Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 632

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

Chapter 631. Interwoven Trap
The Royal Palace Guards rushed forward, their long spears held at the ready. Their faces were etched with shock and tension at the sudden alarm bell.
Not at the border, but an invasion by a foreign enemy in the capital where the royal palace stood. For those born and raised in Toollun, this was an unprecedented event. They gripped their weapons tightly and moved toward the front and rear gates of the palace.
“Left flank! Check if there are any bodies!”
“There’s nothing here!”
“Nothing here either!”
They’d heard that enemy corpses should be scattered somewhere along the walls, but all they saw were frightened residents. The guards maintained tight intervals along the walls, searching for any trace of blood.
“W-what’s happening?”
“Step back. We cannot answer—we’re carrying out orders.”
“Good heavens. The country’s been so noisy since last night, honestly.”
“Something’s definitely wrong. There’s clearly something going on.”
The closure of the slave market, a fire that consumed an entire building, and now an invasion alarm and the movement of the palace guards. The residents comforted each other, urging one another to return home, and soon the area fell into chaos.
“There are no bodies. Go report back!”
“Yes, understood, sir-”
Boom! Crash!
The moment the guards saluted, a tremendous explosion shook the ground. Dust and sand swirled through the air, and people hunched down, shielding their faces with their arms.
“Ugh!”
Where did that come from? The guards swept their hands to clear their vision. And then, to their astonishment, they spotted a man standing brazenly in the middle of the main avenue connected to the palace gates.
Red hair, an imposing build, a menacing face…
“There!”
One of the wanted men! The guards quickly blew their whistles, and archers atop the walls drew their bows.
Berik slowly raised both hands and approached the palace at a leisurely pace.
“Stop!”
“Yeah, I’d like to, but I’ve got some urgent business right now.”
Whoosh!
Clang!
Sharp attacks suddenly rained down on Berik’s head—the power of puppeteers from within the palace. Whether they belonged to the King or not, the attacks continued relentlessly, as if they would pierce through his skull at any moment.
Clang! Clang!
But the guards soon recognized the nature of the transparent barrier protecting Berik. A ripple had formed in the empty air.
Berik shrugged his shoulders, lamenting his fate.
“My luck’s always been like this. A life paid for with my body. Well, anyway, before this thing breaks, could you pass along a message?”
“W-what-”
“Hand over Philia.”
“What?”
“Philia. The mother of Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic of the Bariel Empire—hand her over. Your King had puppeteers kidnap someone who was living perfectly fine. We came to get her back, so hurry up.”
Crack!
As the attacks continued endlessly, cracks began to form in the protective barrier. If Ian or Heil were nearby, they could continuously replenish the magical power, but in this distant situation, there was no way. He had to finish this business and escape before his head actually got crushed.
“Hand over Philia, the mother of Ian Hielo, Minister of Magic of the Bariel Empire. Or we can make this official and come back later with the Emperor’s seal. When that happens, this whole place will turn into a mess. Wouldn’t it be better to handle this amicably?”
Berik nodded his head, but the guards simply gripped their weapons tighter with bewildered expressions. What would common soldiers know? They reinforced their encirclement around Berik, and the residents watched the situation unfold in tense silence.
“Wow, what’s the palace trying to do?”
“They’re saying the Minister of Magic’s mother was kidnapped, but does that even make sense? Why would anyone dare touch Bariel….”
“You believe all that? Look at him—he’s clearly some kind of ruffian!”
Berik scratched his ear as he listened to the crowd’s murmurs. At least they’d succeeded in spreading word that the Royal Palace couldn’t suppress the truth. There hadn’t been enough time to work through back-alley rumors, and besides, hadn’t the palace already noticed their presence? This kind of direct provocation was more effective, or so Ian had said.
“Tch, fine. Get out of my way. I’m going in there to talk directly.”
“You bastard! Do you know where you are?!”
“Don’t move! Not a single step!”
“I don’t want to.”
Berik took a deliberately large step forward. The guards rushed at him with a shout, but he easily held his own against them without even releasing his magical power.
“You’ve got gaps everywhere. Tsk tsk. Blockhead!”
Thwack!
“Aaagh!”
“Mouth!”
Ugh, argh!
“Gut!”
Pow!
The guards stumbled backward. He was toying with them like playthings—it was disturbing. He didn’t seem to be in his right mind at all. As they hesitated, wondering what to do, the palace’s main gates swung open, and a massive torrent of water burst through the gap.
“…!”
“V-Vanusa!”
It was Vanusa, the spirit sorcerer. Her spirit hadn’t recovered its strength from suppressing the fire demon the day before, but given the circumstances, she couldn’t stay out of it.
Vanusa created a wall of water, isolating Berik and the residents. Trapped within the massive water dome, Berik’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Oho, a worthy opponent appears?”
“Truly impudent and arrogant. How dare you cause such a disturbance here? You’re Berik of the Imperial Guards, aren’t you?”
“You know me well. But I don’t know you.”
“I am Vanusa, Master of Water Spirits of the Royal Palace. Kneel before the dignity of the solemn King Toolun’s palace.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Vanusa’s eyes narrowed at the crude response. Was this really a Mage Knight of the Imperial Palace? It was hard to believe.
“How dare you speak of dignity before Bariel? Let me tell you again! Return our Philia, whom your king kidnapped. Ian Hielo! The mother of the Minister of Magic, Philia!”
“…What nonsense is this?”
Vanusa’s mind grew slightly complicated. It seemed almost certain that the palace had ordered Philia’s abduction, but hadn’t Ian Hielo taken her away? He’d even set fire to the Cutoff Ears hideout. Yet now he was demanding her return?
