Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 673

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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 673. The Power to Oppose Magic
-【Captain Akorella’s Observation Log on Princess Chloe, Entry 355】
-Another morning of absolute chaos. I can’t tell if this is a mine or the terrace of a high society party in the capital. Princess Chloe’s previously abnormal physiology has returned to normal, but the side effects related to psychological reactions—heart palpitations, blushing, stammering, cold sweats, and nervousness—directed toward a specific person still seem to persist.
I’d love to observe this in detail through experimentation, but Count Xiao has been monopolizing Princess Chloe’s attention, leaving me at an impasse. There are no particularly unusual symptoms, and at this point, I can’t even tell if this is truly a side effect or something else entirely.
If I suggested Princess Chloe drink the potion one more time, would she actually die? I should try before Ian returns.
Scratch.
-Oh right, and the mine development work is proceeding smoothly. I thought it might be slower without Princess Chloe’s help, but the soil and stone are more yielding than expected, making excavation quite manageable.
The deeper we descend, the more intense the mana response becomes, and my heart races. Princess Chloe mentioned that when she looks at Count Xiao, her legs go numb and her heart twists in a dizzying way below her chest—I think I’m beginning to understand what she means.
The genius mage Akorella truly accomplished something remarkable. Has any mage ever been able to touch human emotions before? Truth serums that force confessions, potions that erase memories—but those are different….
Knock knock knock.
At the unexpected sound, my pen, which had been moving frantically, stopped dead. I was just reaching peak concentration, and someone dares—!
“Get out. I don’t accept reports from anyone below captain rank.”
“Yes, I apologize for the intrusion.”
“I said get out, damn it!”
“It’s a letter from His Majesty the Emperor. Should I relay it that way?”
Akorella reached for another pen she’d tucked in her hair, ready to throw it, but hesitated. If it’s from His Majesty, that changes things. Ahem.
“Give it here. What’s going on?”
“Yes, the order is to cease mine development immediately and return to Karamat.”
“What?! Why?!”
“I’m not sure of the details. You’ll find out when you get there, I suppose.”
“No, if we just dig a little more, rare mana stones will pour out like a gushing well. Why? What on earth is the reason?”
“I don’t know, I said. Even the captain doesn’t know, so how would I? Anyway, the order is to withdraw immediately, so I’ll start packing.”
“Wait! Just wait!”
This must be a dream. This can’t be happening! With trembling hands, Akorella opened the note and immediately collapsed forward in a faint.
The mage, as if accustomed to such occurrences, stepped over her body and began organizing the desk.
“Make sure nothing gets left behind like last time. Even if we send people later to continue the mine work, I don’t think we’ll be coming back here. Something feels off.”
“Your Majesty, why must you subject me to such trials….”
“And I heard an interesting story from the residents here.”
At the mage’s hint, Akorella peeked up with a slight grin.
Curious, aren’t you? Then stop whining like a child and get up. At the mage’s meaningful glance, Akorella slowly raised her upper body.
“…What.”
“An elder of indeterminate age mentioned it. He said that when he was young, he once met a mage who came from across the sea. That mage also showed interest in this mining area.”
“From across the sea? Where? Blaster Sea?”
“What other sea would there be? Anyway, the elder had been puzzled by this for a long time, but seeing the Bariel Mages digging away like this, he thought it confirmed his suspicions.”
“Not Bariel, but a mage from beyond the Gaia continent came to this barren Burgos? Are you certain?”
“He’s an elder with such white hair that even his children wouldn’t recognize him, but his words didn’t sound like nonsense.”
“Hmm. Beyond Blaster Sea. There must be mana stones there that we haven’t discovered here, right? The classification standards might be completely different, so they could be treated as mere rocks…. Ugh, my poor babies. Thinking about it now, tears are blurring my vision.”
“That’s severe, Captain.”
Akorella dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, then seemed to make a decision. Someday, surely someday….
“After the war ends, go there and check it out.”
“What? Where to?”
“Somewhere beyond Blaster.”
“…Are you telling me to go now? Shouldn’t the Captain be going instead?”
“I need to stay glued to Bariel and conduct my research. What good is it if high-level personnel leak out? Ugh, I’ve cried myself tired. Clean this place up and come out.”
“I’m also high-level personnel, if you think about it?! Top-tier at that—”
Slam!
Akorelra shut the door firmly as if annoyed by the noise, brushing off her hands. Then she headed toward the staircase leading down to the first-floor lobby.
The castle in the mining-owned territory where she and the mages were staying was still in decent condition. Though it was a half-crumbling mansion, given that its owner had been a Royalist Official whose neck was cleanly severed by Kayla and her mother.
Halfway down the stairs, Akorelra heard hushed voices in conversation.
“From Kalamat?”
“Yes. It would be good if both of you packed your things now.”
“Then I’ll depart first.”
“Count Xiao, then I’ll go with you. To be honest, I came with nothing, so there’s nothing to carry.”
Below the lobby stairs, Mrs. Danit of the Hollin Family, Princess Chloe, and Count Xiao were gathered in serious conversation. …What an odd combination this was.
“Are you all discussing returning?”
As Akorelra stretched her head through the railing to ask, all three looked up simultaneously.
“Captain Akorelra. You’ve arrived at just the right moment. We’ve just received news.”
“What news?”
“All the mages stationed in Kalamat have relocated to Hielo’s territory. This gap means Kalamat could now face pressure from Toollun.”
“What?”
“They say they’ve sent an advance guard of cavalry northward, but even so, we can’t help but prepare for a surprise attack from Toollun. The order is for all remaining forces to return to Kalamat and protect His Majesty’s side.”
