Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 677

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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. The Countermeasure
Clang! Claaang—!
During Toollun’s prayer time, nearly silent and reverent.
The servants removed their shoes and ran barefoot across the marble floor. They moved with minimal sound, their coordination flawless, yet not even the rustle of fabric disturbed the air.
They hurried into the King’s chambers and, keeping their heads bowed to the ground, transferred the wet towels with practiced efficiency.
“Hack, ugh….”
King Kumasha of Toollun continued scratching at his neck, gasping for breath. The servants deepened their bows, pretending not to hear his pained groans, as if something were lodged in his throat.
“Are you well, Your Majesty?”
“Why? I don’t understand why this is happening.”
Though dozens filled the chamber, only the Prime Minister spoke to him. Kumasha’s trembling body convulsed, and he collapsed sideways once more.
“Could it be because of ‘that,’ Your Majesty?”
At the Prime Minister’s question, Kumasha fell silent. Ian Hielo. Beyond the doll’s eyes, that man had surely been looking directly at him.
“King of Toollun. Is it done?”
“Damn it!”
Kumasha scowled and clawed at the polished floor. Then he shrieked like a madman, but no one dared lift their head.
Ian Hielo had employed the nearly singular countermeasure to puppet magic. Whether he’d done so consciously, I couldn’t say, but regardless.
‘To directly gaze upon who stands behind the puppet.’
When one does this, attacks directed at the puppet can reach the master. The power diminishes considerably, but even that was unbearable for Kumasha in a child’s body.
The boy wept continuously, rubbing his body in agony. His pale skin flushed crimson in moments.
“In the case of Mage Knight Barsabe, we knew Your Highness was controlling her, but since she was never attacked, there was no problem. The same applies to other puppeteers—as long as their identities remain hidden, it’s essentially a non-issue, but….”
“I know! I already know!”
Things had begun to unravel since Countess Darsi’s death. The forbidden magic was one thing, but the buffer that had existed in the middle had vanished.
Kumasha glared at the Prime Minister irritably. The man did nothing, merely stood there looking down at him with that smug expression, muttering away.
Then, a calm announcement came from outside.
“The mages have arrived.”
The mages who had fled Ruswena by opening a portal had now arrived near Toollun’s Royal Palace and entered. Kumasha exclaimed with satisfaction, his voice ringing out.
“Summon all the puppeteers!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Thanks to Countess Darsi, I had learned something crucial. To avoid repeating the same mistakes, I needed more safeguards.
Not one puppeteer, but two—or more if possible—positioned in the middle to ensure the force’s ripple never reached me.
“However, Your Highness, regarding Erika of Hawan Kingdom. You mentioned she learned the countermeasure from Prime Minister Shatima when he was killed. Has there been any unusual activity from her since?”
The Prime Minister handed the boy lukewarm water as he asked. Kumasha breathed heavily, yet forced himself to take a sip.
“Not yet.”
“…Not yet, you say.”
There are only two methods to counter puppet magic. One from without, and one severed from within by the puppet themselves. Ian Hielo’s was the former.
Erika’s was the latter. How Prime Minister Shatima had known this and conveyed it, I couldn’t say, but her fragmented memories meant it hadn’t been fully transmitted—a small mercy.
“Do not grant Erika even a moment of autonomy. One careless instant, Your Highness, and all will be lost.”
At the Prime Minister’s warning, Kumasha merely lifted his glistening eyes.
Soon word came that the mage and puppeteers were ready. The boy struggled to sit upright. Damn that Ian Hielo.
“Enchant the mage with forbidden magic and send her back to Ruswena—no, to Ian Hielo. Select two puppeteers as well to accompany her, just in case. And Countess Darsi—”
Kumasha gestured for the Boy to bring scissors. Soon, holding small shears in one hand, the Boy examined the tangled thread with his fingertips.
“Cut it.”
Snip.
As the thread severed completely, a thin wisp of smoke rose from its end. With almost no physical reaction and now locked away in King Elderth’s drawer, it had become useless even as decoration. It was better to sever it than to cloud one’s mind needlessly.
“Bring the Ruswena Mages and the Puppeteer.”
“Yes, Your Highness. A wise decision, if I may say so.”
Hot sunlight poured across the cold marble. Kumasha listened to the distant tolling of bells and sighed softly. The world appeared so peaceful to the eye, yet within it lay such chaos.
Kumasha closed her eyes gently and prayed to the Underworld Deity. If only this time she could claim the life of Ian Hielo.
* * *
“Erika, I suspect this may be our final offensive.”
The rain was intensifying. Despite every effort to keep the fuse dry, what could stop the water seeping through the gaps in one’s hands?
The Adjutant reported this attack as the last and awaited Erika’s command. It would be ideal to capture the Mages with mana bullets, but that had never been their true objective. To open a lifeline for Ruswena in peril, to disrupt the Mages temporarily, even if only for a moment.
“Would it not be wise to organize your forces now and withdraw to the rear?”
“I would prefer to cross the border and enter Hielo. There are forces waiting near Merelrof, and they will advance the moment we signal.”
“I cannot speak to Hielo, but Merelrof has considerable survivors. If we fight while protecting them, even the Mages will hesitate to attack so readily.”
“By then the fuse will be completely dry and usable again. Now is the time to retreat, Erika.”
“Please give the order….”
Though they had not formally allied, the saying that the enemy of my enemy is my ally existed for good reason. They needed to unite their strength before the great wall that was Bariel.
Of course it appeared most difficult, but if Ruswena collapsed here, the repercussions would fall entirely upon Hawan.
“Erika?”
Yet Erika gave no response. She merely stared blankly upward at the Mages in the sky.
Then, the final bullet was fired.
