Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 398

Those who moved secretly, hidden in the darkness.

They were the Ruswena soldiers, led by Eriphony. They were approaching the forest where they were to meet Damon, and they were on edge, sensitive to even the slightest sound.

At that moment, there was a flash of light and a roar from the Clifford Wall. Eriphony slowly turned around, and Eldert naturally took out a telescope and handed it to her.

‘I told you to be discreet, but you never listen. That’s why kids are like this.’

It was the left side of the Clifford Wall. It was too far away to see clearly, but it was clear that a battle had broken out in the air. It must be that child, Zaira. She was too young, so I wondered if she would do well, but as expected, she was as expected.

Eldert lowered his head, relieving the king’s worries.

‘Still, she did her part.’

Eriphony and Eldert had already considered that Zaira would not be able to go unnoticed.

Clifford would surely try to cut off the connection between the kings of Vergos and Ruswena, and there would be elite magic swordsmen among the scouts.

So, making a fuss like that to temporarily block their eyes and ears was Zaira’s real mission. A mage who went to the left side would find out what was happening inside the wall.

She clicked her tongue and turned her back.

‘Will Bariel request a prisoner exchange of Zaira and the mage?’

‘Yes. If they capture her, they will.’

There was nothing to lose. Even if Zaira was captured, she had Jean.

The problem was that she didn’t know how his value would change in the coordination with Damon. Whatever it was, Ruswena would never lose out.

‘Did Vergos eat a horse during the war? Why are they so late?’

Eriphony muttered in a very sensitive tone.

It was late at night during the war, in an unfamiliar place, and nothing could be seen. Wouldn’t it be better to finish the contact while Zaira was making a fuss at the wall? Just as Eldert was about to check the time at her urging,

Rustle.

A presence was heard in the darkness. The soldiers were on guard with spears and swords, and Eriphony also picked up her bow. Because that damn magic swordsman had broken her special bow, the feeling of holding the bow was not the same as before.

‘It’s been a while, Queen Eriphony.’

Purple hair was revealed in the moonlight. His cheeks looked a little paler than when she saw him in Bariel a while ago. Was it because his eyes had become darker?

Eriphony nodded her head in greeting.

‘It hasn’t been that long. I’m glad you’re safe. There’s a lot to share, but since Clifford is sending out scouts, it would be better to share only the important things and retreat.’

It couldn’t be helped. No matter how much they had formed an alliance, it was a big risk for the kings to enter each other’s camps, and Clifford’s scouts would continue to patrol the area. If a magic swordsman attacked, it would be very troublesome.

Eriphony received a bundle of letters from Eldert and handed them to Damon.

‘First of all, you know that Bariel has banned trade, right?’

‘Yes. I know. Thanks to that, there’s a big mess under the chancellors. Since everything has its pros and cons, the pro-war arguments have gained some strength. I don’t think Ruswena is any different.’

Bariel, their biggest trading partner, had closed its doors. Due to the lack of supplies and countermeasures, the desire to invade Clifford had risen sharply.

Eriphony just shrugged and smiled.

‘We are mainly exporters, so it’s a shame, but we don’t react much. Vergos will definitely react strongly.’

‘Anyway, because of that, all supply routes are blocked. The road to Bariel is blocked, and pursuers are attached to the Dead Lands. I haven’t received anything you sent.’

So, send it again. Although the magic swordsmen were an eyesore, if they could supply a large amount of black armor, they could definitely gain an advantage in melee combat.

Eriphony swept back her hair and laughed for a moment.

‘We have faithfully carried out what we requested, but it would be a little difficult if you ask us to send it again just because you didn’t receive it, King Damon.’

‘Ruswena’s supply soldiers couldn’t even get near the Vergos border and were cut off. And yet, you carried it out faithfully? Are you truly saying that?’

‘You know that when war breaks out, supplies will disappear like snow, and we cannot give them out indefinitely. Unless we revise the alliance treaty a little.’

