Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 657

“Ugh, ugh.”

One of the Lusweena soldiers couldn’t hold it in any longer and dry-heaved. It was the worst stench he had ever encountered in his life. Even the smell of rotting corpses wasn’t this bad.

The soldiers covered their noses with their sleeves and continued to step back. Those who didn’t know what was going on urged them to stop pushing, but upon seeing Madam Darcy, they too hesitantly retreated.

“W-Why, why is this happening to me?”

“Madam Darcy?”

“Aaaah! Why is this happening to me!”

“Madam! Forgive me, but please don’t come any closer!”

“You damn! What did you just say?”

Madam Darcy glared, clutching a handful of her fallen hair. She looked as if her entire body was melting away. Her scalp was mushy, her hair was limp like rotten scallion roots, and pus was oozing out here and there, emitting a terrible odor.

Madam Darcy didn’t even realize that her eyes had turned black. She looked like a monster, and the soldiers kept their distance, pointing their weapons at her.

“Oh, my god. Why, why is this, why is this happening…”

Madam Darcy suddenly felt that her hands were similar to Vittore’s, the mage who used forbidden magic to burn Hielo.

“…Why? Why is this happening?”

Madam Darcy’s hands trembled, and the puppets connected to her just stood there blankly.

“Th-There! A m-mage is coming!”

“It’s a Bariel mage!”

At that moment, a soldier’s cry made Madam Darcy turn her head.

It was Tommy. He rushed towards Madam Darcy without hesitation, and she was startled, quickly grabbing the loose puppet strings.

Kwaaaang-!

A magic-enhanced fist unleashed a torrent of heat.

The Lusweena mages, who had been standing blankly, reflexively created a shield to block Madam Darcy, and Tommy continued to push his power to break through it.

Ziiing, ziiing-!

The shield, facing the fist, shook violently and emitted light. Through the gaps, Tommy saw the still-empty eyes of the Lusweena mages and naturally frowned.

“The puppeteer of Toolun!”

“K-Kuh-heut!”

“I’ll tear you to pieces!”

“Shut up! You’re nothing! How dare you!”

Madam Darcy, whose face was being pummeled this way and that, shouted.

There was no major problem in moving the puppets. However, because her flesh was melting, the act of controlling them was difficult. Madam Darcy tightened the puppet strings in her hands and guessed.

‘Is it because of the forbidden magic?’

There was no other explanation. She had activated magic that was literally ‘forbidden’ by a third party’s will.

But even if it made sense, it wasn’t understandable. To Madam Darcy, the mages were puppets. Whether their flesh was cut or torn, she felt no pain at all.

They were connected only by a single thread, so how could the side effects of the forbidden magic have flowed to Madam Darcy?

“Damn it, uaaah!”

Madam Darcy roared and roughly pulled the puppet strings. The Lusweena mages reflexively crossed their forearms, and the shield became even denser.

Now, forbidden magic was out of the question. She was already in this state after just two uses; she couldn’t imagine how her body would be ruined the third time.

Chwaaaak!

The Lusweena mages standing at the far left and right stopped maintaining the shield and rushed at Tommy. They decided that it was more efficient to eliminate the opponent than to engage in a wasteful power struggle.

Tommy saw the mages rushing at him from both sides and flinched.

But then-

Chwaaaak!

A corner of a robe fluttered next to Tommy.

It was Captain Hale, who appeared with the familiar smell of a cheroot. Not only that, but his fellow mages from the Magic Division surrounded Tommy and set up a double shield.

Ziiing!

“Captain! Everyone…!”

“Ugh, what’s that smell? Tommy, are you okay?”

“I’m not okay. Isn’t it too late?”

“This guy has the same personality as his instructor. Nakina said the same thing.”

“What about the senior?”

“He’s recovering from being hit by Idgal [a type of weapon or attack].”

“…Huh?”

“Focus!”

Hale barked as the mages chattered. They shut their mouths as if nothing had happened and each took on one Lusweena mage. They had been pushed back just a moment ago, but not anymore. It was time for a counterattack.

As the tide turned, Madam Darcy’s lips trembled, and she shook the puppet strings this way and that.

“That’s the puppeteer.”

“Man! Why does she look like that? Is she a monster?”

“How can you call a person a monster? But she does look like one. Are you perhaps a monster?”

“Shut up! You filthy Empire bastards!”

“Oh, she speaks. Not a monster. Kill her, kill her.”

“Captain Hale, should we capture her alive?”

“No! We can’t capture her alive! We must kill her no matter what. She’s a dangerous person who even uses forbidden magic!”

Tommy gritted his teeth and tried to destroy the Lusweena mages’ shield by increasing his magic power.

The mages also helped by adding their magic power or assisting from the side, but it was difficult to use great power easily because the portal was still open.

Martin, having grasped the situation, gave orders to the soldiers.

“Idgal arrows! Dragons and black armor to the top!”

“They’re coming.”

The soldiers began to move like ants in an orderly fashion to capture the Bariel mages. They closed the distance, armed with Idgal arrows and spears, and dragons pressured them from above, leaving no room to escape.

‘You’ll regret coming in such numbers.’

Martin swung his baton and commanded the front without any gaps. There could be no mistakes. It was a golden opportunity to eliminate the mages in one blow.

“Keep the magic swordsman occupied! Don’t let him come this way! Everyone, prepare to fire!”

“Prepare to fire!”

“Spearmen forward, charge!”

“Waaaaah!”

Madam Darcy’s eyes darted around. The battle situation had become chaotic in an instant.

