Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 390

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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 390
Fire. The Day I Wept in the Pavilion
The Emperor had entered the pavilion and not emerged. Naum closed the book he’d been reading and gazed out the window. The Emperor’s servants stood in a line outside the pavilion, waiting.
They all urged him forward with their eyes. Something seemed to trouble the Emperor, they suggested—perhaps Naum should venture inside. After all, he was the only one who could cross the line the Emperor had drawn.
‘How is His Majesty?’
‘There has been no word. He commanded that no one enter until he emerges, so we remain here.’
‘How long has it been?’
‘Two hours have passed now. We grow concerned something may be amiss, yet we are powerless to act….’
‘Step aside. I shall go in.’
‘But Your Majesty said-‘
‘If His Majesty reproaches me, I shall accept it directly.’
Though the servants made a show of protest, they welcomed Naum’s appearance and cleared the way. The pavilion was silent. Naum walked straight through without hesitation, moving deeper inside.
A space he had shared with Ian since before he became Emperor.
A place where the four seasons entered like paintings through the expansive windows.
Creak.
Naum found Ian kneeling with his head bowed.
Ian’s body trembled slightly, yet he did not raise his head. There were only two people in the world who would dare disobey his command and come here—Chroni, or….
‘Naum.’
‘Your Majesty, why do you remain on the floor like this?’
‘…Leave.’
But Naum naturally sat across from him and set down his book. What troubled him so? This man who endured so much—why did he pour out such sorrow now? Naum tilted his head with a slight smile.
‘Shall I bring some wine?’
‘It is business hours.’
‘What does that matter? When the pillar of Bariel himself is consumed by grief, surely the gods created wine for such moments.’
At Naum’s playful words, Ian lifted his head. His eyes were red. Tear marks stained his cheeks, though they had long since dried. Ian wiped his face with a dry hand and exhaled a heavy sigh.
‘What troubles you? Did that scoundrel Chroni say something again? Shall I give him a proper scolding?’
‘…How could you know?’
‘We are-‘
Naum corrected himself. Not ‘you,’ but ‘we.’
‘We are mages, are we not? And Your Majesty is the master of Bariel. There is nothing in this world that Your Majesty cannot accomplish.’
Ian fixed his chin on his shoulder and gazed out the window. Fresh leaves trembled in the breeze. The brilliant sunlight, already radiant, danced endlessly with their movement.
The day was so beautiful, yet Ian’s world was sinking. His chest bore the full weight of the Emperor’s burden.
‘…More than a thousand died in the Welbilla battle.’
‘Your Majesty.’
‘Most of them were children. The soldiers carrying the bodies—their hands were so light. I could not bear to watch.’
‘Your Majesty. It was a surprise attack. And a massacre.’
Ian could not have prevented it. It was an incident perpetrated by a band of thieves expanding their power at the border, and by the time Ian left the temple, everything was already over.
Though everyone whispered that it was ominous, no one spoke Ian’s name—save for a few opposing factions.
‘You asked what I cannot do in Bariel. Naum. That means everything that happens in Bariel happens because of me. If only I had been more careful, if only I had purged all those thieves then-‘
‘Your Majesty.’
‘Everything is my fault. The weight of death is too heavy. Naum, the sorrow of the empire’s people is too much to bear.’
I buried my face in my knees again. Only quiet sighs continued to escape. Naum simply remained across from me, present in my grief.
Young child. Did I not tell you beforehand what the Emperor’s throne entails? You have done well, you are doing well, and feeling that weight regardless of the outcome is itself one of the qualities of an Emperor. You will continue to do well.
Naum had much he wished to say, but he restrained himself. This was the Emperor Ian’s time to pour out his sorrow. What he could offer was only one thing.
‘It is good that you bear the weight. However, disregard the blind accusations of the opposition. Treat all their talk—that it is Your Majesty’s fault, that Your Majesty’s lack of virtue caused this, that the people’s hearts have grown restless—as mere nonsense.’
‘Yet you once said I should become someone who could incorporate the views of the other side.’
