Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 656

“Your Highness!”The Lusweena royal palace was in an uproar. It hadn’t been long since the advance team had departed. Elderett, feeling deeply fatigued from the constant calls of his ministers, removed his glasses.”What is it?””There has been a battle near the Mage’s Forest. It seems the mages of Bariel have crossed the border, but the details are still unclear.””What?”Mages of Bariel?Elderett stood up abruptly. Shouldn’t they be in Calamat right now? Even if the survivors of Hielo and Mereloff had sent a messenger bird, it wouldn’t have reached the capital yet.How could the Bariel mages have found out about the situation? Could they have placed a magical device in Hielo? No, if that were the case, Vitor would have surely noticed and informed him.”Are you certain they are Bariel mages?””That’s what Minister Martin reported.””…This is a serious matter.”Lusweena’s goal was to occupy Hielo before the reinforcements from the capital arrived. But the fact that the Bariel mages had crossed the border meant they already knew about Lusweena’s preemptive strike.”And you don’t know how many there are?””Yes, they are hidden in the forest, so we can’t tell.””…Surely it’s not Ian Hielo, is it?””I apologize, but nothing has been confirmed.””Bring me a mage.”They were practically a communication channel to connect directly with Madam Darcy.Soon, a mage slowly walked in and sat facing Elderett. Her empty eyes stared past Elderett into the void.”Madam Darcy.””……””Madam Darcy. If you can hear me, please relay the situation. I heard the Bariel mages have crossed the border. What happened? Can you identify the enemy? It would be good to know if it’s Ian Hielo or not.”The mage didn’t respond to Elderett’s questions. The ministers exchanged puzzled glances.”Madam Darcy.””…Ugh.””Oh, she’s saying something, Your Highness!””Shush. Be quiet.”The mage opened her mouth slightly, uttering a groan-like sound. Her voice was so soft that the ministers held their breath and focused intently.”…Kill them.””……?””Kill, kill, kill…””……!”Like a broken doll, she repeated the same words in a low voice, causing the ministers to feel a sense of unease and horror. Elderett also looked visibly flustered, but he quickly regained his composure.’Something has happened to Madam Darcy.’He didn’t know exactly what it was. She might have been pushed back while fighting the Bariel mages, or there could be another reason.The ministers glanced at the mage, who kept muttering ‘kill,’ and reported to Elderett.”Your Highness, what should we do…?””I will immediately organize the main force to support the advance team. Use dragons to transport the mages.””Are you sure? The enemy’s strength hasn’t been confirmed.””It seems Madam Darcy is struggling. If that’s the case with five mages, then the enemy must be at least as strong. Besides, wasn’t the purpose of bringing Madam Darcy to lure them out?”Even if it meant sacrificing all the Lusweena mages, they had to eliminate the Bariel mages. Without the power of magic, Lusweena was confident they could defeat Bariel and conquer Gaia.”If we don’t send support now, we might lose all the Lusweena mages. That’s the worst-case scenario. If we’re going to sacrifice them anyway, then the only way is to make sure we eliminate the Bariel mages.”What if the one who crossed the border was Ian Hielo?Yes. It’s an opportunity. Ian Hielo is worth three or four ordinary mages. Moreover, he was the spiritual pillar of Emperor Jin Verosion. If he dies, Bariel’s chances of victory will be completely crushed.”Organize the main force immediately. Send out every available soldier. The plan might be a bit off, but the goal remains the same. Eliminate all the Bariel mages, that’s all we’re going for.””Understood, Your Highness.””And-“Elderett frowned and asked,”Minister Martin, how much does he know about the ‘Mage’s Forest’?””I hesitate to say, but he probably doesn’t know much about it.””Send a messenger ahead and tell them that the Mage’s Forest must never be destroyed.””Yes, Your Highness. I will inform them immediately.”Over the years, Elderett had pondered one question. Gaia was so vast, so why were mages mainly concentrated in Bariel and Lusweena?Before the war, Clifford was a fertile land with a stable climate, a good place to settle. And even if Vergos was barren and not considered.’Bariel and Lusweena have one thing in common.’That was the fact that there had been a place where mages could unite for a long time. For Bariel, it was the Imperial Magic Department established since the founding of the nation, and for Lusweena, it was the Mage’s Forest.’If both Lusweena and Bariel lose their mages and enter a state of nothingness, victory will surely belong to Lusweena. At that time, the Imperial Magic Department will be gone, and only the Mage’s Forest will stand tall.’Elderett nodded unconsciously. It was as if Lusweena’s golden age was vividly unfolding before his eyes. For a time close to eternity, the master of Gaia would be the golden fields of Lusweena.”Your Highness, but what if Madam Darcy dies in battle?””If she dies after fulfilling her role, it’s not a problem, but if not, the remaining mages will be difficult to handle.”He could guess how they would react if their will was broken. They would likely help break down the gates out of betrayal towards Lusweena. But Elderett stood up, saying there was nothing to worry about.”I already have a plan for that.””However, just in case…””You worry too much. If you’re afraid of too many things, you can’t move forward. Put aside your thoughts and move. Didn’t you say the enemy has crossed the Lusweena border?”The ministers bowed to Elderett and quickly left the conference room.Soon, a loud horn sounded from the top of the Lusweena royal palace. It was a signal that the moment of true determination was approaching, and that the soldiers should gather and take up their weapons.