Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 676

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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 676. Erika Berti
Ba-riel!
The beginning of glory held in God’s embrace—
The heart of Gaia that turns golden when rain falls—
Lift your head high, ever higher, and then you shall see—
That light in the distant heights, the beacon of Bariel—
Erika vividly remembered the moment she first sang the national anthem in the Imperial Palace.
The sky was remarkably blue, the clouds pristine white, and the temperature perfectly warm. Her voice trembled as she fought back tears….
Those were truly grueling times. She had overcome a commoner’s life, nearly that of a slave, and climbed to the position of captain of the Imperial Investigation Unit—her life had been forged through immense suffering.
Erika saluted with precision while biting her lower lip. This was an auspicious day. Instead of tears, she continued to cry out Bariel’s name.
Ba-riel!
Boom! Boom!
Crash!
“Prime Minister, please evacuate quickly!”
“No! I will not retreat! Defend the Royal Palace!”
“Do not fall back! The future of Hawan rests in your hands! Advance forward!”
“Aaaaah!”
Bratz and Hawan. For ten years, Erika had wandered in and out of Bariel, yet whenever she dozed off, she dreamed of the day she received her captain’s badge. Someday she would return. Someday there would be light.
Perhaps because she had hoped and prayed so earnestly, God had granted her wish. She was able to return to the central Imperial Palace with Prime Minister Shatima, and she came home with hope. The path forward was a thorny road stained with blood, but that was fine. Her nation’s honor lay there.
“Prime Minister, we seem to lack sufficient troops.”
“Yes, perhaps we should request assistance from Bariel….”
“That won’t do. Though the Emperor and Minister of Magic Ian Hielo are favorable to us, this situation exists only under the judgment that we have value in being able to check Ruswena. Is there anything in this world without a price? If we draw them in now, who knows what they will demand later.”
Erika always watched from behind as Prime Minister Shatima conferred with his close advisors. She respected the Prime Minister and enjoyed observing him. He was her benefactor who had taken her hand when she came to Hawan, and being at his side brought joy as she learned so much.
“If seeking help from Bariel’s mages is difficult, what of mages from elsewhere?”
“Mages from elsewhere? Which direction do you speak of? Ruswena is out of the question. After suffering humiliation ten years ago, they’ve become extremely rigorous in managing their mages. And above all, because they understand our position, they will never cooperate.”
Prime Minister Shatima was one who had gone to Bariel and been sent back by the Emperor. That very fact announced that her life rested in the Emperor’s hands.
From Ruswena’s perspective, which sought to check Bariel, there was no reason to welcome Prime Minister Shatima’s successful rebellion.
“No. Much farther away—the East, I mean.”
“…Those beyond the Blaster Desert?”
“Yes, according to what is said, there is a mage called the Absolute One of the East. Like the Minister of the Magic Department of Bariel, all mages of the East trust and revere this person. I heard that one of their disciples stole a precious item from the Absolute One and fled.”
Interesting. Erika pretended to look straight ahead while perking up her ears. Just who was bold enough to steal something from their master mage and run away?
Would it feel similar to her betraying Shatima? Erika shook her head slightly, denying the thought.
“And then?”
“The mages of the East are pursuing this person, crossing the great desert one by one. Some have entered Ruswena, and some have come here to Hawan.”
“…Is this true?”
“Ruswena is certain. Many interpret that more than half of the suddenly increased mages are from foreign lands.”
“Then, how might we meet them?”
“That is….”
Just then, a servant from outside caught Erika’s eye. A signal that something had come up and she should step out.
Could the royal guards have launched a surprise attack? Or perhaps the failure of a long-prepared ambush operation? The moment Erika carefully stepped outside, what she encountered was—
“Ohohoho! Good day to you. I am Countess Darsi.”
The Countess spoke with a repugnant laugh.
From that moment onward, something felt wrong with Erika. Her memories came in fragments, time flowed both rapidly and sluggishly, and her entire body felt as though it were melting, as if she were walking through a dream.
“…?”
Day turned to night, and people screamed in horror as they drove blades into one another’s chests. Someone wept, someone fell from a building, and somewhere, blood-red rain fell.
Patter. Thud.
“…!”
Erika suddenly regained her senses and looked around. Night. A rainy night. It was quiet, and somewhere carried the stench of blood….
“Ugh, gah-”
She could not immediately comprehend who was gasping for breath before her. Nor did she realize that she herself was drenched in warm, viscous blood.
Crack! Boom!
As lightning struck, the darkness parted for a moment, and she saw the face of one who had met death. It was Prime Minister Shatima.
Erika staggered backward in shock. How could he be lying there? Why was she here, and why was she standing rather than fallen beside him?
“Er…ika.”
“No, no, this cannot be. It cannot….”
“…you see. You understand.”
“No, it cannot be! Aaaagh!”
Boom! Crash!
Whoosh!
Thunder and lightning accompanied a torrential downpour, and Erika wailed as she gathered the blood pooling on the ground.
This could not be. What in the world was happening? Shatima dead! Her death meant the destruction of Hawan’s future and her own…! Fear, sorrow, and loss flooded through her.
What made it worse was that Erika’s world was warping again. Time moved fast and slow once more, consuming her reality.
* * *
“Lady Erika?”
The adjutant beside Erika, who had been observing Hawan’s formation, stopped in surprise. Erika continued to command the battle with an expression of unwavering resolve and valor, yet a single tear had fallen from the corner of one eye. At the adjutant’s call, Erika turned with a puzzled expression.
