Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 397

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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 397
Fire. Zaira’s Question
Whoooosh—!
Zaira flew endlessly upward.
Higher, higher, ever higher. Toward that distant moon.
The Mage accompanying her gestured as if there was no need for this, but the young boy kept his gaze fixed solely on the moon and continued ascending. Rather than for reconnaissance, he seemed to be running wild to shake off the suffocating weight pressing down on him.
Once I had risen high enough that the capital of Cliffford was visible at a glance, I exhaled slowly. The biting wind seemed to shave away that heavy breath bit by bit.
‘Zaira, you will come to see a world far more distant than I ever have.’
‘More distant than Grandmother? Why? Can’t we see it together?’
‘That cannot be. I have lived long so that I might show you that world. Zaira, I am glad to show you this world. And I am sorry. The distant world is a place of unknowns, so I cannot hold your hand.’
‘That’s okay. When the time comes, I’ll be able to walk well on my own.’
‘Yes. And the path you walk will become the path your younger brother walks as well. That is the way of human life.’
My body rotated once through the weightless air like swimming through the void. Grandmother’s voice continued to echo near my ears. So vivid it seemed like a whisper from right beside me, yet Zaira understood.
That now she and her grandmother lived in different worlds. That she had stepped into that distant world Grandmother had spoken of long ago.
“Zaira!”
Whoosh!
The Mage who had struggled to keep up cried out. A warning that there was no time for this, that such reckless actions were good for no one.
Zaira nodded and slowly withdrew her magical power. My body, which had been swimming through the air, immediately sank like something weighted with lead, and soon plummeted at high speed.
Whoooosh!
Fires burned in parts of the Cliffford barrier and throughout the capital centered on the royal palace. From this vantage point, it looked like the night sky itself. Small stars glimmering in the darkness.
As the barrier drew closer, Zaira released her magical power without restraint, spreading her aura wide.
Ziiiiing! Zing!
As if to announce her presence here.
The King of Eriponi had commanded her to return as discreetly and certainly as possible. Zaira had sworn obedience, thinking of her younger brother remaining in the palace, but everyone present understood.
No matter how much Bariel’s Mages claimed it was impossible, surely they wouldn’t fail to notice an approach? In the end, what the King desired was information and her safe return. That would be all.
Crash—!
The moment when the number of soldiers inside the barrier became identifiable. Something suddenly flew up and blocked Zaira’s path. Fluttering crimson hair and eyes identical to hers. It was Berik.
In that brief moment when their gazes locked in mid-air, Zaira reflexively burst forth a sphere of magical power, and Berik caught it with his black sword.
Boom! Boom!
Crash!
“Aaaah! What, what is that! Suddenly!”
“There! There in the sky! Something’s there! An aerial attack! We can’t confirm if it’s a demon or what—it’s too dark!”
“Stay calm! The Mage Knight will engage! Soldiers, hold your positions and protect the barrier!”
“Don’t panic! We are watching Burgos and Ruswena!”
Magical power suddenly erupting in the night sky like this startled the soldiers. They scrambled to reorganize their formations, and soon word spread throughout the camp that a Mage Knight had sortied to confront the intruder.
Zaira hovered in the sky and slowly surveyed her surroundings. I couldn’t tell where that guy who had been knocked away had gone.
“…Is he dead?”
“Dead? Who’s dead!”
Boom! Bang!
Then, Berik flew up again from behind. Since it was difficult to maintain position in mid-air like a Mage, he had pushed off the barrier once more to leap upward.
Zaira reacted nimbly to the attack coming from behind.
“A flying blade! …but you’re just a kid?!”
“…Are you insane?”
“What’s a brat like you spouting off about!”
Crash! Bang!
Berik plunged his black sword into Zaira’s protective barrier and dangled there limply.
As the Boy frowned and looked at Berik, he wiped his greasy mouth and smirked.
“Did you come alone?”
“Move aside. I don’t think I have any business with you.”
“We were in the middle of eating, and because of you! Look at me now!”
Zing! Zing!
Whoooosh!
“I’m having a terrible time here! Give me a proper answer!”
