Margrave’s Bastard Son Was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 46

“Erica!”

At her subordinate’s shout, Erica put down her documents. There had rarely been a time when her subordinate’s fussiness had led to good news here.

“Countess Mary and her son, Chel, have been found!”

“What?”

But this time was different. Wasn’t this incredibly unexpected good news? Erica’s eyes sparkled with joy.

“Where?!”

“Well, it’s the north gate. Two horses broke through the checkpoint, and they escaped. There were four of them, and as soon as they left the gate, they split into two groups.”

“Four people? Are you sure it’s Mary and Chel?”

“They were wearing hoods, so I couldn’t see clearly, but the young boy’s hair had a reddish tint. The woman was middle-aged and resembled Countess Mary. The ones riding the horses were probably the surviving knights.”

Erica strode to the table and unfolded a map. If they had split into two directions after passing through the north gate, they would be heading in completely opposite directions, east and west. Mary and Chel wouldn’t have tried to separate from each other.

“What about the pursuit?”

“The checkpoint soldiers are chasing them, but we need to send reinforcements quickly.”

“Reported locations.”

“They are estimated to have reached this point.”

“Wait a minute….”

Erica slowly traced the paths of Mary and Chel with both hands. They were splitting left and right, but both were still heading north. North? North… Erica’s eyes flashed sharply.

“Merelov, he’s out of the picture. He locked the gates to avoid getting involved….”

After Merelov was Sheylon, a city famous for its commerce. In fact, it was a place that would take more than ten days to reach by land, so it was almost meaningless to say ‘next’.

Considering it took fifteen days to get from Bratz to the central region, this estimated time was ridiculous. They had to cross the Denba Mountains, which were the border.

“It seems like they’re going to use Sheylon as a base.”

“Sheylon has roads that connect to most other territories. Countess Bratz’s family, the Pontrols, can be reached within a day by horse.”

“Pontrol, good. Send a messenger bird.”

“How many pursuers should we organize?”

“For now….”

Erica paused for a moment. The appearance of an assistant bothered her. While Derga was in the dungeon, it was strange that there were surviving knights. She didn’t have much prior knowledge about the borderlands, so it would be troublesome if they had hidden forces.

Mary and Chel might be trying to lure them into the mountains.

“Send about twenty for now.”

Erica glanced out the window and gave the order. Some strange, unfamiliar creatures were running around and playing in the garden. If they used all their forces, the Cheonryeo [a group of warriors] might take over the mansion. For now, that was the maximum they could do.

“Even if they are knights, it would be difficult for them to face twenty men while protecting a woman and a child. If there’s a problem, just keep pursuing them and send another message.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Try to bring them back alive, but if that’s not possible, bring back their corpses, or at least their heads. Do you understand?”

“I will make sure to tell them.”

Erica’s subordinate rushed out. Even if they had escaped, they wouldn’t last long.

Erica looked at the map and smiled contentedly. If she could capture Mary and Chel, she could suppress Ian and the Cheonryeo, who had been a nuisance.

She didn’t know then.

That her smile would only last three days.

* * *

“This way!”

“Split up and run!”

Thud, thud!

Two horses galloped between the giant trees that seemed to support the world. The central army’s pursuers were chasing fiercely behind them. The Cheonryeo warriors even had the leisure to look back as they leisurely passed through the trees.

“Damn it!”

Seeing this, the central army was even more convinced that they were Derga’s knights. Unlike the pursuers who were unfamiliar with the path, they seemed to know the way well.

Whistle.

But the reason the Cheonryeo could find their way so well was because of the hawk that kept giving signals from the sky. Unlike the land route, which was a mess of rocks, moss, and tough weeds, the sky was free of any obstacles.

“Should we stop here?”

“It looks like there are about twenty of them in total.”

Whistle.

A warrior whistled, signaling a change in tactics. They sent their horses into the bushes, then jumped down and landed. It was a movement that could not be considered human.

“The targets have stopped!”

“Stop! Surround them!”

Hee-heeing!

The only sounds coming from the dense forest were the cries of unknown beasts. The entire pursuit team shouted with their bows aimed.

“Drop your weapons and surrender!”

“Reveal your identities, show your faces!”

But the two men’s response was to draw their swords. Seeing their intention to fight, the pursuers swallowed hard and pulled their bowstrings even tighter.

“Who’s the leader here?”

“Wh-what did you say?”

“I asked who the leader is.”

The pursuers paused for a moment. Their tone seemed a bit awkward.

But as soon as the leader of the pursuers stepped forward and drew his sword, the two men charged at them without hesitation, not allowing them to continue their thoughts.

“Kill anyone who tries to escape!”

“Shoot, shoot! Fire the arrows!”

“I’ll spare only one of those who fight back!”

“You bastards!”

Clang! Clang!

