Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 352

To leave the palace, a simple report and inspection were necessary, and after going through that process, one could exit through the various divided passages.

Beric and Barsabe were watching who came out from beyond the left gate, just as Ian had instructed. The people gathered along the street were busy singing, dancing, and enjoying drinks and tobacco.

Beric, squatting down, looked at them longingly.

“No one’s coming out, wanna grab a drink?”

“Yeah, if you want to get scolded by Ian, go ahead.”

“We’ve been doing this for hours already? Isn’t this all to make a living? Or I can go quickly buy some.”

“It’s only been an hour. I can let other things slide, but it’s a problem when those words come out of your mouth. You’re always eating whenever I see you. And do you even have money?”

Beric narrowed his eyes and glared at Barsabe. It was because Ian had entrusted all the unknown papers and emergency funds to Barsabe. She unfolded the paper again and muttered.

“Don’t get distracted and keep a close watch. They’ll try to come out secretly, so we might miss them. Especially with so many people around.”

“Your nagging is really something. You never stop chattering.”

“As if you’re not always eating.”

She never gives in, which is really annoying. If only he knew how to read, Ian would have entrusted the papers to him! Beric vowed to study reading when he returned to the palace, glaring at the gate.

Then, someone came out.

“Isn’t that them?”

“Wait here. Keep watching.”

Barsabe pushed through the crowd, her nerves on edge. Could there be anyone else tailing them? If so, they were likely shadows sent by Prince Noah, meaning they could be defectors.

However, she walked towards the commercial center without any unusual behavior. Judging by her appearance, it seemed like another errand for Acorella.

‘Or is it not?’

And then, another person came out. Just as someone, caught up in the excitement, grabbed Barsabe’s hand and asked her to dance, she spun around while keeping her head fixed. They were trying to hide their presence as much as possible, blending into the crowd.

Following that, a peculiar movement was detected among the bustling crowd. A flow dividing into three streams. All of them were walking in circles around the person who had just come out. Barsabe shook off the hand of the person she was dancing with and gestured to Beric.

“Beric!”

“Oh, oh, you’re a good dancer.”

“Stop the crap and hurry!”

“Ah, you’re here?”

It wasn’t a greeting while dancing, it was a signal? Beric jumped up and ran towards Barsabe. Pushing through the dense crowd, where it was hard to even take a step, was no easy task.

Beric saw old men smoking water pipes on the rooftops and nodded to Barsabe.

“Let’s go up there.”

“We can’t be seen.”

“Then we’ll just let them get away. It’s an emergency at the palace, so people aren’t coming out much, but if they have shadows, it means Prince Noah is completely suspicious. They might not even be on the list.”

The list of defectors that Noah gave to Ian. But there was no way to confirm if it was real or not, and since they were palace figures, Ian didn’t know them either. That’s why he sent the two master swordsmen out, wasn’t it?

But wait, why is this guy suddenly so smart? Barsabe bit her lip and then leaped onto the cargo, climbing up in one go.

“That’s it!”

Thwack!

Through the puffs of smoke from the old men’s pipes, the two ran across the rooftops. The old men looked at them with puzzled expressions, but that was all. On a night like tonight, drunk on alcohol and the moon, it was normal to have a few crazy people around.

Tap, tap!

“Can you see them?”

“Wait, they’re wearing black hoods like us, and it’s a woman.”

“Wow, that’s some helpful information.”

“Over there! It’s over there! The green roof, the alley next to the sign!”

“I’ll go this way first! You go around that way!”

“Beric! You crazy bastard, if you jump from there-!”

The distance between the buildings was several meters. But Beric didn’t care and threw himself forward, grabbing onto the tavern sign and climbing up.

A middle-aged man who was having a drink made eye contact with Beric.

“What’s up?”

“Enjoy your drink.”

Beric winked, and the middle-aged man reflexively winked back. Barsabe, holding her head, was in agony.

“Molar! I’m going first! Ebebe.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! If you do it, I’ll do it too!”

Damn it, damn it, damn it. There’s a difference between human and beast physical abilities from the start. Barsabe wiped the sweat from her hands and jumped just like Beric had.

Wham! Thud!

Screech!

It was close, but she managed to hang onto the sign like Beric. It was already strange to see someone flickering by the window once, but twice? A customer winked at Barsabe, just like he had done to Beric, and Barsabe responded by raising her middle finger.

Tap, tap!

“Run! Wahoo!”

“Run quietly!”

The defector entered the back alley. And three shadows. Following them, two master swordsmen ran across the rooftops. Beric and Barsabe kept their eyes fixed on their targets, running, climbing, and rolling between buildings to avoid losing them.

Then, at some point.

“They stopped.”

The shadows sensed something and slowed down, then stopped completely. The defector had made contact with someone.

It was dark, and they were too high up, so the details were not visible. Beric leaned over the railing and sniffed.

“What are you doing? Duck down.”

“Smell. Trying to see if it’s Timothy. But I can’t tell.”

Stop talking nonsense and follow me, she was about to grab his collar when….

Squeak.

“Huh?”

His neck was stuck in the railing. Beric was surprised and tried to twist his body, but it was no use. It looked like it would break any minute, but it was surprisingly sturdy! Beric looked at Barsabe, struggling.

“Um… Senior?”

Thwack! Thwack!

He was smiling awkwardly, asking for help. Barsabe took this opportunity to hit Beric on the back of the head repeatedly, and Beric bit his lip to avoid making a sound.

