Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 383

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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 383
Fire. The Emergence of Kings
“They’re moving.”
It was the faintest of murmurs. Yet the officers who had been sitting idle sprang to their feet and rushed to my side, while soldiers grabbed their weapons and bolted outside. The Burgos forces who had been holding their encampment had begun to stir.
I glanced at Akorelra, and she drew a circle with two fingers, signaling that all was well.
“Why, why are they suddenly moving?”
“Perhaps the better question is why they haven’t moved until now. The disadvantage of waiting falls on them, not us. Something they’ve been anticipating has arrived.”
What they’d been waiting for could only be reinforcements from Burgos. Another hellish battlefield was about to unfold. The officer turned to a soldier.
“What’s the status of the eastern perimeter?”
“Yes, sir. All defending soldiers have been withdrawn, and nearby villagers are being evacuated. Ruswena’s forces did arrive in the vicinity, but as you instructed, they’re merely observing without advancing. We continue to monitor the situation.”
What had exploded the moment we descended the barrier was a device the Mage had hastily installed. While I’d hoped it might impede the enemy’s advance, unfortunately it lacked the power to cause real harm—it was merely a deterrent.
If it could buy us even a day, or merely a few hours, it would have served its purpose.
“Ascertain precisely the speed at which they advance toward the capital. That is most crucial. We’re drawing them in to seize advantageous terrain, so we must be able to control both their pace and distance.”
The officer hesitated and looked back at me. In the current situation it was unremarkable, but the way I’d linked Cliffford and Bariel with the word “we” was striking.
Whatever each nation’s interests might be, for now they were the only allies whose backs I could trust. The officer nodded firmly and answered with resolve.
“Have no concerns. Cliffford’s shadows are excellent.”
“Good. I’ll observe the encampment’s movements from the sky. There’s a possibility they’ll move at dawn, so please prepare accordingly. By the way, where has Prince Noah gone?”
“Ah, that is—”
“He went to see Mei Envoy.”
Akorelra answered in place of the flustered officer. May, having recovered some strength at the palace, had returned to rejoin the front lines.
The Prince wanted to send her back, while she insisted on staying. Akorelra shrugged with a remark that it was quite the spectacle.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“Are you going yourself?”
“Yes. It’s better than hearing it secondhand. The mana stone?”
“Currently, it’s slightly shifted to the left by my reckoning.”
“Hmm. If it’s to the left, that’s near the forest where Prince Noah conducted his guerrilla operations. I understand.”
Creak.
As I opened the window, Berik grabbed the hem of my garment. Bored and feeling sluggish, he was silently asking to come along. Perched on the windowsill, I looked down at him with a smile.
“You’ll be too heavy.”
“What are you saying? I’m light.”
“If you make a fuss, I’ll let go.”
“Okay. You always mean what you say.”
Then Akorelra interjected.
“Not sincerity, but genuineness. You mutt.”
“I know, you lunatic!”
“Goodness! How will you ever survive with such a temperament? Tsk.”
They’d grown remarkably close in just a few days.
I had no choice but to take Berik and release my mana. Eyes that shimmered beautifully like Venus. Hair dancing in the power of mana. It was as if the Moon Goddess herself was returning to her homeland.
The officers stood mesmerized until I soared into the sky, and watching the two figures disappear into the distance, they closed the window.
Click.
Knock, knock.
“Ian. Weapons have arrived from the palace.”
“Ian just stepped out. Bring the weapons this way. Our mages will be using them anyway.”
“Oh. Yes. Um, may I come in?”
“I just told you to come in, didn’t I?”
“If the mana stones move, you get angry…”
“Ah. It’s fine. Really, it’s fine.”
At the soldier’s message, Akorelra poked her head out and spoke.
Following that came a diverse array of weapons—long swords, short swords, and even tiny blades. So this was why the manufacturing had been delayed.
Heil was someone with abundant combat experience. Especially when it came to fighting monsters. Knowing that the cores of synthetic monsters lay beneath thick hides, he had thought more deeply than anyone about weapon diversity.
Akorelra picked up one perfectly refined sword and examined it carefully.
“Isn’t it wonderful? I was a bit worried since Cliffford’s specialty is farming tools rather than weapons, but they turned out much smoother than expected. The blacksmiths haven’t slept a wink—they’re pouring their souls into this.”
Among roughly thirty blades, only three were black swords. Those were made from mana-sealing stones, while the rest gleamed with a golden hue close to amber.
As the light deepened their beauty, Akorelra pressed her nose against the weapon and sniffed, her eyes closing softly. The scent of Eldetr had completely permeated it.
The soldiers, worried she might hurt herself, tried to stop her, but she paid them no mind and brought her face even closer, checking for any rough edges.
“…Heil. I won’t need to sharpen this.”
“Yes?”
The mages would be divided into two groups. One under Ian’s command guarding the barrier, and another under Heil’s command handling supplies and holding the final line.
Akorelra swung the sword lightly, watching the dawn break.
Whoosh.
“Good sound. It’ll cut just from touching it. Right?”
Meanwhile, Ian was flying quietly through the sky with Berik.
Torches were being lit sporadically throughout Burgos’s encampment. Normally, even in the dead of night, they would keep only minimal fires to avoid exposing their position to the enemy, but seeing them spread so openly suggested their movement was definite.