‘There is a difference between opinions and drivel, Your Majesty.’
I let out a small laugh and lifted my head, and Naum smiled gently as well. He opened the book he had brought and asked.
‘Shall I read to you?’
‘There are many waiting outside.’
‘Do not worry about those who wait. It is the proper duty of those who should be doing their work. However, presenting a strong appearance is solely Your Majesty’s responsibility.
Your eyes are still red.’
‘
Naum opened the book. Then, in a tone both tender and firm, he began reading from the magical tome.
The cadence was gentle, and without realizing it, I closed my eyes. And with Naum’s voice, I erased the tangled thoughts that swirled within me.
Until the sun tilted toward the west, Naum continued reading and I simply listened. I realized that sometimes one needs a moment when time seems to stop.
* * *
“Haaaaaah!”
Clang! Clang!
My body swayed violently. I felt dizzy and opened my eyes slightly.
Berik held me as he cut down the surging enemies. And the Clippoford Soldiers protecting him. The three nations were locked in a bloody battle, surrounding me.
Yet I had no strength even in my fingertips. I could only gaze up at the clear sky through the gaps of spurting blood, shouts, and dust.
Until just moments ago, the sky had been dizzy from the power of myself and the Elder, but now it was clear and bright, as if it had never been otherwise. It was like the sky I had seen from the pavilion that day.
“Hey? Ian! Come to your senses?”
“….”
Berik shouted upon confirming that I had opened my eyes, but no answer came. Tears continued to flow from my eyes. Though it seemed I was not aware of it myself.
Limp and powerless, I looked no different from a corpse. Berik ignored the way his heart sank and continued swinging his blade relentlessly.
“Ian’s awake! Hurry! Clear the path!”
“Bariel’s Minister of Magic has regained consciousness! Make haste!”
“Kill him quickly! We must eliminate him before he recovers his strength!”
“Get out of the way! Damn it!”
“Aaaaah! Die! Die!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Whoooosh!
I simply entrusted my body to Berik and remained in a daze.
Was this what happened every time one used mental magic? When I cast the spell called Bitter River, the mages’ reactions made it clear there were considerable aftereffects. Noah issued commands to the soldiers in rapid succession.
“Clear the path! Get him inside the barrier! And we will retreat shortly! Withdraw! Order the withdrawal!”
“But Your Highness, Mage Knights have arrived from Bariel’s side! Would it not be better to increase our forces?”
“The Mage Knight commander must have his own intentions. We will comply if he requests aid, but securing both Count Ian and the mages is the priority! We must not lose the mages! They are Bariel’s people who have sacrificed for us and for other nations! Clippoford has a duty to repay this!”
“Yes, Your Highness! Of course!”
“Send word to the royal palace! Gather all remaining mages at once!”
“There! A mage is being dragged to the left!”
“Seize them! A mage has crossed over to Burgos’s side!”
“Pursue them! We cannot let them escape!”
It was absolute chaos. Three nations clashed over the mages falling from the sky.
In that tumult, the mages gradually regained consciousness. Some had their bodies pierced by Idgal’s spears, some were dragged by their hair, and still others remained unconscious, unaware of whose hands held them.
“What are you doing!”
Eriponi urged her mages forward, but they stood motionless, watching the inferno unfold. The way those soldiers treated the mages had instilled boundless terror in them.
Moreover, the elder who had served as their leader had perished by forbidden magic, leaving not even a trace behind.
They had entered this war for Ruswena, but what remained for them now? Young Zaira wept bitterly and defied Eriponi.
“Your Highness! You said no one would die! You promised that if we went to war, you would return us all to our daily lives! Save my grandmother!”
“You foolish child—!”
Crack!
Eriponi’s subordinate struck Zaira’s cheek, and the mages rushed to embrace the girl. Fury flickered in their eyes.
“Do you not understand what war is? War is death and killing. Your grandmother fulfilled her duty and died, bringing glory to Ruswena, yet you dare defy the Prince and tarnish her honor!”
