Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 571

‘What the hell is going on?’

Berick could only stare blankly at the backs of the Bariel soldiers climbing over the Agiar wall, repeating those words to himself.

Even though both of his legs were wrecked and he couldn’t move without Kku, it was the first time he felt so utterly defeated that he didn’t want to move at all.

‘No, but seriously, what the hell happened?’

Ian is from the future? And an Emperor? Then what was Ian from when they first met at the Bratz training grounds until now? A magic minister from a bastard line? Or an Emperor?

Berick, who had been staring blankly into space, suddenly had a spark of energy in his eyes.

‘No, wait a minute.’

‘Yes?’

The medic, who was looking at his legs, raised his head with a puzzled look, but Berick didn’t even look at him as he rambled on.

‘Look, Ian met me for the first time in Bratz, right?’

‘Ah, yes. And?’

‘From then until now, Ian is still the same person, right? Do you understand?’

‘…I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

‘No, I mean, Ian didn’t change in the middle, he was always Ian. This is like an unspoken past! Something like that, right? That’s it. I also stole rice from my neighbor’s house when I was young and got beaten up naked. It’s like that.’

‘Is he crazy?’ The medic didn’t answer and just wrapped the bandages tightly around his legs.

Regardless, Berick continued to mutter to himself as if he had finally found the answer.

‘That’s right. I’m so smart. What does it matter if he’s a magic minister or an Emperor? It’s Ian.’

‘Um, Royal Guard, someone might hear you.’

To use the title of Emperor with such rough words, it was blasphemy.

But Berick narrowed his eyes and fell silent, feeling like he was missing something. Let’s see, let’s see. Since I’m smart, let’s be a little smarter… What’s so unsettling about this…

‘Philia?’

That’s it. Is it Philia?

The only person who remembers Ian before the possession is his birth mother, Philia. While Romandro, like Berick himself, had built a relationship with Emperor Ian, Philia was the one who gave birth to the bastard Ian, so from her perspective, wouldn’t it be like her son had changed in the middle?

That’s right! This unpleasant and unsettling feeling is pity for Philia! He couldn’t even begin to imagine how Philia would react if she knew this fact.

Berick jumped up and took a step forward, trying to walk.

‘Oh, no, you can’t!’

‘What do you mean I can’t?’

Thud!

No sooner had he finished speaking than he lost his balance and fell forward.

Just as Berick was about to crawl, someone put their foot in front of him.

‘Oh, old man.’

It was Jayrut. He stared down at Berick in silence, and Berick gestured with his hand as if asking for help.

‘Help me up.’

But he grabbed Berick by the back of his neck and threw him back onto the bed. The medic took the opportunity to finish wrapping the loose bandages, and Jayrut pulled up a chair and sat in front of him.

‘You can’t even walk properly, where are you trying to go?’

‘I just need Kku. He and I get along pretty well.’

‘The dragon is also unable to move due to his injuries. Now that the wall has fallen, we can’t afford to waste our main forces, so stay still. It’s best for both you and me to recover quickly to help His Majesty and our comrades.’

‘No! I’m not going to fight! I’m going to talk to Ian! I’m feeling a bit crappy right now. It’s because of Philia.’

‘Philia? Ian’s, I mean, the bastard Ian’s birth mother?’

‘Yeah. I need to tell Romandro and discuss it. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat.’

Jayrut narrowed his eyes and carefully examined him.

After Ian Hielo revealed his true name, people’s reactions were mainly two types. Amazement or welcome.

Most were the former, and the latter was when they interpreted his existence as ‘victory.’ Ah, the true Emperor seemed a bit different-

‘Are you feeling uneasy?’

‘Yeah. It’s stuffy, and I don’t know. It’s annoying. I don’t know.’

But what about Berick?

Jayrut slowly crossed his legs and told him what he hadn’t yet realized.

‘It’s because you realized that Ian’s time is flowing from the future, Berick.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He said he’s an Emperor from the future. Due to some incident and the will of the gods, he’s here now, but he will eventually return to his own time. How can two suns rise in one era?’

Berick stared blankly at Jayrut again. He understood each word, but it didn’t make sense as a whole.

He blinked, then lightly denied it.

‘…I don’t think so.’

‘What’s your basis?’

‘I can just ask him now. Move.’

Berick tried to get up, pushing the medic’s shoulder, but Jayrut was faster. He pressed Berick’s chest with his crutch, stopping him.

‘Don’t be reckless, recover and walk on your own. With your recovery rate, it won’t take long.’

Berick fell back with a thud and lay still, unlike usual. The medic, finally quiet, applied a fixative to the bandage, and Jayrut clicked his tongue before going outside.

The wind was cold. The battle that had started at dawn was now past noon. How much had happened in that short time?

‘Commander Jayrut.’

At that moment, Simon, one of the three commanders, called him. He had finished preparing to search for Bonita and Barsabe.

Jayrut nodded, patted him on the shoulder, telling him to be safe, and then took in the faces of the other Royal Guards one by one.

‘Complete your mission safely, but with all your strength.’

‘We’ll be back by the evening meeting.’

‘With Commander Bonita and Barsabe.’

‘Yes. Let’s hurry.’

‘Please keep an eye on Berick, Commander.’

The meeting was bound to be long. Aside from checking the state of Agiar and the strength of their forces, and the subsequent operations, there were mountains of things to discuss with Ian.

