Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 111

The shifting of fate doesn’t always require a long time. Just as Kallenna, who had tasted hell from the bandit attack, was able to expect peace by the time the dawn moon set.

“A bandit gang? You’re saying they raided their hideout?”

“I don’t know. I heard it from a guard friend, that’s what happened, they say?”

“They must have been chased when they retreated!”

“I don’t think so. I heard a mercenary came separately.”

“A mercenary? Did we have the tax money to use a mercenary?”

“Whatever, isn’t it that all the bandits are dead now? Huh? Except for that one boss!”

“Yeah. That’s what’s important! Ha, those bad guys. If they were going to die like that, they should have been more careful tonight!”

“It’s done. It means it’s safe from now on. The guard did some work for the first time in a while.”

“No, it wasn’t the guard, it was an outsider.”

“An outsider? If there’s an outsider in Kallenna right now…”

The residents, who had gathered in small groups to relive the nightmare of the previous night, trailed off. They must have all thought of the same carriage procession at the same time. They vividly remembered how happy the innkeeper was that a generous guest had arrived.

“Is it them?”

“They did look unusual, but how could they deal with a bandit gang…”

They slowly turned their heads to look at the center of the small town. It was in the direction of the inn where the outsiders had stayed.

Meanwhile, while the guards were moving the bodies, Ian’s group retrieved their carriage and brought it back to the inn. Although a couple of horses were missing, it was better than nothing.

“Romandro, sir. Have you checked all the luggage?”

“Yes. All the documents are there too. Haa, I feel so relieved.”

He had taken out each box and turned them upside down to check the inside. Romandro gave a thumbs up, looking truly satisfied.

“That’s a relief. It’s good that the delay didn’t last more than a day.”

Originally, they were supposed to leave Kallenna early in the morning, but since they had to find new horses and a coachman, it seemed they would be leaving late in the morning. Ian asked Romandro and his subordinates to clean up and went into the inn. The inn staff were mopping the floor, which was covered in blood.

“Hey, Ian. Aren’t you hungry?”

In the middle of it all, Beric was sitting confidently, tearing into meat and bread. Hasha was sitting opposite him. They were sharing a plate, looking quite natural.

“You eat a lot. You used a lot of strength.”

“Ah. If you say that, I won’t refuse.”

Screech!

“Ian, sir. The guard captain has brought the mayor.”

“That’s quite quick. Tell him to come in.”

As soon as Ian finished speaking, the mayor rushed into the inn, showing the top of his head. He was bent over, looking flustered. The staff who were mopping also stopped, flustered.

“Ah, hello. I am Onyx, the mayor of Kallenna.”

He was a plump and short man. His collar was all messed up, his face was flushed, and his voice was excitedly high-pitched. Ian quietly looked him up and down.

“Do we need to introduce ourselves separately?”

“No, I’ve heard. You are a noble going to attend the New Year’s party. I was informed that an imperial advisor is also with you.”

Ian was silent for a moment. Only Beric, who was diligently eating in the back, tilted his head in confusion, while the others were overwhelmed by the immense pressure.

“While a bandit gang was invading and making a mess of the city, what were you, the mayor, doing?”

“I, I’m sorry. As I said, there was a problem in another city, so…”

“Come closer.”

At Ian’s command, the mayor hesitated and took a step forward. This much? Or a little more? Not knowing the proper distance, the moment the mayor raised his head.

‘Huh.’

He met Ian’s green eyes. The rare beauty was surprising, but he was too young, which made him speechless. To receive a noble title at that age. Suddenly, he thought the world was so unfair.

“I smell alcohol.”

“That is…”

‘I’m screwed. I’m having the worst luck.’ Not only was he attacked while he was heavily drinking, but he was also caught by a noble and a central official. The mayor rubbed his forehead on the floor, pretending to apologize, hoping the smell of blood would cover it up.

“I, I, I had a drink at an important family gathering, and it turned out like this. I am truly sorry.”

Ian shifted his gaze from the mayor to the guard captain.

In fact, when identifying a lie, it was more effective to look at the expression of the person next to them than the person themselves. The person tries desperately to make a false face to hide the truth, but the person listening next to them is relatively less tense.

‘It’s a lie.’

The guard captain’s mouth was strange.

He was biting his lip as if he was in a difficult situation, neither crying nor laughing. Ian clicked his tongue, crossing his arms.

“Stop talking. I can smell the alcohol from here. According to Kallenna’s law, what happens to the captured bandits?”

The mayor was startled by the mention of alcohol and covered his mouth. Then, he carefully answered, recalling Kallenna’s law.

“…First of all, the death penalty is confirmed, but according to Kallenna’s city law, those who have committed robbery and murder, especially those who have committed crimes in groups, are punished by flogging.”

It was Kallenna’s law to whip their backs, and when they lost consciousness, to wake them up and whip them again, repeating it until the flesh disappeared, showing them a living hell. When his breath became as thin as a thread, the gallows would be set up.

“Good. I have business with the bandit boss, so I’ll clean up here and go to the prison.”

“To, to the prison?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Uh…”

The mayor’s face changed to a troubled one. But he shook his head, brushing it off.

“No! In the meantime, I will prepare a coachman and horses so you can leave.”

His attitude wasn’t bad. Ian turned his back, meaning he could leave, and the mayor stepped back, maintaining his tension until the end.

Screech!

“Phew.”

It felt like his heart had fallen to the floor and then reattached. The guard captain handed him a drink and offered comfort.

“It’s a relief that you seem busy because of the New Year’s party. They said they’re leaving by the morning.”

“I know. It would have been a problem if they were going down instead of up. He seems young, but his temper is no joke. Is he going to receive a title?”

“I think they are people who have been active in the war.”

