Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 578

“By the way, what kind of country is Toolun anyway?” While they were gathered in a circle, eating meat, a mage asked. Everyone was chewing with their mouths full, blinking, and couldn’t give a clear answer. After a moment of silence, Acorella was the first to speak. “Toolun? It’s a place rich in Marknotipia and Kellen burial sites. Strangely, it’s hard to find those two anywhere else but Toolun. It’s a good thing the deposits are abundant, or they would have been classified as rare stones right away, you know? For the record, I don’t like either of them. Marknotipia’s cohesion is just-” “Right. I’ve heard a lot about it, but I don’t really know anything. Actually, until recently, I didn’t even know where it was located. Are there mages there too?” “Hey, you just cut me off, didn’t you?” “No. I cut the meat.” “Mages? I guess there would be? Mages don’t just come from one area.” “Still, since it’s close to the northern region, the influence of shamans will be strong. If we ask Astana, they might know more details.” “Astana doesn’t know much either. It seems like they didn’t have much interaction with Toolun. And that place is like a funeral home right now, so we can’t even talk to them.” “That’s right. The damage from that mysterious long-range attack was severe, right? Is it related to the puppeteer Beric caught?” “I don’t know. The dead can’t speak.” “I’ve been there once.” At the words of one mage, everyone’s eyes widened. Wasn’t Toolun a region with almost no interaction with Bariel? It was a country that was far away, and the religious differences were clear. Although a new religion worshipping the Undergod is now booming and sweeping the country, the fact is that both the Undergod and the previous gods are unfamiliar to the Bariel people. “When? How?” “That’s right. It’s amazing. Even at His Majesty’s coronation, no envoys came from Toolun, so how did you go there?” “A long time ago. I went with my father when I was very young. But I only stayed for a couple of months.” “Ah, right. You said your father was a peddler, right?” “Not a peddler, he did odd jobs under him.” “Anyway, how was it? I heard that people go up on the roofs and pray, is that true?” The mages pushed the meat aside and their eyes sparkled. The mage, who was suddenly the center of attention, was embarrassed for a moment, then mumbled, recalling his childhood memories. “When the time comes, a bell rings somewhere. Then people stop everything they’re doing and pray to the sky, and even if they’re on the roof, they have to do it, so I guess that’s where that saying came from?” “Hmm. Is that so?” “And as I remember, it was a very open atmosphere. How should I put it, freedom within strict rules…? No, maybe order within chaos is more accurate? And there were so many people. I was riding a donkey, and my shoulder kept bumping into the person next to me, so I wondered if I was even walking.” “That place, the land is quite large, right? I think it’s about two or three times the size of Bariel.” “Yes, that’s probably right. Most of it was farmland. The climate was a bit dry, so agricultural efficiency wasn’t great.” “Yeah, that’s right. The country itself tends to be a bit closed off. Anyway, they can be self-sufficient, so they don’t feel the need to interact with the outside world.” “That’s also true, but maybe they were afraid of religious changes? Toolun is a bit of an outlier in Gaia [the world].” “That could be. They have a king there too, right?” “Ah, yes. They do, but…” “But, what?” The mage shrugged and smiled, as if he didn’t know the details. “I heard it when I was too young, so I don’t know if this is correct.” “Come on, man. If it’s a king, it’s a king, and if it’s not, it’s not.” “They say they ‘elect’ their king.” “Huh?” What kind of nonsense is that? Not a direct succession, but an election? Is it even possible to elect a king? It’s not like there’s a rebellion every generation. “How do you elect a king?” “They believe that a god is hiding among the royal family. There are several criteria for finding it, and a child who meets those criteria ascends to the throne. I don’t know if it’s just symbolic or if it’s real. It was a long time ago.” “How old are you again?” “Forty-five. Commander Acorella.” “Ah, right. Sorry.” Acorella scratched the tip of her nose as if embarrassed, and everyone awkwardly coughed. How is it that the younger you are in the Magic Department, the higher the position you get? Well, Ian, the youngest, is the minister, so that says it all. “Anyway, it’s a very strange country.” “Yes, it’s worth visiting once. The whole world is a dull earth color, but the unique red and yellow colors are impressive. It’s completely different from the Hawan side. If that side is a strong red based on white, Toolun is like a bonfire built on earth.” “Uh-huh. We’ll be going there soon anyway, right? Once we advance to southern Vergos and clean everything up, we’ll head straight to Toolun.” “Huh?!” Why are you telling us this now? The surprised mages froze, and Acorella smiled, nonchalantly taking a big bite of food. “Why are you so surprised? You knew we were going to Toolun. It was a matter that was discussed from the beginning of the expedition, what’s the big deal?” “No, that was under discussion back then! This means it’s confirmed, right?” “Yeah. I just heard it now too. Okay?” “…Then, I should send a messenger pigeon to the Imperial Magic Department. To ask them to send some data related to Toolun. And to say hello to Romandro.” “Ah, it’s okay. I already sent it.” Acorella waved her hand, pulling her subordinates’ collars. It meant, don’t do useless things and keep eating. “Huh? Really? Then, did you perhaps mention Ian…?” “Yeah.” “Everything?” “Yeah. Everything. Romandro needs to know too.” “…He’ll be surprised, won’t he?” “Would it be a good thing if he was just surprised?” Ugh! Acorella took a big gulp of wine and let out a bitter groan. There’s no life without a story, but Ian’s life, as she heard it from the inside, was completely miserable. It was as if God had meticulously destroyed him one by one. At that moment, Hale was seen passing