Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 559

“Mom! Mom!”In a small village near the Vergos border, a woman weakly turned her head under a half-collapsed wall. A child, wearing only ragged clothes, ran barefoot and hugged his mother, looking terrified.

“Soldiers are coming!”

“Soldiers?”

“They’re from the Bariel army!”

Boo-oo-oo!

Boo!

At the same time, a heavy alarm sounded. It was unclear whether it came from the village or the approaching Bariel army, likely the latter. This place had been completely destroyed long ago due to the civil war.

The woman hugged her child tightly, staring blankly into the air. It wasn’t enough that people of the same country fought and killed each other; now, there was an invasion from a foreign power. She should run, but she was exhausted.

“Shhh. It’s okay.”

“Mom.”

The woman patted her child, continuing to sit there. Soon, a blue flag appeared in the distance. It seemed to be the only thing alive in a world where everything was dead.

The fully armed soldiers were threatening, but to those who had given up everything, they looked like a painting. It wasn’t just the woman. All the ‘survivors’ quietly held their breath and watched the Bariel army.

“Bariel has invaded!”

“Everyone, take cover! Hide yourselves!”

A small commotion. It was such a small and insignificant resistance that it rather bewildered the soldiers.

The leader shouted loudly.

“Do not resist! Bariel is not here to harm you, but to subdue the anti-royalist forces that are causing chaos in the country! Do not resist! If you open the way, there will be no danger!”

The soldiers handed out dried meat to the crying children, and the fearful looks in their eyes gradually faded. They were crossing through Vergos without any looting or oppression, so they were quite bewildered.

The leading soldier shouted once more.

“His Majesty, the Emperor of Bariel, is coming! Kneel and bow your heads to pay your respects! Then, our Emperor will bestow his grace!”

Boo-oo-oo-

Those who were fearful and exhausted looked at the Bariel soldiers with indescribable gazes. And soon, one by one, they prostrated themselves. They were the figures of the exhausted, no longer caring who the ruler of the country would be.

“It’s more devastating than I thought. It seems there are no guards, not even self-governing units.”

“Hmm. The self-governing units probably exist somewhere, but they would rather welcome this situation. As long as they can fill the power vacuum of chaos, they don’t care where they come from. At this rate, we’ll be able to reach Agiar, where Rutherford is, even sooner.”

“Yes, that’s fortunate for Bariel. We’ll arrive today, not tomorrow.”

“Tell the soldiers not to make contact with civilians.”

“Yes, Minister.”

Minister Tweller gave instructions to the officers, constantly looking around. It was surprisingly quiet and chillingly desolate. He could easily tell that the people scattered everywhere were all corpses.

Suddenly, Tweller shifted his gaze from the front to the side. The Emperor and Ian were whispering something.

“Sir Ian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is it alright? The path is opening too easily, which makes me wary.”

Ian nodded in agreement. Just like the advance team had experienced in the northern region, all those who were prostrating themselves could be a ruse. If even young children were involved, it would be truly unfortunate.

“All the available troops in Agiar might be gathered there. I and the mages will keep a closer watch. Hale!”

“Yes, Minister.”

Thud!

At Ian’s command, Hale, Nakina, and Tommy took to the sky simultaneously. The weather was good, so if they were lucky, they could see all the way to Agiar, their destination.

While they were scouting, the Bariel army continued their march.

“Minister Tweller, did you tell the soldiers to refrain from contacting civilians?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Thank you for confirming.”

Tweller answered Ian’s question. If the civilians were a trap, contact with the soldiers could cause problems. Poison, defectors, spies, internal infiltration, and so on.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but once he did, Ian’s abilities were truly astonishing. He had experience leading the Clifford-Vergos war, but was that really all it took to reach this level?

“Sir Ian!”

At that moment, Hale’s shout came from the sky. He pointed at something with a hand signal, and Ian frowned. It meant something was wrong.

“Excuse me.”

Thud!

Ian said to Jin and flew into the sky, soon discovering a black moon in the distance.

“It’s a portal.”

“It looks like the mages on Rutherford’s side made it, but where does it connect to? It’s too far to gauge, but the diameter is considerable.”

“The enemy’s mage power seems to be more significant than expected.”

“Oh? They’re pouring out!”

At Tommy’s shout, Ian narrowed his eyes.

Something was pouring out of the black moon. Most of them were soldiers wearing black armor, with dragons mixed in, and it seemed like supplies were being delivered as well.

“Luswena.”

The portal was connected to Luswena.

Well, both Vergos and Luswena had mages, so a connection itself was possible. But the distance was considerable, so he thought the possibility was slim. If this was the case, the enemy’s power far exceeded expectations.

“There are no particular dangers nearby. We’ll be leaving the village soon, and we’ll reach Agiar right after crossing a low hill.”

“Agiar is quite high, so it will be difficult to increase the marching speed as we get closer. At this speed, we’ll probably arrive at night. Is that okay?”

The three’s opinions were valid. Ian was about to go down and relay the scouting information.

But then, a vast field of wildflowers caught his eye. Dozens of black spears were stuck in various places. Ian frowned and slowly flew towards them.

“Sir Ian? What’s wrong?”

“Those things-”

“Ah, aren’t they graves?”

Grave of fallen soldiers. Instead of tombstones, spears or swords were stuck in the ground to indicate that there were bodies here. And the dark red wildflowers, nourished by the dead, covered the entire field.

