Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 644

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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 644. A Moving Picture
Whoosh!
Nersaren’s hawk, Byen, tapped against the window of Hielo Manor. It was just after Lady Lien had departed in her carriage. Hena, who had been organizing correspondence, glanced toward the window at the unfamiliar sound, and her eyes met those of a hawk sitting motionless, completely drenched.
Click.
“Byen?”
Nersaren had chased after the bird, so why had it returned alone? Hena opened the window in surprise, but the hawk showed no intention of entering, merely perching stiffly on the windowsill.
Something was terribly wrong. Just as Hena reached for her outer coat to go outside—
“Hena!”
“Mui?”
Mui, Hena’s husband and a Cheonryeo Warrior, burst urgently into the manor. Then came the mournful cry of the hawk. Hena gasped and gripped the railing as she looked down at her husband.
“Where is Nersaren?”
“He left chasing after Byen earlier and hasn’t returned yet. But Byen just came back. What’s happened? Are all those hawks outside from Cheonrye?”
If Cheonrye had sent multiple hawks at once, it certainly meant an emergency.
Hena’s mind suddenly went blank. She knew the answer, but the situation unfolded too rapidly for her to make the connection immediately.
“Intruders.”
Her husband spoke the words for her instead. Intruders had appeared in Cheonrye, and judging by the hawks sent here, the situation was dire.
Hena cried out and rushed upstairs.
Boom! Boom boom!
“Listen! Everyone get outside!”
“Why, why are you doing this, Butler?”
“Contact the Captain of the Guard at once! Intruders! We must search the border regions adjacent to the Great Desert. We will find Nersaren!”
“Yes, yes! Understood!”
“Issue evacuation orders to the Estate Villagers, and have the heads of each household arm themselves and take defensive positions. If there are any children left unattended, bring them to the manor!”
At Hena’s words, the servants rushed frantically outside.
Reaching the top floor of the main building, Hena threw open the window connecting to the exterior of the manor, and carefully walked along the narrow railing. The rain and wind made it perilous, but Hena pressed firmly on her toes and slowly made her way toward the massive bell below.
Dong! Dong—!
“Emergency!”
The enormous golden bell swayed side to side, ringing loudly. The Estate Villagers who had been seeking shelter from the rain stopped in their tracks one by one, and torches flared to life at the distant Guard posts.
“Assemble all the soldiers!”
“Hena!”
“Mui! Don’t worry about me—go first! I’ll dispatch a messenger to the Imperial Palace!”
Hena shouted down to Mui, who was looking up at her with concern. He hesitated briefly, then whistled with his hand and mounted Kusile.
“Byen!”
It was a cry for the hawk to guide him to where Nersaren was. At this, Byen, who had been sitting on the windowsill like a statue, flapped his wings powerfully and flew down.
Tap tap tap!
Whoosh!
“Mui! What is the meaning of this?”
“I’m not certain. Take up arms for now! Guards!”
“Yes, this way!”
“Byen seems to be heading toward the desert! Clear the path!”
“Make way! Everyone, make way!”
The guards rushing toward the estate spotted Mui and abruptly turned their horses’ heads. Could it be a monster attack from the border? Or Ruswena?
Whatever it was, Hielo’s peace was undoubtedly shattered. Grasping the gravity of the situation, they charged forward through the harsh rain.
“The desert is visible!”
Visible it was, but as they drew closer, the wind grew fiercer until they could barely stand. Mui felt a faint family aura and tore his sleeve, wrapping his weapons and hands together tightly.
“Follow me! We’re entering the desert!”
“Understood!”
“Keep your posture low and move with stealth!”
Then, through the sandstorm, a blurred figure appeared. Was it Nersaren? Mui shielded his face with his sleeve as he approached, and soon realized it was Kakantir.
His chieftain, who had met death with his upper body severed. Even in death, his eyes remained open, gleaming with a fierce, unwavering light.
“K-Kakan!”
Zing! Zing!
Boom!
Followed by successive explosions—a tremendous force born of magical power.
Mui immediately realized that Ruswena’s intruders had arrived, and he hastily gathered Kakan’s corpse.
“We’re returning to Hielo! Intruders! Ruswena mages…!”
“Aaaahhh!”
A sharp scream echoed from somewhere. Mui and the guards felt their hair stand on end. It was the kind of desperate shriek that came from someone teetering on death’s threshold.
Then, lightning-like flashes of light forced them to shield their eyes, and they stumbled, unable to maintain their balance. The panicked neighing of horses and Kusile made it even harder to steady themselves.
Then—
Zing!
A mage’s figure emerged through the veil of light. A Ruswena intruder.
Ruswena’s sudden assault on the Cheonryeo Tribe was meant to ‘secretly’ cripple Hielo’s forces. Yet Hielo had learned of this fact.
“Since it’s come to this—”
With no way to even determine how many Cheonryeo survivors remained, retreating now was meaningless. It was right to secure Hielo before the Ruswena soldiers’ advance that would come later.
‘I’ll kill them all before reinforcements arrive from the imperial palace.’
One of the three mages had been torn to shreds by a Cheonryeo Warrior, and another had lost consciousness.
For the sake of the fallen comrade, I would kill and kill again, etching deep into their very bones what fate awaited those who dared challenge a mage.
“Cough—!”
As the mage coughed blood and his golden eyes flashed, the soldiers hesitated. What was he trying to do? They couldn’t tell, but it was clear that somewhere in his body, something was wrong from the battle with the Cheonryeo.
The soldiers turned their horses’ reins and gestured. The mage’s condition looked poor—they had to flee quickly while they had the chance.
“Ah, uh. R-Run!”
