Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 41

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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 41. The Reason for Return
The soldiers outside the main gate still held their swords at the ready, waiting for orders from within.
The atmosphere between the two opposing forces was stark. On one side, figures barely standing with trembling hands and feet; on the other, the Cheonryeo Tribe waiting leisurely while chewing betel leaves.
Creeeeak.
The gate opened. They parted to either side, permitting the strangers entry.
“Only Ian and the tribal leader may enter!”
“Enter?”
“Well, that’s a pleasant way to put it.”
….
The soldier belonged to Bariel’s Central Army, while these were borderland savages. It was a natural attitude and tone, but one warrior deliberately sneered and picked a fight.
The other warriors chuckled in agreement, creating an intimidating and rough atmosphere. Normally I would have stopped them, but this time I let it pass.
“Allow the escort to enter.”
“That cannot be permitted.”
“Are you the captain or the commander?”
“…Orders have already come from above.”
“Perhaps you should ask again. Your lord’s mind may change. Just as ours can.”
At my calm words, the soldier’s face went pale. He had said there was no will to resist, but this approach suggested unpredictable consequences.
The Central Army had already suffered considerable losses in the battle against Count Derga, so any additional armed conflict had to be avoided at all costs.
Moreover, the opposition was the warlike Cheonryeo Tribe, a threat to Bratz. Who knew what the future held, but pushing through this mansion right now would hardly be simple.
I turned to Kakantir and made a proposal.
“Kakan. If the four of us—Nersaren, Su, and I—enter, that should suffice.”
“Me! Ian, I’m here too! Berik’s right here?”
“Very well. We’ll do as the captain wishes.”
Go ask again at once.”
“Iaaaan! Are you deaf?”
Berik, clinging like a bundle of goods, writhed about asking to be taken along, but exclusion was exclusion.
Under my pressure, the soldier went back inside and soon returned with satisfactory news.
“Please enter.”
“I’ll return shortly. Everyone wait here.”
“Yes, Kakan!”
Creeeeak.
The main gate slowly closed. The Bratz mansion, returned to after two months, looked far different from memory. The quiet, fresh atmosphere was gone, replaced by the thick stench of defeat.
The annex visible in the distance was charred black as if burned entirely. I stared at the shapeless forms piled beside it. What on earth were those….
“Are you Ian Bratz?”
Then a woman emerged from the main building, escorted by subordinates.
By her attire, she was the investigation captain. With pink hair tied back and bandages wrapped around various places, it seemed there had been quite fierce fighting within the mansion. She smiled while smoking a cigarette.
“Ah. Since you haven’t been registered, I should simply call you Ian. I heard about you from Captain Mollin. I’m the captain—Erika.”
“Are you Captain Mollin’s subordinate?”
“Subordinate? Well, you could say so. Come inside now. It’s humble, but surely better than standing on the ground?”
Erika led the way as if the mansion were her own. Watching her back, I could surmise that she was the next lord Mollin had chosen.
The position of investigation chief and the fact that he directly handled affairs here made the position of next lord a fair compensation.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Upon arriving at the reception room, I feigned ignorance and tested the waters. The interior of the mansion reeked of blood that hadn’t yet dissipated.
“As you can see, there was some bleeding, but we’re nearly finished with the cleanup. We’ve confirmed the tax evasion charges and found evidence. All that’s left is to sever Count Derga’s limbs.”
I raised my eyebrows. Executions of traitors were mostly by hanging. Death by the blade was considered honorable for nobility, so ropes were typically used instead. After all, dangling helplessly in the air and thrashing about was a sight difficult for the public to witness.
Erika laughed brazenly, as if joking. From the main entrance to the reception room, she hadn’t spared Kakantir a single glance. Arrogantly so.
“Well, it’s just a figure of speech. He has knights and a chief under his command. Deora, was it? Quite skilled. Since he keeps using them as his hands and feet while constantly running away, severing his limbs is only natural.”
Erika exhaled cigarette smoke directly into my face. Only then did she glance at Kakantir with a puzzled expression.
“So, what brings you all the way here? I hear you have quite a grudge against Count Derga. Are you curious about the execution ceremony?”
This place was not safe because I was here. Now, just before the Bratz family disappeared, everyone knew that Derga’s blood flowed through my veins, regardless of whether I had formally renounced the name.
“Or are you waiting for a letter from Lord Mollin?”
Simply by providing an informant’s report to Lord Mollin, I had cooperated. And for that alone, I received such favorable treatment. It was the magnanimity of those who had seized victory.
Erika smacked her lips.
“What do you want? I haven’t received any particular instructions.”
“I would appreciate hearing about Lord Mollin’s well-being, but I have other business.”
“Hmm? Really?”
Erika seemed to think little of it. As if wondering what business a bastard sold off to the Cheonryeo could possibly have.
“Bratz is my homeland. When I heard of the trouble, I was so worried I couldn’t sleep at night. The same is true for the Cheonryeo Tribe, who had formed an alliance with Bratz. That is why I came along.”
Erika glanced at Kakantir. Then she simply laughed, tilting her chin slightly. She seemed not yet to have grasped my true intentions.
“Aren’t the barbarians on bad terms with Bratz?”
At her words, I burst out laughing. A clearly contemptuous laugh. Erika’s expression hardened as she stubbed out her cigarette on the table, and her subordinates standing behind her immediately grasped their sword hilts.
“Bratz and the Cheonryeo Tribe have maintained peace and exchanged with one another since ancient times. We are more than brothers.”