“We merely—!”
“And who commanded her to die? The elder made her own choice and gave her life to Ruswena.”
“That’s nonsense! Her own choice? Here? In this place? Do you truly call that a choice?!”
“Enough. We have no time for this.”
Eriponi cut through the heated atmosphere with a gesture of her bow, signaling an end to the dispute.
She glanced at the mages and clicked her tongue. She had anticipated problems like this since they didn’t belong to the royal palace. Bariel, being directly under the Emperor’s command, followed orders without question. Tsk.
She decided that once the war ended, she would reorganize the palace structure.
“We have neutralized the entire Mage Division, including Ian. That suffices. We have no time to waste. Advance.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
At Eriponi’s command, the black-armored soldiers surged forward in great strides. A tremendous force to suppress the chaos.
But—
Boom!
Crash!
Jairot and the Imperial Guards blocked their path. Their landing was powerful enough to split the earth itself.
Jairot released his mana and summoned his blade. Dark clouds gathered above his hand, forming a single streak of lightning. Then, a gleaming long object flickered between his fingers. A Mage Knight’s sword.
“Listen well, all of you.”
Whoosh.
The other Mage Knights did the same. They crouched low and summoned their own Mage Knight’s swords.
“Our current objective is the safe return of the mages. And the annihilation of the black-armored soldiers.”
“Yes, Commander!”
At Jairot’s gesture, five Mage Knights turned and threw themselves into the chaos. They were particularly swift on their feet, so they would easily be able to rescue the mages.
Meanwhile, the remaining Mage Knights faced off against the black-armored soldiers with savage smiles. All their eyes gleamed with intensity.
“We’ve seen the black-armored soldiers before in the Cheteur region. They’re the ones who constantly obstruct Bariel’s path.”
“What are you doing! The black-armored soldiers can be subdued by Mage Knights! Do not fear—advance!”
“All of you—!”
Crash!
Jairot realized that one-on-one combat against the black-armored figure was impossible. Since his Mage Knight blade couldn’t pierce the armor, he needed a different approach. And Jairot knew exactly what that was.
Experience.
Experience was the ultimate weapon and tactic.
‘If six of my men strike simultaneously twice, the armor will shatter.’
So he would execute it—destroying the target simultaneously from his position as the center. He would unfold this past strategy born from experience once more.
Whoooosh!
As Jairot surged forward, the Mage Knights followed in unison. The air sharpened with a cutting edge. In the blink of an eye, they leaped dozens of meters and arrived directly before the black-armored figure.
Jairot brought his blade down with lightning speed, and his subordinates followed in rapid succession, striking one after another.
Clang! Clang! Boom!
A single assault pouring down from all four directions simultaneously. Concise yet perfectly dismantling the black armor.
Eriponi watched with an incredulous expression, then shouted at her subordinates.
“Bring me a new bow!”
“Yes, at once!”
Damn those Bariel bastards. Every last one of them displeases me. Eriponi grasped the new bowstring and surveyed the battlefield. Where was Ian? Ian, Ian, Ian….
‘There!’
At the center of chaos. The moment Berik, cradling Ian in his arms, was about to enter the Clippoford encampment. Eriponi concentrated and closed one eye, aiming precisely at Ian’s heart.
Twang!
“Infuse the arrow with magic power! Mage!”
Eriponi shouted, but there was no response. She turned with an irritated expression and immediately aimed the arrow at the child’s head. It was Zaira’s head.
“What are you doing? Infuse it with magic power.”
“…Your Highness! She is still just a child!”
“I am aware. That is precisely why I am saying it twice myself.”
“I will do it. I will do it myself. Please, release Zaira to me.”
As the Mage stumbled forward to protect Zaira, the child knocked his hand away. Then she opened her eyes sharply and gripped the arrowhead tightly. Blood dripped steadily through the gaps in her fingers.
Zing. Zing.
Eyes tinged with golden light.
The child murmured through falling tears.
“Yes. I will infuse it. With magic power.”

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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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