The two warriors leaped into the air, signaling the start of the battle. Arrows rained down on them, but they deflected them with their swords and charged forward. Two arrows pierced one of the warriors’ forearms.

Thwack!

Splat!

“Ugh!”

At the same time, the head of the pursuit leader fell to the ground. Blood gushed out like a fountain, but no one could believe what was happening. Was that a human? Or a beast? That question popped into the deputy leader’s mind.

“Th-“

Splat!

The word ‘Cheonryeo’ was never uttered. The warriors were like wolves running through a chicken coop. They wiped the blood dripping from their sword tips with their sleeves and declared.

“We are Derga’s knights. You won’t defeat us easily, so bring at least a hundred men.”

“Eek!”

Splat!

Twenty men. The force they thought would be enough was scattered uselessly. Before long, the sounds of humans dying were louder than the cries of beasts. The warriors stared down at a pursuer who was trembling on the ground. They exchanged glances.

‘We were told to send one back, right?’

‘Yes. That way, a second pursuit team will come.’

Whistle!

“Eek! Save me, save me! Please save me!”

The warriors called the hawk to check the horses’ location and left without hesitation. The soldier, in a panic, didn’t even notice them leaving and kept begging for help. He finally raised his head, but the men had long since disappeared like the wind.

“Huh….”

Were there monsters like that? It was like a dream. If it weren’t for the corpses of his colleagues scattered around, the soldier would have thought so.

* * *

“What did you just say?”

Erica asked again, her face showing disbelief. The soldier, covered in dirt and blood, kept stammering as he described the battle.

“The, the pursuit team was annihilated.”

“How… how could that be?”

“They were indeed Derga’s knights. Their movements were extraordinary, as if they had special abilities. They seemed to be magic swordsmen. I, I couldn’t see their faces, and I couldn’t recover the bodies of my colleagues.”

She kept chuckling in disbelief and moistened her lips with tea. Twenty men. Even if the opponents were knights, they should have at least gotten some clues. It was unbelievable that they had been so completely defeated.

“What about their location?”

“I remember it.”

“Are you sure it was Mary and Chel?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Their hoods came off a couple of times during the pursuit. It was Chel, and then Mary.”

“Damn it. Organize a second pursuit team.”

“Erica, if I may speak frankly, I don’t think a pursuit team will be enough. We might need to move with all our forces….”

Erica’s eyes widened at the soldier’s words. Who didn’t know that? Of course, it would be easier and better to capture them all at once! But there were circumstances that prevented the superiors from leaving the mansion.

“I, I’m sorry.”

“You can leave now.”

As soon as the soldier left, Erica swept everything off the table. It was fortunate that they had found Mary and Chel, but it would be troublesome if the battle dragged on longer than expected.

“Damn it, really! Why is the response from the central region so slow?”

“Well, they’re coming by land….”

Reports, orders, or simple letters could be sent by messenger bird, but letters with the Emperor’s seal had to be delivered by an official in a carriage.

And since it was an appointment letter, which was considered important, it would be delivered by a golden carriage that had no efficiency at all.

“What about Ian’s group? How are they?”

“There are no suspicious movements. They’re busy rebuilding the village.”

“Those damn bastards. They should take care of their own land.”

Unlike the central army, who were busy chasing Mary and Chel, they were focused on erasing the traces of the battle in the territory. They were rebuilding the collapsed walls, raising the roofs, and moving the injured. The Cheonryeo’s strength was more helpful than expected, and the response from the villagers was better than expected.

Damn it.

Erica was cursing Ian in her mind when she paused. She had a strange feeling that her senses were heightened.

“Mary and Chel broke through the wall on horseback?”

“Yes, they did.”

“Then where were they before that?”

They had searched the territory like they were catching mice, but they couldn’t find them. And then suddenly, they escaped with an assistant? Horses? Even if it wasn’t a beast, there were only a limited number of people who could use horses in Bratz right now.

‘…Could it be.’

Was Ian involved?

“Call the stable manager right now.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Besides the horses managed by the central army, there were horses that Bratz owned. Why hadn’t she checked that sooner? Erica ruffled her hair in frustration at her own stupidity.

Knock, knock.

“Erica.”

But it wasn’t the stable manager who entered the room first, but Ian. He had come up after confirming that his subordinate had run to the stables.

“What’s the matter?”

A pile of documents scattered in Countess Mary’s room. They were completely out of place. Ian smiled and stepped inside.

“Is there any progress in the pursuit of Countess Mary and Chel?”

“Why are you asking that?”

Look at this? Erica leaned back against the chair and raised her head. It wasn’t like he was feeling guilty, so why was he asking that question at this time?

“Of course, I’m curious. If Countess Mary and Chel survive and try to take revenge, I won’t be safe either.”

Erica nodded as if to tell him to continue. Both of them were smiling and testing each other, but it was Erica who’s expression hardened first.