“What is it?”
“Ah, it is nothing.”
It was truly strange. Erika did not seem to realize she was weeping. Was it a physical reaction caused by the gunpowder that had come from the east? It was potent enough. Every time sparks met flame and thunder erupted, thick smoke blanketed the surroundings.
“The Mage Knight?”
“He does not appear to be dead yet!”
“Stubborn bastard.”
As if answering Erika’s muttering, Berik leaped through the smoke into the air. Though not a mage, he landed swiftly and regained his footing.
Berik brushed the tattered remnants of his clothes and sniffled. He had faced countless humans and monsters, taking blows from every direction, but this…
“…peculiar.”
These firearms were truly peculiar. They seemed to represent nearly the maximum physical impact a human could produce, yet they also contained magical power within them…. Berik stood motionless, stroking his chin, forgetting even that he was in battle.
“Berik!”
Ian, approaching Hawan’s position under Heil’s guard, called out to Berik. It was a command not to stand there dangerously but to move.
At that, Berik reflexively dashed toward the formation and quickly drew his blade with focus. His dormant magical sword surged to life with great power.
Shhhhwack!
“Ian! Should I destroy that thing?!”
“If possible, then no!”
“No? You’re saying no?”
Had I misheard? Berik stopped in his tracks and looked up. Ian was drawing his hands together, condensing his magical power.
‘A new weapon. One that can even fuse with magic. It’s significant enough to reshape Bariel’s future.’
My primary objective was to preserve and seize it if possible. Of course, if that proved difficult, I would have to destroy it so no one else could use it.
‘What magic would be appropriate.’
Binding it with ten thousand leaves would be good, but the first bullet had been fire attribute. Considering the possibility of it being destroyed in an instant, that wasn’t a good choice.
Then—
「Rainfall」.
Patter. Pitter-patter.
Rainwater began falling bit by bit from the clear sky. The soldiers looked up in confusion, but the sky remained clear. The phenomenon was so natural that they didn’t even realize it was magic.
“Rain, it’s raining!”
“We’re saved! Rain is falling! Oh, divine spirit of Gaia! Please extinguish that raging fire!”
“Rain suddenly? Is this also m-magic?”
While it wasn’t enough to extinguish the blazing reeds, the Ruswena Soldiers excitedly added their own comments.
Eldetr could neither laugh nor cry, only grimacing. The fire was caused by magic. It seemed it wouldn’t be easily extinguished, but if it was Ian Hielo’s magic, one could have some hope.
Whirrrrr!
But as if Ian had sensed their expectations, he moved his hand to narrow the range of the rain. Centered on the firearm.
“The rain, it’s growing more intense!”
“Lady Erika!”
“Protect the fuse! Set up the tent!”
“Don’t let the firearm get wet from the rain!”
“Light the fire and keep it burning!”
As the range narrowed, the rainwater poured down all the more intensely. If sparks and ammunition met to form an attack, then the solution was to make that impossible from the start.
Magical fire that doesn’t extinguish? Then here, there is water that doesn’t dry.
“Hurry!”
At Erika’s cry, the soldiers threw their entire bodies into protecting it from getting wet. Some even rushed to light the fuses before it was too late.
Some worked in perfect unison to set up tents and block the rain, but as time passed, the range narrowed further, and the rain grew fiercer.
“How many bullets are left?”
“Three boxes remain. Ten rounds per box, thirty rounds total.”
Still plenty. When the soldiers who had barely managed to shield against the rainwater signaled they were ready, Erika extended her hand forward.
“Aim—!”
“Aim!”
“Fire!”
Boom! Bang!
A sound like thunder.
As the firearm discharged, Erika’s heart sank with a heavy thud. The death of Prime Minister Shatima that she had witnessed that day suddenly flashed through her mind.
Crack.
Heil straightened his posture against the incoming bullet once more.
“Ian! Just a few more strikes and it seems it will become inoperable!”
“Right. Let’s clear the area.”
“Yes! Then I—”
Whoosh!
Having deflected it once, Heil swung his arm with confidence. This time too, the bullet locked firmly into place. Heil glanced back as if struck by a brilliant idea, then suddenly shouted at the Bariel Mages.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
“Huh?”
What do you mean?
Pummeling soldiers from the sky was remarkably easy and entertaining. The mages tilted their heads in confusion at Heil’s sudden warning.
Then Heil released his grip and deflected the bullet sideways.
“…!”
The warped bullet flew straight toward the Ruswena forces, and the mages soared higher, their faces drained of color.
Meanwhile, Eldetr’s eyes widened instantly upon seeing the incoming bullet.
“I—!”
“Take cover!”
Boom! Crash!
Rumble!
With a tremendous explosion, Ruswena soldiers were swept in all directions. Seeing this, Berik let out an impressed “Oh,” then immediately dashed toward Hawan.
“Me too! Let me try!”
I want to do that too!
As Berik charged forward with gleaming eyes, spinning his arms wildly, Erika frowned and drew her sword.
“Fire! Aim!”
“A-aim!”
Sizzle.
The flame of the fuse gradually dimmed. Soldiers kept creating wind with their hands, but water was already pouring in, drenching the tent. I suspect this will be the final attack.
“Fire!”
Boom!
At Erika’s command, Berik bared his fangs and grinned wickedly, lowering his stance. This time, I’ll make sure to send it straight at Eldetr’s head!

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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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