Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 389

The emperor had entered the detached palace and had not come out. Naum closed the book he was reading and looked out the window. The emperor’s attendants were lined up outside the detached palace, waiting.

They all urged him with their eyes. It seemed something was wrong with the emperor, so they wanted Naum to go in. They said he was the only one who could cross the line the emperor had drawn.

‘How is His Majesty the Emperor?’

‘There has been no word. He ordered us not to enter until he comes out, so we are waiting here.’

‘How long has it been?’

‘It has been about two hours. We are worried that something might have happened, but there is nothing we can do…’

‘Step aside. I will go in.’

‘But His Majesty ordered-‘

‘If His Majesty scolds me, I will take it myself.’

Though they pretended to dissuade him, the attendants were glad to see Naum and made way for him. The detached palace was quiet. Naum walked straight inside, as if there was no need to check anything.

It was a place where he had shared space with Ian even before he became emperor.

A place where the changing seasons came in like a painting through the large window.

Creak.

Naum found Ian, who was kneeling with his head bowed.

Ian flinched, but did not raise his head. There were only two people in the world who would come here, even disobeying his orders. Crony, or…

‘Naum.’

‘Your Majesty, why are you on the floor like this?’

‘…Leave.’

But Naum naturally sat opposite him and put down his book. What could be the matter? He had been enduring so well, so why was he pouring out his sadness like this now? Naum tilted his head and smiled.

‘Shall I bring some wine?’

‘It is during work hours.’

‘What does it matter? His Majesty, the pillar of Bariel, is lost in sorrow. It is for times like these that the gods created wine.’

At Naum’s playful words, Ian raised his head. His eyes were red. There were marks on his cheeks, but they seemed to have dried long ago. Ian rubbed his face and sighed.

‘What is wrong? Did that Crony fellow say something again? Shall I go and scold him?’

‘…How could you?’

‘We are-‘

Naum corrected him. Not ‘you,’ but ‘we.’

‘We are magicians, are we not? And Your Majesty is the master of Bariel. There is nothing Your Majesty cannot do in this world.’

Ian rested his chin on his shoulder and looked out the window. Fresh leaves swayed in the wind. The already sparkling sunlight shone endlessly due to their movement.

The day was so beautiful, but Ian’s world was sinking. One side of his chest was heavy with the weight of being an emperor.

‘…More than a thousand people died in the Battle of Wellbilla.’

‘Your Majesty.’

‘Most of them were children. The soldiers’ hands were so light as they carried the bodies, I couldn’t bear to watch.’

‘Your Majesty. It was a surprise attack. And a massacre.’

It was something Ian could not have prevented. It was an incident caused by a band of robbers expanding their power at the border, and by the time Ian left the temple, everything was already over.

Everyone whispered that it was ominous, but no one mentioned Ian’s name, except for a few opposition factions.

‘You asked what I cannot do in Bariel, Naum. That means everything that happens in Bariel happens because of me. If I, if I had been a little more careful, if I had wiped out all the robbers then-‘

‘Your Majesty.’

‘It is all my fault, the weight of death is too heavy. Naum, the grief of the people of the empire is too much to bear.’

Ian buried his head in his knees again. Only quiet sighs continued to escape him. Naum simply stayed with him on the opposite side.

Little child. The emperor’s seat is like that, didn’t I tell you beforehand? You have done well, you are doing well, and feeling that weight regardless of the outcome is also one of the qualities of an emperor, so you will continue to do well in the future.

Naum had many things he wanted to say, but he held back. Now was the time for Emperor Ian to pour out his sadness. However, there was only one thing he wanted to do.

‘It is good to bear the weight. However, let the blind criticism of the opposition flow away. Treat all the noise they make, saying it is Your Majesty’s fault, that Your Majesty is incompetent, that the public sentiment has become ominous, as nonsense.’

‘You always told me to be someone who could listen to the other side’s opinion.’