The guard captain still couldn’t believe Beric’s abilities. As a human being, how could he have annihilated so many bandits alone? The mayor also nodded, wiping away his cold sweat.

“If they are magic users, it could be possible.”

“Are you talking about the people who came to investigate Danilo before?”

“Yes. Anyway, I can’t deny that I have nothing to say to them. If the advisor sends a report, it will be really difficult. He wants to see the bandit boss, do you know why?”

The mayor asked, but the guard captain had no idea either.

This was because Ian had not specifically mentioned anything about the undead. There was also the concern that a simple bandit incident would become complicated, and if Wesley found out about Hasha’s existence, it could cause problems in many ways.

“It seems there is only one reason for his business.”

“I guess so?”

They had lost their words, lost their coachman, and lost a night of good rest. The conclusion was that the noble lord would not leave him alone.

“I can’t do this. I’ll go and do the flogging myself.”

“I’ll prepare it.”

“Let’s make the flesh fall off, huh. Let’s do that. Then I’ll feel a little better.”

It was a calculation to gain points by making up for the failure in security. It was a completely wrong judgment, but no one noticed.

* * *

Beric patted his full stomach and smiled contentedly. He hadn’t eaten dinner and had been moving around so much, so it was natural that he was hungry. When the inside of the inn was roughly cleaned up, Ian opened his mouth to Hasha.

“So, what are you going to do with Hasha now?”

-My grandmother is gone, and the body has been taken care of, so I think I should go back to Astana. It’s true that there’s no other way right now.

“Your grandmother is the head of the faction.”

Ian recalled the old woman in the picture and guessed the situation. If she was the head of the faction, she would have many helpers, but also many enemies. There seemed to be a reason why she hadn’t returned to Astana to avoid Wesley.

-So, I was wondering, could you take me to the center? I have to go through that way to get to Astana anyway.

“What are you going to do in the center, in the body of a dog?”

At Ian’s quiet question, Hasha closed his mouth tightly. It was a truly bleak and difficult situation. Ian gently stroked his neck and made a suggestion.

“I’ll take you to the center, and from there, I’ll help you get to Astana. Instead, I want to record what you’ve been through as a notarized statement.”

“Are you going together? Ah, the carriage is small.”

“Beric. It’ll be fine as long as you don’t lie down.”

Hasha’s eyes sparkled. Beric only burped, not hiding his displeasure.

“Also, I want you to remember my name forever.”

It meant that on the day of Hasha’s true death, he should remember who helped him and what his name was. Hasha murmured as if engraving it in his heart.

-Ian.

“Yes. Good.”

-I! AN!!

Hasha wagged his tail around as if he was about to fly away. Then he tapped Beric’s arm, but no matter how much he tried to shake it off, it wouldn’t budge.

“There’s not much time left to leave. If you have anything to pack, pack it properly.”

The morning had dawned. At least, the goal was to leave before noon. As soon as Ian finished speaking, Hasha ran outside.

Tap!

Woof woof!

“I guess if you’re in a dog’s body, you naturally make dog noises. Burp.”

“Beric. Stop eating and follow me.”

“That was the missed dinner, and now I have to eat breakfast! Huh? Breakfast!”

Ian ignored him and went out into the street. As the view became brighter, the ruined scenery of Kallenna became even more tragic. The residents awkwardly approached the two people heading to the prison.

“Excuse me…”

A man covered in dirt and dust. He scratched his nose and bowed his head.

“I heard about it. You caught the bandits.”

“You saved us in the middle of the night, how can we repay you?”

“Thank you! Here, this is a small token…”

“Ah, it’s okay-”

The residents passed by Ian, who was trying to refuse, and approached Beric. He was grinning at the unexpected welcome and kept nodding his head.

“Thank you! Thank you for saving us!”

“Yeah, yeah. I saved you. I did. Woohoo! I used more strength than the owner.”

“Huh? You have an owner?”

“Ah. You have an owner? That blonde-haired guy!”

“Then he’s the one who saved us!”

“Thank you!”

With one word from Beric, the thanks immediately shifted. Beric, who had been left empty-handed, just opened his mouth in disbelief, and Ian smiled kindly and headed to the prison.

“Ian!”

“Hurry up and come.”

“Wow, seriously. Unbelievable. I did everything!”

Beric whined and followed Ian. When Ian arrived at the prison, he was guided inside by the guards who had been informed in advance.

“Ah! You’ve arrived!”

The mayor, covered in sweat and holding a blood-stained whip, bowed and showed off the bandit’s body. It seemed like he had given him a good beating.

“I’ve given him a good lesson. He’s fainted, but if you want, you can hit him more!”

Ian looked at the fainted bandit boss and asked in disbelief.

“I have something to ask, but what do you expect to do if you knock him out like this?”

“Yes? What, what do you mean…”

“Do you eat the atmosphere as a side dish when you drink?”

“No, I, that is…”

‘Is this not it?’ The mayor grimaced again and rolled his eyes. Ian clicked his tongue, looking at the rising sun outside and the fainted bandit. They had a long way to go…

“Bring paper.”

“Yes? Yes, yes!”

He wrote Romandro’s mansion address on the paper and asked.

“As soon as he wakes up, interrogate the bandit and send a reply. Ask ‘how the blue-haired child got attached.’ The deadline is fifteen days.”

In a way, it seemed like it was a good thing.

It was something he had hidden even when Beric had threatened him with a sword, so it wouldn’t be easy to get an answer. There were several torture experts here, so they would be able to get a confession somehow.

“If I don’t receive a letter within that time, I will report your dereliction of duty to the imperial palace. Also, if you don’t keep quiet and talk about it, I will personally come back here.”

Ian handed over the paper and nodded. If he came back, he would be dead that day, so it meant he should do his job well. The mayor only hiccuped and received the paper with both hands.