Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 478

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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 478
Fire. Reunion
Whinnnnny!
Viviana, who had been steeping tea leaves, turned her head toward the window. She had heard the sound of a carriage arriving. The long-awaited, precious guests from the far reaches of Bariel! Viviana wrapped her arm around her daughter Vivi’s shoulder and gestured for her to come outside with her.
As she opened the door, her eyes met those of a radiant blonde woman. Her cherished friend whom she had sent away so hastily ten years ago. Viviana was so overjoyed that she let out a cry.
“Countess!”
“Viviana!”
“Goodness, it has been far too long! You must have had such a difficult journey. How is it that you haven’t changed at all? Only I have grown older.”
“You haven’t changed either. And the estate—everything is exactly as I remember it. Not a single thing is different. It’s wonderful.”
“Nersaren! Come in here. Oh my, so this is Roel. Hello? It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Viviana.”
“Thank you so much for welcoming us, Countess!”
When Viviana greeted her, Roel responded with formal courtesy. They said she was a female Ian, but that description referred to far more than mere appearance. The very aura she emanated was an exact mirror image.
Viviana couldn’t suppress her laughter as she brought her daughter Vivi forward to meet Roel. The first meeting between Roel and Vivi. Vivi seemed terribly shy, her shoulders drawn up and her cheeks flushed red.
At this, Philia waved her hands back and forth, uncertain what to do.
“That little baby has grown so much! I’m so proud and amazed. It’s wonderful to meet you, Vivi. I’m Philia.”
“Oh, hello!”
“This is my daughter Roel. She’s a year younger than you, Vivi. I always wished the two of you could meet someday, and today that wish has come true.”
Vivi smiled brightly and extended her hand to Roel. Though they were meeting for the first time, the long stories told on quiet nights by their parents and the frequent letters exchanged between them had created considerable inner intimacy.
Roel noticed that Vivi’s eyes were sparkling excessively, and she glanced sideways at Philia and Nersaren. The atmosphere made it impossible not to reciprocate.
“…It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you! Roel!”
As Vivi tried to greet Roel with a cheek kiss, Roel firmly raised her hand to block it.
“I’m not accustomed to Imperial customs.”
“Oh, is that so? Sorry, sorry! Would you like to come inside? I’ll show you around. My room is on this floor. While you’re staying with us, let’s sleep together. Do you like books? What about paintings? Oh, I have some pressed flower petals—would you like to see them?”
Vivi bounced excitedly and dragged Roel along. Roel sent a silent plea for help to her mother and father, but both of them were too busy laughing and chatting with Viviana to notice.
‘Sigh, I suppose there’s no helping it.’
As Roel was being dragged along by Vivi, something caught her eye. Red hair.
“Oh.”
Though she had never seen him before, she recognized him instantly. The roughly disheveled red hair, the disagreeable-looking eyes, the smirking mouth. And scars covering his entire skin.
“…Uncle Berik?”
“Uncle Berik?! Where, where?”
Berik was entering the estate together with Romandro. Or rather, it was Berik resisting because he didn’t want to go, while Romandro pushed at his back.
“Ugh, why are you doing this? I told you I’m busy?”
“What difference does being a couple hours late make?”
“Of course it makes a difference! Romandro, you have short legs so you can’t go far, but I have long legs, so in a couple hours I can pass through three more villages!”
“This guy? You’re just fooling around! Your speed comes from magic power, not leg length. Where do you get off mentioning your legs? Oh, looks like we’ve arrived. Hey there!”
Romandro waved his hand while firmly gripping Berik’s collar. Roel thought this seemed familiar somehow, and upon closer inspection, it looked exactly like Vivi’s behavior.
‘So that must be Romandro.’
“Ah! Father!”
As Vivi ran forward, Philia and Nersaren also turned their attention toward Romandro. It truly had been a very long time. Romandro and Berik, unchanged. Philia felt tears welling up in her eyes without her realizing it. In that brief moment, memories of the hardships they had endured together ten years ago came flooding back.
While Romandro and Philia embraced, sharing the joy of their reunion, Berik merely scratched his head and frowned.
“Romandro! Have you been well? I hope you’ve been taking care of yourself?”
“My dear Countess, what more can I say?”
“Exactly. What’s there to say? You’ve gotten heavier.”
“I have not!”
“Berik, you’ve grown so tall. But you’re still the same. I’m so incredibly happy to see you. Have you been well? Come here. Let me hold your hand.”
Philia caressed the back of Berik’s hand, her expression indescribable—a mixture of admiration, joy, and sorrow all at once.
If only Ian hadn’t disappeared, he surely would have grown up alongside Berik. Watching Berik’s growth stirred memories of Ian’s own.
“Ah, really.”
Berik muttered as he brushed his hair back, as if he’d known this would happen. Just as Philia saw Ian when she looked at him, Berik couldn’t help but see Ian when he looked at Philia—her golden hair shining so brilliantly, her green eyes so deeply vivid.
“Roel. Come here.”
At Philia’s call, Roel walked over slowly. Romandro was taken aback by the child’s presence, which was far more commanding than he’d imagined.
Berik, meanwhile, gazed down at Roel impassively. The two examined each other without expression. Berik spoke first, leaving his initial impression.
“Damn, you really are Ian.”
And then Roel.
“…Dog.”
Philia, watching this exchange, was inwardly startled. How many people could speak Ian’s name so freely? But her surprise was fleeting—she burst into laughter and embraced Berik.
