Margrave’s Bastard Son Was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 417

The king was in despair.

Watching his kingdom crumble, he felt his heart breaking, and the cries of his people threatened to deafen him. A king was a symbol by his very existence.

What could he do, standing idly by while his son was on the battlefield? He couldn’t even rebuild a fallen wall, nor could he gather the scattered earth.

It was the first time in his life he had felt such helplessness. A sense of powerlessness that overwhelmed him before fear. If the former kings of Clifford were watching him, what expressions would they wear?

As the king was lost in thought, May, disrespectfully, tugged at his sleeve and shouted.

“Your Majesty! You cannot stay here!”

The aftershocks of the earthquake had reached the palace. Judging by the continuous tremors, it was clear that even greater earthquakes would soon engulf them. They were escorting the king to the widest garden in the palace.

However, the king turned towards the palace gate, not away from it. The soldiers had left the gate half-open, fearing it might twist and become blocked.

“Your Majesty!”

Tap tap tap!

The king dashed through the gap. Though his plump body made him slow, his retainers couldn’t stop him. They knew what the king was worried about. They followed him, bringing horses.

“Your Majesty! Please ride a horse!”

“This way! The west path! I will guide you!”

“The rest of you, protect the princes and princesses!”

“Evacuate to the garden! Escort them without a scratch!”

The horses’ footing was unstable due to the constant shaking of the earth. However, the king did not let go of the reins and soon spotted a familiar figure. Ian’s attendant, the red-haired barbarian who had devoured all the food in the palace.

“Berick?”

“Huh? Why are you here? You should be in the palace.”

The king quickly assessed Ephram, who was confronting him. He didn’t know the situation, but if Berick was hostile to her, then she was Ian’s enemy. And by extension, Clifford’s enemy.

As the king’s guards stepped forward, gripping their swords, Ephram raised an eyebrow as if annoyed.

“What? You wanna try me?”

“You don’t seem to be from Clifford. Reveal your identity!”

“Hey, mister, that curly-haired girl is crazy.”

“As if you’re any better.”

Ziiing. Ziing.

Shwaaak!

As Berick pointed a finger at Ephram, she swung her sword as if to cut off his hand and charged at him.

It was an attack filled with magic. The heat rising from the ground grew even hotter, and embers like lava swirled in the wind.

The king covered his face with both hands and shouted.

“Stop! Stop it!”

At the king’s command, the knights stopped, but the two ruffians paid no heed. They continued their fierce exchange as if they were trying to kill each other.

As the fight dragged on, Berick seemed to be pushed back, but his energy was clearly equal to hers.

“Your Majesty. Doesn’t it seem like the earth shakes more whenever that woman swings her sword?”

The knight was right. Whenever Ephram swung her sword, something within the cracks seemed to react to it.

The king approached the two fighters and shouted again. It was more of a plea than a command.

“Stop! I said stop!”

Puh-wung!

Shwaaak!

At that moment, something sharp grazed Ephram’s cheek. Blood welled up, leaving a clear mark.

Ephram rubbed it with her palm and turned her head to where the attack had come from. It was Captain Hale. He had one eye closed as if aiming at a target.

“What’s with the sneak attack from behind?”

“It’s not a sneak attack, it’s a warning to be quiet. If I were going to hit you, I would have pierced your head, not your cheek.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m being quiet, okay? It’s this guy and that old man who are being loud.”

“H-How dare you! You scoundrel!”

Ephram mimicked the enraged knight, laughing. Was this what they called mirror therapy? Berick stared at her with a slightly shocked expression, as if she were truly insane.

Hale slowly descended from the sky and bowed to the king.

“Your Majesty. You must have heard the news of King Damon’s capture.”

“Yes. Thanks to Ian’s efforts, Clifford can breathe a sigh of relief. But what is this? Is this the rift you mentioned? But the magic department said they would limit its power as much as possible, how could…”

“I understand you have many concerns and questions. Ian has ordered me to escort you to the barrier. The Vergos forces, including Rusweena and that madwoman’s subordinates, are still in a standoff, so we cannot easily retreat this way.”

If those guarding the front lines retreated, a small gap would appear. That was an opportunity. It wasn’t the annihilation of the Vergos forces, but merely the situation of having King Damon’s life tied to a rope.

The king, who immediately understood Ian’s concern, nodded.

“I will go. As the king of Clifford, I cannot stay in the palace any longer. It is best to discuss the rift together.”

“Okay! Go! I’ll see if there’s anything to eat here!”

The moment Ephram said that, Berick swung his sword again. Her body reflexively twisted, and the sword narrowly passed by her side.

Ephram, surprised, looked at Berick, who raised his middle finger and retorted.

“I told you, stay put until Ian allows it.”

“You little shit, you wanna die…?”

“You should be careful of sneak attacks from the front too?”

“I’ve been watching you-!”

“Don’t watch me, you bastard!”

Chaeng! Chang!

As the two clashed again, sparks flying, the king looked at Hale as if asking for help. He cupped his hands near his mouth and shouted.

