Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 593

Squeak. Squeak.

Philia frowned at the sound of the wheels turning. What on earth was that noise? A shiver ran down her spine, making her want to rub her arms, but something felt uncomfortable. Despite this, Philia focused her senses and tried to grasp the situation in the pitch-black darkness.

Then-

‘Ah.’

Romandro and Vivianna’s conversation, the night streets, the alley, the puppet, and the stranger… She realized that everything she thought was a dream was actually real.

Her heart sank for a moment, but Philia suppressed a groan and rolled her eyes. Her arms and legs were bound behind her, and a gag was stuffed in her mouth. Moreover, the rhythmic swaying, the sound of wheels turning, and the faint smell of rotten wood… She was definitely being transported in some kind of container.

‘A carriage, probably?’

What about the sounds?

She pressed her ear to the floor and concentrated, but there were so many small, clashing noises that it was hard to distinguish anything. Was she in the cargo hold, then? Mixed in with various other items?

Thwack.

Philia shook her hands and feet with all her might, but the ropes were tied too tightly. Despite the thumping vibrations, there was no reaction from outside. It seemed like she was indeed in the cargo hold.

But why here?

‘Are they trying to cross the border?’

If the Imperial Palace and Romandro found out she had disappeared, they would surely have taken measures.

Since they hadn’t killed her, it seemed like they intended to capture her alive, but hiding her so dangerously in the cargo hold seemed like an attempt to avoid being discovered. They must be trying to get through the border guards’ inspection.

Philia discovered a hole about the size of a finger on the top of her head and back. A breathing hole.

Swoosh.

She contorted her body as much as possible to one side and pushed her face towards the hole. Her guess was correct. The ground visible through the hole was passing by very fast. They were speeding along in a carriage.

‘Where are they going? And why me?’

Could it be an enemy faction related to Ian? Other than that, she had no value that would make her a target for anyone.

Philia thought of Ian’s face, and then suddenly remembered that he was a transmigrator. Last night, or rather, she didn’t know how many days had passed…

‘He was the future emperor. Ian was.’

Philia rubbed her forehead against the floor, causing herself pain. She needed a proper awakening to think straight in this dark and uncomfortable place.

Think, think, let’s think about how to get through this ordeal…

‘If I’m alive, they’ll definitely come to save me. But they wanted me alive. I might have to be prepared to die when the time comes. Everyone will definitely come to save me…’

Squeak! Squeak!

Then, the carriage slowed down and eventually stopped. Philia pressed her ear tightly to the floor to figure out what was going on. She thought she could hear people’s voices murmuring, but she couldn’t make them out.

‘Is it a checkpoint? Already? If so, the only chance to ask for help is now.’

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Thump! Thump!

Philia kicked her feet as hard as she could and shouted. She was down here in the cargo hold, please save her. But there didn’t seem to be any particular change.

Philia eventually contorted her body to one side again and moved her head towards the hole in the floor. It was small, but the sound might get out.

“Ugh.”

The moment Philia barely turned her body and pressed it completely against the floor-

“… !”

She froze.

An eye was visible through the small hole. It was staring inside, as if curious about what Philia was doing.

After the initial shock, Philia realized it was the eye of a puppet. The puppet with the bizarre blonde hair and green eyes that looked like Ian.

‘How else could it be looking in here from the bottom of a moving carriage? A puppeteer. Those who wield strange powers.’

She couldn’t have overpowered them with force in the first place, but knowing their abilities for sure made her feel even more hopeless. But-

‘How dare they touch our Ian!’

What followed was a surge of intense anger. She didn’t know why they did this, but the very act of touching Ian was unacceptable.

In Bratz, she was inadequate and couldn’t protect her son, but not anymore. She would protect the son she had come back to life for, no matter what. No matter what!

‘Yes, Ian is my son, no matter what. My child that I gave birth to in pain. Whatever the future emperor is, that much is unchanged.’

Thwack!

As Philia struggled to loosen the ropes binding her, the puppet watched her quietly. As if curious to see how far she would go.

But when the carriage started moving slowly again and Philia turned her gaze towards the hole in surprise, the puppet was already gone.

Clatter! Clatter! Squeak!

The carriage began to speed away again. Beyond the Bael border, to a very distant destination.

* * *

“I will devise a plan.”

Ian slowly put down his teacup, recalling Katimako’s answer.

The mages were still worrying about Romandro and Philia’s safety, grabbing anyone who passed by to ask for news. It didn’t take long for Jin to find Ian after hearing about this.

“Sir Ian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Is your wound feeling any better?”

Instead of answering his question about his well-being, a question came first. Ian glanced at the agitated surroundings for a moment, then gestured for Jin to sit down.

“There’s a letter from the Magic Department. My mother went out at night and disappeared, and the circumstances suggest a kidnapping.”

“What should we do?”

“We must not do anything, Your Majesty.”

