Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 679

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 679. The Fall of Elbasar
Aoooo—
The soldiers of Cliffford marched forward, singing an endless round song.
Much as I hated to admit it, the landscape of Ruswena was every bit as beautiful as Cliffford’s. Open reed fields and gracefully curved hills…. Prince Noah peered ahead through his telescope, muttering to himself.
“We’re almost there.”
“Yes, Your Highness. It appears we’ll arrive within the hour.”
May nodded in agreement with him.
After Cliffford lost its capital, Prodohna, to the Rift Calamity, it had established a temporary capital to the east and lived in peace for nearly ten years.
Losing such historically significant land to the Rift was heartbreaking, but not everything came with only disadvantages. Just as now, being closer to the Ruswena border meant we could move more easily.
“Check if messages from Bariel keep coming in, May.”
“Of course. I’m keeping watch to ensure we don’t miss anything.”
The situation in the southeast, centered around Bariel, had become extremely turbulent. Hawanguk had rebelled repeatedly, and as Bariel had feared, this led to an alliance with Ruswena. What Emperor Jin had cautioned when he first set out on the Burgos expedition had come to pass.
“If Ruswena and Hawanguk attempt to pressure Bariel from the east, Cliffford will intervene.”
The western region of Ruswena, which bordered Cliffford, was far from their capital of Elbasar, so the stationed forces were sparse. They likely reasoned that they should focus more on Bariel, which was closer to the capital, than on the declining Cliffford. Thanks to this, Prince Noah was able to enter Ruswena’s territory without difficulty.
“Forward!”
Hieee—
The point they would establish as their base was a small city at the westernmost edge of Ruswena. Cliffford had sent soldiers ahead to tell the residents to either surrender or evacuate, and those willing to die for their homeland were mercifully granted that wish.
Aoooo—
The soldiers of Cliffford were leisurely and composed, but when they wielded their blades, they did so with steadfast resolve. At Prince Noah’s firm command, the soldiers charged from the vineyards singing in unison, and they easily opened the city gates.
“Where is the lord?”
“The lord’s castle has been empty for a long time. It seems he fled or escaped. A Market Master was temporarily appointed to manage things in his absence, but I’ll investigate further for details.”
“How strange. Even if it’s the western outskirts, it’s not a royal domain, yet there’s no lord.”
Noah looked around the dilapidated castle and fixed his gaze on a portrait. It was someone’s self-portrait, and it seemed the eyes had just moved slightly.
“Hmm?”
As Noah furrowed his brow and stared at the painting, May called to him.
“Your Highness! This is no time to admire paintings!”
“Ah, yes. I’m coming.”
“I’m planning to send an advance unit to the capital. Come over here and verify something….”
As the two moved away, the eyes in the portrait that had been still slowly returned to their original position.
‘So people fled here too.’
The man in the portrait sighed at this thought.
He was a Ruswena official who had evacuated from Elbasar. Seeing Cliffford soldiers moving about throughout the castle, he reluctantly decided to return to the royal palace. Whether here or there, danger was all the same.
* * *
“Still, there are no Mages in the west. If you were to flee there and instead observe the Cliffford forces—”
“No. Look at us! Even if there are no Mages there, could we even fight properly? I’d rather if we could take a Dragon with us, but there’s no guarantee we can cross over, is there?”
“What are you suggesting then?”
“I believe it’s best to hold the royal palace, where we have soldiers and can communicate with the ‘Hunters,’ even if our numbers are fewer. The Dragon and Black-Armored Knights still stand firm. Why not regroup now and plan for the future?”
“Is that what you call a plan? The Mages have already advanced right to the gates of the palace! It won’t do, Your Majesty. You must cross to the west and find a breakthrough.”
“Toollun may send more Mages. You must endure. The moment the King abandons the palace, everything becomes truly uncontrollable, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty! Make haste! Time is of the essence!”
“Your Highness!”
“Everyone, quiet—!”
Shut your mouths! Eldetr was about to roar, clutching his throbbing head, when it happened.
Ku-gu-gung! Boom!
The entire Royal Palace swayed with a tremor of an entirely different magnitude than anything felt before. The officials staggered and braced themselves against the walls, while Eldetr flailed his arms to maintain balance.
“Ugh!”
A concerned retainer, unable to bear it any longer, leaped into the painting ahead of Eldetr. Shock gave way to horror as Eldetr watched the edge of the painting stain with blood, and he stumbled backward.
“Wh—!”
Madness! He turned toward the stairs. He would go back up to find the dragon. If his bow remained intact and his arrows were plentiful enough, he could evade the pursuing mages if only he could shake them off….
Crack!
Fissures began spreading across the ceiling of the main hall, constructed from an enormous glass dome. As Eldetr looked up, it shattered completely as if it had been waiting for that moment.
Cha-ching!
Glass shards glittered as they caught the sunlight. They were beautiful, like stars falling at midday. Yet the situation itself was anything but beautiful.
Eldetr hastily covered his face with his sleeve. Through the gaps, he could see the mages hovering above the gaping ceiling, looking down at him.
It felt like being trapped in a toy box. A fierce wind whipped through their hair and robes, yet their gazes remained unwavering. One of the mages muttered softly.
“Found you. Eldetr.”
Though the words were barely a whisper, they rang out clearly—was it the building’s acoustics, or had Eldetr’s senses become so heightened that he was imagining things? Reflexively, he drew his bow and aimed it at the ceiling.
