Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 676

Erica clutched at her heart.

It felt as though it was being shattered into fragments, completely crushed. The nerve endings all over her body were screaming warnings. If she reached the goal she was striving for, only complete death awaited her.

“E-Erica!”

“Why are you suddenly like this? Are you alright?”

“Hey, get a stretcher here-”

“No!”

As her aides tried to support her, Erica roughly pushed them away. No one was to touch her. She was already struggling to focus on herself, and she wouldn’t allow any distractions.

Then, once again, Erica flinched at the command that echoed in her ears.

-Go back.

A clear voice that reminded her of white. Erica knew that if she followed it, the throbbing of her heart would stop, and the deep-seated anxiety would subside. It would be like the cheap peace given to the defeated.

-Erica.

Tears streamed down Erica’s face. The clearer her memories became, the more vivid the death of that day became.

‘Shatima…’

Her blood-soaked clothes, her disheveled hair, and her eyes waiting for death… She was someone who had lived for Hawan and had held her hand.

And she had done that to such a person with her own hands…

“Ughhh! Ughhh!”

“S-step back!”

Erica writhed in guilt and began to convulse, causing the aides around her to step back in surprise.

She lay on the floor, clutching at the area near her pounding heart. If she followed the whispering command, she would surely be fine, but, well. Was it really worth living like that?

-No.

She barely turned her head to look up at her aides. They, who had no idea what was going on, were looking down at her with fearful eyes.

“Immediately, retreat and send word to the mages. That is what we will do.”

-Erica!

“This is not the path Hawan should take. If I ever try to go against what I just said-”

Erica took out a dagger and cut her palm. The brief pain made her mind even clearer. Then, the voice in her ear grew louder and louder.

-You can’t!

“…You can kill me.”

Ping!

At that moment, she felt something snap somewhere in her body. She had expected her heart to break, but what she felt was a sense of relief.

Erica’s eyes widened slightly, and then she murmured again as if making a resolution.

“Even if I die, Hawan’s path will continue.”

Ping!

The white voice shouted something, but it only sounded like a muffled hum. It was a strange feeling, as if a thread had been cut.

Soon, Erica’s eyes, which held the world, began to sparkle. Something had finally awakened. It felt like a dream, or perhaps a transparent veil. Whatever it was, what mattered was that Erica’s world was returning to its complete state.

“E-Erica.”

“Ah.”

Erica turned her head sharply. She watched the retreating soldiers, then quickly got to her feet.

“I’m fine. Continue the retreat. But don’t signal to the Hielo or Merelov territories, and wait in the Great Desert.”

“Understood.”

“You too, cross the border first. I need to meet Ian Hielo.”

“What? What do you mean, Erica!”

Thud!

Erica ignored her aides’ protests and immediately mounted her horse. She had to resolve the misunderstanding as quickly as possible. She needed to explain why Hawan had sided with Lusswennah and attacked them, and how the situation in Hawan was unfolding.

If she was to fulfill Shatima’s wishes, Hawan should not turn its back on Bariel. And she, as a former investigator of the Bariel Imperial Palace, could not stand idly by.

Thud thud!

Neigh!

Pushing through the soldiers retreating towards the border, Erica headed alone into the middle of the battlefield. She waved the Hawan flag high to call the mages, but they were too far away and the noise was too loud for them to easily notice. If they had been chasing Hawan, there wouldn’t have been a problem.

“Ian Hielo! Mages, listen!”

“Waaaah!”

“Please, look this way!”

“Retreat! Retreat!”

Clang! Clang!

Erica’s shouts were easily drowned out. She gritted her teeth, leaned close to her horse, and kicked its flanks hard. She wanted to go faster.

Thud thud!

And then, Erica sensed a strange energy behind her. One of her aides was following her. At first glance, it seemed like they were following her out of concern, but she was certain.

‘Another doll.’

A doll hidden in Hawan, who had lost their reason like her. They were trying to kill her before she, who had freed herself from the puppetry, could spread the method of breaking free.

Erica swallowed hard and shouted.

“Everyone, listen! Do not fear death, just move forward! This is a deception!”

“Waaaah!”

“If you fear and succumb, you will never escape! Just once, just once, please have your own will-!”

The soldiers retreated, shouting, without even realizing what Erica was yelling.

The aide’s pursuit was getting faster. Erica drew her sword, prepared for an attack, and continued to rush towards where the mages were.

“The idea that you will break is an illusion!”

Thud thud!

Swish! Clang!

Finally, the aide, who had caught up right next to her, swung his sword at her.

Erica parried with all her might, but she couldn’t completely shake him off. A couple more exchanges followed.

Clang! Clang!

“Hey, are you listening? Don’t be afraid, defy the command! If you do-”

“…Shut up!”

“You idiot! You son of a bitch!”

Swish!

Erica’s sword cut off the aide’s left arm, and at the same time, his sword tore through Erica’s back.

The soldiers were bewildered by what was happening, but they couldn’t stop their retreat. They could only glance back.

Erica staggered greatly, but she grabbed the reins and regained her balance.

“Hyah!”

Thud thud!

Neigh!

Just a little further, and she could reach the mages.

* * *

While Erica was rushing towards the Lusswennah wall, the mages were flying around the chaotic battlefield, trying to sort out the situation. Their first targets were the dragons, the black-armored knights, and the archers firing Idgal arrows [arrows imbued with magic].

