Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 572

“Here!”

How long had it been since they started moving the rubble?

The golem had roughly pushed aside the massive boulders, but just a few minutes of movement was far from enough.

However, while the Royal Guards and soldiers were struggling to push the boulders and dig through the pile, the first signal flare finally went off.

‘It’s a Vergos soldier! They’re wearing armor!’

‘Turn them over. Check their faces.’

‘Heave-ho! Over there, lift the lower part. A leg is pinned.’

‘There’s one here too. Still breathing.’

‘Move the corpses over here, and the living to the other side.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Be careful! I’m going to push the stone! One! Two! Three!’

‘There’s another one! We should keep digging here! It seems like it was under the barrier’s leg. There’s some space, so there are quite a few people!’

‘Captain Bonita! Barsabe! Answer if you can hear us!’

They found a staircase leading down. The Royal Guardsmen leaned their heads into the pit and shouted, but all that came back was a stench mixed with the smell of dust.

‘Ian, didn’t that gypsy have gills? It seems like it’s this way. The fishy stench is particularly strong.’

‘I’ll go down and check. Give me a rope.’

‘Pull the rope if you find them. Got it?’

‘Yes, sir. Captain Bonita! Barsabe!’

The guards tied a rope around their waists and went down, and Ian carefully examined the faces of the corpses that were being brought up. Even if a face was caved in and unrecognizable, he was ready to recognize it instantly if it was Rutherford.

Swoosh.

‘Signal! Clear the stones at the entrance!’

‘Pull the rope! One, two, three!’

‘Captain Bonita! Barsabe! Are you okay?’

Everyone poured out their cheers mixed with worry at the signal from below. But what appeared was, unlike their expectations, the corpse of a stranger.

‘Ugh!’

It was a gypsy with torn gills and abdomen. She was dead with her eyes open as if in pain, and her whole body was dry and flaky, as if all the moisture had been sucked out.

Ian covered his nose with his sleeve and approached, then frowned.

‘This will be investigated separately. Take it away.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Hey! Are Bonita and Barsabe down there?’

A muffled, echoing answer came from the depths.

‘There are so many Vergos soldiers’ corpses! We’re looking, but we don’t see them. Rutherford isn’t here either! There’s a path leading to the other side of the corridor, but I don’t think they went that way. Just a moment!’

‘Where does it lead?’

‘Uh… I don’t know. Is it towards the back gate of the barrier?’

‘Why are you asking us? You’re the one looking, you should know.’

‘Oh! I found them! It’s Captain Bonita!’

‘What? You found the captain? Pull her up!’

At the shout that Bonita had been found, everyone grabbed the rope and pulled. Bonita slowly appeared, covered in dirt. She was so still that it seemed like she had stopped breathing.

‘C-Captain?’

‘Wake up, Captain.’

Fortunately, Bonita’s lips moved slightly. She spoke in small, broken words, as if exhaling.

‘…Ruther… …did… …sa… …ah……’

Everyone held their breath and focused on her voice, but that was it. Bonita eventually breathed her last and chose eternal silence.

The Royal Guardsmen couldn’t say a word, they closed her eyes and kissed her forehead. Ian also made a short gesture as a sign of mourning, paying his last respects.

‘…The wounds are severe.’

At his murmur, the guardsmen finally realized that Bonita’s abdomen was severely wounded. It was hard to see because of the dirt.

‘Ah, come to think of it, all the Vergos soldiers who were with Captain Bonita were wearing black armor. I wonder if there was a problem when they were fighting with the Dera weapons and the explosion happened.’

They might have dropped their weapons, or their range might have become too short, or they might have lost consciousness and left an opening. There were so many variables that it was impossible to guess.

But what was even more unpredictable was the whereabouts of Rutherford and Barsabe.

‘There was no one else?’

‘I’ll have to go down again and check, but when I looked just now, there wasn’t anyone.’

‘I understand. Continue the search. Put Captain Bonita on a stretcher and move her.’

What happened?

Is Barsabe chasing after Rutherford who is fleeing? And Bonita was caught in the crossfire while watching her back? If so, news would naturally come in time.

‘Ian!’

He turned his head at the sound of the mages calling him. He signaled with his eyes that he would be there soon and ordered a passing soldier.

‘Go to the camp and bring Melania.’

Clark was here, as well as two Royal Guardsmen who were with him. While all the guardsmen were recognizable, Clark was not, so Melania’s help was needed.

Ian decided to leave his position to her and flew back towards the city center of Agiar, passing through the rubble.

Thud!

The first thing he saw was the blue imperial flag of Bariel fluttering everywhere in the city. The residents of Agiar were all out on the streets, kneeling before the Emperor’s procession, and the small city in the north of Vergos had completely fallen.

‘Ian, a Vergos messenger reporting the situation in Agiar is said to have left the city through the south gate. What should we do?’

They were asking whether to cut off the news or spread the victory of Bariel far and wide.

Ian landed near Minister Tweller and relayed the message.

‘Minister Tweller, a Vergos messenger is heading south.’

‘Oh, is that so?’

‘I believe it is right to cut them off.’

‘Of course. We can declare the fall of the city at any time, but once we declare it, we cannot take it back.’

As Ian nodded while delivering the answer, a mage quickly flew south. Soon, he would return with the messenger’s head.

Tweller slowly rode his horse and told Ian to look over there. In the center of the city, a small castle stood tall.

