Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 377

Clang!

As Damon slammed his hand on the table, his vassals flinched. His short hair was a mess, and his breathing was furious.

Damon’s purple eyes flashed as he roared,

“What are you all doing with your jobs!”

“We, we are deeply sorry, Your Highness.”

Various objects were thrown at the vassals, but none of them dodged, only bowing their heads.

The news of Timothy’s desertion had reached the palace faster than anything else. As expected, Timothy was last seen at his mansion, and after that, his whereabouts were unknown.

“Not only did Timothy desert during wartime, but you also let him escape the capital unscathed? If those who eat the nation’s rice act like this, what will the people think!”

“P, please kill us.”

“You should have done your jobs properly!”

Damon’s anger did not subside easily.

They were at war with Clifford, who had joined forces with Bariel. At a time when anyone who could hold a weapon should be conscripted, they couldn’t afford to deploy manpower just to catch one man. He had most likely defected to Bariel, but strangely, his name was not on the immigration records.

Damon hissed, biting his lip.

‘I should have killed him from the start.’

It was the same in his past life. Back then, Timothy betrayed his own brother and defected to Bariel, greatly influencing the international situation.

But this time, he had missed everything because of a sliver of hope that it might be different, that it might not happen this time. If he wanted to change the future, he should have killed Timothy immediately upon taking office, not kept him alive until now.

“Damn it.”

As he ground his teeth, the vassals became even more silent, making sure not to make a single sound. He was already a sensitive person, but now it was wartime. The defection of Timothy, a key figure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would have a huge impact on the palace.

Fortunately, a successor had appeared immediately.

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, news has arrived from the supply corps.”

‘Please let it be good news.’ They hoped it was news that they had successfully communicated with Luthweena and received supplies. The vassals looked at the entering attendant with such expectations, but expectations always went awry.

“The Luthweena supply corps did not arrive on time.”

‘We’re all dead now.’

The vassals silently mourned, clenching their fists under the table.

Damon frowned. He had clearly received word that they were departing through the dead land, so why hadn’t they arrived?

“Any other problems?”

“There is nothing yet, but the supply base commander suggests that we send our personnel out to investigate. This could save time, so he requests that you actively consider it.”

Either they had lied about sending them, or something had gone wrong in the process.

The latter seemed more plausible. There was no benefit for Luthweena to falsely send supplies. They were already sharing the suspicion of violating the Dragon Scale Agreement [a treaty or pact], starting with the alliance he had made with them.

Damon immediately shook his head.

“No. We will continue to wait there. The outside is a dead land, so there is no need to go out. Tell them that.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Tap, tap. Damon turned to the window, lost in thought, and fell silent.

The blockade of the supply route. It was not a path that Clifford soldiers alone could easily discover. That meant that mages were involved, which clearly showed the will of the alliance.

The will of the alliance meant the dispatch of reinforcements. Damon turned his body abruptly, and everyone straightened their backs, looking straight ahead.

“Stop the pursuit of Timothy.”

“Yes? Is that alright, Your Highness?”

“He must have gone to Bariel, so we just need to go there. Everyone, prepare. I was trying to buy time, but it seems better to push forward before that.”

‘Buy time?’ The vassals simply bowed their heads, waiting for the king’s command, not understanding his words.

“All those who can wield a weapon will be summoned and conscripted. And I will also go to the front lines.”

“Your Highness, in person?”

“Y, you cannot leave the palace.”

“The news of Timothy’s desertion has already spread throughout the front lines. If we know it here, they must know it there. It is right for me to go out myself, even to boost the morale of the troops.”

That was true. If the king himself took the lead, the soldiers’ broken spirits would rise again. Moreover, Damon’s declaration was the same as pouring all his strength into the war.

At the gestures of some vassals, the attendants moved. It meant requesting maximum support from the northern minority tribes. The hallway became noisy as letters were written and delivered, but Damon didn’t care and said,

“And if King Eriphony finds out that the supply route has been cut off, she will also directly participate and put pressure on the rear. This is a great opportunity. No matter how many mages there are, Bariel will not empty the palace, and it will be difficult to withstand attacks from both sides. And, doesn’t Luthweena also have mages?”

“Ah, yes, yes. That’s right. There are few of them, and most are reclusive, so I don’t know if they will cooperate with the country, but if they are mobilized, there is a good chance.”

“Bring a carrier pigeon. The mages will be on high alert at the border between Luthweena and Clifford, so bring a regular royal carrier pigeon, not one with a mana stone [a magical stone used to enhance communication].”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Tell the local nobles to hurry their ascent. And bring the royal armor.”

Damon commanded, holding the seal.

