Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 462

Tick.

It was a second that felt like an eternity.

Rutherford suddenly realized that Ian’s golden eyes resembled a lion. How did those once fragile eyes, filled with amber light, become like those of a wild beast?

Tick.

It was a second that flowed even slower than the first. Light leaked from the gaps in Ian’s hand, which was gripping him as if he would never let go, as if the fabric would tear. It was a presence that was different from the magical power created by several mages.

Yes. That’s why I chose Ian.

Boom!

“Ruther-!”

An explosion erupted as if in response to the mages’ cries.

It was unavoidable. It was as natural a flow of magic as their presence here. If it hadn’t been for the light leaking through the gaps in his hand, he wouldn’t have even noticed it and would have been hit.

Rutherford’s quick-witted subordinates reflexively deployed a shield, and some, without even having time to do so, just threw their hands in. To separate Ian and Rutherford. And to protect their master, they willingly offered their arms.

Swish!

Ian’s attack sliced through four arms, then grazed Rutherford’s cheek and hair. Their eyes met in mid-air. In the slow-flowing time, blood gushed like a fountain.

Ian, trying to kill them all, the mages protecting their master, and Rutherford, distracted by the unfamiliar golden eyes. All three were connected by blood.

“Haaah!”

“Ugh!”

The slow-flowing time was shattered by the mages’ screams. Unidentifiable body parts lay scattered, and the mages collapsed, clutching their exposed shoulders.

Meanwhile, Rutherford only slowly wiped the blood from his cheek. Ian was the same. He didn’t care about the groaning mages and just caught his breath.

He looked like he was having trouble even standing, but what was more captivating was Ian’s murderous gaze.

Go ahead and tell me.

Is this written in the divine plan you speak of?

From the moment he gave the illegitimate son Ian a flowerpot, from the moment he made a mysterious magical contract, he had a look that seemed to ask if he had foreseen this.

“…Ian.”

Rutherford smiled, constantly wiping away the dripping blood. Self-deprecatingly, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Who are you?”

He had thought something was strange. Ian, whom he had met after a long time, seemed like someone who didn’t know how to kneel at all.

But aren’t humans like that? Worthless beings who forget even yesterday’s events and repeat the same mistakes. It was a misstep to take it lightly.

“Where did our Ian go, and some strange guy has taken his place?”

Then Ian also smiled. He was a mess of blood and sweat, but one thing was certain. The meaning was quite different from Rutherford’s smile.

“You’re saying you didn’t expect me to be like this, in a roundabout way. It seems the god you follow is only half-baked?”

Rutherford put the end of his pipe in his mouth. He didn’t know what was going on, but since the contract magic seemed to be valid, it was clear that this was ‘Ian.’

So, the plan to secure and take him also remains unchanged. This time, he would make him not only kneel but also prostrate himself, Rutherford decided, and was about to speak when.

Swoosh.

Ian held a dagger to his neck. Rutherford wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by the sudden action. The mages who were watching also cried out in surprise, wondering what was going on.

“Good heavens, Lord Ian!”

“What are you doing? Stop it!”

Despite everyone’s protests, Ian’s dagger slowly dug into the side of his Adam’s apple. The imperial mages covered their eyes as if they couldn’t bear to watch, but Rutherford just watched. He didn’t stop him, nor did he stand idly by, with a very ambiguous look on his face.

“Rutherford. Try to make me kneel again.”

“……”

“Even though I’m in the body of the illegitimate son Ian, the contract magic was valid, which means it’s a contract made through the flesh. I don’t know if flesh that has stopped breathing and started to rot will be of any help to you.”

With each word Ian spoke, the blade of the sword became soaked with blood next to his moving Adam’s apple. It was to show that it was not a threat for intimidation.

‘The illegitimate son Ian?’

‘In his body?’

‘A contract through the flesh?’

The imperial mages were busy trying to understand the incomprehensible situation, and Rutherford slowly walked towards Ian. Even as he did so, he didn’t take his eyes off the dagger.

Certainly, as that thing said, rotting flesh was meaningless to him, wasn’t it? He had invested nearly ten years to get to this point, and he couldn’t ruin everything by falling for such a trivial provocation.

“…You admitted it. So, who are you?”

“There’s something more important than admitting it. It’s the fact that you understood it.”

Rutherford’s steps stopped.

“It’s difficult to link a change in personality to a change in self. There are those in the north who use necromancy, but they are only those who perform miracles with the dead. It’s different from my case.”

But how could you, Rutherford, immediately guess that someone else was in the body of the illegitimate son Ian? Not even Philia, the mother of the illegitimate son Ian, nor even Melania, who had interacted with him as a child, could easily notice it.

“Is it an understanding born from experience?”

Ian smiled faintly.

“-Van Rord.”

“Shut up!”

Rutherford, for the first time, revealed a vivid emotion and shouted. Because of that, the subordinates in the exhibition hall completely opened the door. They were worried that something might have happened to Rutherford. Acorella was also crawling on the floor, trying to see the situation outside.

“Van Rord, a mage ‘formerly’ of the Great Bariel Empire. He disappeared from history after going down to investigate the rift, but he occasionally appeared in records. He claimed to be the mage Van Rord, and eventually, he was dismissed as the ramblings of a madman and isolated.”

“Didn’t you hear me say shut up?”

Thud!

“Don’t you dare touch Lord Ian!”

“Step back, you!”

