Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 376

The supply soldiers of Luthweena were walking cautiously, escorting the carriages. The boxes were piled high behind the cargo holds, shaking incessantly due to the uneven road, as befitting a dead land.

A mounted officer rode slowly, constantly watching his surroundings.

“Move slowly, but don’t stop!”

“Yes, sir!”

The ground was muddy, with pebbles jutting out here and there.

One of the subordinates suggested to the officer. No matter how he thought about it, this route didn’t seem right. Shouldn’t supplies be moved as quickly as possible? They were taking the longest route through the dead lands.

This was inefficient, and above all, it was exhausting the soldiers. It seemed better to turn their horses now and head towards Clifford.

“General, if we go a little further, there’s a fork in the road that leads to the upper path. The soldiers are getting exhausted, and the carriages might break down, so wouldn’t it be better to change our route? The rear is falling behind, and the gap is widening. That’s slowing us down.”

“No. We’ll go around as far away from Clifford as possible. Her Highness Eripohny said that Bariel has declared they will stop trading with Luthweena.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent a formal protest, but it was unknown when a reply would come. Even if it did, it was unlikely to contain anything satisfactory.

“Bariel has noticed the existence of the supplies. Speed is important, but more important is accurate delivery. There might be pursuers, so we have no choice but to hide on the roughest path.”

What they were carrying were dragon scales and some materials needed to make black armor.

Fortunately, since they were sneaking around, the amount of cargo was small. Of course, a dozen large carriages were moving in a line, but it was a modest amount considering it was a trade between kingdoms.

‘It seems Her Highness is considering the possibility of us being discovered.’

The enemy forces had mages.

Those who swam through the sky like it was water would easily find them. So, Eripohny had planned the supply route, half as a real route and half as bait.

The general didn’t let his guard down and urged his subordinates on, and groans could be heard from here and there.

Squeak.

Heeing!

“You little horse, why are you doing this?”

A soldier, frustrated with his horse not moving forward, pulled on the reins.

But at that moment, not only his horse but all the animals accompanying them stopped and seemed disoriented.

As the procession slowed down, the general turned back with a stern look.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, sir. The animals won’t move.”

“All the animals?”

“Yes, sir.”

Wondering what the problem was, he stepped onto the ground and felt a slight vibration. It was a very, very small and faint tremor, one that could only be noticed by someone with a keen sense.

“It’s an earthquake.”

“An earthquake? We didn’t feel anything.”

“Let’s take a short break. Ten minutes!”

“Ten minutes break!”

As the order was given, the supply soldiers let out tired breaths and slumped to the ground. Then, they too could feel the shaking.

“Ah, it’s true. The ground is shaking.”

“Did an earthquake happen nearby?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

They twisted their stiff bodies and looked up at the clear sky. They never thought they would see a war in their generation. Even if it was between foreign countries like Vergos and Clifford.

From Luthweena’s perspective, it seemed like only a matter of time before they joined the war. What would happen after they completed the supply mission? Would they have to cross this dead land again?

“I hope we can go through Clifford next time.”

“Wait a minute. The shaking is getting stronger.”

A soldier lay flat on the ground, his eyes wide open. He was always making strange noises, so his colleagues clicked their tongues, thinking he was starting again.

Taptap!

Tadak!

The soldier muttered softly.

“That’s the sound of horses’ hooves.”

At that moment, a flash of light appeared in the sky.

Everyone was startled and jumped up, grabbing their weapons at the same time. The light, stretching in a straight line, stopped above their heads. Or rather, in the sky above where they were standing.

“Wh-what is that…”

It was as if that was the path that the gods would walk on. The way it shimmered and rippled was so beautiful it was mesmerizing.

Unlike the soldiers who were in a daze, the general was startled and shouted.

“Reorganize! Start moving quickly! It’s a mage! A mage from Bariel!”

Only a mage could do something like that. They must have found the supply line and were informing someone.

At the general’s command, everyone hurriedly grabbed their horses’ reins and first sent the supply carriages forward.

Heeing!

“Run! Don’t stop running! If there’s a fork in the road, split up! We’ll meet again at the supply location!”

“Yes, General!”

“Infantry, follow me!”

The path of light in the sky was slowly reaching towards them. Then, suddenly, horses jumped out of the forest. They all seemed to be flying as they jumped down, blocking their path.

Solid armor with ornate patterns. And a blue insignia. They were definitely soldiers from Bariel.

As they appeared, Vergos soldiers rushed forward, swinging their swords. It was to buy time for the supply carriages to escape.

“Are you not from the Bariel army! What brings you to this distant land!”

“There are those who seek to disrupt the order of the Gaia continent, so His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Bariel Empire has sent us directly. You are the supply soldiers of Luthweena, correct?”

“Yes. We are from Luthweena!”

The general raised his hand and shouted. His armor had a yellow seal tied to it.

“We are not bandits, and we have no intention of bringing chaos to Gaia. Yet, this threatening confrontation is an insult and an attack on Luthweena, and our king will take this very seriously!”

He was asking why they were trying to stop Luthweena without any justification.

However, the Bariel side didn’t even respond and quietly instructed his subordinate.

“Chase the carriages. They won’t be very fast. If they resist too much, kill them all. However, I want to confirm the supply locations of Luthweena and Vergos, so have one carriage followed with a shadow. Deal with it before it crosses the border.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the Bariel soldiers tried to pursue, the Luthweena general stepped forward, swinging his sword.

“You bastards, who do you think I am-!”

Swish!

Thwack!

