Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 630

The royal palace guards rushed forward, long spears at the ready. The sudden alarm had etched bewilderment and tension onto their faces.

An invasion by an enemy nation, not at the border, but in the capital where the royal palace stood—this was unprecedented for those born and raised in Tolun. Gripping their weapons tightly, they moved towards the main and rear gates of the palace.

“Left flank! Check for bodies!”

“Nothing here!”

“Nothing here either!”

They had been told that the enemy’s corpses would be scattered along the walls, but all they saw were startled residents. Hoping to find even a trace of blood, the guards meticulously patrolled the walls, maintaining a tight formation.

“W-what’s going on?”

“Stand back. We can’t answer while on duty.”

“Good heavens. The country’s been in such an uproar since last night, honestly.”

“It’s unsettling, isn’t it? Something’s definitely going on.”

The closure of the slave market, the fire that engulfed an entire building, and now, the alarm signaling an invasion and the movement of the royal palace guards. The residents urged each other to return home, and the surroundings quickly became chaotic.

“There are no bodies. Report it!”

“Yes, understood, Cap-”

Kwaang! Kwang!

The moment the guard saluted, a massive roar shook the earth. Dust and sand rose with the wind, and people shielded their faces with their arms, crouching down.

“Ugh!”

What was that commotion? The guards waved their hands, clearing their vision. And then, astonishingly, they spotted a man standing right in the middle of the main road leading to the royal palace gate.

Red hair, an imposing physique, a menacing face…….

“Hey!”

It was one of the wanted men! The guards quickly blew their whistles, and archers climbed onto the walls, aiming their bows.

Beric slowly approached the royal palace, his hands raised casually.

“Stop!”

“Oh, I’d like to, but I have some urgent business.”

Swish!

Clang!

At that moment, sharp attacks flew towards Beric’s head. It was the power of the puppeteers from inside the royal palace. Whether it was the king’s doing or not, the attacks continued to pour down as if they would pierce Beric’s skull at any moment.

Clang! Clink!

However, the guards soon recognized the nature of the transparent barrier protecting Beric. A ripple had formed in the air.

Beric shrugged, lamenting his situation.

“My life’s always like this. I’m always using my body. Anyway, before this thing breaks, can you pass on a message?”

“W-what-”

“Hand over Philia.”

“What?”

“Philia. The mother of Ian Hiel, the Minister of Magic of the Bariel Empire. Your king had his puppeteers kidnap a perfectly healthy person, you see? We’ve come to get her back, so hurry up.”

Crackle!

As the attacks continued endlessly, cracks began to appear in the barrier. If Ian or Hale were nearby, they could have continuously recharged the magic, but in the current situation, there was no way. He had to finish his business and get out of here before his head was actually smashed.

“Hand over Philia, the mother of Ian Hiel, the Minister of Magic of the Bariel Empire. Or should we make it an official issue and come back later with the Emperor’s seal? Everything will be a mess then, so isn’t it better to go peacefully?”

Beric tilted his head, but the guards just gripped their weapons, looking bewildered. What would the lower ranks know? They surrounded Beric, strengthening their guard, while the residents watched the situation with bated breath.

“Wow, what did the royal palace do?”

“They say they kidnapped the Minister of Magic’s mother, but is that even possible? What are they going to do by messing with Bariel…….”

“Do you believe all that? He looks like a thug!”

Beric picked at his ear, listening to the people’s murmurs. He had succeeded in spreading the word to prevent the royal palace from concealing the truth. There wasn’t enough time to work through back alley rumors, and besides, hadn’t the royal palace noticed their presence? Ian had said that making a scene like this was effective.

“Ugh, fine. Move aside. I’ll go in and talk myself.”

“You scoundrel! How dare you come here!”

“Don’t move! Not a single step!”

“I don’t want to.”

Beric took a large step forward as if to show off. The guards rushed at him with shouts, but Beric easily confronted them without even using his magic.

“A feast of openings. Tsk tsk. Head!”

Thwack!

“Aaaah!”

“Mouth!”

“Cough, ugh!”

“Belly!”

Thud!

The guards staggered back. It was unsettling how he was toying with them like toys. It seemed like he wasn’t in his right mind either. Just as they were wondering what to do, the royal palace gate opened, and a massive torrent of water burst out from the gap.

“……!”

“L-Lady Banusa!”

It was the spirit mage, Banusa. Her spirit hadn’t recovered from suppressing the fire the previous day, but the situation was such that she couldn’t help but step forward.

Banusa created a wall of water, isolating Beric and the residents. Trapped inside what felt like a giant dome of water, Beric’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Oh ho, is a decent one finally showing up?”

“You are a truly impious and arrogant fellow. How dare you cause a disturbance here? You are Beric, of the Imperial Royal Guard, correct?”

“You know me well. But I don’t know you.”

“I am Banusa, the royal palace’s water spirit mage. Kneel before the solemn majesty of the Tolun royal palace.”

“That’s a load of crap.”

Banusa’s eyes narrowed at the vulgar reply. Was he really a magic swordsman of the royal palace? It was truly unbelievable.

“How dare you talk about solemn majesty in front of Bariel? I’ll say it again! Hand over our Philia, whom your king kidnapped. Philia, the mother of Ian Hiel! The Minister of Magic!”

“…What nonsense is this?”

Banusa’s mind became slightly complicated. It seemed almost certain that the royal palace had ordered Philia’s kidnapping, but hadn’t Ian Hiel taken her? Even setting fire to the severed ear den [a place where information brokers gather]. But now they were demanding Philia be handed over?

