Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 698

Clark held the compass, surveying their surroundings. The advance troops, already exhausted, sat on rocks, sleeves rolled up, while the horses snorted irritably.

The river was right beside them, but it was as good as poison, utterly useless. The musty stench seemed to make their nerves even more frayed.

“Is the compass still the same?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem to be broken.”

“Are we really going to keep heading north? I think we’ve already crossed the Burgos border. We haven’t seen a single soul for days. If Toolun finds out, it could be a problem, so I think we should head back around here.”

“We’re also running low on water, so I agree.”

They could hunt for food, but water was another matter. Unless they moved away from that filthy river, even spring water would be undrinkable.

Eileen, too, looked exhausted as she fiddled with her sword. It seemed right to turn back here, but-

“I can’t go back.”

She couldn’t. Clark’s resolve was too firm.

His words made the soldiers retort irritably.

“Let’s stop this, okay?”

He wasn’t part of the Variel army, nor did he seem to be of any noble birth. The soldiers had been awkward, unsure how to treat Clark.

But this situation was different. If they went any further, they’d all die of thirst. Noble or not, what did he mean by not being able to turn back?

“I came by the Emperor’s order, so I cannot return until I achieve my goal. Isn’t that the duty of a subordinate?”

“Oh, come on, Mr. Clark. You talk about duty?”

As the soldiers raised their voices, Eileen sighed. It was finally happening.

“You shouldn’t be saying that! We’re risking our lives in a foreign land for our country, but aren’t you doing this to get a pardon?”

If he went north and investigated the Osu, they would clear his past ties to Rutherford and send him to Merelop immediately.

Clark’s lips tightened as he glared at the soldiers, who glared back just as fiercely. As the tension mounted, Eileen stepped between them, blocking them with her sword.

“Getting angry will only drain your strength.”

“Anyway, we’ve done enough, and we’ll have to report that there’s nothing to report. I volunteered to protect my family from the threats to Variel, not to follow some Osu and die of thirst!”

The other soldiers agreed.

The formation itself had been unreasonable from the start. Even if they had the same goal, it would be hard to keep going, but their goals were clearly different. The soldiers needed to return to live, while Clark needed to go north to live.

“We’re done here, and we’re going back. Mr. Clark, you choose. We won’t stop you if you want to go alone.”

Clark put away the compass and began to pack his belongings, showing his determination not to return.

The soldiers sighed quietly and grabbed their horses’ reins.

“Eileen, what about you?”

“Ah. I-”

Eileen looked back and forth between Clark and the soldiers, then resigned herself, saying it couldn’t be helped.

“I came here to prepare for the possible purification of monsters. If the investigation continues, I will go with it.”

“Don’t do that, come with us. You’ll die a dog’s death if you stay here.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a while since I sent a messenger bird, so please hurry back and report the situation. I think they might advance from Calamat towards Toolun. If they do, we can naturally join them.”

Tsk. She’s stubborn too. The soldiers gave up trying to persuade her and quickly mounted their horses. There was no reason to delay since they were going back. They didn’t even say goodbye as they galloped back the way they came.

Clatter, clatter!

“Why don’t you go back?”

Swish!

Clark asked, cutting through the dense undergrowth with his dagger. Eileen followed behind, using her sword to clear away branches.

“I told you, I have a role to play. And all rivers eventually connect.”

The soldiers said it wasn’t for Variel, but Eileen couldn’t agree. Nature was organically connected, and that meant it was a problem for both Variel and Gaia.

“Ah.”

Clark, who was walking ahead, stopped, sensing something. He sharpened the edge of his dagger and slowly extended it forward. Then, the air rippled like the surface of water. His dagger appeared on the other side.

“…A barrier.”

It was similar to the one in Purpato. A barrier that wouldn’t allow external entry, returning everything that tried to pass through.

Eileen wiped the sweat dripping down her chin and frowned, puzzled.

“It seems we’re almost there. We have to go through here to follow the river.”

She instinctively knew they were close to the source of the Osu. Otherwise, this phenomenon was hard to explain.

Clark threw himself at the barrier several times, but was repeatedly bounced back.

“Just a moment.”

“It seems this is the end. We should get help from the magic department-”

Swoosh.

Eileen, unable to watch any longer, loosened her body and stepped forward. Unlike Clark, she passed through smoothly without being repelled.

Clark was surprised and tried to grab Eileen’s sleeve, but missed.

“Eileen?!”

“Huh? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can hear you fine. It seems I can’t go inside.”

Though they couldn’t see each other, they could still talk. Eileen looked around, finding the surroundings no different from outside, and lowered her stance. Then, in the distance, she spotted a towering white temple.

“…It seems to be a temple barrier.”

“A temple?”