‘Opinions and nonsense are different, Your Majesty.’

Ian chuckled and raised his head, and Naum smiled back. Naum opened the book he had brought and asked.

‘Shall I read you a book?’

‘There are many people waiting outside.’

‘Do not worry about those who are waiting. It is their job to wait. However, showing a strong appearance is solely Your Majesty’s job. Your eyes are still red.’

Naum opened the book. Then, in a gentle yet firm tone, he began to read from the magic book.

The tone was so calm that Ian closed his eyes without realizing it. And he erased the jumbled thoughts that were mixing in his mind with Naum’s voice.

Until the sun set in the west, Naum continued to read, and Ian simply listened. Ian realized that sometimes, moments where time seemed to stop were necessary.

* * *

“Haaah!”

Clang! Clang!

His body swayed greatly. Ian felt dizzy and slightly opened his eyes.

Beric was holding him and cutting down the approaching enemies. And the Clifford soldiers were helping Beric, protecting him. The three nations were engaged in a bloody battle, surrounding him.

But Ian couldn’t even move his fingertips. He could only look up at the clear sky through the gaps of the splattering blood, shouts, and dust.

The sky, which had been chaotic with his and the old man’s power just a moment ago, was clear and bright as if nothing had happened. It was like the sky he had seen in the detached palace that day.

‘Huh? Ian! Are you awake?’

‘……’

Beric shouted when he saw that Ian had opened his eyes, but there was no answer. Tears continued to flow from Ian’s eyes. It was as if he was not even aware of it himself.

He was limp and lifeless, like a dead man. Beric tried to ignore the feeling of his heart dropping and continued to swing his sword.

‘Ian is awake! Hurry! Make way!’

‘The Minister of the Magic Department of Bariel has regained consciousness! Hurry!’

‘Hurry and kill him! We must deal with him before he regains his strength!’

‘Get out of the way! Damn it!’

‘Ugh! Die! Die!’

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Swish!

Ian was just blankly entrusting his body to Beric.

Is this what happens when you use mental magic? Judging by the reactions of the magicians when they cast the ‘River of Suffering’ spell, there must have been considerable aftereffects. Noah kept ordering the soldiers.

‘Make way! Get them to safety inside the barrier! And retreat for now! Retreat! Tell them to retreat!’

‘But Your Highness, the sword masters from Bariel have arrived! Wouldn’t it be better to add our strength?’

‘The leader of the sword masters must have his own intentions. If they ask for help, we will give it, but first, we must secure Ian and all the magicians! We must never lose the magicians! They are the people of Bariel, who sacrificed themselves for us and for other countries! Clifford has a duty to repay them!’

‘Yes! Your Highness! Of course!’

‘Send word to the palace! Tell them to gather all the remaining magicians!’

‘Over there! A magician is being dragged away on the left!’

‘Grab him! A magician has been taken to the Vergos side!’

‘Chase them! We can’t let them get away!’

It was chaos. The three nations clashed to take possession of the magicians who had fallen from the sky.

The magicians seemed to be slowly regaining their senses amidst the commotion. Some were pierced by Idgal spears, some were dragged away by their hair, and some were unconscious, not knowing whose hands they were in.

‘What are you doing!’

Eriphony urged her magicians, who were standing blankly, but they did not move, watching the hell unfold. The way they were treating the magicians brought them endless fear.

Moreover, the old man, who was the leader of the group, had died from forbidden magic, leaving not even a trace behind.

They had joined the war for Luswena, but what was left for them? Little Zaira was shedding tears and confronting Eriphony.

‘Your Highness! You said that no one would die! You said that if we just went to war, you would return us all to our daily lives! Bring my grandmother back to life!’

‘You little-!’

Slap!

Eriphony’s subordinate slapped Zaira’s cheek, and the magicians surrounded the child. Anger flickered in their eyes.

