Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 674

Bariel!

The beginning of the glory that the gods hold—

The heart of Gaia, which turns golden when it rains—

Hold your head high, and you shall see—

The light in that high place, the beacon of Bariel—

Erica vividly remembered the first time she sang the national anthem in the Imperial Palace.

The incredibly blue sky and white clouds, the perfectly warm temperature. And her voice, trembling as she held back tears….

It had been a truly arduous time. Overcoming a commoner’s life that was close to slavery, and rising to the position of the head of the Imperial Investigation Unit, so much pain had shaped her life.

Erica saluted sharply, biting her lower lip. It was an auspicious day. Instead of crying, she continued to call out to Bariel.

Bariel!

Kugugugung! Kung!

Kwaang!

“Prime Minister, please retreat quickly!”

“No! I will not retreat! Defend the Imperial Palace!”

“Do not retreat! The future of Hawan is in your hands! Move forward!”

“Waaaaah!”

For ten years, Erica had been in and out of Bariel, but whenever she dozed off, she dreamed of the day she received her Investigation Unit badge. Someday, she would return. Someday, she would see the light.

Was it because she had wished so hard that the gods granted her wish? She was able to return to the Central Imperial Palace with Prime Minister Shatima, and she returned home with hope. The path ahead was a blood-soaked thorn field, but it was okay. The honor of her homeland was there.

“Prime Minister, it seems we are short on troops.”

“Yes, perhaps we should request assistance from Bariel….”

“That won’t do. Although His Majesty the Emperor and Minister of Magic Ian Hiel are amicable, this is only under the condition that we can keep Ruswena in check. Is there anything in this world that comes without a price? If we bring them in now, we don’t know what they will demand later.”

Erica always watched Prime Minister Shatima’s meetings with her aides from behind. She respected Prime Minister Shatima and enjoyed it. She was also the benefactor who had taken her hand when she came to Hawan, and it was enjoyable to learn so much by her side.

“If asking for help from the magicians of Bariel is impossible, what about magicians from elsewhere?”

“When you say magicians from elsewhere, where are you referring to? Ruswena is out of the question. After the humiliation of ten years ago, they are very thorough in managing magicians. And above all, they know our position, so they will never cooperate.”

Prime Minister Shatima was someone who had gone to Bariel and was sent back by the Emperor. That in itself was a declaration that her life was in the Emperor’s grasp.

From Ruswena’s perspective, which was trying to keep Bariel in check, they would not be happy if Prime Minister Shatima succeeded in the rebellion.

“No. Further away, to the East.”

“…Those beyond the Blaster Sea?”

“Yes, it is said that there is a magician called the Absolute One in the East. Like the Minister of Magic of Bariel, he is someone that all the magicians of the East trust and respect, and I heard that one of his disciples stole a precious item from the Absolute One and ran away.”

Interesting. Erica pretended to look straight ahead while pricking up her ears. Just who was the audacious one who would steal something from their magician master and run away?

Would it be similar to her betraying Shatima? Erica shook her head slightly, thinking it was a bad omen.

“And then?”

“It is said that the magicians of the East are crossing the Great Desert one by one in pursuit of that person. Some have entered Ruswena, and some have entered Hawan here.”

“…Is that true?”

“Ruswena is certain. There are many interpretations that more than half of the suddenly increased number of magicians are from other countries.”

“Then, how can we meet them?”

“That’s….”

At that moment, a servant outside gestured to Erica. It was a signal that something had come up and she needed to come out.

Could it be that the Royal Army had launched a surprise attack? Or perhaps the failure of the long-prepared surprise operation? As soon as Erica cautiously stepped outside, she was met by—

“Ohohohot! Greetings. I am Madam Darcy.”

It was Madam Darcy, letting out an unpleasant laugh.

From that moment on, something felt strange to Erica. Her memories were fragmented, time flowed both quickly and slowly, and she felt as if her whole body was melting, like walking in a dream.

“……?”

It became day and then night, and people screamed and stabbed each other in the chest with swords. Some cried, some fell from buildings, and somewhere, crimson rain fell.

Thud. Thump.

“……!”

Erica, suddenly regaining her senses, looked around. It was night. A rainy night. It was quiet, and there was a smell of blood somewhere….

“Guh, guhk—”

She did not immediately recognize who was gasping for breath in front of her. Nor did she realize that she was covered in hot, sticky blood.

Kugugung! Kwaang!

As lightning struck, the darkness momentarily cleared, and the face of the person who had met their death was revealed. It was Prime Minister Shatima.

Erica was so shocked that she took a step back. How could you be lying there? And why was she here, standing and not fallen with you?

“E…rica.”

“N-no, no, it can’t be…….”

“…look. You understand.”

“No, it can’t be! Aaaah!”

Kwa-gwang! Kwaang!

Shwaaaa!

Thunder and lightning crashed, and rain poured down like a waterfall. Erica gathered the blood pooling on the ground and wailed.

This couldn’t be happening. What on earth was going on? Shatima was dead! Her death was like the destruction of Hawan’s future and her own future…! Fear, sadness, and a sense of loss were overwhelming.

Even more terrifying was that Erica’s world was distorting again. Once again, time moved quickly and slowly, devouring Erica’s world.

* * *

“Lady Erica?”

The adjutant, who was examining the Hawan army’s formation next to Erica, stopped in surprise. Erica was still commanding the battle with a firm and courageous expression, but a single tear had fallen from the corner of one of her eyes. At the adjutant’s call, Erica turned around with a puzzled look.

