Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 410

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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 410
Fire. There’s a Connection
While I held King Damon by the hair, the side facing the most absurd predicament was actually Ruswena.
Ruswena faced trade sanctions from Bariel while simultaneously clashing with their main forces. Against the endless blue waves pouring from the forest, they couldn’t advance toward Burgos and had to confront Gaia’s vast army instead.
“Your Highness! This is a disaster!”
Yet the Minister of Magic had seized the King by the nape of the neck. Before anything could be done, victory and defeat were essentially already decided.
If there were a suitable successor within Burgos to replace him, things might be different, but as far as Eriponi knew, he was the one who firmly upheld absolute monarchy within Burgos.
When Damon’s parents were alive, she’d heard rumors that he had quite a few half-brothers and half-sisters from different fathers, but those were merely rumors, weren’t they?
Eriponi struggled to peer through the gaps in the Burgos soldiers using the telescope Eldetr had provided.
“It appears King Damon has been captured.”
How could this happen? Eriponi barely swallowed the curses rising in her throat, then surveyed the land where fierce battles were raging. By any measure, Ruswena and Bariel were clearly treating each other with hostility.
If only I’d delayed the order a bit longer! I was trying to reinforce the battle between Burgos and Cliffford, but it’s completely fallen apart. Eriponi struck her bowstring harshly and clutched her head.
“What do you think we should do, Eldetr? It’s too late to speak of friendship with Bariel, yet if we continue forward, Damon’s head remains in Ian’s hands. What would be best?”
“Whatever choice you make, Your Highness, I shall follow your will. However, I believe it would be wise to retreat and observe the situation. Internal strife may occur within Burgos, and we still have no information about the earthquake. If Bariel holds us responsible, we can present that matter as our primary defense and escape blame.”
Burgos, or more precisely Damon, was in an alliance and had promised a false future. If we could only use this to transform Ruswena into a victim who fell for their deception as well, then a considerable portion of our responsibility, including war reparations, would be reduced.
Though with that meticulous and prematurely aged Ian around, I wasn’t sure if it would work properly.
“But what are those? They said reinforcements were coming from the north, yet they continue to rampage without understanding the situation.”
“They appear to be the Atan Clan.”
“The Atan Clan?”
“Yes. That woman with the afro hair was once a famous monster hunter named Efdiram. I’ve heard rumors that she awakened as the Atan Clan and travels in groups. For reference, she is a Mage, and her closest aide is a Mage Knight. They once operated alone in the north, and there’s a rumor that wherever they stay, monsters never breed.”
The problem was that they were so rough that no one welcomed them.
Eriponi bit her nails and turned her head. She still had the black-armored soldiers and Mages remaining. If the Atan Clan were to run wild, couldn’t she continue the war by any means necessary?
No matter what, ending things this way was the worst of Eriponi’s options. A war where she came and gained nothing. Of course, war was a kind of gamble where defeat meant losing everything, but now she had lost her hand before even trying anything.
In this situation, moving forward was the most ideal card Eriponi could play.
“Eldetr. Summon the Mages.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
First, let me send the Mages out as scouts again. This time, I needed those who could perform their role without causing a commotion.
The Bariel soldiers crawling across the ground could be dealt with by the Mages. Before Bariel’s Mages joined in, a decision needed to be made.
“Mages!”
At the soldier’s call, Zaira turned her head.
They were maintaining the front lines while awaiting Eriponi’s orders. So that the blind arrows and spears of Bariel wouldn’t dare touch the King’s feet. And to minimize casualties among Ruswena’s soldiers.
“His Highness urgently summons you. He says a scout role is needed again.”
Ching! Clang!
Scout! Zaira, who had been slightly withdrawn among the Mages, brightened her eyes. Something had happened in the battle between Cliffford and Burgos.
Now that Bariel’s main forces had suddenly descended upon them, this was as good as a shortcut for Zaira. To empty the Ruswena royal palace by requesting reinforcements and cross over to Bariel.
“Uncle! You go!”
Zaira grabbed the shoulder of the man before her and shouted. Then, as if wishing him luck, she pressed her cheek against his and whispered.
“Uncle. Go scout and whatever you see, guide the report toward where Ruswena needs more reinforcements. Plant hope in His Highness. You understand what I mean, don’t you? You haven’t forgotten our conversation in the tent?”
If the battle were at a lull, additional forces would be needed for the future, and to convey this as quickly as possible, a Mage would handle the message.
Then everything would proceed smoothly. The Mage returning to Ruswena would take the garrison records and families and cross over to Bariel, and the Mages remaining here would cross to Bariel’s camp as soon as they heard the news. It was very simple and easy. If only Eriponi could hold onto hope in this war!
Zaira’s Uncle nodded and followed the soldier, soon disappearing from view.
“Zaira. What did he say?”
“My uncle understood perfectly.”
Other Ruswena Mages glanced over with worried expressions. Zaira’s mind held only a simple, unwavering plan, but the others were clouded by the stains of time and experience, making their thoughts far more complicated.
What if they didn’t dispatch a mage to send word to Ruswena? What if they couldn’t properly extract families from the palace? What if, after crossing into Bariel, they were treated as hostages? All manner of negative, tangled concerns filled the air, yet Zaira wore a smile as if nothing troubled her.
