Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 585

Burning pain. The most intense agony a human can endure, a catastrophic experience that sends you plummeting to the depths of hell while still alive.

Watching your own body consumed by flames is a profound shock, both physically and mentally.

“Ugh! Son of a bitch!”

“Beric! Calm down! Ugh!”

Beric slammed his blazing arm against the cave wall, screaming, but he couldn’t overcome the increasingly intense fire and eventually collapsed forward.

Hale was in the same predicament. Even though he knew it was a hallucination, recognition and sensation were separate experiences. He used his magic to create water and extinguish the flames.

Buzz!

Swoosh!

The stream of water that burst out with a flash of light washed over them, briefly halting their struggles. The ‘hallucination created by Rutherford’ was merely the sensation of their bodies burning.

It wasn’t an eternally burning fire, nor was it an unquenchable one. According to common sense, no fire could exist within a stream of water.

“Haa, haa…”

“That bastard, shit, ugh, huh. Ptoo!”

Hale, with his hands on the ground, gasped for breath, and Beric, exhausted, spat out saliva.

Rutherford casually blocked the incoming water with an Idgal barrier [a magical barrier], then chuckled.

“That bastard’s laughing, ugh…”

It was pointless to worry about what was below the cliff or whether they could overcome the situation. Look at those two, writhing in agony, deluded by something invisible.

Rutherford had altered their reality with just a word, as if he were a god. Now, however, his reality would change.

“Beric, it’s a hallucination. Cover your ears. You just have to ignore it.”

“You think covering my ears will stop that bastard from yapping? And I don’t need to cover them. I need my hands to hold my sword. And-”

The moment Rutherford was about to speak, Beric drew a red greatsword, making an X with both hands. Then, without hesitation, he charged at Rutherford. His focus was slightly blurred from the aftereffects of the burning pain, but the direction of his attack was accurate.

“Ian said! The best way to get rid of annoying thoughts is to eliminate the source. Since his flapping mouth is the problem, cutting off that bastard’s tongue is the fastest and best way!”

“Beric, this time it’s an unquenchable fire-”

“Shut up, I can’t hear you!”

Boom! Boom!

Swoosh! Clang!

The huge roar drowned out Rutherford’s words. Even though it was a deep cave below the cliff, they didn’t seem to care about the risk of collapse.

Hale reflexively covered his head and cowered, and Rutherford also stepped back in surprise. As dust mixed with dry leaves rose, Rutherford covered his mouth with his collar and widened his eyes.

But-

“Peek-a-boo, you son of a bitch.”

Thwack!

Beric was right there, close enough to touch if he fell over. In an instant, his fist flew towards Rutherford’s face, specifically his lower jaw.

“Beric!”

“I’m fine, so be quiet. Or make some more of that water and pour it on this bastard’s face. If he’s underwater, he won’t be able to hear anything no matter how much he shouts. Oh, would he die then?”

“Of course, you idiot. Rutherford is just a normal human.”

“Ah, human.”

Squeeze.

Beric grabbed Rutherford’s hair and looked into his face. He had started as a mage, the closest to a god, but now he had fallen to just a mere human.

And yet, he dared to touch Ian, touch him, and touch Bariel? Beric lightly pulled down the bastard’s lower lip with his fingertip.

“Ugh, if I cut this off, Ian’s gonna give me an earful.”

There were many things to ask Rutherford. The whereabouts of the royal family of Burgos that Damon couldn’t find, the conditions for regression, and more. Above all, since he was directly connected to the underground god, there was a mountain of things to find out.

When Rutherford tried to mumble something, Beric tore his clothes. There was no other way but to shut his mouth completely.

“The effect will disappear, right? If it keeps going like this, how the hell am I supposed to have a conversation? Huh?”

“…Ah.”

“Yeah. Shut it.”

Beric stuffed the torn cloth into Rutherford’s mouth. Since the hallucination was triggered by his voice, he thought this would neutralize it.

Rutherford stared at Beric with bloodshot eyes, but there was a smile in his gaze. A gaze that flickered like a storm was coming. Beric stared blankly into those eyes without realizing it.

Clang! Boom!

The sound of cracks echoed. It was clear that the cliff had been damaged by the recent explosion. Hale looked around in alarm, but Beric slowly got up as if it were someone else’s problem.

“…”

What Beric saw in front of him now was a dilapidated window. The finish was peeling off, and rainwater was leaking through the gaps. And then, flash, flash. Lightning split the sky, and thunder shook the world as if it would collapse.

Clang!

“Ah.”

Beric immediately recognized where the window he was looking at was from. It was a part of a memory that could never be erased.

A small, old shelter where he lived with his family when he was young.

And that day when it rained so much.

“This…”

“Beric! What’s wrong?”

“Shit. This is, it’s the same as that time.”

That time when he inhaled white powder in Bratz and fainted with a hallucination.

Beric turned around as if asking for help, but Hale, as well as the cave, had disappeared without a trace, and the familiar scenery inside the hut had changed. His heart began to pound.

“Beric. What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

His mother, with her red hair tied up, was smiling. Her face wasn’t visible because it was her back, but the side profile that was slightly visible was very familiar.

“It’s raining too much. Father is late.”

“He’s probably drinking. Don’t worry about it.”

“He said he wouldn’t drink today. He went to exchange meat.”

“Do you believe that? After all that?”

“Oppa [older brother], is Dad not coming today? Really?”

Beric found himself repeating the conversation he had with his family that day.

