Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 680

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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 679. The Golden Reed Field
“Eldetr, watch carefully.”
The graceful yet powerful gaze, the teal hair flowing in the wind—Eldetr would never forget the sight of Eriponi’s gentle smile that followed.
Whoooosh!
She raised her fan, pointing to the newly created city. A world built from the ground up, brick by brick, together with him.
“That is Ruswena, Elbasa. Our golden world.”
At the moment of death, Eldetr recalled Eriponi’s voice. Of all things, it was because Ian Hielo had spoken ‘those’ words.
That our world—mine and Eriponi’s—had crumbled. And so something carved into memory suddenly emerged, piercing through death itself.
Eldetr’s body went limp and collapsed forward. Ian confirmed that his breathing had ceased entirely.
“Are you all right?”
“…Yes.”
Ian stared down at Eldetr for a long moment.
How wonderful it would be if all those lost by Iza’s death could return. If I could only restore someone’s life through Iza’s death… I could willingly stain my hands with blood hundreds, thousands of times.
But such thoughts would never come to pass. I brushed my hands lightly and turned away.
“Collect the body. We’ll decide what to do with it after confirming the movements of Ruswena’s people.”
“Yes, Minister Ian.”
“Restrain the dragon if possible and bind it. Those in black armor can be disposed of entirely.”
“Understood. We’ll need personnel to remain in the palace for cleanup, so once Hielo and the Central Army under Bariel arrive—”
Boom!
At that moment, commotion erupted from the lower levels.
I wondered if it was palace staff coming to find Eldetr, but the mages’ reaction was different. Heil gestured for a moment to wait, then peered down the stairwell.
“…?”
“Oh, Captain Heil.”
“Prince Noah?”
Through the underground passage connected to Ruswena’s western side, Prince Noah had entered the palace. His white gloves were covered in blood—whose, he couldn’t say.
May and Cliffford soldiers appeared behind him. Prince Noah glanced around and shrugged his shoulders.
“The palace is rather shabby than I expected.”
“How did you come to be here?”
“I was waiting on Ruswena’s western side when someone suddenly jumped out of the portrait. I saw something interesting. It’s true—countries with mages are different.”
“I see.”
So there were mana stone portraits in Ruswena as well. As Heil scratched his chin, I approached and looked down.
“Oh, Minister Ian.”
“Your Highness. It’s been a while.”
“I’m not sure if my arrival is fortuitous. It seems something grave has occurred.”
“Not at all. Your timing is perfect. We were just in need of reinforcements.”
With Cliffford soldiers present, there was no need to wait for support from the capital. They were trustworthy. I could entrust the remaining work to them.
Prince Noah, seeing my blood-stained hands like his own, simply nodded silently.
“By the way, where is Berik, who’s always attached to your side?”
“Berik is likely handling cleanup at the barrier.”
“I see. Let’s move our soldiers to Elbasa first. We can discuss the details afterward.”
“Understood.”
Prince Noah grasped the situation quickly, then descended back underground. He needed to relocate the soldiers remaining at the outer fortress to this location.
How bewildering it must be for the people of Ruswena. Not only was the heart of their nation—the Royal Palace—half-destroyed, but Clippoford soldiers were now pouring out from within it in succession.
Heil flicked his cigarette away carelessly, then gestured to the mages.
“It’s not over yet, so don’t freeze up. Keep moving.”
“Yes. Um, but Berik seems to be running late.”
“The barrier section probably hasn’t been cleared yet.”
“Hmm. Well, should I go check? Since I can’t see him, I’m getting worried.”
“Is this the first time he’s gotten lost? Leave him be.”
“Very well. I shall go check on him. The rest of you, follow Captain Heil and finish up the work.”
Ian raised his hand to signal everyone that it was fine, then exited through the shattered glass ceiling.
Traces of defeat were scattered throughout Elba. Flames shot upward, black smoke billowed into the air, and the screams of those fleeing for their lives tore through the chaos.
Whoooosh!
Though the situation was chaotic, that man would surely stand out. Ian approached the barrier section to find Berik.
The first barrier had been destroyed by the mana bullets, so I only needed to check if the next barrier gate was open. If it was, Berik would surely be completing his assigned task—
“…?”
Ian’s brow furrowed.
The barrier lock was half-destroyed, but the gate remained firmly closed. Of course, the mages could fly through the sky to attack without issue, but—
Where on earth had Berik gone? And what was he doing that he couldn’t even open this one gate?
“Berik!”
Zing! Zing!
Ian burst a mana sphere, easily collapsing the barrier gate. The soldiers who had been guarding the gate tumbled backward and fell.
“Berik!”
Where could he have gone?
This was a critical moment. I couldn’t afford to spend much time searching for Berik. He wasn’t the type to die in some random place, so he’d return on his own—or so I thought as I was about to turn away.
“There he is.”
In the distance, right in the middle of where Hawan and the mages had just clashed, a red-haired man was sprinting at full speed.
A mounted adjutant was chasing closely behind him, but no matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t make sense of the situation.
“Iaaaan!”
And who was that clinging to his back? The figure looked familiar, so when I looked closer—
“Erika.”
It was Erika. Though disheveled and covered in dust, it was unmistakably Erika Berti.
From atop the barrier, looking down, Ian called out to Berik in exasperation.