“What is it?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

It was truly strange. It seemed that Erica didn’t even know she was crying. Was it a physical reaction caused by the gunpowder that had come from the East? It was a bit potent. Every time it met a spark and exploded with a roar, smoke filled the surroundings.

“What about the Sword Master?”

“It seems he’s not dead yet!”

“That tenacious bastard.”

As if in response to Erica’s mutter, Beric broke through the smoke and leaped into the air. Since he was not a magician, he landed immediately and regained his stance.

Beric shook off his tattered clothes and sniffled. He had been hit in various ways while fighting countless humans and monsters, but this was something else.

“…It’s strange.”

That fire cannon was truly strange. It was almost the maximum physical impact that a human could achieve, and it was imbued with magical power… Beric forgot that he was in the middle of a battle and stood still, stroking his chin.

“Beric!”

Ian, who was approaching the Hawan camp under Hale’s protection, called out to Beric. It was an order not to stand still so dangerously, but to move.

At that, Beric reflexively ran towards the formation, and soon focused and drew his sword. The magical greatsword that had subsided surged greatly.

Chwaaaak!

“Ian! Should I break that?!”

“If possible, no!”

“No? You said no?”

Did he hear wrong? Beric stopped and looked up. Ian was gathering his hands and condensing his magical power.

‘It’s a new weapon. And one that can be fused with magic. It’s significant enough to determine the future of Bariel.’

The primary goal was to preserve it as much as possible and seize it. Of course, if that was difficult, they would have to destroy it so that no one could use it.

‘What kind of magic would be appropriate?’

Binding it with myriad leaves would be good, but the first bullet was fire attribute. Considering the possibility of it being easily broken, it wasn’t a good choice.

Then—

「Rainfall」.

Thud. Thump.

Small drops of rain began to fall from the clear sky. The soldiers looked up in bewilderment, but the sky was still clear. It was such a natural phenomenon that they didn’t even realize it was magic.

“Rain, it’s rain!”

“We’re saved! It’s raining! Oh, Gaia’s god! Please take away that fire!”

“Rain suddenly? Is this also, magic?”

It wasn’t enough to extinguish the flames of the burning reed field, but the Ruswena soldiers added a word each, excited.

At this, Eldert could neither laugh nor cry, and only frowned. It was a fire caused by magic. It didn’t seem to go out easily, but if it was Ian Hiel’s magic, wouldn’t it be worth expecting?

Ziiing!

But as if he had peeked into their expectations, Ian moved his hand and narrowed the range of the rain. Centering on the fire cannon.

“The rain, the rain is getting heavier!”

“Lady Erica!”

“Protect the fuse! Set up tents!”

“Make sure the fire cannon doesn’t get wet!”

“Light the fire and make sure it doesn’t go out!”

As the range narrowed, the rain poured down more intensely. If the fire and gunpowder met to create an attack, wouldn’t it be possible to prevent that from the start?

A magical fire that wouldn’t go out? Then here, there was water that would never dry.

“Hurry!”

At Erica’s shout, the soldiers threw themselves to protect it from getting wet. Some were lighting the fire cannon before it was too late.

Some were frantically setting up tents to block the rain, but as time went on, the range narrowed, and the rain became heavier.

“How many bullets are left?”

“There are three boxes left. 10 bullets per box, 30 in total.”

There were still plenty. When the soldiers, who had barely blocked the rain, sent a signal that they were ready, Erica stretched her hand forward.

“Aim—!”

“Aim!”

“Fire!”

Kwaaang! Kwang!

With a sound like thunder, Erica felt her heart sink as the fire cannon was fired. The death of Prime Minister Shatima that she had seen that day suddenly flashed through her mind.

Squeeze.

Hale straightened his posture as the bullet flew again.

“Lord Ian! If I deflect it a few more times, it will become unusable!”

“Alright. Let’s clear the surroundings.”

“Yes! Then I—”

Shwiik!

Having deflected it once, Hale confidently swung his arm. Then, this time too, the bullet was tightly engaged. Hale glanced back as if he had a good idea, and suddenly shouted to the Bariel magicians.

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

“Yes?”

What for?

It was very easy and fun to mess with the soldiers in the sky. The magicians tilted their heads in bewilderment at Hale’s sudden warning.

Then, Hale released his power and deflected the bullet.

“……!”

The trajectory of the deflected bullet flew straight towards the Ruswena army, and the magicians turned pale and flew high.

Meanwhile, Eldert’s eyes widened instantly as he saw the flying bullet.

“Th—!”

“Get out of the waaaay!”

Kwaaang! Kwang!

Kugugung!

With a tremendous explosion, the Ruswena soldiers were swept away in all directions. Seeing that, Beric exclaimed, ‘Oh,’ and then started running towards Hawan.

“Me too! Me too!”

Let me try that too!

As Beric lunged with his eyes gleaming and his arms spinning, Erica frowned and drew her sword.

“Kill them! Aim!”

“A-Aim!”

Chiiik.

The flame of the fuse was slowly dying out. The soldiers were constantly creating wind with their hands, but the tents were already soaked and water was pouring in. Perhaps, she guessed, this would be the last attack.

“Fireee!”

Kwaaaang!

At Erica’s command, Beric grinned, baring his fangs, and lowered his stance. This time, he would pass it right to Eldert’s head!

O