Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 355

Just as when he first led Ian’s group to Clifford, Noah fearlessly charged through the undergrowth. A faint smell of burning mingled with the fresh scent of soil. It wasn’t his imagination; smoke was rising in the distance, near the border.

Was it trying to scorch the blue sky? It seemed as if gray dust was scattering everywhere with the flames.

Hee-ing!

Noah quickly slowed his horse, grabbing the reins. They had reached a cliff overlooking the forest, providing a clear view of the battle below.

A section of the wall had collapsed, and through the gap, black Burgos soldiers were pouring in relentlessly. The source of that acrid smoke must be the border outpost.

“Your Highness.”

Maya called out to Noah after confirming it with her telescope. The number was greater than expected, and the question was whether they could handle the continuous invasion through the collapsed wall.

An officer following the prince suggested,

“It appears there are two legions, about 5,000 in total. Your Highness, since they are advancing towards the royal palace, it would be best if we cut off their rear. The royal palace will continue to send troops, so we should block them from both the front and the rear.”

“Then we have no choice but to observe their movements for a while and assess the timing. There’s a village not far from here.”

“If we wait, we’ll only witness the destruction of the village.”

“Look at the numbers. Engaging in an all-out battle will only result in meaningless bloodshed.”

“There’s a bridge in Baki that leads to the center. Securing that is our priority, Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, a decision.”

Noah pondered for a moment, looking down below. The distance was so great that the movements looked like ants.

If only he could stomp them out with his feet. The enemy had 5,000 soldiers, while Noah’s advance party numbered only 1,000. Just as he was about to draw his sword,

“Wait a moment, Your Highness. Something’s not right.”

Maya, who was watching the border with her telescope, raised her hand.

With the already collapsed section, the Burgos side had no problem moving. Yet, at other parts of the wall, explosions, vibrations, and flames were still occurring, which was strange.

Were they destroying everything for morale? It was inefficient to do that when they should be advancing. Moreover, there were no troops clearing the debris.

“The wall keeps exploding.”

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“Ah…”

Maya frowned, adjusting the focus. She saw strange creatures crawling up the wall. They looked like centipedes the size of a human arm, and as they moved, they ignited and exploded.

“They’re monsters…”

They were lower-level monsters called ‘Baekgak’ [Hundred Legs]. They were mainly found in the north of Burgos and were rarely seen in Clifford.

The Baekgak burned white, exploding and setting fire to the red wall, and then scattered, leaving behind an unknown contaminant.

“Burgos used monsters.”

“Your Highness, I heard that where Baekgak live, the soil dries up and dies, and not even a weed grows. Those Burgos bastards, are they planning to completely ruin Clifford?”

“Your Highness! Just give the order!”

“Yes, we’ll go and sweep them away, front and back!”

Noah bit his lip.

What if those horrible white centipedes burrowed into the land of Clifford and laid eggs? Regardless of winning this battle, the future of Clifford was clear as day.

He would never see it again. The lush vineyards, the thick tree trunks, and the laughter of the people nestled among them.

“But Your Highness, you must think carefully. The fact that they used Baekgak might not just be for destroying the wall and damaging Clifford’s land, but to keep us at the rear.”

Maya added in a low voice.

That also made sense. The Burgos side’s goal was to occupy the royal palace first and secure the mages, so they might be trying to tie up the advance party’s attention and forces at the rear.

But this was a trap that Noah couldn’t easily ignore.

“…The royal palace has forces. We will cut off the rear and repair the wall. We will divide the Burgos legion in half, using Baki as the base. Also, prevent the Baekgak from crossing Baki and reaching the center.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Let’s go! The 1st and 2nd commanders will go through the left forest, and we will go down the right cliff.”

Hee-ing!

As Noah made his decision, everyone turned their horses in unison. They knew the way to Baki better than the Burgos legion.

This was a place they had traveled all their lives since birth, and even their ancestors were born, raised, and laid to rest here. When it came to geographical advantages, there was no question.

