Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 47

“But are those guys really knights?””What?”Erica reflexively questioned Ian’s words. It was a question that Ian, of all people, shouldn’t be asking right now. Especially when they were suspecting the Cheonryeo tribe! Ian’s words were practically a confession.”Do you even know what you’re saying?””Of course. I do. When we captured Derga, I thought we had taken care of all his knights in the forest. But suddenly, knights appear.””Ha!”Look at this? Erica was so dumbfounded that she let out a hollow laugh. But it was only for a moment.”Could it be that there are traitors among your subordinates, Erica?”In that instant, Erica felt like a hammer had struck her head. It wasn’t that she believed there were traitors, but she realized what his words implied.”The rumor that Mary and Chel survived and escaped the territory has spread far and wide, and with the added helper, everyone will think they are escaping safely.””You, you…!””But what if those known as helpers are actually traitors trying to put you in a difficult position, Erica? Wouldn’t they hide the two of them without a trace?”As someone sent by the Imperial Palace, Erica had a duty to faithfully pursue the two of them.But what if their existence vanished in the middle?She had to submit a report confirming their survival, with understandable evidence, like pieces of their corpses.”It would be best to pursue them with all our forces as soon as possible. Who knows when or how they might be?”To a third party, it sounded like he was worried about Erica’s safety, but it sounded completely different to her ears.
‘If you don’t pull the soldiers out of the mansion right now, I’ll kill Mary and Chel and hide them. Then you’ll have to wander the mountains for years looking for traces.’”You son of a bitch….”Swish.Erica cursed and drew her sword. But they say that if you get agitated, you lose. She instinctively realized that she had fallen completely into Ian’s trap.”Why are you getting so worked up? I was just giving you advice out of concern, Erica.””Where did you find Mary and Chel?””I don’t know what you mean.””Ian, do you think you’ll be safe after this? I am the head of the investigation team sent by the Imperial Palace. Obstructing me is the same as obstructing the Imperial Palace’s solemn decision!”Erica spat out the words, but soon realized her mistake and frowned. She had just repeated it herself. That she was sent by the Imperial Palace.So, running out of the territory to chase Mary and Chel was her duty, and staying here was an admission of dereliction of duty.”Yes. I know that well. So, you should hurry and catch those who helped Mary and Chel escape.”That was the only way to prove the connection between Ian and those people. While Erica bit her lip and glared at Ian, the subordinate who had gone on an errand returned.”Erica, the stable manager said that two horses belonging to Bratz are missing….”He trailed off, seeing Ian was there, but it was too late. Ian smiled brightly, as if to say, ‘See that?'”That’s right. They’re from the mansion. It’s clear they are traitors.””Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think I don’t know you’re colluding with the Cheonryeo tribe? How dare you keep acting so shamelessly?””Me? With the Cheonryeo tribe? How can you accuse an innocent person?””Just by looking at those who are not human, it’s obvious!””If you wish, check the Cheonryeo forces that came here. You’ll see if two are missing.””You, you….””Surely, you didn’t check the Cheonryeo forces? The Imperial Palace’s investigation team seems to be handling things rather loosely.”Ian’s words were clearly an insult, but there was no way to refute them. Even if she had checked, how could she know if they were people brought in from outside?”I’m going to kill you.””Please don’t. It’s scary.””I’m serious. I’m going to kill you.”It was a declaration close to a curse. She would behead that arrogant commoner herself someday. Erica gritted her teeth, grabbed her coat, and went outside.Clang!Ian was left alone. He just shrugged and glanced around Mary’s room. Surely, the Countess had something to take from here….Slide.The inside of the drawer was half empty. Valuables like jewels and ornaments seemed to have been confiscated by the investigation team. Since the amount of unreported taxes was considerable, all the valuables in the mansion would belong to the Imperial Palace to repay it.
‘What could it be? What exactly….’While Ian clicked his tongue and pondered, Erica ran out into the hallway with her subordinate. She could feel the Cheonryeo tribe glancing at her, but she didn’t have time to deal with them one by one.”Summon the soldiers.””H-how many?””We’ll leave the minimum and form the rest into a pursuit team.””B-but if we do that….”Now that they knew they were Cheonryeo, they couldn’t be dealt with by ordinary forces. They had to strike them all at once to prove that Ian and the Cheonryeo had smuggled out the Bratz family members.
