Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 612

Not far from the mansion.

Hale and Nakina easily found a hut. It looked like a storage shed for the mansion’s supplies. About half a dozen soldiers guarding the front noticed their presence and looked up.

“Is Lady Kayla here?”

“M-Magicians? Why are magicians here?”

“Your master told us where Lady Kayla is. People will be arriving soon. Before that, we want to check on the lady’s condition.”

While Hale explained the situation, Nakina strode towards the hut and flung the door open. The stench of rotten wood and blood filled the air. Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she found Kayla collapsed in a corner, bound.

“Lady, are you alright? I am Nakina from the Magic Division.”

“Ugh……”

Kayla only groaned, not fully conscious. Her black hair was sticky, matted with dried blood. What about the rest of her? Her skin was covered in bruises, and there were cuts all over her body—signs of torture.

“Lady, please try to wake up. Can you get up?”

“…My ankles are broken.”

“Your ankles? Which ones?”

“Both.”

Nakina pulled up her pant legs and gasped in shock. Her ankles were twisted at bizarre angles.

At that moment, the soldiers came inside, gathering their belongings, and added defensively,

“No, it wasn’t on purpose… She tried to escape twice, so, ahem.”

“We warned her that we’d break them if she tried to escape! Right?”

“Yeah. But she ignored us. What else could we do?”

“…Shut your mouths.”

Nakina’s sharp retort made them cough awkwardly, glancing at the two magicians. They had no idea what was going on upstairs.

‘They didn’t get a confession, so will they be reprimanded?’

‘I don’t know. The magicians are here, so they must have reached some agreement with Bariel. Surely they won’t say anything?’

‘Damn it, that’s what I said. She looked like a tough one, so cutting and slashing wouldn’t be enough.’

‘You’re so smart. They told us not to touch her, so what could we do?’

While the soldiers exchanged glares, they heard footsteps outside. Lady Danit, who had ridden her horse, had arrived.

She rushed inside and took in the horrific scene of the hut. The floor was soaked in blood, sharp objects were scattered everywhere, and her daughter was in Nakina’s arms, unable to get up.

“Kayla!”

“Ah……”

Danit cried out her daughter’s name in despair. Startled, Kayla nestled into her mother’s embrace, and the two of them held each other tightly, taking deep breaths.

After a moment, Danit cupped Kayla’s cheeks with trembling hands and asked,

“…Are you alright?”

“Yes, Mother. I’m fine.”

“Really? Really, are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m safe.”

Though she couldn’t move a single finger, Kayla smiled weakly and nodded.

Lady Danit’s eyes welled up, and she hugged her daughter again. Then, she glared at the soldiers watching them from behind and reached for a sword lying on the floor. Her daughter had been hurt, so she would give them death.

“Mother.”

But it was Kayla who grabbed her arm, as if she wanted to get out of the hut as quickly as possible. Then, she shook her head slightly and whispered.

“How did things go?”

“…It’s a bit complicated.”

“I see. Let’s get out of here first. I’m a little tired.”

Lady Danit frowned as if she was about to burst into tears, and instead of the sword, she took Kayla’s hand.

“Magician, please.”

“Yes, Lady. Get on my back. We’ll go straight to the Bariel camp. There are healing magicians there, so please hold on a little longer. Captain Hale!”

“Alright. Go ahead. I’ll take care of things here.”

“Lady Danit, please hold onto my arm as well.”

Nakina held the mother and daughter tightly and flew into the sky. Hale turned around and looked at the soldiers. They hesitated, then raised their hands in surrender.

“W-We were just following orders from above.”

“Yeah, well. What else can you do when you’re just trying to survive?”

“W-We were actually pretty lenient. Two of our comrades died when we caught her. Yeah. We treated her like a gentleman considering that. We didn’t cut anything off……”

Hale listened to their words, took out a new cigarette, and put it between his teeth, looking around at them. They were making ridiculous excuses.

As the men scratched their heads awkwardly, several sets of horse hooves could be heard from behind.

Clatter, clatter!

Neigh!

They were the ones sent by the royalists.

The soldiers brightened and ran towards them.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

“The magician just took the woman-! Ack!”

“Cough! Ugh!”

The royalist soldiers didn’t hesitate to swing their swords at the men who had run up to them, welcoming them. Now that they couldn’t clearly reveal the Holin family’s crimes, the fact that they had tortured the lady would work against them, so they were cutting off the tail [eliminating witnesses].

“Magician, are you alright? They were no better than devils, so we were ordered to take care of them.”

“This is the property of the Burgos royal family, so we will take care of it now. If you have seen the lady, please return.”

“Your superior, the Minister of Magic, has also returned. He didn’t say anything in particular.”

“Excuse me. Just a moment.”