Could it be that Ian Hielo and this man were operating separately in Toolun? Is that why the fact that Philia had been handed over to Ian Hielo wasn’t shared?
“I can hear your brain creaking from here!”
“…Keep your crude mouth shut. And Philia—we know nothing of it.”
Contrary to the facts, the external directive was clear: deny everything, feign ignorance. The palace’s kidnapping of the Minister of Magic’s mother was a truth that had to be covered up at all costs.
“Do you have proof?”
Vanusa asked, lifting her chin. The puppeteer who had first transported Philia was probably rotting somewhere outside Toolun by now. And the Cutoff Ears member who had been transferring her had died by Ian Hielo’s hand, so who could possibly connect the palace to Philia’s abduction?
Berik laughed, pointing as if he’d expected this all along.
“Then why did you close the slave market? Why did you search for the Cutoff Ears? Didn’t fire land on your own feet when you lost Philia? What, covering your eyes and pretending not to see?”
“…Yes, covering our eyes and pretending. As for the palace’s search for the Cutoff Ears, it was based on intelligence that they had committed illegal acts that could be diplomatically problematic. We didn’t know it was connected to Bariel. The slave market closure was one of the measures related to that.”
“Ah, so that’s how you’re playing it? But here’s the thing—we have proof.”
“What proof is that?”
Specifically, the fact that with the help of Astana’s Sorcerer Katimako, the location of Philia’s abduction could be verified. Since the Puppeteer belongs to the Royal Palace, it was only a matter of time before their identity was exposed. But Berik flipped his eyelids inside out and shouted.
“I’m not telling you right now!”
“…Is he insane?”
“But I’m planning to tell your king directly! So, open the door and hand over Philia. I’m getting hungry.”
Vanusa gritted her teeth with what little patience she had left. She was about to cry out again that Philia wasn’t here when someone wrapped their arm around her shoulder, stopping her.
“Vanusa.”
“…Ardo.”
“Wait. We shouldn’t engage further with him.”
It was Ardo, the eldest son of a spirit mage family that wielded fire. He narrowed his sharply cut eyes and whispered softly.
“You just made a mistake. You admitted that the Cutoff Ears caused a diplomatic issue as members of the Toollun Royal Palace. The Cutoff Ears are thieves, but they were operating in Toollun. This is a matter where responsibility for Philia’s abduction could be directed at the palace itself.”
“But—”
“Yes. I understand. That it was your best effort. However. Even that best effort is a sword pointed at Toollun.”
If Ian claimed he took Philia, they would demand evidence. Then they would have no choice but to reveal the existence of the boy who was interpreting in the Cutoff Ears’ hideout, and that boy knew too much—he knew the truth. That it was the Royal Palace itself who orchestrated Philia’s abduction.
“Moreover, we’ve already disposed of the boy. We cannot say that the Minister of Magic took Philia. The moment we do, we’re admitting we know everything.”
But could they continue to play dumb? Whether it was true or not, judging by how confidently they were boasting about having evidence, it was clear they had a second plan prepared.
Ardo and Vanusa looked down at Berik simultaneously.
“It’s a trap. The more we get entangled, the deeper it digs.”
Even if there was evidence that Toollun took Philia, if they couldn’t return her, this was clear grounds for war. Toollun would face a one-sided diplomatic defeat, forced to return something they didn’t have.
There was only one way out of this situation.
“Eliminate him. Cleanly.”
Ardo muttered thus and summoned his spirit. A massive pillar of fire blazed up from within the water. Berik looked up at it and raised his hand to shield his eyes.
“Impressive momentum. Warm and toasty too. But are you two all that’s protecting the Toollun Royal Palace?”
The two rushed at him instead of answering, combining their strength. Along with the Puppeteer’s relentless attacks, the spirits’ power was honed sharp and tore through the air.
Berik also released his mana and drew his sword.
Zing! Zing!
Whoosh! Boom!
The guards flattened themselves in the gaps between the raging flames, water currents, and clouds of dust. Meanwhile, Berik faced the incoming attacks head-on and warned them.
“Watch out! If you can’t block this, the palace gates will fly off!”
“Shut up!”
“Ugh. Shutting up and coming at you!”
Clang!
Berik lightly deflected the attacks of the two spirit mages with his sword. Then he immediately swung his blade wide and shot the flames toward the blurry palace gates.
Whoosh!
As Vanusa raised a water current to block it, the spirit became visible in that gap. Its power was exhausted. At the same time, the water wall that had been erected against the side collapsed outward, and the residents scattered in panic from the sudden deluge.
Splash!
Meanwhile, Berik and Ardo’s swords clashed tautly. Berik tilted his head as if puzzled, then whispered softly.
“Boy, you’re tougher than I thought.”
“…!”
Whoosh!
The moment fierce flames erupted around the enraged Ardo, something dark appeared in the sky. Berik clicked his tongue in regret and sheathed his sword. Then, with a sharp sound, he raised both middle fingers to the sky and leaped upward.
“Iaaaan!”
Whoosh!
A small boy caught him. Though distant and difficult to see clearly, his distinctly gleaming golden hair caught my eye. Berik continued waving his fingers in greeting.
“Take care! You bastards! I’ll stamp the Emperor’s seal and come back soon! Byeeee!”
A mage’s portal. So that was the passage called the Black Moon. By the time Ardo realized it, their traces had already vanished. The clear sky seemed to feign innocence, as if nothing had happened at all.
“Damn it….”
Vanusa muttered while turning back to the half-destroyed palace gate, then asked Ardo.
“…How many people just crossed over?”
“I’m not sure. It happened too quickly.”
Crash!
Vanusa clutched her head in frustration and sank down. Then, she glared sharply toward the palace. Did the King know what he had just done?
Vanusa turned with furious steps.

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