Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 400

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 400
Fire. The First Taste
Berik rested his chin on the table, staring at the bubbling liquid. The other Mages watched him intently. No matter how I looked at it, that wasn’t food—was he really going to drink it?
Some whispered seriously to their neighbors that it might be better to stop him. They didn’t speak loudly, though, as they kept glancing at Akorella, who stood smiling with documents in hand.
“Drink it? Ian, I’m drinking this?”
“Yeah, our stubborn mutt Berik. Go ahead and drink it. You’ll consume it in two portions. First, focus on the taste and describe the flavor, then record any physical abnormalities and changes every hour—”
“I don’t care about all that. Too bothersome.”
Akorella was excitedly flipping through the papers when Berik ignored her and gulped down the entire drink in one go.
The Mages gasped and huddled around Ian, who furrowed his brow with concern.
“Blegh.”
“Damn it! You never listen, do you? I just said to drink it in two portions, didn’t I?”
“Mm. It’s delicious.”
“…Delicious? How? Be specific.”
“If it tastes good, I say it tastes good. What’s the problem? It just tastes good.”
Snap. Akorella broke her pen with a smile. He was a brave test subject, sure, but his lack of sophistication made him useless for the research.
Berik wiped the corner of his mouth and checked his body for any changes.
“Berik, are you okay?”
Berik nodded at the Mage’s question. It felt no different from drinking a refreshing beverage. He looked at Akorella with suspicious eyes.
“Isn’t this a failure? There’s no reaction, no reaction at all.”
“The side effect is insanity? How dare you attach the word ‘failure’ to the great Akorella’s masterpiece. Berik. Come here. I’ll make you vomit it back up.”
I flipped through Akorella’s report page by page. Countless listed ingredients and meticulously documented manufacturing processes. Since it was the domain of experts, I couldn’t fully understand everything, but comparing it to the previous amplifier report, I could spot several unusual details.
“Akorella. Are those things in the parentheses substitutes? Five new ones were added, but I don’t know what Ludlecle is.”
“Ludlecle is a substance found in monster blood. While it hasn’t been thoroughly researched yet, I heard from researchers at King Cliffford’s palace that it has similar effects to Vitairol, which was used in the amplifier.”
“So you’re saying monster blood is in here? In this?”
“Yes. However…”
Was there a problem? Akorella’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. In other words, it was rotten blood barely squeezed from the synthetic monsters brought back after battle.
The Mages turned pale and protested, while Berik, not understanding what was happening, simply sniffled.
“Are you insane? You made this by mixing that rotten blood?”
“These creatures are dying now and will keep dying. Do we have the luxury to be picky? If it works, we should be willing to eat dirt. Tsk tsk. Back in my day—”
“Ian. Please, scold her a bit. Captain Akorella, you’re going to cause real trouble like this. No, we’re going to cause real trouble.”
“Berik already caused it. Now he’s done for. That one.”
“Berik. I’m saying this now, but I liked you. Your dog-like nature was annoying, but I still liked you. Go well. Okay.”
“Bleeegh.”
Berik burped loudly, meeting my gaze. He had directly consumed monster blood. The Mages, unaware that Berik was of the Atan Clan, simply pitied him and embraced him for drinking rotten blood.
“Why are you all like this? Explain it simply.”
“What you kissed earlier. That was blood. You just drank it.”
Berik’s eyes widened as he whipped his head toward Akorella. She held up the pen broken in half, her eyes sparkling.
“What? Are you having a reaction? How is it? Does your stomach hurt? Your insides? Even the smallest thing is fine, so ramble on.”
“Y-you crazy bastard! Let’s really go at it!”
“Oh, perfect! Let’s see how good the amplifier’s effect is. Come at me.”
Zing. Zing.
The moment Berik and Captain Akorella attempted to unleash their mana simultaneously, the Mages rushed forward and stopped them both.
The conference room descended into absolute chaos in an instant. The door swung open, and Prince Noah froze in shock, simply staring at the scene before him.
Creak.
“Oh.”
“P-please come in, Your Highness!”
“D-did we make too much noise? Haha! Ha!”
“Get over here, how dare you feed me that!”
“You said you’d eat it yourself, so why are you blaming me?”
“Both of you, quiet! The Prince is here!”
“Down with Akorella!”
“That idiot doesn’t even know what ‘down with’ means and he’s using it.”
“What do you mean he doesn’t know? It means kill her!”
“Ahem ahem! Shh! Quiet!”
The Mages separated Berik and Captain Akorella to opposite ends of the room while forcing awkward smiles.
Prince Noah walked slowly through the chaos, his expression clearly bewildered by the commotion. But then again, it wasn’t particularly urgent or something he cared to understand. He extended a single sheet of paper before me.
Whoosh.
“What is this?”
“A letter to be sent to Burgos and Ruswena. It’s an agreement regarding confirmation of the Mages’ safety and prisoner exchange. With the assistance of Minister Tweller and Captain Jairot, there shouldn’t be any particular issues, but I thought it best if Count Ian reviewed the contents beforehand.”
Noah cleared his throat unnecessarily. Since it was essentially drafted with the involvement of both Bariel and the old foxes, Cliffford could deflect responsibility to some degree even if problems arose. He had come personally with the document to hint at this and to appease me, who had become increasingly sensitive due to the side effects.
If I alone gave final approval, he would immediately send a messenger to attempt contact. Hadn’t Minister Bariel issued an ultimatum? To bring all the Mages before him within a single day.
“….”
My eyes grew colder. I thought he had returned to his normal state, but once again a chill dripped from me just as before.
The Mages pressed their bodies close together and exchanged glances. It seemed that whenever facing foreign powers other than Bariel, I would continue like this, so it would be better to wrap things up on their end for now.
