Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 653

As the hands of the magic circle’s clock moved little by little, Vitor’s groans deepened. He could feel with every fiber of his being that his body was collapsing, unable to withstand the forbidden magic. Before the magic unraveled, his only chance of survival was to quickly end Ian Hiel’s life. Though he couldn’t see anything, Vitor groped around with all his might, searching for a weapon. Click, click- In the silent forest, a complete stillness persisted, where neither the chirping of birds nor the rustling of the wind could be felt. Ian and Beric’s movements grew sluggish as the clock hands moved, and now they were as good as completely stopped. Surely, they were the only ones here, Vitor thought. But there was one person watching this situation, and that was- ‘Ugh. Should I, should I help?’ It was Nabu, hidden in Ian’s shadow. He had been suppressing his presence, trying to remain unnoticed, but now he didn’t know what to do. The opponent had to be somewhat crazy, but Vitor’s appearance was so horrific that he was afraid to rashly step forward. ‘No, he didn’t ask for help. He clearly told me to wait. Two days ago.’ After emptying all the luggage brought from the Imperial Magic Department, he had been completely occupied with moving things from the Kalamat Royal Palace. After that, he had been hiding ever since, following Ian’s last order to wait. The situation had become so urgent that he seemed to have forgotten about his existence in the middle. Click. The light pouring from the magic circle was so intense that the shadows were clearer than ever. Nabu was constantly conflicted, but then he suddenly remembered. ‘Wait a minute.’ If Ian Hiel and that maniac Beric were to die here? What would happen to him? If Bariel was at a disadvantage, would those from the northern region take the lead? If so, he might be able to return home. Nabu placed his hand near his heart. ‘I-it’ll be okay, right?’ The contract he had with the Bariel mage. He was clearly told to cooperate for Bariel’s sake, but wasn’t this a somewhat special case? There was no order, and perhaps Ian Hiel’s death might actually help Bariel? Nabu, muttering excuses to himself, tilted his head. ‘My heart is beating a bit, but I don’t know if it’s a magic issue or if I’m just nervous. Hmm.’ At that moment, he found the piece of Idgal that Vitor had dropped. As he staggered and stood up, gripping the weapon with both hands, Nabu squeezed his eyes shut. It was time to choose. To help, or not to help! “Kuh-euk!” Then came the opponent’s strained groan. Nabu clicked his tongue and flew up from the shadow. Whoosh! ‘Ugh, I don’t know!’ It’s better than having my heart explode from testing it for no reason! Nabu revealed himself, using Ian and Beric as shields, and brought his hands together, initiating a spell. Vitor, who had come close, instinctively swung Idgal, attacking Ian. The sharp edge flew very close, towards Ian’s pupils. Swoosh! Just as it was about to touch, Nabu completely seized Vitor’s shadow. The stronger the light, the darker and deeper the shadow. It wasn’t difficult. “……!” Suddenly, his whole body stiffened, and Vitor thrashed around in confusion. Since he couldn’t see, he couldn’t know that his shadow was bound. Meanwhile, time continued to flow, and the clock hands returned to their starting position. Click! Whoosh! Then, the magic circle shattered into pieces like starlight, and Ian and Beric’s movements returned to normal. Their hair and sleeves, which had been still, fluttered in the wind again, and their steps, which had been faltering, firmly touched the ground. Beric shook his body as if feeling strange, then checked on Ian’s condition. “Ian, are you okay?” “Of course.” “Ugh, that felt nasty. Hey! Nabu! Why are you so slow to come out? You were thinking about it, weren’t you?” “…Wh-what are you talking about?” “Whether to kill us or not. Ugh, seriously! I could hear your brain working all the way over here. Ian, let’s bury that guy with this mess when we’re done here.” “That’s unfair! Can’t you see I’m holding his shadow? If it weren’t for me, Ian’s eyes would have been gone.” “Then why didn’t you do it faster?” Vitor’s ears perked up at this. He didn’t know what was going on, but there was one more person here. And ‘holding the shadow,’ judging by the tone, it seemed like someone from the north. Then… ‘…A sorcerer.’ Vitor gritted his teeth and generated a dazzling amount of magic power. Zzzing! Zzzing! If the shadow was being held, then all he had to do was get rid of it. As the light grew brighter, the shadow faded, and Nabu’s power also weakened. Vitor felt his body moving little by little and smiled. “Where do you think you’re going?” Whoosh! Beric immediately drew his sword and sliced off his head. Vitor’s head rolled to the ground, and his whole body collapsed limply, as if he had held on as long as he could. “Ugh.” Beric stepped back, grimacing. It felt unpleasant, like cutting a rotten branch. He poked at Vitor’s dead body and limbs with the tip of his sword, muttering. “Is he really dead? It’s kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?” “How can he be alive when his head is off? It’s funny that you say it’s anticlimactic.” “Ugh. You, can’t you shut your mouth?” “I-I’ll go back in then. Ahem.” As Beric chased after him with his sword, Nabu coughed and fled back into the shadows. Beric kicked the ground, demanding he come out, but there was no reply. Ian looked around at the mess and took a moment to catch his breath. ‘Dragon, black armor, and a mage.’ It was clear that the main force of Lusweena was nearby. And it seemed like Vitor’s consciousness had returned in the middle, which was proof that the puppeteer had difficulty controlling the mage. Ian glanced at Vitor’s body, which was losing its warmth, and gestured to Beric. “Beric. Let’s move.” “Where to?” “Where else? Out of the forest. The main force of Lusweena might change their route, so we need to have a clear view to keep them in check.” “Okay. We should just assume we’ve lost this land. You bastards. If you make us cry in our own land, you’ll be crying tears of blood!” Beric shouted at Vitor’s ear, as if the puppeteer might hear him. Ian grabbed Beric by the scruff of his neck and flew into the sky. Whoosh! “Oh, I see them!” And a little while later- Beric waved his hand, having spotted the Lusweena army, a swarm of tiny dots in the distance. It was nice to see them, in a disgusting way. * * * “Minister Martin! It’s Ian Hiel and his subordinate!” “They’re flying this way!” “Wh-what should we do?” Meanwhile, the Lusweena camp was thrown into chaos upon recognizing Ian’s presence. It was inevitable that fear would arise, as he was the strongest mage in Bariel, no less. Martin waved his baton and shouted. “Calm down! Reorganize the ranks! Dragons and black armor to the front!” “To the front!” Then, he looked back at Lady Darcy, who was constantly biting her lip. Ian Hiel had come out of the forest unscathed, which meant Vitor was dead, didn’t it? As Martin was about to unleash a torrent of criticism, she suddenly drew a dagger and began to hack at Vitor’s puppet. Her eyes were filled with madness, and her violent swordplay made her seem like a different person. Thwack! Thud! “You useless son of a bitch!” “……!” At her bizarre and sudden transformation, Martin flinched and belatedly spoke. “Madam.” “I said I would help! I said I would help! I said I would help!” “Lady Darcy.” “And yet you ruined it, do you even have a brain? That’s why stupid things are useless. Just eat gruel and die!” For a moment, Martin was speechless. On the surface, it seemed like criticism of Vitor, but if you listened carefully, it seemed like she was subtly cursing the Lusweena Royal Palace, wasn’t it? As Martin’s face hardened, Lady Darcy raised her chin, wiped away her sweat, and turned her head nonchalantly. As if nothing had happened, she had her innocent face back. “Haa, he’s really useless. Vitor, that mage.” “…Madam. What are you doing right now?” “What do you mean? I was just taking out my anger on a discarded puppet, is there a problem? Hohohot.” Martin wanted to get rid of this disgusting and eerie woman right away. But the other puppets in her hands were too precious and valuable. Martin endured and proposed through gritted teeth. “Release all the mages you brought. It’s the only way to stop Ian Hiel.” “Yes, I think so too. The dragons and black armor don’t seem to be very effective either, so I hope the mages are at least decent. Hohohot.” She was indirectly saying that Lusweena’s combat power was a mess. Even if a puppeteer was controlling them from behind, the power would naturally vary depending on the ability of the main body. Lady Darcy naturally patted Martin’s shoulder. “Minister Martin. I’m counting on you. Please provide good support.” Martin suddenly felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck, but he couldn’t pay attention to it because people were calling out Ian Hiel’s flight path from all directions. He nodded vaguely and instructed Lady Darcy. “Send them up immediately. We must capture Ian Hiel at all costs.” “Yes. Of course.” Swoosh. As Lady Darcy gestured, the mages, who had been standing like wooden dolls, slowly moved and flew into the sky. They moved in unison, like machines, as they were controlled by a single command. “Oh, Ian! They’re coming!” They all look like they’ve lost their minds, right? Beric looked up at Ian, seeking agreement, but- “Huh?” Ian had just let go of Beric’s scruff. Beric’s eyes widened as if they would pop out. Ian’s calm words reached his ears. “I’ll go up, you go down.” “…No! Ian-aaaa!” I can’t fly, you crazy bastard! And it’s too high! Beric screamed and fell, and then, with a loud crash and dust, he landed in the middle of the Lusweena reed field. Crash! Martin, who had seen this through a telescope, couldn’t hide his bewilderment. ‘What was that just now? Did he fall?’ Swoosh. The dust gradually settled, and soon, a figure appeared, kneeling on one knee in a landing stance. The stance was perfect, but his expression was somewhat blank. That was because- “Holy crap. This actually works.” Even the person himself couldn’t believe it. Beric jumped up, dusted himself off, and then spotted the telescope that was watching him. He grinned and raised his middle finger. “Such vulgar-” As soon as Martin lowered the telescope in annoyance, Beric began to run at an incredible speed. Towards the main force of the Lusweena army. “The enemy is coming! The opponent is a magic swordsman! Black armor, to the front!” “Align left and right! Main force, advance!” “Waaaaah!” Thump, thump, thump! The military band beat the drums with all their might to raise morale, and the Lusweena soldiers ran across the open reed field. And Beric charged against thousands of opponents. Ian looked down at the scene from the sky, and then turned his head. Whoosh! He had given Beric a mission, so he had to fulfill his own mission as well. The opponents were one, two, three… a total of five. There were more than he expected. Perhaps they had dispersed their forces, so he had to assume that there were still mages left in the Lusweena Royal Palace. Zzzing! Zzzing! The five mages surrounded Ian, taking the right, left, top, and bottom positions. And at the same time, they activated a magic circle. 「Moss Paper」. Thin strings sprouted from all directions, firmly binding Ian’s limbs. Ian instinctively felt it. It was similar to Manyeop [a type of binding magic], but it was clearly a lower-level magic, and it had no regenerative ability, so it could be broken if he just cut it off. Just as Ian was about to respond with an appropriate spell- Swoosh! A gust of wind rushed in from behind, and all the strings binding Ian’s limbs were cut off. Ian turned around and soon met familiar faces. It was Tommy and Nakina.