‘Alright. I’ll crush you. Your trap.’”Keep an eye on Ian and Kakan.””Ah, yes. I understand.””If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately.”Whatever it was, it wouldn’t go as they pleased. The moment she caught those two Cheonryeo bastards who called themselves Derga’s knights, she would wipe out all the strangers in the mansion, including Ian.”Summon!”As Erica and the central army became noisy, the Cheonryeo tribe, who had been observing the situation, also moved secretly. One warrior went to Nersarn to report the situation.”Nersarn, sir. They have started moving as Ian said. It’s time to send the hawk.””Indeed.”At the warrior’s words, Nersarn nodded with satisfaction. They had maximized the pursuit team’s forces, so now it was time to signal that Mary and Chel could be dealt with.He wrote a short note in Cheonryeo language and handed it to his subordinate.”They say it’s a rugged mountain range, I wonder how they’re doing. Those guys who only faced sandstorms.””Do you not trust your kin?””Of course not. They are warriors. I’m just worried.”There is no defeat for a warrior. Defeat is death, and after death, they cannot be aware of their defeat. Even if they were in danger, they were the kind of people who would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. They would rather take out their own hearts than give their enemies an excuse.”Send the hawk.””Yes. Oh, by the way, the remaining hawk belongs to Kakan.”The warrior glanced at the bed behind Nersarn. Kakantir was enjoying a peach in light clothing. He nodded to indicate his permission.”Then, I’ll send Zeno.””Before you send him, feed him some sweet fruit. He’s been acting strange lately.””Understood. Please rest.”Squeak.As the subordinate left, Nersarn turned around. Kakantir was still staring blankly out the window, enjoying his rest. They were in the middle of summer, but compared to the desert, it was so cool here.”Kakan. Now that the central army is leaving the territory, let’s kill Derga and clean things up. We can’t leave Cheonryeo empty for long.””Yes. That’s right.”The situation with Bumat was also like that, and right now, there were not enough troops to guard the base in the desert. Although they didn’t have to worry much with the protection of the Great Desert, it wasn’t good to leave home for too long.”By the way, Nersarn. If Ian is a mana user and catches the eye of the Imperial Palace, he will have to go to the center someday, but who will manage this place then?””Well, I think Beric will go with him.””Even if he stays, that guy is not enough.”Kakantir glanced at Nersarn. Since they had been together for so long, he could understand what he was saying just by looking at him. Nersarn’s eyebrows furrowed.”I don’t want to.””What?””Are you telling me to stay here right now?””Oh. Did it feel that way?””It would be beneficial for Cheonryeo in many ways if I stayed. But it’s uncertain whether Ian will allow it, and more than anything….””More than anything?”Nersarn glanced at Kakan and then turned his head away.
“…I don’t like the cold.””Ah. That’s important.””It snows there. It’s freezing.”Kakantir chuckled and bit into the rest of the peach. They didn’t even have to wait until winter. In a couple of months, when the autumn wind became cold, the Cheonryeo warriors would become homesick. They had to finish everything before that.”By now, the letter of appointment should be coming down, right?””It should be.””Do you really trust Ian, Kakan?””Trust? Are you talking about him being a mana user? Didn’t you see it too? Beric fighting with the knight.””What I mean is, is being a mana user worth overturning the letter of appointment?”He had heard of the Empire’s worship of magic. Just as they believed in and followed Winchen, the people of Bariel revolved around magicians.But he had never experienced it directly, so he couldn’t be sure. Besides, this was the outskirts. There were many people in the territory who didn’t even know what magic was.”I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to be lying. If someone comes down from the Imperial Palace, we’ll be able to confirm it right away.””By the way, it’s definitely getting a bit late.”Nersarn muttered, counting the days with his fingers. It was about time they should have arrived, but there was still no sign of them.
‘What the hell are they doing in the Imperial Palace?’* * *Knock, knock.The office of the First Prince, Marib Verosion, was still lit up at night. The prince was wearing light clothing and had his long hair tied up in a single ponytail.At the sound of footsteps breaking the silence, he put down his glasses.”Come in.””Your Highness Marib. There is something you should see.””What is it? In the middle of the night.”Marib asked, wetting his lips with cold tea. What his aide presented was a crumpled and dirty letter. The entrance was open, as if he had already checked the contents.”It’s a secret letter from Count Derga Bratz of the border region. It was deliberately routed to me instead of Your Highness.””Count Bratz?”Marib blinked lightly. If it was Bratz, wasn’t that the place where the Emperor recently sent an investigation team for tax evasion? He had only seen Derga a few times during national events, and they had no personal relationship at all.But a letter from there?He was puzzled, suspicious, and curious at the same time.”There’s no seal.””Instead, there was a ring inside with an inscription proving it was a Bratz heirloom. It’s a diamond ring estimated to be 10 carats.””Hmm.”Marib looked at the ring on the table and exclaimed. He wasn’t surprised by the jewel, but because he realized how desperate the Count’s situation was to offer it.”If he wanted to ask for leniency, he should have sent it to Father, but he didn’t, so it must be something else.””That’s right.”The aide placed the neatly folded paper down.After a while, Marib’s eyes narrowed sharply as he read the letter with interest.”This is….”