Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 652

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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 651. That Which Should Not Exist
“Minister Martin!”
“I see it.”
Martin gestured for his subordinate to compose himself as the man rushed toward him. In the distance, the dragons that had been scouting above the Mage’s Forest were plummeting, ensnared by a golden net.
The Black Armored Knights were with them as well, though what had transpired remained unclear. The only recourse was to send more scouts to assess the situation.
“Hmm.”
But if he sent them again only to have them fall once more? It would be like pouring water into a bottomless vessel.
He stroked his beard thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. Was there some anomaly occurring in the forest where the mages dwelt? If not, what in blazes was that golden net? After deliberating, Martin turned and approached the Countess’s carriage.
Knock, knock.
“Countess, do you have a moment?”
At his call, the Countess drew back the curtain. She had been knitting, and yarn lay scattered throughout the spacious carriage interior. She tilted her head forward with an inquiring gaze.
“What is it? The carriage seems to have stopped for quite some time.”
“An anomaly has been detected in the Mage’s Forest. All the dragons sent to scout have crashed. Is it possible to communicate with the mages?”
“Communicate? Well, I’m not sure.”
She merely shrugged, wishing she could provide more information.
“It’s a difficult matter. If there’s a problem, couldn’t we simply bypass the Mage’s Forest? Hehe.”
“If we do that, our route changes. Though it may seem insignificant now, the distance to Hielo would increase considerably, necessitating a report to the Royal Palace.”
“Hmm, how complicated.”
So, could the mages’ consciousness be restored, or could it not?
Martin tapped the carriage window insistently for an answer, but the Countess merely smiled serenely and remained silent. Regardless of whether it was possible, she seemed to have no intention of attempting it.
“We can verify what’s happening directly. Let me send Vitor. Since my vision is linked with his, I’ll know immediately if there’s a problem.”
Martin glanced toward the Mage’s Forest. Whatever was unfolding, the entire vast forest seemed to tremble slightly. Flocks of birds taking flight from various points and ridges swaying in the distance were evidence of this.
He reluctantly took a step back.
“Very well. For now, we’ll proceed that way. However, I cannot send another dragon until we know the cause.”
“As you wish. Despite appearances, Vitor is a mage. If I tell him to hurry, he’ll fly there and back without issue. Just a moment. Let me tidy up here first.”
As the Countess winked with one eye, Martin turned away with a displeased expression.
No matter how he looked at it, she was someone with sinister intentions. Though she appeared to be forging an alliance and cooperating on the surface, in reality she revealed none of her own cards while grasping for control.
‘Will this be alright?’
Martin withdrew a cigarette and placed it between his lips. Since this was a matter the King had instructed, there was no choice but to comply—a frustrating reality.
Just as he was about to light it—
Boom—
An inexplicable tremor shook the earth. He wondered if it was an earthquake, but something felt different.
Martin hastily raised his spyglass, and immediately became certain. Massive gray smoke blanketed the sky above the forest. The meaning was unmistakable.
‘A “battle” is unfolding in the Mage’s Forest.’
Who? Could there have been a mage hiding and living in the forest?
No. Even so, there would be no reason to attack dragons and knights armed in black armor. Rather, it would be natural to hide quietly. To attack them could only mean they stood in opposition.
‘Bariel’s faction?’
If Bariel’s mages had come this far, the golden net from before made sense. Some form of magic, presumably.
But Hielo’s territory had burned, and most of Bariel’s mages were in Kalamata. There was no way word could have reached them in such a short time.
Martin flicked his cigarette with his fingertips, his eyes fixed on the Mage’s Forest. The officers and soldiers alike stood tense, their gazes locked on the lush forest ahead.
“Ugh…”
“Ohoho. Here I come. Just a moment. Please step aside. The stench is getting rather overwhelming.”
“Minister. It’s… it’s Mage Vitor.”
Not long after, Vitor shuffled forward with labored steps. Everyone recoiled, covering their noses against the nauseating stench that wafted up. The necrosis seemed to be worsening by the moment.
Countess Darsi manipulated the doll connected to her fingertips, and with each movement, Vitor took another step forward.
Thud. Thump.
Each step was utterly devoid of strength. At this rate, when would he ever arrive? Martin was just frowning when Vitor’s pace suddenly accelerated, and he launched himself powerfully into the air, flying toward the Mages’ Forest.
“Ugh.”
The stench he left behind was considerable. Would this actually work? To be honest, he looked like a walking corpse. It wouldn’t be surprising if his limbs fell off as he stumbled about.
Countess Darsi hummed softly with her eyes closed.
“Now then, everyone please be quiet. I’ll go take a look and see what’s there.”
A third-person perspective of the surrounding landscape. It was faint at first, but soon lush green filled everything in sight. Vitor had safely entered the forest.
She continued to guide Vitor deeper into the dense forest to find where the dragon had crashed, and soon discovered the village where the Ruswena Mages had lived.
“My?”
“What is it, Countess Darsi? What do you see?”
“There are people here. Yes, yes. There are people in the forest. A small boy and a rough-looking man. I can also see golden nets tangled around every tree trunk. My goodness. The dragon and the black armored—”
Countess Darsi paused as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. An unconscious dragon lay sprawled out, and fragments of black armor were scattered everywhere. The knights who appeared to be their owners were crumpled and strewn across the ground.
The two people Countess Darsi had mentioned—the rough-looking man and the small boy—noticed Vitor’s sudden appearance and furrowed their brows.
“…Ian Hielo?”
“What did you say?”
“He looks like the Minister of Magic. Hmm.”
“That’s impossible. He’s currently in Kalamata. He couldn’t possibly be here.”