As the departure report ended, the Royal Guards all released their magic power and began to rush towards the wall.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Taptap!

Jayrut watched the backs of the guards before turning his gaze to the wall. The Vergos flag that had been fluttering at the very top of the Agiar wall drooped and was torn down by the soldiers.

Then, the blue flag of the Bariel Empire was raised. A signal that they had completely occupied the wall.

Booooo-!

Boo!

As if to announce this, the sound of water buffalo horns rang out simultaneously from all over, and the Bariel soldiers roared loudly in response.

Minister Tweller, riding his horse, shouted after confirming that the imperial flag had been raised.

Heiiing!

‘The Vergos flag has been lowered!’

‘Waaaah! Let’s drive them out!’

‘Uwaaaah! It’s the Bariel army! Ba, Bariel! Run away!’

‘Protect Agiar! All those who run away are traitors!’

‘Please save me, please save me…’

‘Vergos soldiers! They’re over there!’

‘The defeated soldiers have escaped to the left! There are no signs of the Luswena forces! It seems they moved using a dragon, but so quickly…’

‘Chase the defeated soldiers! To the end!’

Swish! Swish!

The Vergos soldiers, who had lost their commander, scattered in all directions, not knowing what to do, and the Bariel soldiers chased them to the end, stabbing them in the back with spears.

The civilians who witnessed the deaths in front of them screamed, and the narrow streets were instantly filled with chaos. Those who chased and those who fled, those who cried out, those who resisted….

Tweller raised his voice and commanded.

‘The residents of Agiar, surrender! Those who throw down their weapons and surrender will be spared! Come out into the streets and pay your respects to His Majesty! Hey! Don’t touch the children!’

The Agiar wall and the city center were closer than expected. The streets were cluttered with debris from the wall due to the explosions earlier. Half-destroyed buildings were also scattered here and there.

Tweller’s orders were soon relayed to the entire army by the officers, and the soldiers ran deep inside, passing by the trembling residents.

‘Surrender! Surrender!’

‘Throw down your weapons and kneel!’

The Bariel soldiers swept through the central road of the city in an instant. They willingly gave death to those who refused to surrender, firmly stamping their footprints.

But then.

‘Minister, there are no signs of the Luswena forces.’

‘And Rutherford either. I wonder if they’re buried under the wall.’

At this, Tweller turned his horse and called out to the mage floating in the sky.

‘What do you see from above?’

‘Yes, the advance team has just arrived at the center of Agiar. I don’t see any Luswena mages or dragons here either. Isn’t there a wall on the other side?’

‘There is a back gate, but I heard it’s useless because it’s directly connected to a cliff.’

‘Two of our mages will go around that way! If it’s under the cliff, wouldn’t it be a good place to hide a dragon?’

‘Ian!’

At the mage’s shout, Ian turned around.

He had taken off his robe and was dressed lightly, and his expression was unchanged, but his gaze was persistent, carefully examining the streets where thousands of people were intertwined.

‘Rutherford is not visible!’

‘We must find his body, at least.’

‘How about digging under the wall?’

‘…How many golems can we mobilize now?’

‘Ah, the Astan mages have suffered heavy losses, so I’ll go check. Just a moment! Astan!’

‘There, don’t touch the surrendered civilians and keep moving forward!’

‘Those who disgrace the honor of Bariel will not escape punishment! Spare those who surrender! Search the buildings!’

‘Ian! There’s only one, and it will only take a few minutes at most. Shall we start right away?’

At the mage’s report, Ian nodded.

If they couldn’t capture Rutherford, the value of the victory of capturing Agiar would be diminished. Because this war was waged solely on the pretext of Rutherford’s whereabouts.

Moreover, he was connected to the underworld and held the secret of reincarnation. They had to capture him alive if possible, but even if he was dead, they had to secure his body. Absolutely.

‘Minister Tweller, I’ll leave this to you.’

‘Ah, yes. Don’t worry.’

As Ian turned and flew towards the wall, Minister Tweller lightly followed his figure with his eyes.

He had thought of him as an extraordinary person due to his swordsmanship, which felt like that of the Royal Palace, and his composure, which was not befitting his age, but to think that he held such a huge secret.

For the first time on the battlefield, Tweller found himself more interested in what was behind him than in front of him.

‘Advance!’

What would Bariel be like in 100 years? Judging by the mention of treason, was the political situation chaotic? But if it was Ian he had seen so far, he wouldn’t have let it be so.

Just as Tweller, who had been lost in thought for a moment, was about to raise his sword-

Booooo-

This time, the water buffalo horn sounded low and long.

A signal that the Emperor was walking. A historical signal of victory in the first battle he had commanded since his enthronement, and of taking his first step into the captured city.

The residents of Agiar instinctively flattened themselves and stiffened, and the soldiers who had been screaming also fell silent and paid their respects.

Heiiing!

Tadat!

Jin lightly pulled on the reins and entered Agiar. It was a new feeling, but that was all. This was one of the strongholds of the Vergos anti-royalist faction. In other words, they had not captured Vergos, but had only occupied one city. The road ahead was still very long.

-Uwooooh!

‘It’s exactly 3 minutes! The golem’s left arm can’t be used, so please help on the right side!’

Meanwhile, the golem barely managed to move and stood at the place presumed to be the source of the explosion.

In front of the pile of rubble that was as tall as him, Ian gestured to the mages and Royal Guards.

‘Begin. Check the identity of every body that comes out, without exception.’