Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 282

The path leading from the outskirts to the center was bustling. It was dawn, but a long line of carriages stretched out, each loaded with huge barrels, dried meat, and cheese.

Tavern owners emerged to greet the drivers. The remnants of the previous day’s festival still littered the streets: people still sipping beer, others passed out on the ground, and trash piled everywhere.

‘This way! You’ve worked hard to get here. I’ve cleared out the inner warehouse, so please move it there. Hey, the goods are here!’

At the tavern owner’s call, the staff began unloading the barrels. A driver, sipping the soup he was offered, asked, ‘Why did you order so much? It’s five times more than usual. The horses had a hard time.’

‘I know, I know. That’s why I said I’d give you extra pay.’

‘It’s not my place to worry, but will this even sell? The selection ended yesterday, and today’s the final day. People aren’t drinking like this anymore. Those who came from the provinces are all heading back.’

The owner clicked his tongue at the driver’s meddling. The buyer and seller weren’t complaining, but the one moving the goods was. ‘Don’t talk nonsense. Haven’t you heard the rumors? All the leaders of the three nations are gathering for His Highness Prince Jin’s inauguration ceremony, and everyone’s in an uproar.’

The prince’s inauguration was a festival in itself, and now the leaders of three nations were coming? The scale of the delegations was unimaginable. According to exaggerated rumors, it was enough to move a small country.

And that wasn’t all. Guests would flock from all over Bariel, and even foreigners were expected. The coming days would be even grander than any selection test.

‘You won’t be able to buy alcohol when that time comes, so it’s better to stock up now. I’ll be ordering this much every day for a while, so you’ll have to work hard.’

‘The selection just ended, what’s with the fuss? The alcohol will go bad!’

‘Why would it go bad? It gets better with age, doesn’t it? Ah, if you keep complaining, don’t come! Should I ask for a different driver?’

At the owner’s outburst, the driver quietly got up and started carrying the barrels.

‘How pathetic!’ the owner snorted inwardly, then noticed someone half-hanging on the tavern’s doorstep. ‘Hey! Customer!’

‘Ughh…’

‘Oh my, your face is a mess. Customer! The sun’s up! You said you were participating in the award ceremony today, right?’

Beric half-opened his eyes and lifted his head at the sound of someone calling him. The owner, seeing his face, frowned as if he had seen something unpleasant. ‘…Award ceremony?’

‘I remember you because you made a lot of sales yesterday. You should hurry inside, shouldn’t you? I heard that your boss or whatever will scold you if you’re late?’

‘Ah! Aaaah! Ack!’

‘Oh my.’

He was so sociable, wandering from table to table as soon as he entered the tavern. He was no ordinary person.

From what he had heard, he had achieved very good results in the selection test, and the owner had given him a reward… ‘My horse! My horse!’

‘Hey, bring the customer’s horse.’

‘I’m dead. Oh crap, I’m screwed!’

‘The customer says he’s going to die. Hurry!’

Beric splashed water from a table on his face, using it as a wash. As soon as the horse came out of the stable, he grabbed the reins and kicked it. The horse, still half-asleep, staggered as it ran down the street.

The owner and his staff watched him go, shaking their heads. ‘Geez, I don’t know who he is, but his boss is going to have a hard time.’

‘He ate a lot too. Half of yesterday’s sales were from him.’

‘That’s why I said he’s going to have a hard time.’

Clatter, clatter!

It was still a quiet dawn, so Beric was able to ride his horse without any obstacles. If he didn’t get lost, he would arrive before Ian noticed!

Beric, barely holding onto hope and expectation, spotted an old woman crossing the road in the distance. If he kept going, he could probably pass her, but… ‘Huh? Uh oh?!’

The old woman wasn’t walking; she was crawling on the ground, hunched over, carrying a heavy bundle.

Beric was startled and grabbed the reins, and the horse jumped over her. Neigh!

‘Hey, wait a minute! Hey, are you okay?’

