Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 367

Bang!

General Vergos slammed his fist on the table.

The sound of teeth grinding was clearly audible, and the officers bowed their heads in silence.

When they broke through Clifford’s wall—no, when they arrived here after defeating two villages, including Baki Village—they were full of vigor, as if they had already won.

But was that just a temporary heat that burned like the sun? As soon as night fell, their morale cooled down.

“Keep reporting.”

“Ah, yes.”

The battles on the front lines resulted in nothing but the deaths of soldiers.

They had left their homeland and were in enemy territory with limited forces. Reinforcements would come, but since the bridge at Baki Village was destroyed, it would probably be difficult for them to arrive here. The situation was not good.

The officer stammered and cleared his throat.

“Currently, all the necromancers have been evacuated, and measures have been taken to change their attire. It has not been determined how the mages distinguished them. Due to the large cultural differences between the tribes, there are no particularly common characteristics. I think they might have used magic.”

“The power of necromancers is different from mana, isn’t it? That can’t be it.”

“Then?”

No one readily offered an answer.

They couldn’t dare to guess the reason why the necromancers were taken away so quickly from among so many people. That a bastard mage from the border had connections with the northern minority. And that what he was holding was a Bratz brooch [a type of decorative pin or clasp].

“Haa.”

The general sighed and rubbed his face. Since all the necromancers had been moved out of the camp, they had no choice but to revise their strategy.

And above all, the loss of one necromancer meant the loss of one synthetic monster. Already, four of them were out of commission and had withered away because of the crazy mages.

“This is troublesome.”

The general muttered fiercely and looked around at the officers, their faces hardening even more. They hadn’t even managed to catch Prince Noah, who had been openly attacking and retreating from the rear?

They had gained nothing from the large and small battles. Not a single thing.

“General, it would be best to enter the wall as soon as it dawns. There are supply issues, and the more time passes, the less advantageous it will be for us.”

“Yes. That is true. The morale of the soldiers who have seen the mages with their own eyes has plummeted, which is a serious problem. If we successfully break down the wall, morale will be restored.”

“Hmm.”

The general pondered. King Damon had ordered them to be in the palace or capital on a certain date when he went to war.

He tapped his fingers and counted the days. Because there wasn’t much time, the general’s mind became even more complicated.

“By the way, what did Clifford, no, the Bariel mages do with the necromancers they took?”

“Hasha, was it? From Astana.”

“Yes. That’s right. There’s no important information that he would know, but I’m still a little worried. What if they passed on the descriptions of the necromancers? I heard that the necromancers are sensitive to each other because their energies are similar.”

“It might be a good thing. We could use the necromancers to lure the mages. I just regret that one of those synthetic monsters isn’t moving.”

With the foul-smelling thing standing firm in the rear, their camp was divided in two like a pair of scissors.

At that moment, a voice was heard from outside the tent. It was Timothy.

“General, I have something to report.”

“Sir Timothy? Come in.”

He was ahead on the battlefield, but he was excluded from such important meetings. He didn’t know the meaning of his existence, but he just endured it silently because that was what His Majesty wanted. Timothy glanced inside for a moment, then nodded.

“About the person who was captured as a prisoner, I have confirmed their identity. They are one of Clifford’s envoys, and I have seen them in Bariel. They are one of Prince Noah’s closest aides, a powerful figure in the royal palace.”

A small sigh escaped. It seemed they had gained something after all.

They had lost the necromancers, but it was fortunate that they had captured one of Noah’s closest aides as a prisoner. The officers added with brightened faces.

“Yes, I thought their movements were unusual. And they moved with a small elite group along with Prince Noah. They are definitely worth negotiating with. Let’s exchange them for the necromancers.”

“Hmm. Well, how influential are they? There must be quite a few envoys.”

“If Sir Timothy remembers them, you should understand. They must be a very important figure, like you, serving His Majesty.”

Timothy did not respond to the officers’ words. He couldn’t say with certainty that he was truly an important subordinate to Damon. So, he deliberately changed the subject.

“In my opinion, there is a possibility that they are Prince Noah’s lover. The relationship between the two seemed quite close when I saw them in Bariel. Even if they had been together since they were young, they were a royal and his subordinate, but there was no sense of formality.”

“A lover! Ah, that’s good.”

“Interesting. Interesting.”

“Are you continuing the interrogation?”

“Yes. But I think you should see them once. They have a lot of spirit, so ordinary people can’t handle them. Please see them yourself and decide what to do. In my humble opinion…”

Mei was not an easy person. Whether it was more beneficial to send such a person back alive or to retrieve the necromancers, Timothy couldn’t even guess.

If Mei returned safely, Noah’s capable subordinate would return, and it would also help the prince’s mental state. When he saw Noah in Bariel, the prince seemed a bit emotional and had a sensitive or prickly personality, so that was the judgment he could make.

“It might be better to kill Mei here and give up on the necromancers. The necromancers are only in charge of one synthetic monster anyway.”

