Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 353

Burgos was quieter than ever before.

Unlike Clifford, which was close to its people, the Burgos castle was situated atop a massive hill.

Not only were the small and large murmurs of the nation unheard, but those who had secretly sensed the signs of war had already cut off their connections, creating a quiet, dark, and deeply sunken atmosphere.

Timothy and the other officials who had entered Clifford fiercely pulled on their horses’ reins and galloped toward the palace. Seeing the Burgos flag waving along with the torches, the gates were opened in advance.

Tadak tadak!

Hee-ing!

The matter was urgent. Although there were mages in Clifford, their condition was said to be near incapacitation, and the shadows of the palace had followed the defector.

Clifford was also making considerable preparations. Perhaps the other defectors had also been identified, and even if not, they couldn’t expect any help.

Timothy dismounted his horse and immediately ran to the central audience hall of the palace where Damon was. If they were going to start a war, it was advantageous for them to move as quickly as possible, so the sooner the king made a decision, the closer they would be to victory.

Squeak.

“Oh, Timothy.”

“Your Majesty, I have returned.”

Damon was in the middle of a meeting with nobles regarding military operations. The gazes of numerous nobles were focused on Timothy. He took a breath and reported the information he had obtained from Clifford.

“So, how many envoys were said to have died?”

“Rumors on the street said either two or three. But this is not a matter of significance.”

“Two or three? That’s a big difference.”

“Most of the mages are stationed in Clifford, including Sir Ian. Their condition seems to be near incapacitation, like ordinary people, so they can’t return to Bariel. This is reliable information, as it was confirmed by someone we planted in the palace.”

The nobles murmured at Timothy’s report. They had never seen such a case in their lives. It was surprising that most of the mages were away from the center, but their condition was so severe that they couldn’t return? This was nothing short of a god-given opportunity.

One of the nobles excitedly added,

“Your Majesty, if the mages’ condition is that bad, shouldn’t we go in right away, regardless of justification? It might be better to capture the mages and prevent Bariel’s intervention.”

“That’s right. If we’re going to go deep into the center to capture the mages, they’re within reach right now. This is an opportunity we can’t miss.”

“Now I understand why Clifford was trying to buy time. They’re waiting for the mages to recover. It seems they’ve agreed to some kind of alliance with Bariel, and they’re clearly planning to use the mages as their front line of defense.”

“How long has it been since we received contact from Luswena? When they launched that, the black moon.”

“It hasn’t been three days. It seems the magic consumption from that was significant.”

“They said they went to get Sir Ian, but I don’t know how things turned out like this. Could there have been a personal problem with Sir Ian?”

“How would we know about the mages’ problems? We can just capture them and ask. Your Majesty, let’s proceed without delay. For justification, we can say we’re going to personally retrieve the envoys who have fallen ill.”

“Yes. So, ask them to open the way. They will surely refuse, and we’ll use that as an excuse to enter.”

The nobles seized the opportunity and smoothly crafted a scenario. Since the other side had officially acknowledged the envoys’ illness, what could they say if Burgos said they would retrieve them themselves?

Of course, the scale of the escort would be a military unit, so Clifford would never open the border. That would be the small spark that would ignite the war.

“And it seemed like the palace was anticipating our entry and the defector’s contact. A shadow was following us.”

“Really? Any damage?”

“One person died, but it was an instant death, so there will be no leaks.”

Clifford had noticed Burgos’s information warfare. This meant that regardless of how many envoys died, the fact that they ‘died’ had leaked out. They knew it was only a matter of time before Burgos would find an excuse to cause trouble.

Damon rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

“When we say we’ve come to retrieve the envoys at the border, send the military doctors ahead.”

In the chaos, there was confusion in the supply of goods and medical supplies, which could be used as an excuse for the envoys’ deaths. By sending the military doctors ahead, they intended to maximize the justification for their treatment. The nobles and officials nodded, taking down Damon’s orders.

“Understood. Shall we prepare for departure immediately?”

“Yes. Have everything ready before sunrise.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Damon gestured for everyone to leave, and the nobles moved in an orderly fashion, exiting the audience hall.

Timothy was about to follow them when he suddenly felt something was off. One of the officials who had come with him wasn’t moving. Timothy looked at him questioningly, and the official prostrated himself before Damon.

“Your Majesty, I have something personal to say. Would you grant me the honor of a private audience?”

Damon, who had been standing up from his desk and looking through documents, tilted his head in confusion. He looked at Timothy as if asking if he knew what was going on, but Timothy was just as clueless.

Damon muttered in a low voice,

“Asking for my time for personal matters? How audacious. Can it even be called an honor?”

“Your Majesty, I must speak to you.”

“Alright, let’s hear it. Timothy, go out.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Timothy glanced at his subordinate and left the audience hall.

Now that everyone was gone and only the two of them remained, the official slightly raised his upper body and looked up at Damon. Damon was sitting with his legs crossed, his eyes telling him to speak quickly. He was tired from the long meeting, and there was a warning that if it was nothing important, there would be severe punishment.

Then, he had no choice but to be direct.

“It seems Timothy is a defector.”

Damon paused. He had heard these words in his previous life as well. Though the person who said them was different.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

“When contacting the palace, there was a third party besides the shadow. They seemed to be looking for Timothy, but there was no murderous intent or any negative reaction. It’s clear that Timothy has some kind of relationship within Clifford.”

