Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 365

“Your Highness.”

Damon didn’t respond to Timothy’s call. Instead, he simply stopped writing with his pen.

Judging by the time, the minority successors from the north must all be gathered. Those who didn’t get along would be facing each other in one room.

Should he hurry, or should he wait until the conflict escalated? Damon adjusted his collar and called for his attendants. He chose to go as slowly as possible.

“Are they all gathered?”

“Out of the fifteen tribes, ten have responded, and there are a total of seventeen people gathered.”

“What about the other five tribes?”

His lips twisted into a smile, but his eyes were filled with displeasure. How dare those mere minorities reject the proposal from Vergos? He would make sure to remember their existence.

Timothy carefully handed over the documents and spoke.

“Well, it seems that those residing near the ‘rifts’ [tears in reality], including the Katrika tribe, have largely not attended. They claim that the attacks and surges of monsters have increased rapidly recently, making it impossible to spare manpower.”

“Fools. They should come all the more in such times.”

“Shall we send another letter?”

As King Damon frowned, the attendant who was adjusting his collar flinched and tensed up. The king’s mood seemed quite low, and at times like this, even a small mistake could mean death.

“Enough. An opportunity is only an opportunity because it comes only once.”

“Ah, and this is just my opinion, but it seems that the level of internal strife is less severe in the areas near the rifts than elsewhere. So, I think they might have refrained from accepting outside help for fear of losing the trust of their followers…”

“Agh!”

Damon grabbed the attendant’s hand, twisted it, and glared at the mirror in annoyance. The end of his gaze reached Timothy.

“I don’t want to know, Timothy.”

“…I apologize, Your Highness.”

Timothy prostrated himself and apologized. He was usually a bit on edge, but lately, he had been even more so.

What had he done wrong? If he had, the king’s personality would not have led him to express his anger so indirectly. There must be something that was displeasing him.

Timothy gestured for the weeping attendant, who was still holding his wrist, to leave, and then he escorted the king.

“Let’s go to the reception room, Your Highness. I will tell you about the unique characteristics of the minority groups while we walk. First, there’s Astana. Astana is located in the center of the northern region, and the chaos there is the most severe.”

“Astana. I heard it’s a nation of sorcerers.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Currently, there is a major conflict between the tribe that uses necromancy [magic involving the dead] and the tribe that uses psychokinesis [magic involving moving objects with the mind]. The one who came to Vergos is the successor of necromancy. His name is Hasha, his age is uncertain, but he seems to be around thirty…”

Damon stopped walking and frowned.

“Thirty? By Astana standards, isn’t that just a newborn? Is that what they call a successor?”

“Originally, they were pushed back in the conflict between factions and were almost annihilated. It is said that the old leader of necromancy went into hiding with a child. Actually, that’s just the public rumor, and the prevailing opinion is that he went to Bariel for a research invitation and then disappeared.”

“But suddenly he came back to life and is reorganizing his forces?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“His skills must be extraordinary. Was he related to the old leader?”

“He was his grandson.”

Damon listened to Timothy’s report and couldn’t shake off a strange feeling of unease. There was nothing particularly special about it. Could it be because Bariel was involved in their activities?

That damned empire that was always involved. Damon clicked his tongue and told him to continue.

As he flipped through one page, then two, they arrived at the reception room. Attendants opened the doors to the left and right to greet him.

“His Highness Damon enters!”

Squeak.

As soon as the door opened, an unfamiliar foreign scent wafted in.

Those who were sitting around a long oval table. Their clothing, appearances, and even the atmosphere they exuded were all unique. Even though they lived in the same region of northern Gaia, how could they be so different?

“Be seated.”

King Damon received their greetings and then gestured lightly. There was an undisguised anger and excitement in his eyes. Before Damon arrived, they must have had a fight among themselves.

“You must have had a long journey.”

“No, Your Highness, it is an honor to be summoned here.”

“Yes. Vergos is as wonderful a country as I expected. If only the Makun tribe had opened the way, we could have arrived earlier and looked around.”