“Where are you going? From what I heard earlier, it seems you’re heading outside the Central Region. But Prince Jin’s coming-of-age ceremony is coming up soon. You’re not going far, are you?”
“I’m going to Tooluun.”
“Tooluun? Why such a distant place?”
“There’s information that Rutherford has appeared. I’m going to verify if it’s true. If he’s there, the chances of Ian being there too are much higher.”
The chances of Ian being there are much higher.
At these words, Philia’s eyes widened as if they might overflow. She was clearly too shocked to speak. Without asking any questions, she simply stared intently at Berik’s face, as if asking whether she’d heard correctly.
“And a separate residence will be built within this year. The time is approaching. When Ian returns.”
“Wait, Berik?”
“But he keeps insisting I eat before I go. Honestly.”
“Once you leave, when else will you get a proper meal? I want to send you off well-fed!”
“You’re the only one worried about my meals, Romandro. Everyone else keeps telling me to stop eating.”
Berik waved his hand dismissively. He’d seen Philia and her family—there was no reason to stay any longer. He would hurry to Tooluun, and if Rutherford was there, he’d kill him and bring Ian back. And….
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Berik noticed that Roel was staring at him intently and raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“You’re going to Tooluun?”
“Yeah, you know?”
“I know, but… never mind.”
Berik stretched languidly, turned his body, and walked away without hesitation the way he’d come.
Philia watched him go blankly, then suddenly heard Roel murmur something.
“It’s not Tooluun though.”
“Huh? Roel, what did you say?”
“But it doesn’t matter. He’ll get lost anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Philia asked with a tilt of her head, but Roel simply pressed her lips together. She had no desire to say anything more. The Boy was led into the mansion by Vivi’s hand, while the adults stood in silence, their gazes lingering on the spot where Berik had vanished.
Ian is coming back. What had existed only as wind suddenly felt tangible, drawing near to reality. All thanks to Berik, who spoke so casually of going to retrieve Ian.
“Shall we head inside as well? You must be quite exhausted from your travels. Please rest well today. Mini has cleaned your rooms with great care.”
Viviana whispered as she embraced Philia, who had half-collapsed. Come inside with me, she seemed to say. Let us share this sorrow and find comfort together.
* * *
Brilliant light. Idgal. The waves of the Underworld Deity. Rutherford’s pupils.
Every sight witnessed in the abyss swirled together, dizzying my mind. Beyond the throbbing headache, the acrid stench that assaulted my nostrils was unbearable. I opened my eyes with a grimace, then froze at the sensation of dampness enveloping my entire back.
A haphazardly woven ceiling…. A stable?
‘What is this?’
The moment I shifted my body slightly, every muscle screamed as though being torn apart. It seemed only my eyes could move at all.
I slowly surveyed my surroundings to understand where I was, and soon enough, I could be certain. This was a storage shed that had been used as a stable.
“Ah.”
From the sunlight filtering through the gaps, it appeared to be daytime, but why was I here?
I clearly remembered the final moments in the abyss. Every single instant of my attempt to kill Rutherford, who was protected by the Underworld Deity.
In the end, brilliant light had consumed everything around me, leaving only a warm sensation behind. What was it? Just as the Underworld Deity protected Rutherford, had I also received the protection of a god?
‘I wonder if Rutherford knows that what he follows is the Underworld Deity.’
Whether he knew its true identity was the Underworld Deity, or whether he had been completely deceived like the priests of the Carbo Temple.
In truth, neither mattered much to me. Regardless, what was certain was that Rutherford was an existence I had to cut down and eliminate—for Bariel and for the will of God.
‘However, he will serve as a guide for how to settle matters in Tooluun upon my return. The Rutherford Merchant Company left traces of having stayed in Tooluun for a certain period, and their influence appears to have been considerable.’
I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes. There was a mountain of work to do, and I wanted to move quickly, yet I couldn’t move a single finger. All I could hear was the chirping of mountain birds. And—
Rustle.
‘Footsteps.’
My eyes snapped open. At the same moment, the storage door swung open. The figure was backlit and difficult to make out, but it appeared to be a thin man around forty years old. Upon seeing my condition, he immediately exclaimed.
“Oh, you’ve come to!”
He had the appearance of a human. His shabby attire suggested he was of low status, and he didn’t seem to have received any formal education.
Yet the way he spoke Bariel’s common tongue naturally suggested this was somewhere in Bariel. His accent was peculiar, indicating he was likely from the outskirts.
“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up today. Open your mouth.”
Just as I was about to thank him for saving me and ask where exactly this place was, I closed my mouth. His words were far too strange for someone addressing someone who had just regained consciousness. Normally, one would ask if I was alright or inquire about my identity, wouldn’t they?
I regarded the man with cautious eyes, but he paid no mind and thrust a bowl of thin gruel toward me. For someone trying to poison me, he was simply offering warm water—or so I thought, but his next words remained harsh.
“Open your mouth, I said! Ah, can’t you understand what I’m saying? You look like a Bariel person, though?”
Bariel, that’s right. I had returned. As I kept my mouth firmly shut, the man scratched his head and muttered.
“This is a problem. It’s difficult if you can’t understand me. Come on, ah—! Ah! Open your mouth! Like this!”
The man kindly demonstrated with gestures, movements, and even stretched his own mouth wide.
“If you don’t wake up by today, the master said he’d sell you to the slave market. Sell you! Do you know what that means? Slavery! Tsk! You need to gather your strength and greet him properly! If you don’t, you’ll be sold off!”

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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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