Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 118

When Ian opened his eyes again, the two of them were sprawled out on the ground. Their faces were a mess of dirt and blood, and their condition was even worse. The nosebleeds just wouldn’t stop.

“Berik. Are you alright?”

“Wow, damn, that hurts. It hurts!”

“Yeah. You look fine.”

“I said it hurts!”

At least Berik could still complain about the pain, but Barsabe was just curled up, groaning. Her mistake was clumsily unleashing her magic. The biggest problem was that she had lost her strength all at once, making it impossible to continue the fight properly.

Ian approached her and subtly checked her condition.

“…Are you crying?”

“Who? Who’s crying!”

She was definitely crying. Barsabe was shedding tears of frustration. Her lips were chewed raw, trying to hold back her sobs, but it didn’t seem to be working. Ian frowned slightly and asked,

“Petreio’s daughter? So, it was you who was loitering around the mansion since yesterday.”

“Yes. So, kill me now. Otherwise, I will come back for you again…”

Barsabe couldn’t finish her sentence. It was maddening that her father had died so meaninglessly, and now she had been defeated like this, bringing her immense shame. She was a knight of the Imperial Guard, but it seemed she was still limited by her apprenticeship.

“Did Molin tell you? That I killed Petreio.”

Ian immediately knew who had given Barsabe the information. Molin, the old man from the administration who had survived in the borderlands thanks to Gail’s protection. He might even see him at the New Year’s party if he was lucky.

“Molin? That old geezer?”

“Let me be clear, we did not kill Petreio.”

It was quite the opposite. They had brought him back to the mansion and treated him after he had committed suicide by crushing his face with poison. It was an act to get a confession, but in the end, they were not responsible for Petreio’s death.

“It was your father who tried to kill us first, and it was also your father who chose death to keep his faith with his master and his god.”

“Lies!”

“Why do you think it’s a lie?”

“My father, my father…”

“You thought he wouldn’t leave you behind?”

He must have hit a nerve. Barsabe sniffled and started to shed tears. He seemed to be a decent man as a subordinate, but also not a bad father.

“Barsabe. Be clear. If you swear to carry out your father’s unfinished mission, then it is right for you to kill me, but if you seek revenge for your father, then you are mistaken.”

Petreio acted according to his beliefs and made his decision. What could be a more honorable death for a knight than fighting fiercely in their respective positions? The sense of loss felt by the family was another matter.

“If you are a knight, you should be able to understand Petreio’s end.”

If she was a knight, or as a knight.

Barsabe stared blankly at the ground, sniffing. The taste of blood was strong in the saliva that went down her throat. Ian, sensing that Barsabe had calmed down, continued.

“Do you trust and follow Molin?”

“No.”

“On your honor as a knight.”

“Yes.”

If she had said yes, he would have killed her.

Because it would have been clear that Molin had sent her to kill him, and that her purpose was to complete Petreio’s unfinished mission. But since she said she was going a different path…

‘She might be a little useful.’

Ian checked his pocket watch and turned to look at Berik. He was dusting off his messed-up clothes and wiping off the blood. There had been a loud noise, so it was only a matter of time before the guards arrived.

“But it’s true that Lord Molin told me. That Ian, who was coming from the borderlands, killed my father.”

Barsabe staggered to her feet, still glaring at Ian. But her gaze was no longer filled with murderous intent. It was a look that was melting into suspicion and distrust. At least, her will to kill Ian had disappeared.

“…I understand why Petreio said that.”

“What? What did he say? What did my father say?”

Ian deliberately mumbled, letting the words slip. Barsabe took a step closer and asked again, but he just smiled, stepping back.

“Are you curious?”

He had asked him once, probing. He had asked Petreio if he wasn’t afraid of retaliation if he had a family. But he had answered with silence. Now that he saw it, it was an answer that made some sense. His daughter was so brave, there was nothing to worry about.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Then, instead of following me secretly like this, visit the mansion with formality and courtesy. Then I will hand over your father’s ring to you as well.”

Petreio’s ring. It had a poison-tipped needle, so it was brought in sealed for investigation. If Barsabe saw it, she would be able to tell if it was Petreio’s own item, or if Molin had prepared it separately for suicide. That could be decisive evidence that Molin had tried to kill him.

“Let’s go, Berik.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to kill her?”

“That’s enough. Do you know what will happen if we kill her here?”

It was the time before the New Year’s party. There were many forces in the center that were hostile to Ian. Not only Gail and Molin, but also many ordinary nobles who were jealous and dissatisfied with him for becoming the head of the family as a commoner. In a time when he had to be careful even of falling leaves, he couldn’t afford to give them any reason to pick a fight, even if the opponent was a spy.

“Barsabe. It seems you have chosen a good time.”

“What if she tries to kill us again?”

“Then you will have a weapon, Berik, so it will be fine.”

“Huh? Ahaha! That’s right. It’s different when I have a sword.”

Above all, if Barsabe had wanted to kill Ian with all her might, she should have invaded at night and caused trouble.

But Barsabe didn’t do that. Wasn’t that a sign that she was determined not to involve innocent people?

“Also, if I die, you won’t know where the only keepsake your father left behind is, would you? Isn’t that right? Barsabe.”

Ian subtly pointed out the words in case she didn’t understand. And without waiting for an answer, he quickly left the alley. It was almost time for the closest guards to arrive.

Tap tap!

“This way!”

“This way!”

Sure enough, as they came out of the alley, they saw the backs of the guards running into the opposite direction. They would be searching the area thoroughly to find the source of the loud noise.