Noah and his soldiers silently sped down the steep path, and soon, they saw smoke rising again in the distance.

Kwaaang! Kwaaang!

“Clear the way! If you don’t, you’ll all die!”

“Y-you bastards, where do you think you are!”

“Aaaagh! Aaaagh!”

“Guards! Where are the guards!”

“Please save us, please save us!”

“Burgos bastards-!”

Chwaaaak!

A small village instantly turned into chaos.

Flames engulfed the area, and crops were trampled, losing their noble appearance. Amidst the people running, falling, and rolling, the screams of children and adults echoed.

Some tried to fight back with hoes and daggers, but they couldn’t even scratch the armored soldiers and fell.

“Your Highness, hurry-”

“Wait.”

Wait, wait, just a little longer. Noah muttered, watching the situation. If he charged in right now, he might save one or two lives. But if he made a mistake, he could be caught in the middle of the enemy and suffer a crushing defeat.

Their goal was only one thing.

To cut off the rear precisely.

Ta-dak ta-dak!

The Burgos soldiers passed through the village, swinging their bloodied swords, and when about half of them had passed,

Noah raised his hand, and his subordinate blew the water buffalo horn loudly as a signal. The commanders who had gone to the left jumped out of the forest and attacked Burgos.

Chaeng! Chaeng!

“Kill them! They are the ones who covet our country!”

“Commander, they are Clifford soldiers!”

“They haven’t crossed the bridge yet.”

“The 1st legion continues to advance, and the 2nd legion confronts them. Forward! We keep going forward!”

The black Burgos soldiers and the purple Clifford soldiers clashed, engaging in a melee. A chaotic scene where friend and foe were indistinguishable.

The Clifford citizens crawled into the gaps between the debris, praying for their country’s victory, and Timothy, who was leading the way, advanced without faltering, as if he had expected this attack.

The Burgos soldiers on the bridge opened the mouths of huge cloth sacks.

Saa-aak.

Hundreds, thousands of Baekgak poured out. The centipedes that had occupied the bridge swarmed and fell into the river below, and Maya confirmed it.

‘Are they trying to destroy the bridge?’

It was strange. Eliminating their retreat route was clearly a burden for Burgos. Unless they were all prepared to die, it was natural to leave a way to escape in case of defeat. Destroying the bridge was something Clifford would want.

As the Baekgak heated up and accelerated the explosion, Maya shouted,

“Your Highness!”

Chaeng!

Chwaaaak!

Noah, who was cutting down Burgos soldiers with his own hands, turned his head at Maya’s call. His armor and sword were already covered in blood that was not his own.

“Burgos is trying to blow up the bridge!”

“What?”

Noah also immediately realized that Burgos’s actions were abnormal. But at the same time, a roar echoed.

Kwaaang! Kwang! Kwang!

The Baekgak ignited and destroyed the bridge, and the vibrations caused soil and rocks to roll down from the surrounding forest.

Noah mechanically swung his sword, watching the backs of the Burgos legion advancing closer to the royal palace.

“Those guys…”

“Kuh-erk!”

Kwaak!

Chwaaaak!

They wouldn’t be trying to throw all that force into the abyss of death.

If so, it meant that even if they retreated, they wouldn’t go back the way they came. It was true that this wasn’t the only border area connected to Burgos, but…

“Kill them! Kill them all!”

The prince shouted, swinging his sword like a madman. He couldn’t understand their intentions, and a sense of unease suddenly struck him, wondering if he had made the wrong choice. He had to quickly clear this area and engage them head-on in another forest path, not the bridge.

At that moment, five Burgos soldiers, realizing that Noah was the commander, rushed towards his horse and simultaneously stabbed their swords into it.

Hee-ing!

The horse writhed in pain and fell forward. Noah also fell off his horse and rolled on the ground, and Maya, surprised, ran towards him to protect the prince.

