Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 479

Clang

Seriously, this is messed up.

Where did it all go wrong? Was it because I didn’t ask that old man for directions last time?

No, before that, it was definitely Acorella getting two shots of the new mana amplifier in a row. She was supposed to drop me off near the outskirts of Bariel, but instead, she dumped me in the middle of nowhere, not even on the border. Are you kidding me? I get lost even with signs, how is this even possible?

Um, thinking about it more, that’s not it either. Acorella got the mana amplifier because the Magic Department is short-staffed, so fundamentally, it’s the fault of the mages being split between the north and south.

Wait, if that’s the case, then damn, it’s Ian’s fault after all. The Magic Department went to hell after Ian disappeared. Besides, I’m out here looking for Ian right now, aren’t I?

“That’s right! It’s all Ian’s fault! That little punk!”

Berik concluded that getting lost was all Ian’s fault and, consumed by anger, punched the nearest tree.

Thud!

With a huge thud, black leaves fell in a flurry. The quiet forest was disturbed. Berik looked around again.

‘…I’m screwed.’

After pausing to think for a moment, he was confused about which direction he had been walking.

This forest was peculiar; it barely got any sunlight. It was hard to tell east from west, and there were hardly any paths, as if people rarely came here.

Berik, feeling resigned, sat down first and then took out some dried meat to chew on.

“I feel like I could find him easily if I just got out of here, but it’s not easy.”

He had bragged about being able to get to Tolun quickly, but he was in this mess from the start. It was a good thing he came alone. If Ogeum was here, he would have been so annoyed by all the teasing and nagging.

Berik lay down on his back, looking up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Luckily, it was still daytime.

‘Still, I’ll see Ian soon, so let’s eat this and move. I need to pick a direction, either right or left, and head down. By the way, was it Roel? Crazy. He looks exactly like Ian. It reminds me of when Ian and I went to the Great Desert. We were both such noobs back then.’

Humming a tune, Berik wiggled his toes and took a short break. It was because of Romandro’s advice; if you get lost, don’t panic, just stop and calm down.

Well, it seemed to be working pretty well.

Rustle.

That’s how he was able to sense the unexpected presence.

Berik quickly turned his head at the sound of footsteps behind him. A man in shabby clothes was upside down in his vision. He was holding some kind of metal object, maybe a dagger, in each hand, but Berik thought he was just startled.

“A person. Nice to meet you.”

“Y-yes, uh, nice to meet you too.”

“Do you live around here?”

The man eyed Berik cautiously. He hadn’t realized it when he was lying down, but now that he was standing, he was huge.

And what was that black sword at his side? His clothes were just some black cloth, but his backpack looked full and appetizing.

‘I’m so lucky. I always meet outsiders whenever I come to the forest.’

“Yes, I do, but who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”

“It’s not surprising. I’m just passing through and got lost. Can you help me out? I don’t have much because I’m underpaid for my skills, but I’ll give you a gold coin as a reward.”

“A, a copper coin?”

“……? What? A gold coin.”

“Huh?!”

The man felt his heart pounding. There were gold coins in that bag. And judging by the way he was talking, a lot of them!

He had worked like a dog under his master, Landre, his whole life, and he had never seen such brilliant golden coins. The man tried to steady his trembling voice and nodded.

“Alright. But you have to lead the way. My eyes are bad, and I walk slowly.”

“Then why did you come into the forest?”

“Just go left.”

“Oh, okay.”

Berik was glad there was someone passing by and readily took the lead, while the man carefully watched his back and pondered.

He wanted some of that dried meat too. What should he do? Should he stab him in the neck right away? No, the height difference was too much, and he might fail. Judging by his appearance, he seemed like a wandering mercenary, and he would be in trouble if he faced him head-on.

Then should he push him off a cliff? That wouldn’t work either! The bag would fall with him! What should he do? What should he do?

“Hey.”

“…Yes?!”

While the man was muttering to himself, Berik stopped, sensing something. Had he been found out? The man subtly pulled out a dagger from behind his back, and Berik stared at him.

“Are there residents in this forest?”

“H-here?”

“I keep feeling a strange gaze.”

“Ah…….”

Ah, he wasn’t talking about him. The man put the dagger back behind his back and smiled.

“There are mole people living here.”

“Mole people? I didn’t know there were such things in Bariel.”

“Outsiders wouldn’t know. Even we who live nearby don’t see them often. They’re always holed up in their tunnels, hammering, chipping, and cutting… Ugh. I don’t really know what they’re doing. Sometimes, we just pick up anything useful they leave behind.”

Pick up, not steal. The man cleared his throat and told Berik to keep walking.

How long had they walked? When Berik turned around again, as if curious about something, something unexpected happened.

Thwack!

“Eek!”

“Huh?”

The man pushed Berik in the back with all his might.

Berik was confused for a moment. He felt the ground give way and instantly fell into a pit several meters deep.

Thud!

“Ha, hahaha! Aha!”

“You, you bastard. Ow. My butt is going to explode.”

