Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 106

‘Weren’t there bandits before? How could the residents not know that there were undead mixed among the bandits?’

It was a scene of chaos where life and death intertwined, with swords piercing indiscriminately between enemies and neighbors. Most of the bodies already strewn on the ground were soaked in blood and covered in dirt. Even when the sun rose, how could one tell if these were the remains of neighbors or the remains of rotten corpses?

Moreover, the elderly innkeeper had only seen a mage once in his life. If they didn’t know about beings that wouldn’t die even when killed, they wouldn’t even be able to guess.

‘If not, the bandits might have brought the undead for the first time. I’ll have to check that later.’

Tadatadak!

“If you run away!!”

Beyond the wooden fence, Beric’s booming shout was heard.

“I’ll kill you all!!”

“Ugh! Damn it!”

“If you want to live, get down on the ground!”

Chwaaaak!

The sound of a clean cut through flesh mingled with screams. Although half-hidden by the fence, the situation was clear. He was probably roaming the streets more freely and fiercely than an eagle soaring through the sky.

That’s when it happened.

Kwaang!

A bandit who had survived the inn rushed into the stable. His teeth were all mangled from being beaten by Beric.

Romandro’s surprised subordinate drew his sword but hesitated at the bandit’s fierce momentum. After all, the subordinate was a scribe, so it was understandable.

“Heok!”

“Get out of the way, you bastard! Move!”

“Y-you! Where do you think you are!”

Kooong!

The undead, who had been chasing after the bandit, lost its balance and slammed its head into the wall. The subordinate was so surprised that he dropped the tip of his sword to the ground. The state of the opponent he had seen in the dark was unusual.

“W-what is that…”

“It’s an undead, you must have heard of it.”

“Undead? Heok!”

As the subordinate covered his mouth in shock, the bandit charged in triumph. He aimed his sword at the subordinate’s neck in one swift motion.

Chwaaaak!

In fact, this was only the second time Ian had seen an undead.

Necromancy itself was a field mainly practiced in the East rather than in Bariel. It was particularly advanced in regions where wars were frequent, and the efficiency of necromancy increased as the number of corpses piled up.

“Ugh!”

Before the bandit’s sword could pierce the subordinate’s neck, Ian reached out and condensed his magic power, then released it.

Peong! Peong!

As the magic power exploded, the man’s head snapped at a right angle. The undead, following behind, approached Ian, moving clumsily like a broken machine.

Peong!

One last time. Ian completely blew off its head, then covered his nose with his sleeve. The stench of rot from the brain matter filled the air.

“L-Lord Ian. Are you alright?”

“I think I should be asking you that.”

“Ah, I’m fine. T-thank you!”

“Hurry and find Lord Romandro.”

“Yes! I understand!”

Ian watched Romandro’s subordinate run off, then squatted down. He didn’t want to, but he wondered if there might be any clues.

First, the bandit.

Sseuek.

The bandit had fainted without even groaning, his mouth wide open. Ian reached into all the pockets, including the inner and back pockets.

“Hmm?”

Then, something caught his fingertips. It had a texture that was quite unpleasant to the touch…

“Oh, dear.”

It was human hair. Black and curly, it was wrapped around a flat piece of wood. Ian frowned and looked down at the strange object.

And soon, it didn’t take long for him to realize that the hair of the undead whose brain had exploded was black and curly.

* * *

“Ah, damn it, we got robbed blind.”

Beric, covered in blood, muttered with his arms on his hips. The bandits had completely looted the inn’s storage, leaving them with no food.

“Those bastards have no sense of decency.”

“Beric. Staring at empty space won’t make anything appear. Let’s hurry and go. The subordinate we sent to find Lord Romandro is nowhere to be seen.”

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

It was about two hours later that Beric sheathed his sword. Armed guards had poured into the streets and driven out the bandits, and Beric had unknowingly taken the lead in the mop-up operation.

“The chaos was extraordinary, so it seems they couldn’t move easily.”

“What if Lord Romandro is dead?”

“Try saying that in front of Lord Romandro.”

“Ah, okay. Cancel that. He gets sulky for a long time, and I don’t like it.”

Guards were busily moving around the streets, putting out fires and clearing away bodies. It was a particularly hard night due to the cold winter wind.

“Waaah!”

“Oh, don’t cry. It’s okay.”

“Those who are injured, come this way!”

“I can’t move on my own. Please help me.”

“These damn pests. What is all this in the middle of a winter night? Are you trying to die together?”

“Check if there are any embers still alive!”

Beric, having finally found a piece of bread, followed Ian out with it in his mouth. He looked around left and right, tilting his head.

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s go to the area where the shops are first.”

“Hey! You two!”

That’s when it happened. A voice called out to them from behind.

“You’re outsiders, right? Travelers?”

“That’s right. You must be the captain of the guard.”

At Ian’s casual tone, the captain of the guard’s mouth tightened. How dare these youngsters, who hadn’t even dried behind their ears, speak so casually?

However, he decided to hold his tongue because of the red-haired man standing behind Ian. He had clearly seen with his own eyes how that man had slaughtered the bandits earlier.

‘He’s definitely an extraordinary fighter.’

If they were wandering mercenaries, it would be good to give them a small reward and ask for their help.