Could it be that Ian Hiel and that guy had been moving separately in Tolun? And that the fact that Philia had been transferred to Ian Hiel’s side hadn’t been shared?

“I can hear your brain turning all the way over here!”

“…Shut your vulgar mouth. And Philia, we know nothing about that.”

Contrary to the established facts, the external guidelines were set. Deny everything, pretend not to know. The fact that the royal palace had kidnapped the Minister of Magic’s mother was a truth that had to be concealed at all costs.

“Do you have proof?”

Banusa asked, raising her head. The puppeteer who had initially moved Philia would be rotting somewhere outside of Tolun. And the severed ear who had been in charge of the transfer had also died at the hands of Ian Hiel, so who could link the royal palace to Philia’s kidnapping?

Beric laughed, pointing his finger as if he had expected it.

“Then why did you close the slave market? Why were you looking for the severed ear? Weren’t you in a panic because you lost Philia? Why are you pretending to be blind and deaf?”

“…That must be a cover-up. And the royal palace was looking for the severed ear because of intelligence that they had committed illegal acts that could cause diplomatic problems. I didn’t know it was related to Bariel. The closure of the slave market was also one of the measures related to that.”

“Aha. So that’s how you’re going to play it? But what about it? We have proof.”

“What is it?”

It was the fact that, with the help of Katimaco, the sorcerer of Astana, the scene of Philia’s kidnapping could be confirmed. Since the puppeteer was from the royal palace, revealing their identity was only a matter of time. But Beric flipped his eyes and shouted.

“I’m not telling you now!”

“…Is he crazy?”

“But I plan to tell your king directly! So, open the gate and hand over Philia. I’m starting to get hungry.”

Banusa clenched her teeth, trying to maintain her patience. Just as she was about to shout again that Philia wasn’t here, someone wrapped their arm around her shoulder, stopping her.

“Banusa.”

“…Ardo.”

“Shhh. You shouldn’t engage them any further.”

It was Ardo, the eldest son of the family of fire spirit mages. He whispered softly, his eyes narrowed.

“You made a mistake just now. You admitted that the severed ear caused diplomatic problems as part of the Tolun royal palace. The severed ear are a band of thieves, but they were operating in Tolun. It’s an issue that could hold the royal palace responsible for Philia’s kidnapping.”

“But-”

“Yes. I know. It was the best you could do. But even that best is a sword pointed at Tolun.”

If they claimed that Ian had taken Philia, they would demand proof. And to do that, they would have to reveal the existence of the boy who had been translating in the severed ear den, and that boy knew too much of the truth. That it was the royal palace that had instigated Philia’s kidnapping.

“Above all, we already dealt with the boy. We can’t say that the Minister of Magic took Philia. The moment we say that, we’re admitting that we know everything.”

But could they continue to play dumb? Whether it was true or not, judging by the way they were shouting about having proof, they had clearly planned a second move.

Ardo and Banusa looked down at Beric at the same time.

“It’s a trap. The more we get involved, the deeper we’ll dig ourselves.”

If they couldn’t return Philia despite the evidence that Tolun had kidnapped her, it would be a clear cause for war. Tolun would face a unilateral diplomatic defeat, being in a position where they had to return something that they didn’t have.

There was only one way out of this situation.

“Let’s eliminate them. Cleanly.”

Ardo muttered, summoning his spirit. A huge pillar of fire rose inside the water barrier. Beric looked up at it, shielding his eyes with his hand.

“Good momentum. Nice and warm. But are you all the people protecting the Tolun royal palace?”

Instead of answering, the two combined their powers and rushed at Beric. Along with the continuous attacks of the puppeteers, the power of the spirits tore through the air sharply.

Beric also released his magic and drew his sword.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Swish! Whoosh!

The guards lay flat on the ground, amidst the swirling flames, water, and dust clouds. Meanwhile, Beric faced the incoming attacks head-on and warned them.

“Watch closely! If you can’t block this, the royal palace gate will fly away!”

“Shut up!”

“Alright. I’ll shut up and attack!”

Clang!

Beric lightly deflected the attacks of the two spirit mages with his sword. And then, he swung his sword wide, shooting a flame towards the blurry royal palace gate.

Swish!

Banusa raised a water barrier to block it, and in that gap, the spirit revealed its form. Its power was exhausted. At the same time, the water barrier that had been set up as a wall also poured out around them, and the residents scattered in panic from the sudden downpour.

Creak!

Meanwhile, Beric and Ardo’s swords were locked in a tense standoff. Beric tilted his head as if puzzled, and then whispered softly.

“Geez, you’re more of a pushover than I thought.”

“……!”

Swish!

The moment flames erupted fiercely around the enraged Ardo, something dark appeared in the sky. Beric clicked his tongue in disappointment and sheathed his sword. Then, he raised his middle fingers with both hands and jumped into the sky.

“Ian-aaaa!”

Thud!

A small boy caught him. He was too far away to see clearly, but his uniquely sparkling blonde hair stood out. Beric continued to wave his fingers as he said goodbye.

“Take care! You pushovers! I’ll be back soon with the Emperor’s seal! Bye-eee!”

A mage’s portal. That must be the passage called the Black Moon. By the time Ardo realized it, their traces were already gone. Only the clear sky seemed to pretend that nothing had happened.

“Damn it…….”

Banusa looked back at the half-destroyed royal palace gate and muttered, then asked Ardo.

“…How many people just went through?”

“I don’t know. It was too fast.”

Kwaang!

Banusa sat down, clutching her head in despair. And then, she glared sharply at the royal palace. Did the king know what he had done?

Banusa turned around with angry steps.