“Hey, I don’t know where you came from, but you’re out of luck. If you don’t want to rot in this pit, hand over your bag. Then, maybe I’ll throw down a plank for you.”

Berik rubbed his butt repeatedly, grimacing. What was this guy babbling about? Was he caught in a trap? With such a crude pit?

“There’s another idiot as dumb as me.”

“W-what? I can’t hear you!”

“If you can’t hear me, what are you going to do, you bastard!”

“There’s hardly anyone who comes here besides me. If you don’t want to die, do as I say. Looks like you’ll be fine without that backpack.”

“Why are you deciding that for me?”

“Alright, then I’ll come back after you die.”

He would let his guard down like this for now, and come back tomorrow with thorough preparations. He had to take the food in the backpack before that guy ate it all. Hot oil, sharp spears, arrows, what would be good? As the man chuckled and turned around.

Whoosh!

Berik flew out of the pit very lightly. He went over the ground, high enough to reach the top of the tall trees.

The man thought a bird had flown by for a moment, but then he saw Berik’s red hair flickering in the air and gasped.

Whoosh!

“Who’s out of luck?”

“Eek!”

Whack!

There was no need to use a sword. Berik brought his knee down on the man’s crown, knocking him out with a single blow.

As the man tumbled down the hill, Berik followed, kicking him.

“You dare try to steal my meat?”

Thump!

“You’re dead today, you bastard. I was bored from getting lost anyway, this is fun.”

He realized that he was now truly lost, but who cared? The guy had tried to kill him and was now knocked out. He was useless. It was better to beat him up and relieve some stress.

Berik was rolling up his sleeves to start punching when.

Taptap.

“Huh?”

Someone lightly tapped Berik’s shoulder. He reflexively turned his head, and stars flashed before his eyes.

Clang!

“……?!”

With a clear sound, Berik’s vision swayed. It moved down, down, slowly, and he was face to face with the man he had just beaten. He had fallen sideways.

Unlike the clear sound, what was this heavy attack? It was more painful than when he was backstabbed by old man Jaylot.

“What are you all doing in our forest!”

Berik blinked slowly. His vision was getting blurry, but what was right in front of him was clear.

“…No way, a mole is wearing human clothes.”

Was this the mole people that guy had mentioned? He had felt a gaze, and it was those button-like eyes watching him. What a sight.

Not knowing that they were both looking at each other in wonder, Berik chuckled.

“What did you hit me with? I don’t usually get knocked out in one hit.”

“Why did you come into the forest?”

“I’m asking you, you mole bastard.”

The Dera, openly insulted, trembled his whiskers and gripped his hammer tighter. Who was calling whom a mole bastard with that strange face!

As he put his strength into it, muscles bulged on the Dera’s short, plump arms.

“Oh, crap.”

“Looks like you’re curious about what I hit you with, I’ll show you again.”

Swoosh.

And with all his might, he brought the hammer down on Berik’s temple.

Clang-!

* * *

“He’s late today, did he find something?”

“Yeah. He always came back before dinner. If he doesn’t eat this, he’ll have to starve until morning.”

“That’s strange. I think it’s one of two things. Either he found something worth a lot and ran away, or he got caught in a trap.”

“But aren’t they going to dismantle the traps? They’ve never caught any of those mole things.”

“Dismantling them is work and a hassle. If we leave them, some wild animal will get caught, I guess.”

Landre, having finished his meal, was walking around the yard when he overheard the underlings’ murmuring.

“Hott still hasn’t come back?”

“Yes? Ah, master. That’s right.”

“Did he go to Mount Laja?”

“Yes, yes. He left early when the sun rose, but we haven’t heard from him.”

Landre twisted the few strands of beard on his chin. Something had clearly happened, but he was debating whether it was worth going to look for him.

The mountain was dangerous at night. The mole people could attack at any time. But finding a new slave as dumb but diligent as Hott was a hassle. And if he had been attacked by the mole people….

‘It would be easier to cut down dryads [tree spirits] for a while.’

Due to the infamous Mount Laja, the land nearby was ownerless. Even though it was a strategic point facing the center, it was difficult to pursue economic gains because the roads were impassable and the mountain terrain was rough.

Above all, the habitat of the dryads and the Dera [mole people] was a major part of its notoriety, which was why even the nearby lords did not try to take the land. They figured it was better to leave it empty than to take it and pay taxes.

‘It’s good for me, though.’

He could live in a village in a place that no one cared about. Landre wiped the grease from his mouth and told his subordinates.

“When the sun rises, we’ll all go to the mountain.”

“Yes? To the mountain? All of us?”

“Prepare large sacks.”

Ian watched this scene from a gap in the trees. Thanks to their conversation, he could confirm his suspicion that he was near Mount Laja.

Ian clutched his empty stomach and lay down on the haystack. He never understood why Berik always stuffed his face with food, but now he understood a little. He had always been in this kind of pain. Then it made sense why he ate so much.

‘…I wonder how Berik is doing.’

Clang!

“Huh?”

At that moment, a clear metallic sound made Ian turn his head. But all he saw were crows flying powerfully.

“……?”

It seemed he had misheard the crow’s sound.