Berik unleashed his mana and tore through Zaira’s protective barrier. The Boy stumbled back in shock, and his robe was torn along with it, his hood falling away.
Even accounting for the possibility of discovery, Zaira hadn’t wanted such a commotion. She glanced toward Ruswena’s camp and clenched her teeth.
“I don’t go easy on opponents just because they’re kids. We each have one life, so let’s keep it fair. Got it?”
No disturbance had been heard from the right camp yet. Either the Mage’s quarters were on the left side, or the Mage who witnessed the incident hadn’t approached at all.
Regardless, Zaira quickly surveyed the interior of the camp. Fire. First, she needed to find out why the fire had been lit.
“Hey! Are you ignoring me?!”
“Where is the Minister of Magic?”
“Ian? Uh. Damn, I get it. You came to avenge the dead Ruswena Mage, right? That makes it even worse! He’s eating meat for the first time in ages!”
Bang!
Screech!
“So he’s still alive. And you killed your grandmother like that.”
“Why is Grandmother’s death Ian’s fault? It’s because of your king. If you say that kind of thing in front of Ian, you’ll really get a royal smack right on your thick skull.”
“You’re close with the Minister?”
“This one’s being awfully informal.”
Clang! Clang!
Boom!
Each time Berik unleashed an attack, Zaira generated a new protective barrier and blocked it effortlessly. The Boy’s expression twisted with contempt.
“If I kill you, will the Minister come out here?”
“If I die? He might come out? Probably?”
“Good then.”
Zaira pressed her palms together, then slowly spread them apart to the sides. Cold air gathered gradually, forming a massive whirlwind.
“…Minister, come out. I have something to ask you.”
“If you wanted to meet so badly, why didn’t you come through the front gate? We would’ve gone through the proper procedures, all very polite. Then we could’ve arranged a meeting. But coming like this? Absolutely not!”
“I was wondering if you were an idiot, but you really are one.”
“What? Damn, it’s been a while since I felt this heat. Hahaha!”
Berik, who had fallen beyond the barrier, fanned himself with an absurd expression. His face seemed to be hoping someone would tell him otherwise, but the soldiers had long since retreated from the aerial battle. There was no one to take his side.
Zaira thought even Berik’s laughter was foolish as she let slip a piece of information.
“We have one Bariel Mage with us.”
“And?”
And? Did he really just ask “and” right now?
Zaira felt the blood rushing through her head freeze solid. Of all the rotten luck, the first person she encountered had to be this idiot. Her fortune couldn’t have been worse.
“…This guy’s impossible to talk to.”
I had something to ask Ian.
But this was wartime. Moreover, with a Bariel Mage in captivity, there was no guarantee of my safety regardless of how I made contact with him.
So the plan was to pose as a scout and create a minor skirmish. This seemed like the safest and most reliable way to meet Ian.
Ziiing.
Zaira sharpened the wind in her hand and hurled it at Berik.
But before it reached Berik, the attack scattered like dust. It was Captain Jairot. He landed lightly and looked down at Berik, who was sprawled messily on the ground.
“Hey, old man. What’s with that look in your eyes?”
“What about my eyes?”
“You’re looking at me with the exact same eyes as that kid?”
He’d been going on cheerfully about chasing flies or something. Look at him now. How could one who stands on the earth face an enemy of the sky?
Berik rose to his feet, using his black sword as a cane.
“Ah, well. I’m still fine, so why don’t you go inside and have some tea with that Mac fellow?”
Thwack!
“Ow!”
Without thinking, Jairot rapped Berik’s forehead the way he used to at the Imperial Palace. He’d tried to maintain dignity in a foreign land, but since the old man wouldn’t cooperate at all, what could he do?
Jairot raised his hand and summoned his Mage Sword.
Ziiing. Zing.
“A mage from Ruswena has crossed the line at this very moment—this constitutes a declaration of war. I won’t show mercy just because you’re young. I’ll only pity your fate.”
“Who’s pitying whom….”
Shwiiik!
Taaht!
Zaira furrowed her brow and activated her magic once more.
Then, from the darkness, figures leaped up in unison—the Imperial Guards. They attacked from all angles, 360 degrees, leaving no gap for escape, just as they had against the black-armored warriors.
