Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 640

A man with long, turquoise hair lifted his head. A portrait dominated the wide wall. King Eriphony, who looked exactly like him, was smiling confidently as always.

Elderth had aged ten years, but his king in the painting remained unchanged, without any signs of fading.

‘Your Highness, it seems Kalamat has completely fallen.’

‘Indeed.’

To the report from behind, Elderth replied as if he had expected it. It was a country that had been teetering on the brink without a ruler. With the Emperor of Bariel and his legion of mages storming in, how could it not fall?

The only glimmer of hope was Rutherford, who had occupied Agiar, but with his fate uncertain, the outcome was all too predictable.

‘It’s truly regrettable. If only we had withdrawn our support a little sooner.’

‘Enough. It was the right decision at the time. There’s no action as foolish as regretting the past.’

The black armor, mages, and even the dragons sent to Agiar were all vital assets and forces for Ruthwena. Though they were annihilated without being able to defeat Bariel.

‘Is there still no contact from Bariel?’

‘No, Your Highness. They must be busy moving south from Agiar to Kalamat.’

Since they had supported Rutherford in Agiar, Bariel would surely retaliate. Now that the fall of Kalamat was complete, it wouldn’t take long. This also meant that Ruthwena didn’t have much time left.

Elderth flipped through the report brought by his subordinate and asked,

‘What is the current growth rate of the dragons?’

‘Thanks to the growth accelerator, it’s about twice as fast as expected. At this rate, we’ll have about a hundred ready for deployment by next month.’

Dragons were among the strongest forces, second only to mages. Even thousands of ordinary soldiers could not defeat a single dragon.

Moreover, dragons were useful in themselves, but their secondary effects were particularly remarkable.

‘What about the black armor?’

‘We are continuously collecting scales, mainly from dragons that are not yet ready for deployment. The quality was degraded when we were trying to meet the quantity in Agiar, but this time it’s of the highest purity.’

One suit of black armor could handle about three master swordsmen. The outcome would depend on tactics, but in any case, the black armor was the only thing that could compensate for the lack of master swordsmen in Ruthwena.

‘We will distribute them mainly to skilled knights.’

‘Of course, Your Highness.’

Not just any random people who could pick up and swing a sword, but swordsmen who could understand and counter the swordsmanship of master swordsmen would wear the black armor. With this, they could sufficiently handle the forces and master swordsmen of Bariel.

‘However, Your Highness, the problem is the mages. Although we have Idgal [a type of magical artifact], it will no longer give us an advantage in power.’

‘Yes. Ian Hielo, that is especially the problem.’

The number of mages was incomparable to Bariel. Ten years ago, many Ruthwena mages had already defected to Bariel.

‘In the last Clifford War, I saw the power of mages with my own eyes. The only reason we lost that war was because of the mages.’

So, as soon as Elderth ascended the throne, he established a magic department in the royal palace. He also invested in discovering mana users within the country and soon succeeded in hiring mercenary mages. Thanks to this, although not as strong as ten years ago, they were able to build a magical force second only to Bariel.

‘Ahem. But, Your Highness, I am sorry to say, the magic department has requested an additional budget. It seems that nearly half of the mages currently remaining in the magic department are not from Ruthwena, and they are trying to raise their value by watching the political situation.’

Then, what about the mages born in Ruthwena? Do they have a deep desire to protect their homeland?

No. They knew from past history how the royal palace had treated mages. After the death of the previous King Eriphony, the new King Elderth ascended the throne, but in any case, he was her closest aide. Politically, he was a king who succeeded Eriphony.

‘Grant them what they want.’

‘But if we do that, the budget…’

‘It’s alright. It’s just a matter of keeping them on our side for a little while.’

Elderth muttered and stamped the approval documents.

‘Until those from Hawan arrive.’

‘…Understood, Your Highness.’

It was a well-known fact that Prime Minister Shatima of Hawan had been murdered by his close aide. But few knew the details, even in Hawan, the center of the incident.

* * *

Elderth took out a letter that had been lying dormant under the drawer. It was sent unofficially from Toolun, so it had no diplomatic impact, but it would have a significant impact on his current choices.

‘Supporting the puppeteer…’

It detailed how Toolun would intervene depending on the situation in Hawan. He guessed that Shatima’s death was the work of someone who was controlled by the puppeteer.

Elderth ran his fingertips along the edge of the paper, assessing the situation. If the puppeteer, having finished his work in Hawan, entered Ruthwena, he would gather all the mages in one place.

‘Forbidden magic. With that, it’s not impossible to face Bariel.’

But there was no way the mages would sacrifice themselves for Ruthwena. So, the puppeteer’s help was needed. With their intervention, Ruthwena could gain the blind loyalty of the mages, and Toolun could achieve the common goal of Bariel’s downfall. Though they were far apart, it was clear that they were in a mutually beneficial relationship.

‘That old man who used forbidden magic in the Clifford War, I clearly remember him. Even Ian Hielo couldn’t handle him and fell. If we mobilize all the remaining mages and use forbidden magic, it’s definitely possible to deal with the Bariel mages. If they are gone, Ruthwena has the upper hand in power.’

Elderth turned his head again and looked at Eriphony’s portrait. Oh, the late king who met his death in the Bariel Imperial Palace.

He himself had not hesitated to perform contract magic with mages. He was trying to usher in a new era, but his roots were still listening to the commands of the previous generation’s king.

