Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 481

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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 481
Fire. The Scent of Blood
“Move faster!”
“We’re going. Stop pushing!”
“Ugh, we’re falling behind, falling behind.”
Landroe’s subordinates, gripping hand axes, led the way up the mountain. Their sluggish pace made the ascent painfully slow.
Landroe kept kicking his subordinates’ backsides, urging them to hurry. At this rate, they’d return empty-handed.
“Master. How much further must we go?”
“Just keep going as far as we’ve come. You’ll spot the Dryad tree, so keep your eyes wide open. And don’t ask me any more questions! This is exhausting.”
Sweat streamed down from beneath Landroe’s thick chin. He was at his limit, truly at his limit. For a man of his considerable girth, simply walking this far was a remarkable feat.
One of his subordinates, observing his master’s condition, whispered to the man beside him.
“But what exactly is this Dryad tree that he’s so worked up about?”
The way he came rushing after them with such fervor suggested it was quite valuable, yet when he’d seen it bundled in the warehouse, it looked no different from ordinary firewood.
“You didn’t know? When you burn that stuff, it lasts for two or three months easily.”
“What? Two or three months? You mean it doesn’t burn up?”
“Oh, it burns, but very slowly. Just three bundles of it are enough to get through winter. That’s why the market folk are desperate for even a single branch, and the merchants passing through offer generous prices. I’m not sure of the details, but the apothecaries seem interested too, so it must have uses in medicine as well.”
“Well, that’s something.”
So that was it. Otherwise, the master wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble climbing the mountain. He must be here to keep watch, lest any branches go missing.
“Is it easy to cut? I heard that every time you strike it with an axe, it makes a sound that tears your eardrums.”
“Yeah. There are actually people who’ve gone deaf from it.”
The subordinate glanced back at Landroe. Sure enough, white cloth was stuffed into his ear canals.
“But it’s fine right after the Mole tribe emerges from their tunnels.”
“Why?”
“Because they come harvest the Dryad’s fruit every few months. The Dryad only screams when someone tries to take its fruit. Without that, it stays quiet like it’s asleep. That’s why he’s trying to cut it down right at that moment.”
“Ah, I see.”
Otherwise, he’d be climbing this mountain every other day trying to fell the Dryad. A man obsessed with money would never let such a goldmine sit idle.
Just then, someone ahead waved their hand frantically.
“Master! There are traces here!”
“Traces? What kind of traces?”
“Footprints! The undergrowth is also slightly trampled. They seem to have moved this way. Two people, sir.”
“Not the Mole tribe?”
“No, sir. Human footprints. The foot width is normal.”
Landroe’s eyes gleamed with greed as he wiped away sweat. Hot, who went out this morning and disappeared? Or two outsiders? Landroe snapped his fingers, gesturing for them to pursue.
Crackle.
Snap snap!
And not far from there.
They discovered a deep pit trap and two men sprawled across the ground. It was Hot and the Red-Haired Stranger.
“Hot! Are you alright?”
“Good grief, what in the world is happening?”
“Who are you? Hot, come to your senses.”
While his subordinates shook Hot awake, Landroe tore open his thick backpack.
Dried meat packed tightly inside. He naturally pulled one out to eat while rummaging through the contents. The outsider looked unmistakably foreign, with not a single piece of proper clothing.
“Hmm?”
A thick pouch! Landroe instinctively felt its weight, and soon found himself holding his breath as he spotted glimmering gold coins inside.
Good heavens, good heavens. What in the world was this? Just as he was about to faint from joy, he discovered an identification document lying at the bottom of the backpack.
-Imperial Guards, Mage Knight Berik.
“…!”
“Master. What should we do with this one?”
“Shh! Shh shh!”
When one of his subordinates grabbed Berik’s hair and shook it lightly, Landroe gasped and waved his hand frantically. That madman!
“Let go of that hand, will you?”
“Yes? Ah, yes yes.”
Weren’t the Imperial Guards the elite unit that served the Emperor at his side? And a Mage Knight at that? One swing of his sword splits the earth, and two swings tear the sky—that Mage Knight?
Landroe looked around the situation with trembling hands, trying to stay calm. Now it wasn’t the gold coins making his hands shake, but the uncertainty of whether he would live or die.
‘It seems Hot happened to encounter the Mage Knight and tried to rob him without knowing his identity, but got beaten instead. But why is the Mage Knight lying here? And why is someone from the Imperial Palace in this place? I don’t understand.’
“Master?”
“…Kill him.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
At Landroe’s murmur, his subordinate gripped his hand axe tighter.
“No, not him! I mean Hot.”
“Yes? Hot?”
“What are you doing? Kill him. Otherwise we die. This man is an Imperial Guard Mage Knight.”
It was a kind of cutting loose ends. By killing Hot, they needed to show that the one who tried to rob the Mage Knight had no connection to them.
The Mage Knight had been beaten by an unknown assailant, and Landroe and his subordinates had simply happened upon him while passing and helped him. Yes. That was the most appropriate story.
“And move Iza to the manor.”
“Should we go down? What about the Dryad?”
“Are you joking? Do you know how much this man’s worth alone? Withdraw!”
What about the backpack? Should he lie and say it wasn’t there? No. The other party was a Mage Knight. There was no telling what abilities he possessed. A hasty lie could make things worse, so he needed to be careful for now. With a sorrowful heart, Landroe put the pouch of gold coins back into the backpack and tied it securely before handing it to his subordinate.
“Descend!”
“D-descend….”
“You all handle Hot’s cleanup properly and come down.”
“Yes. Master.”