“Berik, what have you done now?”
“No! These guys are acting weird!”
“If you ask me, you’re the one acting strangest.”
“Ian! Stop watching and catch her! The King of Toollun said something or other!”
Whoooosh!
The adjutant chasing Berik, despite having lost his left arm, continued his assault without hesitation while mounted on his horse.
At Berik’s plea, Ian drew closer and received Erika Berti from him.
“Damn it, if only we didn’t have this baggage, that bastard would be nothing!”
The moment the burden was gone, Berik immediately pivoted and charged at the adjutant.
His movements were far from ordinary. While he couldn’t match a Mage Knight, there was no denying he was a skilled swordsman. Suddenly, I realized his movements seemed oddly familiar.
‘Is he under puppet control? The movements are similar.’
His reactions resembled those of the mages who had followed commands with their will stripped away.
Then Berik brought his fist down on the adjutant’s face, and the man fell from his horse in a single blow, tumbling across the ground.
Just as I thought it would be easier than expected, I immediately understood why Berik had carried Erika away and fled.
“Damn it, he’s getting up again!”
The adjutant kept rising relentlessly, as if impervious to pain.
Berik clawed at the adjutant’s head, shook it, and struck from every angle trying to tear him away, but it was futile. Only after severing the remaining arm could he finally bring him down.
“Cough—!”
But it was Erika who coughed up blood.
I laid her down briefly and surveyed the surroundings. Chaos surged inside the barrier, yet paradoxically, the golden reed field remained serene. Fierce flames still raged and scattered soldiers ran about in confusion, but the area around us was calm.
“Ugh, ah—”
“Erika?”
“Ian, Ian Hielo….”
“Why did Berik save you?”
Just moments ago, he had been attacking mages with magical bullets. There was no way Berik would have saved her without reason.
“…I called the mages, but they all went beyond the barrier… I didn’t know what to do. Then that reckless fool Berik was on top of the barrier. Nothing’s changed from ten years ago, nothing—”
Blood trickled from Erika’s ears and mouth. Looking closer, her back, sides, and abdomen bore serious wounds.
“I know Toollun’s secret. I told him it would help you, and though doubtful, he came anyway. Truly, how should I put it. Like a dog.”
Erika let out a faint laugh. Despite the circumstances being anything but appropriate for laughter, she couldn’t help but laugh. Otherwise, she would face her end without ever recalling laughter from any moment in her life. Even her most brilliant moments were stained with tears, so her existence had always been distant from joy.
“Ian Hielo, listen carefully.”
She whispered while gripping my tunic.
“I killed Prime Minister Shatima, but it was not of my own will. It seems there are quite a few like me who have had their selves stolen. That adjutant as well, and likely some of those leading the soldiers now are mixed among them.”
“So it was Toollun’s doing.”
“Darsi, that wench must be— cough!”
Each time Erika coughed, thick blood poured forth. She covered her mouth as she had gathered Shatima’s blood, muttering through her fingers.
“The way for those who have lost themselves to return is simple. Ignore the commands whispered in your ears, set down your bursting heart, and then… accept death. I felt it. And so the threads that bound my body everywhere snapped, and my time returned to me.”
“Did this just happen?”
“Yes. Simple, yet truly difficult. Because one must steady their mind through their own strength alone. But if you know this, surely external aid could also—”
Her breath was fading. Even with my mana attempting to aid her recovery, it was futile. Erika looked up at me with dimming eyes.
“Tell Hawan of Shatima’s and my will. Bariel, please show him mercy—”
Erika pleaded, but I could not promise. If the puppeteer’s involvement caused harm to Bariel in the process, I would naturally have to eliminate it.
“If the eastern mages come to Hawan… surely light will shine upon Bariel as well. So please, do not misunderstand my earlier attack, but regard it solely as my mistake—”
Thud. The hand that had gripped my tunic fell away. The time she had so long reclaimed finally sank into eternity.
I looked down at Erika for a moment, then turned my head away.
“Berik.”
“Huh?”
Berik wiped his nose and turned to me. The armless adjutant had also become a cold corpse.
“What? Is he dead?”
“Yeah. Just now.”
“What did he even say? He kept ranting about Toollun and asking for help, so I lent a hand. Tsk. It’s strange hearing he’s dead.”
Their relationship hadn’t been particularly pleasant, so there was no sadness—just an odd feeling. That was the extent of it. I removed the badge from Erika’s chest and nodded.
“Let’s go. It seems there are many problems on Hawan’s side as well.”
“What about her?”
“Cover her with your shirt. The flames will reach us soon.”
A fire that would never extinguish as long as there was fuel to burn. The traces of Erika’s attack were spreading toward us.
Berik removed his shirt as I instructed and covered Erika, then glanced at her once before turning away.
Whoosh.
“Farewell.”
Craaackle!
Not long after I and Berik took flight, the flames consumed her.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Mages organizing the Royal Palace meticulously searched through Eldetr’s study and the palace storage, checking if there was anything important. This wasn’t looting! They were simply looking to see if there was anything related to war or Toollun.
Click!
Then, one Mage thoughtlessly opened a drawer and reflexively screamed.
“Kyaaaah!”
He had come face to face with Countess Darsi—completely melted away, with only her eyeballs rolling about.

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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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