It was the Masantar Temple, southeast of Toolun. The place where Rutherford and King Damon’s secrets lay, and where Toolun’s ruling class resided.

Eileen felt a strange sense of unease, her stomach churning. The square temple, standing tall and majestic, should have been the most sacred thing, yet it wasn’t.

“It seems I can enter because I have divine power. Mr. Clark, would you wait here for a moment? The waterway is connected to the temple…”

Eileen trailed off, looking at the trickling stream. It was noticeably clearer than the water near Burgos. She realized that the temple was the source of the Osu.

“It seems they’re up to something over there.”

“It’s dangerous to go alone.”

“But you can’t come in.”

Eileen tightened her bootlaces and hair, steeling her resolve. Clark bit his lip, frustrated that he couldn’t help.

“We just need to do what we can.”

With that, Eileen carefully moved towards the temple.

As soon as she disappeared, Clark looked around and ran south, back the way they came. The Variel soldiers couldn’t have gone far yet. He needed to quickly inform the main force of the Masantar Temple’s location to help Eileen.

Swoosh.

Meanwhile, Eileen hid behind a tree, listening intently. All she could hear were birds chirping. It looked so peaceful on the surface, but what was happening here?

Then it happened.

“Drain-!”

A huge rumble came from the temple. Then, a small vibration echoed from somewhere, and the water flow gradually intensified. Drain? They were draining water from inside the temple…

“… !”

The clear water gradually became murky. Those things would travel a long journey and kill the lands of Burgos and Cliffport. Eileen, without thinking, picked up a nearby stone and-

Splash!

She jumped into the water without hesitation.

The Osu was flowing, but it was still manageable. If she could build a small dam, she might buy some time. Eileen moved stones, soaked to the bone.

Swish! Swish!

The sound of her pants cutting through the water echoed repeatedly.

Then, in the distance, dark things began to surge. The water’s movement was relentless, and it was too much for Eileen to stop alone. As she wondered what to do, staring at the dark water, it happened.

“You-”

“… !”

The water in front of Eileen surged, and a human figure appeared. It was the water spiritist, Banusa.

Banusa looked down at Eileen with a dumbfounded expression and asked,

“What on earth are you doing here?”

Whoosh!

Instead of answering, Eileen swung her sword, but she couldn’t cut Banusa, who had turned into water. However, the tip of her sword cleanly cut through the flowing Osu, and then something amazing happened.

Swish!

The part of the Osu that touched the sword was purified. The water droplets that splashed up were clear and clean, reflecting the two of them clearly. Eileen and Banusa’s eyes widened at the same time.

“Ah!”

Could the Osu be related to monsters? If so, then she, as a paladin, could purify it. It would be impossible alone, but she wasn’t the only paladin in the world.

“I asked what you were doing here.”

“That’s what I should be asking! Do you know how many people the Osu flowing from here is killing?”

Eileen straightened her posture and pointed her sword at Banusa. Not knowing she was a spiritist, she saw her as a monster.

Banusa tilted her head as if thinking, then grabbed Eileen’s hair.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Let go of me!”

“Lady Banusa! Is something wrong?”

“We heard a commotion!”

The guards in front of the temple, sensing something suspicious, rushed over. Banusa pushed Eileen into the water, then casually turned her body halfway.

“It’s nothing. Go back and guard your posts.”

Ugh! Ugh! Eileen was disoriented as water filled her nose and mouth, but she realized that this strange person was trying to hide her. Why? What for?

The temple people agreed and went back, and Banusa grabbed Eileen’s hair and pulled her out.

“Phew! Hah!”

Eileen crawled to the water’s edge, gasping for breath.

Banusa saw that the area where they had been standing was clean and was convinced. This woman had purification abilities. As Eileen stepped out of the water, the Osu flowed down again.

“You’re not a mage.”

“Haa, haa…”

“You’re from Variel, aren’t you?”

So what if she was? Eileen glared at Banusa and wiped her mouth.

“How insolent.”

“You’re the one disrupting the order with Osu, so you have no right to say that.”

“Follow me.”

Banusa gestured with her head as she walked towards the back of the temple.

Eileen suddenly realized that her clothes weren’t wet. She had clearly been standing in the river with her just a moment ago.

“If you want to be caught by the temple people, keep standing there.”

Swoosh.

With that, Banusa turned the corner and disappeared.

Eileen frowned as she looked at the increasingly murky river, but she had to admit that she had no choice. She immediately picked up her sword and ran towards the path where Banusa had disappeared.

Even as she ran, simple but clear clues were forming in her mind.

‘Osu that is purified by divine power… It’s likely the remains of a monster. If that’s flowing from the temple, it means there’s a connection to a rift somewhere here.’