by. “Hey, Commander Hale. Where are you going without eating?” “Just doing some reconnaissance with the Imperial Guard.” Hale gestured towards the Imperial Guard tent. It seemed that the magic swordsmen, who couldn’t fly, had asked Hale and his subordinates for help. Anyway, they’re people who don’t know how to rest even when they’re told to. Acorella pouted and asked. “Where’s Ian? I haven’t seen him since earlier.” “He’s in discussions with the representative of the Agiar residents. It seems there’s a problem since the progress is slow.” “Hmm? Why? Agiar is already over.” “Before Agiar, they are Vergos people.” Even among the civilians, opinions were sharply divided. Some were of the view that they would rather be prisoners of war than cooperate with Bariel, while others wanted to preserve their lives and usher in a new era. Ian was just sitting and watching them clash. Whatever happened, it would proceed in the direction that Bariel wanted, but he judged that it was more beneficial to let the opposing opinions clash fiercely and dissipate, rather than suppressing them, in order to eliminate them as much as possible. The night given to them was long. “Keep eating and resting. I’ll go with Nakina for a while.” “Okay. If you come back late, there won’t be anything left.” “Eat your fill.” Hale said that and walked out of the Imperial Guard tent. Unlike the outside, which was intoxicated with the victory of the battle, the inside of the tent was in a gloomy atmosphere. That was because the price paid for victory was considerable. The members who were bandaging their injuries greeted Hale and stood up. “You’ve arrived.” “Yes, I was told you needed support.” “Commander Jayrut.” Commander Jayrut was already fully dressed. The injury he sustained in the northern region was deep, so he had been staying behind the front lines, but that couldn’t continue. Now that Bonita was dead, Jayrut had to fulfill his duties as commander. “I would like to search the area below the cliff again. It’s too narrow for a dragon to enter, so I would like the mages to help with the flight. I’ve already mentioned it to Minister Ian.” “Yes, we understand the commander’s heavy heart. But tonight, the darkness is too deep, so we won’t go too far.” “Thank you. Beric.” “Yeah, yeah.” Ziiip, Beric roughly tore and tied the bandage, then put on his jacket. His injury was deep, but he still had better mobility than the other members. Beric roughly tied his hair and looked at the map. “We’ll just go to the places we looked at earlier during the day, right?” “Beric, are you drunk?” “Is wine alcohol? It’s a drink. Everyone, stretch your legs and rest. The perfectly fine Beric is going to go.” “Yes, senior. Good luck.” “Commander Jayrut. Be careful.” They roughly waved their hands in greeting, and soon, with the help of Hale and Nakina, they soared into the sky. Whoosh- In the deep night sky. The wind was strong. They had risen high, but all they could see was the light of Agiar. Everything was dark in the distance. Jayrut focused all his senses, hoping to detect Barsabe’s energy, and Beric yawned and sniffed. Whoosh! “I’ll go down the cliff.” Upon reaching the entrance of the cliff outside the barrier, Hale said that and lowered his altitude. The four of them entered between the rocks, relying on the faint magical light. There was no sign of anyone. Not yet. * * * Barsabe realized that this was what it felt like when her blood ran cold. Rutherford’s eyes, looking down, were gleaming coldly like those of a grim reaper. And what about his long hair? She forgot to even breathe and hid her presence as much as possible. “Rutherford, what’s wrong?” “Bring a torch.” It wasn’t just a simple suspicion. He must have sensed something. Barsabe bit her lower lip tightly, trying not to let the sound of her pounding heart leak out. “There might be pursuers nearby. It’s dangerous to light a fire now, Rutherford.” “Then you. You go down there.” “Yes?” “It seems like there’s something down there. As you said, it could be a pursuer, so go down and check if there are any blind or deaf people, that’s what I’m saying.” At Rutherford’s words, the surroundings became quiet again. Barsabe was truly perplexed. The others didn’t seem to notice anything, so why was Rutherford acting like this? But the good thing was that no one wanted to step forward rashly. The Ruthwena mages were reinforcements who came to support Rutherford, not his servants, and the magic swordsmen didn’t have the ability to fly, so they were reluctant to go down the cliff in the dark. “Then I’ll take a look.” It was that unpleasant voice that intervened. “With just a board and a doll, I can check if there’s anyone else here besides us. I can pierce their heart in one go, so there’s no problem.” “How long would that take?” Rutherford clicked his tongue. The puppeteers of Toolun had great abilities, but there was too much to prepare for it. The exact location of the target, and even a doll suitable for the spell. The higher the level of the puppeteer, the more effort they put into the materials to make the spell work better. I know that even the skilled Bagban took months to create the Agiar barrier. “Light the torch.” At the repeated order, the subordinates had no choice but to light the torch and lean their heads over the cliff. The darkness gradually faded, and the view became brighter. Barsabe looked at the approaching light and muttered to herself. ‘Ha, damn it. Persistent bastard.’ But there was no way out. If there was no way back, she had no choice but to charge forward. The moment the light illuminated her, Barsabe quickly grabbed the magic swordsman’s arm and threw him off the cliff. “Aaaah!” The magic swordsman disappeared into the darkness below the cliff, screaming. Barsabe used that force to jump up. At the same time, she clenched her empty teeth and unleashed her magic, rushing towards Rutherford. Whoosh! Looking out, there were six magic swordsmen and five mages. Besides that, there were more than a dozen puppeteers and regular soldiers gathered. Barsabe lowered her body and looked back. It was an empty field. In other words… ‘…I’m screwed.’ That’s how it was.