“Ah. Thank you for the clear situation briefing, Mrs. Danit. But, is Princess Chloe going as well?”
“What? Me?”
Chloe widened her eyes at what seemed like an obvious question, and Akorelra shrugged her shoulders.
“If war clouds gather with Toollun, simply remaining in Kalamat—no, rather in Burgos itself becomes dangerous. I thought it would be safer in many ways for Princess Chloe to head to the capital.”
“…You traitor! Idiot! Captain Akorelra, are you saying I’m no longer worth experimenting on? That’s terrible!”
“No, I’m saying this out of concern for the Princess.”
Truly, with the mages gone, there weren’t enough forces to protect her. Count Xiao? He was the Emperor’s right arm, wasn’t he? Though his heart belonged to his lover, his death already belonged to the Emperor.
Chloe turned sharply to look at Count Xiao, her eyes pleading him to stop this, but he remained silent. It meant he somewhat agreed with Akorelra’s words.
“Count Xiao!”
“…Let’s head to Kalamat first. I’ll assign soldiers to guard you there.”
Chloe looked at Xiao and Akorelra with a dazed expression, but there was no way out. Mrs. Danit read the mood and quietly left, and Count Xiao also avoided the situation as if denying reality.
“Ugh.”
Chloe glared up the stairs, then came striding up with quite fierce and rapid steps. Then, kneeling on one knee, she grabbed Akorelra by the collar and shook her.
Akorelra swayed with the motion, remaining still and laughing playfully.
“Captain Ako!”
“Yes, yes, what is it, Princess Chloe?”
Chloe pressed her lips tightly shut as if about to cry, then made a decision.
“If I’m separated from Count Xiao right now, I feel like I’ll really suffer and die.”
“Even so, isn’t that better than actually dying? Love, it’s all temporary, Princess.”
“…I’ll have another.”
At Princess Chloe’s murmur, Captain Akorella’s eyes gleamed. Just now, what did she say?
“Another drink of that potion you made, Captain Akorella. Give me strength again. So I won’t be a burden—no, so I can fight alongside the Bariel Soldiers.”
When Chloe made her polite request, Akorella felt her head spinning.
Ugh, this genius mage Akorella! Not only blessed with a brilliant mind for research, but her test subjects’ luck follows her too. Truly, some people are just destined for greatness.
“Something else—”
“Yes?”
“Would you be alright with something different? What if your feelings for Count Xiao disappear?”
Chloe seemed to ponder for a moment, but she didn’t hesitate. Her resolve had solidified.
“I’m fine with it.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by fine, but honestly, I don’t want to know either. Understood. Come this way then.”
“Right now?”
“What, were you planning to save it and have it as an aperitif later this evening? You drink when your resolve is set!”
Akorella grabbed Chloe’s wrist and pulled her along excitedly. After being dragged a few steps, the princess gradually steeled her heart and linked her arm through the captain’s.
“Yes! I can use 356 pages now!”
“What do you mean by 356 pages?”
“There is such a thing!”
Smack! Akorella kissed Chloe’s cheek and giggled. So what if Ian and Captain Heil aren’t in Kalamata! She was here! As long as the Magic Department members each did their assigned roles in Hielo, that was enough.
‘I’ll protect this place. Together with the princess.’
Khehe. Khuk. Kyaang! Akorella suppressed her bubbling laughter and rushed into the makeshift laboratory.
* * *
“Hawan.”
Thousands of soldiers pouring into Ruswena.
The mage’s eyes narrowed. In truth, the first Hawan person they’d ever encountered was Prime Minister Shatima. This meant their understanding of them was virtually nonexistent. Though they were allied with Bariel, Hawan bordered the eastern frontier, making them nearly as unfamiliar to the mages as Toollun itself.
One mage shouted at Berik with a nod.
“Berik! Go take some hits for us!”
“What are you saying, are you crazy! You do it!”
“No, who knows what they might have.”
No obvious weak points were visible. Were they simply trying to overwhelm through sheer numbers? Against mages? Apparently, whoever was pulling the strings from their command had truly lost their mind.
The mages gestured, pointing forward and back.
“Let’s split between Ruswena and Hawan. Where does each of you want to go?”
“I’m going to Ruswena. If I don’t grab that bastard Eldetr by the collar, I’ll get an ulcer.”
“Me too, Ruswena.”
“Then I’ll head to Hawan.”
“Ian, we’ve roughly divided up—”
Ian didn’t take his gaze from the Hawan direction. Soon his brow furrowed slightly. He sensed something amiss.
Meanwhile, at that moment.
Click!
The woman with pink hair tied up in a single bundle nodded while surveying the front.
“Artillery, advance.”
Erika Berti, who had killed Shatima with her own hands—the one who had taken her in—and returned to Bariel devoid of purpose.
At her command, her subordinates split left and right, pushing forward a platform the size of a man. A Hand Cannon. It was a war musket imported from the east beyond Blaster. Only a few had arrived recently, but the civil war had proven its power sufficiently.
“We advance.”
Already in the east, a new chapter of history was being written through gunpowder.
The Bariel Mages too were beings who lived alongside history. They could not be exceptions. Erika had witnessed firsthand that the epithet “a force to rival magic” was no mere boast.
“Fire a single shot as a demonstration.”
“The distance is too great.”
“It doesn’t matter. The Mages will draw closer.”
At Erika’s murmur, the soldiers moved busily. The massive black projectile from the crate was loaded into the musket, and Hawan’s soldiers plugged their ears as though accustomed to it.
Erika raised her hand lightly. A signal to wait until the Mages arrived.

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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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