That meant they could attack the barrier within hours, if not sooner.
“Ian. But why are they splitting up like that?”
The left and right flanks were clearly dividing. As if they were leaving the center open.
Ian flew even higher to observe the overall movement, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Ian, Ian!”
“What, let go?”
“No. Why are they splitting up like that!”
Berik flinched in surprise and gripped Ian’s arm more tightly. While he might tolerate whimpering from other mages, with Ian, one could never be too careful.
Ian watched the sun rising behind him and murmured.
“They’re making space.”
“Space?”
“Let’s go a bit closer to the border. They’re probably making room for Burgos’s reinforcements.”
They flew westward. Berik followed Ian, watching with newfound curiosity the figures in black armor rippling beneath his feet.
As they passed the occupied village of Baki and drew closer to the border, something dark appeared in the distance.
An army. A formal legion descended from Burgos. Far too numerous to be called mere reinforcements.
“Wow, like a swarm of ants coming in.”
“Berik. We’re going higher. Hold on tight.”
“…More? Why? This should be enough.”
Since Berik had seen how many were approaching, wouldn’t it be better to turn back and prepare? He asked this, but I climbed further westward without responding.
And in the center of the legion, I discovered the grand banner of Burgos unfurled magnificently. An enormous cloth carried by dozens of soldiers—a black fabric embroidered with gold thread bearing the royal crest of House Burgos.
“…The King himself is coming.”
Even if a General like Bariel were to be called a Minister, only soldiers carrying the standard pole were permitted to hold the military flag. Such a majestic procession was granted only to the dignity of a nation. Damon was surely riding in one of the countless carriages.
“Shorty is coming in person?”
“Berik. Can you smell it from here too? The scent of monsters.”
“Hmm. It’s too far away.”
Berik closed his eyes and concentrated. But there was nothing particularly discernible or heart-racing about it.
From my perspective, I couldn’t see any massive entities like the Synthetic Monsters we’d encountered before, which was puzzling. If the King himself was taking the front lines, wouldn’t it be standard for him to possess military strength incomparable to the Synthetic Monsters we’d seen previously? After all, he intended to breach the capital, and I knew that Bariel’s Mages were stationed there defending it.
I felt the sky gradually brightening and slowly turned my body. As I faced east, the sun breaking through the mountains and pink-tinted clouds spread before my eyes.
‘If King Damon comes, then Eriponi will come as well. I must send word to Bariel again.’
Bariel had already obtained intelligence about Eriponi’s mobilization, but it hadn’t reached me yet in Cliffford.
Hadn’t Jin’s reply dried up with ink still wet? I couldn’t tell if a response was on its way, or if the Crown Prince simply hadn’t picked up his pen for personal reasons.
“Ian. But there’s something I want to do.”
“What is it?”
“Can I take the King’s head? Whether it’s Burgos or Ruswena, I don’t care. When else in life will I get to swing a blade at a King? Right?”
“I suppose. I don’t mind, but I question whether you can actually do it, Berik.”
“What? I’m first-rate in Bariel.”
“Regardless, he’s a King of a nation. Those who protect him are the finest his nation has to offer. Go ahead and try if you can. But only under orders. Independent action is dangerous. Not for you, but for the innocent.”
“Roger that. Honestly, I don’t like that shorty much. He’s got bad luck.”
Whoooosh!
While Berik chattered away, continuously cursing Damon, I laughed and returned to the Cliffford barrier.
The sun had fully risen, and soon new legions filled the spaces divided into left and right flanks. In a single moment, Burgos’s military strength had multiplied several times over.
* * *
“So, you stopped here?”
Eriponi glared at the Officers with an incredulous expression.
An empty border. With no one to obstruct them, yet unable to take a single step forward due to a silent explosion—how absurd could this be? Eriponi gathered her long hair high and bound it, then donned her golden armor.
“We judged it best to wait for the Mages to arrive and assess the situation themselves. We feared that hastily advancing could result in unnecessary losses to our forces, and above all, your orders were to destroy the barrier….”
“Silence. Excuses only make you more contemptible.”
How could there have been no action taken until the King’s legion arrived? I wanted to behead the Officer on the spot and called for Eldetr.
“Eldetr, bring the Mages.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Swish.
Ruswena’s Mages, who had been following closely behind the carriages. They were diverse in age and gender, from children to the elderly. They approached the King of Eriponi with bowed heads, dressed in their uniforms.
“Can you feel the flow of magical power? There’s a small Mage named Ian in Bariel. But his strength is not ordinary. Investigate whether this might be a trap.”
“I shall examine it.”
Zing. Zing.
An Old Woman stepped forward first and pressed both hands against the ground. Then, starting from where her palms made contact, light spread outward, and trees of indeterminate form burst into flames.
“Hmm.”
“A trap?”
“More of a deception than a trap. There may be explosions as we pass through, but I believe we’ll be fine. Regardless, I can certainly feel how formidable Iza’s power truly is. Your Highness.”
“I told you. Small but extraordinary.”
Eriponi drew forth an enormous golden bow. Without hesitation, she released the bowstring.
The arrow tore through the air with tremendous force, piercing the illusory structure before erupting in a sharp flash and shattering the wooden framework to splinters.
She lifted the bow—as tall as herself—with ease and issued her command.
“…We advance. To the capital of Burgos.”

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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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