‘Oh my, this old woman almost died of a heart attack.’

‘I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I was in too much of a hurry.’

Beric got off his horse and approached the old woman. He didn’t think he had hit her, but you never know. He looked around to see if she was hurt, but the old woman just stared at Beric.

Beric paused, feeling her gaze. An empty sensation at his fingertips. She had no legs.

‘Oh. That was close! So, that’s why you were crawling! Grandma, I’m really sorry.’

Beric rummaged through his pockets and counted the remaining money. Ian had given him a gold coin as pocket money and a congratulatory gift, but all that was left were a few copper coins.

‘This isn’t much, but go get some warm soup. It’s the best thing to calm your startled heart.’

‘You brat, I don’t take money!’

‘Huh? Then?’

The old woman looked Beric up and down under her robe. Then, as if she was done, she clicked her tongue and started crawling away. ‘That’s enough. You have nothing to offer.’

‘…What the heck, grandma, are you eating people?!’

‘That’s enough! Go on your way!’

Beric was startled and grabbed the hem of her robe, and the old woman waved her hand, telling him to let go. It was a good thing there was no one on the street. If there had been, it would have been quite a commotion.

Beric clung to the old woman, not letting go. ‘If you’re not eating people, then what? What if you report me later? Ian will really scold me! Take the money and go!’

‘I said I don’t take money! You old man!’

‘Ugh, really! Then what do you want me to do?’

She was an old woman with no legs, but she was surprisingly strong. Was it because he had drunk too much yesterday? Beric was almost dragged along, staggering.

‘Okay, okay, I get it, so let go and let me go.’

‘Take the money and go.’

Ha. The old woman sighed and looked around. She wanted to hide before it got too crowded. ‘I live on something other than money.’

‘Crap, is it human flesh?!’

‘Secret.’

The old woman told him to shut his mouth. She had seen many people in her life, but this was the first time she had seen someone so reckless.

She took her robe from Beric’s grasp and told him, ‘But you have nothing to offer.’

She had also never seen someone without a secret. Even children had secrets.

There were two possibilities in this case. Either he was someone who lived without thinking, or someone whose secrets were always exposed.

Judging by his behavior, it was highly likely to be both. ‘Secret? I have a secret, you know?’

‘…You’re probably the only one who thinks it’s a secret.’

‘What the heck, so, what do you want me to do?’

‘If you really want to compensate me, bring someone else. Someone who seems thoughtful, doesn’t talk much, and is hard to read.’

‘You’re a weird old woman, really.’

‘Who are you calling weird?’

Beric moved the old woman’s bundle to the other side of the road and looked up at the sky. The dawn was gradually rising, becoming completely bright. If he was any later, Ian might really scold him. ‘Okay. Then where do I go?’

‘Can you read a calendar?’

‘No.’

‘Let’s meet here on the night of the half-moon.’

‘Okay. Don’t report me in the meantime!’

The old woman just waved her hand, telling him to go. In the short moment that Beric turned around on his horse, the old woman’s robe disappeared into an alleyway. She was so fast while crawling. Beric frowned, thinking he had seen all kinds of strange old women. ‘Let’s go!’

Neigh!

And once again, he kicked his horse in a hurry. He had to run faster to make up for the delay.

When he saw the Imperial Palace gate in the distance, Beric waved his hand. The gatekeepers, who had been waiting for his arrival, immediately moved to open the gate. ‘Thank you!’

‘Hurry, Beric! Ian just asked if you had arrived!’

Eek! Beric was startled and urged his horse even more. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Magic Department and ran up the stairs. The wizards greeted Beric, each saying a word. ‘Beric, are you just arriving now?’

‘Oh ho, he’s crazy?’

‘Shut up! Where’s Ian?’

‘Where else would the Minister be? Not in his office.’

Clatter, clatter!

Thud!

Beric threw the door open without a sound. Unlike Romandro, who was startled, Ian just clicked his pocket watch. ‘A-am I late? Uh, Ian, it’s not that, I had an accident on the way-‘ ‘Just barely. You made it with one minute to spare.’