The subordinate was so nervous that he could hear his own heart pounding. He knew what it meant to accuse his superior.

If the king sided with Timothy, he would be completely ruined. But if the king had even a little doubt? Timothy’s position would become his.

It was an opportunity to push out his superior and move one step higher, and to gain the king’s trust more firmly. He was participating in a gamble where his life was on the line.

“……”

But there was no answer.

The subordinate slightly turned his head to look at Damon. He had a very strange expression. It seemed like he was angry, but also regretful, and even frustrated and sad.

Faced with the king’s completely unexpected reaction, the subordinate once again slammed his head on the floor and shouted,

“I swear on everything, Your Majesty!”

“Lower your voice.”

Damon frowned, rubbing his forehead.

Just like in his previous life, Timothy was betraying Burgos. Despite changing the depth and distance of their relationship, the result was the same. It was like a sentence had been passed on Damon, who wanted to change the future of Burgos. No matter what you do, the future will not change.

If he couldn’t change one small life like Timothy, how could he twist the great river of Burgos?

All these questions changed into Ian’s voice and stirred up Damon’s mind.

Clang!

Crash!

Damon threw the ornament he was holding against the wall. With each sound of his breath quickening and the object breaking, it felt like Ian’s voice was scattering.

The subordinate trembled and prostrated himself, waiting for the king’s anger to subside. Timothy was the head of the delegation and the king’s closest aide. If he had defected, such a reaction was normal. He could only hope that the shattered glass wouldn’t reach him.

“Haa, haa……”

Damon’s anger continued for a long time, and soon only his rough breathing echoed quietly. He slumped into his chair and searched for a cigarette.

“Does Timothy have a family?”

“Ah, yes, yes. He has a wife and children.”

“Timothy will be at the forefront of this war. You-”

With a sigh mixed with smoke, Damon’s cruel command scattered.

“In the meantime, capture his wife and children. The responsibility for family should be repaid with one’s life. I will show them what is more painful than death.”

A chilling murmur. The subordinate didn’t even notice the cold sweat running down his back and kept bowing his head.

What was he going to do to his wife and children while Timothy was away? Suddenly, the smile of the wife who had served him warm food flashed through his mind. But it was already too late. He closed his eyes tightly and only imagined his future.

“And you.”

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tell Timothy that you pleaded with me that he could not participate in the war. He will remain in Burgos in exchange for being relieved of his position, and tell him that you will take good care of his family.”

Timothy would surely be curious. What was it that he had to tell the king directly, bypassing him?

It was a bit unclear, but there would be no time to doubt in the upcoming war. The subordinate nodded again, saying he understood.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will carry it out perfectly!”

“…Get out.”

The gamble was successful. The subordinate barely managed to leave the audience hall, his legs trembling. He couldn’t have any doubts about the king, who believed his words based on just one hint without any evidence. He just thought that the king had always been suspicious of Timothy.

‘Timothy. In the end, it’s like this again-‘

Damon stubbed out his cigarette and kicked the desk again. He pretended to be for Burgos, pretended to be for himself, but nothing changed.

This was disappointment and anger towards an individual, but in the end, it was also the frustration that came from the fact that the future he was trying to change was so firm.

“No. No, no, it can’t be like this.”

This time it would be different. The small pebbles would remain in place, but the river of Burgos that Damon was leading would draw a different course. It would overflow Bariel, fill the palace, and he would admire the brilliantly shining surface above it.

The Burgos of this life is different. The Damon of this life is different. Damon muttered, covering his head. It was like the whisper of a ghost floating in the vast audience hall.

* * *

“You didn’t meet Timothy?”

“Yeah. Some other guy was there? That palace defector died, and the shadow took the body away, and we just ran away.”

While Beric was reporting, tearing into a piece of meat, Barsabe was hanging her head as if she had no face to show.

Beric didn’t know, but Barsabe had rarely made a mistake in the missions she had been assigned so far. She would rather die than not bring back any results.

But all she had done outside was climb on the roof. She felt like she had tarnished the reputation of the Royal Guard.

“I’m sorry. There were so many people that it was difficult to follow, and more than anything, I decided that it was a priority not to be discovered by the shadow, so I stopped the pursuit and returned to the palace first.”

“No, it was a reasonable decision. If Clifford finds out that the two of you were involved in the contact, it will become strange. Good work, Barsabe.”

“What about me? I also worked really hard. I climbed over roofs, crawled up, got my head stuck in the railing, look at this. My neck is injured. Ugh, it’ll take a year to heal.”

Beric, exaggerating a scratch, chewed on the meat. Ian laughed, dumbfounded by his blatant demand for praise.

“You must have worked hard too.”

“Must have worked hard? It’s not ‘must have,’ I did.”

“Okay. Eat a lot. The palace chef has memorized your name.”

‘Eat a lot’ was both praise and reward. The moment Beric laughed heartily and picked up meat with both hands.

Tadak tadak!

Thud!

“Ah, you scared me!”

“Something terrible has happened!”

The palace servants ran to the detached palace where the mages were, throwing open the doors without a sound. The mages, who were slowly regaining their senses, stopped and looked towards the door.

“Th-the Burgos army has appeared at the border!”