“Ahem. I am Ulan, the captain of the Karenna guard. Thank you for your help, but due to procedural issues, I need to confirm your identities.”

At the captain’s request, Ian took out his identification papers from his inner pocket.

“We’re on our way to the capital for the New Year’s gathering. I’m Ian, this is Beric, and the person we’re going to look for is Romandro. He’s an advisor to the Imperial Palace.”

At the unexpected words, the captain of the guard’s face turned pale.

Attending the New Year’s gathering? An advisor to the Imperial Palace?

They were either royalty or nobles, or at the very least, someone of that status. He had thought they were wandering mercenaries… He immediately took off his hat and bowed his head.

“I-I apologize. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Why didn’t the guards take any action while those guys were coming all the way here? I heard there was already one attack.”

“I’m sorry. This is a small city, so we’re in a three-city alliance. Unfortunately, there was a problem on their side, so we had to send out guards.”

“Thanks to that, I lost my carriage. There were things that needed to be taken to the Imperial Palace, and it’s become very troublesome. Isn’t granting permission to operate an inn the same as guaranteeing the safety of travelers?”

As Ian calmly explained his damages, the captain of the guard felt his mind go blank. Leaving aside the damage to Karenna, the fact that Imperial Palace goods had been lost!

The words ‘I’m screwed’ echoed in his head.

“Where is the mayor?”

Places without a lord were managed under the responsibility of a mayor dispatched from the central government. They were treated as quasi-nobles, but in the end, they were just salaried employees. Judging by the fact that he hadn’t shown his face even in this mess, there was a suspicion of dereliction of duty.

“The mayor, well…”

“Iaaaan!”

Romandro’s voice cut off the captain of the guard’s words. He came out of the alley, looking no better than a beggar. His hair was a mess of hay and dust, and his clothes were torn and tattered.

“Lord Romandro. Are you alright?”

“Oh my god. What is going on, really? I, I went to the afterlife and barely came back. Oh, I’ve had all sorts of things happen while drinking, but, whew. Really…”

“You seem fine, judging by the way you’re talking?”

Romandro, barely holding his pounding heart, rambled on and on. Ian smiled faintly, agreeing with Beric’s words. He looked a mess, but he was completely unharmed.

“Fine, my ass! I thought I was going to die!”

“You didn’t die, did you? Ah, really. My ears are ringing.”

“Excuse me, are you perhaps the advisor to the Imperial Palace?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, I am.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I am Ulan, the captain of the guard!”

The captain of the guard, who had been standing awkwardly, bowed again. However, Romandro waved his hand dismissively, as if he had no interest, and tried to enter the inn.

“Let me change my clothes first, okay? And then we can talk.”

“Lord Romandro. The carriage was robbed.”

“Huh?”

At Ian’s words, Romandro blinked, asking again. He seemed unable to understand. Beric was standing right here, so how could it have happened?

“It seems they stole it at the same time as they attacked the inn. They must have seen us in the forest and targeted us. When we came down, it was already empty.”

“No, that’s, no!”

His mouth dropped open.

There were piles of documents, and more importantly, high-grade magic stones! Beric casually supported his chin and muttered.

“If you don’t have any clothes to change into, should I lend you some?”

“Are clothes the problem!?”

“Ah. This time, it’s your left ear.”

“Ian! Ian! What do we do? I’m going crazy, really! Could they have known what was in the carriage?”

The captain of the guard, who had been watching Romandro’s fuss, was also sweating profusely. It was real. There was definitely something very valuable inside.

“I don’t think so. If they knew what was inside, it would mean they also knew our identities, but they came in without any fear.”

“Heok. Damn it.”

It simply meant they were unlucky enough to get robbed. As Romandro slumped down, his subordinates helped him up with difficulty.

“Is everyone else alright?”

“My men are all fine. I don’t know what happened to the coachmen, as they went off to drink separately.”

Ian nodded, relieved. Then, he pointed his chin towards the inside to the captain of the guard and instructed.

“First, take care of the bandits and bodies inside the inn. I have some business to attend to. And have the mayor come see me as well.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

“Ian, where are you going?”

At Romandro’s question, Ian rummaged through his compass. Then, recalling the road he had taken during the day, he muttered.

“I’m going to Danil.”

“Danil?”

“The abandoned village we saw earlier, they said it was called Danil. Unlike what I expected, it doesn’t seem to be the bandits’ base. Beric! Bring two horses from the stable.”

If it wasn’t the bandits’ base, what was he going to do there? At Romandro’s bewildered expression, Ian calmly replied.

“I’m going to find the dog.”

“Alright. It’s my turn to ask questions this time. Yes, yes.”

Beric agreed, his shoulders bouncing.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed that the key to all the strangely intertwined situations was with that dog.

‘The bandits, necromancy, the talking dog, and the annihilated village and the Magic Department. If I want to find the carriage, I need to grasp the overall situation first.’

Hee-heeing!

“Iaaaan! Let’s go!”

“Lord Romandro. I’ll be back. Please take care of things here.”

Ian and Beric got on their horses without hesitation and shook the reins. The two of them sped down the chaotic road. Romandro shouted at their backs.

“Pleease!! Find the carriage!!”