“Retreat! Retreat! Get to Hielo and establish a defensive line!”
“Mui! Hurry! Now!”
“Let go of this! That bastard killed Kakan—!”
“We can’t! If we stay here, we all die!”
Mui drew his sword and tried to charge at the mage, but one of the guards grabbed Kusile’s reins instead and yanked him forward. The wind-staggered Kusile seized the moment, turned its back, and bolted away.
* * *
‘How much time has passed?’
‘I don’t know. Two hours? More?’
‘Hmm. Deep in thought, aren’t we?’
For hours now, I had been staring down at a blank sheet of paper, my chin resting in my palm. Ever since hearing the news that Shatima had been assassinated by someone close to him, I’d remained in this state.
If only he would issue some command, I could move—but the Mages had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for me to take action.
“How long does it usually take for a messenger hawk to travel from Cliffford to Kalamatt?”
“It varies depending on the individual bird, but typically within a week. Based on the seal beneath this letter, this one took about five days.”
Information five days old. Since Cliffford received it, her death must have occurred even earlier. If it’s true that Shatima was killed by someone close to him, then the situation in Hawan may already be taking shape in some direction.
“It’s somewhat unfortunate that information doesn’t arrive in real time. If Toollun was involved in Shatima’s death, this would be good news for Ruswena.”
“Certainly. From Toollun’s perspective, there’s no reason not to clear the path for Ruswena. There’s a saying—the enemy of my enemy is my ally. As long as they share a common enemy in Bariel, it’s certain that Ruswena becomes the beneficiary.”
“By benefit, you mean military movements, correct?”
Precisely. Until now, Ruswena had been preoccupied with checking both Cliffford and Hawan, not daring to bare its fangs toward Bariel. But if Hawan falls into Toollun’s grasp, wouldn’t that open new possibilities? A beast that has tasted blood will naturally bare its hidden claws and strike.
The Mages unfolded a map.
“South of Bariel, there’s a region where three nations—Cliffford and Ruswena—border each other. Might they target that area?”
“I think so too. It would be best to leave Merelrof to Hawan’s… wait? Hielo?”
The Mages hadn’t particularly noticed. They didn’t realize that their superior standing before them, the Minister, was a noble who governed a border territory. Since rising to the capital, he had never once returned, and he’d continued working as though his homeland didn’t even exist.
“Hielo is here, Count Ian?”
“Then we can rest assured on that front. No matter how reckless King Elderth is, he wouldn’t dare attack a territory governed by the Cheonryeo and the Minister of Magic.”
“Who knows. If he were the type to consider such things, he wouldn’t have become enemies with Bariel in the first place.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
I crossed my arms and pondered for a moment. If a problem arose in Hielo, it would be best if I moved personally.
But the problem was…
‘This could be a trap to lure me out.’
If war breaks out east of Bariel, this is naturally a predictable move. Moreover, unlike us, Toollun exchanges sensations in real time through his Puppeteers. If I move rashly, I could become entangled in their schemes.
For now, was it best to trust the Cheonryeo and wait for the next report?
“Count Ian.”
“Your Majesty.”
Just then, Jin, having heard the news, descended into the conference room. Whether he’d been with Tweller or not, he followed right behind the Emperor.
“So Shatima is dead.”
“Yes. The imperial palace must have learned of this as well, but I’m uncertain what judgment they’ll make.”
Tweller added lightly to my response.
“The imperial palace will focus on defending the capital, won’t it? They won’t move rashly unless enemy forces push into the borderlands. While the Prime Minister holds full authority in emergencies, we haven’t reached that point yet.”
“I agree, but it’s a matter of time. Didn’t you say Shatima’s death came from someone close to him?”
“Indeed.”
I, Jin, and Tweller recalled the woman we’d seen at the imperial palace. She was someone of considerable influence and experience. Moreover, she’d been on the verge of reclaiming royal authority and establishing her victory—unless her close associate had some extraordinary reason, the benefit gained from killing Shatima would be minimal.
“Toollun must be involved.”
“Not her close associate, but the work of a Puppeteer?”
“Yes. Doesn’t the situation suggest that?”
“Hmm. That does make sense.”
Whether a Puppeteer or not, whoever killed Shatima would harbor resentment toward Bariel, which broadly means they’re on Toollun and Ruswena’s side.
“If turmoil erupts south of Bariel, Cliffford will hold the line, but if Hielo’s territory is invaded, I’m troubled over what to do. It would take about a month for reinforcements from the capital to reach Hielo.”
“What of using a portal to make a brief visit yourself?”
“That’s one approach, but the distance from Kalamat to Hielo is far too great.”
The magical expenditure required would be more than double what it took to travel from Kalamat to Toollun or the capital. And that was merely the journey there—I couldn’t ignore the cost of returning either.
Moreover, given the uncertainty of the situation, it was hardly prudent to expend such vast reserves of magic merely for reconnaissance.
“For now, I shall send correspondence to Ruswena. A formal protest regarding their support of Rutherford during the previous battle at Agiar. Should Bariel take issue with this, Ruswena may well position themselves to strike first.”
“You provoke them into restraint?”
“We wait for justification.”
Time could be bought this way. If all went well, enough for them to make the journey to Toollun and return.
Crash!
Just as I reached for my pen, the door burst open and Berik came charging through.
“Ian!”
The ink nearly spilled again, but this time it didn’t. I calmly set down my pen and checked that the parchment remained intact.
“Drag him out.”
“His Majesty is present here. Have you lost your mind?”
As the mages seized Berik by both arms, he protested.
“No, wait—my business is simple enough! Ian. There—in the marketplace of Kalamat, there’s a moving picture.”

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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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