Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 677

The Last of Elvasa

Ooooh-

Clifford’s soldiers marched, singing an endless round.

Though he hated to admit it, the scenery of Lusswennah was as beautiful as Clifford’s. The open reed fields and the gracefully curved hills… Prince Noah muttered, looking ahead through his telescope.

“We’re almost there.”

“Yes, Your Highness. We should arrive within an hour.”

Maye nodded in agreement.

After losing its capital, Prodohna, to the rift, Clifford had established a temporary capital in the east and had lived peacefully for nearly ten years.

Losing a land with such a deep history to the rift was heartbreaking, but not everything was a complete disadvantage. As it was now, being close to the Lusswennah border had the advantage of allowing them to move easily.

“Keep checking for messages from Bariel, Maye.”

“Of course. I’m making sure nothing is missed.”

The situation in the southeast, centered around Bariel, was extremely chaotic. The Hawan Kingdom had repeated rebellions, which, as Bariel had feared, led to an alliance with Lusswennah. It was the realization of what Emperor Jin had warned when he first set out on the Vergos expedition [a military campaign or journey].

“If Lusswennah and Hawan try to pressure Bariel from the east, Clifford will step in.”

The western part of Lusswennah, bordering Clifford, was far from their capital, Elvasa, so their garrison was weak. They probably thought it was better to focus on Bariel, which was closer to their capital, rather than the declining Clifford. Thanks to that, Prince Noah was able to set foot on Lusswennah’s land without much difficulty.

“Let’s go!”

Neigh!

The place they would use as a base was a small city at the westernmost end of Lusswennah. Clifford had sent soldiers ahead to tell the residents who wanted to live to surrender or evacuate, and those who were willing to give their lives for their country had gladly done so.

Ooooh-

Clifford’s soldiers were relaxed and leisurely, but when they swung their swords, they were steadfast. At Prince Noah’s firm command, the soldiers charged, singing in unison through the vineyards, and easily opened the gates of the small city.

“Where is the lord?”

“It is said that the lord’s castle has been empty for a long time. It seems they have either taken refuge or fled. It seems that a temporarily appointed mayor has been taking care of things, but we will confirm the details further.”

“That’s strange. Even if it’s the western outskirts, it’s not a direct territory of the king, and there’s no lord.”

Noah looked around the old and dilapidated castle and focused on a painting. It was a self-portrait of someone, and it seemed like the eyes had just moved slightly.

“Hmm?”

As Noah frowned and stared at the painting, Maye called out to him.

“Your Highness! This is not the time to be looking at paintings!”

“Ah, yes. I’ll be right there.”

“We’re planning to send an advance team to the capital. Could you come over here and take a look…”

As the two moved away, the eyes in the painting, which had been still, returned to their original position.

‘It seems like there’s no place to take refuge here either.’

The man in the painting sighed, thinking so.

He was a Lusswennah official who had fled from Elvasa. After confirming that Clifford’s soldiers were roaming everywhere in the castle, he had no choice but to return to the royal palace. It was dangerous here and there.

* * *

“Still, there are no mages in the west. You should take refuge there and rather look towards Clifford-”

“No. Look at us! Even if there are no mages over there, can we even fight properly? It might be different if we could take even one dragon with us, but isn’t the number of routes we can cross limited?”

“Then what are you suggesting?”

“I think it’s better to hold out in the royal palace, where there are at least some soldiers and we can contact the ‘Hunters’ [a group of elite warriors or spies]. The dragons and black-armored knights are still intact. What if we try to manage things well now and plan for the future?”

“Are you even saying that? The mages have already invaded right in front of the royal palace! No, Your Majesty. You must go to the west and find a breakthrough.”

“Maybe Toolun will send us mages again. You must hold on. The moment the king abandons the royal palace, things will truly get out of hand, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty! Hurry! Time is of the essence!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Everyone, please-!”

Shut your mouths! It was the moment Eldert was about to shout, grabbing his throbbing head.

Thud! Boom!

The entire royal palace swayed with a tremor that was on a different level than anything felt before. The officials staggered and grabbed the walls, and Eldert also flailed his arms to keep his balance.

“Ugh!”

Unable to watch any longer, one of the ministers left Eldert behind and jumped into the painting first. After a moment of bewilderment, Eldert stepped back after seeing the edge of the painting stained with blood.

“Y-!”

You crazy bastards! He headed towards the stairs. He was thinking of going back up to find the dragon. If the bow was still intact and there were enough arrows, he could outrun the mages chasing him…

Crack!

The ceiling of the main hall, made of a giant glass dome, began to crack. As Eldert looked up, it shattered into pieces as if it had been waiting for that moment.

Clang!

Shards of glass sparkling in the sunlight. It was as beautiful as stars falling in the middle of the day. The situation was not beautiful at all, though.

Eldert hurriedly covered his face with his sleeve. What he could see through the gap were the mages floating above the gaping ceiling, looking down at them.

It felt like being trapped in a toy box. A strong wind shook their hair and robes, but their firm gazes remained unwavering. One of the mages muttered softly.

“We found you, Eldert.”

Even though it was a whisper, it sounded loud. Was it because of the structure of the building? Or was it Eldert’s own delusion, with all his senses heightened? Eldert reflexively pulled out his bow and aimed it at the ceiling.

