Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 647

“Hello. I am Darci from Toolun. Ho ho.”

The middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Darci laughed, her voice echoing particularly loudly in the conference room.

Neither Elderte nor any of his ministers could readily speak. This was because her appearance was so different from what they had expected. She seemed too ordinary to be capable of overturning the political situation in Hawan and commanding the mages of Luthweena.

“I don’t think I’m late, so why is everyone so quiet?”

“No, it’s just… Madam Darci?”

The woman had her curly hair tied up in a bun, a sturdy build, and a faint, sweet smell of bread about her. In other words, she looked exactly like a typical housewife you might see anywhere.

“Excuse me, but are you the puppeteer?”

“Of course. I always carry my tools with me like this.”

Madam Darci took out a sewing kit from her bosom. As expected, it contained nothing special, just needles, thread, and buttons.

The ministers looked at Elderte, wondering if they could trust her. If things went wrong and they failed, how would they handle the mage’s wrath? This was no ordinary person, but someone who had dabbled in forbidden magic. Surely, the palace would crumble.

Elderte watched Madam Darci, who was constantly smiling, and asked,

“Are you also the one who dealt with Prime Minister Shatima in Hawan?”

“Yes, it was easier than I thought. I wanted to sew a needle into Prime Minister Shatima if possible, but I never got the chance. So, I had to get help from his close aides. We are still well-connected.”

With a flourish, she turned the bag she was wearing around her waist and took out small dolls. They were all small, cute cotton dolls. This was completely different from what they had expected, like they would be made of straw or covered in human skin. The woman smiled pleasantly, covering her mouth.

“Ho ho! If you’re too worried, I’ll step back. I’d feel terrible if I messed things up after coming all this way.”

“No, it’s not that I doubt you, but I want to be as sure as possible before we start. Just in case, it would be good if you could ‘take care’ of the mages in the Magic Department first.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll do it right away. I may not be good at anything else, but I am good at sewing.”

Ha ha ha. On the surface, she was just a kind and talkative woman. That was probably why Shatima’s aides were careless.

Elderte gestured to a minister to summon the mages.

“If we can control the mages’ will, we will set off immediately. There is information that Hiero is currently undefended.”

“Oh my, that’s good news. Then we can move in Hawan as well. If Hiero is undefended, it means Mereloph is practically open too. Oh dear, oh dear. Let’s hurry. Where are the mages?”

“They should be gathered in the Magic Department, but is there anything you need?”

He was willing to cooperate in any way to ensure smooth work, whether it was to lure them out one by one for interviews or to bring them in after neutralizing them with Idgal [a type of magical restraint].

However, Madam Darci waved her hand, saying it was unnecessary.

“Why bother with all that? Just tell me where the Magic Department is and how many mages there are in total. Let’s see, I should be able to finish by the time the moon rises. After that, I’ll take care of ‘that mage’ as well. The Luthweena royal family shouldn’t worry about anything else and just focus on preparing for the expedition. It’s Hiero, after all. What will you do if the head of the Magic Department comes after you?”

Since mages could travel long distances in an instant, it was not an empty warning. The only variable besides the central army was the appearance of mages.

But now that the puppeteer Darci was here and they had secured the ‘force’ that had dabbled in forbidden magic, Luthweena would not easily lose even if they faced them. No, they would rather write a new history.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Darci bowed gracefully and followed the attendant out of the conference room. The ministers watched her leave, whispering worriedly.

“Are you sure about this, Your Majesty? Just in case, shouldn’t we prepare some countermeasures?”

“There are no suitable countermeasures we can choose. Right now, we have no choice but to rely on Madam Darci.”

“But Your Majesty, right now we are aligned with Toolun and helping each other, but we will eventually reach a crossroads. At that time, all of Luthweena’s mages will be in the hands of the Toolun puppeteer, which is concerning.”

“That is a pointless worry. The value of mages will be diminished the moment the Bariel flag falls. Do you think they will survive intact after fighting against Bariel?”

Before being manipulated by the puppeteer, the mages would fulfill their roles and then return to ashes. It was better to study how to confront the puppeteers. That was the right decision.

Toc toc.

“Your Majesty. The Minister of National Defense has arrived.”

The Minister of National Defense of Luthweena entered, fully armored. It was as if to say that he was ready to leave the palace and go to war immediately.

“Martin, you’ve come.”

“All preparations are complete. I have armed 500 elite troops in black armor, and 20 dragons to be deployed in battle are arriving from the outskirts. Once the night maintenance is complete, we can depart as soon as the sun rises.”

Satisfied, Elderte patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him.

“Hiero is undefended. Aim to occupy the territory and join forces with Hawan. We must block the reinforcements coming from the center and completely cut off the border region from Bariel.”

“I will obey with my life.”

Clack!

