Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 34

The knight, still gripping his sword, looked around. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand the situation. Ian, who was supposed to be a mere offering for peace, and his lackey seemed to blend into the Thousand-Eyed Clan as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Beric. You think you can handle this? You’re not going to die today, are you?”

“Yeah, get lost. You’re the one who’s going to die.”

“Judging by your trash talk, you’re in good condition.”

“Hey, knight of Bratz! Teach Beric a lesson! Make him snap out of it. Or I’ll kill you.”

“Hahaha! So, either way, the knight dies? That’s so unfair.”

“Ah. That’s right. You’re right.”

To be surrounded and watched like this, like a dog in an arena. The knight looked at Ian sitting next to Kakantir and was certain that something was wrong. This situation also had to be reported to Derga.

“Tch!”

Beric spat and then gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He had easily deflected the knight’s attack earlier, but that was because the guy was careless. Beric turned to Ian and asked,

“But Ian! If he dies, how do we send a reply?”

“There are plenty of sturdy Kushiles [a type of desert animal]. Don’t worry about that, and take care of your own neck. If you die, I die too.”

“Yes, yes. I will.”

Would sending a reply be a problem?

He could just ride a Kushile himself instead of the knight. At Ian’s words, Beric grinned and took his stance. Just like Kakantir said, a battle without killing intent was a boring chore.

“Go easy on me. I’m going to come at you like a madman.”

“Your way of speaking is vulgar!”

“That’s my charm!”

Clang! Clang!

Beric stepped on the sand and jumped up in an instant. The trajectory of the blade cutting through the wind was almost invisible. The knight steadily blocked Beric’s attacks.

“Uwaaaah!”

Screeeech!

The sound of the blades clashing was chilling. The Thousand-Eyed Clan members watched with interest and added their comments.

“Knight! Kill him! Kill Beric!”

“Hahaha! Look at that, look at him, he already looks tired.”

“I’m not!”

It sounded like they were cheering for the knight, but Ian and Beric knew that wasn’t the case.

Hadn’t Kakantir told them directly?

“Go! Beric!”

“Try rolling around!”

The true path of a warrior was to move towards death.

They were all hoping that Beric would be reborn as a warrior.

“You’re like a mad dog, running in without any rhyme or reason.”

“Is that a compliment?”

Thwack!

“Cough!”

The knight, who had been receiving the attacks, took an opportunity and struck Beric’s solar plexus with his elbow. Beric’s face was buried in the sand. He couldn’t breathe, and he clutched his chest, gasping.

“Oh. Looks like he got hit pretty hard.”

“Beric! Hey! Get up!”

“Tsk tsk. I knew it from the start when he was acting up.”

Ian chuckled. As soon as Beric fell like that, the Thousand-Eyed Clan’s reaction turned harsh. The knight thought there was no time to waste and immediately gripped his sword again.

The neck of the fallen target was exposed.

Whoosh!

The knight’s sword was about to reach Beric’s neck. Beric twisted his body to avoid it and threw sand at the knight. And then, as if to repay him, he landed a punch.

Thwack!

“That really hurt!”

Thwack! Whack!

As the flow seemed to be heading towards a brawl, the knight glanced at the sky. The sun had completely risen. At this moment, when every minute and second was precious, there was no reason for him to play with Beric.

“Don’t be annoying!”

Clang! Clang!

But the problem was that this Beric guy was not easy to deal with. Every time he thought he had a decisive moment, Beric would come back at him, making the knight annoyed and flustered.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Haaah!”

The two’s shouts exploded at the same time. Their swords clashed, aiming for each other’s hearts as they twisted in.

Thud!

And finally, blood stained the sword.

The knight’s attack accurately pierced Beric’s side. Blood dripped down the blade. The knight didn’t stop there and twisted the handle.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Kuaaaah!”

“Hoo. You’re skilled, but this is the end.”

“Ugh! Uwaaaah!”

“I’m busy.”

It was at the level of tearing apart his insides. When Beric grabbed the blade with his bare hands, blood dripped down in several streams. The Thousand-Eyed Clan members muttered fiercely as Ian frowned without realizing it.

“That crazy bastard, if you’re going to kill him, kill him cleanly.”

A battle without respect was just mockery. And that was the situation they hated the most. Beric shook his head a few times as if he was dizzy, then looked down at the wound.

“…Ha. Shit.”

And he clenched his teeth, trying to pull out the sword. The more he did, the more the knight put his strength into it. The tip of the sword eventually pierced through Beric’s body and came out the other side.

Thwack!

The knight kicked Beric’s body away. He stepped over the body that was rolling to the side and walked towards Ian. Kakantir was just resting his chin with the same indifferent look as before.

“Ian Bratz. There’s no time.”

He pulled out a dagger from his waist. Unlike Beric, this would be enough for Ian. As he took each step, the surroundings became quiet. Only the sandstorm swirled around, making a desolate sound.

“Your death will prove Count Derga Bratz’s innocence. Consider it an honor to die fulfilling your duty.”

He raised the dagger. Ian’s gaze went to the tip of the blade, then moved to the back of the knight. The knight stopped and looked back, surprised by the reaction of someone facing death.

“Ha.”

