Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 568

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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 567
Fire. 30 Seconds
Tick, thirty seconds.
With Bonita leading, the Imperial Guards climbed onto the dragon’s back.
Bonita instructed the dragon that once they reached the final signal point, the guards would descend and infiltrate beyond the barrier. The dragon blinked its eyes with an expression that gave no indication of whether it understood or not.
Tick, twenty-five seconds.
With a single sweep of its massive wings, the dragon advanced dozens of meters.
The Imperial Guards, except for Berik, were experiencing dragon flight for the first time, and they tensed their bodies against the shocking speed, focusing intently. The fallen golems and blood-soaked soldiers locked in combat began to appear increasingly closer.
Tick, twenty seconds.
The mages battling in the sky noticed the dragon’s movement.
Ruswena’s forces deployed a new barrier to block the dragon’s lateral advance, while the Bariel mages unleashed a barrage of attacks that shattered it.
“Ian!”
Tick, eighteen seconds.
As Berik cried out loudly, he instantly noticed that Ian’s complexion looked terrible. His dark clothes were soaked through—with blood. He could tell from Ian’s pale fingers.
“What’s wrong with you?!”
“Berik! Look ahead! Focus!”
“Hey! Ian!”
Tick, fifteen seconds.
Ian furrowed his brow and gave a slight nod. Together with the colleagues urging him from the side, it was a signal to concentrate on the mission.
Though I didn’t know the detailed mission parameters, I deduced from the composition of only Imperial Guards that this was an infiltration unit. The best defense is offense. It was clear they intended to eliminate threats to protect the Emperor.
Whoosh!
Tick, ten seconds.
The dragon completely cleared the barrier. The massive triple-layered defense line came into full view.
Barsabe quickly scanned her surroundings, then extended her hand in one direction. A hundred meters north of the first gate. The Burgos flag was planted there, making it easy to direct the dragon.
“There!”
“Prepare to descend!”
Tick, eight seconds.
The dragon raised its tail at a right angle, changing direction. An Idgal arrow had flown at them.
The dragon glided freely, tracing a smooth curve toward the designated point, spreading its wings. A massive gust of wind sent the Imperial Guards’ hair streaming behind them.
“Descend!”
Tick, seven seconds.
At Bonita’s command, Canna and Wakion leaped without hesitation. They released their magical power, and immediately their eyes met with the soldiers who had been blankly staring up at the sky from the barrier. The soldiers exclaimed and scattered in all directions to avoid the guards.
“The sky is breached!”
“Enemy infiltration! Five of them!”
“Emergency! Emergeeeency!”
Tick, six seconds.
Where should he fall? As Berik continued staring downward, Barsabe kicked his back.
“Huh?”
Berik tumbled awkwardly. Unlike Canna and Wakion, he was falling head-first.
Regardless, Barsabe followed right after, throwing herself cleanly into the air. Bonita patted the dragon’s neck gratefully, expressing her thanks.
“Now go back. Safely.”
-Screeeech!
Whoooosh!
The moment Bonita leaped down alongside the others, the dragon spun in a wide circle where it hovered. Then it flew back toward the Bariel encampment at a speed even faster than before.
Tick, 3 seconds.
Canna and Wakion slowed their descent by gripping the flagpole bearing the Burgos standard.
Dozens of meters below, Burgos soldiers stared up at them with spears raised high, ready to skewer them the moment they fell.
Crash!
“Ahhhhh!”
Ignoring the threat, both released their grip simultaneously and landed using their immense magical power as a cushion.
Their specific mission was to draw every eye within the Burgos barrier toward them. This would buy time for Berik to locate Clark, and for Bonita and Barsabe to uncover the source of the mysterious attacks.
Crash!
Tick, 1 second.
Moments later, Berik, Barsabe, and Bonita landed inside the barrier in quick succession.
Through the billowing dust, three figures emerged. Each held a severed head in one hand—casualties from the brief moment of landing.
Thud. The heads rolled carelessly across the ground, and the soldiers stared at them with vacant, disbelieving eyes.
“Berik, Barsabe.”
“Yes, Captain.”
At Bonita’s command, Barsabe took Berik and descended the stairs. Berik, who knew Clark, would scout ahead while Bonita and Barsabe provided support and adjusted their route as needed.
Deep into the barrier—
Even if they didn’t return alive.
Learning who orchestrated the mysterious attacks would be good, and killing Rutherford would be even better. Their three wills aligned, resolute and unwavering.
“Damn it! Which way?”
“I don’t know the details from here!”
“Okay. Guess we brute force it?”
Pow!
“Enemy!”
“Kill them!”
Berik charged forward, swinging his fists at the soldiers rushing toward him. The space was so cramped that the soldiers couldn’t easily wield their swords, only pushing forward to attack.
To Mage Knights, these soldiers were laughably easy prey. The only problem was their sheer numbers; in terms of raw power, they posed no threat whatsoever.
Slash!
“This way!”
Barsabe seized an opening and rounded a corner. The heavy footsteps of soldiers echoed from all directions. As Berik reached for his mage sword, Bonita stopped him.
“If it explodes, the barrier will collapse! It’s too dangerous! Not yet!”
“So we just keep running like this?”
“At least until we find something!”
“Damn it, I knew this would happen! I told you I didn’t want to come!”
Pow!
Berik drove his fist into a soldier’s face, sending the man’s body flying backward like a doll to crash against the wall. Soldiers holding torches approached, threatening the three to stop.
“Here! The intruders are here!”
“Stay still, you bastards!”
“W-wait, they said Mage Knights, don’t get close! Wait until the superiors arrive!”
