Margrave’s Bastard Son Was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 608

“Ian, sir. There’s a signal coming from ahead.”

Ian, who had been leaning against the front of the carriage, took out a telescope from his pocket.

A small village was visible in the distance. As they got closer to the outskirts of Kalamat, they had passed several such communities, all of which were eerily deserted.

But this place was different. A large Burgos flag was hanging upside down. Ian knew instinctively that they were from the royalists.

“Your Majesty! There are people from the royalist faction signaling ahead. It would be wise to stop for a moment and assess the situation.”

“Slow down!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

As if they had also noticed the Bariel army’s movements, a carriage bearing the flags of Burgos and Bariel sped towards them in a straight line.

When the soldiers gestured for them to stop, a middle-aged woman in a green velvet dress slowly stepped out. Following her was a young man, looking rather awkward. She handed identification to the soldiers and said,

“I am Danit Holin of the Holin Duchy! Please inform His Majesty the Emperor and the Minister of Magic that I have come with the royalist faction’s position.”

The soldiers checked her identification and immediately reported to their superiors. Tweller, as if he had been waiting, guided the two of them inside and brought them to the front of the Emperor’s carriage.

“Mrs. Danit Holin, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Ian Hielo.”

“Oh my, hello. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“You must have been busy with business in Burgos for a long time, so where did you hear about me?”

“My daughter told me. That the Holin family owes a great debt to Sir Ian. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Ian kissed Danit’s hand and gave a formal smile. The lady did the same. She simply smiled and examined Ian closely.

But that was only for a moment. As the carriage curtain was half-opened, she grabbed the hem of her dress and bowed deeply. It was a greeting to Jin, the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, Emperor. I am Danit Holin of the Holin family, and it is a great honor to meet you in a distant land.”

“Mrs. Danit, I’ve heard much about you, but this is the first time I’ve seen you. During the bidding for business rights, only Duke Holin entered the palace, so I was very curious about you.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Jin looked down at Mrs. Danit, his face only half-visible. Was she alone? He looked at Ian with a questioning gaze, and Ian shook his head. It meant that there was a group, but they were kept behind.

“In order to fulfill Your Majesty’s wishes, as conveyed by my daughter, Kayla, the Holin family has faithfully carried out and completed your orders. I have come forward to directly convey the current situation to Your Majesty and discuss future measures.”

“Speak.”

“The main force of the royalist faction is stationed in a small castle built on the southern outskirts of Kalamat. The goods sent from Bariel are transported by the royalist faction’s officer and delivered there. A few days ago, 3,000 low-grade swords were supplied.”

“Does that mean the royalist faction’s total strength is only 3,000?”

“No. It means that 3,000 soldiers are guarding and defending Kalamat. As you know, the royalist faction’s leaders are from Burgos’s nobility and have private soldiers, the exact size of which I cannot determine. This is because their territories are scattered around Kalamat. I can only make an estimate based on past transactions.”

Danit reported this and took out a piece of paper from her pocket. Ian received it and passed it through the window to Jin, who immediately unfolded it. It contained a list of the royalist faction’s leaders and their estimated number of private soldiers, along with the locations of their territories.

“Currently, Kayla remains with them. Her purpose is to dismantle the royalist faction’s cause, and the young officer I brought with me will be the one to put the final nail in the coffin. He will be like the fuse of the internal conflict within the royalist faction.”

Danit explained in detail how she and Kayla were carrying out their work. If the royalist faction’s cause disappears, it will be easier for Bariel to push into Kalamat, and above all, the Holin family’s presence will shine even brighter in the future.

Ian raised an eyebrow as he looked at Mrs. Danit.

‘She’s using the situation where Bariel is pushing from the front and the royalists from the back to her advantage. Instead of being crushed between the two, she’s acting as a bridge, ensuring that either side has to go through the Holin family. …She’s definitely a businesswoman.’

Ian and Jin exchanged glances through the curtain. They thought it would be better to leave the Holin family’s actions as they were for now. After all, they had volunteered to take charge of the royalist faction.

“What is the royalist faction’s position?”

“They want their autonomy to be fully recognized.”

“Impossible.”

Jin refused flatly.

Bariel had supported the royalist faction not only to prolong the civil war and cause chaos but also to strengthen Bariel’s control through the royalist faction.

But autonomy? It was a claim that denied everything they had given so far.

“Bariel went a long way around the northern region to deal with the anti-royalist faction. If the royalist faction had cooperated and opened the way, we wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble in the first place. Moreover, they didn’t contribute at all to the occupation of Agiar and the execution of Rutherford, so why are they asking for autonomy? Did they sell their sense of shame when Burgos fell?”

At Jin’s scathing retort, Danit pursed her lips and only smiled. She was smiling as if to say, ‘That’s right,’ but she seemed inwardly flustered by the young Emperor’s raw reaction.

