Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 383

“Extra! Extra!” Swoosh! The morning air buzzed with noise. Merchants setting up their stalls, workers hurrying to their jobs, and even those still nursing hangovers turned their heads toward the commotion. It wasn’t just one child hawking newspapers; a chorus of voices blended together, creating a sense of urgency. The people of Bariel, a strange unease settling in their stomachs, reached for their coins as the children darted through the crowd, shouting. “It’s war! War has broken out!” “What? Give me a newspaper here!” “Breaking news from the Meyli Daily! It’s war!” “I heard there was trouble in Clifford, but is Bariel officially involved in the war?” “Didn’t the Imperial Defense Department send support troops last time? That means Bariel is at war, right?” “Sending aid for humanitarian reasons isn’t the same as direct involvement! Hey! Give me one too!” “The Meyli Daily is always on top of news from the Imperial Palace.” “That’s right. They’ve been making waves since the last rebellion, haven’t they? I heard they made a fortune. There’s even a rumor they moved buildings.” “Let’s see… hmm. There was a diplomatic dispute between Burgos and Clifford, and it seems their positions are sharply opposed. Is it true that the envoy died?” “That’s not important anymore. What matters is that war has broken out. Trade with Burgos and Luswena is also sanctioned. There might be conscription. Damn it.” “Then Bariel and Clifford will be facing off against Burgos and Luswena. Don’t worry about conscription. We have mages, what’s the problem?” “Ah, you’re living with your eyes and ears closed. The Magic Department has been practically empty for ages!” “Huh?” “Don’t you know that the Imperial Palace’s work is piling up because the Magic Department is stalled?” The street instantly fell silent. Those holding newspapers intently read the Imperial Palace’s statement, and the murmur of people worrying about the war’s consequences filled the air. Since this was the capital, there wouldn’t be any direct attacks, but those with ties to the provinces or those who made a living traveling between countries felt helpless. They had no choice but to let go of their current plans and try to envision the future. “Breaking news from the Meyli Daily! The Imperial Palace has released a statement! It’s war! A multi-national war!” “One here too.” “Thank you, lady.” Alena, from inside her carriage, extended her hand and offered a coin. As soon as she received the newspaper, she quickly scanned the contents. She had heard from her brother, Serio, that the Imperial Defense Department had made a full-scale deployment, but she hadn’t heard that Luswena was also participating. She nervously chewed on her fingernails. ‘Since Clifford has Ian and the Magic Department, Burgos and Luswena will have to go all out. Then it’s a full-scale war. Wouldn’t Her Majesty also participate?’ The probability of Queen Eriphony directly participating. No, it was more accurate to see it as a matter of time rather than calculating the probability. The moment Bariel, which had been maintaining the balance, tilted, it was obvious that the political situation of Gaia would be greatly shaken. Burgos and Luswena absolutely needed to capture Clifford. It was like a fuse that had already been lit.

Squeak.

Alena lowered her head, clutching the hem of her dress. A servant glanced at her worriedly, wondering if she was feeling unwell, but she was trembling so violently that the bones in the back of her hand were protruding. It seemed more like fear than discomfort.

‘Shouldn’t Her Majesty Eriphony have sent word? Is it alright for her to remain so still? What if the King has a chance to meet Ian or speak with the Imperial Defense Department?’

They might be too busy killing each other, but there was still room for negotiation and a truce.

If it became known that Alena had passed information about Bariel [a strategically important location or resource] to Eriphony, the Serio family would be beheaded. Like the seven central nobles, their corpses would be hung on the streets.

Her thoughts became so complicated that her head spun.

‘If only the King had given me some reassurance, things wouldn’t be like this.’

If Eriphony had just given her permission to defect, things wouldn’t be so complicated. If she wasn’t careful, she would be stuck in a situation where she couldn’t go forward or backward.

A servant, unable to watch any longer, called out to Alena.

“Miss, are you alright?”

“My brother didn’t come home yesterday, did he?”

“Yes. He said he was sleeping at a friend’s house.”

He said it was a gathering for academic pursuits, but Alena knew better. They were probably having a drinking party. Her brother, who had once tasted the peak [referring to a past success or high point in his life], seemed to still be stuck in the past. It was as if he had lost his mind to the sweetness he couldn’t shake off, and his actions were becoming more and more pathetic.

She lightly tapped her forehead and racked her brain. What should she do? How could she eliminate the elements of anxiety rolling in from the future?

‘Think. Think.’

What worried her now was confirming Eriphony’s intentions and whether her act of betrayal would be discovered. The surest way to resolve this was to meet the King directly, but that would be impossible in the midst of war…

“Ah!”

“Miss?”

“Turn the carriage around. Let’s go pick up my brother.”

“Ah, yes, yes. I understand.”

Alena urged the coachman to hurry.

Isn’t it the duty and honor of a noble to take the lead when war breaks out? Of course, that was limited to great nobles who owned private soldiers or border counts, but still.

Serio was a noble, after all. If he said he was participating in the war for honor, who could stop him? If things went well, they might even receive soldiers from the Imperial Palace. Then they would have a hand to play again.

‘To Her Majesty Eriphony, the Serio family, who holds Bariel’s soldiers, would seem very useful. And even if they were cut off, the Serio family would be honored nobles who participated in the war for their country. It would be a way to stomp out the seeds of betrayal.’

It was a good move in many ways. It could stimulate Eriphony, who seemed to have lost interest in her, and also win the favor of the Imperial Palace.

