Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 561

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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 560
Fire. Up to Rutherford’s Chin
“Mother! Mother!”
A small village near the Burgos border.
Beneath a half-collapsed stone wall, a woman turned her head weakly. A boy wearing nothing but a tattered shirt ran barefoot toward her and threw himself into his mother’s arms. His fear was unmistakable.
“Soldiers are coming!”
“Soldiers?”
“It’s Bariel’s army!”
Boom—!
Boom!
At that moment, a heavy alarm sounded. Whether it came from the village itself or from the approaching Bariel forces was unclear. Likely the latter. This place had been completely devastated long ago by the aftermath of the civil war.
The woman held her child tightly while staring blankly into the void. As if fighting and killing among their own countrymen wasn’t enough, now came the assault of foreign forces. She should flee, but she was exhausted.
“Shh. It’s alright.”
“Mother.”
The woman patted her child gently and simply remained seated. Soon, a blue flag appeared in the distance. In a world where everything had died, it alone seemed to live, verdant and vibrant.
The fully armed soldiers were menacing, yet to those who had abandoned all hope, they seemed like a painting. It wasn’t just the woman. All the ‘survivors’ watched the Bariel forces quietly, holding their breath.
“Bariel has invaded!”
“Everyone, take shelter! Hide yourselves!”
A small commotion. It was such a trivial and insignificant act of resistance that it actually bewildered the soldiers.
The lead soldier shouted loudly.
“Do not resist! Bariel has not come to harm you, but to suppress the anti-royalist forces that plunge the nation into chaos! Do not resist! If you clear the way, there will be no danger whatsoever!”
The soldiers handed dried meat and such to the crying children, and the fearful eyes gradually grew less intense. Since they were crossing through Burgos without any plundering or oppression, the atmosphere was bewildered.
The lead soldier shouted once more.
“His Majesty the Emperor of Bariel is passing through! All of you, kneel and bow your heads in respect! If you do so, our Emperor will bestow his grace upon you!”
Boom—
Those who were frightened and exhausted gazed at the Bariel soldiers with an indescribable look. And soon, bodies prostrating themselves one by one. This was the sight of the utterly depleted—those who no longer cared who became the master of the nation.
“It is far more devastating than expected. It seems neither guards nor even local militias exist.”
“Hmm. Local militias likely exist somewhere, but they would welcome this situation. As long as they can fill the void of chaos, it matters not where. With this momentum, we could reach Agiar where Rutherford is, far sooner than expected.”
“Yes, that is fortunate for Bariel. We may arrive not tomorrow, but today itself.”
“Instruct the soldiers not to make contact with civilians.”
“Yes, Minister.”
Minister Tweller issued orders to the officers while continuously surveying his surroundings. Remarkably quiet, and bitterly desolate. He could easily discern that all the people scattered about were corpses.
Suddenly, Tweller shifted his gaze from the front to the side. The Emperor and Ian were whispering something to each other.
“Count Ian.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Are you certain? The path opens far too easily, which makes me all the more cautious.”
Ian nodded in agreement. Just as the vanguard had experienced in the northern region, all those prostrated could be a deception. If even young children were mobilized for it, it would be truly unfortunate.
“All available forces in Agiar may be concentrated there. I and the Mages will observe more carefully. Heil!”
“Yes, Minister.”
Whoosh!
At Ian’s command, Heil, Nakina, and Tomi soared into the air simultaneously. With the weather being favorable, if all went well, they should be able to see their destination, Agiar, from this height.
While they conducted their reconnaissance, the Bariel forces continued their march.
“Minister Tweller, did you order the soldiers to refrain from contact with civilians?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Thank you for confirming.”
Ian posed the question and Tweller answered. If the civilians were a trap, problems could arise through contact with the soldiers—poison, deserters, spies, internal infiltration, and so forth.
I hadn’t understood it before, but once I became aware of it, Ian’s ability in this regard was truly remarkable. Though he had experience leading the Cliffford-Burgos War, was such a level of mastery truly possible from that alone?
“Ian!”
Just then, Heil’s cry echoed from the sky. He pointed at something with hand signals, and Ian’s brows furrowed. Something had gone wrong.
“Excuse me.”
Whoosh!
Ian said as much to Jin before launching himself skyward, and soon discovered a black moon hanging in the distance.
“It’s a portal.”
“It appears to have been created by Rutherford’s Mages, but what is it connected to? It’s too far to gauge precisely, but the diameter is considerable.”
“The enemy’s magical forces appear to be more substantial than we anticipated.”
“Oh! They’re pouring through!”
At Tomi’s cry, Ian’s eyes narrowed.
Through the black moon, something was streaming down in torrents. Most were soldiers clad in black armor, with Dragons interspersed throughout, and supplies appeared to be flowing through as well.
“Ruswena.”
The portal was connected to Ruswena.
Indeed, since both Burgos and Ruswena possessed Mages, the connection itself was theoretically possible. However, given the considerable distance, I had thought the probability slim. If this were the case, the enemy’s forces would far exceed our estimates.
“No particular dangers are visible in the vicinity. We’ll soon leave the village, and once we cross a single low hill, Agiar will be right before us.”
“Since Agiar is at considerable elevation, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain our advance speed as we draw near. At this pace, it seems we’ll arrive during the night—is that acceptable?”
The opinions of the three were sound. Ian intended to descend and relay the reconnaissance findings.
But then, a vast wildflower field caught his eye. Dozens of black spears were planted throughout it. Ian furrowed his brows and flew slowly toward it.
“Ian? What’s the matter?”
