Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 442

“Damn it, I’ll tear them to pieces….”

Eriphony muttered, nervously flicking the bowstring of the golden bow bound to her arm.

An uncontrollable rage surged within her. It was bad enough that she had been humiliated in the war with Clifford, but now the mages she had trusted as allies from Lusswennah had rebelled and fled.

“Your Highness, please calm yourself.”

“Calm down? Are you serious!?”

Elderte’s usual words of comfort fell on deaf ears. On the road to Bariel, Eriphony, not even knowing exactly where she stood, glared around and screamed.

“Not only is the palace half-destroyed, but their families have escaped. What a disgrace! And the pursuit team only chased their shadows and lost them? They say they’ve reached the Bariel Imperial Palace, so what more can we do? Huh?! Tell me! Instead of telling me to calm down, give me a realistic solution!”

It was like a beast roaring with murderous intent. With her imposing eight-foot frame and already fierce eyes, the servants trembled and prostrated themselves on the dirt floor, praying that the fire wouldn’t spread to them.

Elderte bowed his head and spoke more calmly.

“The pursuit team did follow, but it is true that there was a shortage of personnel due to the war and the chaos in the palace. Moreover, the opponents are mages. How can we follow the shadows of those who fly in the sky?”

“They went by carriage, what are you talking about!”

“They split into two groups to cause confusion. Your Highness, please do not worry too much. The Imperial Palace has a long-standing tradition of the Magic Department, so they have a systematic way of keeping mages in check. Not physically, but in various social, cultural, and political aspects. On the other hand, Lusswennah’s royal palace has always walked a separate path from mages. It is natural that there are mistakes.”

“Mistakes? Is that acceptable in history? It will be seen as a rebellion by our own mages.”

Eriphony squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead. Leaving aside the external hardships, the current internal atmosphere was very unsettling.

Lusswennah had never had a change of dynasty from its founding to the present day. It was a country that boasted a solid foundation and strong royal authority, but the combination of war defeat and the mages’ rebellion had created an unprecedented atmosphere.

“Why are you so quick to judge?”

Elderte offered Eriphony a glass of wine. She gulped it down in one go and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Like a beast that had just finished a feast, a faint red mark lingered around her mouth.

“What is it, Elderte? Is there something I don’t know?”

“I didn’t want to say anything before I had confirmation, but it seems Your Highness is very concerned, so I will report it. There is one Lusswennah mage we might be able to contact.”

“Someone we might be able to contact? So you haven’t contacted them yet?”

“We can persuade them.”

“What good will it do to turn one of them?”

“One person might not do much. It might seem meaningless, but just the fact that such a person exists allows us to do many things.”

Ha, this is really going to drive me crazy. Eriphony rolled her three-white eyes around, looking annoyed.

She knew what Elderte was saying. They were entering Bariel for peace negotiations, but from another perspective, it was like entering the enemy’s headquarters. The palace gates would be wide open, and before them, the young Crown Prince would be tapping his pen and wagging his silver tongue.

“…Will it work?”

The Emperor was old and practically non-existent, and next was a ten-year-old Crown Prince. And Ian, who was the main pillar supporting him among the many officials. If they could deal with these two, they could not only create chaos in Bariel but also reverse the situation in an instant.

“It will be difficult, but isn’t it worth trying?”

“Whether we succeed or fail, the blame will fall on Lusswennah. The palace is already waiting with bated breath for the results of the peace negotiations, and if we add more pressure, it will only provoke them.”

Eriphony bit down hard on her cigarette. The faces of the old officials flashed before her eyes one by one. They said things like, ‘Do well, we trust you, Your Highness,’ without even batting an eye, but Eriphony knew what they were really thinking. Like foxes waiting for the grapes to fall, they were waiting for the royal authority to crack.

“What if we don’t do it?”

“What?”

“Many people besides Lusswennah will enter the Imperial Palace. Envoys will come from Daman’s homeland, Burgos, which is held captive, and the northern minorities will also attend. Astana, Atan, and everyone else who was involved in the war. Even Clifford is coming.”

“Clifford is an ally of Bariel. Why would they come?”

“Reasons are always made up. A negotiation that satisfies everyone is like a rainbow. Even if Bariel gives Clifford the most favorable treatment, the focus will inevitably return to Bariel itself. There will be detailed conflicts, and there are ways to exploit them. Of course, the easiest way is to shift the focus to Burgos.”

Elderte slowly turned the bow that Eriphony was holding and took it out of her grasp. Knowing the king’s hot-tempered nature, he thought that if he let her hold something, the servants would be in danger.

Eriphony obediently handed over the bow and leaned back on the leather sofa, looking up at the sky. Countless stars were visible above the entrance of the makeshift tent. If she hid, if she hid among so many things, maybe she could succeed?

“Shift the focus to Burgos…. Yes. Burgos is in a more desperate situation than we are. They would want chaos in Bariel even more than Lusswennah, so even if they caused trouble, would anyone suspect them? And Burgos is full of shady characters.”

A bitter smile appeared on the king’s lips. If Burgos took the lead, Lusswennah’s position as a victim might be accepted.

