Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 354

The Beast of Burgos

A single line.

The line that separated Clifford and Burgos had been drawn and redrawn, shifting back and forth for hundreds of years.

Finally settled in one place for decades, Clifford had erected a red wall as if to declare that no further border changes would be tolerated, making the boundary between the two countries strikingly clear. Surprisingly so.

On one side of the wall, lush green grass grew, with thick tree trunks stretching out like waves, while on the other, dust swirled in the wind, and the land was marked by cracks like an old man’s wrinkles.

“There, I see something.”

“From the Burgos side? Didn’t you hear the rumor that they’re temporarily blocking entry procedures?”

“Uh, well…”

The soldier on duty at the outpost trailed off. What he saw through the telescope didn’t look like a group of a dozen or so, but rather a crowd numbering in the hundreds, if not more. Was it an optical illusion caused by the dust?

Soon, sensing something was amiss, the Clifford soldier frantically rang the bell, sounding the alarm.

“The Burgos army is coming!”

“Dispatch a message to the royal palace!”

“Everyone, defend the wall!”

They had already sensed that the atmosphere of war was spreading throughout the nation. But they hadn’t expected them to appear so suddenly, leading such a large force.

They approached the wall with the Burgos flag waving proudly, and the Clifford soldiers raised their weapons, maintaining a state of alert.

“What is the meaning of this? It seems like an envoy from Burgos, but their numbers are excessive!”

As a Clifford soldier shouted, Timothy on horseback stepped forward.

“We have come to retrieve the Burgos envoys currently in the royal palace. They are said to be unable to move due to illness, so it is only right that Burgos takes responsibility. Here, we have brought the most renowned doctors from Burgos, along with appropriate items for the inconvenience caused to the royal palace. Open the gate.”

“That is not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Why not? What do you mean, why not?”

They claim to have come to retrieve the Burgos envoys, but anyone can see that their intentions are impure. Did they think they could just demand the gate be opened and it would be done?

The soldiers prioritized defending the border until reinforcements arrived from the royal palace, and they locked the gate even more firmly.

“The Burgos envoys went to Clifford under the strict orders of His Majesty Damon. Any harm to their well-being is a direct threat to our king. If you do not open the gate, we will consider the envoys to be in danger.”

The Clifford soldiers realized they were standing at a pivotal moment in history.

The prelude to war. The nightmare of the previous generation, which had been forgotten in decades of peace, was now becoming a reality once more.

“What in the world is that…”

In the distance, behind the endless Burgos army, a strange creature could be seen. It was too far away to distinguish clearly, but its size could be estimated by comparing it to the chariots pulled by horses beside it.

The Clifford soldiers recalled that the northern part of Burgos bordered a region of civil strife, followed by an area marked by the chaos of sorcerers.

Something was coming. The soldiers on the wall exchanged resolute glances, took out hip flasks from their pockets, and drank.

“May this not be our last drink.”

“May we walk in the sunset of the vineyards.”

Clink.

While they were bracing themselves for death, Timothy, who had stepped forward, urged them again.

“Open the gate. And show that there is no problem between Burgos and Clifford. Otherwise, we will break down this wall by force and go directly to the royal palace to retrieve the envoys.”

“You’re talking nonsense. Who would believe you if you said that while brandishing a sword?”

The Clifford soldiers threw their empty bottles behind them and wiped their mouths. At the same time, they grabbed their spears and shouted.

“Get lost!”

* * *

KWA-AAANG!

A sudden, deafening roar echoed from somewhere. The sound was so tremendous that even the royal palace felt a slight tremor.

Prince Noah, who had finished preparing for battle, tilted his head while inspecting his sword.

“What was that sound?”

“I don’t know. I will go check.”

“There’s no need. We can just go out and see for ourselves.”

“Your Highness! We are ready!”

Tadak tadak!

The royal palace soldiers, fully armed, ran out in a line. Three ministers could be seen gesturing resolutely and with precision. Beside them, the Clifford flag fluttered.

