Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 596

“Purpato? How long does it take to get there?”

“The messenger from there came on horseback last time. Wouldn’t it take about two or three days?”

“Really? It’s closer than I thought. I heard that it’s a quick trip from Purpato to Calamat, so I assumed it would be further.”

“No, no, it’s quite a distance from Purpato to Calamat too. But they say the road is smoother and easier than other routes. That’s why.”

“Hmm. I see. Hey! Did you tie the other side properly? Why does it keep coming undone?”

“Wait a minute. I’ll check.”

The day they left Agiar for Purpato.

The soldiers were busy loading the wagons with supplies. The supplies brought from Bael were starting to run out, but thanks to the replenishment in Agiar, the volume had increased even more. It was hard work, but if they thought of it as their lifeline, they had no choice but to take as much as possible.

“Set aside anything of value to be sent to Bael. We will prioritize the supplies.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Do we move these items too?”

“Those go on the back wagon! Where is Ian?”

“He’s organizing the study inside.”

Tap tap!

The inside was just as chaotic as outside the castle. When the mage opened the study door, Ian was seen organizing papers among the old, torn books.

Ian turned his head, wondering what was going on, and the mage pointed outside and reported.

“Ian, the King of Astana wishes to see you for a moment.”

“Tell him to come in. Is the upstairs organized?”

“Yes, it’s done as you instructed. Please come in!”

Creak.

Unlike the busy Bael side, the Astana side seemed relaxed. Ian smiled faintly at the sight, then continued packing.

“You look relaxed, I envy you.”

“Don’t say that. We chose to stay in Agiar instead of Bael. The weight of that decision is not relaxing at all.”

It was a very reasonable choice for Astana to stay behind to monitor Agiar. They could effectively control it with a minimum of troops, continue the Laromedia research, and Agiar, located north of Purpato, was closer, making communication easier.

When Hasha sat on the sofa, Ian finished what he was doing and sat opposite him.

“What about Katimaco?”

“He left last night. For what you asked.”

It was impossible for him to find the traces of the puppeteer and help with Philia’s whereabouts alone. He also had to conduct research on Laromedia here. So, he had left to return to his home country, Astana, to gather those who were knowledgeable in puppetry like himself.

If he waited, trusting him, news would come. Ian nodded his head in thanks.

“For this, I will repay you someday, in the name of Ian Hielo.”

Hasha burst out laughing at Ian’s words, which drew a clear line, saying it was a personal matter of the Minister of Magic, along with his thanks. He was a stubborn one. Perhaps Ian himself didn’t realize he had said that.

“Let’s talk in detail when everything is done. I heard you’re leaving before lunch, so you’d better hurry. At this rate, it looks like it’ll be evening.”

Why? According to the mage, the organization inside the castle was almost finished? Ian raised his eyebrows in question, but Hasha only smiled.

“Then, I’ll be off. See you later.”

As Hasha left, Ian looked out the window. He wondered if there was a problem, but good heavens.

“Let’s load just a little more!”

“No, Lord Beric. At this rate, the wagon will break! You saw it earlier. No more, really, no more.”

“No, just a little bit! Just this much!”

“Ugh! Don’t put it on! Lord Beric!”

Beric was stuffing chunks of meat into the pile of luggage. The soldiers next to him tried to stop him, but could they break his stubbornness? He finally found a gap and crammed the meat in, causing the wagon to tilt and fall to the side.

Thud!

“Ugh! No!”

“Wow. Is the wagon this flimsy?”

“Lord Beric! I told you it wouldn’t work!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We can just set it up. What’s the big deal?”

Were the circumstances of the ordinary soldiers and Beric the same? They had to repair the wagon, get kicked in the shin by their superiors, and pick up the spilled items? The soldiers, with tears in their eyes, leaned against the wall at his carefree, flower-filled words.

Ian, who had been watching the scene, clicked his tongue and called the mage.

“Tie Beric up.”

“Yes, Ian. I’ve been waiting for this.”

As soon as he received the order, he ran out like the wind. Ian also finished organizing the documents, then left the study and slowly looked around outside the castle. Except for the noisy area, it seemed that the preparations for departure were almost complete.

Then, there was a movement that caught his eye-

Swish! Swish!

Barsabeda was swinging a wooden sword alone in the corner.

Ian slowly approached her, and her body, which had been focused on training, quickly turned. Then, the sword was aimed at Ian without an inch of error. She was still blindfolded, but it was quite accurate.

“Who is it?”

“Minister of Magic, Ian Hielo.”

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Thud. Barsabeda lowered the tip of her sword and bowed lightly.

“Even though you can’t see, your trajectory is accurate.”

“Thank you, but I still have a long way to go.”

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“Well, it would be a lie if I said it wasn’t, but it’s okay. I can train alone like this when everyone is busy. There are things you can see only when you can’t see.”

Barsabeda was able to hold the sword again with the help of her colleagues. Outside of Agiar, she was told that she could take off the blindfold, but Barsabeda had no intention of doing so. She didn’t want to leave even the slightest risk factor for Bael because of her.

