Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 551

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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 550
Fire. Jairot
“Jairot. You’ve caused trouble again.”
“What am I supposed to do when they come at me? Just stand there and take it?”
In a certain mansion in Haftaun, a small provincial town.
Though his family was a fallen noble house, there remained a matter of dignity. How could his son engage in street brawls day after day without fail? Jairot’s father ultimately had no choice but to redirect his son’s future.
“If your blood boils so fiercely that you cannot bear it, then enter the military academy. You’re pathetic.”
At fifteen, Jairot merely sneered at his father’s reproach. Pathetic? When an opponent provokes you, isn’t backing down the truly pathetic response?
Jairot stared down at the military academy application his father had thrown at him.
“Hahahaha! Your name’s Jairot? Let’s see if you can beat me!”
“Wow, this madman. He’s really going to keep going like that?”
“He’s going to die at this rate!”
Among the unremarkable new recruits, Jairot immediately distinguished himself. Not through exceptional physical ability. Rather, through a competitive spirit that could only be described as relentless.
Jairot wiped away the blood dripping from his nose and lunged at his opponent again.
Thud! Thud!
Once, twice, three times, four times…
They exchanged blows to each other’s faces in turn. Rather than retreat, let them kill me. Jairot clenched his teeth.
Eventually his opponent fell first. Everyone offered admiring applause, but he didn’t stop—he climbed on top of the fallen opponent.
Thud!
“Keep going! Keep hitting me!”
“Jairot! Stop, it’s already over!”
For some time, something had felt stuck in the center of his chest. Fighting seemed to relieve it, but when his opponent collapsed limply, nothing changed.
Just as he was about to scream for someone to do something about him—
“How can you throw punches at someone who’s already down?”
“Ha… ha. Who are you?”
Someone had appeared. Judging by the uniform insignia, he seemed to be a senior, but it was laughable. There was only a year or two difference at most.
Jairot looked at him, but the backlighting obscured his face. Or perhaps his eyes had gone haywire from the aftermath of the fight.
“Your name’s Jairot? You’re a new recruit? If you want to keep fighting like that, I’ll be your opponent.”
Perfect timing, since he needed this.
Jairot twisted his body and lunged instead of answering—
Jayrat lunged at him instead of answering, twisting his body—
Crack!
He lost consciousness without managing a single counterattack.
The word “total defeat” would be insufficient. It was the moment he first encountered an insurmountable wall, a being called a genius.
“He’s naturally talented, and he trains diligently too. How could anyone keep up? He’ll probably end up at the Imperial Palace later?”
“Of course. Even if he’s not a Mage Knight, someone that strong could enter the Imperial Guards. They select based on strength alone.”
“Huh? Jairot! Did you come to get beaten up again?”
Several times a day, Jairot sought him out and challenged him.
He threw punches, swung his blade, roared with determination, and struggled to break through that insurmountable wall. Those days when he vowed that someday he would surely win—
“He’s dead. Suicide.”
“They said it was family circumstances?”
The prodigy vanished far too easily.
Even someone so powerful had an opponent they couldn’t overcome. It was possible to crumble on one’s own. Jairot suddenly became afraid of himself. He had realized that his greatest enemy was none other than himself.
“Jairot. Next week, a Mage will come down from the Imperial Palace. Will you undergo a Mage Knight aptitude test?”
“I am Jairot, a new Mage Knight of the Imperial Guards.”
“There’s no one else suited for the position of Captain, Jairot.”
Many years passed. I was fortunate enough to manifest my abilities as a Mage Knight, joined the Imperial Guards, and rose to the position of Captain, standing beside the Emperor. Now I could boast of being stronger than anyone—
Yet sometimes I was afraid.
Just as that prodigy had shown back then—
Strength and collapse were separate matters entirely.
“Captain! Please withdraw your order!”
“No, don’t die. Please, don’t die!”
