Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 28

Kakhantir turned to Ian when his answer was delayed. Ian lowered his head slightly and replied,

“Yes, I am.”

Was it because they were a tribe that worshiped the sky that they asked such a question? Or did they know that another Ian resided within him? Winchen smacked her lips as if savoring Ian’s concise answer.

“You are indeed born of Derga Bratz’s blood?”

“That is certain.”

“Does your existence signify peace?”

“I swear, peace is the only reason for my existence.”

A smile spread across Winchen’s lips. Kakhantir nodded and silently instructed his attendants, who then helped Winchen back into her bed.

“Then, we shall take our leave.”

“Rest well, Chieftain. The desert storms are too harsh these days. It’s because the sky has become hotter.”

The old woman’s weak muttering lingered in the tent. When Ian came outside, the Cheonryeo tribe, who had been tense, looked at Kakhantir’s expression.

“Provide Ian Bratz and his party with a tent.”

This was a roundabout way of announcing that Ian was indeed a child of the Bratz family. It also meant that all the arduous peace negotiations were officially complete.

Su sighed in relief and called out to Ian.

“Ian, this way.”

“What about me? Do I share the same tent?”

“What else? Do you think you’re so precious that you’d get your own room?”

Su snapped back, and Berric whispered to Ian.

“She’s got a narrow mind for a warrior. I don’t know why she’s like that only to me. If you think about it, you were the one who started the taunting that day, weren’t you?”

“Well, Berric, you were the one who threw the punch.”

“Huh? Are you trying to weasel your way out of this?”

The tent assigned to Ian was in better condition than he expected. It wasn’t particularly luxurious, but it didn’t feel like they were mistreating him as a hostage from an enemy nation.

‘This is strange. I heard that their relationship became quite cold after Derga’s older brother died crossing the border.’

Of course, the chief at that time and the current Kakhantir were different people. Given the nature of easily changing leaders, they could be considered people from quite a long time ago in their history.

If that’s the case, shouldn’t their perceptions and relationships have changed even more? They weren’t as ruthless as he had heard at the Bratz mansion.

‘They are cold but not cold-blooded, free but not barbaric.’

That was Ian’s assessment. Berric, unpacking his sand-covered luggage, asked,

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“I need to wash up first.”

“I mean, you’re not going to live here forever, are you?”

That’s true.

But for Ian to return to Bariel, it had to be after Molin had beheaded Derga, leading the inspectors from the central government.

He should have just arrived at the center by now. It would take about two weeks to a month to come down and carry out the plan.

“Think of it as a trip. There are so many people here you can’t beat, even if you fight one every day, a year will pass quickly.”

“A year? Are you lying?”

“I’m joking. Two weeks. A month at most.”

Berric cursed with his eyes and flopped onto the bed. A wandering life, as long as there’s a bed, it doesn’t matter where he is, but he couldn’t get used to the desert heat.

“Ian.”

Chaak-

Su entered, pulling back the tent flap. She laid out some clothes and simple snacks, looking around the room. She seemed to be checking if anything was missing.

“Eat first. Everyone is too busy recovering from the journey. There will be a homecoming ceremony when the sun sets, so I’ll come back to call you. Oh, and-”

Su, who was about to leave in a hurry, stopped and turned around.

“Jangyarung said the storm was really fierce. He said it was the biggest and most threatening he’d ever encountered. He said that since he went through it barehanded, nothing was blown away, but if the group had encountered it, it would have been difficult.”

“I see.”

Is she trying to say thank you? Ian smiled and gave the credit to Kakhantir.

“The Chieftain’s judgment was truly wise.”

Su’s face brightened at the mention of their leader. And then, she slipped out of the tent. Berric, who had been blankly watching, grumbled irritably.

“…She really is only like that to me.”

“Are you upset?”

“Whatever!”

Berric waved his hand and jumped onto the bed. With sand still on him, he collapsed as if he had fainted. He had been outside in the wind for days. Ian also pondered for a while, then unknowingly fell asleep.

* * *

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Ian opened his eyes to the sound of drums echoing from somewhere.

It was dark outside. Night had fallen. The only thing illuminating the room was the milky way, shining like milk. Just as Ian was about to shake Berric, Su pulled back the tent flap again.

“Ian? Berric?”

“Ugh…”

“Are you going to come out soon? Everyone’s waiting.”

He was still drowsy, as if still in a dream. Ian and Berric staggered after Su. A white building stood inside the encampment. When Su opened the door, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

“Hahaha!”

“One more time! Hey, you can’t be done already?”

“Remember what I told you last time? It was right!”

The Cheonryeo people, adorned with red paint and gold, were dancing and playing. There were huge piles of meat and alcohol scattered among them. There was a subtle smoke, as if they were burning candles.

A dancer brushed past and smiled, and the musicians played the music even faster.

“My goodness.”

He had never seen or heard of such a feast. Everything looked free under the orange lights. Berric also rubbed his cheeks as if he had fully woken up.

“Ian. Berric.”

Kakhantir, sitting at the head of the table, called out to them. He had a dried leaf in his mouth. It was the same as the one burning under the torch.

‘Guruth leaf.’

So that’s a Guruth leaf. As that thought reached him, Ian took a deep breath. It was quite similar to the scent he had smelled in Winchen’s tent. It wasn’t cinnamon, but a Guruth leaf.

“Ah. Why do I feel like this?”

“How do you feel?”

“…I want to beat everyone up.”