Ian looked at them and counted.

‘If the soldiers were recently conscripted to Agiar, it means that the Vergos army was stationed here until recently.’

They were likely involved in collecting the bodies, besides the civilians.

What did that mean?

“The sunset is deep, and black spears are sticking out everywhere. There’s a low hill towards the sunset, and the blood-stained flowers are quite beautiful. People in black armor are burying bodies.”

Ian looked around, recalling what Roel had seen.

The secret-eating gypsy, Melania, and Clark were here. He didn’t know the exact time, but at least before, when Roel had looked at them with his special eyes.

“Is that the west?”

“Yes, it is.”

A low hill to the west. It was where the Bariel soldiers had to cross.

In that moment, Ian was certain. If she was traveling with Melania and Clark, she wouldn’t have been able to move far in the chaotic situation.

‘Given her personality, she wouldn’t keep taking care of two human burdens.’

Anyway, the traces were definitely there.

Ian lowered his altitude and approached Jin.

“What’s going on?”

“Rutherford’s side and Luswena’s side have made contact through a portal. And it seems the secret-eating gypsy was nearby. The scene Roel told me about is clearly visible from above.”

To find out what happened in the abyss, it was essential to capture her.

At the unexpected news, Jin’s face brightened, and Tweller also showed a positive reaction.

“It would be best to advance to the hill first, assess the situation, and then make a decision.”

“Good. Keep advancing!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Boo-oo-oo!

As if answering Jin’s command, the water buffalo horn sounded louder and more powerfully. The soldiers marched with vigor, and soon, as the sunset deepened, they reached the hill.

“Wow.”

The sky looked like it was on fire.

Where else in the world could you see such a sunset?

The soldiers were momentarily captivated by the breathtaking scene that made them forget their fatigue. Ian approached the barrier with the soldiers for the final declaration.

“Halt!”

The shout of the Vergos army came from above.

It was high. Partly because the terrain itself was high, but the barrier itself was built quite grandly. The soldiers tilted their heads almost at a right angle to look up, and Ian unfolded the letter as if to show it.

“They’re the Bariel bastards!”

“Yes. I am Ian Hiel, the Minister of Magic of the Great Empire of Bariel. I have brought a message from His Majesty the Emperor, so those who value their lives should listen carefully.”

Zzzing.

Ian amplified his voice through a magic tool. It was a sound that could be heard by the Vergos soldiers guarding the barrier, the Bariel soldiers watching the sunset on the hill, and all the civilians who had given up and were sitting down.

“Currently, Vergos is in chaos due to a wicked group that denies the royal family, and Bariel is well aware of this. We are protecting King Damon and support the legitimacy of Vergos more strongly than anyone else.”

“Shut up! It’s all because of you bastards!”

Thud! Thump!

A stone rolled down from the barrier with a heavy sound, but Ian continued to speak without paying attention.

“The group that is causing a civil war against the royal family must be suppressed, and the Great Empire of Bariel has dispatched an envoy to declare this. If you resist, you know the consequences that will follow.”

“Go back! Go back from Vergos!”

“Therefore, I say one last time. Open the barrier and hand over Rutherford. Then, those who surrender will be shown leniency.”

“Get lost!”

Ian glanced at the setting sun and warned.

“If you do not show your intention to surrender by the time the sun rises tomorrow morning, we will destroy the barrier. And we will annihilate everything that is alive.”

The Bariel soldiers began to set up camp busily. There was no further reaction from the barrier either. It seemed they had turned back to prepare for battle as well.

“Ahem.”

A familiar voice was heard.

Ian unknowingly raised his head and met the eyes of Rutherford, who was smiling leisurely with a long pipe in his mouth.

“It seems like it’s too often to say it’s been a while.”

“It’s Rutherford!”

“It’s Rutherford, Your Majesty!”

“You bastard, you’re dead! Come down here!”

“Commander Acorella, please hold on a little!”

“You son of a bitch! I’ll shave your head!”

“Berick! You too!”

The Bariel camp was in an uproar at Rutherford’s appearance. He let his long hair down, smiling leisurely as if he were looking out of a window.

“Here, you look like that young one.”

He looked different in the abyss.

Ian handed the letter to a soldier and immediately released his magic power. He wanted to rush in and cut off his head right away, but he knew that he couldn’t immediately retract the Emperor’s message that he had just delivered. Ian knew it, and so did Rutherford.

“Shall I tell you something?”

Thud.

Rutherford lightly flicked off the ashes from his pipe and said.

“Luswena has won against Hawan.”

So, the southeast of Bariel would soon be in danger, Rutherford was saying.

But Berick immediately retorted.

“What a load of crap! I can’t believe a single word you say, you lying bastard!”

It was illogical, but it wasn’t entirely unreasonable. If that were true, the rear would be as good as empty, so it would be better to carry out the operation as secretly as possible rather than telling them like this.

“You’re bringing around all sorts of weirdos.”

As Rutherford flicked his hand, something flashed before Ian’s eyes.

Something flew towards his head in an instant. Ian reflexively turned his head to dodge, but he couldn’t stop it from grazing his cheek.

“……!”

A thread-like scratch remained on Ian’s cheek. A wound that no one else could notice, only Ian knew about.

Rutherford shouted provocatively.

“Why don’t you fly in here, Ian?”