The soldiers clutched their necks where blood was gushing out and fell forward. Hale frowned slightly, as if the cigarette had lost its flavor.

* * *

“Lady, open your mouth.”

Two healing magicians and several military doctors gathered around Kayla, who had joined the Bariel camp. When Kayla opened her mouth, the magician clicked his tongue in pity.

“Your teeth are all gone. Were you hit with a blunt object? The wounds inside your tongue are also severe.”

“I couldn’t see because of the mask… Yes, I think so.”

“What about your vision? Try opening your right and left eyes alternately. Can you see well?”

“…I can’t see out of my right eye.”

Kayla had always been close to swords and never neglected her training, but the nightmare she had just experienced was on a different level. She had killed someone for the first time, and she had been beaten to the point of death. The humiliating and merciless violence was a new world she had come to realize.

Lady Danit leaned against the wall, picking at her fingertips, and watched her daughter’s condition.

“I will infuse magic, so please stitch up the wounds, starting with the right arm. Lady, don’t be nervous. The magic will make you forget the pain.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Her flesh had been torn dozens of times, so what was a little stitching? Kayla nodded calmly, and the more she did, the more Lady Danit felt her heart break, and she had to turn away.

Buzz. Buzz.

Fortunately, the treatment went smoothly. Damage to her organs was also confirmed, but it was not life-threatening. They could continue treatment over time.

“…Um, is it almost finished?”

“Yes? Yes, yes. It is, but is there anything else that is bothering you?”

“I’m sorry, but I’d like to talk to my mother alone for a moment. Could you please leave?”

At Kayla’s request, the magicians and military doctors quickly got up and left the tent.

What was she going to say? Danit knelt beside her daughter, who was lying on the bed, and met her eyes.

“What is it, Kayla?”

“Mother, I have something to tell you and a request.”

“Anything, anything you say. I will listen to everything. I will tear the limbs off the ones who did this to you and leave them all over Burgos. I will make sure the beasts eat them all.”

Danit took Kayla’s right hand and pressed it to her forehead, as if swearing revenge.

Kayla stared into the air for a moment, then carefully opened her mouth.

“Clearly, I will live the rest of my life without ever forgetting what I experienced this time. The fear of them has taken root deep in my heart.”

“Oh, Kayla……”

“I don’t want to live with the fear of someone. I want to live as myself, without anything binding me. This was also your teaching, wasn’t it?”

“…I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

“I am certain. The only way to erase the fear that has taken root deep in my heart is to eliminate everything I hate with my own hands.”

Was the object of her hatred really those men in the hut who had directly inflicted pain on her? No. The root cause was the royalist executives who had given them orders.

“Mother, I don’t want to go back to Bariel. I want to stay here and annihilate the royalists, and return the pain I suffered to them. Furthermore, I want to destroy the very reason for their existence.”

Lady Danit was silent for a moment, unable to find the words. Didn’t Kayla have something only she could do?

If she became the center of Burgos by using her status as a branch of the Runkvis family, Kayla would become the empress of Bariel and act as a bridge between the two countries.

The future of the Holin family, which would shine brighter than ever in both Burgos and Bariel, was unfolding before her eyes.

“Kayla, you can achieve what you want even if you become the empress of Bariel.”

“No. It’s impossible. Because the empress of Bariel is not the master of Burgos. I want to take the position of master of Burgos that they wanted, and build a future for Burgos that is different from what they wanted. That is the only way to truly destroy them and erase the fear in my heart.”

She was resolute. It was something she had vowed over and over again in the dark hut while enduring countless pains.

Lady Danit pressed her forehead with a troubled look, then closed her eyes. She understood Kayla’s feelings, but it was too bad to give up the empress position. It wasn’t like she had another daughter.

“Kayla, maybe it’s because you’re too emotional right now. How about we take some time and think about it rationally?”

Danit stroked her daughter’s hair soothingly, and Kayla held her hand tightly. It meant there would be no turning back. The mother bit her lip. When she was like this, she was so much like herself.

“I don’t make decisions based on emotions. Whether my emotions get heated or cool down, my choice will not change.”

“Haa. You said you had feelings for His Majesty the Emperor. You didn’t just choose to come to Burgos and face this danger to save the Holin family. When I thought of the empress position, I saw it. Your eyes were shining so beautifully.”

Kayla chuckled slightly at Lady Danit’s persistent persuasion.

“Yes, Mother. I can’t deny that. I admire His Majesty. That’s why I chose the danger, and I don’t regret it. But-”

Just as she had chosen then, she was trying to choose now. Whatever she wanted ‘now’.

“I love myself more. My desire to be for myself is greater than my desire to be for His Majesty. So, I will choose Burgos instead of Bariel. For myself.”