‘By the way, what about the mages who went up to the Great Desert?’

‘There’s no news yet, but there’s nothing to worry about. How can those Cheonryeo [a nomadic tribe] beasts stand against mages in the air? If we just find their base, everything will go as planned.’

There were two ways for Ruthwena to enter Bariel. One was through Hielo, and the other was through the south of Bariel.

The south was adjacent to Clifford, so the defenses would be considerable. Of course, the situation there wasn’t good either, but compared to the undefended border of Hielo, it was a national power. So, to easily open a path, the only way was through the territory of Hielo.

‘I heard that the Cheonryeo tribe protects Hielo. After forming an alliance with those who were hostile, they reorganized unnecessary troops and made a large profit. That means, if there are no Cheonryeo, Hielo is like an open door.’

Everything was perfect. The Cheonryeo lived deep in the Great Desert, so even if they were annihilated, it would be difficult to notice in Hielo right away. They would realize that their homeland had been attacked only after facing Ruthwena.

‘Alright. I understand. For now, grant all the mages’ wishes and keep them tied to the royal palace. It won’t be long. From Hawan to Ruthwena.’

* * *

Elderth stamped the last seal and handed the documents to his subordinate. Then, he looked around the room slowly.

On one side of the office, there was a huge bow that Eriphony had used in her lifetime. As if it was craving blood again.

* * *

‘Kuh!’

The mages crouched down, covering their faces. They didn’t realize the sandstorm was so powerful and sharp. They closed their eyes and covered their noses and mouths with their sleeves, but they couldn’t regain their senses from the onslaught of sand.

‘We have to retreat!’

‘What? I can’t hear you! Where is everyone?’

‘I’m here! Ah, wait, damn it!’

‘Don’t fall behind!’

Even short communication was impossible. As soon as they opened their mouths, sand grains would dig in.

The three mages from Ruthwena now felt that they had reached their limit.

‘Portal!’

They had to open a way back. But to do that, the three of them had to combine their strength, which was absolutely impossible in this situation. First, they had to deploy a shield to secure space even for a moment-

*Zhiing! Zhiing!*

It was the moment when one of the mages deployed a shield.

A Cheonryeo warrior, who had been hiding and enduring in the storm, noticed it and turned his body. Then, by applying and releasing force, he moved in the desired direction using the flow of the wind. As they were the ones who had lived through countless sandstorms, they knew how to move their bodies.

*Kwaang!*

The Cheonryeo warrior, holding a small Idgal, struck the shield with all his might. Only one strike was possible. As expected, he was swept away by the wind immediately after the strike, but he would crawl back up again.

In that gap, other warriors continued to break the shield.

*Kwaang! Kwaang!*

‘…!’

Thanks to the shield, they were able to block the sandstorm a little. But the mage froze as he saw the Cheonryeo warriors who kept rushing in and disappearing.

The eyes were so persistent that it felt like they were blind. It felt like being trapped in a cage of hungry beasts. If this shield broke, they would rush in and tear his limbs apart.

‘Th-!’

The mages each deployed a shield. Now that they knew each other’s positions, all that was left was to summon a magic circle and open a portal. It was uncertain if they could concentrate properly in this situation, but they had to do it to survive.

‘If it weren’t for the storm, those guys would be nothing!’

Just like that dawn when they attacked the Cheonryeo, they would have taken their breath with a single gesture. It was the moment when the mages bit their lower lips and tried to summon a portal.

*Puh-uhng!*

*Shwaaaak! Shwaak!*

At the same time as the mana that made up the shield dispersed, the Cheonryeo warriors launched an attack. The shield shattered, and the mages, who had lost their balance, were swept away by the storm in an instant.

‘Kuh-!’

There was no time to even scream. They were suffocated, their vision darkened, and their whole bodies became powerless in the face of nature.

It was when one mage barely regained his senses and tried to create a shield again. A blurry figure appeared in the storm. The figure became clearer and clearer. It was the Cheonryeo warriors who had thrown themselves after the mage.

‘Demosha!’

A shout so strong and magnificent that it pierced through the sound of the storm. The mage desperately struggled, but one of the Cheonryeo warriors grabbed his ankle. And before the mage could respond with magic, he crushed his bone with one hand.

*Kwajik!*

‘Aaaah!’

Unfortunately, the mage’s scream was buried in the wind.

Then, a hand reached out from above. It was Kakan. He grabbed the mage’s neck, pulled him close, and bound his limbs together with all his might.

‘Kuh-uh-uhk!’

And slowly, he tightened his grip. As the mage’s mouth opened, it filled with sand, and eventually, he died.

When the opponent stopped resisting, Kakan released his grip and took out a dagger.

*Pook!*

Then, he stabbed the dead man’s heart. Once, twice, three times. Dozens of times in a row, on behalf of his dead family.

*Whee-ik!*

Kakan, covered in blood and sand, recognized his comrade’s signal and lowered his stance. In that sandstorm, there were still two more left.

He threw himself again without hesitation, and at the same time, he felt raindrops falling one by one on his body.

‘…’

Meanwhile, Nersarn, who had lost consciousness, also carefully opened his eyes to the cold sensation that was awakening him. The first thing he saw was a huge cloud in the shape of a person.

Ah, the god has come to the desert. Nersarn slowly lifted his head to fully feel the falling rain.