Swoosh-!

Whoosh!

The trajectory was accurate, but it was just a futile struggle. It was blocked by the mages’ shields and didn’t make a single scratch. The arrow fell helplessly and broke. Eldert’s heart sank for a moment, as if that was his own reflection.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

“Your Majesty! Protect His Majesty!”

“You mages! Where do you think you are!”

“Ah, they’re here again. I told you to clean up properly, didn’t I?”

Shouts close to screams came from outside. They were the black-armored knights who had somehow managed to get close to the royal palace, having shaken off the mages near the barrier. The wind was particularly strong, probably because of the dragon’s flapping wings.

Eldert backed away into the hallway, still looking up at the mages.

Tap tap tap!

It was a maze-like palace. No matter how skilled the mages were, they wouldn’t be able to figure it out easily…

Boom! Bang!

A huge explosion occurred in front of Eldert in the long hallway. The mages’ attack magic, which had come through the window, completely blew away one side of the wall.

The pillars collapsed, and what was once inside was instantly connected to the outside.

“Keep running like that. That way, we can destroy this damn royal palace completely.”

Eldert turned and entered the reception room. A room within a room, and then another room inside that…

Thump! Tap tap tap!

Every time he ran, the attacks of the mages chasing him from outside continued to fly in. The products of hundreds, no, more than that, of years of history were continuously destroyed. The ceiling was twisted as if it would collapse soon, and the pillars of the royal palace were also leaning heavily.

‘Toolun!’

There was no other way now. If he couldn’t go to the west of Lusswennah, he had to use the painting passage that the ‘Hunters’ had used to go to Toolun.

Eldert frantically climbed the spiral staircase.

Tap!

Shadows kept appearing and disappearing through the windows next to the stairs. It was the presence of the mages watching Eldert from outside.

He staggered and barely reached the upper floor, and with a rough gasp, he immediately threw open the door to his office.

Thump!

“… !”

What he faced was-

“You’re later than I thought.”

Ian Hielo, who had arrived first and was looking around the office.

Ian was sitting on the desk, slowly examining the documents. He was checking what the King of Lusswennah had sealed, and whether there was anything he didn’t know about, as if it were his own office.

Eldert stared at Ian, speechless.

“Eldert. You look quite similar to Eriphony.”

Thud.

Ian closed the book he was reading with a sound and muttered. This wasn’t just referring to his long turquoise hair, tall height, and features.

“You don’t know the line.”

Trapped by the name of king, he couldn’t see the line that shouldn’t be crossed. That was the part that resembled Eriphony more than anything else.

“It’s been ten years, but you should remember. In the imperial palace, didn’t you carry the corpse of your dead superior and flee back home? I thought you would know better than anyone what happens when you step on the line that Bariel has drawn-”

Ian laughed coldly.

“It was all my mistake. I underestimated your arrogance too much.”

“Shut up!”

Eldert pulled the bowstring with all his might. The silver string was stretched taut as if it would break at any moment.

It was a very close distance. Ian’s white neck caught Eldert’s eye. If he was lucky, if the gods liked to play with fate, he might be able to make blood flow along that white neckline.

“Hielo is my territory.”

“…”

“They were the ones who lived under my name, and they will be eternal in my memory. Especially my father, who died because of the mages you sent-”

“Ah. Are you calling that lowly beast your father? Haha!”

Eldert interrupted Ian and shouted. An awkward sneer, his body was visibly trembling, but his mouth was still alive.

“…They were the stars of the Great Desert, true warriors, and those who knew justice. They were generous people who could mingle freely with even the lowest of the empire.”

“They’re just beasts! Don’t deny what you can’t deny!”

“And it was also the love that my mother chose.”

Clench!

Eldert’s hand, which was pulling the bowstring, trembled greatly. The tension now was a kind of cliff. If he let go, if he attacked Ian Hielo, he would fall off a steep cliff.

Whether the end was death or an opportunity leading to another path, it was clear that he was at a crossroads.

“Eldert.”

Ian looked at him with a pitiful expression and smiled.

“How should I kill you?”

“… !”

“Should I cut your waist open while you’re wide awake, like my father? So that all the people of Lusswennah will forever remember your foolish choice. Or should I bury you without knowing if you’re dead or alive, so that you’ll be recorded as a king who abandoned his country and fled?”

“Y-you-!”

“I have too many choices. I can’t choose which one will make you the most miserable.”

“Shut up!”

Eldert shouted and was about to release the bowstring.

But at that moment-

Twang!

Hale, who had approached Eldert from behind, lightly cut his bowstring. The silver string bounced roughly and grazed Eldert’s cheek, and he staggered in pain, screaming.

It was a fleeting moment. Ian quickly grabbed Eldert’s neck and slammed him against the wall.

Bang!

Half-collapsed, Eldert tried to regain his posture, but he couldn’t move an inch due to the overwhelming magic that was pressing down on his entire body. To this small child, I…

Buzz, buzz!

Ian’s golden eyes blazed. The hand that was gripping his neck continued to tighten, and Eldert’s neck and eyes turned red.

Ian engraved the image of the King of Lusswennah falling into death in his eyes and whispered softly.

“Tell Eriphony. Your world has collapsed.”