Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 571

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 570
Fire. Ian Verosion
My mind, ascending upon the Secret, possessed a remarkably serene stillness. So profound was this tranquility that I questioned whether I truly existed in this present reality.
Tap, tap, tap!
The colossal Secret reached out with its opposite hand to seize me, yet I leaped lightly over it and continued forward. Though my form and nature had transformed, this was unmistakably ‘Ian’ itself.
‘Ian Verosion.’
Though the shadow of a betrayed Emperor obscured one portion of my entire existence, I was undoubtedly the successor to Bariel’s glory. In the Bariel of a hundred years hence.
‘Ian Verosion.’
I perceived the alien Secret’s existence as if it were calling out my own name.
Standing towering like a Demon King in the very heart of Gaia’s earth, not even within a Rift Zone—was this not profoundly strange?
Existing where it should not exist meant this was calling out to myself, living in a different timeline.
‘Ian Verosion.’
A faint laugh escaped me.
What meaning did reclaiming my name hold for me? What could it possibly mean to reclaim the colossal Secret I had entrusted to the Gypsy?
“Protect the name Ian Verosion. Our time has halted here, and so history itself has stopped. What was never written cannot be erased. Your Majesty. Protect it.”
Those were Naum’s words from the abyss—and they were the answer.
I would protect the name Ian Verosion. Thus would I set halted history in motion once more, and cherish the history written within my own hands.
‘Like Jin Verosion.’
A life of living, protecting, and creating.
Through reclaiming my name.
Whoooosh!
I discerned what the Secret desired.
It wished to return to its own body.
Whether the owner’s body tore apart mattered not to it; its desire to exist as a Secret once more, as before, burned with unmistakable clarity.
‘I must separate them. The Secret in its true nature, and the part stained by the Gypsy.’
Zing! Zing!
I soared over my shoulder and slashed my blade across the Secret from left to right. In essence, it was no different from driving the sword through while running at breakneck speed.
“…It’s futile.”
Jin muttered softly, observing the scene. The cutting speed was indeed transcendent, yet the healing speed was equally formidable.
“Count Ian! Cutting won’t work! You must finish it in one strike!”
Maxim Tweller’s voice rang out loudly, though I could not be certain my ears registered it.
Then—
Boom!
A red dragon plummeted from the sky with a dull, thunderous crash. Its scales were stripped away, and the wounds across its neck and back were severe.
At the dragon’s fall, everyone simultaneously looked upward.
Screeeech!
Seven blue dragons were overwhelmingly superior to what a single red dragon could manage.
Watching the roaring dragons, the people were suddenly reminded of a past from thousands of years ago. The formidable sources of power that had been mobilized in war and brought ruin upon the world. Though it was said the Divine had taken away their abilities out of concern, these spiritual beings surpassed human military strength by their very existence alone.
“There are too many dragons!”
Boom! Boom!
As the officer’s cry rang out, explosions erupted in succession. The Ruswena Mages had joined their dragon contingent. They advanced with dragons as shields, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks through the gaps.
Zing! Zing!
And it was the Bariel Mages who held them back. Heil, Nakina, and Tomi intercepted the incoming magical attacks from the air and neutralized them, while the other mages created protective barriers in front of the Bariel forces.
“Commander! Your orders!”
“What orders are there to give! Amplifiers!”
“Yes! Understood!”
At Heil’s command, the mages simultaneously drew out their amplifiers.
The Ruswena Mages couldn’t remain idle at the sight. They bit down on small pills with their teeth, and Akorelra bared her fangs with an amused grin.
“How amusing. Let’s see whose potion is more potent!”
“Nakina! Tomi!”
“Imperial Guards, provide support!”
Whoosh!
Nakina and Tomi swiftly weaved between the dragons, drawing their Dera Tribe weapons. They were useless against the Ruswena Mages, but dragons were another matter entirely.
They lunged at the dragons and swung their weapons, and the beasts instinctively dodged. They had recognized it—that this was dangerous.
“Damn it!”
Suddenly, a loud curse echoed from behind.
It was Berik. He clawed his way out from the collapsed rubble, retching repeatedly. The explosion was one thing, but that stench that pierced the brain was truly exquisite, wasn’t it? It seemed like the first time he’d passed out from a smell since Bratz.
Berik brushed his blood and sweat-soaked hair back carelessly and looked down at his mangled legs. Damn it, they wouldn’t move as he commanded.
Boom! Boom!
And for reasons unknown, I was facing off against some dark form, while on the other side, mages with dragons were engaged in battle.
Berik continued crawling forward and shouted.
“Kyu! Come here!”
At his call, Kyu, who had been lying helplessly and gasping for breath, lifted his head. Then, leaving the soldiers’ hands behind, he began fluttering his wings slowly and unsteadily.
-Kyuuu!
“That’s right! Can’t fall during combat! Come pick me up!”
Whoosh!
Thud!
As the dragon flew in powerfully, Berik grabbed its leg and then crawled up to its back using only his arm strength. He drew a Dera Tribe weapon from his waist and let out a battle cry.
“Let’s go!”
Clang! Clang!
Boom!
Jin watched the spectacular scene unfold beneath the mages’ protective barrier, not missing a single moment. The same was true for the Imperial Defense Force and the soldiers. It was an awe-inspiring moment where one became newly aware with each passing second of how fragile human existence truly was.