Startled, Zaira quickly converted her offensive magic into a protective barrier, but a blade had already grazed the boy’s calf.
Kyaaaah!
“Aaaah!”
Zaira let out a short scream and fell downward. Soldiers who had been waiting immediately pinned the boy’s limbs with Idgal spears. Countless blades thrust around his neck.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Ah, really….”
Things had gone wrong. I was confident I could escape alive, but if I left without meeting the Minister, it would be a complete failure.
Zaira stared up at the full moon, her mind racing. From what I saw earlier, there were about a dozen Mage Knights total. The fact that no mages had appeared yet meant their forces were definitely on high alert.
“Hey, you okay?”
Then Berik’s face, upside down, suddenly filled Zaira’s vision. Berik was sniffling as he looked down at her. That smug grin was infuriating.
“You’re not crying? Did your eyes get twisted….”
“Damn it, you really have no manners! Hey! Let’s go another round! I didn’t fight properly! Let me—”
“Berik.”
Just a single name, yet the power in that voice was extraordinary. How to describe it? Like a glass marble rolling through a quiet dawn.
Zaira tilted her head toward the sound. A fair-haired young man with green eyes leaned against the railing, looking down at them.
Ah, there he was. The one who had faced off against Grandmother earlier today.
“Ian!”
“I told you to continue eating, yet you’re making quite a commotion.”
“Did you finish your meal? Is there meat left?”
“Plenty.”
Whether he meant he’d eaten plenty or there was plenty left, Berik smiled contentedly and bounded toward the building where Ian stood.
Zaira’s gaze met Ian’s from below.
“Minister of Magic of Bariel!”
Ian rested his chin on his hand and nodded slightly.
From the moment she approached without hiding her magical power, I suspected she had a separate purpose. When I realized the opponent was just a child, I wondered if it was merely a mistake.
Yet even surrounded by soldiers, she possessed such bearing—it was certain she had ulterior motives.
“I’ve heard that Bariel has a Ministry of Magic within the imperial palace, and within it, specializations are divided into fine categories. With the deep legacy inherited since the beginning and the solidarity of countless mages, its advancement is said to be unmatched on the Gaia continent.”
“You know well, child. But for someone praising Bariel, you’re being far too discourteous.”
A faint smile played at the corners of Ian’s mouth. The tone was affectionate, yet the voice was cold as ice.
Jairot and the Mage Knights swallowed hard, continuing to watch Zaira intently. If this child also wielded forbidden magic like the Elder, that would be quite troublesome.
“I came to ask something. The Minister of Magic of Bariel would be the pinnacle of Gaia’s mages, as Grandmother told me.”
“Asking is your freedom, and answering is mine.”
“Is there a way to save a mage who has used forbidden magic?”
Ian faltered.
The mages who followed murmured, debating what nonsense this was. A way to save a mage who had fallen into the abyss? There was no such thing.
“Ruswena, you little brat! Don’t spout such foolishness! Where would such a thing exist? Do you even understand what forbidden magic is?”
“You lot down there, stay out of it! I’m asking the Minister!”
“Look at this cheeky one. Wow, she’s just like Berik.”
“Forbidden magic—is there a way to reverse it?”
A single tear dropped from Zaira’s eye as she tilted her head back.
Ian remained silent for a moment, then spoke with certainty. If such a method existed, how wonderful that would be. If everything could be undone, I could endure crossing the abyss twice over.
But reality is reality.
“No.”
“No? Really?”
“Yes. There is none. Forbidden magic is truth itself and an ending. There is no way to reverse it.”
Zaira finally broke into tears, streaming down her face. Then, as if possessed by rage, she cried out loudly.
“You said there’s no such thing as truth, that it itself is the only truth! I ask one last time! Is there really nothing? You’re not just ignorant of it?”
“How dare you speak to Ian like that!”
Everyone bristled and added their own words, but Ian remained standing as if time had stopped, looking down at the child. If I said there truly was nothing, it felt as though there truly would be nothing, and I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
Zaira wailed and clutched at the earth.
“Say there is! Then I’ll do whatever it takes to save my Grandmother! Please, say there is!”

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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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