“Ephram! If you don’t come, he said he’ll behead all your subordinates in front of the barrier. Don’t cause trouble and get hurt, it’s better to resolve this through conversation. And he hinted that he’d consider the secret you want, so go and listen well. Berick! You’re in charge of Ephram. If you lose her, there’s no meat!”

“No meat? Ah! Seriously!”

It was a perfect mix of the carrot and the stick. The stick of threatening to massacre her subordinates if she caused trouble, and the carrot of satisfying her curiosity.

Ephram slowly withdrew her strength from the sword that was facing Berick and sighed. The rift was blazing right in front of her, oh for goodness sake.

“I let you off the hook. Seriously.”

“Let me off the hook? It’s obvious that I would win if we went all the way. Ah, is this what they call mental victory?”

“A moron knows such words. Get lost. I have to go meet your master.”

“Let’s go together! Didn’t you hear just now? You’re in charge of me!”

“Ah, I don’t know, I don’t know. Get lost!”

“Let’s go together!”

Taat!

They had been swinging their swords as if they would devour each other, but their disappearing backs looked no different from friends.

Hale carefully descended and offered his hand to the king.

“Your Majesty. Since the earthquake is ongoing, it would be better for the other retainers to travel by horse, and for you to travel with me. I will escort you to the barrier more safely and quickly.”

“Yes. Let’s do that. May!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do your best to clean up this mess, and send the prime minister and the others to the barrier.”

“Yes. I will obey your command.”

“Be careful.”

The king patted May’s shoulder and then took Hale’s hand. Even as they did so, the dust that was crawling out of the rift was repeating its cycle of birth and death.

May sighed as she trampled on the remnants of the monster’s debris. Clifford was starting to tilt.

* * *

“Ian, Captain Acorella is reporting.”

Ian turned his head at the sound of his name. The cold sweat had subsided, and his body, which had been limp, had regained its balance.

He nodded as if to say come in, and soon Acorella followed the mage with a vigorous stride. Her first words were quite direct.

“Ian, we’re screwed.”

“Hic.”

The mage covered his mouth and rolled his eyes, but Acorella did not falter. Indeed, there was no other way to express the current situation.

“The rift has opened. I contacted the Clifford researchers, and they said the aftershocks are getting stronger little by little. At this rate, we can expect another major earthquake in two to four days. But the problem is that the ground has already cracked, and the magic within is visible, you know?”

Ian slowly flipped through the documents Acorella had handed him. It was more efficient to focus on the experts’ opinions rather than the detailed figures and processes.

Acorella pulled up a chair and sat down, saying.

“In that case, there is a high possibility that monsters with form and ego will appear. It’s almost certain. Dust has already started to come out. That much is manageable for the average person, so it’s okay for now, but if another earthquake hits, everyone will die. Ah, not us, but Clifford.”

If monsters were to flood the western region near the barrier and the palace, it was obvious what would happen to the country. It was a situation where Clifford could disappear from history.

Ian sighed. It wasn’t intentional, but it felt like the fact that the illegitimate son Ian had come into contact with the pendant had pushed it to its limit.

Otherwise, where had his constantly leaking magic gone? Even if the illegitimate son Ian had used it beforehand, it couldn’t be said with certainty that there was no effect in the process of it being released and progressing.

“First of all, it would be best to evacuate the capital, Prodohona. The problem is us. What do we do now? The war is practically over, and there’s no reason for us to stay here. You were planning to leave early tomorrow, Ian.”

Bariel had done enough. No, they had done more than enough. Ian could return to Bariel with Damon and receive the Crown Prince’s praise. As well as Minister Tweller and Captain Jayrut.

“Go.”

Acorella preemptively spoke, fearing that Ian might try to deal with the earthquake. Since some mages would remain, Ian should just step back and rest, her eyes seemed to say. Very firmly.

Then Ian chuckled and nodded.

“There will be no change in the schedule. I will leave this place immediately tomorrow, and it is not I, but His Highness Jin’s will to relieve the damage from the earthquake and monsters. How can I move privately without His Highness’s command?”

The request for relief was clearly a matter to be handled at the national level. Ian clearly distinguished between what Jin should do and what he should do, and he had no intention of encroaching on it.

However, before returning, wouldn’t it be possible to give one last chance? To shed a little less blood, for a page of history that was tilting, to wipe away the tears of those who held hope.

“But why are you calling the kids together?”

“Acorella, usually that’s called a conference.”

“Am I Berick? Don’t I know that? I mean, why are you gathering King Rusweena, the northern leader, and even the King of Clifford in one place?”

Chalak.

Ian fiddled with the paper with his fingertips and murmured.

“Have you ever heard such a saying?”

“What is it?”

“The easiest way is to solve it with money. And then there’s violence, and the most difficult is through inspiration.”

Acorella tilted her head. So, you mean to present solutions through peaceful dialogue, is that it?

Ian smiled and handed her the report.

“I’m going to try it. Even if it doesn’t work, there’s no need to be disappointed. It’s a difficult task from the start.”