‘Damn it. This makes no sense.’
Whoever was outside had to be from the Cheonryeo Tribe. They were the only ones who lived as a clan in the Great Desert, and even if Derga had sent a spy, they couldn’t have penetrated the Cheonryeo’s defenses to reach here.
That’s why I couldn’t comprehend it.
Just this afternoon, they’d been kind enough to share their leaf with Berik and me, so why did this presence outside radiate murderous intent?
Crash!
The door was torn open from outside. Sensing my hesitation, they acted first.
A mask made of fur and feathers draped across the shoulders—the man immediately swung his blade and lunged at me.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
It would be more accurate to say I got lucky deflecting it than actually blocking it.
The dagger I reflexively swung snapped in half and clattered to the floor. The Assailant showed no hesitation. He grabbed my face roughly with one hand, then seized my throat with the other.
Thud!
“Nngh!”
He clamped my mouth shut so I couldn’t call for help.
My feet thrashed in the air. So this is what it feels like when breath is cut off—a pain I’d never experienced before in my life. And why would it be otherwise? Who would dare lay hands on Emperor Ian’s throat?
“If you’re lowborn, stay buried where you belong. What scheme are you running here?”
The voice was not entirely unfamiliar to me.
“Do you have any idea how much you and that red-headed fool have complicated things? This is exactly why Imperial dogs are useless. Your father was the same way.”
He was mentioning Count Derga?
I thrust my hand toward his face as if to shove him away. I worried that the fur mask might nullify my magic, but….
Zzzing. Zing.
“Shut your mouth right now and die-!”
Whoooosh!
Boom!
I unleashed my magic in an explosive torrent. The sudden impact sent the Assailant’s body sliding backward, and I was thrust upward into the air, tumbling down.
Thud!
“…Damn it.”
I lay prone on the ground, coughing. My wrist throbbed painfully from the fall. At the same moment, lights began flickering on one by one outside the barracks.
The Cheonryeo Tribe, with their light sleep, had awakened to the commotion.

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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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