“Get back! Get back! Your Highness!”

“Protect the Prince-!”

“Damn it!”

Chwaaaak! Chwaaaak!

Chaeng!

Blades flew from all directions.

A sense of tension that felt like his breath would be cut off if he lost focus even for a moment. Noah almost reflexively parried, deflected, and rolled again. Maya tried to pull him onto a horse, but it wasn’t easy.

Covered in blood of unknown origin, Noah ran through the battlefield. Then, suddenly, he stopped, feeling a strange sensation wrapping around his ankle.

Saa-aak.

It was a Baekgak. They had crawled out of the debris of the destroyed bridge and infiltrated the battlefield.

Just as the white belly of the monster was about to light up, Noah stabbed his sword into it. Hot, foul liquid dulled the tip of his sword.

‘The presence of Baekgak means-‘

Kwaaang! Kwang!

Explosions would occur everywhere, Noah guessed, and at the same time, the earth shook.

Corpses were torn to pieces and flew into the air, the living exploded with death, and those who fell, crying out in pain, were both Burgos and Clifford soldiers.

“Your Highness! Please!”

Maya tried to reach Noah, pushing through the crowd, but it was impossible. Noah shouted to Maya,

“Focus only on cutting down the enemy!”

“The Baekgak keep coming up! You should retreat to the forest!”

“Yes! Your Highness! It’s better to go and strike down the Burgos coming up!”

“Maya! There, a child!”

“But-!”

Chaeng!

The Baekgak did not distinguish between Burgos and Clifford. The enemy soldiers who wanted to live would also try to go up to the forest, so it was advantageous to secure a position in advance and drop the enemy.

Maya, who was about to approach Noah, turned her body following the prince’s fingertip.

“Hurry!”

Ta-dak ta-dak!

Noah dashed through the enemy, and Maya, holding a child who looked about three or four years old in her left arm, went up to the forest.

Those on horseback escaped relatively easily, but Noah was still in the middle of the battlefield. Maya was about to put the child down and jump back into the chaos when it happened.

Saa-aak.

The entire floor of Baki village slowly lit up. The Baekgak, which they hadn’t even realized were there in the chaos, were about to ignite again.

Even the Burgos soldiers, as well as Noah, were all stunned and stopped, amidst the fallen corpses and the faint warmth seeping out from the gaps in the buildings.

“When did this…”

“Your Highness!”

“Maya, no! It’s about to explode!”

Noah stepped on the corpses with all his might and ran. Even in the midst of that, he cut down those who attacked him, and his heart began to pound as the heat rose.

‘Ah.’

Kwaaang!

Puh-ung! Pung!

The Baekgak exploded in a chain reaction.

A tremendous explosion and a storm hit, and flames swept everywhere. Even the Clifford commanders, including Maya, couldn’t open their eyes for a moment and covered their faces.

Maya was the first to regain her senses and looked around.

“Y-Your Highness?”

The skin of those who had fallen was melting, and it was impossible to tell who was who. They could only be distinguished by their clothing, and she struck down the climbing Burgos soldiers with her sword and kicked them off.

Even in the midst of that, Maya tried to find traces of the prince with her eyes. But he was nowhere to be seen.

“Maya! Get a grip! Your Highness is over there!”

Chwaaaak!

It was only when a commander pointed to the sky that she noticed.

Noah was floating in the sky, holding someone’s hand. A mage, said to be the closest to the power of God, a sacred being.

“Ha…”

Noah looked down at the ruined village at his feet and then looked up at the mage.

“I was just scouting, and I almost got into big trouble.”

“Did Sir Ian send you?”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, something like that.”

“What’s your name?”

The mage looked around at the destroyed bridge, the Baekgak, and the devastated village and answered. Those crazy bastards, what did they bring with them, including that strange monster from earlier? Seriously.

“You don’t need to know a guy like me’s name. I’m Sir Ian’s man, so it’s the same as Sir Ian saving me.”