Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 384

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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 384
Fire. Death or Opportunity
“Extra! Extra!”
Whoosh!
The morning streets erupted in noise. Merchants preparing to open their shops, workers heading to their posts, and those still nursing hangovers from the night before all turned their heads toward the commotion.
It seemed a boy hawking newspapers wasn’t the only source of the disturbance. Multiple voices blended together in the air.
The people of Bariel clutched their coins with an inexplicable sense of unease, while children scattered throughout the streets, shouting their wares.
“War! War has broken out!”
“What? Give me a copy too.”
“Breaking news from the Daily Maili! It’s war!”
“I heard there were problems in Cliffford, but is Bariel officially entering the conflict now?”
“Didn’t the Imperial Defense Ministry send reinforcements before? That means Bariel is at war too.”
“Is sending aid on humanitarian grounds the same as being directly dragged into it? Hey! Give me one too!”
“The Daily Maili certainly has strong connections to palace news.”
“Exactly. After the rebellion last time, they seem to have shifted their focus that way. Made quite a bit of money from it too. I heard they moved to a new building.”
“Let me see… there was a diplomatic issue between Burgos and Cliffford, and their positions are said to be sharply opposed. Is it true an envoy died?”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that war has started. Trade sanctions have been imposed between Burgos and Ruswena too. There might even be conscription. Damn it.”
“So Bariel and Cliffford will face off against Burgos and Ruswena. Don’t worry about conscription. We have mages, after all.”
“Ah, you’ve been living with your eyes and ears shut. The Magic Ministry has been empty for a long time!”
“Huh?”
“You don’t know the Magic Ministry has stopped and palace operations are falling behind?”
The street fell silent in an instant. Those holding newspapers read the palace’s position with grave expressions, and worried murmurs about the war’s repercussions filled the streets.
Being the capital, direct attacks from the enemy were unlikely here, but those with connections to the provinces or who made their living traveling between nations had no choice. They could only abandon everything and imagine what lay ahead.
“Breaking news from the Daily Maili! The palace has issued a statement! It’s war! A war between multiple nations!”
“One copy here.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Alena extended only her hand from the carriage, jingling coins. The moment she received the newspaper, she hurriedly read through its contents.
She had heard through her brother Sereo that the Imperial Defense Ministry had mobilized in a surprise deployment, but she hadn’t heard that Ruswena was also entering the war. Her fingernails dug into her palms.
‘Since Count Ian and the Magic Ministry are in Cliffford, Burgos and Ruswena have no choice but to commit their full strength. If that’s the case, this is truly a full-scale war. Surely His Majesty won’t sit idle either?’
The probability of King Eriponi stepping in directly.
No, rather than a matter of probability, it was more accurate to say it was only a matter of time.
The moment Bariel, which held the center, began to tilt, the political situation of Gaia would be shaken dramatically. Burgos and Ruswena absolutely had to capture Cliffford. It was like a powder keg already ignited.
Crack.
Alena grasped the hem of her dress and lowered her head. Her servant glanced at her with concern, wondering if she felt unwell, but she was trembling so violently that the bones of her hands stood out. It looked less like discomfort and more like fear.
‘Prince Eriponi has sent no word, and can I really just sit here like this? What if His Majesty gets an opportunity to meet Count Ian or speak with the Imperial Defense Ministry?’
They would be too busy trying to kill each other, but there would always remain room for negotiation and armistice.
If it became known that Alena had passed Bariel’s intelligence to Eriponi, the Sereo family would face execution. They would become corpses hanging from the streets alongside the seven central nobles.
Her mind grew so dizzy with complicated thoughts.
‘If only His Majesty would give me some assurance, this wouldn’t be happening.’
If Eriponi had only granted her asylum, things wouldn’t have become so complicated. One wrong move and she would be trapped in a position where she could neither advance nor retreat.
Unable to bear it any longer, the Servant called out to Alena.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“My brother didn’t come home yesterday.”
“Yes. He said he was sleeping at a friend’s house.”
They called it a gathering for scholarly pursuits, but I knew better. He’d thrown a drinking party. My brother, who had once tasted the pinnacle of pleasure, still seemed intoxicated by the past. Whether he’d lost his mind to an unbreakable sweetness, his actions grew more lamentable with each passing day.
I tapped my forehead lightly and turned the problem over in my mind. What should I do? How could I eliminate the anxiety rolling toward me from the future?
‘Think. I must think.’
What troubled me now was confirming Prince Eriponi’s true intentions and whether my betrayal would be discovered. The surest way to cut through this was to meet the King directly, but in the midst of war, how could that be easy?
“Ah!”
“Miss?”
“Turn the carriage around. Let’s go fetch my brother.”
“Ah, yes, yes. Understood.”
I urged the Coachman to hurry.
Wasn’t it the duty and honor of nobility to step forward first when war broke out? Of course, this applied only to great nobles who owned private soldiers or to the Marquis, but still.
Sereo was nobility too. If he spoke of participating for honor, who could stop him? If done well, I might even obtain soldiers from the imperial palace. Then the cards would be back in my hands.
‘To Prince Eriponi, the Sereo family holding Bariel soldiers would appear quite useful. And should that side be cut away, the Sereo family would be honored nobles who fought for their homeland. I could nip any suspicion of betrayal in the bud.’
It was a move with many advantages. I could stimulate Prince Eriponi, who seemed to have lost interest in me, and gain favor from the imperial palace as well.
Clatter, clatter!
Whinny!