DOO-OOM! DOO-OOM!

From the highest spire of the palace, a huge drum sounded. It was a drumbeat to alert the citizens of the emergency and order the protesters to return home.

The prince looked towards the detached palace where his younger siblings were hiding. The children were probably pressed against the windows, imagining him even though they couldn’t see him. When things were like this, it was definitely a curse. Even when going to the battlefield, he couldn’t see his family’s faces.

May, fully armed, held Noah’s helmet under her arm and said.

“Your Highness. Let us go.”

“Yes.”

It was a step to receive a congratulatory message from the king before the departure.

The king was already outside, waiting for the officers. He was draped in a gold-embroidered cloth, looking down at the Clifford warriors. The feeling of pity was not just his imagination. Knowing the king’s nature well, the Clifford officers knelt and simply bowed their heads.

“It seems history is about to be rewritten once again. Clifford warriors. Do not ever forget that the lives of your loved ones depend on the tip of your swords, that the land and sky of Clifford depend on your fingertips, and that the fate of the nation depends on your breath.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“The walls of Clifford will not fall. Go and stop the rude invasion of Burgos and hold them accountable. Let us drink their blood like wine.”

SWISH!

A series of precise salutes followed. Ian’s group watched the dignified scene in silence. Beric mumbled while sipping wine.

“Will we do that too when we go to war?”

“Something like that. When else would you receive the Emperor’s praise? Especially someone like you.”

“Hey, even though I’m like this, I was the top pick in the selection, you know. If the Emperor were healthy, the Emperor himself would have given me the award, not the Prime Minister.”

“It’s because I couldn’t go out then. If I had gone, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Beric and Barsabe bumped their foreheads together again, bickering. Neither of them was willing to give an inch.

Regardless, Hale and Acorella watched the palace gate open with their arms crossed. The warning of the drumbeat was quite effective, as there weren’t as many people gathered as before. Or rather, even if they were gathered, it was right to say that their purpose had changed now.

“There are still quite a few people gathered.”

“The protesters have disappeared, and these are the ones who have come to bless the departure.”

“Protesting, then blessing. If Burgos pushes all the way here, they’ll fight together too. Busy, busy.”

“That’s what citizens are.”

An unprecedented tension filled Clifford, but Ian’s group, caught in the middle, had a slightly different position. Perhaps because they were third parties, they were in a position to step back and observe.

Of course, they would help prevent Clifford from falling, but they had to watch how the battle at the border would unfold.

“When are we going out? Huh? Ian, let’s loosen up our bodies for the first time in a while! When else would we get to go ‘clang clang’? Huh? Huh? Please.”

Beric pleaded with Ian, urging him to go to battle quickly, but Ian gestured for him to stay still. Judging by his expression, Beric seemed to be ignoring the war situation and just wanted to see blood in a real battle for the first time in a while.

Hale and Acorella grabbed his neck while sharing a cigarette.

“Stay still. You royal guard mutt. There’s a time for everything. Okay?”

“What are you saying, you magic stone freak.”

“Oh my. Is the mutt trying to pick a fight?”

Acorella’s eyes flashed, and Beric flinched. It looked like she was about to pull a syringe out of her pocket and stab it into his arm. Her subtle madness was unsettling. Beric subtly hid behind Ian and asked.

“So, when is that time?”

“The area that Clifford considers its limit. There will be a point where they feel like they can’t go any further, and they will have no choice but to seek help from outside forces. That’s when we step in. That’s when we can maximize our existence and value.”

Just then, Prince Noah led the way out of the royal palace.

BOOO, the sound of conch shells echoed from everywhere, and in front of the palace, which had been opened wide to the left and right, a considerable number of citizens gathered, their hands clasped in prayer. The atmosphere of playing and dancing from the night before was nowhere to be found, and only a solemn aura filled the air.

SWISH.