“They are the ones who can control the furthest distance. You saw the power of the synthetic monsters, didn’t you? If we don’t have them now that the mages are involved, we will surely lose. Each one is important, so we must find the necromancers.”

Several officers strongly objected and waved their hands. The others seemed to have no other opinions. They thought it was better to save one person and gain control of the monsters, since they were going to die anyway.

Timothy shrugged and opened the tent. The general and officers slowly exited and headed to where Mei was tied up.

“Ugh! Ugh, ugh!”

“Wow, stop it already. Huh?”

Thud! Thud!

“Grab them! Grab them again!”

She had tried to slit her throat with a dagger, so her hands were tied, and she had tried to bite her tongue, so she was gagged. But Mei did not give up and kept banging her forehead on the ground, crying out for death. Rather than being captured as a prisoner by the enemy and bringing shame to Clifford, she would rather choose death.

“Ahem.”

The general clicked his tongue, glancing at Timothy. He immediately understood Timothy’s intention. She was so strong-willed.

The soldiers eventually tied her to a wooden stake, and Mei sighed, looking down at the drops of blood dripping down. Could she stop breathing at will? If she did, could she bury the secrets of Clifford within her forever?

If she could disappear without a trace, rotting and decaying with her corpse, she would do anything.

“It seems she is indeed a powerful figure in the royal palace. She must know a lot. She intends to kill herself before being tortured.”

An officer standing close to the general whispered.

With her rough breaths and blurred vision, Mei couldn’t even tell if what was flowing down through the gravel was her saliva or blood.

“How about we deal with her a little before handing her over as a prisoner? We might be able to get some useful information.”

“I am against it.”

Timothy immediately refuted the officer’s statement.

“Traces of torture will surely be found. If she is really Prince Noah’s lover, it will only provoke the other side. If you are going to do it, it would be better to finish her off on our side rather than hand her over.”

“But-”

“And look. Does she look like someone who would open her mouth just because she is tortured? I know that generals and officers are responsible and leaders on the battlefield. But prisoner exchange negotiations are very similar to diplomacy. Please follow my opinion on this.”

He was firm. If they were going to torture her, they should kill her and give up on the necromancers. Otherwise, they should return her as intact as possible.

The general stroked his beard and pondered. If possible, he wanted to torture her and exchange her for Hasha, but Timothy’s logic was valid.

“We will send a message to Clifford. Prepare a messenger.”

“Yes, General.”

“And hide her wounds as much as possible.”

They had already concluded the battle with a disadvantageous situation. There was no point in provoking Clifford. At the general’s command, everyone bowed their heads and dispersed, and Timothy followed suit.

Mei frowned at the hallucinations that were coming and going in front of her. It felt like someone was wiping her forehead with a cool cloth.

“Noah…”

Mei muttered softly and lost consciousness, and the soldier did not realize what she had just said.

Soon after, a messenger ran towards the wall, waving the Vergos flag.

* * *

Torches began to spread one by one above the wall.

The red bricks that had been hiding in the darkness gradually revealed themselves, and soon the majesty of the soldiers aiming their bows next to them was also illuminated.

As Clifford’s flag fluttered greatly, the wall gate opened. The Clifford soldiers guarding the front of the wall parted to the left and right, creating a path, and soon the person who came out of the main gate could face the Vergos soldiers.

Clatter, clatter.

Only the sound of horses being led echoed quietly.

A prisoner exchange was like a state of non-aggression. If they were to launch a surprise attack here, they would face public disgrace and criticism, but was that important for victory? It was a fairly frequent situation, so everyone proceeded with the prisoner exchange carefully.

“I am Lacal, the commander of the 1st Battalion of Vergos! Clifford, show us Hasha, the necromancer from Astana! Here, we have the person you want!”

Swoosh.

He brought the torch close to Mei’s face to show that there was no problem with her identity.

Then, a light shone from the Clifford side. Hasha, bound, was standing there.

“When the whistle blows, have the prisoners walk in the opposite direction at the same time! You will regret it if you do anything foolish!”

“Shut up. That’s what we should be saying.”

“One, two, three!”

“Move slowly, move slowly!”

Booo-

A whistle blew in the middle of the night.

Mei and Hasha slowly walked past each other. When Mei reached the Clifford side, she was covered with a blanket and immediately began a medical examination.

But when Hasha arrived-

“Spread your hands to the left and right.”

A body search was conducted first, in case the Clifford side had planted any devices. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the necklace around Hasha’s neck.

“That is something I brought from my hometown. The others who were with me will testify to that.”

“Hmm.”

After searching him several times, he nodded. The soldiers put Hasha on a horse and rushed to the Vergos camp, and the battalion commander also slowly backed away, wary of the wall.

Clatter, clatter!

A hasty, urgent prisoner exchange, carried out without a single hitch between the two sides. Hasha clenched his necklace tightly and recalled Ian’s orders in his mind.

‘Shake up the camp, confirm the location of the necromancers. And-‘

Tell Timothy that his family is destined to die.