Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 605

How many days had passed?

Philia had completely lost her sense of time. The carriage rattled endlessly, and occasionally, a water-soaked cloth was pushed through a hole in the floor. It was meant to quench her thirst. Philia chewed on the dried cloth, trying hard not to lose consciousness.

‘They’ve only given me food once so far. But they covered my eyes as soon as they opened the box at night, so I don’t know where I am. If I had to guess, it’s been about three days? I think I’ve had water about five or six times.’

If it’s been three days since crossing the border, they must be passing through the lands of the northern minority tribes. The Toolun side? Or northern Burgos? Neither is good.

Grumble.

Philia frowned, clutching her empty stomach. She couldn’t think straight because she was so hungry. She had to avoid being dragged to their destination and being used as they pleased. It was at that moment, as Philia thought of Ian’s face and prayed, that—

Screech!

The carriage stopped abruptly. It was so sudden that she could feel the weight of the carriage shifting forward.

Sure enough, the people inside started yelling at the coachman. They seemed to be telling him to drive properly, but they soon quieted down.

What is it? What’s going on?

Neigh!

Thud! Thump! Squeak!

The stopped carriage swerved, causing Philia’s body to shake violently. It wasn’t just a turn to the right or left; it seemed they were going back the way they came.

They must have found an obstacle ahead. Either the road was blocked, or there was something unexpected, or perhaps—

“Ah!”

Thud! Thump!

A strong impact hit the carriage. Philia’s head was tossed around, and a dry scream escaped her lips. The carriage must have tipped over, as she felt the blood rushing to her head.

“So, why did you run? It would have been better to talk it out. Let’s see, where are you from?”

“Looks like they’re from Bariel. There’s an exit stamp.”

“Ah, Bariel is good. If they were from Burgos, I’d be disappointed. Hey, go around back and push.”

“Can’t we just unload the cargo as it is?”

“Oh, these guys look like sorcerers? There’s a doll.”

She strained her ears, but aside from ‘Bariel’ and ‘Burgos,’ she couldn’t understand a word of the foreign language. Philia swallowed hard, hanging upside down. Judging by the atmosphere, they were definitely bandits.

‘Is this a good thing? Or is the situation worse?’

She didn’t know how the puppeteer’s attacks worked, but if they were subdued so easily, they weren’t ordinary bandits.

However, if their goal was money, she could feel somewhat relieved. If they returned her to Bariel, she could promise them a huge reward. Philia clasped her hands together over her pounding heart.

‘Please, let them be greedy bandits.’

She could give them whatever they wanted. Even if it wasn’t Ian, Nersarn would surely give a fortune for her sake.

Thud! Squeak!

The carriage was righted, and she could hear the sound of things being unloaded from above. And then, voices grew clearer as they approached.

“There’s more than I thought. And it’s all top-quality?”

“Did you see the pass? It’s strange for a merchant, isn’t it?”

“Are they smugglers? It’s locked!”

“Oh, wait a minute. I found the key.”

Click.

Philia’s eyes widened. The lock on the box had been opened. The door creaked open, and bright light poured in.

“Huh?”

Philia made eye contact with a man with a very menacing face. But after the initial shock, he tilted his head as if genuinely puzzled.

On the other hand, Philia noticed that the bandit had no ears. Not just the man she was facing, but all of them.

“There’s a woman.”

“These guys are definitely suspicious. Let’s shake them down later when they come to their senses.”

“Hey, were you kidnapped?”

Nearly thirty bandits. All of them had both ears cut off. On the ground, the coachman and what appeared to be the puppeteer were sprawled out, with blood pooling around them.

What on earth had happened in that short time?

“I, I was kidnapped. Please help me return to Bariel. I’ll give you as much money as you want.”

“This woman seems to be from Bariel, but I can’t understand a word she’s saying.”

“Yeah. Is there anyone who speaks Bariel? I only know Burgos.”

Realizing the situation, Philia pointed at the puppeteer and then at herself. She was using gestures to show that she had been forcibly taken. Then, she picked up a gold coin from among the scattered items.

“I’ll give you this. Bariel! If you take me to Bariel, I’ll give you a lot of these!”

“Is she saying the money is hers?”

“Ah, I don’t know, let’s tie her up for now. Let’s take her. She’s pretty, we can sell her in Toolun.”

“She’ll fetch a good price. Maybe we can get five gold coins?”

“You idiot, that’s why you’re not getting anywhere. She’s worth at least ten gold coins.”

“Really? That much?”

“Wanna bet?”

The men chuckled and grabbed Philia’s arms.

“I’m Ian Hiel’s mother, the Minister of the Imperial Magic Department! Hiel!”

“Shut her up, she’s loud. Tsk.”

“Hiel, mmmph! Mmmph!”

It was a meeting where they could perfectly give each other what they wanted if only they could communicate, but Philia’s mouth was gagged.

Luck, but it was too short and weak.

* * *

Purpato was gradually being cleaned up.

The deer’s corpse had vanished without a trace, and the raging flames were quickly extinguished. There were some burnt areas, but it wouldn’t be a problem for reconstruction.

As the Bariel soldiers organized their ranks to leave Purpato, Tweller, with a dry cigarette in his mouth, was deep in thought. Eventually, he broke the cigarette and approached Jin.

