Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 626

“Huh?”The surroundings went dark in an instant. The lights had gone out all at once. The captain of the guard frowned and rummaged through his chest pocket. Where was his lighter…?

*Chwaaak!*

At that moment, a chilling presence was felt from behind. It was instinctive. The sound of a sword cutting through flesh. The captain of the guard, flustered, raised his voice loudly.

“What’s the problem?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t see anything.”

“Bring out anything that can light up. Marni, you wait here for a moment.”

*Chwaaak!*

“Ugh…”

Again. The sound of a blade moving, followed by a small groan. Just as the captain of the guard was about to pull out his lighter from his pocket-

“… !”

Someone grabbed his arm from behind and brought a blade to his neck. And then, without hesitation, they applied strong force, severing his windpipe.

The captain of the guard tried to turn around to retaliate, but blood was already gushing from his neck. Since he couldn’t see anything, only the hot sensation signaled his death.

“Th, this damn, ugh.”

“Captain? What, ugh!”

“Who’s there! Show yourself!”

“M, me? I was just standing here.”

“Does anyone have a light?”

“Heeik! Th, there! Someone just passed by!”

*Chiiik!*

Someone lit a lighter, and a small light briefly illuminated the surroundings. But it was only for a fleeting moment. Barsabe, feeling the warmth, snatched the fire from the man’s hand. Then, with a single blow, he too coughed up blood and collapsed to the side.

*Thud!*

“H, heeik!”

“Th, there’s something! G, get out!”

“I don’t know which way is forward.”

“Get away! I said get away! Don’t come near me!”

“Ugh, it, it’s me. That was me just now.”

“Marni, sir! Get down!”

“Damn it, what the hell is going on!”

Those who had lost their sight trembled in fear, gripping their swords and starting to cut down their own comrades beside them.

The situation had turned bizarre. As Marni crouched down on the floor, his guards covered him with their bodies, protecting him. They were ready to stab anything that came near.

*Chwaaak!*

*Thwack! Thwack!*

“Ugh!”

“Wait, I, it’s not me.”

Once the madness-filled bloodbath subsided, Barsabe, who had been hiding, sensed the presence of others. She followed the whimpering groans, cutting down the last of the enemies. In the space filled with the stench of blood and death, Barsabe was certain that everyone except Marni’s group was dead.

“It’s done.”

“A, a woman.”

At Barsabe’s call, Marni’s group reflexively muttered. They immediately covered their mouths, though.

Ian slowly entered in the darkness, and Barsabe came to meet him, taking his hand.

“There are many bodies on the floor.”

“Thank you. Marni, are you listening?”

“Wh, who are you!”

It was a meeting in the dark. Marni’s voice was trembling. He couldn’t even guess who they were. Who would dare to mess with the royal guards?

“I’ll cut to the chase. I want to meet the ‘Severed Ear’. Where do I go?”

“Wh, what the, I don’t know! I really don’t know!”

Marni was dumbfounded and shouted. Could this be a trap set by the royal palace? When the lights come on, would everyone be laughing, having been holding their breath?

No. The royal palace wouldn’t do something so undignified unless they were crazy. Besides, the stench of blood at the tip of his nose… this was real. It was the thick smell of death, far beyond what one or two people could cause.

“If you don’t know where the ‘Severed Ear’ is, give me a clue or a trace to find him.”

“I, I’m going crazy, really. Reveal your identity first!”

“You’d better think carefully. I have no intention of harming you. Soon, the guards will notice something is wrong and come this way. What do you think they’ll do to you then? We’ll be long gone, having disappeared into the darkness.”

‘Marni killed the guards after resisting.’

There was no room for doubt. Anyone would think so, and the royal palace would be even more certain and try to capture Marni.

The crime of killing the guards, especially the captain, was a grave offense. Not only would his head be cut off, but his family might also be torn apart and displayed in the streets. Escape? He wouldn’t even be able to survive tonight, let alone flee outside the capital.

“Why are you doing this to me, you bastards!”

“M, Marni, sir. Please calm down.”

They shouldn’t provoke the opponent. The guards were restless, grabbing his trembling arms. Judging by their combat skills in the dark, they weren’t just some street swordsmen. They were clearly capable of disappearing without a trace, as they had boasted. If so, the aftermath would be entirely Marni’s group’s responsibility.

“Haa, I get it now. I get it. You’re from the royal palace, right? Huh? I’ve been properly caught in it.”

Marni took a deep breath and came to a conclusion. This was a trap set by the royal palace to capture him. Otherwise, who would dare to kill the captain of the guard in Toolun without hesitation?

“What the hell is so special about that thing, damn it!”

It was all because of one slave that the royal palace was looking for, who was with the ‘Severed Ear’. He didn’t know how valuable it was, but he was definitely having a very bad day.

Ian didn’t bother to correct Marni’s misunderstanding and asked further.

“…This is my last question. If you don’t answer, I’ll leave. But if you give me a useful answer, I’ll announce that you were not involved in the guards’ deaths.”

“What do I have to believe? If I keep my mouth shut, I’ll just die like a dog!”

“Don’t you have no choice? Either way, you’ll die like a dog.”

“Haa, really. You crazy bastards. I paid taxes, damn it, even last month, ugh.”

He must have given a lot to protect the arena.