‘If I go to Bariel, I can save Grandmother. I’ll go to the Abyss myself and bring her back by hand. I can do this. Grandmother, please wait just a little longer. Please.’
Clang! Clang!
Whoooosh!
Zaira deflected the barrage of arrows aimed at her with a protective barrier all at once, and the force scattered across the Cliffford plains on the wind.
* * *
“It’s actually working.”
One of the mages muttered while leaning against the barrier.
The wild stallions that had been raging madly were nowhere to be seen now. The Atan Clan members gathered peacefully like they’d come for a pleasant outing, huddled together around Efdiram as they earnestly debated something. Despite the heated atmosphere, it didn’t seem particularly substantive.
“Right. The idea of eating while talking is actually working. These guys who were wielding swords and bows like madmen just moments ago.”
“Isn’t that just what happens when everything comes down to survival?”
“I bet they’re arguing about what to eat right now.”
Thanks to Ian diving into the fray and seizing Damon by the scruff of his neck, peace had settled over the war. Soldiers no longer killed one another, the Burgos soldiers awaited their judgment, and the Cliffford people simply waited, anticipating their return to normal life.
The Burgos forces had also quieted for now, but the problem lay with those Atan Clan members. What if they suddenly decided to continue the war and charged in?
It would become impossible to predict how events within Burgos would unfold. Perhaps a new leader could seize power in the homeland, or just as heroes emerge in times of chaos, a new figure might rise to prominence somewhere in that camp.
“Even if we tried, I don’t understand why they keep rushing in like that.”
“That’s just their nature, isn’t it? They eat monsters and play freely as they wish. From their perspective, how wonderful must that be?”
“It’s meaningless. Pointless. We have several mages here, and once time passes and we all recover, they’re nothing. Honestly, couldn’t the Imperial Guards handle them alone? Half of them are ordinary humans.”
“Open the gate!”
While the mages chattered back and forth, Efdiram stepped forward before the barrier and shouted. The gates slowly swung open to both sides. She strode confidently into enemy territory, accompanied by one of her subordinates.
Creeeeak. The mages watched her enter from above, then naturally turned and descended the stairs. All the Bariel Mages gathered to greet Efdiram.
“Where’s the Bariel lackey?”
“The Atan Clan Chief. His words and conduct are most unpleasant.”
“Ah, was he like that? Then, what about that handsome one?”
“…Call him Minister Ian Hielo. Otherwise, there will be no negotiations through dialogue.”
Handsome one? Heil hesitated for a moment, but then immediately made a threat. It had no effect on Efdiram whatsoever.
“Why are you fussing about whether to dismantle a position your superior created? If you’re going to dismantle it, go ahead. But make sure to tell that side it’s their problem, not mine. Got it? If something like this gets mistranslated in the middle, it’ll really be a pain.”
Efdiram poked Heil’s chest repeatedly while laughing. Berik sat perched on the stair railing, looking down at her with annoyance, seemingly unaware that he was facing himself through a third party.
Efdiram swept her gaze across the interior of the barrier and made a full circle, then nodded her head.
“So, where am I supposed to go? Are we going to keep standing here like this? You said something about eating. Our kids are starving from running here, so we’re really hungry.”
“Suck on your fingers!”
“A tiny thing like you might fill up on that, but we’re built differently. Red-head. And don’t interrupt when adults are talking.”
“Adults? Anyone under a hundred years old is a friend!”
“Is he really from the Imperial Guards? He said so himself earlier.”
Seeing that he couldn’t bring himself to speak, it must be true. Efdiram whistled and clapped her hands together.
Had there ever been an Atan Clan member in Bariel’s Imperial Guards? There was no long history of it, and since so many passed through like the wind, she couldn’t say for certain, but from what she knew, Berik was the first.
Efdiram pulled out a stick of gum as if to freshen her breath, chewing it with deliberate, audible crunches.
“This way.”
“Your superior over there—is his body alright? The mana drain was no joke. I wonder what exactly he did to Idgal to end up like this.”
As Efdiram murmured with curiosity while following Heil’s guidance, the Mages all came to a halt.
My condition was far from good. Mana was leaking from me as if my body had sprung a hole somewhere, and they had concluded it was Idgal’s doing. They believed time would heal it—a complacent yet blindly faithful conviction.
“What?”
“Why are you all so shocked? You must have seen the magic circle emanating from Idgal earlier.”
“…Do you know what that is?”
“Huh? Are you telling me you don’t?”
It was Efdiram who was truly astonished. These so-called Bariel Mages didn’t know this? No wonder hothouse flowers never amount to anything. Efdiram clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
“It’s 「Debt Acceptance」.”
Literally accepting a debt. A spell that borrows formidable power for a time, or for whatever reason, by stealing ability from one’s future self.
Efdiram shrugged, her curiosity piqued.
“But I can’t figure out why it’s been cast on Idgal. And considering it’s an enemy nation’s artifact—the Idgal that King Burgos possessed, no less. Did the Minister of Magic have some connection to it in the past?”
At her words, Heil flinched as if his feet had been stepped on. Hadn’t I already told him? That my own forgotten past had created Idgal.
Efdiram laughed, draping an arm across Heil’s shoulder.
“Whether it’s Idgal or Damon—if either of them has any connection to anything, it’d be surprising to everyone, wouldn’t it?”

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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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