“Berik, you’ve worked hard. Let’s hurry and get out of here.”

“Ian, I’m cold. I’m hungry. I’m sleepy.”

“You have all the important elements of a beggar.”

“Whose fault is that!”

Ian nodded his head as if telling Berik to hurry up and follow him. The people passing by were startled by the sight of the bloodied Berik, but they quickly moved out of the way.

Berik scooped up the snow piled up in the corner of the alley and rubbed his face hard.

“Just wiping off the blood? Buy me meat later. Okay?”

“Okay. Let’s go change into new clothes. That one is better off being thrown away.”

His clothes were already ragged, but they were even more tattered from the hand-to-hand combat. Ian hurried towards the clothing store where Romandro was, and arrived at the store in about ten minutes.

Ding.

A clear bell sound rang, and a warm air rushed in. It was mixed with a strong sweet perfume scent. Romandro, who was sitting at the table sipping tea, turned around unconsciously and fainted.

“Goodness!”

“We’re a bit late.”

“No, Berik. Did you roll around in the gutter? You look like a beggar, a beggar!”

Unlike Ian, whose hair was disheveled by the wind from running, Berik looked like he had rolled around in the gutter, just as Romandro had said. Even Vivianna was speechless with surprise. The clothing store madam was looking at Romandro, asking with her eyes if he was really a customer.

“There was a situation. Madam Vivianna, have you looked at the clothes?”

“Ah, yes, yes. The design selection has just finished. The latest trend in men’s clothing is a slightly loose fit with bright-colored uniforms. And light tassels, madam?”

“Ah, excuse me. Just a moment.”

At the madam’s urging, the madam quickly came to her senses and brought out a row of mannequins. To Berik, they all looked the same, but Ian carefully examined each one, scrutinizing the designs.

“Although bright colors are in fashion, Berik wears his clothes roughly, so let’s go with dark colors. I’ll take white. I like this design.”

“You have excellent taste.”

The madam bowed with a satisfied smile at Ian’s choice. It wasn’t flattery, he had chosen the best-selling design in the clothing store. It was also the most expensive fabric.

“And what about the dinner attire?”

“You can look at this line.”

“Hmm, what else?”

Vivianna sipped her tea and watched Ian. It wasn’t that she had any prejudice, but Ian’s behavior was unusual given the situation. Ian, who had been active mainly in the border desert, was more natural at choosing clothes than the young nobles who were known in high society.

“This one and this one? What’s the difference?”

Wasn’t Berik’s reaction more natural? His skill in comparing the shape of the buttons and the difference in the lining was excellent. She had asked Vivianna for help, but there was nothing she could do.

“Good. Let’s do it like this.”

Ian, who had matched a set of tops, bottoms, coats, shoes, and gloves, glanced at Berik. It didn’t really suit him, but it seemed like he had the basics to enter the imperial palace.

“Thank you. The total price is five gold coins.”

Considering that the monthly income of a commoner was one gold coin, it was a truly shocking price. Berik’s mouth dropped open, but Ian nodded elegantly, writing out a check. It was the moment when Romandro, who had been watching quietly, got up to add something.

Swoosh.

Ian wrote out eight gold coins. It was a tip for the madam who had helped with the fitting, and a kind of show of wealth. This was a clothing store frequented by the nobles of the center, so when they left, the madam would surely tell other nobles about Ian.

“Please do a good job with the finishing.”

“Of course. Leave it to me.”

Then, it was necessary to create a favorable impression and show that his wealth and spending were that of a noble. It would be better for the image of a nouveau riche to permeate among the nobles than that of a country bumpkin from the borderlands.

“Well done.”

Romandro had also gotten up to tell him that. When Ian naturally handled the payment, he subtly gave him a thumbs up and praised him. Ian turned to look at Berik, who was still looking awkward in the mirror.

“Berik. Give that back to the madam and change into your new clothes. We need to take a walk around the shopping district and then go find your sword.”

“Can’t I wear this? Master?”

“Yes. You can’t.”

“Aaaah. When is the New Year’s party? This is really cool. I like it.”

He was stuck in front of the mirror, constantly looking at himself, so Ian just laughed, sharing a funny look with Romandro. It was at that moment.

Boom!

“Huh? Again? What exploded again!”

When a loud noise came from outside, Berik reflexively stuck his head out the window. But Romandro and Vivianna were calm, because it was the fireworks from the imperial palace announcing the start of the New Year’s party.

“Sir Knight. Don’t be too surprised. It’s the imperial palace’s signal announcing the New Year’s party period. Look at the sky. Soon, flower petals will fall like snowflakes, it will be very beautiful.”

At Vivianna’s words, Ian also stood next to Berik and looked out the window. He thought that Bariel 100 years ago also had such an opening.

“Oh! It’s real!”

Numerous flower petals were decorating the blue sky. Gold, light pink, and white sparkles were falling like stars. Only then did Ian realize why this didn’t exist in his time.

‘This is also magic.’

Since the number of wizards had decreased drastically, there was no way they could do this. It was a light that announced the beginning of the true New Year’s party.

Boom!

“Oh! It’s exploding again!”

Berik stomped his feet and turned his head towards the sound. But that side was…

“Isn’t that towards the blacksmith?”

“Yes. That’s the direction.”

“I can see black smoke, can you see it too, Ian?”

Smoke? Ian tilted his head and turned his head, and soon he could see the black smoke rising slowly.