She could practice. She could train. Even if it wasn’t exactly the same as before, she could do her part. As a result, she seemed to have learned how to perceive her opponent with senses other than sight.

“…A true swordsman.”

Under the blindfold, Barsabeda’s lips curved into a smile. Then, Jeyrut came to the backyard to pick her up, and when he found Ian, he immediately added.

“You were here, Minister. Beric is a bit-”

“I told you to tie him up.”

“Ah, is that so? Thank you.”

“Is it time to depart?”

“Yes, Barsabeda. Get ready too.”

“Understood, Captain.”

Outside, the wagons that had finished preparing for departure were lined up in a long row. The armed soldiers were also waiting for the signal in formation.

Ian found Jin coming out with Minister Tweller and greeted him.

“Lord Ian. Shall we depart?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What is that?”

At Jin’s question, Ian’s gaze turned to the right. It was a baggage wagon in the middle of the Magic Department’s wagons, with even soldiers assigned to it.

It was where the frozen Rutherford was sleeping. Ian was confident that there was no problem.

“Captain Acorella is responsible for making it. There is nothing to worry about.”

“You’ve worked hard. Until we arrive at the Toolun Temple, keep the security tight. Tweller, is it correct that there are a total of five hundred soldiers remaining in Astana and Agiar?”

“Yes, Officer Mantis will remain in command. Also, we plan to organize some of the soldiers separately to transport the spoils of war to Bael.”

Jin confirmed the plan one last time and then got on the wagon.

Then, the soldiers waved the Bael flag high, and the residents of Agiar, who were outside the road, watched them with mixed feelings. It was welcome news that the enemy who had broken down the castle walls was leaving, but it was worrying that the Emperor was leaving. They couldn’t predict how the Bael soldiers left behind would act.

Boo-oo-oo-

Boo-

The water buffalo horn sounded loudly. The wagon at the front slowly moved, and the soldiers followed suit.

“Then, please take care of Agiar.”

“Don’t worry, Minister.”

“Hasha, thank you.”

“Go, my friend.”

Hasha and the people of Astana, as well as Officer Mantis and his soldiers, bowed to the departing Emperor.

As they passed through the collapsed Agiar wall and onto the endless road, the procession began to pick up speed.

Tap tap!

Hee-ing!

The destination was Purpato. It wasn’t far from here, so if they hurried, they could arrive by tomorrow morning. The mages watched the front from the sky, and there were no problems with their march. At least-

“Lord Ian! There’s a forest ahead!”

It was three hours after departure.

At the shout of a mage, Ian took out a map from his pocket and unfolded it. It was strange. There were no special features on the map. It was partly because the altitude was not marked, but originally, there should have been nothing in this area. He wondered if there was an error in the travel distance, but similarly, there was no forest on the expected route.

“It would be best to stop for a moment. Minister Tweller.”

“Troops, halt!”

“Halt!”

At Ian’s suggestion, Tweller raised his hand. Then, the soldiers pulled on the reins, and soon the wagon came to a complete stop.

When Jin opened the window curtain and leaned out, Ian flew over and explained the situation.

“Your Majesty, there is a forest ahead that is not on the map.”

“A forest? Suddenly? That’s strange.”

“Yes, since it’s a map obtained from Agiar, it should definitely be marked. It seems there is a problem with the map, or the forest itself may be the problem. There is nothing to grasp at the moment.”

“There is no need to take risks. Is there another way?”

“Do you remember the huge old tree two hours ago? If you turn right there, there is another road. But depending on the size of the forest, that road may also be connected to the forest, and above all, that road is rough, which would put a strain on the Bael wagon wheels.”

They couldn’t replace all the wagon wheels. It was true that there were risks on both sides.

Ian read the signal sent by the mage from the sky and conveyed it.

“The forest is not that big. When viewed from above, it seems that it can be crossed by wagon in 10 minutes. How about sending a scout first? If the wagon can pass and there are no special problems, it would be better to pass through immediately.”

“Hmm. Minister Tweller. What is your opinion?”

“Yes, I agree with Lord Ian. We stopped because it was not on the map, but if it hadn’t been, we would have entered without any problems. It doesn’t look rough, and the mages are constantly watching the front from the sky……”

“Good. Then I will send a scouting party.”

“I will quickly send two mages.”

“In the meantime, let the soldiers rest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Taat!

Ian signaled to the mages who were waiting in the sky. It meant to look around the forest. Two mages quickly flew over, and just as they were about to approach the entrance of the forest.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

The moment they entered, their bodies were pushed back and turned around. Everyone watching, and those who had entered, were confused as to what was going on.

The two mages threw themselves into the forest several times, but each time their bodies were turned around and they faced the way they had come.

“Lord Ian, that……”

“It seems it’s not an ordinary forest.”

It was as if the forest was refusing entry, turning away anyone who tried to enter. As everyone watched the scene in bewilderment, Ian instructed the other mages.

“Go and see if there are any forests or unusual terrain not marked on the map on the road that can go to the right at the fork.”

It was a bad omen on the first day of the Bael army’s southward march.