Ian drew Mrs. Danit’s attention and asked,

“What about the officer who came with you?”

“Ah, yes. It’s Sir Chandet. There is a way to confuse the royalist faction by having Bariel recognize him as the essence of the royalist faction. If you don’t like it, just use him as you see fit.”

It was a kind of gift to His Majesty the Emperor.

Ian realized that this was her safety net. To be exonerated when the Holin family was in a suspicious situation.

“Your Majesty.”

Danit and Kayla would try to get rid of the royalist faction to survive anyway. Ian signaled to Jin that it would be good to trust and wait. Jin nodded and ordered Chandet to be brought.

“Cough, cough.”

“This way.”

“I understand, let go. I’m not a hostage.”

Chandet muttered, roughly pushing away the soldier’s hand.

He was a hostage, but he seemed to be the only one who didn’t know his situation. Where did they find such a fool? At Ian’s gaze, Danit smiled brightly and winked.

“Kneel.”

“H-hello, Your Majesty. I am Baron Chandet II of Burgos. I have come here with Mrs. Danit to follow Your Majesty’s orders. Cough.”

“Raise your head.”

“Thank you…”

At that moment, Chandet’s mouth snapped shut.

Blue eyes through the curtain, a long scar below. The Emperor was more delicate than he had thought, and even more imposing.

“What can you do to follow my orders?”

“Yes? Ah-”

The Emperor was asking what Chandet could do.

He hesitated for a moment, then looked back at Mrs. Danit.

“Under the true harmony of Bariel and Burgos, we will start a new history. It is only possible in the present that connects the past and the future.”

“That’s a nice thing to hear.”

“I-I’m honored, Your Majesty.”

“Take responsibility for eliminating those who disrupt the meeting between Bariel and Burgos with Mrs. Danit. Can you do that?”

“Yes, of course! I will give my life!”

Chandet bowed his head deeply and swore.

The audience with the Emperor was successful for now. The remaining problem was what news to take back to the royalist faction.

“You asked who would come to Bariel in place of King Damon, Mrs. Danit.”

“That’s right. But I can assure you, none of them would sacrifice themselves for King Damon. I have personally felt this over the past ten years of trading here. Their cause will surely be dismantled with just one word.”

“There is one thing I am concerned about.”

“What is it?”

“The safety of Lady Kayla.”

“There is no need to worry. They are not fools, so they know better than anyone the disadvantages of harming Kayla.”

“But isn’t that because they don’t know about the supply of low-grade weapons?”

Chandet’s eyes darted back and forth between Ian and Danit. He seemed to have no idea what these people were talking about.

A sacrifice for King Damon?

The royalist faction’s cause?

And what? A supply of low-grade weapons?

Swish.

Danit lightly fanned herself with her fan. It was an unconscious gesture to subtly release her anxiety.

“They won’t know the weapons are low-grade until they go into battle. They are all so cleverly made that even veteran soldiers will have a hard time noticing. In addition, we supplied separate weapons for training.”

“That’s a relief, but I don’t know if you’re aware. Starting with Agiar, bandit gangs are currently rampant in the north of Burgos. They will surely come south in search of loot, but thanks to the Bariel army using this road, there is no sign of bandit gangs here.”

Danit’s fanning stopped. The map of Burgos quickly flashed through her mind.

Out of the half-dozen or so routes connecting the north and south, the Bariel army was using only one. Because attention was focused on this route, there was no information about what was happening on the other routes.

“It’s just a concern. Accidents always happen suddenly. Especially during wartime.”

* * *

“Have you all calmed down?”

“Haa, yes. Let’s calmly and politely share our opinions.”

“The person who said that earlier was flicking cigarette ash quite well.”

“Is this a challenge?”

“Please! Shut up!”

The office that Kayla had left was still noisy. Those who wanted to protect their cause and their own safety were constantly aiming for each other’s throats with venomous tongues.

The exhausted men drank strong liquor and frowned again. Either way, they would have to come to a conclusion to end this meeting.

“Okay, let’s go back and talk again.”

“I don’t know. Can’t we just kill all those Bariel bastards? What’s the big deal about one or two people dying in wartime? It was those two mothers and daughters who first drew their swords while talking about cause!”

“Didn’t we conclude that what happened earlier was impossible?”

“Ha! Seriously, how can you be so unimaginative? There are many ways to kill without taking responsibility!”

“That’s because you don’t know the situation on Danit’s side. It’s a priority to figure out what kind of response they have.”

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Thud!

It was when a man slammed his foot on a drawer in anger.

Knock knock.

“Excuse me.”

“What is it?”

“We have received a message from the 12th Western Guard.”

What is it? As if they didn’t have enough headaches already.

“It seems that a bandit gang that came down from the north appeared and was completely annihilated.”