While the mages’ World Tree [a magical construct] was swirling madly, dealing with them, Beric was the first to climb onto the collapsed wall.

“Kyahah! I’m first!”

“Beric, don’t be cocky, push through to the next wall! From here, I can see at least two more walls before the palace.”

“What? That many? But we don’t have any soldiers? Is there really a need to push through?”

“Reinforcements are coming from the center, so we need to prepare for later! And besides, did they have a reason to smash Hielo to pieces?”

“I guess you’re right!”

“Tommy, Jang! Stick with me behind Eldert.”

“Yes, Captain Hale!”

“The rest of you, clear things up and come in!”

Hale gave those instructions to the mages and flew over the second wall. Idgal arrows rained down mercilessly, but they couldn’t stop them.

Beric, who had climbed up the wall with great effort, grabbed a soldier by the collar just as he was about to shoot an arrow and threw him down.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

“If you want to live, jump down yourself!”

“It’s a magic swordsman! The magic swordsman has climbed the second wall on the east!”

“H-how did he do that?”

“Kill him! Magic swordsmen also use magic, so Idgal weapons will work on him! Attack him all together!”

“W-waaaah!”

The courage was admirable, but the reality was miserable. Beric moved his body lightly, like a cat playing with a swarm of mice, and dropped the soldiers down the wall. Then, he looked at the door with the firmly locked latch and signaled to the mages.

“I’m going down to smash the door!”

“Be careful! I can’t see you from here!”

“Okay! Don’t worry about a thing!”

It was clear at a glance that the tide had turned. The Lusswennah soldiers seemed to be struggling to survive rather than fighting against the mages.

Ian was about to cross over the wall with the mages when he felt something and stopped.

“What is it, Ian?”

“…It’s nothing.”

The Hawan army was safely crossing the border and leaving the battlefield. It would be better to quickly clear Lusswennah and chase after them. Ian flew higher and spotted the Lusswennah Royal Palace in the distance.

“I see the Royal Palace!”

“I see.”

Zzzing! Zzzing!

Ian, who was in a straight line with the Royal Palace, gathered his magic with both hands. And without hesitation, he shot a white beam of light towards the main gate of the Royal Palace.

Swish!

However, the attack that was heading straight was blocked and refracted near the last wall. An invisible, transparent barrier had been created.

It didn’t seem to be the power of the Lusswennah mages, but rather a barrier maintained by magic stones, like the border. Ian made a judgment.

“There must be something similar in the Royal Palace. It would be easier to destroy the magic stones below it than to break the barrier.”

“Yes, Ian!”

“Beric, clear things up and follow me.”

“Okay! See you at the Royal Palace, Ian!”

Instead of answering, Ian quickly flew up and approached the last wall.

Meanwhile, Eldert, who had taken refuge inside the last wall, suddenly looked back. A huge beam of light had fallen as if it would strike him at any moment, but it was blocked by the barrier and disappeared. It felt like he had experienced death right in front of his eyes.

“Hurry to the Royal Palace!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The center of the Lusswennah capital, which could be seen below the wall. The people were running out into the streets in a panic. The fact that the main force, which they had believed would bring victory, had not even crossed the border was a great shock to them.

Eldert bit his lip and straightened his gaze.

Swish!

As the dragon landed in the courtyard of the Royal Palace, Eldert quickly ran into the palace.

“Your Highness, this way!”

There was a magic stone portal that led to the western outskirts of Elvasa, the capital of Lusswennah. It was best to escape through it first, and then plan for the future. Whether the mage they had taken from that damned Toorun would return, and how Hawan would help them, and so on.

Eldert went down to the basement of the Royal Palace with his staff and entered deep into the warehouse.

“I will check first, Your Highness.”

The official extended his hand into the portal first to see if the place connected to the portal was safe.

Clang! Bang!

At that moment, the entire Royal Palace shook violently. It was clear that the mages had broken through the outer wall and had come all the way here. Eldert, who was getting impatient, just stared at the official.

“Why isn’t he coming out?”

“T-that’s what I’m saying. Could something have happened…?”

“What is going on in the western outskirts-!”

“Your Highness!”

Just then, the official who had gone in first rushed out of the portal in a panic. His pale face suggested that there was a problem.

“I-I don’t think it will work.”

“What do you mean it won’t work?”

“I-it’s the Clifford army. It seems they have invaded the western outskirts. It’s too noisy everywhere, if we go in…”

“What?”

Eldert’s head went numb.

Yes, why had he forgotten about Clifford? From the beginning, Bariel’s true ally was bordering the west. Just as Hawan had pushed down, Clifford could also put pressure on Lusswennah.

“T-this-”

Damn it! Eldert covered his head and froze on the spot. As the Bariel mages continued their attacks to break the barrier, he felt his mind turning white.

At that time, the finishing touches were being made outside the Royal Palace.

Swish!

“Captain Hale! The last one!”

“Break it!”

Zzzing! Boom!

Hale and Tommy poured out their magic at the same time, and the transparent barrier shattered with a crash. The old-fashioned Royal Palace was exposed.

Hale, saying that they were almost there, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and nodded.

“Search inside and outside the Royal Palace. Find Eldert.”