“Surround them! Don’t approach, just surround them!”
The three exchanged glances. Superiors?
Whoever they were, it meant there were those capable of confronting Mage Knights. Berik charged forward in a single burst, attempting to break through the mass of soldiers, who swung their torches in retaliation.
Whoosh! Hisss!
Flames flickered wildly here and there, eventually catching onto the edge of Berik’s sleeve.
Berik drove his fist forward while ablaze, caving in the soldier’s face. The impact extinguished the flames, releasing a thick plume of ash-gray smoke into the surroundings.
“Out of the way, you wretches!”
“Aaaahhh!”
“Clark! Clark! If you hear me, give a signal!”
“Clark? There’s no one like that here!”
“What would you know, damn it!”
Patter patter!
Berik burst through the crowd and raced forward, with Barsabe and Bonita following close behind.
After running, breaking through, and fleeing for who knows how long, throwing the interior into chaos, Berik suddenly detected a repugnant odor.
“Huh?”
What was this? Not gunpowder, nor blood—a stench like rotting fish and decaying food mixed together.
Berik instinctively turned his head and soon spotted a broken window. Suspicious. Everything else was intact, so why only that one?
“Teeth!”
“Oh! Okay!”
At Berik’s shout, Barsabe leaped up and grabbed the window frame. The moment she peered inside—
“Damn.”
An involuntary curse escaped her lips.
Soldiers lying collapsed and a thick, putrid stench. And an unidentifiable liquid stretching outward…
“This seems to be it! Captain!”
“Understood! Berik, you keep watch around the perimeter!”
Whoosh!
“You mean deal with these guys?”
“Find Clark!”
“Clark! Where are you! Lady Lien’s boyfriend!”
Bonita also followed Barsabe through the broken window.
Left alone, Berik shouted loudly and threw his fists, soon spotting a familiar face. A man in Burgos armor, someone he knew.
“…This way.”
“Aaaahhh!”
Slash!
Patter patter!
Clark sliced through a soldier’s back and dragged Berik deeper inside. The basement, untouched by sunlight, was dim and offered numerous spaces suitable for evading the soldiers darting about in all directions.
Clark removed his helmet, breathing heavily.
“Ha, hah, you’re Berik, right?”
“Yeah. It’s been a while. But why are you breathing like that?”
“I fell from a window and think I broke my ribs.”
“Ah. Is that so? Nothing serious then. Anyway, where’s Rutherford? Your signal cut out, so we came. We still need to find the Gypsy.”
Clark gave Berik an exasperated look and removed his own helmet, placing it on Berik’s head. His crimson hair was too striking to ignore.
“The Gypsy was captured by Rutherford. His gills were torn, and it looked like they were at the stage before cutting open his belly.”
“Because of secrets?”
“Rutherford wanted to uncover Ian Hielo’s secrets. I heard the Emperor has secrets too, apparently.”
Berik blinked for a moment.
The Emperor’s secrets? Jin hadn’t mentioned anything when talking about the Gypsy. Berik tilted his head without thinking, then waved his hand dismissively.
“Never mind that. Anything else?”
“Never mind? If it’s the Emperor’s secret, isn’t that serious? Especially during wartime.”
“No, forget it. Was there anything else strange? There’s definitely something inside here. Someone capable of long-range attacks, but I can’t identify them. If things go wrong, it could be dangerous for the Emperor.”
Ugh. Clark pressed his aching lower back and whispered between his teeth.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t see anything special. Though, there was someone watching a puppet.”
“A puppet? What puppet? In this chaos?”
“That’s why I found it odd. Go up the stairs twice, then turn right and there’s a corridor. I saw it in one of those places. A man was staring at a puppet.”
Well, well, well.
Berik jumped to his feet and instructed Clark.
“When you get outside, there are two Palace Guards making a commotion. Their names are Canna and Wakion. Ask them for help, and once they’ve got your back, figure out the situation and escape on your own. Head toward the Bariel camp.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
Tap tap tap!
“There!”
“There he is!”
The searching soldiers spotted Berik and Clark and came running. Berik threw off his helmet and struck the leading soldier’s head with perfect accuracy.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
“You bastards! Did you boil snails and eat them?!”
Berik nodded farewell to Clark and bolted up the stairs. He was drawing attention so Clark could escape—that was the signal.
Clark hid himself in the darkness and moved forward one careful step at a time, glancing up at the commotion above. He worried about Berik, but right now he could barely manage himself.
‘He said go up twice. And turn right!’
Whoosh!
Berik dashed up the stairs in one swift motion.
When he reached that floor and looked around, it was quiet. Few soldiers here. The Sorcerer had ordered them to withdraw quietly, though Berik had no way of knowing that.
“Upstairs!”
Hearing the pursuit from below, Berik threw open every nearby door.
On the third door—
Boom!
“Ahhhhh!”
He found someone staggering against the wall. On the table sat a massive puppet board, and a single puppet stood upright.
Bagvan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned around.
“I told you not to make a fuss… Huh? Who are you?”
“And who are you?”
Swish.
Berik picked up the doll lightly and looked Bagvan up and down.
“A pervert?”
“What the hell are you talking about…”
“Damn it. An old bastard playing with dolls in the middle of a war? That makes you a sick freak. Did you punch a hole in Ian’s belly?”
“Put that down!”
“Put it down?”
“Yes, hurry! Ugh!”
As Bagvan staggered dizzily, Berik grinned wickedly and grabbed both arms of the doll. Without hesitation, he tore it apart.
Riiip!
“I don’t listen to what perverts say.”

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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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