‘Do you not know what war is? It is about killing and being killed. Your grandmother died fulfilling her duty, so she took the glory of Luswena, but you dare to defy the king and tarnish his name!’

‘We are just-!’

‘And who told her to die? The old man decided on his own to give his life for Luswena.’

‘Don’t talk nonsense! On her own? Here on her own? Are you really saying that?!’

‘Enough, there is no time for commotion.’

Eriphony cut off the heated atmosphere with her bow, as if telling them to stop.

She clicked her tongue, glancing at the magicians. Since they were not affiliated with the royal palace, she knew that problems like this would arise. Bariel’s people were directly under the imperial palace, so they had no objections to carrying out orders. Tsk.

She thought that she would have to reorganize the royal palace organization after the war was over.

‘We have neutralized Ian and the entire Magic Department, so that is enough. There is no time, advance.’

‘Yes, Your Highness!’

At Eriphony’s command, the black-armored soldiers strode forward. It was a great force that would quell the chaos.

But-

Kwaaang!

Thud!

Jairut and the Imperial Guard blocked their path. It was a powerful landing that split the earth.

Jairut released his magic power and summoned his sword. Dark clouds gathered above his hand, creating a bolt of lightning. Soon, a long, shining object appeared through his fingers. It was a magic sword.

‘Listen well, everyone.’

Swoosh.

The other magic swordsmen did the same. They lowered their bodies and summoned their respective magic swords.

‘Our current goal is the safe return of the magicians. And the annihilation of the black armor.’

‘Yes, Captain!’

At Jairut’s signal, five magic swordsmen turned their backs and threw themselves into the chaos. They were exceptionally fast on their feet, so they would be able to easily save the magicians.

On the other hand, the remaining ones faced the black armor with a fierce smile. Everyone’s eyes sparkled.

‘We’ve seen the black armor in the Chetur region. They are always getting in the way of Bariel’s progress.’

‘What are you doing! We can subdue the magic swordsmen with black armor! Don’t be afraid and advance!’

‘All together-!’

Swoosh!

Jairut knew that individual combat with the black armor was impossible. Magic swords could not penetrate the black armor, so another method was needed. And Jairut knew well what that method was.

Experience.

Experience was the best weapon and tactic.

‘If six members strike two blows at the same time, the armor will be shattered.’

Therefore, he would destroy the target simultaneously, centered on himself. He would once again deploy the past operation that came from experience.

Swish!

As Jairut led the way, the magic swordsmen followed in unison. The wind was sharply divided. In the blink of an eye, they leaped dozens of meters and reached right in front of the black armor.

Jairut struck down with lightning speed, and then his subordinates followed suit, striking in succession.

Clang! Clang! Thud!

A single attack poured down simultaneously from all directions. It was concise and perfectly breaking through the black armor.

Eriphony watched it with a dumbfounded look, and then shouted to her subordinates.

‘Bring me a new bow!’

‘Ah, yes!’

Those damn Bariel bastards. They are all annoying. Eriphony grabbed a new bow and looked around the battlefield. Where is Ian? Ian, Ian, Ian…

‘There!’

In the center of the chaos. It was the moment when Beric was about to enter the Clifford camp with Ian in his arms. Eriphony focused, closed one eye, and aimed precisely at Ian’s heart.

Squeeze!

‘Put magic power into the arrow! Magician!’

Eriphony shouted, but there was no response. She turned around with an annoyed face and aimed the arrow at the child’s head. It was Zaira’s head.

‘What are you doing? Put in the magic power.’

‘…Your Highness! She is still a child!’

‘I know. That’s why I’m telling you twice.’

‘I, I will put it in. Please, let Zaira go.’

As the magician staggered to protect Zaira, the child pushed away his hand. Then, she opened her eyes sharply and tightly gripped the arrowhead. Blood dripped from her fingers.

Buzz. Buzz.

Her eyes turned golden.

The child mumbled, tears streaming down her face.

‘Yes. I will put in the magic power for you.’