“Keep your mouth shut.”

The two whispered and approached Kakhantir. Next to him, Nersarn and others who seemed to be the upper class of the tribe were enjoying the feast.

“Have you recovered from your journey?”

“Thanks to the Chieftain’s consideration.”

“Good. Sit down first.”

He felt like everyone was watching him. But that was only for a moment. They were laughing and chatting again, enjoying the revelry. Kakhantir poured wine into Ian’s glass.

“By the way, about the map you gave us. Does the Count or anyone from Bratz know about the existence of the map?”

“No. A teacher secretly handed it to me. He immediately left Bratz and headed to Blaster through the upper country.”

Kakhantir burst into a satisfied laugh. And with a very friendly gesture, he urged him to eat the meat. He must have heard the report about the storm from his subordinates.

“Everything you have is given by Bratz for Cheonryeo, so is it okay to use this map for Cheonryeo as well?”

“Please do so.”

After all, the Cheonryeo tribe would accompany him when he returned to Bratz. After that, there would be no need to cross the Great Desert, so what good would it do to keep the map? It was better to give up something small and draw a bigger picture.

“Count Derga raised his son well.”

“My father would be very pleased to hear that.”

The conversation stopped there. The singing grew louder and louder. While pondering about the Guruth leaf, Ian felt a strange gaze.

‘Hmm?’

A man was staring intently at Ian from the second seat away from Nersarn. When their eyes met, he lightly curled up the corners of his mouth and sent a kind of signal.

“Su, who is that?”

When the surroundings were briefly distracted, Ian gestured towards the man and asked. Su took a sip of wine and replied.

“Bumat? He’s from Nersarn’s family. He’s the cousin of his second stepmother. He’s the chief of food management.”

He didn’t quite understand, but it seemed that they were connected as family in their concept. Judging by his proximity to the head table, he was in a pretty high position. But why does he keep looking at me?

‘It’s unsettling.’

Ian deliberately shook off his gaze and asked Su. As innocently as possible. As if there was no emotion other than curiosity.

“Is everyone holding a Guruth leaf?”

Su nodded, and Ian was about to ask if he could also smell it. But at that moment, Kakhantir cut off the conversation by offering a drink.

“Ian, there are a few rules you must follow if you want to live safely here.”

“Please tell me.”

“One of them is to not show any interest in the Guruth leaf. Questions are not allowed either. The smoke from daily life is unavoidable, so everything else is forbidden.”

That meant there was a big difference between smelling it in the smoke and chewing it directly.

The festive atmosphere, which had been heating up, calmed down a bit. The people around them, who had heard Kakhantir’s words, unknowingly became wary.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Ian nodded and replied. Berric, who was next to him, was busy eating meat and was oblivious to everything around him.

“Then, enjoy yourselves. For our homecoming.”

“Yes, Chieftain Kakhantir.”

Right. This is a homecoming ceremony. It wasn’t a welcoming ceremony for a stranger. Ian roughly finished grasping the overall atmosphere and was about to wrap up the gathering.

But…

“Chieftain!”

A tribesman quickly approached and whispered something in Kakhantir’s ear. He immediately put down what he was eating and gestured to Nersarn. Those who were enjoying the revelry were too drunk to notice that the leaders were leaving.

‘What’s going on?’

Su just stared at the floor and muttered.

“It seems like Chieftain Winchen had another seizure. I think I saw a doctor following just now.”

“Really? It seems like her condition is not good.”

“The Chieftain is looking after her like that first, so that everyone doesn’t worry.”

“Is there no way to help her?”

Su smiled faintly and shrugged. Everything was according to God’s will, and even the doctor couldn’t stop it. She just hoped that Winchen wouldn’t suffer too much.

“Berric, let’s go too.”

“Huh? Why? I need to eat more…”

“Let’s go.”

If something happened to Winchen, it would be less awkward not to be there. Su wouldn’t be able to take care of them then either. If you’ve enjoyed it enough, you should know when to leave. They weren’t the main characters of the gathering, so this was enough.

Tap tap!

And that judgment was right.

Early in the morning. Ian’s eyes opened to the noisy sounds outside. It was as if a war had broken out.

“Chieftain Winchen is completely unconscious?”

“Oh… my goodness. What are we going to do?”

“What about the Chieftain? What is he going to do?”

“He said he’s going to recruit people again. It seems like there’s no other way since her illness is too obvious now.”

Recruit people? It seems like they’re going to take some measures to cure Winchen’s illness. Ian leaned against the window and closed his eyes. He was half-asleep, his mind hazy.

“Are they looking for Silask?”

“The people who went first haven’t returned yet…”

“Where is there a flower that blooms forever? I doubt its existence.”

At that moment, Ian’s eyes snapped open.

What are they saying now? A flower that blooms forever? Silask?

‘That’s the potted plant I bought at the park.’

‘It’s a strange flower. It stays in full bloom for a long time.’

‘Don’t the people at the mansion know what it is?’

‘No. Everyone says it’s a plant they’ve never seen before. I was worried it might be poisonous, but thankfully it’s not.’

Ian recalled the conversation he had with Molin at the mansion. And he took out the well-packaged potted plant from the box and tore off the paper. The red flower that had never withered since he received it at the park.

“…Huh?”

No way, could it be?

Ian carefully placed the potted plant on the floor. He soon instinctively realized why he had been reincarnated as Ian, the illegitimate son.

Everything was flowing under God’s plan.