Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 605

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

Chapter 604. One Who Serves the Will of God
“Your Majesty!”
At the Mages’ call, the Imperial Guards reflexively tightened their grip on their swords.
I’d heard that bodies of those who took their own lives continued to be discovered. Had something gone wrong? Jindo turned to me in alarm.
“Your Majesty, it would be wise to hasten through Purpato.”
“There was no reason to delay in the first place. What is the matter?”
“It appears those who followed Raudan have offered themselves as sacrifices in prayer to the Guardian. Since we cannot fathom the situation, do not lower your guard.”
“Offered themselves as sacrifices? Does Burgos have such a custom? I’ve never heard of it.”
“My apologies. This is my first time hearing of it as well.”
Just then, one of the Mages carefully raised his hand.
“Pardon the interruption, but might you spare a moment to look at this? There appears to be something that could serve as a clue.”
Behind the colossal deer statue, a stone tablet was affixed. Though weathered and eroded in places, the content was legible.
I bent slightly at the waist and read through the inscription swiftly.
“This appears to be a legend of Purpato, does it not?”
At the Mage’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. This one in the center is the crux of the tale. Your Majesty, it seems human sacrifice is not a Burgosian custom but rather a folk practice derived from the legend of Purpato. It is written here: ‘The people sought to summon the deer by offering a girl.'”
“Remarkable in many ways.”
I traced my fingertips over the erased characters. I could understand why Raudan believed merely invoking his own name would be effective.
Wondering if there might be other clues, I gestured instructions to the Mage.
“Transcribe every single word without omission.”
“Yes, understood, Count Ian.”
“Your Majesty, we should make haste. Since the Guardian presides over these lands, as we draw closer to Kalamata, its power will naturally wane. If we inform Minister Tweller….”
I trailed off and looked upward at the sky. Though cloudless, something felt different in the air.
Similarly, Tweller, Jairot, and even Berik astride the dragon turned their heads. Their instincts screamed urgently. Something, something was amiss.
The Mages tilted their heads in confusion, glancing between me and the sky.
“Why do you—”
Flash!
Boom!
In a single instant.
Lightning struck, cutting off the Mage’s question. The deafening roar threatened to burst eardrums, searing heat rose sharply, and blade-like wind wrapped around the area.
Whoosh.
Until the dust settled, the Mages and Guards couldn’t even comprehend what had happened. They could only strive to grasp the situation.
“Your… Your Majesty…?”
“Your Majesty!”
Jindo looked considerably alarmed. His body had gone rigid, and he could only stare blankly at my back shielding him.
A magical barrier had unfurled around Jin. I had reacted with remarkable speed. Without question, had I not acted, everyone there would have perished instantly.
Crackle! Crack!
The unspent force coursed down my barrier. I kept my breathing steady, only shifting my gaze left and right to assess the situation.
The attack fell precisely toward Jin. Was this Toollun’s doing? No, the nature of this attack differs from all they’ve unleashed thus far.
“‘A bolt from a clear sky struck, and the people died where they stood.'”
“What did you say?”
“Here, it’s written right here.”
“Where? Show me.”
The Mage transcribing the stone tablet was the first to break the silence. He was right. The legend inscribed on the tablet stated that lightning was used as a method of punishment for humans. Just like now.
“C-Count Ian.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Anyone who had witnessed the lightning strike down before their eyes just moments ago would have been unable to calm themselves.
Yet Jin surprisingly felt a part of his heart settling. Ian’s gaze was unwavering, his voice brimmed with conviction, and despite the sudden attack, his protective barrier remained firmly in place.
“I will personally escort His Majesty. Do not stray from my side under any circumstances. Captain Jairot! Protect him!”
“Understood. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Yes, sir. Everyone, reform the ranks!”
“Mages, prepare yourselves!”
“Y-Yes!”
“It’s coming again.”
Again? The moment Ian muttered those words, lightning struck once more. The roar was even louder than before.
And having already experienced it once, recognizing it meant it was already too late. The speed and trajectory were utterly imperceptible to human senses.
‘Damn it. How does Ian know this is coming?’
‘I’m going to lose my mind, seriously.’
“Continue.”
As heat surged before their eyes, the Mages clenched their teeth and deployed their barriers.
Meanwhile, Ian’s gaze remained fixed on the sky. The clear sky held not a speck of dust. Yet he parried every relentless attack and defended the area around Jin.
“Do you know where the source is?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I can barely track the attacks with my eyes! I apologize!”
“Imperial Guards! Captain Jairot! Can you see it?”
“No. If it strikes a few more times, I think I’ll be able to tell.”
As chaos erupted around Jin, the soldiers fell into confusion as well. Lightning striking suddenly? And this strange phenomenon where it only fell toward the Emperor?
There was no doubt about it.
“It’s a demon!”
“L-Lightning keeps falling from a clear sky!”
“Ahhhhh! What, what is happening?”
“Don’t panic! Everyone maintain formation and keep moving forward! Do not stop!”
“You there! Get that one up who collapsed!”
“It seems the Purpato did something when they took their own lives.”
