Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 381

The carriage sped through the pitch-black, with the Bariel army in pursuit.

Though they couldn’t see anything, they continued to rush through the forest, climbing and descending without pause. The sounds of the carriage wheels, the horses’ cries, and the screams of the terrified Luthweena soldiers served as their guide.

They clearly didn’t know where they were running, but was it right to continue the chase like this? One officer looked at his comrade and sent a hand signal.

“Keep following. It’s the Minister’s order.”

“I just feel like we’re wasting the horses’ strength.”

Clatter, clatter!

A marathon continued to find Burgos and Luthweena’s supply depot. The rattling carriage looked pitiful. Then, they passed through a forest with a slope.

Whoosh!

A group of soldiers appeared, blocking the carriage’s path. It was the Burgos army.

The Bariel soldiers, who had been following behind, stopped abruptly, and the Luthweena carriage did the same. But soon, recognizing the appearance of the Burgos army, they quickly grabbed the reins.

“If you go to the right, you’ll find a familiar path!”

“A-alright!”

Clang!

The Burgos side had sent reinforcements, realizing there was a problem with their supplies.

The right path. The Bariel officers exchanged glances. They were lifelong friends. They knew what each other wanted just by hearing their breath.

One officer turned back to catch up with the carriage, while the rest drew their swords.

“Black things, you must be bandits living in the dead lands.”

This was Bariel’s declaration of war, stating that they had no political motives.

They were wearing black clothes in a place where there was no light, so if it weren’t for the sword blades reflecting the moonlight, they wouldn’t have even known someone was standing there.

The Burgos soldiers straightened their posture and faced Bariel.

“It’s the bandits who ambush supply carriages, so it’s ridiculous for you to say that.”

“State your rank. If you’re high enough, we’ll spare you.”

“Spare us? Haha.”

The Burgos soldier laughed out loud as if he found it truly funny. At the same time, a chilling wind swept through the branches. Since there were no leaves, it sounded like a person laughing if you misheard it.

“Such arrogant words.”

To talk about sparing them before even clashing swords, how presumptuous. And even though all the Burgos soldiers were wearing the same uniform, what was the point of asking for their rank? It meant they would capture them and extract information if necessary.

He clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on his sword, and the Bariel officer also raised his weapon.

“But you know, do you even know what’s in that carriage you’re chasing?”

Whoosh.

What was he trying to say?

The Bariel officer frowned, but it was too dark to see the other’s expression. No, to be honest, he didn’t even know who among them had spoken. If only a little moonlight would shine through.

“Instead of chasing us, why don’t you just go to your country’s Magic Department and ask them to make it?”

“What nonsense.”

“I don’t know which part sounds like nonsense to you. Ah, do you not know about Idgal?”

Idgal. He had heard of it, but he had never actually seen or touched it. He only knew that it was a very important means to check the mages and magic swordsmen in this war.

“The one who created Idgal is the Minister of the Magic Department of Bariel, so instead of wasting your energy chasing the carriage, why don’t you go there and ask them to make more?”

The soldier was sure. That crazy bastard was trying to trick them with his words. He didn’t know what his intentions were, but judging by his rambling, it wasn’t something he needed to pay attention to.

Clatter, clatter!

Clang!

The officer swung his sword without hesitation. In the darkness, the sword blades moved back and forth, their tips narrowly touching and retreating from each other’s lifelines.

All his senses except sight were heightened as if they were newly born. The strange smell coming from the opponent. The sound of the wind created by the sword’s trajectory. Breathing. And the next attack he instinctively felt, and so on.

“Damn it. This won’t do. Light the torches!”

At the officer’s command, the soldiers hurriedly lit the torches.

Then, the surroundings brightened in an instant. The officer could see the face of the man he had been fighting.

Eyes with no whites, only black pupils. Where had he seen this before? His own face was reflected in the smooth pupils.

Clang! Clang!

The attacks continued smoothly. Then, he heard more movement in the forest. Could it be reinforcements from Burgos? As the tense officer turned his head, the opposing soldier took advantage of the gap and thrust his sword towards his neck.

Swoosh!

Thwack!

But at the same time, an axe flew in.

It hit the opponent’s face accurately, and the startled man staggered back a few steps before falling forward, his face twisted in half.

From that point, the balance of the intense battle shifted. The Bariel soldiers knocked down the Burgos soldiers one by one, and soon they were able to win the small battle without any casualties.

The officer caught his breath and looked at the direction from which the axe had flown.

“…Minister.”

“You’re wasting your strength in the dark.”

“I apologize. He was a formidable opponent.”

“The carriage?”

“Yes. We’re still chasing it.”

“You all move the items acquired from the Clifford Wall and rest for a while. How many pursuit teams are currently chasing the Luthweena supply carriage?”

“We split up with Chase just now, so there are a total of five units, fifty men in total, ten each.”

“Order them all to return. Everyone prepare to return to Clifford. And examine the body of that man.”

“Yes. But Minister, have you seen Minister Ian?”