“Those—”
“Ah, could they be graves?”
Graves of fallen soldiers. Spears and swords had been planted in place of tombstones to mark where the bodies lay. And blooming from the corpses as nourishment, blood-red wildflowers blanketed the entire field.
Ian gazed upon this and counted the graves.
‘If soldiers were conscripted toward Agiar recently, it means Burgos forces were stationed here until not long ago.’
There was a high likelihood that civilians had been mobilized for corpse collection.
What did that signify?
“The sunset is deep, and black spears rise in places. Toward where the sun sets, there’s a low hill, and the blood-stained flowers are truly beautiful. People in black armor are burying corpses.”
Ian recalled what Roel had witnessed and surveyed his surroundings.
The secret-eating Gypsy, Melania, and Clark had been here. I don’t know the exact time, but at least previously, when Roel had gazed upon them with her special eyes.
“Is that direction west?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The low hill opening to the west. The place the Bariel soldiers would have to cross.
In that moment, Ian became certain. If he were traveling with Melania and Clark, they wouldn’t have moved far in such a chaotic situation.
‘Given her nature, she wouldn’t continue caring for two useless humans like baggage.’
In any case, the traces were undeniably present.
I descended my altitude and drew closer to Jin.
“What is it?”
“Rutherford’s forces and Ruswena’s forces made contact through the portal. And it appears a secret-eating Gypsy was in the vicinity. The scene Roel described becomes clearly visible from above.”
To learn what had transpired in the Abyss, capturing her was essential.
Jin brightened at the unexpected news, and Tweller also showed a positive reaction.
“First, let’s advance to the hill, observe the situation, and then decide our next move.”
“Good. Continue the advance!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Buuuu!
As if heeding Jin’s command, the buffalo horn bellowed louder and more powerfully. The Soldiers marched forward with vigor, and soon, as the sunset deepened, we arrived at the hill.
“Wow.”
The sky seemed to be burning.
Where else in the world could one witness such a sunset?
The Soldiers’ gazes were captivated by the enchanting spectacle that made them forget their fatigue, but only briefly. I approached the barrier alongside the Soldiers for the final declaration of war.
“Halt!”
A cry from Burgos echoed from above.
It was high. The terrain itself was elevated, but the barrier itself had been constructed to an impressive height. The Soldiers looked upward with their heads bent at nearly right angles, and I unfolded the letter as if on display.
“Bariel bastards!”
“Indeed. I am Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic of the Great Empire Bariel. I bring the Emperor’s proclamation, so those who cherish their lives should listen carefully and with utmost attention.”
Ziiing.
I spread my voice widely through the magical artifact. It was a sound that could be heard by the Burgos Soldiers guarding the barrier above, the Bariel Soldiers standing on the hill watching the sunset, and all the civilians who had given up everything and collapsed.
“Burgos is currently in turmoil due to a treacherous faction that denies the royal family, and Bariel is well aware of this. We are protecting King Damon and support Burgos’s legitimacy more strongly than anyone.”
“Shut up! This is all because of you!”
Boom! Crash!
A boulder tumbled down from the barrier with a heavy sound, but I continued speaking without regard.
“Those who incite civil war against the royal family must be suppressed, and the Great Empire Bariel has sent an envoy to declare this. As for the consequences of resisting, you surely understand well enough without me spelling it out.”
“Withdraw! Leave Burgos!”
“Therefore, I say this one final time. Open the barrier and surrender Rutherford. If you do, we shall show mercy to those who submit.”
“Get lost!”
I glanced at the setting sun and issued my warning.
“If you do not show intent to surrender by sunrise tomorrow morning, we will destroy the barrier. And we will annihilate everything living.”
The Bariel Soldiers began busily setting up camp. The barrier also showed no further response. It seemed they too had turned back to prepare for battle.
“Heh.”
Then came a familiar voice.
Without realizing it, I lifted my head, and my eyes met those of Rutherford, who stood smiling with a long pipe in his mouth.
“It seems we’re seeing each other far too often to call it a long time.”
“Rutherford!”
“Rutherford, Your Majesty!”
“You bastard, you’re done for! Get down here!”
“Captain Akorella, please wait a moment!”
“Damn it! Push his head down!”
“Berik! You too!”
Rutherford’s appearance sent the Bariel camp into turmoil. He let his long hair cascade down and laughed with ease, as though he were merely gazing out a window.
“Here, he wears the form of that young boy.”
But in the Abyss, he wore a different face entirely.
Ian handed the letter to a soldier and immediately released his mana. Part of me wanted to charge forward and sever his neck on the spot, but I knew I couldn’t immediately go back on the Emperor’s words. Neither I nor Rutherford could.
“Want to know something?”
Tap.
Rutherford tapped the cigarette ash lightly as he spoke.
“Ruswena has achieved victory against Hawanguk.”
So the southeastern flank of Bariel would soon be in danger—that was what Rutherford was saying.
But Berik immediately shot back.
“What bullshit! I can’t believe a damn word you say! Everything out of your mouth is a lie, you bastard!”
It was illogical, yet not entirely without merit. If it were true, their rear would be completely exposed, so it would be better to carry out the operation as covertly as possible rather than announce it like this.
“You certainly gather quite the collection of fools.”
Rutherford flicked his hand, and something flashed before my eyes.
In an instant, something flew toward my head. I reflexively turned my head to dodge, but I couldn’t prevent it from grazing my cheek.
“…!”
A thin line of blood marked my cheek—a wound only I would notice, known only to me.
Rutherford shouted provocatively.
“Come at me if you dare. Ian.”

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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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