No, whatever happens, Jin and Ian’s absence is a boon for Lusswennah. Whether they die or disappear, it doesn’t matter, they just need to not exist. If the attention and gaze that would be directed at Lusswennah were to stay within and then explode towards Burgos, that would be ideal.

“How can we deal with two at once? The young one is one thing, but I’m worried about Ian. He hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony, but he acts like an old man who has lived twice. If we try to mess with him carelessly, we’ll surely be found out. You know he’s not someone to be taken lightly, Elderte, right?”

“Of course. We only have one chance. We must deal with them simultaneously. Otherwise, security will be strengthened, and we will not achieve our goal.”

“Deal with both at the same time….”

If it were up to her, she would swing her bow when they met, but it was a shame. To strike their white skin with the bow until it tore, and then, in the end, to step on their shoulders and drive an arrow into their hearts.

As Eriphony clicked her fingers and smacked her lips, Elderte shook his head.

“That is not possible. We need to make sure the culprit is revealed after an investigation. Poisoning would be best.”

“But I heard that the Bariel Magic Department has something called ‘Sildam Potion.’ It reveals the truth and lies. If you just enter the interrogation, you will say everything without filtering.”

“We will leave that to the Lusswennah mage.”

“To the Lusswennah mage? It hasn’t been long since they cut their tails and ran away like rats. They’ll be applying for asylum then, will they have any power in the Magic Department?”

Eriphony glared at Elderte and scolded him. She looked like she was thinking, ‘I’ve been listening, but this is not very reliable.’ But Elderte shook his head, telling her not to worry.

“No, they will be able to do it.”

“…I understand for now. Try to work on that. First, it would be good to go into the Imperial Palace and assess the situation. Damn them all. How dare they betray the country and insult me. If I meet them in the Imperial Palace, I feel like my blood will boil.”

Eriphony muttered, exhaling smoke. Come to think of it, Daman also had a man named Timothy who was close to him defect to Bariel, right? I don’t know if they met after being captured. Anyway, this is what a great empire does….

“Everyone will have received similar entry dates. Before Burgos and the northern forces arrive, let’s go in first, check the situation, and make a plan.”

“Yes. The poison on the bow isn’t decreasing, so it’s time to empty it once.”

Elderte knew that there was a small gap inside Eriphony’s golden bow. It was a poison prepared to be applied to the arrowheads if she encountered a formidable foe during a hunt.

Elderte bowed deeply and wished the king a peaceful night.

“Please rest well, Your Highness. I will urge the carriage to speed up from tomorrow.”

“Yes. Oh, and what happened to that one?”

“That one, you mean?”

“Alenara, the cute young lady.”

“Ah.”

She had come down to Clifford with her private soldiers, hoping to make a fresh start, but due to the early end of the war, she was only assigned to mop-up operations and had failed.

Her brother, Serro, was still on the front lines, suffering, but Alenara, he didn’t know what had happened to her after that. In fact, Eriphony didn’t have the luxury to care about her.

“Didn’t the young lady say she would go up to the center to greet Your Highness? There was no special message, so she must be doing that. Honestly, she is a lower noble on the verge of ruin, so you don’t have to worry about her. She is someone who will not cause any problems with our plans. To be honest.”

“Hmm.”

That’s true. Eriphony recalled Alenara, who had held her fan to her chest and sparkled her eyes on the balcony. She mostly agreed with Elderte, but if she could secure even one path while sneaking into the enemy’s lair, wouldn’t that be helpful for the future?

Eriphony snapped her fingers and ordered.

“Prepare paper, pen, and a messenger bird.”

* * *

Bariel’s dawn. It was early morning, a time when everyone except those preparing for business was asleep.

A procession of carriages heavily sped down the central road. People who were sweeping the road, discarding the water that had collected overnight, rubbed their eyes and looked towards the sound.

Clatter, clatter!

Neigh!

“What kind of carriages are moving from this hour?”

“Haaam. I know. It seems like they’re coming from outside.”

“There’s no Imperial Palace flag. Are they foreign envoys?”

They listlessly swept and tried to check the flags on the carriages. But it was strange. There were no flags identifying their identity. It was a serious crime for unauthorized carriages to travel on the central road. Surely, the central gatekeepers had opened the way and guided them? Otherwise, this long procession of carriages could not have entered the central road of Bariel.

“Ah, it must be them.”

“Where?”

“Why, the ones who completely failed this time!”

Ptui! Someone who recognized their identity spat as if they were unlucky. Then, some others also understood, frowned, and cursed at the back of the carriages.

“Are they the envoys from the defeated nation, Burgos?”

“With their king dying, what’s so great about them that their carriages are coming in a row like that? You invaders! Crawl, you bastards! How much did we suffer because of you!”

“Yes! Crawl! Go and bow your heads with your king!”

“Tsk, tsk! Anyway, I knew it when they wore mostly dark clothes. They’re weird people!”

“What are they here for? Just to eat the Imperial Palace’s food!”

Thwack!

The citizens of the empire threw small stones, and one of them hit the side of a carriage.

The person who felt the small vibration pulled back the curtain and looked outside. A woman with skin so white it looked pale, and dark blue hair with a purplish hue, only rolled her eyes and took in the streets of Bariel.