But then, the last person flew out of the forest. Tweller instantly pressed his axe down on the general’s neck, and his neck gurgled without even realizing it was half-severed.

Swoosh.

As Tweller pulled out his axe, blood gushed from his neck like a fountain. The horse, startled, ran away on its own, and the soldiers were also shocked by the sudden sight.

Their commander, fully armed in armor. And yet, that old man had aimed for his neck in an instant through that tiny gap?

“Who are you?”

“K-kuh…”

“I am Maxim Tweller, Minister of the Imperial Defense Department. I ask again, who are you?”

The general trembled, grabbing his neck as he looked up at Tweller. His face was backlit by the still-rippling bright light.

Tweller grabbed the axe handle again without any sympathy.

“It seems you can’t speak. I’ll hear your name in the afterlife. At that time, I too will take off my title as Minister of the Imperial Defense Department and greet you again.”

Swish!

Tweller forcefully brought down his axe, as if cutting down a tree. Then, the general’s head fell off with a thud. Tweller put his foot on the man’s head and looked at the trembling soldiers.

“I will accept those who surrender.”

“H-Hic-”

“I’ll show you that the choice of a moment determines your fate.”

“Aaaah!”

Clang! Clink!

The general’s subordinate rushed forward, trying to swing his sword.

Then, Tweller’s subordinate immediately blocked him and countered, and soon, blood appeared after about six exchanges. The tip of Tweller’s subordinate’s sword had reached the Luthweena soldier’s heart.

From that point, the soldiers attacked at the same time. Those who were running away and those who were trying to kill them were mixed together, making high and low groans and screams.

“Save me, save me-!”

“Spare those who surrender! They are men who have lost their pride as soldiers! Kill all those who resist! They are the ones who will become the power of Luthweena and threaten Bariel someday! They are not worth living!”

Tweller wiped the blood off his axe and shouted.

The light streaks were spreading further and further. Soon, a mage descended from the sky and pursed his lips at the chaotic situation.

“Mage, is it okay for you to come down? What will you do if you miss the carriages?”

“Ah, one of the carriages overturned and stopped. And the rest are heading west, so please quickly clean up here and join the vanguard.”

The mages had been waiting for the Bariel reinforcements, so they could easily recognize those who were running with great vigor. The mage turned his head, pretending not to see the general’s head rolling around.

“Shall we gather those who are searching other routes here? Wouldn’t it be better to combine our forces?”

Ian had ordered them to move according to the Minister of the Imperial Defense Department’s orders, so they had to ask his intentions. Tweller thought for a moment and shook his head.

“Earlier, I noticed that there were fewer carriages than expected. They might be going separately, so let’s continue the search in our respective positions. However, please share that we have blocked the supply route on our side.”

“Yes, Minister. Um, you can speak casually to me.”

Although he was a mage, Tweller was a minister. The mage was rather uncomfortable with his unexpectedly polite behavior. But the old man chuckled and waved his hand.

“Well, in enemy territory, I prefer to see everyone as strangers except for my comrades.”

Even if they were on the same side, he was not part of the Imperial Defense Department, so he couldn’t cross the line. That was his answer.

What a strange old man. The mage shrugged and flew back into the sky.

“Keep following the light. I will inform the others of the current situation. What about the cleanup here?”

“It’s a dead land, so what’s the problem if there are corpses lying around? We’ll investigate if the corpses have any belongings and then follow immediately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The mage disappeared, and Tweller looked around at the area that had instantly become a sea of blood. Those who had surrendered were trembling on the ground with their heads bowed. He gestured to his subordinate to take care of the cleanup and then got back on his horse.

“The rest of you, follow me! We will follow the carriages. The light engraved in the sky is our path. We won’t get lost, and we won’t be late. Let’s go!”

“Yes, Minister!”

Taptap!

They turned their horses towards the light that the mage had told them about, and then leaned forward to increase their speed.

Although the manpower had been halved for the cleanup, Tweller didn’t care. There was a mage, and there were people around who could be called for support at any time if needed.

And above all, his intuition was throbbing hotly. That feeling beyond the five senses that he felt every time he achieved a thrilling victory. The old man laughed heartily as if he was in a good mood, and those who followed him smiled at his laughter.

In the distance, they could see the overturned carriage that the mage had mentioned.

* * *

“Good news!”

A soldier came running, panting for breath.

Ian and Prince Noah turned their heads at the same time. As Acorella was about to scold him for not being careful, Beric stopped her by putting a grape in her mouth.

“What is it?”

“The Bariel reinforcements have crossed the Clifford border. Their momentum is like a storm, and all the soldiers were impressed. We will soon receive a reply regarding the supply line front. Sir Ian, the royal palace asked me to convey their gratitude.”

The soldier bowed deeply, and Ian simply turned his head and smiled. It wasn’t out of goodwill, yet they were expressing gratitude.

“Please tell the royal palace that it was His Highness the Crown Prince’s decision, which was made for the future of Bariel, Clifford, and even Gaia. Anyway, if Bariel and Luthweena clash, then it’s really starting.”

“Starting? Ian, what is?”

When Beric asked, Ian raised his eyebrows as if asking the obvious.

“From Luthweena’s perspective, they were attacked without any reason, so they will consider it a preemptive strike and secure justification, right? The full-scale conflict between the four nations will begin. From now on, we won’t even have time to eat. Beric.”

At Ian’s words, Beric paused with a surprised expression.

And soon, his hands moved frantically. He even snatched what Acorella was about to eat, stuffing his cheeks full.