“Brothers? Ha. That’s like saying a dog ate grass and died. Everyone in the Central administration knows that Bratz and Cheonryeo can’t wait to devour each other. Aren’t you the proof? A lowborn wretch sold alive to the Great Desert.”
“Your manner of speech is impressive. Surprising, really. It seems the investigation chief nowadays recruits from commoner stock.”
“What!?”
At my calm words, Erika shrieked. I had essentially thrown her own crude manner of speaking back in her face.
Kakan also showed agreement with my words through laughter.
“Listen here, Chief.”
“Listen here, Chief?”
“I am the heart of the Great Desert. Stop spouting crude remarks. If you’ve confirmed Count Derga’s tax evasion charges, hurry and conduct the execution, then leave. We will handle the aftermath of the Bratz territory.”
“Are these beasts insane? What are they saying right now!?”
“Lady Erika! There’s nothing more to hear!”
Clang! Clang!
Erika’s subordinates drew their swords. Kakantir, Nersaren, and Su simply stood watching blankly. Unlike those who were agitated, the atmosphere was truly calm.
“You beast-blooded whelps! Do you know where you are!?”
Whoosh!
One of the nearby men rushed at Kakantir and swung his sword. Kakantir caught his wrist with his bare hand very lightly, then began applying pressure with an expressionless face.
“Wha…?”
Crack.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
With a single hand, he twisted the man’s wrist. But that wasn’t all—Kakantir seized the man’s hair and slammed his head down onto the table. The cigarette ash Erika had discarded clung to the man’s face.
Thud! Crash! Thud!
Once, twice, three times.
With each violent blow, thin blood sprayed forth, and soon the carpet beneath the table was soaked. Erika, who had stumbled backward, let out a shrill scream.
“Are you insane? I am an envoy of the Imperial Palace! This is an insult to the throne!”
“An insult, you say? You should choose your words carefully. Simply surviving a blow from my hand is both an honor and mercy.”
It wasn’t an empty boast. Since ascending to the position of tribal leader, I had never suffered a single defeat, and all those I faced had met their end.
Erika looked as though her eyes might roll back at any moment. She glared at Ian and issued a warning.
“…Do you wish to have your head severed alongside your father’s? Everyone knows Derga’s blood flows through your veins! Even if I kill you, no one can hold me accountable!”
“As you say, I carry Derga’s blood, but I am not a member of the Bratz family, am I?”
“Try spouting such nonsense in the Imperial Palace itself! Let’s see if such tricks work there!”
“Well, becoming a slave to the Imperial Palace would be the typical outcome, but one must read the situation carefully. Above all, I am the sole ‘Imperial citizen’ who maintains relations with the Cheonryeo Tribe on the Borderlands.”
This place was the Borderlands, a fortnight’s journey from the Imperial Palace.
Whoever became the next lord, it was the lord’s duty to protect Bariel’s borders from external forces. In a situation as urgent as this, who had the Cheonryeo at their back?
Ian lifted his head slightly, as if to make me see clearly.
“Furthermore, due to our peace accord, my allegiance is not to the Bratz of Bariel, but to the Cheonryeo of the Great Desert. Ah, I do hope you’ll withdraw. For your own safety.”
Monsters capable of effortlessly defeating dozens at once. Their sheer size was unmistakable. Even with Kakantir’s light movements, Erika’s subordinate had lost consciousness. If they drew weapons, what bloodshed would unfold? No one could fathom it.
“And most importantly, Captain Erika, your mission is to investigate and punish Derga’s tax evasion, not to clean up the aftermath of the Bratz territory. Once you’ve completed your task, wouldn’t it be better to depart? Is that truly so disagreeable?”
“I came to capture Derga!”
“Yet you’ve left the territory in ruins. That’s excessive. You need only spill Derga’s blood, yet the screams of the common folk fill the air.”
“The excessive one is you! Face your circumstances squarely!”
A descendant of Derga’s bloodline, once a commoner, now a mere sacrifice to the Great Desert. When the Count’s formal trial was held, it was certain that I would be sold into slavery. Somehow, the taxes Derga had embezzled had to be repaid.
“I understand my position well.”
At Ian’s words, Kakantir withdrew a letter from his inner pocket. He tossed it onto the blood-stained table with a soft thud.
“This is the position of the Cheonryeo, our ally. Derga’s affairs are an internal matter of the Empire, but we have nonetheless formed an alliance with the Bratz. We desire the peace of the Bratz above all else.”
“Ha! Shameless beyond measure.”
“It would be wise to maintain a respectful tone. If you die here, wouldn’t you be the one with the most to regret?”
It was a simple but unmistakable warning. Erika clenched her lips tightly and gripped her sword once more. And then she realized—the Cheonryeo had not yet drawn their weapons at all. They deemed their bare hands sufficient.
“According to our alliance oath, we should lend our strength to Derga’s side. But Derga is a criminal, and the Bratz are a piece of Bariel. Therefore, we wish to aid you, but….”
Kakantir glanced at Ian.
Everything proceeded exactly as we had arranged beforehand.
“We believe Ian is the most suitable person to connect you and us. We would like to entrust all authority of the Bratz to Ian. What do you think?”
“…Did I mishear? It sounds as though you’re saying he should become the family head?”
Ian and the Cheonryeo simply stared at Erika without answering. She felt utterly speechless, as if struck dumb. But as if it were too early for that, Ian smiled faintly.

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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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