“Yes. He seemed to be fine. Rather, the problem was in Clifford. I’ll tell you the details when we get back. It’s late at night. Monsters might appear, so hurry and retreat.”

“Then, are we stopping the supply blockade operation?”

“It’s judged that most of the dragon scales have been recovered. That should be enough for Burgos not to achieve what they want. Soon, the Burgos side, who have been entrenched, will show movement. We will be fully prepared for the defense of the capital.”

The soldiers searched the dead Burgos soldier’s clothes to see if there was anything. It was the moment Tweller was about to turn his horse’s head.

“Isn’t this Idgal?”

Idgal? How could a mere soldier possess Idgal? Tweller frowned and approached the corpse, meeting the gaze of the dead man with wide eyes.

“His eyes resemble Duke Hyman’s.”

“Ah, you’re right. I was wondering where I had seen it. It’s rare to see pupils without whites.”

“Did he not reveal his affiliation?”

“Yes. He refused to reveal it when asked.”

“This one has it too!”

Clink.

All the dead men possessed Idgal. He didn’t know their status, but if even mere soldiers had Idgal in preparation for emergencies…

‘It seems like it was already distributed before the war. Much more than we expected.’

Of course, he already knew about the existence of Idgal and its distribution potential. He had heard that Minister Volv had discussed this matter at the meeting at the time.

But if it was this much, it was definitely more than what Bariel had grasped.

‘Does Ian know about this?’

“Um, Minister.”

The officer, who was wiping off the blood, muttered as he looked down at the corpse’s black eyes.

“Do you know where Idgal is sourced from?”

“It’s suspected to be from a merchant group called Rutherford, but the details haven’t been discussed yet. It’s partly because the handover wasn’t done properly.”

“This guy said something strange. I thought it was nonsense, but since Idgal came out of his pocket, I don’t think it’s something to be taken lightly, so I’m reporting it.”

“What is it?”

“He said that Minister Ian manufactured Idgal.”

Tweller’s expression crumpled even more. It was the most disgusted expression he could make in response to such foolish words. The officer awkwardly sniffed and pretended to move the corpse to the side of the road, but he couldn’t avoid Tweller’s nagging.

“Information is important in war. Distinguishing what is fake and what is real is as powerful as facing thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers. Because of what you just said, I want to wash my ears, I tell you.”

“I’m sorry. I thought it was nonsense too, yes. Haha.”

For a mage to create a substance that is poisonous to mages. Although he hadn’t seen him many times, Minister Ian didn’t seem that reckless or ignorant. If it was Acorella next to him, she might do it, unable to resist her research curiosity.

Anyway, no matter how foolish someone is, they wouldn’t do something that would tighten the noose around their own neck. Tweller picked up the axe and then ordered the soldiers.

“Clean up and head to Clifford.”

“Yes, Minister.”

“The path is open. See you soon.”

A faint flickering light. It wasn’t as bright and clear as daylight because it was night, but it was enough to follow the carriage’s trail.

The mage gestured from the sky to hurry, and Tweller got on the carriage and followed the light with his subordinates. It felt like chasing the Milky Way in the night sky.

* * *

“So? What about the supplies?”

“Nothing has arrived yet.”

Damion received his subordinate’s report while getting dressed. He neatly tied his bobbed hair into a single ponytail and wore more luxurious and dignified clothes with high-quality fabric added.

Damion’s reflection in the mirror was indifferent, with no expression to be found, but the subordinate was constantly fidgeting, picking at the ends of his sleeves as if he was anxious.

“I understand.”

“Yes?”

“Leave. Tomorrow is the departure day.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

They hadn’t received proper supplies, Timothy had fled to Bariel, and the departure ceremony was ahead in the worst situation. They had expected Damion to act out, but the subordinate was inwardly surprised that he seemed to be letting it go easily.

That was because they were about to face a big event. Even if it was Damion, it was right for him to suppress his temper on a day like this, yes. The subordinate thought to himself and backed out of the room.

“What about the supply support troops?”

“Yes. They should be clashing with the Bariel side by now.”

The man standing next to him. He was the one who had driven out Timothy and taken Damion’s closest aide position. Damion chuckled and straightened his collar himself.

Bariel, or rather, the Magic Department’s involvement in this war would bring both gains and losses. Along with Ian’s secret that he had exchanged for his second life’s secret, he had learned a new fact.

“Is that Rutherford fellow so precious that he hides his face?”

“I apologize. He only says that he has circumstances and asks for your understanding. Shall we send another reply?”

“No. It’s fine. Originally, merchants tend to hide and watch when things are this noisy. But Rutherford is connected to Idgal. It’s even more so.”

Damion read the letter on the desk for the last time and then burned it in the candlelight. The letter detailed the popularization of Idgal, the promise of supplies during the war, and how Idgal had originated.

Damion lightly blew away the pieces of paper that had turned to ashes and laughed.

“It’s a relief, really. That Ian isn’t in the Imperial Palace.”