“The contents are acceptable.”
“Then I’ll send the messenger right away—”
“But the letter itself is the problem.”
I tapped the edge of the paper with my fingertip.
“You are aware of Damon and Eriponi, are you not? The very act of inquiring whether the Mages are alive reveals considerable information to them.”
Setting aside Ruswena, who reportedly holds one Mage, we don’t know how many Burgos holds. If they have no prisoners at all, the very act of asking about their whereabouts becomes their trump card. They could deceive us into believing they have hostages when they don’t, drawing out negotiations or tricks, and above all, they could discern a rift in the alliance between Cliffford and Bariel.
Damon and Eriponi were such people. They didn’t merely read the words on a page—they read the currents of circumstance flowing beneath them.
Prince Noah’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Then what would you have me do? Along with this, we plan to search the barrier vicinity with scouts and Mage Knights included. Is that not what you want?”
We’ve been asked to rescue the Mages, and Cliffford is doing its utmost—are you criticizing our efforts? I tilted my head and nodded slightly.
“No. Please proceed. If that is Cliffford’s best effort, then so be it. What I mean to point out is that merely because Tweller and Jairot assisted in drafting the letter does not mean Bariel bears any responsibility for it. This is a letter sent by Cliffford.”
In other words, don’t even think of shifting blame. Such shallow tactics won’t work. Even if Cliffford has given everything in this war, that is separate from Bariel’s affairs. Should problems arise with Bariel, I will hold you fully accountable. It was a warning of sorts.
“So choose carefully.”
Is there a better way? Can you truly be certain this is the best course? Even if the dice you’ve cast shows a low number, can you overcome it?
At my cool counsel, Noah withdrew the paper.
“Don’t worry. This is my best judgment, and therefore Cliffford’s best judgment.”
“That is fortunate.”
“Dawn will break soon. Everyone should rest rather than exhaust themselves like this. It would be wise to get some sleep before the next battle.”
Despite the ambiguous situation, the Mages remained the core of Cliffford’s reinforcements. It would be better to preserve their strength and catch whatever sleep they could to prepare for the coming engagement rather than waste themselves like this.
But at those words, Berik remembered what he had been drinking, and he lunged at Akorelra again.
“Down with them! Down with them!”
“You fool! You can’t use language like that in front of the Prince!”
“Where did you pick that up? This is maddening.”
Screeeech.
Fortunately, Noah said nothing and left the war room. He handed a piece of paper to the Messenger who had been waiting, and gave a strict command.
“If you can penetrate deep into Burgos and Ruswena, do so.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Not harming a Messenger who entered the camp was an unspoken rule of war. Rather than being based on unconditional revenge and anger, it was strategically advantageous to understand each side’s interests and coordinate them accordingly.
The two Messengers each fastened Cliffford’s flag to their backs and rushed beyond the barrier. One sprinting straight ahead, the other’s retreating figure veering to the right and disappearing into the distance. Noah sighed, hoping good news would return.
“Your Highness. What shall we do with that girl?”
Zaira, sprawled out and sleeping soundly in the center of Cliffford’s camp. After crying, wailing, and carrying on with all manner of hysteria, she had collapsed from exhaustion and fallen asleep. It was more accurate to say she had simply lost consciousness.
Noah shook his head as if tired of the matter.
“Pay her no mind. She falls under the purview of Bariel’s Mage Division.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Your Highness. Dawn is breaking. We will venture out to search for bodies before the barrier. And Captain Jairot of the Imperial Guards has provided Mage Knights. We will patrol the forest in groups of four.”
Noah checked his pocket watch. Could it be that there had been no contact until now? If there had been, finding those traces and confirming their range of movement was crucial.
As Noah issued the order to execute the operation, the barrier gate opened once more. The dark night gave way, and a dim twilight settled over the surroundings.
Soldiers, armed and ready, slowly walked through the field of corpses, identifying their own countrymen and carefully searching to see if any Mages were among them.
Tap tap tap!
Whiiiine!
Then, like fading shadows, the scout teams dispersed. Each split to the left and right to confirm the enemy’s camp and range of movement.
Caaaw, caaaw—hungry crows cried out loudly and took flight.
* * *
It did not take long for the Messenger Noah had sent to return.
A Soldier standing watch on the barrier rang the bell to greet the Messenger’s return. As the Soldier stepped inside, he exhaled in relief the moment his feet touched the ground within the barrier.
“Why did you return so quickly? Did you bring a reply?”
“Ah, yes, a reply. Yes. I… I brought one back. Where is the Prince?”
“He’s in the war room.”
The Gatekeeper Soldier examined the Messenger with a puzzled expression. There was a bundle hanging behind him that hadn’t been there when he left. When he touched it lightly, it was quite a large box.
“What is this?”
“A reply from Burgos.”
“What in the world…”
Something felt wrong. The Gatekeeper turned his telescope toward Ruswena’s side, but there was still no sign of the other Messenger’s return.
Wasn’t that how it should be? When an important message was sent, the leader and subordinates would confer and send back an appropriate reply. It should take some time, yet Burgos had simply handed over the box and sent the Messenger back as if they had been waiting.
Knock knock.
“Your Highness. The Messenger sent to Burgos has returned.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes. I’m afraid I couldn’t penetrate further inside. And this is a reply from King Damon. He said he hoped you and Count Ian would see it directly.”
Prince Noah unwrapped the cloth covering the box, and soon realized it contained five Bariel Mage robes thoroughly soaked in blood. For a moment, his head spun with vertigo.
And—
“What on earth is…”
A box sealed shut.
The Generals suggested with parched lips.
“Allow me to open it, Your Highness.”
Creak.
The General slowly lifted the lid of the box.
Inside lay a human head.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————