Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 582

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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 581
Fire. Stitching
Beneath the helmet, brown hair tied back tightly, and eyes that drew gentle lines. Though covered in sweat and dust, disheveled beyond recognition, I recognized her immediately. The woman I had seen before the puppet theater when I went on a covert operation with Jin. That woman who had appeared in Jin’s dreams countless times in place of Roberside.
Eileen looked bewildered, wondering what business the Minister of Magic could possibly have with her.
“What is the matter?”
At my call, all attention focused on us. The Minister of Magic had personally stopped a low-ranking soldier—surely there was reason enough for that? Some soldiers rolled their eyes, wondering if perhaps something was amiss because Eileen was a woman.
“Eileen?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Eileen. I felt as though I had heard her name somewhere before.
I immediately noticed that the longer my silence stretched, the more heated the soldiers’ attention became. Simultaneously, I found a fragment from the depths of my memory.
“You were a soldier who participated in the northern campaign, weren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. I am one of the survivors.”
One of the soldiers who faced the great demon flood in the north and returned alive by divine grace. I had only confirmed the survivors of the northern demon flood through a roster later, but I remembered her distinctly because she was the only one with a woman’s name on the list.
As I spoke so readily, the soldiers let out small exclamations of admiration. Of course, of course—truly, a minister was different from ordinary folk! To recognize one soldier among tens of thousands.
Several soldiers added their words, praising Eileen.
“Eileen was truly remarkable. She was among the very foremost of the vanguard. Her courage is absolutely extraordinary.”
“Indeed. Despite severe wounds, she fulfilled her duty. She is a colleague worthy of emulation.”
“How dare you! That is disrespectful!”
“Oh, I, I apologize.”
When a superior-ranking soldier rebuked them, raising his voice, I gestured for him to stop. I needed more information about her.
“It is fine. A soldier with valiant spirit is both a blessing of Bariel and a treasure for His Majesty the Emperor. It is only right that they should vie to speak of her virtues. I take no offense, so do not be too harsh.”
“Yes, Minister.”
“Good. I heard that His Majesty personally came to commend your service, and I am pleased to see it is so.”
I mentioned the Emperor while observing Eileen’s reaction. Surely if the two had met, I would not be ignorant of it? Jin would have told me.
But judging by how things were unfolding now, it was clear they had missed each other.
“As a soldier of Bariel, I merely did my duty. His Majesty offered me wine and meat as consolation. It was a true honor.”
‘She did not see him directly.’
My eyes narrowed, and Tweller also regarded Eileen with a puzzled gaze. If this were Ian Hielo as I knew him, he would not simply stop a passing soldier and stand here without particular reason.
It could not be attributed to morale-boosting measures—the situation was not appropriate for that. There were too few soldiers around to suggest an intention to create propaganda through personal consolation. Moreover, with an important reconnaissance operation ahead, was everyone not occupied with their tasks?
“Yes, I understand. Continue to do your best going forward.”
“Yes, Minister. I shall bear it in mind.”
After a moment’s consideration, I passed by her without taking any particular action. The soldiers made a fuss with their eyes, and Eileen continued on her way to relieve someone else.
Tweller watched Eileen’s retreating figure disappear into the distance, then matched my pace and whispered.
“Why did you do that? Do you know that woman?”
“Yes, somewhat. But it is fine. Minister Tweller, please forget the encounter just now and treat her the same as any ordinary soldier. I know you would do so without my saying, but this is a request born of caution.”
By reiterating something obvious, I had emphasized that Eileen’s existence was special. Do not interfere, but observe. Tweller understood my intent and simply nodded.
“Thank you.”
I smiled slightly.
The fact that Eileen was appearing in Jin’s dreams in place of Roberside was surely a sign of a fateful connection. Whatever form it took, it would certainly bring about positive change for Jin.
But then, had we crossed paths once before?
‘Perhaps the time is not yet right.’
God had judged that the moment was not appropriate, and I found myself in agreement with that assessment. What could a common soldier of commoner birth, not of noble standing, accomplish now? It would help neither Jin nor Eileen herself.
It was better to observe her in secret and offer assistance only when her intervention truly became necessary—much like how God opens a passage with the tip of a finger.
“Minister.”
“Xiaoxi. Did you feel the earthquake just now?”
At that moment, Xiaoxi approached in full armor after being called. Though the night had granted rest to everyone else, it seemed such privileges did not apply to him.
“Yes, I felt it, but I cannot pinpoint the exact location.”
“It’s too far away for that. I’ll organize a reconnaissance unit. You’ll take command and return swiftly.”
“Understood.”
Xiaoxi bowed silently to Tweller and me, then departed leading the soldiers.
Soon the sound of hoofbeats cutting through the darkness echoed out. The residents huddled and peered outside, while I continued watching Xiaoxi and the soldiers fade into the distance. Tweller then spoke with conviction.
“Do not worry, Minister Ian. If something is happening, Xiaoxi will report it to us immediately.”
* * *
“Damn. That woke me right up.”
Gripping her thigh, Barsabe muttered curses through gritted teeth. What had started burning hot now flowed warm and wet with blood, continuously streaming down.
She swallowed hard and looked ahead. Though she had steeled herself that her opponent was beyond her reach, she now felt acutely how powerless one was before a true gang assault. She should have at least pretended to listen when Berik was ranting about this.
“So it’s that Mage Knight from the Imperial Guards.”
“A Mage Knight?”