“Captain Jairot. Do you acknowledge responsibility for your subordinates’ deaths? I heard Petreio said he would resign.”
Jairot suddenly realized he was standing alone in darkness. Where was this place? What was I doing here? His wandering gaze caught on something ahead.
In the distance, Jairot himself came running toward me.
“…!”
Death coming to destroy me.
I reflexively grasped my blade and lunged at him. There is nothing that can destroy me. I will not meet death by my own hand.
Clang! Clang!
My opponent locked blades with an expressionless face, muttering something. I couldn’t hear it clearly. What was he saying?
Screech!
The balanced force caused the blades to lock heavily. The two drew close. Only then did I make out what my opponent was muttering, and I immediately furrowed my brow.
“…Old man?”
* * *
“Sigh. I’m sorry, Ian.”
“Yes, my apologies. If it weren’t for us, you could have traveled comfortably on Kyu. But we couldn’t let you go alone.”
“That’s right. A rift, no less—you really can’t go alone.”
“Geez, this guy’s fast though. Useful.”
“Would’ve been faster with a couple fewer people, sigh.”
“You look fine, so get down. Can’t you read the room?”
The Mages whose magical power hadn’t fully recovered clung to the Dragon as it flew through the sky. Normally Ian would have ridden alone, but they insisted on following along, which only made things more troublesome.
Whoooosh!
Zing! Zing!
Ian crossed the sky at full speed without responding, and soon spotted something glimmering in the distance.
And beyond that—
“Wow, insane.”
“Are… are those all Demonic Beasts?”
“That wakes you right up. What the hell is going on?”
Demonic Beasts pouring down as if to blacken the entire world.
I asked the Mages who had been stationed in the northern territories.
“Do you know the exact location of the rift?”
“Of course. I’ve been eating and sleeping here for nearly ten years.”
“Stand by. We’ll handle the demons first, then move to the barrier zone.”
“Handle them? How exactly—”
“Ian!”
I descended gradually, lowering my altitude toward the ground. I could see Commander Bonita and her unit struggling against the swarm of demons. No matter how low-ranked these creatures were, how could anyone manage nearly infinite numbers? It was physically impossible.
“Iaaaaan!”
Berik was the first to cry out upon sensing my presence. He was positioned distinctly to the north, separated from the other unit members—it looked less like holding the line and more like climbing. He waved his hands frantically, signaling desperately.
“Damn it! That stubborn old geezer went to check the fissure!”
“Captain Jairot did?”
“Yeah! The demon numbers did decrease after that, but man, he’s old and stubborn as hell! Anyway!”
Shing!
Berik vented his frustration by slashing through the demons, and then Bonita’s voice rang out.
“Count Ian! The pit we dug as a containment line is about to overflow! If the demons spill out, we won’t be able to contain them!”
I needed a way to eliminate the gathered swarm of demons all at once. I opened my mana to maximum capacity and drew the magic circle directly with my fingertips.
「Ten Thousand Leaves」.
Normally, I cast magic through incantation alone without a magic circle. But this time, the target area was so vast that I carefully constructed the circle with the tips of my fingers.
Rumble—!
Crack!
Following the pit Bonita had dug, the World Tree of the otherworld surged upward. Its thick trunks stacked layer upon layer to prevent the demons from escaping, and it continued to trigger earthquakes.
The Imperial Guards looked up at the sky, bewildered. A small boy floating in the heavens was gesturing elegantly, his golden eyes gleaming.
Just a bit more, just a bit more—
“Count Ian is splitting the earth!”
“Dangerous! Fall back!”
Crack!
Rumble! Boom!
As the World Tree surged upward, the earth split with a deafening sound, and more swarms of demons plummeted into the chasm below.
Is this enough? The moment Bonita thought this—
Enormous crimson wings erupted from my shoulders.
Shing!
「Inferno Deity」.
The wings materialized into those of a giant, stretching out grandly.