“Damn it, you fools! I said we’d pass through without commotion, so why are you making such a mess? Do you all want to die?”
“Calm yourself. Have you forgotten the orders? We were told never to touch the Purpato.”
“Hmph, then this should be fine? Kyaaah! Ptooey!”
The Bariel Soldiers vented their fear and rage freely, and the Purpato hiding in the shadows sensed this strange hope and began to reveal themselves one by one.
This was somewhat problematic. If the Purpato learned that prayer had an effect, they would all end their own lives, begging for protection from Bariel.
“Move the soldiers outside the castle, and have some of them watch the Purpato. No more of them must take their own lives.”
“Yes, understood!”
First, I need to ascertain the deer’s true nature.
Based on the pure aura I sensed during our direct encounter, it is no demon. That means it must be some entity derived from God’s will. Defining it proved somewhat difficult.
Whoooosh.
That was when it happened. The tree stems planted throughout Purpato stretched forth in long tendrils, engulfing the entire city in an instant. Foliage so dense that buildings became indistinguishable.
“What, what is this!”
“The horses won’t move! The vines are too thick!”
It was a familiar sight. Wasn’t the landscape inside that mysterious forest that had blocked Bariel’s advance like this? I realized the deer had come here, and immediately lowered my stance.
“The city gates are sealed! We cannot escape Purpato!”
“Damn it. This is the same phenomenon as that forest we saw earlier today!”
We were trapped in Purpato. The deer had created its own forest within the city.
As the Mages and Imperial Guards panicked at this, I detected an enormous violet aura in the distance.
“…I, Ian.”
“It’s the deer. Was it that large?”
“No. When I saw it before, it was small. It seems to have gained power through prayer.”
The golden-eyed deer. As it raised its head, its antlers nearly touched the top of the city wall. The deer fixed its gaze on the plaza—precisely on Jin—and emanated a chilling aura.
I shielded Jin behind me and shouted.
“Master of the forest, hear me clearly. This is the Emperor of the Great Empire Bariel, Jin Berosion. He has come here by God’s will, and if you cause him harm, God will not forgive you.”
-I am the one who hears prayers. To move in response to prayers is the principle permitted by God, so none can stop me.
“…What exactly are you?”
The deer’s golden eyes gleamed brightly. I suddenly realized that glow was the same aura as the Mages’ golden eyes.
-Did I not tell you? I am the one who hears prayers.
Originally a Messenger who conveyed human prayers to God, but at some point, humans began offering their prayers to him instead of to God. Along with the meaning of protector, divine power had taken root within him.
From then on, he no longer conveyed prayers to God, and he gladly listened to the prayers of nearby humans directed toward him.
“So basically, you’re a deserter, aren’t you?”
Thud.
Berik leaped down from the dragon’s back and stood beside me. No matter how grandly he speaks, isn’t he just shirking his duties?
“Berik.”
“I’ve never eaten venison before.”
“…That’s blasphemous.”
“That bastard’s more blasphemous. You’ve been happily consuming the fervent prayers of humans risking their lives, haven’t you, dear Deer? If you keep this up, I think God will smack you in the mouth. Why don’t you repent right now and head back?”
“Berik, you madman!”
“What? I’m right, aren’t I? Looks like you showed up because you didn’t get struck by lightning. God’s permitted principle? That’s just God ignoring you and letting you do whatever, isn’t it?”
The Mages covered their mouths in shock, and the deer’s golden eyes gleamed even more intensely. Its killing intent grew fiercer.
-Prove to me that you are those who follow God’s will. Then I shall grant you a painless death.
“If you cannot see even that, you have surely strayed far from God.”
Thud!
As the deer raised its head and roared, the leaves shook violently. Simultaneously, I drew the Idgal sword and charged toward the deer, with the Mages quickly following to protect me.
Zing! Zing!
「Huirok」.
My opponent wears the form of a deer and commands the forest. Fire attribute should be its opposite, so I can end this quickly. If my attacks land.
“Count Ian! She’s here!”
A violet aura shimmered around the deer, then swelled into a massive vortex that threw everything into chaos.
Another attack hurtling toward Jin. The Mages unfurled their protective barrier, and the Imperial Guards positioned themselves before it once more.
Crash!
“…!”
But it was overwhelming. A force far greater than the lightning from before. The Guards were helplessly hurled backward, and cracks began spreading across the barrier itself.
I turned back as I approached the deer, but it was already too late.
Screech! Shatter!
The Mages’ protective barrier finally gave way and shattered.
I tried to unleash more flames and retreat, but dense foliage blocked my path.
Crash!
“Your Majesty!”
“Damn it! Everyone hold on!”
“Again—regenerate the barrier immediately!”
“Focus your concentration!”
A sharp force pierced through the newly formed barrier. Jairot and Tweller raised their sword and axe to strike it down, but they could only deflect it without completely neutralizing the attack.
“Your Majesty!”
It was the moment Jin drew his blade, preparing to face the assault.
Clash!
Someone blocked his path.
In that instant, I felt a pure white aura.
Jin’s eyes widened as the woman boldly swung her sword. As the blade’s wind swept past his neck and shoulder, the tightly bound brown hair came loose, revealing a scar on her shoulder—a cross carved directly by the sword’s edge.
“…You.”
I instantly recognized her identity.
The woman who appeared in Jin’s dreams—Eileen. A Holy Knight who upheld the will and order of God through sacred power.

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