At Rutherford’s words, his subordinates laughed mockingly. The ridicule was clear—a Mage Knight serving the Emperor in the palace was pathetically amusing to them.
Barsabe felt heat rising to her face, and unable to restrain herself any longer, she swung her blade. In the place where only dim darkness existed, the sword clashed and sparked against steel.
Clang! Clang!
Whoosh!
“I’ve never seen a man keep his tongue intact after running his mouth during combat!”
“Maybe because they’re all dead? Like you will be?”
“Hyaaah!”
“Dull and arrogant! What do you think you can do alone!”
Crash!
The blade pressed forward until it nearly reached Barsabe’s eyes. She held it back with all her strength, but the wounds on her abdomen and lower body disrupted her sense of balance.
‘Damn bastards. Playing with me.’
Though her back was completely exposed, no one attacked from behind. They had perfectly calculated the odds and were now savoring their revenge for the fall of Agaral.
‘When the enemy grows careless, opportunity comes.’
Barsabe recalled Jairot’s teachings and focused on each exchange.
Whoosh! Slash!
“Ahhh!”
What followed was the enemy’s scream. She had cleanly slashed across his throat.
The satisfaction of success was brief before unfamiliar mana erupted from behind.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Boom!
Another figure seized Barsabe by the nape of her neck and slammed her into the ground. She tried to detonate her mana to create a counter-reaction, but her strength was far insufficient. Even if she had exhausted her mana together with the others at the Battle of Agaral, her opponents were many while she was alone.
A man grabbed her hair roughly and repeatedly smashed her face against the ground.
“A sword is wasted on the likes of you.”
“Ugh….”
Barsabe’s resistance crumbled meaninglessly. Beyond the throbbing pain in her forehead, the humiliation of having her hair seized made her feel as though she might die from sheer rage.
While the Mage Knights pummeled Barsabe mercilessly, Rutherford whispered something to the Torun Puppeteers. They furrowed their brows in confusion at his words, but soon nodded in agreement.
“It’s worth attempting.”
“Good. You lot. Stop.”
“Kill her! Kill her!”
“Stop!”
The excited Mage Knights, drenched in sweat, turned to look back. Their breathing came in ragged gasps, and Barsabe lay motionless without a twitch.
“Is she dead?”
“No. She’s still breathing. One more blow and she’ll go though. Should we cut off a limb and throw it down the cliff?”
“No. There’s a better way.”
At Rutherford’s gesture, the Puppeteers shuffled forward and surrounded Barsabe. They produced sewing kits from their pouches and nudged her face with their feet.
“Tsk. She’s completely crushed. Even if she survives, will she be able to return to a functional body?”
“She’s not a common soldier—she’s a Mage Knight. If there’s any chance of recovery, we can’t discard her. That would be wasteful.”
“Well, that’s true, but… ahem. Come now, open your mouth. What’s this? No molars? Did she just lose them?”
“The gums are already healed though.”
“Rutherford. What are those bastards doing?”
The Mage Knights, wiping sweat from their brows, muttered disapprovingly as they watched the Puppeteers. Their actions seemed deeply suspicious and sinister, and despite being on the same side, they couldn’t help but distrust them.
Rutherford silenced the Mage Knights with a gesture, calming them with a look.
“They’ll turn her into a puppet. I’ve heard of puppets made from corpses before, but this will be the first attempt with something still alive.”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m not sure it’ll work. When you cast puppet magic on the living, the aftermath becomes troublesome. This was actually a point of controversy in Bariel once, wasn’t it?”
“What happens when you turn someone into a puppet?”
“Literally, she’ll move however I command. Even if that’s impossible because she’s still alive, with concentration, whatever Iza sees, we’ll see. Whatever she hears, we’ll hear the same.”
“Is that possible?”
“It’s possible—why else would I have picked up the needle? Could you shut up for a moment?”
Perhaps the visual aspect might be somewhat difficult. The mental drain on the Puppeteer when using the ability is considerable, and even with proper tools, visual confirmation is nearly impossible. In cases like this, it’s obvious without even looking, isn’t it?
But hearing is different. There’s reason to be optimistic about that.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm. Lucky I oiled the needle yesterday.”
Disgusting bastards. The Mage Knights frowned and whispered to Rutherford.
“Rutherford. Don’t you think we should relocate first? We’re still being pursued. That Mage Knight followed us all the way here. If anyone else is nearby, they surely sensed the magical power from the recent battle. The vibrations would be even more noticeable.”
“Puppeteers. How long will it take?”
“It’ll be quick. Ten minutes? I am Torun’s finest seamstress, after all.”
“Where did Bagvan go?”
“That old man’s dead, so what does it matter?”
Ten minutes. That should be fine, shouldn’t it?
As Rutherford turned to face the Mage Knight, the Puppeteers also turned away as if resigned. Click, click—they merely checked their pocket watches, watching time flow endlessly.
“Oh, and about that portal I mentioned earlier—”
He was about to mention what to do next with the Ruswena Mages.
Suddenly the surroundings grew bright, and a wave of scorching heat rushed toward them. Startled, they turned to look—flames were surging up from below the cliff.
Whoooosh!
The world before my eyes blazed as bright as midday in an instant. My vision, accustomed to darkness, blurred momentarily. They stumbled backward, shielding their eyes with both arms, and soon felt a dull, thunderous impact.
It was—
Boom!
“…What are you all doing standing there gawking?”
It was the tremor Berik had unleashed as he soared up from the cliff’s edge and landed upon the earth.

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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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