“I apologize for that. We couldn’t allow it because of the complaints that the Makun tribe smelled of rotten monsters. I’ll see what I can do about your return journey.”

“Are you insulting us now for eating monster meat?”

“Of course not. You’re just overinterpreting things.”

“Ahem! What are you all doing! In front of His Highness Damon!”

Bang, bang, bang!

Damon watched their bickering with interest. It was so pathetic and ridiculous to see them so fiercely vying for that small piece of land.

The deeper their discord, the more they would want the power and help of Vergos. This was an advantage, so he just smiled without any intention of stopping them.

“It’s alright. I know that there are many different cultures among those gathered here.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.”

As Damon gestured, attendants came and placed a glass of wine in front of each of them. A dark red liquid of unknown origin. They were so sensitive to assassination that they didn’t look particularly pleased.

“However, I think it would be better to get to the point rather than chatting.”

“You want the help of each tribe…”

“Vergos will soon declare war on Clifford. I would like you to lend me a small hand at that time.”

War? With Clifford?!

They were taken aback, as if they hadn’t expected it, and looked at each other. Judging by their expressions, none of them had known about it beforehand.

“Your Highness. I apologize, but the war with Clifford is a rather sensitive matter. To tell us so suddenly…”

“Is there a problem?”

There was a problem. First of all, although they were not as dependent on Vergos, there were quite a few tribes that had exchanges with Clifford, and above all, their own forces had been greatly depleted in the wars within their own countries and the northern continent.

And now, they were being asked to participate in a war in another country. This was not something to be taken lightly.

“Vergos doesn’t want your military strength. It wants the abilities of those gathered here. There’s no need to mobilize soldiers. We don’t want that.”

How much would that be anyway? They were just minorities.

“Are you saying you want to mobilize sorcerers for the war?”

“That’s right. Especially the power of necromancers.”

“Hmm…”

They all hesitated, unable to easily decide to help. Since it was not a war involving their own national ideologies, if Vergos were to lose, their position would become quite difficult.

They held influence now because of their proximity to Vergos. But what if Clifford won and extended its power northward? Would they spare the minority tribes that had participated? It was clear that their choice would significantly impact their distant future.

A hesitant silence filled the room. Damon smiled faintly as he lit a cigarette.

“Why the heavy atmosphere?”

“Your Highness, this is actually a bit reckless…”

“We will win.”

“Pardon?”

“Vergos will unconditionally win the war against Clifford. Those who want to know why, drink the wine. Then I will share my sweet secret.”

A confident and unwavering assertion.

“Also, the spoils of war will be even sweeter.”

Damon raised his glass first.

Some raised their glasses without hesitation, signaling their willingness to join him. These were the tribes whose support was particularly weak due to internal conflicts. For them, Vergos’s help was crucial.

Then, the others murmured and slowly raised their glasses. If another country became stable and strong, it would pose a threat to them. To balance the chaos, and to balance the stability. If someone allied with Vergos, they would have no other choice.

Swoosh.

Soon, everyone raised their glasses. A silent toast in the air. They emptied their glasses in one gulp, and Damon’s satisfied laughter echoed.

“Good, good. Let’s consider this a blood oath. Now that we’re like brothers, I’ll share some very welcome news.”

Brothers, indeed. They knew very well how the king of Vergos viewed them. If they hadn’t been holding back the monsters in the north, Damon’s first territorial expansion would likely have been northward, not toward Clifford.

“You all know better than anyone that the rift situation in the north has been unusual recently.”

“Yes. The number of monsters is increasing every year. The damage is also becoming more severe.”

“We will move the power of that rift to Clifford.”

“…!?”

At the unexpected words, everyone froze in surprise.

Move the power of the rift? Was that even possible?

“Wasn’t the occurrence of rifts limited to the north of the Gaia continent?”

“It’s rare to find them anywhere else. Clifford? I don’t understand what you mean.”

