Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 670

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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 670. Unable to Cross the Line
“Ugh….”
The moment the connection to Ruswena severed, King Kumasha of Toollun clutched his head and collapsed. Servants waited outside, yet none dared hastily inquire after their king’s wellbeing. For no one should ever witness their sovereign laugh or weep.
Kumasha wept freely, seizing the dolls within reach and hurling them as though to tear them apart.
‘Damn it. This hurts too much.’
All of Toollun’s puppeteers, spirit sorcerers, and those possessing strange powers were connected through Kumasha’s dolls. Thanks to this, he could sit deep within the palace and see, hear, and feel the world—yet never before had he experienced such profound backlash surging through him.
‘The Countess seems completely broken. Sigh. I have no choice but to do this myself. Is this the true extent of a Mage’s power?’
Since the Countess first summoned the Forbidden Mage, something had felt wrong. His chest grew heavy with inexplicable pressure, and cold sweat dripped down his back.
At first, he thought it mere fancy, but by the second Forbidden Magic, certainty crystallized.
‘Ordinary magic was manageable. That was because I issued commands to the puppeteers’ subconscious minds. The Mages moved of their own accord within the scope to achieve their objectives. But Forbidden Magic is different.’
It was like fire traveling along an impossibly thin, faint thread. From the Mage to the Countess, and then back to himself, King of Toollun. Each time it passed through another person, much of the backlash diluted—yet it never fully dissipated.
“Is anyone outside?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Bring me water. And contact the Prime Minister—tell him to come up at once.”
“I shall obey, Your Majesty.”
Kumasha sighed, then buried his face once more in the pile of dolls. With the Countess gone—she who had cushioned the impact midway—all future Forbidden Magic backlash would crash down upon him alone.
The one consolation was that there was no burden regarding those who had ‘already become’ Forbidden Mages.
‘Ian Hielo is one who faces two Forbidden Mages alone. Unless I transform all remaining Ruswena Mages into Forbidden Mages, there is no chance of victory.’
I must find a way. A method to transform the Ruswena Mages into Forbidden ones without bearing the backlash of Forbidden Magic.
Kumasha gazed quietly at his own hands and the reflection in the window.
“If I do this well….”
The Countess had melted away entirely by the third transformation. This meant he himself could manage one, perhaps two.
Kumasha crawled toward the mirror and examined his face. Nothing dripped away—his skin remained pale, nearly transparent.
Knock, knock.
“Your Majesty. The Prime Minister has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
Kumasha received the Prime Minister while lying down. He would have risen if possible, but he could barely move a single finger. The Prime Minister, noting his sovereign’s unusual state, asked with concern.
“Your Majesty, are you well?”
“Forbidden Magic is indeed different. The backlash the Countess could not filter has reached me as well.”
“…!”
“That said, it seems Ruswena has reached its limits. If we deploy the remaining Forbidden Mage and all ordinary Mages, we might reduce the Bariel Mages’ forces by half, wouldn’t you say?”
“Then complete annihilation is impossible, Your Majesty.”
“Ian Hielo alone faced two Forbidden Mages. Let Ruswena handle what remains, while we concentrate our efforts on Kalamata. That seems the wiser choice.”
“In fact, I have just received word from Vanusa, the spirit sorcerer commander. She has released the maximum amount of poison from upstream. This will affect not only Cliffford, but Burgos as well.”
At the Prime Minister’s words, Kumasha’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“The temple gave all its poison?”
“It appears so.”
“Vanusa has won the High Priest’s favor, it seems. And he is a meticulous man.”
“Is Vanusa not one with deep trust both within and without the Royal Palace?”
“True enough. Sometimes frustratingly upright, even.”
Ping.
Kumasha grasped one of the puppet strings caught on her fingertip, pulling it taut. It was the string connected to Vanusa. After contemplating something for a long while, Kumasha made a decisive gesture and waved her hand.
“Begin preparing the Toollun forces. Position them to move immediately in response to developments in Ruswena.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The commander of the Toollun forces was Ardo, the eldest son and head of the fire spirit magic clan. Coincidentally, he formed a pair with Banus, who was also the master of water spirit sorcery. With both masters of water and fire deployed along Toollun’s southern border, they would be more than sufficient to pressure the main Bariel forces, which lacked mages.
Kumasha tilted her dizzy head backward and closed her eyes for a moment, mentally envisioning the coming battle with Ian Hielo.
* * *
“Check the remaining embers carefully! We cannot afford mistakes!”
“The wind continues to blow strongly!”
“We should transport more water to the northern sector!”
“We’ll provide support with the dragon!”
“Support! Forward!”
The Ruswena soldiers continued moving in and out of the forest to suppress the flames until sunrise. They formed long lines carrying water buckets and sand, while the dragon flew busily overhead, pouring down massive torrents of water.
“Sigh, how much longer will this go on…?”
“Where are the mages? Why aren’t they visible?”
“Be quiet, Inma. You’ll get scolded.”
“Isn’t that right? If the mages just lifted a finger from the sky, this would have been suppressed long ago. How is it right that we’re suffering like this?”
“Enough talk. If you have that much energy, carry more water.”
“Ugh, wait. My stomach—”
“Tsk, tsk. Pathetic.”
As several soldiers staggered out of formation, suppressing their nausea, their comrades clicked their tongues in disdain. Perhaps it was from lack of sleep and overexertion, but weren’t they too weak?
But that was only temporary.
“Urgh! Ugh!”