Taptaptap!

Hee-heeing!

The carriage stopped in front of a mansion. It was the house of Serio’s close friend, which she had visited often. A servant recognized her and opened the door, and then guided her as if following a guest who was striding forward.

“Where are my brothers?”

“Ah, well, if you would wait in the drawing room, I will inform them.”

“Enough, just lead the way. It doesn’t matter unless you’re completely naked. I have a very urgent matter right now. Can’t you see that?”

Though not a noble she directly served, the servant had heard of Alenara’s reputation. Thus, he had no choice but to guide her to the second floor and was about to knock on the door. However, Alenara opened it herself before he could.

Thwack!

“……!”

Startled by the sudden noise, Serio flinched and rose. He must have been drinking all night, as the smell of alcohol was overwhelming even before she stepped inside.

Alenara glanced around the room. Everyone was sprawled out, no different from the common rabble outside.

“Ah, Alenara?”

“Brother. This is not the time. Let’s hurry.”

“Uh, where are we going? Wait a minute. Don’t shake me. I feel like I’m going to throw up. Ugh.”

“Alenara? Oh, it really is you. It’s been a while. Did you come for a drink too? What a shame, we’re out of alcohol. Hahaha.”

“What’s run out is your sense of propriety. Never mind that and keep sleeping. I’m here to take my brother.”

“Seriously, she’s still the same. Tsk.”

Serio staggered, covering his mouth, but Alenara didn’t give him any leeway, grabbing his clothes and pulling him out. With a look urging them to hurry, the servants also put their hands under Serio’s armpits to support him.

“War has broken out.”

“Why suddenly? We knew that.”

“Luswena is also officially participating.”

“Hmm? There too? Did they declare war on Bariel? Because of the import ban?”

Alenara barely suppressed the urge to hit her brother on the back of the neck. How could he say that now? How could Luswena dare to declare war on Bariel because of an import ban?

She grabbed her brother by the collar and whispered.

“They’re using Clifford as a stepping stone to get to Bariel. That’s why Luswena is also participating, brother.”

“Hmm. Ah. Right.”

“Go home right now, wash up, and put on your uniform. Then, go to see His Highness the Crown Prince and tell him that the Serio family will also participate.”

“Participate? Me? No way!”

Serio, as if suddenly sober, shook off Alenara’s hand and shouted. When the servants of the house began to whisper and glance at them, Alenara bit her lip and muttered as if using ventriloquism.

“If you don’t want to go, then send me instead. Show that the ‘Serio family’ is participating. Are you really going to fall all the way down like this?”

“No, war is still a bit… Well, won’t the Bariel Imperial Defense Department take care of it anyway? There was no news of other nobles participating. Not even my friends! Alenara, you know better than I do.”

“That’s because all the nobles who owned private soldiers in the capital are dead. It’s only been a season since the central nobles were wiped out. There’s no one who can step up, and more importantly, they don’t need to. They’re not on the edge of a cliff like we are.”

The nobles who play with money would try to profit from this opportunity rather than participate in the war, and those who suffered losses due to the trade ban would be too busy trying to make up for it.

Also, as Serio said, and as the imperial citizens were saying, Bariel had mages and a large army. They didn’t feel the need to participate.

Moreover, the Imperial Palace was currently heavily checking the nobles to strengthen the imperial authority. Unless they were summoned, there was no need to participate and waste their strength.

“Brother, listen carefully.”

Alenara’s eyes sharpened.

“For some, war is a tragedy, but for others, it’s an opportunity. Our tragedy has gone as far as it can, so now we have no choice but to see it as an opportunity.”

“Ha, but it won’t be easy to gather soldiers.”

“When has anything been easy? The only easy thing you do is drink all night.”

As Serio was about to retort, Alenara turned her back and headed down the stairs.

“Pledge everything the family owns, including the mansion. Use it to raise funds, or hire mercenaries. We absolutely have to go to the battlefield. Otherwise, we’ll die here.”

Serio slumped against the wall. He knew his sister’s resolve was firm, and there was no turning back.

He ran a hand through his greasy hair and let out a sigh, a groan, and an annoyed moan. Then, he jumped up and shouted.

“Alright! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

His sister’s dismissive attitude was getting worse every day, and if he stayed like this, it would be worse than death.

Alenara nodded as if she were stating the obvious.

“What are you doing? Get in. The Imperial Defense Force has already left, so we need to hurry.”

“Damn it, damn it!”

“Serio! You said you were drinking tonight too? Are you going home?”

“Yeah! Thanks to my brilliant sister, I’m going to die!”

“Hahaha. Okay. Die well!”

The farewell shouts of his friends came from the room above.

Serio got into the carriage, and Alenara lightly opened the window. The smell of alcohol was overpowering when she got close.

* * *

Whoosh.

Meanwhile, at that time. Mages stood on the walls of Clifford. All of them held swords made of Idgal [a type of magical metal] in one hand.

Their robes fluttered in the wind. The massive Burgos army, which had arrived, was swarming as if to devour Clifford. And to the left, right, and sides, there were some synthetic monsters [artificially created creatures].

Ian took a moment to catch his breath and then commanded.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, Ian!”

“We will eliminate the synthetic monsters first. Beric will take the left, and Barsabe will assist on the right.”

Clang.

At Ian’s words, Barsabe raised his sword, and Beric also gripped his black sword. The mages did the same.

Everyone raised their swords high, and the sunlight settled on the amber blades.