Martin saluted Elderte, vowing victory for his country. No matter who stood in their way, they would overcome them and pierce the heart of Bariel. No matter what.

* * *

Crunch.

Everywhere Ian’s feet touched, there was the sound of something breaking. It could be the remains of a burnt tree or perhaps someone’s bone fragments.

Ian didn’t care, using the occasional sparks of fire in the darkness as a guide, he walked slowly. Hyman Bank, the clothing store, the main street connected to the park… everything he remembered was completely destroyed.

“…”

“…”

Berik, who was following Ian, also witnessed the destruction of the bar he used to frequent. The owner was a very good cook, but he was dead too.

…Dead. Everywhere, without exception, everyone was dead.

“…Berik.”

After walking silently for a while, Ian stopped and looked back. The hope that there might be survivors had completely vanished.

There was no way anyone could be alive in a place like this. Having accepted that, Ian roughly took off with Berik.

Whirr- Whirr!

The world was dark. Except for the stars that adorned the sky, nothing was shining. Not the oil lamps that lit the living room, not the blacksmith’s molten metal, not the cigarette fires that people lit in groups.

For Berik, all he could see was the back of Ian’s head, so even his golden eyes, which always shone, were buried in the darkness.

Whoosh!

The night wind was so cold. Berik narrowed his eyes because of the sharp wind. In the distance, the desert, the edge of Hiero, could be seen.

“Huh? Over there.”

Scattered, something caught his eye. Ian lowered his altitude and, relying on the starlight, identified it. They were the warriors of Cheonryeo [a group of warriors]. They had met their deaths, scattered here and there.

Ian stopped flying and personally brushed the sand off their faces. The heat of the fierce battle had not yet cooled, and Ian’s fingertips were hot.

“…Nersarn?”

Stunned. Ian turned his head in surprise at Berik’s murmur. Berik, who had found something, ran on the sand and then brushed his hair back with both hands.

“No way…”

It was Nersarn. Like the other warriors of Cheonryeo, he had died without even closing his eyes. His dried pupils contained the universe that seemed about to spill out.

“Hey. Nersarn, no, Sir Nersarn. Wake up.”

Berik sat down and mumbled, slapping his cheeks, but how could the dead hear? He looked back at Ian, at a loss, and then froze.

“Ian.”

Ian’s face was cold and chilling. Like a winter lake of unfathomable depth. A dark anger that seemed to swallow everything under the ice flowed onto the sand, along with Ian’s tears.

“…”

Ian eventually slumped down, bowing his head.

It was his fault. He should have prepared for everything, using the fact that the presence of Hiero was faint in the future as a clue. The spark that had spread from Shatima’s death was so huge that Ian couldn’t breathe.

Swoosh.

Ian grabbed Nersarn’s hand. And at that moment, one person came to mind.

‘Mother. I’m sorry.’

Sorrow was the share of those left behind. He couldn’t even imagine what Philia’s feelings would be when she heard of Nersarn’s death. It was one of the few blessings allowed in her life, and he had sent him away like this.

“…That man is right. Hiero collapsed because of me. If it had been someone else… maybe things would have been different.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Who can beat a mage who uses forbidden magic? The result would be the same no matter who was there.”

It was painful. It was no longer bearable for someone to die because of him. Naum, the Magic Department, and now Nersarn.

Then what’s next?

“Ian, look at me for a second. Get a grip and breathe.”

Berik held Ian’s shoulders tightly and breathed with him. It was similar to the time he had shown an abnormal reaction during the Clifford War.

No, it was much more dangerous now. Back then, it was just a side effect of magic, but now it was a reaction caused by pure emotion.

“If your coming here from the future is all God’s will and the flow of history… then think of death the same way. It’s not because it was Nersarn, it would have been the same if I had died.”

All life eventually fades. It’s just that the timing is slightly different. Nersarn had fought to the end as a warrior, so it must have been a satisfying end.

“So don’t break down. If you break down… Nersarn’s death will lose its meaning.”

Ian lightly rubbed his eyes. And then he grabbed Nersarn’s hand again. He belatedly realized that the last words he should leave him were not an apology but a thank you.

“Thank you for fighting for Bariel until the end. I will not forget your spirit. Warrior of Cheonryeo.”

A low voice falls on the warrior’s face. Ian slowly stroked his forehead, eyelids, nose, and lips with his fingertips, murmuring.

“And don’t worry. I will protect your mother and Roel until the end. I will surely take the soul of the one who took your breath.”

Berik also bowed his head, leaving a final farewell to Nersarn. Memories of the day he first met him at the mansion 10 years ago and the time they crossed the Great Desert together came flooding back.

“Farewell, Father. Let’s meet again. Someday.”

Ian closed Nersarn’s eyes, and they both whispered at the same time.

“Demosha [a term of respect or endearment].”