‘Whew. I thought I was going to die.’

As the tension eased, his hangover kicked in. Beric grabbed his nauseous stomach and slumped forward, and Romandro picked him up and urged him on. ‘Ugh, you smell like alcohol. Is this how the award ceremony’s main character should look? Your hair is a mess, and your face is all swollen!’

‘I’m only this good because it’s me.’

‘And you’re still drunk. Tsk tsk. Hurry up and get ready!’

Romandro held out a formal suit in front of Beric. It was the day he would officially join the Imperial Guard as this year’s winner!

The attendants dragged Beric away, and Ian tapped his report. ‘I’ll go ahead. Romandro, please come with Beric when he’s ready.’

‘Understood.’

Could there be an award ceremony without magic effects? Ian left the main building with the wizards who were waiting.

* * *

About five hundred people who had participated in the selection and achieved excellent results were invited and filled the seats. Most of them had decided to join the Imperial Defense Department, and a few were content with just participating and looked forward to the next time.

Siaoshi was one of them. He was wearing the clothes that Jin had personally gifted him and was sitting among the people. ‘I heard the winner is quite young.’

‘Yeah. I heard he hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet. They say he’s a magic swordsman.’

‘He defeated the captain, so he deserves to win. So, is he the youngest captain of the Imperial Guard?’

‘No. I heard someone else is going to be the captain? I don’t know the details, but it seems like there’s some disqualification.’

The people buzzed, talking about Beric.

Since that day, whenever two or more swordsmen gathered, they would always talk about Beric. It was such a shocking event that it shook the martial arts community.

Siaoshi looked up at where Jin and Ian were sitting. Jin was looking straight ahead with dignity, but Siaoshi knew. He was subtly looking at Siaoshi and smiling. ‘Ah. It’s starting.’

Whoosh. Whoosh.

The Prime Minister went up to the platform and grabbed the magic tool. His greeting quietly spread through the ears of hundreds of people. ‘…For the healthy national power and future of the great Bariel Empire, I commend all those who have participated. The schedules that have been followed in the past were strong and powerful…’

The Prime Minister’s greeting. As always, it was boring and tedious. People swallowed their yawns and pretended to listen with one ear. ‘Therefore, we will award those who have shown particular excellence in this selection test. Those whose names are called, please come forward.’

Rustle.

The Prime Minister turned the page and paused for a moment. ‘Beric.’

‘Yes! It’s Beric!’

‘Simon, Bonita, Higa…’

The names continued to be called. Those sitting in the front row all got up and went to the platform. Leading the way was Beric. It was quite a sight to see him in a suit after so long. ‘Is Beric the one with the red hair?’

‘Then who’s the captain?’

‘There, Simon and Bonita.’

‘Ah, I see.’

Simon was the one who had won against Beric in hand-to-hand combat. They said there was a big difference in size, and he was indeed amazing. It was as if he had giant blood in him. ‘Beric. Congratulations. Please continue to strive and strengthen the spirit of Bariel.’

‘Don’t worry!’

‘…For Bariel, have you decided where you will work?’

The Prime Minister asked him, handing him a bouquet of flowers and a trophy. Beric, as if asking the obvious, shouted, sticking close to the magic tool. ‘The Imperial Guard!’

Ah. Damn it. The Imperial Guard members watching from below closed their eyes tightly. Regardless, Beric added loudly, ‘I’ll be the captain next time!’

Simon and Bonita.

Ian watched the two new captains and clicked his fingers. They were the ones who would lead the charge in the upcoming monster battles.

To celebrate Beric’s victory and the birth of a new generation, the Magic Department released flower petals.

Whoosh!

Swish!

The flower petals fell gracefully. Beric shook the bouquet of flowers and looked at the Imperial Guard. And then, he winked, quickly. It was a silent greeting, saying let’s do well in the future.

Starting with Ian, applause erupted from all around.