Engulfed entirely in blazing flames, it unleashed a furious roar toward the earth. The scorching heat surging from its maw instantly consumed the surroundings, annihilating the demons.
-Kyuuuu!
Thinking it could do the same, the dragon also breathed out a small flame. The mages firmly gripped the dragon’s neck, their eyes filled with admiration.
“Our Minister’s lost it.”
“W-was that even possible? Using both simultaneously?”
“I didn’t know. I’d never even considered it.”
“Ian! Don’t overexert yourself—drink a potion!”
Whether it was the sunlight or my imagination, my complexion seemed somewhat pale. As I gestured to withdraw the Inferno Deity, the massive giant form dissolved and vanished.
Just once. Through the magic of Inferno Deity, thirty percent of all demons disappeared.
“Excessive mana could stimulate the cracks, so I’ll refrain. Imperial Guards, please do your best to hold back the monsters using swordplay alone.”
“Ah, yes, understood!”
“I’ll identify the gap in the cracks and return shortly—”
Just as I was about to ask them to hold on a bit longer.
I sensed a familiar yet strange aura.
“Captain Jairat!”
Jairat, who had gone to scout the crack zone, had appeared.
…But something felt off. His eyes, once blazing with fierce spirit, had turned murky and dull, and his shoulders sagged as if he’d set down a heavy burden. Most troubling of all, no monsters dared approach him.
“…Old man?”
Relief at his return was short-lived. Berik too sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
Jairat raised his hand and gripped a mana blade.
Zing! Zing!
“What are you doing, old man!”
Boom!
Boom!
Lightning rain descended without hesitation toward Berik.
I immediately grasped the cause of his actions.
“Berik! He’s been brainwashed!”
“What?! What are you talking about?”
“Brainwashing. The power of the Underworld Deity is leaking through the crack’s gap. It has consumed Captain Jairat, who drew near.”
What the hell does that even mean!
Berik struggled to parry Jairat’s attacks, gritting his teeth. Looking closely, those were definitely vacant eyes.
“Berik. I’ll go check the gap. Hold this position and stop Jairat.”
“What? How am I supposed to stop him!”
Captain Jairat is among the Empire’s finest warriors. If he moves by the Underworld Deity’s will, it poses a grave threat to all of Bariel.
“If the crack closes, it might be resolved. But if that’s impossible—”
We’ll have no choice but to eliminate him.
Berik’s face crumpled at those words.
Clang! Clang!
“No! I don’t want to kill the old man!”
“Then hold him back completely. Don’t let him threaten Bariel. That falls to you, Berik.”
Berik parried Jairat’s blade while furrowing his brow again, and I quickly turned away. The Mages riding Dragons tried to approach, but this time I firmly raised my hand in refusal.
“I’m going alone.”
“Pardon? That’s not possible, Ian!”
“It’s far too dangerous!”
“Only I can go. You all stay here.”
“Ian!”
Whoosh!
With that, I flew toward the crack zone. The Mages kept tugging at Kyu’s whiskers urging departure, but Kyu merely blinked, refusing to budge.
Meanwhile, Berik stood alone against Jairat.
“Berik! Are you alright?”
“Don’t talk to me, you stubborn fool! And all of you!”
His greatsword, forged from pure mana, blazed bright crimson.
“…Watch the monsters. I’ll handle the old man.”
“But—”
“Shut it! Honestly, damn it! My personality’s too rough to be captain, but I’m the strongest here!”
Clang! Clang!
Berik stared intently at Jairat’s face up close. An indescribable feeling washed over him. Even if he was a stubborn old dog, his eyes burned with an undeniable brilliance.
“That’s why I told you not to go!”
Clang!
“You never listen to a word anyone says!”
Complete suppression until the brainwashing broke—that was the only way to save Jairat. If I failed, he would die by Ian’s hand. There was no doubt.
“You old bastard!”
Clang!
Boom!

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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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