Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 105

The innkeeper just shrugged, an attitude that showed he had neither the means nor the will to confirm anything.

“The Magic Department?”

“Yes. It’s not every day a whole village gets wiped out, is it? A mage came down himself to oversee the investigation. Oh, you know what a mage is, right?”

He was pulling a carriage as big as a house, so there was no way he wouldn’t know, but the innkeeper asked again just in case.

“Yeah. I know.”

“Ahaha. Yes, yes. I would have been embarrassed if you said you didn’t know. Actually, that was the first time I learned what a mage was. They say they’re people with great power. They can create thunder and lightning… Anyway, they investigated thoroughly and went back, so it must be right. After that, we always make sure to cook our food well.”

Ian nodded as if listening intently, but his mind was racing. As the innkeeper said, if a whole village was wiped out, it was definitely a serious matter.

But…

‘They sent the already short-handed Magic Department to investigate a small provincial city? Mages are the ones who cast magic, not the ones who do the cleanup work like investigations. Usually, special investigation teams are under the jurisdiction of the administrative department, not the Magic Department.’

Like Bertie Erica. Maybe Molin was in that category too. It was a fact that those who belonged to the administrative department and were dispatched to various places were somewhat fixed.

“Please let me know if you need anything else.”

“Okay. Thanks for the soup.”

“I’ll call you when the meal is ready.”

Squeak.

As the innkeeper bowed and left, Beric, as if he had been waiting, grabbed the bread with both hands and stuffed it into his mouth. Still, it seemed he had learned how to save face now.

“So, does that dog live in Danil? Alone?”

“If that’s the only house, then I guess so.”

“The villagers are all dead, right? What about the dog food?”

At Beric’s chatter, Ian turned his head slightly, watching the last piece of bread disappear into his mouth. Beric glanced at him, then took out what he had half-eaten.

“…Here, yours.”

“What am I supposed to do with something that’s been in your mouth? Eat it all. I was just looking at you because it’s strange how worried you are about the dog.”

“It’s not worry, it’s information gathering. That dog bastard. How dare you bite my hand? If I see you again, you’re dead.”

“Again? When again?”

Ian smiled faintly. It was suspicious that the Magic Department was involved, but there was a long way to go to the capital. He had no intention of going back that way again.

Knock knock.

“Ian. It’s me.”

“Ah, Romandro, please come in.”

Romandro, who had unpacked in the next room, came in dressed in his going-out clothes. Then Beric wiped his mouth and looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

“It’s almost night, where are you going?”

“They say they only sell beer here.”

“Oh my, for goodness sake.”

“I’m also going to get some things I need. Ahem.”

“I’ll go with you!”

“No. If I go with you, what would take 10 minutes will take forever. Anyway, I’m going out, is there anything you need?”

Beric, who was immediately rejected, clicked his tongue and licked his soup bowl. Ian shook his head and looked at the old menu hanging on the wall. It was a generally decent menu, but nothing that would relieve fatigue.

“On the way out, tell everyone to eat whatever they want without hesitation. Alcohol is fine, but remind the coachmen to leave early tomorrow.”

“Okay. I will.”

Ian said that and handed Romandro a pouch containing travel expenses.

“And tomorrow, let’s take the route that goes through Longin. The bank is only open there.”

“Is that so? Okay. Then I’ll see you later.”

“Yes. Don’t overdo it.”

“Okay!”

Romandro left the room, chuckling as if he was excited. It was not an easy journey in winter, but Romandro’s appearance made it feel like a trip.

Thud!

“Ian, I’m full and warm, I don’t even need to go to the Imperial Palace… Kaaah!”

“Did he just fall asleep while talking?”

Beric, who had been acting nonchalant, fell asleep in an instant. He suddenly remembered a story about pigs in some region that fell asleep while eating.

‘He’d get along well with those guys.’

Ian chuckled in disbelief and cleaned up the dishes. Then he, too, lay down on the bed to enjoy a short nap.

* * *

How much time had passed?

Thump! Thump!

Ian opened his eyes slightly at the vibration coming from downstairs. Judging by the fact that the candle on the table was half-burned, it seemed like a couple of hours had passed. Beric was still sound asleep with his mouth wide open. Ian rubbed his face on the pillow and frowned.

‘Why is it so noisy downstairs?’

Crash! Clang!

He couldn’t figure out what the sound was because he was still sleepy. It sounded like something was breaking, but maybe not…

“Aaaah!”

But when he heard a scream, his eyes snapped open and he reflexively got up.

“Beric.”

“Whaaa…”

“Get up. It seems like something happened outside.”

“It’s about time to eat. Haaam.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Tap tap!

Bang! Crash!

He could hear footsteps coming up from the first floor to the second floor. It sounded like they were opening every door from the end of the hallway.

Beric also noticed something was wrong and blinked. But he was still lying in bed. He just groped for his sword.

Bang!

Beric threw the blanket at the opening door. At the same time, he quickly jumped in and thrust his sword over it. Judging by the shape, it was a person, but…

Thud!

“Huh?”

Beric’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar sensation. It wasn’t the feeling of piercing through skin, pushing through intestines, and finally, the feeling of thick blood splattering.

Swish.

Just then, the blanket fell, revealing the assailant.

“What is it?”

His face was covered with a mask, but the pupils visible through the gaps were unfocused. Above all, his black skin and the stench of decay rising up.

Ian covered his nose with his sleeve and muttered.

“Beric. Step back for a moment.”

“Huh? Okay.”

He didn’t move at all, even though Beric had attacked him. No red blood was visible from the sword that was pulled out with a swish. Beric was flustered and looked around at his sword, and the more he did, the more the assailant twisted his body strangely and turned his head from side to side.