Tsk. Just yesterday he had eaten and slept with this man, and now he was about to kill him with his own hands. But what could he do? That was the way of slavery. They lived without choice and died without choice—that was their fate.
The subordinate spat into his palm and firmly fixed Hot’s head with his foot.
* * *
“I’m hungry.”
Berik muttered without thinking and opened his eyes. He patted his stomach roughly—it felt hollow, meaning it had been quite a while since his last meal. Berik stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling and thought. Why am I here? Where is this place?
…Ah! I got hit with a hammer by that Mole bastard, didn’t I? As the forgotten memory surfaced, Berik cried out loudly and threw off the blanket.
“You damn dogs! You’re dead!”
Wasn’t it only right to repay a beating in kind? The moment Berik reached for the black sword lying neatly in the corner of the room—
Creak!
“You’re awake?”
As if they’d been waiting, the servants rushed in through the opened door. They carried fresh clothes and trays laden with food.
“Huh?”
“How are you feeling?”
“What, what’s going on?”
“My master found you unconscious and brought you here. What happened in the forest? We opened your backpack to verify your identity—please don’t be upset about that. Ah, never mind. Let’s have you eat first. It’s been exactly two days since we brought you in.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, truly.”
I’d been unconscious for two days? Berik furrowed his brow while pressing his throbbing temples. That hammer he’d been struck with came to mind. It looked like an ordinary hammer on the surface, but no matter how much I thought about it, it was definitely some kind of object. What could it have been?
Ah, forget it. Berik naturally accepted the tray and grabbed the rice bowl. Without any suspicion, I became entranced by the meat broth before me.
“Please eat. I’ll bring my master.”
“Hey, wait.”
“Yes?”
“Give me more rice.”
“…?”
I’d emptied the rice bowl in just a few spoonfuls. The servant rubbed his eyes, wondering if he’d seen correctly. When the servant showed no sign of moving, Berik let out a small sound as if he’d realized something.
“I get it, I get it. You need payment for food. Here, take this.”
Ting!
Three gold coins flicked lightly. By my standards, that was more than enough for a meal.
The servant hastily accepted the coins and backed toward the door. It would be accurate to say he fled rather than simply left.
Thump thump!
“What’s that noise? Is a wild boar running around?”
“Oh my, Mage Knight. Are you feeling better?”
“Wow, it’s real.”
Upon hearing that Berik had awakened, Landroe hurried into the bedroom. His hands were clasped tightly together, and his waist was bent in a respectful bow.
Berik greeted him while holding up the empty rice bowl.
“Are you the owner of this house?”
“Yes, yes. Are you feeling alright? What happened? If we hadn’t found you in the forest, it would have been truly terrible—”
“I appreciate the help, but the food portions are too small. I’ve paid, so don’t stop—keep bringing me meat. Beef would be nice. Do you have any?”
Berik waved his hand dismissively, as if he couldn’t be bothered explaining. I had no intention of going into detail about what happened in the mountains, and I needed to fill my stomach quickly before heading out to catch that mole.
Landroe hesitated at the unexpected behavior, then merely offered a hollow laugh.
“That’s the laugh of someone short on money. I’ve seen it plenty of times.”
“I apologize for saying this right after we meet, but we’re not in such comfortable circumstances. We hired a doctor to treat the Mage Knight, and a pharmacist too… and my household staff couldn’t work while taking turns watching over your room.”
“Ah, I see. Let’s just cut to the chase. So, how much?”
“T-ten coins should be appropriate.”
“Damn, that’s a hell of a markup…”
Berik muttered a curse while flicking gold coins to Landroe. Either way, I’d already received help, so it was his job to set the price.
In truth, no doctor or pharmacist had ever come, but Landroe internally cheered as he picked up the coins.
‘See? There was no need to bring him in dangerously! Since he’s with the Imperial Guards, he certainly spends generously!’
Berik drained the last drop of the meat broth, studying this house owner with keen interest.
“Hmm?”
Landroe’s upper garment caught his eye strangely. It was so tight, as if he’d stolen a boy’s clothes and forced them on, that his entire back was split open. And yet….
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“That. Is that your shirt?”
“Ah, yes, yes. It is mine, but? We didn’t lay a single hand on the Mage Knight’s belongings.”
It seemed oddly familiar. Though worn and stained, its original color and shape were difficult to discern, yet his eyes recognized it distinctly. There was nothing particularly distinctive about the pattern, just an ordinary appearance.
“Hmm. Why is that?”
“Why, why are you asking?”
“Come closer.”
Landroe hesitated for a moment before shuffling toward Berik. With each step closer, Berik’s brow furrowed deeper. Wait? Look at this?
Clang!
Berik flung the tray away and buried his nose in Landroe’s shirt. Sniff, sniff. At his blatant sniffing, Landroe gasped in horror and covered his body with both hands.
“Ack! What, what are you doing?!”
“Don’t make a fuss. Just wait. I find this repulsive too. This smell, where have I smelled it before….”
“You can’t do this?!”
“For God’s sake. Then take off the shirt.”
“Take off? Me? Why?”
Berik gripped Landroe’s struggling shoulders firmly and focused on the stained area. Looking closely, it was blood. Blood he knew all too well.
“…Ian.”
Crack.
It was Ian’s blood. A scent he could never forget, no matter how many years had passed.
Berik seized Landroe by the collar and spoke in a low voice.
“Gasp! Oh no! Why, why are you doing this, I don’t—”
“Where did you get this?”
“…Yes? Which one?”
“This shirt! Damn it. The one with your side all torn open because of you!”

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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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