Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 150

‘Luggusfell, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name.’

Ian glanced out the carriage window, surveying his surroundings. Luggusfell—wasn’t that a notoriously difficult slum, even in the central region? Being demoted in the guard often meant being assigned to this area, and many couldn’t handle the harsh workload and quit. This naturally created gaps in security, which in turn worsened Luggusfell’s crime problem.

A hotbed of all sorts of crimes and incidents. The rotten underbelly of Bariel. A world of its own, dirtier and more vile than the bottom of humanity.

“Luggusfell didn’t used to be like this, I think.”

“Is that so?”

“Ah, Ian, you’re from the borderlands, so you wouldn’t know. Originally, this place was like Mereloff, where merchant guilds would temporarily stay. But with so many people of unknown identities moving in and out, along with illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and slave traders taking root, it’s become like this.”

Romandro cleared his throat, trying to maintain his dignity as he explained. He had made eye contact with a drunkard who kept following them. The coachman cracked his whip and yelled at them to back off, but it was no use on those who were half out of their minds.

“Get away! Do you know who’s in this carriage?”

“Some high-ranking person, I bet! Just give me a copper! The sound of the carriage ruined my buzz!”

“You lot! Get out of the way!”

Crack!

‘The beginning of Luggusfell as I know it wasn’t that long ago.’

Ian clicked his tongue, watching the vagrants. They were so ragged and filthy that they could hardly be considered citizens of the Empire. If it were a true great nation, even these alleys would be touched by sunlight…

“Are we almost there?”

“Yes. The compass light is getting stronger. It seems they haven’t moved to another area, but are somewhere nearby.”

Romandro wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and sighed. It was midday, but the densely packed old buildings made it dark.

Not only that, but laundry lines and yellowed cloths hung everywhere, and the foul smell of sewage, the shouts of drunks, and the sudden fights made everything that could be perceived by the five senses feel threatening.

“What does Beric need our help for, when he’s even standing up to the captain of the guard?”

“It probably isn’t something that can be solved with force. And more than anything, it’s likely Hasha’s judgment.”

If it were Beric, he would have surely taken Hasha back as soon as he found him. Even if there was a problem in front of him, he would have cut a path through it with his sword. But since that wasn’t the case, it was clear that Hasha had asked for something.

“Stop for a moment, and turn the carriage around.”

While Ian was talking to Romandro, the compass light turned in the opposite direction. It meant they had passed their target. The coachman looked into the window, perplexed.

“Um, sir. The road is too narrow to turn around. We can stop, but to come back, we’d have to go quite a distance.”

“Is that so? I understand. I’ll get out.”

“Ian, you’re, you’re getting out?”

“Romandro, you can stay in the carriage if you wish.”

As soon as the door clicked open, the stench of sewage poured in. At the same time, the gazes of those who had been watching them from the surroundings also turned towards them. Romandro quickly looked left and right, pondering. Should he stay with the coachman in the middle of this brutal neighborhood? Or should he go with Ian, the mage?

“Ian, let’s go together! Let’s go!”

Swoosh.

Ian continued to walk, following the compass, turning his body this way and that. He had to find the place where the light was the strongest and the direction didn’t flip.

‘It seems to be here.’

A nondescript old building. Ian guessed it was a merchant guild’s base, judging by the crates piled up in front of the building. A yellowed flag was stuck next to the door.

Romandro stroked his beard and sniffled.

“It’s in Chelim language. Pa, pa….”

“Pakens.”

“Ah, yes. Pakens. Huh? You can speak Chelim, too?”

Romandro, who had been nodding, turned around with wide eyes. But Ian didn’t seem inclined to answer, and instead went to the door to look inside.

“Pakens…. Hasha and Beric must be here. Call someone from inside.”

“Here? Why?”

Romandro looked genuinely confused. The slave traders who traded with the leader of the Karenna bandits and the undead. Ian remembered the name of that guild well. He followed the compass, and that guild was there? It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Knock knock!

“Is anyone inside?”

“Eek!”

Ian knocked on the door without hesitation. After a while, a bald man, still half-asleep, appeared with a frown.

Creak.

Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a high-ranking noble, not someone you’d see in Luggusfell. Why would he visit such a place in broad daylight? The man looked Ian up and down and scoffed.

“Sorry, but it’s not market day.”

It meant it wasn’t the day the slave market was open. If they came here on a day that wasn’t the market, it was obvious what they wanted.

A lecher with a fortress, an unlicensed doctor in need of test subjects, or a cold-blooded person who needed meat to throw to their pet monsters. Either way, they were clearly not normal.

“Go back.”

Ian realized that the space inside was larger and deeper than he had thought. Men were getting up one by one, looking towards the entrance.

“…I’m looking for something.”

“I said it’s not market day! Don’t make me say it twice!”

He couldn’t ask about Hasha and Beric’s identities here. Although there were cases where people became slaves legally, nearly half were kidnapped from foreign countries or fell into slavery through illegal means. If he looked for Hasha and Beric here, he would only raise the suspicion of the slave traders.