Alliance. They were people who moved together for a single benefit, but when they actually arrived, it was important who took more.

The smile disappeared from King Damon’s lips.

‘When Clifford is occupied, let’s change the agreement to have Ruswena manage seven major cities in the northeast instead of five. Then I can give you the black armor materials right away. Since Bariel is blocked and the Dead Lands are useless, we have no choice but to do this.’

Ruswena, as much as Vergos, had a growing need for new frontiers. They didn’t have enough to take care of their own supplies, yet they had given up their place for their allies. They needed to get a clear reward for this.

‘Seven…’

There was no room for negotiation. Eriphony’s eyes were saying so. Damon pretended to think for a moment, then nodded in acceptance.

‘Okay. But you will have to choose from the adjacent cities.’

‘Of course. That’s more convenient for us too.’

The two shook hands.

Foolish. Once a crack appeared in Clifford, most of the land would turn to dust. They wouldn’t be able to see the fertile land that Ruswena wanted, so what did it matter if it was five or seven?

‘And about the Bariel mage. We captured one on our side, what about yours?’

‘We have four.’

Oh, the Vergos soldiers moved quickly.

Eriphony looked at Eldert as if to scold him, as if to say, ‘Look at that.’ She ignored the fact that Ruswena was relatively more restrained by the magic swordsmen because of the black armor.

‘Are they all alive?’

‘Except for one.’

‘Oh, dear.’

One was dead. Eriphony nodded with a face that was not at all pitiful.

‘The one we have is also almost dying, what are you going to do? I heard that necromancers can control the corpses of mages?’

‘We are trying, but it seems there are some trial and errors. It would be best if you could keep them alive as much as possible on your side.’

There was no problem with moving like a normal corpse, but it seemed to have considerable difficulty in implementing magic. They were people who didn’t know that magic was imprinted on the soul, not the body, so foolish experiments were continuing.

As soon as Eriphony heard that, she winked at Eldert. The value of being alive was greater than the value of being dead. So, she ordered a message to be sent to the camp to share mana with the Bariel mage.

Swoosh.

Neigh!

Two soldiers carrying the royal order rode their horses out of the forest first.

The moon in the night sky was gradually tilting downwards. It would soon be dawn, so it would be better to put their heads together about the next battle from now on.

Eriphony looked at the Clifford Wall, where the light was dimmer than before. Zaira had either escaped or been captured. It would be one of the two.

‘We will deal with the magic swordsmen. It seems that even black armor can be broken if six of them attack twice, so we will reorganize the black armor users on our side as the elite and send them out again. If we can lead them only in individual battles, we will definitely have a chance of winning. How about turning the synthetic monsters to our side?’

‘Currently, one of the necromancers has crossed over to Bariel. We dismantled the remaining monsters and broke their cores, but he will also add considerable strength to Clifford. It’s a pity that he’s from Astana, which is famous for necromancy.’

It was a series of problems. When viewed as a whole, there was not a single point that was advantageous to Vergos and Ruswena. This was a problem.

It seemed that the strategy of neutralizing mages through Idgal’s supply was proceeding slower than expected. When Eriphony frowned, Damon added.

‘It’s okay. More reinforcements are coming from the north.’

‘From the north, you say?’

‘Countless. All sorts of people will gather.’

‘Ah, I heard about that. You released the monsters. It doesn’t seem like a suitable measure for Clifford’s farmland, can you handle it?’

‘It’s limited to the border area near the west that borders Vergos, so don’t worry. And um-‘

Damon also looked at the moon. Once that tilted, there was only a week left. It was a very short time in war, but it was too long to use to destroy a single wall.

‘We plan to cross the wall and reach the capital within a week.’

‘It’s not as easy as it sounds, King Damon. You know who’s inside the wall.’

‘Thanks to the Ruswena mage, that power must have been greatly diminished. When the day breaks and the battle begins, we will know more accurately. However, the important thing is one week.’