“Why is an undead here…”

Undead. A general term for corpses that do not die. Then does that mean there is a necromancer nearby?

The undead staggered, hit his head against the wall, and began to mutter something.

-…uh.

“What is that bastard saying?”

“Shhh.”

Outside, there were still screams, shouts, and sounds of fierce fighting. Ian and Beric held their breath and focused on the undead’s words.

-Ughhhh.

“……?”

It was just a meaningless sound. But the voice was very familiar, it sounded very similar to the dog they saw during the day.

Crash!

At the same time Ian realized that, he heard footsteps from outside the door. This time it was real people, not undead, bandits.

“Aha, there you are. You’re the owners of the horses and carriages downstairs, right?”

“What the hell is going on?”

Beric shook his sword in annoyance, and the bandit chuckled and tried to enter the door. Then the undead stood stiffly and blocked him.

“What, why is this thing like this?”

He tried to push him aside, but he stood firm and did not budge. As if telling him not to approach Ian and Beric. Then the bandit cut off the undead’s limbs without hesitation and pushed him away.

Swish!

Thud!

The undead fell forward helplessly. The eyes that looked up at Ian and Beric were filled with life for the first time, then disappeared. The bandit pointed his sword at the two bewildered men.

“Where are you from? Judging by the fact that you’re pulling ten carriages, that pouch must be pretty full. Can I check it?”

Thud!

As soon as he finished speaking, Beric stabbed his sword into the bandit’s stomach with lightning speed. Unlike the undead, this time thick blood dripped down.

“I asked you what the hell was going on, you bastard.”

“Huk!”

“Ah, right. This is normal. I’m finally feeling a little itchy.”

Beric smiled contentedly as he watched the blood dripping down. The bandit looked down at his pierced stomach, his eyes blinking as if he couldn’t believe it. But then, he screamed as if exploding.

“Aaaah!”

As if to show the magnitude of the pain, he screamed and rushed at Beric. But Beric lightly grabbed his face and slammed him against the wall.

Crack!

“Ughhh…”

One more time.

Crash!

First, his nose was broken, and the second time, the door was smashed and he fell down. Ian, with his eyes still open, left the undead behind and went out into the hallway.

“Please save me! Please save me!”

“Aaaah!”

“Is this all the food? Where’s the other storage?”

“T-t-that’s all there is next to the stable.”

Looking down at the railing, he saw a group of bandits holding the inn’s employees hostage and looting. They were sweeping everything into moldy sacks, and the path they had passed was stained with blood.

Swish!

“Aaaah!”

Ian rubbed his forehead, trying to sort out the situation.

First of all, it seemed that the gaze he had felt earlier in the day was indeed from the bandits. They saw the carriages entering the village and waited for the sun to go down.

“Beric.”

“Huh?”

Beric was stomping on the head of the fallen bandit. Ian grabbed his forehead and infused magic into it.

Zzzing.

“There are bandits downstairs. It seems we brought them here.”

“Does that mean kill them all?”

“There are many things to ask, so spare a few.”

Beric wiped the blood off his sword on his shirt and jumped downstairs. He had a light step, like a child going to receive a gift.

Thud!

“W-what?”

While Beric was clearing the way on the first floor, Ian roughly gathered only the important belongings. Then he asked the undead.

“Hey. Are you that dog from earlier?”

-……

There was no answer. With his neck dangling, only his mouth was moving. His eyes were quickly turning up and down, and he was beginning to lose his vitality. It was a sign that something connected to the undead was slowly breaking.

-Ughhhh…

With a groan, pus oozed out of every hole in the undead’s face. It was the death of death. A sticky green liquid seeped into the floor, and Ian sighed and stepped over the corpse.

Crash!

“Ah, come on! Come on! Come on, you bastards!”

Beric was having a great time, making a mess of the first floor. Not only were a dozen bandits covered in blood, but all the small items in the store were smashed and scattered.

“Beric!”

“Huh?”

“Stop it and hurry to the stable!”

Ian quickly went out the back door. Not far away, he could see the wooden door leading to the stable. When he came outside, he could clearly see the seriousness of the situation.

Crash!

“Aaaah! They appeared again!”

“You crazy bastards! Get out!”

“Please save me! Please save me!”

“Get the children out first! Evacuate!”

Flames and screams were everywhere. Women were running barefoot with children in their arms, and men were fighting the bandits with anything they could use as a weapon.

“Ian, what’s going on?”

“Ah, you!”

It was one of Romandro’s men. He was not properly aware of the situation, with a flushed face, as if he had been drinking somewhere.

“The carriages are gone.”

“What?”

When Ian went inside, the excited horses were shaking their heads. As the subordinate said, the place where the carriages should have been was completely empty.

“All our stuff is in the carriages, you bastard.”

Was it just the luggage? There were a lot of important things, starting with the magic stones. Ian rubbed his forehead and muttered.

“You go find Romandro right now. Hurry and gather everyone.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Ian, what about me?”

“Beric. You…”

That’s when it happened. He faintly heard a shout of a different kind from the resisting residents. It was the Karenna guard that had been dispatched. If they held out a little longer, reinforcements would arrive from other areas.

Whistle!

The bandits, who had been rampaging like crazy, whistled and exchanged signals. It was clearly a signal to retreat.

“Catch all the escaping bastards.”

“Can I kill them?”

“Even better if you do.”

“Yay! Beric is going!”

Taat!

Beric, who had received Ian’s permission, ran out like an arrow. He had a light step, like a child going to receive a gift.