Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 584

Swoosh! Even as Beric plummeted, his eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Rutherford. The height was so immense that it was hard to believe it was just a simple cliff, but there was no time or room for doubt. As the air grew hotter, Beric tried to slow his descent by scraping his sword against the cliff face. The area beyond the range of his magic was dark, and he couldn’t see anything. Screech! Swoosh! Luckily, his sword caught on a crack in the cliff. Hanging by one hand, Beric swung his body lightly and leaped to the other side. “Rutherford, you son of a bitch, where are you? Are you dead? If you’re dead, at least say something!” Below the cliff was another world. A vast cave with paths branching out in all directions. It didn’t seem man-made, so it must have been a naturally formed space. Beric found traces of Idgal [a type of magical energy] etched into the wall. Rutherford must have used his sword to slow his descent, just like he did, and landed here. Shing. “If I catch you, you’re dead meat, got it?” Beric shouted playfully, drawing a new sword from his waist. Then, he cautiously entered the cave. A wave of heat washed over him, confirming that the heat he had felt earlier was coming from here. “What kind of country is this? It’s so unpredictable. The top is a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grows, and it’s freezing cold.” A warm breeze blew from an unknown source. Beric gripped his sword tightly and moved forward slowly. Soon, he sensed a presence and reflexively turned around. Swish! Clang! “Beric. It’s me.” “Oh, it’s Hale.” “If you’re out of your mind, at least keep your eyes open.” “Then who told you to make a sound like that?” “I came in quietly. It’s your fault for being so tense and making a mistake.” “Tense? Pfft! Me? This body?” Hale had followed Beric. He frowned, looking down at the sword that was pressed against his neck. His gaze asked when Beric would stop pointing it at him. Beric chuckled, realizing his mistake, and sniffled. “My bad.” “Anyway, let’s go back. It’s safer to rejoin the main force.” “If I was thinking about safety, I wouldn’t have left Bariel. Rutherford came this way, too. Did you see the Idgal earlier?” “Yes. I’m saying it’s dangerous because we can’t figure out his intentions. Remember, you’re not part of the Magic Department, you’re the Emperor’s guard.” “The Emperor would be thrilled if I brought him Rutherford’s head. And if we let him go now, how are we going to find him again?” Ten years. A full ten years. The time he had waited for Ian was ten years, but the time it took to track Rutherford down here again was also ten years. He knew he was right in front of him, so he couldn’t retreat just because it was dangerous. Beric wiggled his fingers, pointing upwards. “If you’re so worried, go up first. Just tell Ian I’m here.” “Haa. You crazy mutt.” “I’ve heard that so much it’s practically glued to my ears. Even if I’m always hungry, I’ve never eaten shit. Why does everyone keep calling me a mutt?” Hale put a cigarette in his mouth and was about to say something when both of them simultaneously sensed a presence and turned around sharply. From inside the cave, they heard a sound. Rustle, rustle… “What is it?” “Shhh.” Hale warned him to be quiet, and Beric pouted, lowering his body. Then, he moved further inside, focusing all his senses. It smelled like something rotten, or maybe something musty… “Wait a minute. This…” He had smelled it somewhere before? What was it? Beric took a deep breath, trying to identify the smell, but it didn’t click right away. One thing was certain: it was related to a very unpleasant memory. Beric turned the corner and peeked into the cave. He could feel something moving in the darkness. “Hale.” At Beric’s request, Hale activated his magic to illuminate the area. The surroundings instantly brightened, and they saw the back of a man crouching down, chewing on something. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were a mess. It wasn’t hard to recognize that it was Rutherford. “You son of a bitch, what the hell are you eating in this situation-” Beric’s words were cut short. In his hand was a dried red flower and something unidentifiable. Beric was speechless at the absurd sight, and Hale also dropped his cigarette. Come to think of it… “This isn’t just a simple cave.” They noticed tree stumps and unrecognizable thorn bushes. They were covered in blue moss, so they hadn’t noticed them at first glance. Rutherford was frantically stuffing whatever he could grab into his mouth, like a desperate man. It was as if he believed that was the only thing that could save him from this crisis. “Ah, that…” Beric frowned. Not only the dried red flower, but he also recognized what Rutherford was holding. “Isn’t that it? The fairy that was inside the doll.” Laromedia [a type of magical creature]. The shape was crushed, so it was hard to compare, but judging by its appearance and size, it was almost certain. There was a lot of sticky liquid on Rutherford’s hands, as if it had been alive until just now. “Hey! Stop eating that! You crazy bastard!” Hale quickly looked around. He had heard that Laromedia’s habitat was in the north and south of Gaia, in the polar regions. The most recent discovery was near Toolun. Although Vergos was close to Toolun, he never expected a habitat to be in a place like this. ‘Could they have moved?’ It was almost certain that doll magic using Laromedia corpses was prevalent in Toolun. So, they might have moved their habitat south to escape the indiscriminate slaughter. The size of the habitat was too small, and it looked like it hadn’t been there for long, which was evidence of that. “Hale. That bastard’s eyes are gone.” “…Beric. We need to be careful of hallucinations. They say that a live Laromedia is much more potent than a dried one.” “No, but, seriously. Shouldn’t we just go and cut him down now? But I can’t get close to him, it’s so disgusting.” Beric said, looking at the flowers trampled under Rutherford’s feet. Those also looked familiar. What were they? Those… “Huh?!” Beric’s eyes widened as he felt a sudden realization. “Silask!” The red flower that never fades once it blooms. Wasn’t that what Ian had taken in a pot when he went to the Great Desert? It was withered and crumbled, but he could recognize it for sure. Rutherford lightly wiped his mouth and stared at the two of them. “…Disgusting?” “Yeah. Very much so.” “Such things don’t matter when it comes to survival.” The one method the gods had told him. A means to borrow the power of the omnipotent god, even for a moment. Rutherford clutched the dried petals and smiled maliciously. “Beric. Shouldn’t you be more careful than that?” “Don’t call my name so familiarly, you bastard. You wanna die?” “Your whole body is on fire, you know?” “What?” Swoosh! The moment Beric heard Rutherford’s words, he saw the flames rising. Flames were burning fiercely, using his own body, which had been fine just a moment ago, as fuel. He stumbled back in shock, and Hale grabbed him. “Beric! Get a grip! It’s a hallucination!” “No, you bastard! This is hot!” “Recognize that it’s a hallucination!” Zing! Zing! Hale tried to dispel the illusion by releasing his magic, but Rutherford whispered. “Hey. Don’t get too close. The fire will spread.”