“S-save me—”
The soldiers collapsed helplessly, staggering. The toxic aura that had seeped into the Mage’s forest had met the flames, releasing harmful substances into the air.
The rear guard realized something was gravely wrong and gestured orders for everyone to retreat.
“No approach! No approach!”
On a hill overlooking the Mage’s forest.
Martin bit his lips firmly, seething with indignation. Because they had not crossed the border, all the damage from the battle fell entirely upon Ruswena. He swung his baton widely, rallying the soldiers.
Boom—! Boom!
Soon the main force would march out from the Royal Palace. To exact revenge upon Hielo, who had devastated Ruswena’s golden lands, it was now time to cross the border and advance.
Whoosh!
Then, something moved between the reeds. Whether it was merely the wind or the presence of beasts fleeing from the forest remained unclear.
Martin soon realized it was the trembling of the earth caused by the marching army. Followed by the increasingly loud sound of military music. As he turned his body, he saw a hazy cloud of dust rising in the distance.
Boom! Boom!
It was the main Ruswena force.
Since it was an army under the direct command of the King, its scale was considerable. One could say that all available forces from Ruswena had been deployed. Since the destination was not far, they had minimized supply units and concentrated on combat troops.
Meanwhile, King Eldetr, leading the Ruswena main force, sat atop a white horse adorned with golden armor, gazing forward as he slowly cantered.
“Your Majesty! Show those Bariel dogs the taste of fire!”
“Let us end this long-standing enmity once and for all!”
“Long live Ruswena! Long live Ruswena!”
Citizens lined the streets to see off the soldiers, yet the troops maintained their solemn composure. They knew from a single battle just how formidable their enemies truly were.
Creeeeak!
As the castle gates opened, Eldetr furrowed his brow. Gray smoke still rose from the forest without end. The once-verdant Mage’s Forest lay completely devastated, and their fertile lands were ravaged by the aftermath of battle. Corpses, bloodstains, scattered weapons, and armor littered the ground everywhere.
“Advance.”
As Eldetr lifted his bow lightly and issued the command, Ruswena’s banner rippled grandly.
If we continued straight down and crossed the border, we would reach Hielo’s domain before long. I had to quickly eliminate the remaining Mages and plant our flag there—before Bariel’s Central Army could send reinforcements.
“Waaaaah!”
“Forward!”
The soldiers roared, forcing their morale higher. There were no Mages visible at this very moment. And this was none other than their homeland, Ruswena. What was there to fear?
The military band’s music grew louder and faster, and they were moving smoothly ahead.
Whissssh.
Far ahead, a single boy stood motionless. Too small to identify clearly, yet Eldetr knew instinctively. A figure with golden hair draped in robes.
“Ian Hielo….”
“It’s Ian Hielo! The Minister of Magic from Bariel has appeared!”
“Straight ahead! They’re invading Ruswena again!”
“Damn bastard, what does he think Ruswena is!”
Alone? Where were the others?
Yet no matter how I looked around, I saw no one else. The boy stood in the middle of the road with such natural, serene composure.
What was remarkable was that despite being merely a small child, his presence was so overwhelming it could rival thousands.
Though the path stretched open before us, it felt completely blocked; though there were no walls, it seemed as though a barrier had materialized.
“Your Highness.”
“Bring Martin. We consolidate with the main force first.”
The Mage’s Forest, the road beside it where I stood, and Ruswena’s main army faced off against each other. As Martin gathered the soldiers, the left flank opened up.
Rumble!
Facing the two groups, I examined them carefully. Then I took a step forward, drawing closer.
The soldiers gripped their spears, their eyes darting nervously. A Mage was approaching—should they simply stand and watch?
“Eldetr. Are you there.”
I could not identify Eldetr hidden among the soldiers. But judging from the position of the banner and the structure of the main force, I could certainly discern that the King was somewhere in that mass.
“Insolence! How dare you call the true name of Ruswena’s King so carelessly!”
“It is not insolence.”
The officer at the very front, standing at the vanguard, barked, and I immediately countered.
“How could I acknowledge and respect as a neighboring king one who disregards the dignity of Mages and challenges Bariel? Right now, Eldetr, you are no king to me. You are merely a blind serpent leading a group called Ruswena.”
“Blasphemy!”
“Blasphemy?”
I smiled coldly, and a thin golden line materialized at my feet. Idgal.
“History will reveal who made the mistake. Eldetr. This is the last word I leave for you.”
This.
A single boundary extending outward from where I stood.
“You shall not pass this line. Not even in death.”
Eldetr furrowed his brow upon hearing Ian’s message relayed by his subordinates. The audacious bastard. How dare he conduct himself so brazenly in another’s kingdom.
“Mages!”
Eldetr shouted to the Mages following behind him. In truth, this was a summons to the King of Toollun himself.
The Mages, who had been standing with vacant expressions, suddenly snapped to attention and straightened their postures.
Zing! Zing!
Just as the Mages’ golden eyes gleamed and they began to ascend—
Whoooosh!
Colossal World Trees erupted from both sides of Ian, their massive trunks intertwining with tremendous force.
The startled Soldiers staggered backward, and soon spotted the Bariel Mages, raising an alarm.
“Mages! There are Bariel Mages on that enormous tree!”
“Prepare the Idgal Arrows! Ready the Idgal Spears and advance to the front lines!”
The Bariel Mages grasped sturdy branches and stood firm, looking down upon the vast Ruswena Army. Simultaneously, they drew their breath from deep within their core.
Moments later, as if perfectly synchronized, they cried out in unison.
“The Forbidden Mage—come out now!”

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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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