Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 38

“Ugh, eek.”

Beric jolted awake, retching. Ian, who had been reading a book beside him, handed him some water and watched over him.

When they returned to the tent, he was barely conscious, as the physician had said. Considering the hole in his body, it was quite remarkable…

“Are you okay?”

“I feel nauseous…”

“Why on earth?”

“I don’t know. Did the physician put alcohol in the medicine?”

His condition was improving at an astonishing rate. He still couldn’t get out of bed, but judging by his speech and demeanor, he had definitely survived.

“Can you straighten your back a little?”

“I can’t put any strength into it. Should I try?”

“No. Your wound might burst open.”

“Ugh. What kind of herbs did they stuff in me?”

Beric grimaced at the bits of herbs he could feel with his fingertips.

Ian, holding the empty cup, carefully examined him. He knew that a magic swordsman had superior combat and recovery abilities compared to ordinary people. He knew it, but…

‘Was it this much?’

The speed of his recovery was so incredible that it was almost awe-inspiring. Even the physician looked surprised, so it couldn’t be normal for the Cheonryeo tribe either.

“Beric, do you know your parents’ faces?”

“Huh? Of course, I do. They’re all dead, but I remember them.”

Since he wasn’t an orphan from birth, he clearly remembered his mother and father’s faces. He also had some unpleasant memories, not just good ones.

Ian seemed even more lost in thought at Beric’s answer. If he had said he didn’t know, he might have suspected that he had inhuman blood mixed in him.

“…I see.”

“Huh?”

While Ian was deep in thought, Beric muttered.

“They should have stabbed both the left and right sides. That bastard, he put a hole in my side and then closed his eyes peacefully. What was his name? Bell?”

Beric seemed resentful that they had each landed a blow. Bell was dead, but he was alive. Ian nodded lightly, and Beric ground his teeth even more.

“Those knights, they never showed their faces normally. I guess they did train. Anyway, when are we going back to Bratz?”

“Soon. It could be as early as tomorrow.”

“Yeah. That’s good news to hear.”

“The central army is coming down, and we’ve also heard that Derga has gathered his soldiers. The scouts are sending information from the border, but it’s not real-time, so we can’t know the details. That’s why we’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Good, good. It’s too hot here.”

“Beric, I don’t think I can take you with me.”

“What?! Why?!”

Beric turned his head sharply, then reflexively grabbed his side. That was exactly the reason. Wasn’t it a deep wound that would have killed an ordinary person?

“Because you can’t even walk.”

“I think I can walk by tomorrow.”

“Walking isn’t everything. You need to be able to wield a sword. Focus on your treatment here until the Bratz matter is settled.”

“No!”

Beric shouted as soon as Ian finished speaking. But then he curled up in pain, lying on his back.

“Ugh, damn it…”

“You have no choice, even if you don’t like it.”

“Oh, oh? You’re using me and throwing me away. You shameless, traitorous, piece of crap.”

Ian smiled faintly, and Beric bit his lip tightly. He looked exactly like a stubborn child.

“If you’re worried about the owner of the tavern you were indebted to, I’ll look into it separately.”

He had told them to quit the mansion work when they left, but he didn’t know if Hanna and the servants had done so. They would surely take refuge near the bankers, which was a neutral zone, if a battle broke out. Beric scoffed at Ian’s consolation.

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“The central army! The Count’s private soldiers! And even the Cheonryeo are involved in a big fight, and I’m just supposed to sit here twiddling my thumbs. Isn’t that too much!”

The shouts of battle, the refreshing taste of slicing with a sword, the thrill of risking life and death in combat. He had been waiting and waiting for all of that.

“Absolutely not. I won’t accept any objections. Carry me if you have to. Honestly, you and I, huh? Aren’t we master and disciple? How can a teacher abandon his disciple!”

“Beric, you’re quite surprising. Is this how you treat your teacher? Strictly speaking, we’re in a master-servant relationship… Well, that’s surprising too.”

“You said you’d let me use magic! Every day is precious!”

“Don’t you remember?”

“What? Don’t change the subject, or I’ll…”

“When you fought Bell, you used magic yourself.”

“…Who?”

“You.”

At Ian’s words, Beric just blinked. Judging by his completely disbelieving expression, he must have had some gaps in his memory.

Ian smiled and straightened his blanket, then noticed Nersarn entering the tent.

“Lord Ian.”

“Lord Nersarn.”

“Outside for a moment.”

They hurried outside, where Kakanthir was burying his face in the neck of a hawk. And taking a deep breath. The acrid smell of blood was strong.

“The timing is perfect.”

“Lord Kakanthir?”

“Lord Ian. Derga has succeeded in surrounding the mansion with his private soldiers. The investigation team seems to be holding out, but it seems they are waiting for the central support army while looking for an opportunity.”

“The investigation team is just a vanguard that came down first for the investigation. It would be difficult to respond with an all-out war. The central army should have arrived by now.”

“The problem is the mood of the territory’s people.”

“The territory’s people?”

At Ian’s question, Kakan nodded briefly.

“They say they have gathered in the center of the territory and taken up arms.”

“Ah. That’s because there’s a bank there.”

“A bank?”