Before leaving the palace, Noah, wearing his helmet, turned back one last time. He was looking at Ian. It was a look mixed with worry about leaving the palace, where outsiders were stationed, and a strange belief that they were the ones who would save Clifford.

Ian raised his hand to his chest and gave a light bow. Go quickly. Go and save your kingdom.

“Let’s go!”

BOOOO-

Tadak tadak!

“Yay! Win! The winning side is our side!”

“Prince Noah, you’re so cool!”

With Noah’s loud cry, the palace soldiers poured out of the palace like a tide. Beric and Acorella cheered and shouted, while Ian and Hale silently watched from behind.

Following them, the mages, properly dressed, appeared one by one.

“Mr. Ian. We are ready too.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Should we not worry?”

“That’s right. You only received it a little at first, and then you didn’t receive it anymore, so honestly, we feel bad.”

They had come to save Ian, but they had been lying around while Ian was moving around.

“Don’t say such things. If you hadn’t come, I would still be lying down.”

“How much have you recovered?”

“Hmm. More than half.”

Ian looked down at his hand and answered. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to mediate the war between Clifford and Burgos. Soon, reinforcements would arrive from Bariel as well.

“Okay, okay, just in case, everyone take one of these.”

Acorella flicked her hand while holding a cigarette in her mouth. Then, she distributed magic amplification pills, hardened into round shapes, to the mages.

“Use them in case of emergency. Sorry to say, but this is the first time I’ve solidified them here, so I can’t guarantee the side effects. But hey, would you die? It’s better than dying in war. We made these with only the minimum magic amplification needed for us to return, so please keep them safe!”

“You give us something amazing again as soon as you wake up.”

“Be honored, you fool. Geez.”

The mages kept the magic amplification pills inside their sleeves and straightened their clothes.

Ian had not yet received a detailed report on the strength of the Burgos forces. Neither had Noah. One thing was certain: they were aiming for Bariel, which was behind them, so they would come in with considerable force from the start.

It was only a matter of time before the border line would collapse. The important thing was how far Noah could hold them back.

TAAT!

“Mr. Ian! Mr. Ian!”

At that moment, a mage descended from the sky. His pale face was hard to tell if it was from the cold wind or not. He had been secretly watching the situation from the sky under Ian’s orders…

“Th-there’s something strange I see?”

“Something strange?”

“Near the Clifford border. There’s a strange object on the Burgos side. It’s too organic to be a war chariot, and it’s too big to be a beast. I can’t see it clearly from here, what should I do? Should I go?”

The mage squatted on the window frame and tilted his head. Using a giant beast in war was not unusual. But judging by the mage’s fuss, there seemed to be something unique about it.

“Go. Identify and assess the situation, then return immediately. Do not intervene without orders.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon!”

“Is it because he’s young? He’s still so energetic.”

“He only rotated his magic twice when we rotated ours four times.”

“Hey! Be careful! Don’t get hit by flying arrows!”

His colleagues all shouted worriedly, and the mage waved his hand and disappeared out of the palace. Watching him, Acorella suddenly muttered as if she had remembered something.

“Ah, now that I think about it.”

“What is it? Acorella.”

“The magic anomaly device we installed at the border. We’ve come this far, so we should investigate it before going up. I don’t know if the conditions will allow it.”

Ian, who had been absentmindedly looking at the sky with his chin resting on his hand, slowly widened his eyes.

“Magic anomaly device…”

“Yes. That one.”

“What was it supposed to detect?”

Are you asking because you don’t know? That can’t be it? Acorella tilted her shoulder and answered.

“Well, if there’s a magic anomaly reaction other than a mage’s influence, it means a monster…”

The mages all looked at Acorella at the same time. Even Beric was chewing on grapes, munching away.

In that moment, she seemed to realize the answer and snapped her fingers, saying, “Oh!”

“It means there’s a possibility of monsters appearing! Jackpot!”