The armor that was only worn when royal personnel went to war. Only then did the vassals realize that the war was fast approaching, and as soon as the meeting ended, they told their subordinates.

“Tell my wife to organize her assets and go to her parents’ house for the time being.”

“The king will go to war. I have no choice either, so tell my family to leave the capital tonight.”

“Make sure to bring the documents, especially everything in the study. Yes. It will be difficult to go through Bariel, so leave the capital first and go to the villa.”

The people, who knew nothing, lived day by day, looking only at the sky, while those in the palace did not look at the earth.

Their subordinates moved more busily at their instructions, and soon the palace gates opened wide to welcome the nobles.

* * *

“What? The supply route is cut off?”

Eriphony crushed her cigarette, shouting irritably.

Elderte nodded, looking perplexed, and her mouth slightly opened. It was a supply unit composed of elites. How could it be cut off so easily?

“Report in detail.”

“The convoy of carriages traveling on the lowest road of the dead land was attacked. It seems that mages identified their location from the sky and then informed the support troops. It is not known whether these were Clifford’s support troops or Bariel’s. The reporting soldier was watching from quite a distance.”

In case of any problems, there was a group following far behind the main convoy. They were responsible for returning to the home country and reporting if there were any problems with the supply, and they had faithfully carried out their duties.

However, the problem was that the distance was too far, so it was impossible to confirm which direction the carriages went or which country attacked them.

Eriphony threw the cigarette on the floor and stood up abruptly, approaching Elderte and pressing his chest.

“Is there any other unpleasant report I have to hear?”

“…There is no news about the supplies on other routes yet.”

“If the lowest part of the dead land has been discovered, the upper part is obvious. The last soldier to report was captured and killed. Isn’t that right? Huh?”

“It is too early to jump to conclusions. The variables are significant because the transported goods are different.”

“Geez, that’s absurd. What about Bariel? No contact yet?”

“Yes, I am sorry.”

They had demanded an official statement regarding the legitimate reason for unilaterally suspending trade, but it was ignored. At first, she thought it was just an economic sanction to prevent intervention in the war, but seeing that they had immediately found the supply route, it was definitely not that.

They had blocked the road to Bariel. That little brat.

“I thought he was cute… he had a sly side.”

Eriphony picked up a new cigarette and turned her head. An attendant approached and lit it for her, and she exhaled smoke with a sigh.

What if all the transported goods were discovered and confiscated? How could one put a number on that value? If this happened, Luthweena would have no choice but to take a hard line.

“Summon the mages.”

“Indeed, that is the only way.”

“Tell them that if they do not comply, they will pay the price. Before they are mages, they are citizens of Luthweena, so it is their turn to step up for the national interest. I have given them too much freedom.”

Unlike Bariel, the mages of Luthweena lived in seclusion on the outskirts, each pursuing their own research and training.

Luthweena was reluctant to use their manpower, but there was no choice. As an agricultural nation, their goals were different, and above all, there was no justification for forcibly mobilizing them.

“Then…”

Now there was justification.

The general in charge of Luthweena’s supplies must have revealed his identity and purpose to the enemy. Even if it was a lie.

Nevertheless, they were attacked and annihilated, so this was something that Luthweena could not ignore at the national level.

“I will officially dispatch troops. Tell those who are confronting at the border that reinforcements will be sent.”

It might even be a good thing. From Luthweena’s point of view, they had a clear justification to participate and withdraw freely without being entangled with Bariel and Burgos.

She tied her long hair into a ponytail and nodded.

“I will also go with them.”

“Yes? Your Highness?”

“You know the personalities of the mages.”

No matter how justified they were, the mages would not welcome conscription. Therefore, Eriphony had no choice but to go in person to encourage and support them.

And above all, she wanted to see with her own eyes how the war situation in Clifford was unfolding.

“Tell Clifford that I am entering to investigate the dead land and to open the barrier.”

To go down through Clifford when they could go back? From their point of view, they would not open it, and they could not open it.

That was how the war would break out. The moment the fiercely interlocked fangs began to misalign, biting at the neck first. That was the beginning of history.

“Ah, and stop making the bow to present to the Crown Prince.”

“Is that alright? Wouldn’t it be better to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances?”

“Our trade is blocked. If we say we couldn’t make it because of that, they won’t have anything to say, right? The most important things in war are money and people. There is no need to focus on such things now.”

She was a queen who loved hunting. She walked, cigarette in her mouth, and unlatched the door. There, countless arrows were densely packed.

Eriphony stood in front of the huge golden arrow in the very center, as tall as she was, and looked up at it. A subtle smile was on her face, and she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood at all.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a real taste of hunting.”