As Rutherford excitedly approached, the imperial mages were shocked and rushed in.

But that was it. Ian immediately threw cold water on the situation.

“There’s nothing to fear. Rutherford has already experienced death several times. Because of that, he has lost his magical power.”

“Huh?”

“The world that man rules is only Ian’s world.”

The world of the illegitimate son Ian. The fact that the contract magic could be made was probably due to Ian, the magic user, taking the lead.

The mages were unfamiliar with the minister referring to himself as a third party, but they roughly understood and looked at Rutherford. It was clear that something was very displeasing to him. His lips were stiff and showed no sign of relaxing.

“I heard about it when Damon’s tongue was cut off.”

“…Are you talking about King Damon?”

“Yes. As an answer to whether Rutherford ‘was a mage.'”

“Huh, then why do you all follow that man?”

“Magic and alchemy are separate. There must be other interests involved. Judging by how he keeps mentioning the will of God, there must be something unknown in that direction as well. Right? Van Rord.”

Purpose. There was nothing more important than that to understand the essence. You could understand the opponent, and if you understood them, you could use them, and using them meant control.

Rutherford took a step back and smiled.

“You talked big, but in the end, you don’t know anything.”

There was no problem with Van Rord being revealed. Some of his subordinates already knew, and rather, it had helped to strengthen their unity.

However, what he didn’t like now was that he was seeing the illegitimate Ian’s shell rebelliously and arrogantly. Whatever was inside, he would burn his soul to ashes.

“Yes. But from now on, you will learn something very important…”

Ziiing. Ziiing.

“…through your answer.”

When Ian closed and opened his eyes, his green eyes turned golden again.

A person who threw himself into the gap of the rift. And a person who came back to life in some form. A person who claims that there is an abyss below the rift.

“Lord Rutherford! Step back!”

The mages with all their limbs intact surrounded Rutherford and formed a shield. The subordinates inside the exhibition hall, who realized the seriousness of the situation, also joined in and rushed in.

Acorella also quickly gestured to the imperial mages.

“Here! The entrance is inside here!”

“Captain Acorella, your leg!”

“Shut up and get over here! You bastards. You’re all dead, really. Aoo!”

Boom! Bang!

Every time Ian swung his arm, balls of light exploded everywhere. Sparkling powder fell, and Ian leisurely enjoyed the space between them.

When Rutherford tried to stop Ian by activating the contract magic, his dagger cut off his left arm on its own.

It’s an arm now, but if you try to play tricks again, it will be your neck next time. I’m not afraid of death. If I can twist you to find out the truth.

Swish!

Should he take the treasures of the exhibition hall, Damon, the Burgos delegation, and Ian and escape from the imperial palace? Or…

“Lord Ian! I’ll take the left side! Just look ahead!”

“Yes. I’ll join you!”

“I still don’t understand what’s going on, but let’s push these guys away and talk slowly! It’s okay if Lord Ian isn’t Lord Ian! What’s important is that he’s someone who’s been with us!”

“Mamayeon is eternal!”

…Or should he subdue and capture Rutherford’s group and approach the truth?

Ziiing! Ziiing!

As Ian gritted his teeth and rushed in, the mages joined him. Golden afterimages remained where they had passed. The traces of golden eyes that shone more brightly and beautifully than the amber light of Idgal.

As the mages all jumped up, Rutherford reflexively activated the contract magic.

“What can you do with that body!”

Kooong!

A pain that squeezed his heart. It felt like the world was twisting again. As if all gravity was pulling Ian down.

But-

“That’s also something you’ll tell me.”

Boom!

It was different from when he was unexpectedly attacked. Ian contorted his face and focused all his mind.

‘Just a little, just a little more…’

Boom! Bang!

Swish!

‘Just a little…’

He became emperor at a young age, but he was erased before he came of age. History would regard his traces as insignificant. Bariel wouldn’t even remember Ian. It was only natural, since he himself couldn’t even utter his full name.

However, despite that, an unchanging truth.

The only truth that was valid in Ian’s world.

Everything he had was for Bariel.

The only being he could serve as master, willingly kneel before, and give everything without a shred of shame was Bariel.

Crack!

Rutherford’s mages and Ian’s attacks collided in mid-air. It was an unknown power that felt both intense heat and chilling cold at the same time.

“Lord Rutherford!”

“Damn it! Is the picture still not back?”

The mages in charge of the picture kept looking back and forth, stamping their feet. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

“Look at it for a thousand days, ten thousand days. You losers. Will the picture come back just because you do that?”

“Shut up!”

Thud!

The mage kicked Acorella in the abdomen and shouted.

“Clark! Sort out the situation, in front!”

Clark was like a calm and deep water, always unperturbed. But he was watching Ian and Rutherford as if he was possessed by something. A mage pushed his back, but he still didn’t budge.

“Clark!”

“Why is Lord Ian…”

It was Ian who had helped Mrs. Lien and him in Merelof. He could recognize him at once. He had to leave Bariel due to circumstances, but wasn’t it all thanks to Ian’s arrangements that Mrs. Lien was able to establish herself as the owner of Merelof?

“Clark!”

Crash!

Melania was the same. It was unfamiliar to see Ian, who was always relaxed, rushing in so desperately, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, immersed in the scattering magical power.

“…Cough!”

The strange silence and peace didn’t last long. Ian, who had refused Rutherford’s control until the end, finally coughed up a mouthful of blood.