Jin paused at Ian’s calm words. The mages who had been chattering loudly did the same. Ian nodded at them as if to tell them to restrain themselves and continued.

“What Your Majesty and I need to focus on now is the safety of the soldiers who have left Bael, the complete occupation of Vergos, and the rapid advance to Tolun. We must not let anything happen to my mother that would change our strategy. That might be exactly what the enemy wants.”

Ian was the central figure in the war, especially in the Magic Department. He must not let his mind and attention be distracted by factors outside of the war.

“Lord Romandro has already taken measures, dispatching search parties and deploying additional personnel to the checkpoints. A large-scale investigation will also be conducted within Bael itself. I have separately requested cooperation from the puppeteer Katimako, so he will be the one leading the charge.”

It was a firm determination not to give up even a single mage, let alone Jin and Ian. Those gathered here had to move forward, prioritizing the tens of thousands of soldiers who had left their homeland to give their lives for their country.

“I suspect it is the work of Tolun. Therefore, it is more correct for us to quickly advance to Tolun, step by step.”

“…Are you alright?”

Even if she wasn’t his biological mother, Philia was quite important to Ian. This was clear. The small words of comfort they exchanged during the engagement ceremony were still beautifully etched in Jin’s heart.

Ian composed himself, taking a sip of tea, and replied.

“Even if I’m not alright, it’s alright, Your Majesty.”

At the title of Your Majesty, Jin suddenly remembered that he and Ian were emperors through Ian. And also how lonely this position was.

…Someday, the time would come when he too would have to make the same decisions that Ian had made.

“Every time this happens, I see the reason why the gods sent you here.”

What do you mean? Just as Ian was about to ask, footsteps were heard outside. Judging by the sound of boots hitting the ground and the clanking of armor, it was a guest from the Imperial Defense Department.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. A message has arrived from a nearby city.”

Since Agiar had been occupied by Bael, they had sent letters to all the nearby cities, telling them to open their gates if they didn’t want to shed blood.

With the royal family fallen and the country divided in two, surrendering to Bael was not a bad choice for autonomous survival, so Jin expected a positive response. Until he saw Tweller’s expression.

“It seems like the content isn’t very satisfactory?”

“The replies have come from Rejende to the southwest of Agiar, Vieira, Jar, and Purpato to the southeast.”

“Isn’t that almost everyone who responded?”

“Yes, but it’s a bit unexpected.”

Tweller placed the letters in front of Jin. They were all tattered, as if indirectly conveying the situation of each city.

“Unexpected?”

Jin frowned. As always, but especially during wartime, anything that deviated from expectations was taken more sensitively.

“To put it simply, they are asking for Rutherford’s right of execution to be transferred to Vergos.”

What was that supposed to mean? Jin read the letters to resolve his doubts. Most of them were made up of different sentences, but the meaning was the same.

“…It seems the royalists in the lower Vergos acted first.”

The moment the Bael army marched and crossed the Vergos border, the royalists must have realized that they could not stop it. And furthermore, they knew that the help of the royalists was needed for Bael to effectively control Vergos.

Ian took the letters from Jin and added an explanation.

“If Agiar falls, the core of the anti-royalists will collapse, so they will naturally either disintegrate or be absorbed into the royalist forces. They judged that it was better to maintain the pride of Vergos than to be disintegrated by Bael.”

“But why Rutherford’s right of execution?”

“It’s for the royalists’ position.”

From Vergos’s point of view, it was the same as having the anti-royalists overthrown with the help of an outside force called Bael. But what if the royalists directly executed Rutherford, who had been at the forefront of that?

“In terms of the cause, they can declare that they have achieved an independent victory by executing Rutherford, that is, the anti-royalists. This is a great force that will unite the chaotic Vergos, and it will be a strong weapon when negotiating with Bael.”

“A strong weapon?”

When a mage who had been listening from behind asked, Ian folded the letters and replied.

“Remember why the royalists took a pro-Bael stance. It was because they were divided. Because they had no power. But the opposing forces have collapsed. Now, if they just absorb this, it’s the same as Vergos being unified. Instead of surrendering to Bael, they will want to negotiate.”

Tweller, who had been listening quietly, nodded in agreement. If they didn’t hand over the right of execution, there would surely be strong resistance in each city, which would lead to a loss of Bael’s forces. And above all, it could become an opportunity to confront the royalist side.

“Then, what should we do?”

When Jin asked, rubbing his forehead, Ian smiled.

“There’s no need to worry too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can just say he’s already dead.”

Ian clicked his pocket watch and muttered.

“If it hadn’t been for the Barsabe incident, the execution of the remnants would have already taken place. Let’s say Rutherford died then. We can say that the letters arrived too late.”

There was no need to give the royalist forces a reason to grow.

“…And then?”

“We will have to make it a reality. I will kill Rutherford. With Bael’s hands.”