“Your Majesty.”

“…Speak.”

The response was a beat late. It wasn’t obvious, but he seemed a little out of it.

The battle earlier must have been quite shocking in many ways. Not only had lightning struck right before his eyes, but someone connected to him by some kind of bond had suddenly appeared before him as a Holy Knight. Tweller didn’t know the details, but he tactfully avoided mentioning it and spoke.

“I have a proposal regarding the cleanup of Purpato.”

“What is there to clean up? We can just leave as we are. We even put out the fire, so Bariel has done more than its duty.”

“It’s not that, I was wondering if we should consider a ‘different’ cleanup.”

“A different cleanup?”

Only then did Jin’s gaze turn to Tweller. Instead of answering, he signaled Ian, who was standing a little away, to come over.

“What is it?”

“I have something to discuss with His Majesty, and it is deeply related to Minister Ian, so I would like you to hear it as well.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“I would prefer if we didn’t leave any survivors in Purpato.”

It was more of a firm statement than a discussion. It seemed he had already made up his mind.

“The offer to spare them if they surrendered was also from the contract with the deer. But now that it’s dead, there are no restrictions on killing the people of Purpato. This place is different from Agiar, Your Majesty. As long as their customs and traditions remain, they might ‘create’ another guardian like the deer at any time.”

Hadn’t the deer said? That it was the one who listened to prayers. If those who prayed remained, it meant that a second guardian could appear at any time.

“Moreover, their way of praying is strange and close to a bad habit. There’s also Your Majesty’s concern about the rear, and in many ways, I think it’s right to annihilate them and then move south.”

It was a reasonable proposal for the Minister of the Imperial Defense Department. He was someone who sought not only victory in war but also the safety of Bariel.

However, Jin’s reaction was skeptical.

“I have already sworn mercy in the name of the Emperor. The survivors chose between life and death, believing in that. How can I break that oath just because the deer is dead? The Empire’s reputation will plummet.”

“You are right. But Your Majesty, this is a battlefield. Even if it’s pathetic, the one who crawls and survives is the winner. In the fierce struggle of killing and being killed, mercy can be poison.”

Jin frowned and rested his chin on his hand. He wanted to refute each point, but Tweller’s logic was reasonable, so he seemed to be holding back for a moment.

Meanwhile, Ian was just listening to the two men’s arguments.

“I understand Your Majesty’s concerns. But did those people truly surrender in the way Bariel intended? They watched their families, lovers, and friends die, trying to harm Your Majesty. This is not a simple surrender, but a resistance disguised as surrender. There is no reason for Bariel to show mercy to such people.”

“But we don’t know. How many of them truly surrendered as Bariel intended? No one knows.”

“Yes, we don’t know. There might be only one among them with a rebellious heart, or maybe all of them. In other words, it’s uncertain. And uncertainty, I have learned, is the first thing to eliminate in any war, Your Majesty.”

Tweller looked back at the survivors huddled together with a fearful expression. They were harmless and just begging for their lives now, but they were beings who could stab Bariel in the back at any time. Moreover, they were people who had experienced firsthand that belief could make things happen. They were absolutely dangerous.

“Still, it can’t be done. The Emperor’s order is absolute.”

“The Emperor’s order to offer surrender is certainly noble. But the order to annihilate them now is also the Emperor’s, so it is also noble.”

If they were worried about external criticism, there were plenty of ways to avoid it. The voices cursing the Emperor would also be buried underground if they killed them all.

Tweller bowed his head as if asking for a wise decision, and Jin pursed his lips.

“…Sir Ian. What do you think?”

As the Emperor and a minister of the Empire, Ian perfectly understood both sides. Moreover, he had directly made a contract with the deer. He was the only one who could declare that the contract with the deer was broken, so his opinion was as important as Jin’s.

“I’m a bit confused.”

Jin was worried that he might be making a huge mistake by being too caught up in the name of the Emperor. They were just ordinary people, how much of a threat could they be to Bariel? Was this also arrogance and carelessness?

Ian thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I understand both of your positions. But what you should know is that both Your Majesty and Minister Tweller are ultimately speaking from a place of concern for Bariel.”

So, no matter what decision they made, it wouldn’t be a problem for Bariel, he was saying indirectly.

“Minister Tweller, it seems you have thought about how to deal with Purpato.”

“I thought it would be best to handle it quietly with a minimal number of soldiers. After the main Bariel force has left would be the right time.”

“That’s a good idea, but no matter how few people are involved, you can’t deceive heaven and earth. The news that Bariel massacred the people of Purpato will spread at some point.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“What if we mobilize other forces besides Bariel?”

Other forces? Who else was there besides Bariel?

Ian unfolded a map and pointed to a nearby city.

“Purpato surrendered to Bariel. As a result, their guardian died, and Bariel entered Kalamat without any damage. If this rumor spreads nearby, Purpato will naturally become isolated.”

“Isolated, as in?”

“Burgos is currently in the midst of war, and where the Bariel army has passed, there will surely be bandit gangs and outlaws roaming. This means a threat to Purpato’s survival—”

Ian raised his head and looked directly at Tweller. With eyes that were somewhere between green and blue.

“From there, it would be best to leave it to the will of God.”