Beric was standing there, motionless. His head was bent back as if he were possessed by a demon, but he was supporting himself on both legs. He grabbed the sword stuck in his side and pulled it out in one go.

Swish!

Blood gushed out like a fountain. There was no part of him that wasn’t red from head to toe. Beric slowly lowered his head and muttered with difficulty.

“…I’m not, done yet, you bastard.”

“Just stop it already…”

Zzzzzzz.

It was then. The knight couldn’t continue speaking because of the familiar yet strange energy. It was the same feeling that the knights’ commanders had shown during the monster battles.

Swoosh.

Beric’s hair, which had been swaying gently, began to whip around more violently. The lines of sand drawn on the ground looked like waves.

“I return two blows for every one I receive.”

“Damn it! You’re really annoying!”

“Knight, use this.”

At that moment, Kakantir smiled and lent him his sword. The knight’s sword that had been stuck in Beric’s side had fallen to the ground. The knight accepted it without hesitation and rushed at Beric.

Swish!

“I’m not going to die alone!! I’m going to watch you die, you bastard!”

“Shut up!”

Beric jumped up with explosive force.

Ian realized that his eyes were shining like when he infused magic. In his blood-soaked face, only his eyes were shining brightly.

Clang! Clang!

“Uwaaaah!”

“W-What the hell are you doing, you bastard…”

Beric pushed forward with incredible speed. The knight, who had barely been dodging, ended up bleeding. The force was incomparably heavier than before.

Blood splattered along the passing blade. No one knew if it was Beric’s or the knight’s.

“Dieee!”

Thud!

Beric’s attack pierced the knight’s shoulder in one go.

Time seemed to stop. The knight struggled and pushed the blade away with his other hand, but…

“Uwaaaah!”

Just like the knight had done, Beric put his weight into it. And he pulled the sword towards his heart, lifting the handle. As the long, deep wound widened, blood poured out with the knight’s breath.

“Ah, this…”

“Haa… haa…”

Beric clenched his teeth and then pressed his knee into his neck. The blade slid out of his shoulder. It pointed upwards as if piercing the sun, then pierced the knight’s neck without hesitation.

Thud!

“Ah, shit, really…”

And then he fell flat on the sand.

Beric clutched his aching side and curled up. Cheers and encouragement erupted from the quiet surroundings at the same time.

“Beric! You did well! You rude bastard!”

“That’s right, you have to go all the way in a fight!”

“You’re better with a sword than I thought. Beric, can you come to your senses?”

“Ah. Don’t talk to me. It hurts too much…”

“Such a drama queen! Just a little blood.”

“Hey! Move him. Where’s the medic?”

Kakantir just smiled faintly as he watched the commotion. And he bowed his head to Ian and whispered quietly. For some reason, he looked truly satisfied.

“I see why Lord Ian brought him here.”

“I didn’t bring him, we came together.”

“Hahaha. Yes. He truly has the virtues of a warrior. This Beric is no ordinary man.”

“Where else would you find someone with such a nasty personality?”

It was a question about the ability to make the sandstorm ripple and his eyes shine, but Ian playfully brushed off Kakantir’s words. And he approached Beric and squatted down.

“Beric. Come to your senses.”

When he snapped his fingers in front of his eyes, Beric frowned and tried to bite Ian’s finger.

“Hey. Where do you think you’re doing?”

“…This really hurts like hell.”

“It looks like it. You did a good job.”

The latent power of the magic swordsman had begun to awaken on its own. The magic that Ian had infused to stimulate him was gradually awakening. Beric tried to bite Ian’s finger one last time, then fainted.

“Please move him.”

“Yes, yes. We need to stop the bleeding too.”

“Well, is he asleep or unconscious?”

“How can he sleep with a hole in his stomach? He’s unconscious.”

The Thousand-Eyed Clan members moved Beric to the tent, throwing in a word each. A cloth was placed over the knight’s corpse. Nersarn took the reply from his chest and then called for Su.

“Su. Get ready.”

“Ah. Please, no.”

He instinctively knew he was about to be sent on an errand. Su made an X with his hands, expressing his refusal, but was firmly ignored. Nersarn called a subordinate and gave instructions.

“Cut off the knight’s head and put it in a box.”

“Aaaah! I’ll just take the paper! Please? Nersarn-nim.”

“No, it has to be the head.”

There was nothing better than that as a reply to Derga.

Su clung to Nersarn, jumping up and down, but it was no use, and soon the knight’s corpse was dismembered. Nersarn turned to Ian and asked,

“Is it time to watch for the right moment now?”

“Yes. Now that they know ‘we’ want to break the peace, Derga will immediately confront the central army. They say reinforcements are coming, so it’s a loss to drag it out. He’ll try to get rid of the investigation team first.”

The best scenario was for Derga to resist fiercely, causing losses to both the investigation team and the central army, and then be eliminated. If Ian entered with the Thousand-Eyed Clan backing him in that state, he could secure the angle of victory even more firmly.

“Demosha!”

A warrior carrying the knight’s corpse extended his fist to Ian. It was a greeting to celebrate Beric’s growth, to wish for God’s blessing, and to pledge loyalty.

Ian lightly bumped his fist in response.

“Demosha.”

The fighting spirit of the warriors chasing blood would make the desert even hotter. As if trying to grasp the rising sunlight, Ian’s fist was firm.