Swoosh.

Ian took out a gold coin from his pocket and showed it. When the man’s eyes widened and he tried to say something, Ian pushed the gold coin into his jaw and whispered quietly.

“I said I’m looking for something. Don’t make me say it twice.”

Then, slowly, with a smile, he put the gold coin in the man’s mouth. He bit down on it to make sure it was real gold, and then turned to allow them entry.

“…Come in.”

“Ahem, e, e, excuse me!”

Romandro cleared his throat and stuck close behind Ian. The man led Ian and Romandro to the furthest room.

“Just a moment. I’ll go inform the boss.”

Knock knock.

As the man disappeared, Romandro let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and Ian checked the compass.

‘It’s definitely here.’

There were seven guild members visible at the moment. Since there were many spaces like an ant nest, it was impossible to estimate the exact number. When Ian looked at them, some of the men grinned and gave him lewd smiles. Romandro felt his neck stiffen.

“Why, why are they smiling like that…?”

“It seems they like you, Romandro.”

“Huh! Me?”

Creak.

“Wow, what’s going on? Customers on a day that’s not market day, this is, this is, if the guards find out, it’ll be really scary. The fines are huge! Ahahaha!”

The man was quite young to be the guild leader. His cheerful and sly eyes were exactly like those of a merchant. The man reached out his hand to Ian and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the leader, Pakens.”

“I don’t need to introduce myself, do I?”

“Of course not. I’m not curious. Haha! Have a seat, have a seat!”

He was trying to cover it up with a light laugh, but a person running a slave trade wouldn’t be careless.

Ian sat down and looked around the office. There was no trace of anyone living or working there. This was a temporary residence used when they arrived in the central region, a place they could abandon and run away from if any problems arose.

“So, what are you looking for? There must be a reason why you specifically sought out our guild? Actually, it seems too sales-like to say, but we have everything except what we don’t have. If we don’t have it, we can quickly find it through other channels.”

Smiling, Pakens clasped his hands together, urging him to speak. Ian raised an eyebrow, looking at the men standing firmly behind him. As if asking if they were going to keep standing there.

“I’m sorry, but we had a petty thief break into the building yesterday.”

“A petty thief?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any damage, but there were signs that someone had broken in, so everyone is on edge. The person who opened the door isn’t someone who would usually let it slide, but gold coins certainly do entice people. Right?”

Ian was sure. That petty thief was Beric. He had come all the way inside, met Hasha, and called Ian because of Hasha’s request.

Ian tapped the table with his fingertips.

“How many products do you have?”

“We currently have about thirty in stock.”

“I’d like to take a look around.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t easily show them to those who haven’t made a deal. If you have something you want, please tell me. I’ll have them brought here.”

Ian stared at Pakens.

“Do you sell beasts too?”

“Beasts? Ah, yes. Well, we do have some.”

“I’m looking for something to play with and something suitable for sword sparring. Bring me what you recommend, and I’ll choose.”

“Sword sparring! That’s good! For sword sparring, the thicker the fat layer, the better. Please wait a moment.”

Pakens and his men closed the door and left the office. But the footsteps he heard were those of one person. The other two guards seemed to be guarding the door. Romandro also noticed this and whispered to Ian.

“Do you think Hasha and Beric are being held here?”

“Hasha might be. If they found out he’s a talking dog. But the petty thief….”

“It’s Beric, right?”

“Probably. He said he was with Hasha, so he must be hiding somewhere in the building.”

“Then what should we do?”

Romandro shrugged, asking back. He didn’t know what Hasha and Beric wanted them to do, so he couldn’t act rashly. Should he bring the guards and turn this place upside down?

“I’ll let Beric know we’ve arrived.”

Zzzing. Zzzing.

Ian slowly released his magic power. His eyes turned gold, and his hair fluttered in the low wind. Romandro swallowed hard, looking back and forth between the door and Ian.

“To feel the magic? Will Beric, that indifferent guy, even feel it?”

Thud! Bang!

It was then. A loud noise came from outside. Ian stopped releasing his magic and turned around.

“I think he felt it.”

* * *

“What’s that noise?”

“I don’t know.”

Pakens, who was about to go down to the underground prison with his men, paused. The noise came from the direction they were heading, so they were being cautious.

Tap tap!

“Pakens! Pakens!”

“It’s loud! Be quiet!”

“No, that is….”

The subordinate who was climbing the stairs was babbling incoherently. There was thick smoke. Pakens covered his mouth with his sleeve, wondering if there was a fire, and went down.

Creak.

The half-broken door opened on its own. The torches in the passage illuminated the underground prison, and there, a white dog and a strange man were sitting. With red hair and his subordinate’s blood smeared here and there.

“What?”

“Hello! Hey! Our master came, right?”

“You, you, how did you get here….”

“Our master came, right!?”

Beric infused his sword with magic and stood up.

Hasha did the same. He ran to the opposite passage and shouted loudly.

-Astana people! It’s time! The person who will save us has come! Everyone, get up!