The carriage stopped before a mansion. It was the house of Sereo’s close friend, which I had visited many times before. The Servant recognized me and opened the door, then followed along as I strode purposefully inside.
“Where are my brother and his friends?”
“Ah, they’re in the reception room for now. I’ll inform them of your arrival.”
“Never mind that. Just show me. I don’t care if they’re completely undressed. This is an urgent matter. Doesn’t it look that way?”
Though I wasn’t a noble he served directly, the Servant had heard much of my reputation. Thus, he reluctantly guided me to the second floor and was about to knock on the door when I pushed it open myself.
Crash!
“…!”
At the sudden intrusion, Sereo flinched and rose. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming, even from the doorway—he must have been drinking all night.
I glanced around the room. Everyone was sprawled about in disarray, no different from street rabble outside.
“Oh, Alena?”
“Brother. This is no time for this. We must hurry.”
“Huh? Where are we going? Wait a moment. Don’t shake me. I think I’m going to be sick. Urgh.”
“Alena? Oh, really? It’s been so long. Did you come to have a drink too? What should we do? We’ve run out of alcohol. Hahaha.”
“What’s run out is your sense of propriety. Never mind and continue sleeping. I’m here to fetch my brother.”
“She’s still the same as ever. Tsk.”
Sereo stumbled with his hand over his mouth, but I showed no mercy, grabbing his clothes and dragging him out. At my commanding glance, the Servants also slipped their hands under his armpits to support him.
“War has broken out.”
“Why so suddenly? You already knew that.”
“Ruswena has officially joined the war.”
“Hm? Them too? Did they declare war on Bariel? Because of the import ban?”
I barely restrained the urge to strike my brother on the back of his neck. Did he call that speaking sense? How could Ruswena possibly dare declare war on Bariel because of an import ban?
She gripped her brother by the collar and whispered urgently.
“To reach Bariel by using Cliffford as a stepping stone. That’s why Ruswena is joining the war as well, Brother.”
“Mm. Ah. I see.”
“Go home immediately, wash yourself, and put on your formal uniform. Then meet with the Prince and inform him that House Sereo will also participate in the war.”
“Participate? Me? I refuse!”
Sereo suddenly came to his senses and shook off Alena’s hand, shouting. As the servants in the house began whispering and glancing over, Alena gritted her teeth and muttered as if performing ventriloquism.
“If you won’t go, Brother, then I’ll go myself. Show that House Sereo is participating. Will we truly fall to the very end like this?”
“No, but war is still… Surely the Imperial Defense Ministry of Bariel will handle it themselves? There’s been no news of other nobles participating. Not even my friends! Alena, you know this better than I do.”
“Of course—all the nobles in the capital who owned private soldiers are dead. It’s been barely a season since the central nobility was annihilated. There’s no one who can step forward, and besides, they have no need to. They’re not standing on the cliff’s edge like we are.”
The nobles engaged in money-lending would seek to profit from this chaos rather than participate in war, while those who suffered losses from the trade ban would be too preoccupied trying to recover them.
Moreover, as Sereo said, as the common people in the streets proclaimed, Bariel had mages and its great legions remained intact. They felt no pressing need to participate.
Furthermore, the imperial palace was currently suppressing the nobility to strengthen royal authority. Unless there was a summons, there was no reason to participate and weaken oneself.
“Brother. Listen carefully.”
Alena’s eyes sharpened.
“For some, war is tragedy. For others, it’s opportunity. Our tragedy has reached its limit, so now we can only see this as our chance.”
“B-but it won’t be easy to gather soldiers.”
“What in this world is easy? The only easy thing is you drinking all night, Brother.”
As Sereo bristled to retort, Alena simply turned her back and descended the stairs first.
“Mortgage everything—the estate, the entire house. Either secure funds or hire mercenaries. We must go to the battlefield unconditionally. Otherwise, we die here.”
Sereo slid down the wall and sat heavily. He recognized the unwavering resolve in his sister’s determination and understood there was no retreat.
He wrung his grimy hair and released sighs, laments, and irritated groans. Then he suddenly jumped up and shouted.
“Fine! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
His sister’s dismissive attitude toward him grew more pronounced each day—if this continued, it would be worse than death itself.
Alena nodded as if stating the obvious.
“What are you doing? Get in. The Imperial Defense Ministry’s army departed first, so we must hurry.”
“Damn it, damn it!”
“Sereo! Weren’t you drinking tonight too? Going home?”
“Yes! Thanks to my brilliant sister, I’m going to my death!”
“Ha ha ha. Yes. Die well!”
Farewells from friends echoing down from the upper room.
Sereo climbed into the carriage, and Alena opened the window slightly. As she tried to get closer, the stench of alcohol rose up so pungently that she recoiled.
* * *
Whoooosh.
Meanwhile, at that very moment. Mages stood upon Cliffford’s walls. Each held a sword forged from Idgal in one hand.
Their robes fluttered in the wind. Burgos’s massive army had already arrived, swarming toward Cliffford as if to devour it. And to the left and right, slightly visible at the edges—synthetic monsters.
Ian took a moment to steady his breathing, then issued orders.
“Is everyone prepared?”
“Yes, Ian!”
“We will eliminate the synthetic monsters first. Berik will handle the left flank, and Barsabe will take the right.”
Crack.
At my words, Barsabe lifted her sword, and Berik grasped his black blade as well. The mages did the same.
As everyone raised their blades high, sunlight gleamed upon the amber-hued steel.

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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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