‘The castle of Agiar is completely empty. Since they are anti-royalist forces, it seems they chose a suitable local territory, but I’m not sure if the reinforcements will be sufficient.’

‘There is no information about the lord.’

‘Rutherford was practically the lord. Since there is no commander or person in charge, I will investigate the details.’

At that moment, Jin, who was walking ahead, entered the castle gate. It was a small and shabby castle, but it seemed sufficient to stay for a few days and use as a base.

Considering the past days when they had been sleeping under the sky and using the earth as their bed, this was like a golden castle.

Creak.

Jin entered the small hall and carefully looked around.

A very quiet space as if only his breathing existed. At Tweller’s direction, the soldiers scattered left and right and began to search the interior thoroughly, and Jin walked along the corridor as his feet led him.

Tap tap!

‘Remove all the paintings and sculptures, and hang the Bariel imperial flag. Small jewels will be given as spoils of war to the wounded soldiers after the war, but large jewels will be returned to the families of the deceased soldiers.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty. I will keep that in mind.’

‘There is a large grain and wine storage in the basement!’

‘Find out in detail through the Vergos soldiers whether the food is safe to eat. Tonight, all the Bariel army will feast and sleep soundly.’

‘There is a small passage below the storage! It seems that all those in the castle escaped through the passage.’

‘Select a pursuit team, but the passage will be blocked.’

The soldiers moved busily to find out how many rooms there were in the castle and whether there was enough drinking water in the kitchen. After the search was over. As the sunset shone through the window in the ceiling, Jin turned to Ian and asked.

‘How is the barrier structure work going?’

‘We rescued Captain Bonita, but she died immediately. We have not yet found Rutherford and the other guardsmen.’

Jin frowned with pity at the news of Bonita’s death. From the moment he decided to charge into the barrier on a dragon, death was a shadow that could not be separated. But when he actually heard it like this, he couldn’t help but feel heavy-hearted.

‘Continue the search even after the sun sets.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

‘And-‘

Creak.

Jin opened the door to the reception room and sighed softly. It was a space of a suitable size for key personnel from each department to gather. Servants lit the candles placed everywhere, driving away the darkness in advance.

‘Let’s hold a meeting here. It seems like we’ll be short on time, so let’s have dinner while we do it.’

‘Understood.’

Ian and Tweller greeted him, saying they would be back soon, and left the reception room. Ian told the mages to start preparing to rest, and Tweller also ordered the soldiers that they could take off their armor.

The first night in Agiar Castle was approaching.

* * *

With Jin at the center, Tweller, Siao Shi, and several officers sat on the right, and Commander Jayrut, Commander Simon, and Berick were together on the left. Ian, Hale, and Acorella were seated across from Jin.

In front of the leaders gathered at the huge round table, a map of the city center of Agiar and the surrounding area, which had been found in the castle, was laid out, and wine was also prepared for the number of people.

Swoosh.

Tweller, who had finished his simple meal, wiped his fingertips with a napkin and spoke first.

‘So, what is the current damage to the Royal Guards?’

‘In this Agiar operation, Captain Bonita and Kanna were killed in action. We have not yet found any trace of Barsabe and Wakion. Besides that, there are four guardsmen who have suffered minor and major injuries, like me and Berick.’

Tweller clicked his tongue as if to comfort them and took a sip of wine. The total number of guards was small to begin with, and since they were mostly those who were active on the front lines, the damage was great.

Jayrut reported calmly.

‘According to Berick, who was part of the infiltration team at the time, there seems to have been a puppeteer inside the barrier. The mysterious long-range attack was probably his doing, but the dead cannot speak.’

‘Did you confirm the body?’

‘Berick confirmed the face. But, his clothes were from Toolun.’

At Jayrut’s explanation, Berick nodded lightly. Even while doing so, he glanced at Ian. It was such an obvious gaze that everyone noticed it, but no one stopped him. Even Ian. It was because everyone gathered in this place knew that they were curious about ‘Ian’.

‘…There was a puppeteer from Toolun who caused a stir in Bariel as well. It’s probably the same context. Did you happen to see how the attack was carried out, Berick?’

‘He was holed up in a room playing with dolls like a madman.’

Jin shrugged his shoulders as if to say that was enough and gestured with his hand.

‘We need to investigate in detail. Astana may be busy, but they have a lot of information on this side, so let’s request cooperation.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

‘Then, Sir Ian.’

At Jin’s call, everyone’s eyes were on Ian.

He lowered his chin lightly as if he had been waiting and paid his respects.

‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

‘Now, tell us your story.’

As Jin started the conversation and looked around at everyone, they all took the opportunity and poured out questions.

‘There are so many things I want to hear. What on earth happened, what happened to Bariel 100 years later?’

‘Sir Ian, you must have had Royal Guardsmen as well. But, it’s hard to believe that you were imprisoned. Was it a problem that happened within the Imperial Palace itself?’

‘You are a mage, aren’t you?’

‘Ian, be honest. You knew about the Luron stone deposit, didn’t you?! Right?! Are there any other places? Huh?!’

‘Acorella, restrain yourself. Please.’

Ian waited until everyone’s excitement had subsided, then calmly took a sip of wine. A deep, bitter taste swirled on his tongue.

Ian waited until the sweetness rose, then spoke softly.

‘…So, this is something that started when I was very young.’

His whole life.