Eriphony couldn’t understand at all. One week. What was the meaning of that? Was it the number of supplies? Or was it perhaps the auspicious day for the shamans? If it was something like that, she would immediately break the alliance and return to her country. How could she trust and work with someone who was distracted by superstition?

‘There will be an earthquake.’

Damon explained as if he had read Eriphony’s mind.

‘An earthquake?’

‘A major earthquake, too.’

‘Inside the wall?’

When Damon nodded, Eriphony frowned. It didn’t make sense. It was as if one important clue was out of place.

‘Then, instead of attacking within a week, wouldn’t it be enough to hold out until then? If we just stay still, buildings will collapse and soldiers will die, so why shed blood?’

‘The goal is to bring out the royal treasures before everything turns to ruins. Breaking the legitimacy of the Clifford royal family is the priority, and then giving gold to the northern allies is next.’

Damon’s short hair shook slightly. It was because he nodded his head as if what he was about to say next was particularly important.

‘And above all, it’s to win before Bariel’s reinforcements arrive.’

Hmm. Eriphony’s eyes narrowed. If a major earthquake occurred, there was a high possibility that the royal treasures would be lost. There was also a need to satisfy the northern tribes, who were close to barbarians, before that.

But something was still suspicious. Eriphony changed the subject, meaning that she would not agree to the one-week period. She could not participate until she was completely convinced.

‘There is also a response from Hawan.’

Hawan Kingdom. Small, but the golden gateway where everything on this continent, including the Great Desert, passed through.

Hawan was on friendly terms with Ruswena, so they sent a message saying that they would observe the situation and then join the war. They may have sent a similar letter to Bariel, but what was important was that there was a force that would follow if they gained momentum. Even if it was not Hawan, but another country.

‘It would be good to show external results, even in the short term. The bigger the prey, the more it makes sense to gather strength. Then, please sign here. It’s an amendment to the alliance treaty.’

Clatter.

When Eriphony unfolded the letter and handed it over, a vassal received it and handed it to Damon.

Eriphony realized then. That Timothy, who was always by her side, was not there. Her turquoise eyes flashed even more, and she slowly scanned King Damon, who was signing.

* * *

Boom!

‘Ugh, you scared me!’

‘Wh-what, what is it!’

The operation room door suddenly opened. Ian, who had recovered to some extent, turned his head, and the mages were startled and grabbed their hearts. It was Acorella.

Berrick sniffled and looked at her, who was in an unusual state. Why were there holes in her clothes?

‘Why is she like that?’

‘Hoo. Hehehe…’

Acorella raised a beaker with crazy eyes. A disgustingly sticky liquid sloshed inside.

The mages swallowed hard and tried not to look at Acorella. That was definitely it.

‘It’s time to revere the great mage Acorella. Wow, I really did it. Commander Hale! It’s the mana amplifier you told me to make!’

‘Commander Hale! Find the commander, quickly!’

‘Ah, Commander Acorella… her eyes are crazy again…’

Ian covered the makeshift Clifford map and called out to Acorella.

‘Already? You shouldn’t have been ready yet. You’re amazing, Acorella.’

‘Oh, Ian-nim, you’re awake! Kya ha ha! I’m the great mage Acorella that Ian-nim recognizes.’

‘Then, can we drink it?’

‘Ah, Ian-nim can’t.’

When Ian asked with a gentle smile, Acorella raised her other hand and firmly refused.

‘This definitely has side effects. Okay, anyone who wants to drink this besides Ian-nim!’

‘W-we can drink it? That’s too much!’

‘Huh? You made eye contact with me. Come here.’

‘What are you talking about? I, I was just looking at the ground.’

At that moment, Berrick raised his hand.

‘That! Can I drink it? It smells delicious.’

‘It smells delicious? Really?’

‘Yeah. It smells like meat.’

That’s strange. That can’t be right? Acorella sniffed again, but only felt nauseous. She nodded her head at Ian as if asking for permission.

‘Well, Berrick wants to eat it. Can we let him eat it, Ian-nim?’