Ian counted down in his head, gauging the passage of time. As he said, they couldn’t waste much time. The guards outside could come barging in at any moment.

“…Inside the Janai Market, there’s a building with light blue cloth hanging. From the outside, it looks like laundry, but it’s a kind of marker.”

Finally, Marni opened his mouth.

“There’s a secret passage in the basement of the building that connects to their base. Haa, but if it gets out that I told you, I’ll be branded a traitor and killed. Can you really send someone who was living honestly into such a pit?”

“Were you close?”

“I was! Until a few minutes ago! That’s why I was doing all this crazy stuff to avoid going to the royal palace…”

Marni trailed off. Even if the mysterious opponent kept it a secret, his guards had heard it. It was an unavoidable situation, but it was a fact that would come out eventually. That he had revealed the ‘Severed Ear’s’ base.

“That’s unfortunate. So, what should we do? Should we bury your guards in the darkness as well?”

Dead men tell no tales. As Ian subtly suggested, Marni jumped.

“Absolutely not!”

“Hmm. I understand.”

The guards, startled, grabbed Marni’s clothes even tighter. Since they had witnessed Marni’s betrayal, their deaths would be safer for Marni. But the master had told them not to kill the guards without hesitation, which unconsciously strengthened their bond.

‘If he asked to kill the guards, it would be safe for Marni, but by refusing, the bond has been strengthened, which is also safe for him. With just one word, as expected. That Beric mutt doesn’t learn anything even when he sees someone like this.’

Barsabe thought to herself, wiping the blood off her blade with her coat. The goal was achieved, so now they just had to return safely.

If the guards’ deaths became known, the capital’s atmosphere would become chaotic. Would it be better to look around the Janai Market before returning to the guest room?

*Swoosh.*

Ian lightly grabbed Barsabe’s arm. It was a signal to leave. They disappeared into the darkness without a sound, and Marni’s group remained silent, unaware.

“H, hey? Say something.”

“D, did they leave?”

“Hey! Did you go?”

They shouted into the air, but no answer came. They fumbled around on the floor and soon found the bodies scattered nearby.

“G, grab the wall and slowly go out. Crawl. You’ll fall if you walk.”

“Marni, sir. Stay close behind me.”

“Oh, you crazy bastards, really.”

*Tap tap tap!*

And then, the sound of many footsteps. Suddenly, the lights turned on, and the surroundings became bright. It was the guards who had been waiting for the captain of the guard at the arena. They had come because he hadn’t come out after a while…

“Huh!”

It was shocking. All the guards were lying dead on the floor. Most of them had died with their throats cut.

And Marni’s group, also covered in blood, was clinging to the wall. They must have gotten it from crawling around. They were also surprised and stared at the guards.

“What the hell is this! Arrest them!”

“No, wait, just listen to me. We didn’t do it, geez. You might not believe it, but I don’t know either. I don’t know if it was ordered by your superiors or not…”

“You’re out of your mind. Take them away! And request backup!”

“Requesting backup! Understood.”

“The arena is closed.”

“No, we’re victims too! It was a woman. A woman killed them, I tell you!”

The guards handcuffed Marni’s group and took them away, no matter what they said. The guards shook their heads as if they were disgusted, looking at the sharply cut necks of the corpses.

*Drip drip.*

Meanwhile, Ian and the three others had escaped outside the arena. As Barsabe lowered her head, showing her neck, Beric poured water from a water bottle. The blood was slowly washed away.

“Ian, sir, what should we do? Should we go straight to the market?”

“Yes. When the sun rises, the street patrols will be reinforced. It was the Janai Market, right? Hale, the map.”

“Here it is. Barsabe, are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine. But it would be good to get some new clothes. There’s too much blood on me, it’ll be hard to walk around like this.”

Ian identified the location of the slave market on the map. As Beric leaned in next to him, Hale raised an eyebrow. What use was a map to someone who couldn’t even tell left from right?

“Then it would be good for Hale to take Barsabe and go in first. Go change clothes and hide. I’ll look around the market with Beric.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

As Ian nodded, Hale ran around the corner with Barsabe. The atmosphere of the people gathered on the main street was gradually becoming agitated, so it seemed that the death of the captain of the guard was slowly becoming known.

“Beric. This way.”

“Okay, let’s go! But are we really going to say we killed them?”

“We have to keep our promise.”

If Marni was arrested and investigated, the royal palace would realize that a third party was involved. The goal was to rescue Philia before that. Then, they could reveal the truth before opening the portal and returning.

*Tap tap tap!*

Ian and Beric ran, avoiding people’s gazes. A sign indicating the entrance to the Janai Market was standing tall.

But the problem was-

“Light blue cloth? I don’t see anything like that.”

No matter where they looked, they couldn’t find the marker Marni had told them about. Ian muttered, looking around carefully.

“He said it was disguised as laundry, so it must be hung up and taken down at certain times.”

“Wow. That’s ridiculously detailed. What do we do then?”

It was a bit strange to have laundry hanging in a non-residential area in the middle of the night. As Beric asked with his arms crossed, Ian let out a soft sigh.

“We have no choice but to come back tomorrow during the day. Or-”

“Or?”

“You could sniff it out.”

“Huh? You’re treating me too harshly.”

Beric was dumbfounded, but he kept flaring his nostrils.