Margrave’s Bastard Son Was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 395

The atmosphere in the Ruswenan mages’ tent was unusually heavy. Just that afternoon, an old mage who had been with them had died, and in the process, they had tied up a captured Baryl mage in a corner.

Jean, bound tightly and bleeding, was swollen all over from unintentional bruises.

A Ruswenan mage sighed deeply, furrowing his brow. Even with the magic-sealing stone on him, why did they have to guard a prisoner? Just because he was a fellow mage?

“His Highness is going too far.”

“…War is always excessive.”

“He’s an enemy, but still a mage. What are we supposed to do, guarding someone in that state?”

“They said it’s in case something happens. Because he’s a mage, only a mage can subdue him.”

“…Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Thud!

The mage, unable to contain his frustration, kicked a chair, causing Jean’s body to flinch reflexively. He was not alive, but dying.

“Calm down. Zaira is here.”

The mages stroked the child’s shoulder, trying to block out the violent sounds.

But Zaira was rather indifferent. As if detached from everything, she sat quietly, staring only at the tent entrance. It felt like her grandmother would be standing there if she just opened it, and no external disturbance could break Zaira’s concentration.

The mage who had kicked the chair righted it and sat down.

“I didn’t know the king would be so ignorant of our identity. When we return, I will never come out again. I will go deeper, so deep that even the king cannot find me.”

“Cough!”

Jean suddenly coughed up blood, and the Ruswenan mages pretended not to hear, lowering their heads. They wanted to give him magic, but it was impossible due to the magic-sealing stone cuffs. And above all, the biggest problem was that they didn’t have the king’s permission.

The mage rummaged through his pockets, looking for a cigarette.

“If he dies, he’ll probably tell us to dispose of the body too. I don’t know how he can be so heartless. He’s so different from what we heard.”

“The people just need to be fed and warm. We were like that too.”

“He doesn’t look like he’ll last until morning if we leave him like this. Did a doctor see him? Should we call him again? Wouldn’t it be better to lay him down than leave him like this?”

“I went to look for one earlier, but there were only medics. I don’t know where the medical officer went.”

Sizzle.

The mage with the cigarette in his mouth glanced at Zaira. The child wasn’t crying, still staring into space with a rigid posture. He carefully tapped the table, drawing the child’s gaze.

“Zaira. Tell me now. It’s just us here.”

“……”

“What did you secretly learn again? I know what you did to His Highness’s arrow earlier.”

The child’s feet, not touching the ground, swung happily. Just imagining the moment of revenge was enough to soothe her gloomy mood.

“You’ll know at His Highness’s most important moment.”

“Most important, what? Ha, frustrating. Really.”

Tap tap.

At that moment, footsteps were heard outside.

The mages fell silent as if by agreement, and then the tent entrance was pulled back. Eldert had come to find Jean with a medical officer.

While the mages all stood up to greet him, Zaira remained seated, staring intently at him.

Whether he didn’t see her or was ignoring her because she was a child, Eldert didn’t make an issue of it and immediately approached Jean, grabbing his chin.

“What’s his condition?”

“There’s no sign of improvement. Unless we give him magic. Does His Highness have no orders?”

“Not yet. He seems to be planning to decide after agreeing with Vergos. They have necromancers there, so they’re figuring out if they can do anything with the mage’s corpse.”

It was gruesome. The Ruswenan mages tried to ignore the chilling plan.

Use a mage’s corpse for necromancy? Then what about them? If they died, would they be used continuously without being able to rest? Unless they were completely destroyed like the old man, was there no way to escape the battlefield?

‘Surely not. His Highness wouldn’t do that to his own country’s mages.’

They all thought it wouldn’t happen, but they couldn’t be sure.

Ruswena was a historic royal family, and Eriphony was a promising leader who had run the country well. At least until they met him in person, the mages had lived in seclusion, thinking of him that way.

But look. The king aiming his bow was more like a ruthless predator.

“I, I think it would be better to keep him alive for now, even if we kill him later. Please tell him. Honestly, it’s hard for me to see a fellow mage dying like this.”

The medical officer glanced at the mages while examining the wound, and Eldert also gave a puzzled look. As if he didn’t understand what being a fellow mage had to do with it.

It was a difference in interpretation of mages. To them, it was an identity, but to the royal family, they were just people with the same abilities. What was the difference between someone who became a military officer because they were good at martial arts and someone who became a mage because they had magic?

“If it’s so hard to watch, tell him yourself. Let’s end this conversation here. I will be selecting about two mages. They need to fly to the left and right sides of the barrier to check the inside.”

“Are you saying we should go scout?”

“Yes. A fire has been lit inside the Clifford barrier. I don’t know what this means right now, so you need to go and see.”

A fire lit at night was not something to be easily dismissed. It meant there was movement inside, one way or another. Figuring that out was the most important thing right now.

“Two people……”

The mages looked at each other, sizing each other up. Usually, the old man would take the lead or recommend a suitable person, but that position was now vacant.

After a moment of silence, Zaira raised her hand.

“I’ll go.”

“Zaira. No, you’re too young. I’ll go instead.”

“Yeah. Me and my brother can go. We’ll go, Eldert.”

When the child raised her hand first, everyone was startled and tried to stop her. She had to make sense. If they sent a child to such a place, the old man in the abyss would surely scold them.

But Zaira, for some reason, just widened her eyes and retorted.

“Why? My uncles are weaker than me.”

“Zaira.”

“And I’m small, so even if I get caught, I can get away with it because I’m a child. Ian, the Baryl general, is supposed to be amazing. There might be a barrier, right? I don’t feel anything here.”

“The enemy’s forces are too weakened to put up a barrier. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Besides, my uncles are too big. The moonlight is bright, and if we want to see why the fire was lit inside the barrier, a small body is perfect for sneaking around. Eldert. I can go.”