Attendants refilled their glasses with wine. Damon stood up and poured the wine directly onto the table. Swish, the red liquid spread out and then stopped, capturing the attention of those watching.

“Beneath this Gaia continent we stand on, there is an unknown world. The condensed power expands and eventually breaks through the earth, creating monsters, harming nature, and threatening our survival. Let’s say this wine is that power. Huh?”

He slowly walked to the opposite side of the table. The eyes of those who were tense followed him.

“But what if a gap opens on the other side? It’s like opening another path in the road that only flowed to the north.”

Then Damon spilled water. The water slowly spread, meeting the wine and naturally mixing. The transparent water became colored, and the wine’s color at the point of contact became lighter.

“There will soon be a major earthquake in Clifford. If we take advantage of that gap, the blood that flowed from the north will move to Clifford. Isn’t that beneficial for you in many ways?”

It wasn’t just beneficial. It was an opportunity to step away from the war against monsters they had been fighting for centuries, and to pass on a new land of life to their descendants.

“H-How is that possible?”

“It’s the same as what I just did. It’s not wine, but if you pour something of a similar nature, it will seep in. Actually, you don’t need to know the details.”

Hasha stared at the water dripping under the table. If monsters continued to surge in the north, it was clear that it would eventually affect Vergos. So, before that, he intended to transfer the power to Clifford, take over that land, manage it, and strengthen his control over the minority tribes.

It was beneficial for everyone, but Hasha somehow didn’t like it. It seemed like the soaked table had another meaning.

“Then, shall we have another drink?”

Damon raised his empty glass as if he was enjoying himself, and someone nearby quickly filled it with wine.

Hasha touched the brooch he had put in his pocket while drinking.

* * *

“Yes, I heard it well. Is this a low-grade magic stone? The sound is a bit off. Let’s see, what is this…”

Unlike Acorella, who was examining the magic stone, Noah covered his mouth as if he was in shock. The Clifford general was the same. To try to crush his fertile land with monsters.

“…It’s war. This is a war we can’t turn back from.”

“Your Highness. I didn’t know that the Vergos side had the technology to predict earthquakes. I will report to His Majesty immediately.”

Tap, tap, tap!

The mages looked back and forth between Noah and Hasha, awkwardly averting their eyes. It was an awkward atmosphere that couldn’t be hidden, as it was a meeting between the owner of Clifford and the one who tried to destroy it.

“We don’t know the exact meaning of the ‘similar nature’ that King Damon mentioned. However, what is certain is that he is ‘waiting’ for a major earthquake-”

“You bastard!”

“Oh, Your Highness! Please don’t do this!”

“We’re on the same side now, huh? We’re on the same side!”

As Noah grabbed Hasha by the neck again, the mages rushed in to stop him.

It was not a simple war. It would be a fight between those who wanted to change the landscape of the continent. Ian smiled faintly and tapped the table with his fingertips.

‘Damon is really something.’

Is this the future of Vergos that is different from his past life? Since he had regressed, the information about the earthquake seemed certain….

“I overlooked it.”

Tap.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean King Damon overlooked it. If you open a new path, the original blood will definitely become diluted, but-”

The monsters in the north would decrease a little. But if you consider the monster damage across Gaia, wouldn’t it be right to say that the amount would increase?

“It will overflow as much as it is mixed with water.”

Did he think he could control it with Idgal [a new rift]? Idgal, a new rift, Damon….

“Ah.”

Ian exclaimed softly as if he had realized something.

Perhaps this was what Rutherford wanted. A Gaia where they could not live without Idgal due to the surge of monsters, a Gaia led by Rutherford.

“Ian, do you know what the ‘similar nature’ that King Damon mentioned is?”

It wasn’t an enlightenment about that, but Ian nodded lightly. Something of a similar nature to monsters.

“It means everything that uses and contains mana [a form of magical energy]. The White Horns are like that, and so are the synthetic monsters-”

Mages and magic swordsmen.

“We are like that.”