“You always cause trouble, don’t you? Huh?”

“Senior? I’m sorry? So, let’s pry this open together? It should work if we do it at the same time.”

“Let me hit you one more time. I’m so frustrated-”

That’s when it happened. In the dark alley, the defector entered a building, and the shadows moved as well.

Barsabe looked back and forth between the stuck Beric and the alley, then had no choice but to move first.

“I’m going first. Follow me.”

“Hey! You, Molar, you crazy bastard! If you hit me, you have to pay the price! Pry it open together and go!”

“Shut up. Shut your mouth. You got hit because of your reckless behavior.”

“Ugh. You’re dead, really.”

“Hurry up and follow.”

Thwack!

Barsabe quickly jumped off the building and followed them deeper into the alley. It was a place where muddy water splashed everywhere.

Soon, faint voices could be heard. Barsabe hid her presence. The shadows nearby were probably also holding their breath, watching them.

“…So, it seems the palace gates will be closed for the time being.”

“Any other unusual things? There are rumors that the envoys died. Some say three, some say two. Do you know anything about this?”

“I haven’t heard anything specific, but it’s certain they’re dead.”

“You don’t know the exact number?”

“I swear, that’s the truth.”

“Then what about the mages? You can’t say you don’t know about that, can you?”

“The mages are currently in the palace……”

Swish!

At that moment, the shadows flew in swiftly. The information about the mages was important enough to change the situation, so they were trying to cut off the defector’s head before he could leak it.

With the sudden attack, the surroundings instantly turned into chaos. The opposing guards and the palace shadows clashed, their swords meeting, and sparks flew.

‘Is Timothy mixed in there?’

It didn’t matter if the defector died or if someone from Burgos bled. Barsabe’s order was ‘Timothy’s safety and capture.’

Even though her eyes were used to the dark, they were all wearing robes, making it difficult to identify them.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

She couldn’t recklessly approach. If Noah’s side found out about Beric and Barsabe’s presence, it could lead to suspicion of Ian. Of course, even she, who was carrying out the order, didn’t know why she had to go this far for Timothy.

Clang! Clang, clang!

“Ti-mo-thy!”

Then, a voice came from the sky behind them. It was Beric, who had barely managed to get out of the railing. Those who were fighting fiercely looked up at the sky for a moment, but they couldn’t see from below.

“Timothy! If you’re there, answer!”

“What is that? Who is it!”

The palace side mistook them for Burgos’ reinforcements, and the Burgos side realized that they were a third party looking for Timothy. When everyone looked up, their faces were revealed under the moonlight. Barsabe confirmed that Timothy was not there.

“Timothy’s not here!”

“Not here? Oh, really?”

Barsabe yelled at him not to come down, and while Beric hesitated, she climbed back up the building and hid herself.

The people were bewildered. The Burgos side was the first to come to their senses.

Thud!

Swish!

They stabbed the palace shadows in the back and then started running away.

Tap, tap!

“Chase them! Chase them!”

“Request backup!”

The defector from Burgos ran, panting. He told the Burgos contact he had met.

“What is it? Why is Timothy’s name coming up here?”

“That’s what I should be asking. What about the mages?”

“The mages are currently, huff… all collapsed and incapacitated, huff… They can’t use their powers properly, so they can’t even return.”

Swish!

At that moment, the defector’s neck was pierced by a sword thrown by a palace shadow. His body fell forward, having given up all the information.

The Burgos man gritted his teeth and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. At the end of the alley, bright lights could be seen. To hide a tree, it was natural to go into the forest. He lowered his body and naturally blended into the crowd, and the palace shadows stopped, unable to follow his trail.

“Damn it!”

“They couldn’t have gone far. Search!”

“Hurry and request backup, and strengthen the border guards!”

The Burgos man clutched his pounding heart and shook off his pursuers.

The time they had agreed to meet was soon. Amid the chaotic confusion, the Burgos man walked towards the meeting place, pondering. It didn’t seem like a palace person, but why did Timothy’s name come up?

It seemed like they were chasing the defector. That information had leaked. But how? Through whom?

Tap.

“Hey.”

A man grabbed the shoulder of the person who was walking aimlessly. It was Timothy. He looked up and down at his bewildered subordinate and asked. There was blood on him.

“What happened?”

“Ah, Timothy, sir.”

“The information?”

“That is……”

“Let’s move first. The movements near the border are suspicious, so it’s better to move first.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The Burgos man, who was following Timothy, found his own answer in the confusion. He didn’t know what it was, but Timothy had some kind of relationship with someone inside Clifford.

‘It’s best to tell this directly to King Damon.’

“Um, Timothy, sir. It’s true that mages are stationed in the palace. But they’re incapacitated and no different from ordinary people. Their condition is so severe that they can’t even return to Bariel, so I think now is the perfect time. It’s also true that the envoys are dead. However, there are only rumors about the number, either two or three.”

“The number of dead envoys is no longer an issue. We’ve found out about the mages’ existence and condition.”

“Yes. That’s true.”

“Let’s go. Let’s hurry and tell the king this good news.”

“Yes, sir.”

Without knowing that the mages had magic amplifiers, Timothy was excited at the thought of reporting the mages’ incapacitation, and his pace quickened.

And the Burgos man suspiciously glanced at the back of his head. He pondered what to tell the king, that there was something wrong with Timothy, and followed behind him.