* * *”……!”Nakina’s body twisted. Following the black-armored knight’s sword, blood splattered in a semicircle, and she felt a chilling sensation of helplessness after the immense pain.It was a very familiar sensation. This feeling of all her mana being disrupted and disappearing in an instant. Nakina frowned and looked back, and the amber-colored blade gleamed.”I-!”It was Idgal. A weapon made for countering mages by coating one side of the blade with Idgal [a material that disrupts magic].Nakina felt her strength draining away and reached out. It didn’t matter if it was a Lusweena mage or a dragon’s head. She had to grab something to avoid falling.Whoosh!But there was nothing to grab, and she closed her eyes tightly as she fell helplessly. It was the high sky. If she fell without magic, her whole body would be crushed, and she would die….This sucks. I still have a lot to do in the Magic Department. I have to pay back Captain Hale, set up a date for Tommy, and go drinking with Ian…”Nakina!”Berik, who was pushing through the Lusweena soldiers below, noticed her fall and shouted, but it was too far for him to catch her. Still, he tried to jump up with all his might.-Kyuuuu!Whoosh!Something flashed in the distant sky. Then, a red dragon flew in at an unbelievably fast speed.Ian, who was facing the forbidden mage, and the Lusweena mages could only barely make out the shape of the rapidly passing dragon.KWAANG!”Ugh!”Kyu, without slowing down, slammed his body into the middle of the ground. The Lusweena soldiers who took the impact head-on were thrown in all directions, and Kyu swung his tail to secure space. It was to catch Nakina.-Kyuuu!”Kyu!”Thanks to that, she landed safely on the dragon’s back, and Kyu immediately flapped his wings and flew into the sky. Nakina, who had inadvertently looked down, felt dizzy.”Ugh!”A large crater was gouged out, and there were many flattened corpses that had died instantly. Nakina wiped away the cold sweat.”Haa.”She almost died. She wrapped her arms around the dragon’s neck and let out a sigh of relief, then burst into laughter.”You jerk, why are you so late! Did you swim here?”It was her comrades. The Bariel mages who had come through the portal were flying towards them. Against the backdrop of the distant desert, the golden-eyed lions lined up as if encircling their prey.”Ian!””Nakina, Tommy!””Why is Nakina like that again? Did you get hit by Idgal?””Yeah! I did. I almost died if you were a little late!””If you’re bored, go get hit by Idgal. You did that 10 years ago too. Go back and watch!””Screw you!”Nakina rubbed her eyes and cursed with a bright face. Maybe it was because she had come back from the brink of death, but she was incredibly happy.Meanwhile, the mages paused for a moment at the sight before them.”No, what the heck is this-“”What’s all the commotion?”A swarm of Lusweena soldiers, dragons, and black armor.Okay, so far so good. But why are there two mages using forbidden magic, not just one? It was logically incomprehensible.Nakina pointed to the Lusweena main force and explained.”We can’t handle the forbidden mages! Leave them to Ian, and attack the main force! There’s a puppeteer there!””A puppeteer, ah. Really? Wait, did the puppeteer use forbidden magic too?””Ask later, hurry! There! Where Tommy is!””Ian! Please hold on a little longer. We’ll finish up quickly and help you.””Everyone, let’s go.””Yes, Captain!”Crunch!At Hale’s command, the mages took out small pills and bit into them. It was Acorella’s special mana amplifier. They had used a significant amount of mana to open and maintain the portal, so it was better to take it before engaging in battle.The mages’ eyes glowed even more intensely, and soon they passed Nakina and Ian and headed straight for the Lusweena army. Behind them, their Magic Department robes billowed like waves as they flew in formation.’By the way-‘Nakina, who was left behind, looked towards the desert where her comrades had come from. From the black moon in the sky, murky water was pouring down like a waterfall.Swoosh.It was clearly just a stream before they left, but the amount being released from Toolun [a location or source of water] had increased rapidly in the meantime.’How did they even open the portal? They’re crazy. Seriously, and the water path…’It was wetting the dry desert and making a path. Little by little, it seemed to be coming towards the Lusweena border…Nakina carefully examined the terrain with her eyes and guessed. At this rate, the wastewater would surely flow into the Mage’s Forest.’Well, whatever.’She rubbed her stinging back and frowned.Anyway, why is Tommy so quiet after going to catch the puppeteer? Nakina tightened the bottom of her shirt and looked towards the main force.”……?”It was too far to see clearly, but the soldiers’ movements seemed unusual.And then-“…What is that?”Nakina narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.