“Not couldn’t be here—shouldn’t be here. For Ruswena’s advance. But what’s this? No matter how I look at it, it’s definitely Ian Hielo.”
Countess Darsi muttered in a grave tone she hadn’t used before. Then she tilted her head curiously and flicked her fingertips lightly. Vitor trudged forward, charging toward the two people.
* * *
“Haa, haa…”
Berik wiped his jaw and looked back at me. The magical explosion that had just erupted was considerable, yet I stood perfectly still without even my breathing becoming ragged.
Wasn’t this incredibly unfair? Here I was, exhausted to death after rolling around in the training grounds all day, while this scholarly gentleman who couldn’t eat properly, couldn’t sleep, and just sat around working every day was perfectly fine?
Berik shouted irritably.
“Ian, what are you? How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Your magic exploded everywhere, so why are you fine?”
Foolish Berik. Of course I was fine—I had distributed and used both magic and Idgal efficiently.
My strategy was to clear a path as I approached the opponent initially, then convert to Idgal when pressing forward to conserve as much magic as possible. Since the enemy we faced was Ruswena itself, and without Akorelra’s help now, I needed to maintain composure and control my strength.
‘My primary opponents will be Ruswena’s mages.’
When I turned my head away dismissively, about to say something, Berik came charging at me, wailing.
“Why won’t you answer?! Tell me!”
“It’s because you’ve been neglecting your training.”
“Come on. There’s no one in the Royal Guard with more holes in their body than me, you know? And there’s no one there who fights with their life on the line like I do!”
I generated magic above both my hands without responding. There were still a living dragon and black armored knights remaining.
“We’ll hold the dragon with Idgal for now. Start with the black armored ones first.”
“Got it. Still, we cracked those bastards’ skulls in one hit. They’re definitely tougher than before, but we’re no pushovers either. Right?”
Berik wiped his nose and laughed with satisfaction. He could feel that as his opponents grew stronger, so had he.
Then, the Black Armored Knights who had regained consciousness drew their swords and approached with a metallic scrape. Their sword stances were quite convincing. Ian raised an eyebrow and instructed Berik.
“Berik. There are actual knights inside those suits of armor.”
“So the days of amateurs are over, huh!”
“Be careful. Take them one at a time, methodically.”
“No problem!”
Whoosh!
As Berik leaped with all his might, the Black Armored Knights lowered their bodies in alert. In response, Ian placed his hand against the ground and summoned Idgal.
The Black Armored Knights cried out in frustration.
“…Damn! Again!”
“Watch out! It’s bad for the armor!”
“It’s fine. A few more hits and it’ll shatter!”
Idgal crawled up their feet and legs, freezing them solid. But as expected, Idgal shattered and crumbled after only a few movements.
Ian had anticipated this and immediately drew a circular magic circle with his right index and middle fingers.
Whoosh!
「Manyō」.
A massive ancient tree erupted behind Ian, with thick wooden vines crawling up from all directions. It seemed as though the trees in the vicinity had come alive, rather than the World Tree itself.
They firmly bound the arms and legs of the Black Armored Knights, and I poured endless mana into them. Unlike Idgal, they wouldn’t break easily.
“Here we go!”
At the same moment, Berik, suspended in the air, released his sword. The mana blade instantly decomposed and vanished, and he immediately pulled something very small from his pocket.
The knights looking up at the sky hesitated in confusion. What is that? Something barely the size of a palm…
‘A hammer?’
Clang!
It was a Dera Tribe hammer. Berik swung it with all his might, striking the Black Armored Knight’s helmet with precision.
“Headshot!”
Clang!
“One more time, headshot!”
With such amusing battle cries. Though the noise was considerable, the impact was undeniable, so I simply watched Berik’s solo performance without comment.
After swinging it several times, the helmets shattered like sugar cubes, leaving not a single one intact.
“Headshot!”
As the knights’ heads were exposed, Berik drew his mana sword again. Having dealt with the Black Armored Knights more easily than expected, he became cocky, placed his hand on his waist, and laughed heartily.
“Ian, I think we could just hide here and kill whoever comes next? This kind of strategy is surprisingly fun.”
“The dragon’s reconnaissance has already failed twice, so they’ll probably show a different response now. Well, observing and responding isn’t a bad idea either…”
I looked down at the fallen knights, then suddenly turned around. I sensed an unfamiliar presence. How to describe it—the air felt heavy and sticky, not quite like a normal aura.
Berik also noticed, quickly tucking his hammer away and meeting my gaze.
“Huh. Over there—”
Stagger, stagger. A man walking as if drunk, approaching unsteadily. His clothes were fine quality, but judging by the bodily fluids flowing down his exterior, his condition was a mess. Both Ian and Berik’s brows furrowed involuntarily.
“Ugh. Ian, what the hell is that.”
“…His attire is that of a Ruswena Mage.”
“Surely not. Is he a demon? No, he doesn’t seem to be one. My appetite’s gone. Ugh.”
Which of the Ruswena Mages had transformed into such a state?
The answer was simple and obvious. Someone who had used forbidden magic. I couldn’t fathom how he was still alive, but I was certain of it.
“Is it you? The one who came to Hielo?”
“….”
Whoosh.
He stopped once, took a few steps, then stopped again—repeating this pattern several times. Something was wrong. As if he were being controlled by something.
“I ask one final time. Is it you?”
Zing! Zing!
I lowered my stance and gathered my magical power. As if he’d been waiting for this moment, the man rushed forward with a terrible growl.
I finished the question I hadn’t completed.
“…Did you kill my family?”

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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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