She desperately calculated her options. While the Lusweena soldiers and dragons held the Bariel mages, it would be more efficient for her to eliminate Ian Hielo.

There were already two mages who had used forbidden magic. She had to use them. To turn the tide, nothing was more certain than taking Hielo’s head.

Chwaaaak!

She moved the two mages who were steeped in forbidden magic. Ian watched them with cold eyes, but his gaze was not on the two mages, but on Madam Darcy.

Realizing this, Madam Darcy trembled and tried to move her fingers flexibly. Then, she shouted in a shrill voice as if she was being torn apart.

“Attack!”

A clash between two forces. In the chaotic situation where life and death were intertwined, Madam Darcy lamented and looked up at the sky.

Oh, God, why do you give me such trials? The skin next to her eyes was so droopy that it was torn, revealing the flesh inside.

Ziiing-

At that moment, a force that made her body tremble flowed in. It was not only Madam Darcy who felt it, but also the Bariel mages and soldiers.

Finding the source of the power was not difficult.

“…Lord Ian?”

Ian, who was facing the two forbidden mages.

He gathered his hands and lightly spread them. Following his gesture, a mysterious energy was released like a mist, and then dozens, hundreds of concentric circles were drawn and emitted light.

Ian, who usually activated magic simply by ‘commanding,’ was now drawing and controlling the magic circle himself.

“Lord Ian!”

Nakina shouted, but Ian continued to draw the magic circle without looking back.

Something was strange. It was too complex and too much to be just one spell…

‘Could it be…’

Was he trying to activate two spells at the same time?

Nakina just stared at Ian’s back as it fluttered in the wind.

Then, a faint figure split from his body. It was translucent, filled with the color of the sky, but she could clearly recognize it. Nakina was so surprised that she covered her mouth.

「Clone」.

It was a magic that divided the body into two. It was a high-level magic that was known to be almost impossible to separate and control.

Even if one succeeded, each time a clone was created, the original body’s abilities were halved, so it was impossible to exert all of its original power.

“……”

Ian’s clone opened its eyes. Then, it stretched its translucent body and smiled happily.

“Wh-What-”

Lord Ian could smile like a baby. Nakina was disgusted for a moment, but then ‘the real Ian’ reached out his hand again. This time, it was a magic she was familiar with. It was-

「Push」.

A magic that temporarily steals power from one’s future self when strong power is needed. It was the magic that Ian had unknowingly activated during the Clifford War, causing him trouble.

‘After all, I won’t exist in the future.’

In the distant future, that is, after she returned to her original world, Ian Hielo might not exist in the current Bariel. Even if he did, he would be a god, so this much burden would be nothing.

Ian drew power from the future with the Push magic and shared it with his clone.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

The power that had been halved was restored, so now there were two complete Ians.

Ian’s translucent clone smiled and took a fighting stance against the forbidden mages.

“Let’s go.”

At Ian’s murmur, the clone nodded.

They shared thoughts and will. The two split to the left and right at the same time and flew towards the forbidden mages, and then a light brighter than the sun burst out, instantly erasing the world.

Kugugung! Kwaang!

“Ah.”

Nakina turned her head and closed her eyes.

It was crazy. It was impossible according to her common sense to use two high-level magics at the same time, and even in conjunction with each other. The moment she realized the meaning of Ian’s existence came suddenly, like this.

“Ugh-”

Tommy, Hale, and the other mages also closed their eyes tightly at the strong light. They couldn’t move their bodies easily due to the aftereffects and vibrations of the magic.

Captain Hale frowned and barely opened his eyes, then paused.

‘What is it?’

Madam Darcy, who was presumed to be the puppeteer, was staring blankly at the sky. It was so bright that it was difficult to even open her eyes, but she was frozen without even blinking.

“-ing…”

And she was mumbling, whispering as if she was praying to something. Her condition was strange.

Hale nudged Tommy’s shoulder and gestured with his head.

“Let’s clean up too.”

“Yes, Captain. But-”

“Aaaah!”

Madam Darcy screamed and raised both hands. Her head was stiff, and her waist was bent, like a puppet on a string.

“…No! No!”

“Why, why is she like that? Captain, something’s wrong with her.”

“Your Highness, please save me. This is really not good!”

“…Your Highness?”

There was only one person who Madam Darcy could call ‘Your Highness.’ It was the King of Toolun. She trembled and picked up a puppet, and Tommy instinctively understood her intention.

“…Forbidden magic.”

“What?”

“Damn it!”

As Tommy rushed forward, Hale and the mages followed him hastily.

Madam Darcy didn’t seem to have the intention or the time to stop them. Even though the Bariel mages passed right in front of her, the Lusweena mages just stood there blankly, staring.

“Your Highness! Please save me!”

Madam Darcy screamed and pulled the puppet strings. Then, forbidden magic was activated again from one of the Lusweena mages. Hale and the mages were shocked and paused at the sight they had never seen before.

“Aaaah!”

A scream as if soaked in pain.

A terrible thought flashed through Hale’s mind.

‘Could it be…’

Could it be that the king, who was watching the situation in Toolun, had ordered all the other Lusweena mages to be ‘forbidden’?

But Madam Darcy had refused because of the side effects of her skin melting, and in the end…

Hale, whose thoughts reached a certain point, shouted.

“Fall back!”

Chwaaaak!

“……!”

Madam Darcy’s body melted away instantly while still alive. As if crying out in pain, only one half-melted eye blinked rapidly.