Pee-ing!
Whoooosh!
The trajectory was true, but it was merely a desperate struggle. The arrow struck the mages’ protective barrier and left not a single scratch. The arrow fell uselessly and snapped. For a moment, Eldetr’s heart sank as he saw himself in that broken shaft.
“Ugh, uaaaah!”
“Your Highness! Protect the Prince!”
“You mages! Do you know where you are?!”
“Ah, they’re stuck again. Didn’t I tell you to clean this up properly?”
Screams echoed from outside—the black-armored knights who had somehow managed to slip past the mages near the barrier and now clung close to the Royal Palace. The wind must have been particularly fierce from the dragon’s wing beats.
Eldetr continued backing away while looking up at the mages, then stepped into the corridor.
Tap-tap-tap!
The palace was a labyrinth. No matter how skilled the mages were, they couldn’t easily navigate it….
Kwaa-aang! Boom!
A massive explosion erupted ahead of Eldetr down the long corridor. The mages’ attack magic, pouring through the windows, had completely obliterated an entire wall.
Pillars collapsed, and what had been interior space suddenly opened to the outside.
“Keep running like that. It’ll let us tear down this whole damned palace.”
Eldetr spun around and entered the reception hall. Room within room, and then room within that….
Burst! Tap-tap-tap!
With every step he took, attacks from the pursuing mages outside continued to rain down. The product of centuries—no, more than that—of history continued to be destroyed. The ceiling twisted as if about to collapse, and the palace’s pillars tilted dangerously.
‘Toollun!’
There was no other way now. If he couldn’t go west through Ruswena, his only option was to use the painted passage that the ‘Hunters’ had used to reach Toollun.
Eldetr raced up the spiral staircase like a madman.
Thwack!
Shadows appeared and disappeared continuously through the window beside the stairs. The presence of the mages watching him from outside.
He staggered up the stairs with difficulty, gasping for breath as he wrenched open the office door.
Creak!
“…!”
What greeted him was—
“You’re later than expected.”
Ian Hielo, who had arrived first and was inspecting the office.
Ian sat perched on the desk, slowly examining documents. He moved with the natural ease of someone in his own office, checking what seal the King of Ruswena had stamped and whether there were any matters he might be unaware of.
Eldetr’s words caught in his throat as he stared at Ian.
“Eldetr. You resemble Eriponi quite a bit.”
Tap.
Ian closed the book he was reading with a audible snap and muttered. This wasn’t merely referring to the cyan-colored long hair, tall stature, and facial features.
“You know no boundaries.”
Trapped by the title of king, unable to see the lines one should not cross. That was the part most resembling Eriponi.
“Though it’s been ten years, you should remember. In the Imperial Palace, didn’t you flee your homeland carrying the corpse of your dead superior? I thought you of all people would know what happens when you cross the lines Bariel has drawn—”
Ian laughed coldly.
“It was all my miscalculation. I grossly underestimated your arrogance.”
“Shut your mouth!”
Eldetr pulled the bowstring with all his strength. The silver string grew taut as though it might snap at any moment.
The distance was very close. Ian’s pale neck captured Eldetr’s gaze. If luck favored him, if God enjoyed playing tricks with fate, blood could flow along that white throat.
“Hielo is my domain.”
“….”
“They were those who lived beneath my name, those who would be eternal in my memory. Especially my father, who met his death by the mage you sent—”
“Ah. You call that lowly beast-kin your father? Ha!”
Eldetr cut off Ian’s words and shouted. His body trembled visibly, yet only his mouth remained defiant with that awkward sneer.
“…They were stars of the Great Desert, true warriors, and those who understood righteousness. They were magnanimous souls who could mingle without hesitation even with the lowest of the Empire.”
“Beast-kin are beast-kin regardless! Don’t deny what must be denied!”
“And they were the love my mother chose.”
Crack!
Eldetr’s hand holding the bowstring trembled greatly. The tension now was like standing at a cliff’s edge. If he released this, if he attacked Ian Hielo, he would plummet into that bottomless abyss below.
Whether that end led to death or to some other path of opportunity, he stood at a crossroads nonetheless.
“Eldetr.”
Ian gazed at him with an almost pitying expression and smiled.
“How shall I kill you?”
“…!”
“Shall I sever your waist with open eyes, as was done to my father? So that all the people of Ruswena might forever commemorate your foolish choice? Or perhaps I should bury you so thoroughly that none know whether you live or die, recording you as the king who abandoned his homeland and fled?”
“I, I—!”
“I have been given far too many choices. I cannot bring myself to decide which would make you suffer most.”
“Shut your mouth!”
Eldetr cried out and tried to release the bowstring.
But at that moment—
Ting!
Heil, who had crept behind Eldetr, cleanly severed his bowstring. The silver cord snapped violently, its recoil tearing across Eldetr’s cheek, and he staggered backward with a scream of agony.
In that instant, I seized Eldetr’s throat and slammed him against the wall.
Crash!
Half-collapsed, Eldetr tried desperately to regain his footing, but the overwhelming magical pressure crushing his entire body left him utterly immobilized. To think I would be overwhelmed by such a small child….
Screech, screech!
My golden eyes blazed with fury. The hand gripping his throat tightened relentlessly, and Eldetr’s neck and eye sockets flushed crimson.
I watched the King of Ruswena plummet toward death, burning his image into my eyes, and whispered softly.
“Tell Eriponi. Your world has crumbled.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————