The voice of his younger sister, whispering happily while fidgeting with her hands, the unpleasant, damp air, the gesture of his mother putting a bucket out the window after fixing her hair, etc.-

Everything unfolded vividly before his eyes.

Crash!

Soon after, his father, reeking of alcohol, burst through the door. His younger sisters quickly hid under the bed, and Beric went behind the storage room.

“O-oh, you’re here?”

“Where are the kids?”

His father’s eyes, searching for the children as soon as he came in, were sharp and persistent. Today was an unlucky day. He was short on drinking money, or he had debts from gambling.

On days like this, he would habitually make a fuss about selling the children, and last year, his older sister was actually sold in the market. His mother cried and bought her back by selling all the meager household items, but thanks to that, the family, which was barely surviving, was completely ruined.

“Where are the kids?!”

“Wait, wait, they went on an errand.”

“Are you kidding me? In this weather?”

“They, they went out before the rain, and they’re still-”

“What time is it?!”

This wasn’t good. He had to stay quiet today. On other days, he would have slipped out, but it was raining too much, so there was no way.

Beric, hiding behind the storage room, made eye contact with his younger sister under the bed. Her eyes, shaking anxiously, were vivid even in the darkness.

Slap!

Crash! Bang!

Then, the children squeezed their eyes shut. His mother’s question about what happened to the meat, and how they had only eaten barley porridge for days, was cut off. In despair, as if the world was collapsing, the sisters held each other’s hands and closed their eyes tightly.

‘Shit.’

Lightning flashed, and light came through the small window. A dull sickle was hanging upside down. It looked like a noose for hanging, or a hook to pull himself up. Beric grabbed it as if possessed, and held it with his small hands.

It was dull, but wouldn’t it be okay if he stabbed it in the back of his neck? How long would he have to live listening to his mother’s screams? If only that bastard was gone, the hut would have been peaceful just a moment ago.

Thump. Thump, thump.

The moment Beric was about to leave the storage room-

He heard a noise outside. Someone had come through the rain. His mother only let out painful groans, and his father paused for a moment before approaching the door.

“Who is it?”

“I came because I left something behind.”

“From earlier?”

Creak.

At the mention of leaving something at the gambling house, his father opened the door, half in doubt. He had nothing, but the greed of hoping for something moved him.

Stab!

“Ugh-!”

As soon as the door opened, the man stabbed his father in the abdomen with a sword. It wasn’t just one person. Two. They were the people his father owed money to from the gambling house, and they had come to collect it themselves after hearing from the residents that he had no ability to pay. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be drifters.

“Aaaah!”

“Shhh. Geez, is this even a house.”

“With nothing to your name, what kind of guts did you have to say you’d pay back the money? Did you think we’d give up and leave if we waited a few days since we’re outsiders?”

“Let’s see, madam. Is the closet over there? Give us something that’s worth money. Your husband owes us quite a bit.”

“Why, why are you doing this? I, I have nothing. Please, just let me live. Please, I beg you.”

“Hmm. It’s a problem if you have nothing.”

“I heard you have some kids?”

“No! The, the kids, please, please, no. I’ll do anything. And they’re not home right now. Really.”

His mother begged, but they drew their swords without mercy.

Swoosh!

“Mom!”

“No!”

When his younger sister, who was hiding under the bed, ran out, his younger sister tried to follow. Beric shouted that it wasn’t okay. Instead, he would go out, so his younger sister should keep hiding.

“Oh, look at this. The girl is still young?”

“If we sell her in Hawan, she’ll be worth something.”

“Put my sister down!”

“Oh, the boy looks like he has some spirit. You’ll be sold for a good price too. You have to keep your eyes wide and shout like that even when you get there? The rich people who want to see slave fights prefer slaves with some guts.”

“Shut up!”

Swoosh!

“You, shit!”

When Beric charged, swinging the dull sickle wildly, the men were flustered and stepped back.

The child was so enraged that he couldn’t be subdued with bare hands. After one of the men’s hands was hit by the blade, they drew their swords.

Stab!

“Hey!”

“Damn it.”

Then they stabbed Beric in the side, and the child fell forward weakly.

“What are you doing, killing him?”

“I didn’t mean to, tsk.”

“It can’t be helped. Let’s get the remaining kids. They came out from over there, right?”

“Aaaah!”

“Found them. They’re under the bed.”

“Sister! Sister!”

Beric heard his sisters’ screams in his fading consciousness. If he had been a little older, if he had had power… he could have protected his mother, his sisters, and himself…

“Shit.”

Beric trembled, tears streaming down his face as he lay on the ground. His limbs were limp, and his stomach was twisted. He was dizzy. So dizzy…

As he closed his eyes, someone whispered in his ear.

“Beric.”

Once more.

“Beric.”

And this time, with a warm touch.

“Wake up. It’s me, Ian.”

At his words, Beric opened his eyes wide and saw Ian looking down at him. Was he lying down? Was he lying down now? Why? Ah, the one who stabbed my side was actually Rutherford. That son of a bitch.

…Did he stab me with Idgal? There’s no magic at all. What is it? What’s going on right now? Where’s Hale? Where’s that bastard? Did he run away?

“Ah.”

When Beric opened his mouth to say something, Ian lowered his eyelids with his hand. Just like when they first met at the Bratz training ground that day.

“There are tears in your eyes. Wake up when they stop flowing.”

Ian said that and turned his head. At the end of his gaze, Rutherford was standing there, completely fallen, covered in Beric’s blood.