Ian, who had been tense, sighed in relief. If there was an internal division among them, it would be difficult to read the situation. If it became a four-way battle instead of a three-way one, the uncertainty would increase.

“It’s a place called Hyman Bank, which is in charge of Bariel’s financial infrastructure. There is at least one branch in every region. It’s probably the Dion area.”

“We don’t know the area behind Bratz well.”

“There was a rebellion in Dion, and the bank was completely destroyed in the chaos. As a result, Hyman Bank refused banking services to anyone involved in the Dion rebellion.”

Those who participated in the rebellion had to use only physical goods for all their economic activities, including their deposited assets. They had to carry hundreds of kilograms of coins or were in a situation where they could not be tracked even if they were lost.

“There is only one family in Bariel that does banking. The rebels had no other way. Thanks to that, the rebels’ momentum declined within a few years, and Bariel succeeded in suppressing the rebellion.”

“So, that bank is a sanctuary.”

“That’s right. It is an inviolable area along with the temple. That’s probably why the territory’s people have gathered there.”

That meant that the smell of blood in the Bratz territory would be significant. Ian continued with a serious expression.

“We must hurry. The territory’s people who are not under the protection of the bank will turn to Derga’s side as time goes on.”

The center of Bariel was the imperial palace, but the center of Bratz was Derga. The Count’s private soldiers were their family, neighbors, and friends. The more their home was destroyed, the stronger their desire to return to their previous lives would become.

“We’re going into Bariel.”

“I will return to Bariel.”

When Kakanthir and Ian spoke at the same time, Nersarn and his subordinates burst into laughter. The two looked at each other again and said the same thing.

“Tomorrow.”

* * *

“What about Merelov?”

“They refused to even deliver a letter.”

“Bastards. That’s why merchants are not to be trusted.”

Derga ground his teeth, thinking of Count Merelov, the neighboring territory. Like Derga, who was responsible for the border, Merelov was also responsible for it.

However, unlike Bratz, which was in conflict with the Cheonryeo tribe, Merelov was fulfilling its mission as a place of exchange with the foreign country of the Hwan Kingdom.

“They don’t have good soldiers anyway. They’re all engaged in commerce, so their workers are not good either. If we take over the central army and become independent, it would be better to push them away too.”

Deo muttered, wiping the blood off his sword. If they became independent, they would inevitably have to devour the surrounding territories to expand their territory. Count Merelov, who knew this well, made a natural choice, but Derga felt betrayed, shamelessly.

Even if they didn’t send soldiers, they could have stepped in to mediate, but Merelov was pretending not to know, not even glancing in their direction, as if afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

“Break it! Bring a bigger tree!”

“Put oil on the arrowheads! Set them on fire!”

“Shoot! Keep shooting!”

“Waaa! Come out, you bastards!”

“Move forward! Keep moving forward!”

“Ugh!”

Thud! Thud, thud!

He had only thought about fighting the Cheonryeo tribe, but he never thought he would be in a position to capture the mansion like this. Derga was dumbfounded by the lack of siege equipment, but he continued to fire flaming arrows.

Boo, woo, woo.

It was then. The heavy sound of a horn reached Bratz. Everyone stopped and looked back at the same time. On the distant horizon, something was swarming up like ants. It was the central support army holding the imperial flag. Derga frowned and urged his private soldiers even more fiercely.

“Hurry! Hurry!”

“Dig the trenches deeper from that end to this end!”

“Block the bridge coming this way!”

“Quickly, quickly!”

They must have realized that the central army had arrived inside the mansion as well, because there was finally a reaction from inside. The Bratz flag was lowered, and the flag of the imperial investigation team was raised.

“Those bastards…”

Derga felt like he was about to lose his mind with boiling anger. He would kill them all. He would burn the outsiders who had pushed into his territory alive.

“Let’s go! Kill them all!”

“Move while keeping the high ground on this side!”

“Kill them all!”

A place where he had lived his whole life. He knew the terrain like the back of his hand. No matter how good the central army was, he had half the battle won when it came to terrain.

Swoosh.

Large hawks circled high above the Bratz territory. But the private soldiers were too busy looking at the enemy soldiers bringing death to notice them, and only the territory’s people, who were looking up to the heavens, confirmed the existence of the hawks.

“Let us in! Please open the bank doors!”

“Ah, don’t push!”

“Hey! I’m an employee here! You bastards!”

“What are you talking about, you cleaner? Get out of the way!”

“Save me! The central guys killed all the people in the mansion! They burned them to death! They said they would tear us apart if the army came!”

“Aaaah! Don’t step on me!”

The desperate cries of the territory’s people trying to enter Portroga, where Hyman Bank was located, echoed everywhere. Those who could not leave their homes could only lock their doors tightly and pray.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

Hanna, who had been praying with her hands clasped together, gently opened her eyes at her younger brother’s call. A ray of light was leaking through a gap the size of a palm. Her young brother, who didn’t know anything, murmured as if amazed.

“It’s a huge bird.”

“A bird…”

Hanna also raised her head and looked at the sky. A sense of déjà vu. Hanna soon realized that it was the Cheonryeo bird she had seen at the mansion.