Zing! Zing!
And that—
became all the more vivid before the boy Ian Hielo.
「Ten Thousand Leaves」.
Rumble!
A world tree dozens of meters tall grew from the earth, binding the secret’s limbs tightly, and it froze in place, unable to move. Though it had no facial features, the secret’s gaze was clearly fixed upon me.
Before I could even finish Ten Thousand Leaves, I swiftly extended my hand as if conducting, drawing a new magical circle.
Whoosh!
“Huirok.”
A tremendous inferno erupted from my palm.
The intensity was so absolute, as if it would melt anything in its path without hesitation. Even those standing far away in Jin and Bariel’s camp couldn’t bear the heat and turned their heads.
Kiiiiiek!
The dark blue aura that had concealed the secret rapidly dissipated as it collided with the flames.
In that gap, I caught sight of something gleaming near the creature’s chest, and I understood at once. That was my pure secret, my very identity.
I immediately drew the Idgal blade and drove forward toward the newly revealed target.
Shwaaaak!
Heat and black aura scattered in my wake, leaving a deep mark. In an instant, I had penetrated into the secret.
Jin, watching this unfold, cried out without thinking.
“Count Ian!”
His concern—that it was dangerous, that this was an order to be careful—faded silently. It was because of the stranger’s form.
“…What is that?”
“…!”
Inside the secret’s dark body. It was unmistakable that I was detonating Huirok repeatedly within. The secret’s form darkening and brightening in succession, the brilliant light flickering—it was all the evidence.
Flash—!
Pale golden long hair.
Eyes of cool blue filled with chill.
Again, flash—!
A sharp gaze and skin cold as frost.
Flash—!
And elegant swordsmanship.
Each time darkness receded and light flashed, the stranger’s form became clearer. Both Jin and Bariel gazed upward, entranced and spellbound.
It was something one could sense instinctively.
That this one was precious.
Beloved by God, bearing all the glory of the world.
Shwaaaak!
Even Berik, who had been severing the Ruswena dragon’s neck, turned around in shock.
“…Ian?”
It was definitely Ian, yet it wasn’t Ian. Was this what it felt like to have one’s soul slip away?
Even the mages froze in place, staring blankly at the man who was both familiar and strange.
“Ian!”
“Berik! No! Stop!”
Could something be going wrong? As Berik cried out my name and tried to rush forward, Jin’s sharp command halted him. Berik’s expression was indescribable.
“Count Ian said he would reclaim his own name.”
“But—”
“Trust and wait. That is our duty.”
Berik bit his lower lip hard. What if the Ian we know disappears? What if he falls into his secret and vanishes, just as he went into the abyss? He wanted to cry out, look at that, he still wears a stranger’s face.
“…Good heavens. Lord Ian.”
All the mages gasped, covering their gaping mouths. The suspicions that had been raised about Ian up until now flashed rapidly through their minds one by one, but that was all.
No one could speak of it aloud, for the light Ian radiated was far too brilliant.
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Screech!
Within the Secret’s body, I thrust away the torrents of dark energy pouring down upon me, pressing forward relentlessly.
My name existed in that near place. Once, twice, thrice. Though my vision blurred in the swirling currents of smoke, my heart remained utterly serene.
‘I will reclaim it.’
Anchored by the unwavering certainty that I could find my name again.
I finally discovered the Secret buried deep within my body, and seized it without hesitation.
Crack.
The colossal Secret shrieked like one whose heart was being torn asunder, yet outside, a warm and gentle silence instantly enveloped the world.
A light too dazzling to behold with open eyes—everyone turned away, enduring what felt like an eternity compressed into a single moment.
“…!”
“…!”
How much time had passed?
The Secret that had towered so majestically toward the heavens vanished without a trace, leaving only dust swirling in its wake.
Before anyone could even comprehend what had happened, Berik was the first to move.
“Ian! Ian!”
“Count Ian!”
Followed by the Mages, waving their hands frantically through the dust storm, searching for the invisible Ian. No answer came. Everyone’s hearts sank, and just as they were about to rush toward the Agiare Barrier—
Soft footsteps.
Quiet steps echoed.
Ian slowly came into view.
Brilliant golden hair and fresh green eyes. The form of a young boy, unchanged. Everyone froze, staring at Ian, and Jin found himself moving without thinking.
“C-Count Ian….”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“W-What do you mean.”
“For being so late.”
Ian smiled brightly and brushed dust from his hair. Though he hadn’t been digging through mud, his appearance was disheveled overall. Yet no one noticed, captivated by his radiant smile.
“You are not late, Count Ian. You have never been—”
Even when you saved me from Marib’s blade—
On the day of my coming of age, when you covered ten years of time—
None of it was late.
But Ian shook his head and added,
“No. Only now do I reveal my name to Your Majesty, so I am greatly late.”
Ian placed his hand over his heart and bowed in the Imperial Court’s formal manner. As his lowered head allowed his hair to cascade down, a gentle smile graced his lips.
“My name is Ian Verosion. From Bariel one hundred years hence—”
Joy glistened in his eyes.
Ian whispered, displaying a smile for the very first time,
“The Emperor.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————