As a small dispute broke out among the mages, Eldert watched them with his arms crossed.

Certainly, Zaira was a very suitable person for the scouting mission, except for the fact that she was young. If you ignored her rebellious attitude earlier and the fact that she was hit by the general.

“Is there any of Zaira’s family here?”

“We are all family. We lived together in the forest.”

“I mean direct family. Blood relatives.”

The mage’s claim didn’t work on Eldert. They hesitated for a moment before mentioning Zaira’s younger sibling.

“Zaira has a younger brother in the palace. He’s a boy, but he’s ordinary.”

“Good. Then Zaira will go to the left, and you will go to the right.”

“Eldert! Zaira is too young. Please reconsider.”

“If her will is so strong, what’s the problem with her being young? She’s a mage who added power to His Highness’s arrow. And this is a battlefield. Age doesn’t matter.”

Zaira got off the chair and picked up her robe. A small piece of cloth that would protect her in the dark. The child carefully tucked her hair into the hood and asked.

“I just need to see the situation inside the barrier, right? What else?”

“Just come back and report in detail. The primary goal is to return without being caught. Zaira. If you don’t come back, your brother will also go to your grandmother’s side.”

Eldert knelt down, meeting the child’s gaze. The mages pressed their lips together, but Zaira just smiled.

“If I come back and bring victory in the war, we will all be honored.”

“Of course. His Highness will heal and compensate for all the pain, including your grandmother’s sacrifice. Zaira. Don’t forget that you are a proud Ruswenan.”

“I understand, Eldert.”

“Then, let’s go. We will report directly to His Highness and then go scout.”

Eldert left Jean’s treatment to the medical officer and nodded to the two people. As Zaira was about to leave the tent without hesitation, the mages all rushed to block her way.

“Zaira!”

“What are you really thinking? Huh? Why are you doing this?”

“Everyone, move. We don’t have time.”

“If you go, how will we see our grandmother?”

“Why would you see grandmother? She’s in the abyss. Now, no one, no one can see her.”

Perhaps if she used forbidden magic, then she could see her.

Zaira passed the mages who were trying to stop her and followed Eldert, and soon she could see the Clifford camp, where a fire was brightly lit on one side of the barrier.

“They lit a fire out in the open.”

“Be careful. Zaira.”

At Eldert’s words, Zaira just nodded without answering.

Dark eyes reflecting the moonlight. The child touched her swollen cheek and tightened her robe even more.

* * *

“Meat! More meat!”

“You crazy bastard, where did the one in front of you go?”

“That? In my belly. Give me some booze too! Clifford is so stingy, if you’re going to grease my stomach, you should bring something to wash it down!”

“Who drinks like you in the middle of a war? Huh? Even the king doesn’t do that.”

“Ian, he keeps nagging me. Tell him something. It’s the worst to mess with someone’s food!”

“You! You should have some conscience!”

“Huh? Huh? He’s taking it again!”

“Berick. It’s not taking, it’s sharing. You stupid bastard. Is everything on this table yours? Huh?”

Clatter!

Thud!

On the table Berick had taken over, fruits were flying everywhere, and water and drinks were spilling. It was a noisy meal.

Meanwhile, Ian, who was sitting in the middle, gracefully moved his fork and knife, cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces.

It was as if an unapproachable wall had been erected between Ian and the others. While everyone else was gobbling down their food, he alone seemed to be enjoying a small feast.

Although he wasn’t smiling, he didn’t seem to be bothered by the commotion. Rather, he seemed to be enjoying it a little.

“Let go of this-”

Berick, who had lifted a plate and shouted, stopped abruptly. The mages took the opportunity to steal the meat, but Berick’s reaction was unusual.

“…Berick?”

“Why is he suddenly like this?”

“Wow, he’s serious. Fine. Eat it all.”

The mage who had taken the meat gave the food back to Berick, but Berick just put it back on the table and stared into space. Like a guard dog sensing someone outside.

“Huh.”

Sniff sniff. And prick up. Berick frowned and then threw open the door. He tilted his head, looking puzzled as he stared at the empty night sky.

“Berick. The meat is coming soon. Close the door! Ian is cold.”

“Hey, hey, hey. Wait a minute. Everyone stop eating and look. Don’t you feel anything?”

“What?”

More than half of the mages had lost their magic due to Idgal. Another half had problems with their magic. In other words, everyone was in bad shape to notice anything unusual.

Clink.

“I feel magic.”

“Right? Ian, this is the smell of magic, right?”

Ian put down his knife and muttered, and Berick asked back happily.

“What should we do? Ian, do you want to keep eating? Should I go get it?”

Buzz. Buzz.

As Berick activated his magic and grabbed his black sword, the mages covered their faces with empty bowls and shouted.

“Aaaah! You crazy bastard, we’re indoors! If it explodes, we’ll be sick again!”

“Go out! If you’re going to do that, go out!”

“Huh? Ian, should I go get it? Or not?”

Ian stared at the half-eaten steak. He was starting to get his appetite back, and he didn’t want to leave this place where he was with everyone. He slightly raised his hand to his fork again and asked.

“Can you do it?”

“I told you. I’m going to do really well from now on.”

“Then report to Commander Jayrut and have you take care of it. My meal will be fine, right?”

“Of course.”

Buzz!

Boom!

Berick exploded with magic and jumped off the railing in one go. Barsabe, who was loosening up below while holding his side, screamed silently.

“I’ll get the fly! Old man Jayrut!”

Thud!

Jayrut, who was in a meeting with Noah and Tweller, closed his eyes again. As if he couldn’t hear or see anything.

“Send me up!”

“Berick. Maintain your dignity as a Royal Guard.”