Bang! Crack!
“Wha! Huh?”
Berik, who had been waiting for this, twitched his arm as though ready to swing his sword at any moment, but the bullet flew past him with a whistle. At this, Berik began running with all his might in pursuit of the bullet.
“You can’t even throw straight!”
And Erika’s Adjutant, witnessing this. While relieved that they had bought some time, his heart grew anxious at the delay in her decision.
“Erika! You must decide!”
As the Adjutant grasped her shoulder and shook it, Erika finally muttered without spirit.
“Yes. Let us do so. Order all forces to retreat.”
“Yes, understood!”
How strange it all was. He knew she was from Bariel, but what problem could meeting a Mage possibly pose? Truly incomprehensible.
At the Adjutant’s belated signal, the Commanders of the Hawan forces waved their flags with all their might, ordering the Soldiers to withdraw.
Boom— Boom!
Meanwhile, I observed the movements of the Hawan Soldiers and raised my hand briefly. A signal not to pursue. My intent to draw the Mages’ attention as much as possible was quite clear.
“It seems they intend to enter Hielo and Merelrof, but ignore them. For now, our priority is to finish Ruswena.”
Even if we temporarily lost the territory, it mattered not. Reinforcements were coming from the capital, and only once Ruswena lost all fighting strength could I safely leave the rear undefended.
And above all, if Mages appeared in Hielo and Merelrof, the Estate Villagers, having regained hope, might stand and defend their lands themselves. While their spirit was admirable, I did not desire their blood as well.
‘If the Villagers become entangled in war, even Mages will find it difficult to stop them without casualties. It is right to evacuate them before the Hawan forces reach the territory.’
It was the moment I spoke thus and turned to look back.
Berik, who had been chasing after the bullet all the way, finally leaped high and caught up with it. Then, with all his might—
Clang!
He swung his greatsword down and bent the bullet’s trajectory.
The bullet, which had been falling close to the ground, gained force and flew in a straight line. It passed between the dragons, over the heads of the Ruswena Soldiers, and all the way to the firmly standing barrier.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
Crash!
“Huh.”
Berik shielded his eyes from the rain with his hand and watched the barrier. Whether something had struck perfectly or not, bricks began crumbling one by one along with a massive cloud of dust.
Rumble—!
“Get away! Get away!”
“The barrier is collapsing! Evacuate!”
Thanks to the rain, the dust settled quickly, but once the pile of stones began to crumble, there was no stopping it. Like dominoes, they fell endlessly, causing the entire area to collapse. This was due to the characteristics of the last mana bullet that Hawan had fired.
“The explosions keep continuing!”
“The vibrations won’t stop! Run!”
“Hawan, you crazy bastards! Please stop this! We’re all going to die!”
An endless series of shockwaves. The explosions continued until no more force could be transmitted. It was similar to the “Chaos Bell” magic that Heil had used.
Berik stared at the collapsing barriers with a bewildered expression, while the mages looked down at him in disbelief. The archers on the barrier who had been firing Idgal Arrows soon disappeared into the dust pit and fell silent.
“Berik, what are you?”
“I hit it pretty well. Yeah. This time I really did hit it well.”
“It’s hilarious how he gets praised every time he does something like this. Don’t get cocky! You just got lucky, damn it!”
“Getting lucky is a skill too, you know?!”
“Look, he’s already tensing up his neck. Damn.”
“Hey, what are you mages doing? One shot should’ve done it, yet you couldn’t destroy a single barrier until now! Hahahaha! You guys were just playing around! Come on! Refund your salaries!”
“Who would do something so crude like you—”
“Yeah yeah, I heard your excuses well enough from the mages who couldn’t destroy one barrier! Puhahahaha!”
The mages’ eyes narrowed. They gathered their hands and drew in mana, and then living vines stretched out across various parts of Ruswena’s land.
“…Kill that bastard too.”
“Roger.”
Whoosh!
The World Tree’s vines whipped like a lash and struck the ground. Though they were clearly aimed at Berik, he dodged skillfully, and instead the screams of Ruswena Soldiers continued to erupt.
Boom! Bang!
“Aaaaah! Ugh!”
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
It was the same for Eldetr. Unable to stand on the ground at all, Eldetr mounted the dragon’s back and readied his bow.
Rumble, rumble!
“All the barriers have collapsed!”
The vibrations disappeared with them. The surviving soldiers wanted to flee toward the rear barrier, but the debris was so massive that they couldn’t easily climb over it. They had no choice but to scatter left and right, and the encampment fell into irreversible chaos.
Eldetr watched the scene from the sky with a grim expression.
“Eldetr!”
But soon, at the mages’ call, he snapped to attention and gripped the dragon’s saddle strap tightly. There are still two more barriers remaining in Ruswena. And….
Screeeech!
Eldetr shook off his distracting thoughts. Then, firing arrows at the Mages pursuing him, he widened the distance between them and flew toward the Royal Palace as if fleeing. Heil gestured for them to chase after him.
“Capture him! Bring him in alive so he can face justice for his crimes!”
Meanwhile, in one corner of the chaotic battlefield, Erika, who had been retreating beyond the border, froze at a voice that suddenly reached her ears.
-You cannot leave.
It was Kumasha’s command.
Erika remained rooted to that spot, frozen in place. Without her presence, there was no way to immediately grasp how the Ruswena situation was unfolding. Her body yearned to turn back and defend the front lines, yet something held her back….
-Hold your position.
Was this right? Was it truly correct to keep the Hawan soldiers here like this?
Patter. Tap.
In the rain, Erika recalled Shatima’s final moments once more. And just as thin ice shatters, her parting words came flooding back.
“Keep your resolve. Look to yourself. You understand.”

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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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