Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 707

Clatter, clatter!

Neigh!

Cedric lowered his body, adjusting to the horse’s rough movements, and glanced upwards.

Mages, their robes fluttering, floated gracefully in the sky. Like a flock of migratory birds with a clear destination, they maintained a steady formation, never wavering.

“Is something wrong?” Aierin asked, running beside him.

“…No.”

Her roughly tied brown hair swayed stylishly. It would have looked even better if not for the mottled black spots that marred her pale skin. Cedric spoke to Aierin casually.

“I’m here to escort Lady Aierin, so please, speak freely.”

“Yes? What do you mean? I’m just a soldier, and you’re a magic swordsman. I’m a bit surprised you’d say that to me.”

“I’m just a trainee. There’s no need to be so formal.”

Cedric said this, looking at Beric running ahead. That crazy man. He was keeping pace with them on horseback.

Would he ever be like that? Really? It seemed like Beric was a special case. Aierin, noticing his gaze, asked,

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?”

“Yes, well. It would be a lie to say otherwise.”

“They shine even brighter on the battlefield. Cedric, I sincerely congratulate you on joining the Royal Guard. It’s a very honorable position.”

Honorable? Honestly, he wasn’t sure yet. He was a little surprised when Beric smashed the temple’s barrier, but that was it. Awe and surprise.

Honor must be something else entirely.

“You don’t have to answer, do you?”

“Hahaha. Yes, of course.”

Aierin chuckled softly. She had seen, heard, and felt how they had cut down monsters on the northern plains, how they had found solutions in seemingly impossible situations, and how their very existence was a blessing to Bariel.

Beric, running ahead, sniffed and shouted,

“Ian! We’re here!”

“Yeah. I see it.”

At his call, Ian responded with a wave.

In the distance, the water pillar of Banusa began to appear. Towering so high that it seemed to touch the end of the sky, it resembled a stationary tornado.

“Ian, what should we do?”

“Beric will lead the way.”

“Beric! You go first!”

“Me? Why?”

There are tons of magic users, why me?

At his question, the mages frowned in annoyance. Has that guy been saying ‘why’ all the time lately?

“You’re the one who cut that thing down! You know it better than us!”

“It’s Ian’s order, you idiot!”

“Ah. So, it’s like, ‘the one who’s eaten meat knows how to eat it well,’ right? Got it! Stick close behind me!”

Whoosh!

Zzzing! Bang!

Beric once again released his magic power and leaped forward. Then, fierce flames swirled around him. Sparks ignited where he passed, and soon, intense heat enveloped the surroundings.

Cedric and Aierin, who were unprepared, distanced themselves and covered their faces with their sleeves. But-

“What are you doing?!”

“Oh.”

Even with Beric’s flames, Banusa’s barrier remained solid. The area where the flames touched turned into steam, creating smoke, but that was all.

Whoosh! Swish!

It wasn’t deep enough to enter the temple, and even if it was cut, it would instantly restore itself, leaving no gap.

While Beric continued to swing his sword, the mages landed lightly and approached.

“Man, this is tougher than I thought? Hey! You guys! We have guests! Welcome them!”

“Use some power.”

“Then you try it.”

It was deep, but just a stream of water. The mages also rolled up their sleeves one by one and released their magic power to break through the barrier.

Boom! Bang!

The water stream was disrupted by the strong force, but it quickly returned to its original state. Moreover-

“Is it only about 10 meters thick? Can’t we just pass through without cutting it?”

“Are you kidding? It’s an unidentified sewage. And look closely inside. It’s easier to see because the water is murky.”

“Oh. It’s a whirlpool.”

“If we’re not careful, we could drown standing up.”

“Hmm. Then what should we do?”

They muttered, turning to look at Ian. The boy stood still, looking up at the endless stream of water. After a moment of thought, Ian instructed Hale.

“…Create a shield.”

“How far up do you mean?”

“Above our heads. Have Aierin and Cedric come over here too.”

Hale stretched out his hand and deployed a shield, and the mages gathered around. Aierin, Cedric, and even Beric. They didn’t know what Ian was going to do, but since he told them to deploy a shield, it was wise to stay inside.

Swoosh.

Ian lightly lifted his fingertips and drew a magic circle in the air. Following his gestures, golden lines moved smoothly.

Cedric’s eyes, seeing a magic circle up close for the first time, widened slightly. His golden eyes, reflecting the light, sparkled more than ever.

「Freezing」.

Tap. Ian lightly touched the sewage barrier with his fingertip, and from that point, the water began to freeze rapidly.

The area, which had been hot because of Beric, cooled down instantly, and Aierin unconsciously clutched her sleeve and shrank back. It was a burden for an ordinary person without magic power to just be near that energy.

Whoosh!

As the water froze solid, the whirlpool stopped. The mages immediately understood what Ian wanted, and Hale made the shield above their heads even more solid.

“Ian, I’ll take care of the rest-”

“It’s done.”

Zzzing!

Stopping Beric, who was about to step forward, Ian put magic power into his fist and struck down with all his might.

Crack!

Crack! Snap!

Then, the frozen sewage mass made cracking sounds, and soon, sharp icicles fell like rain. They landed cleanly on the shield above their heads, created by Hale.

Thud! Thud!

The mages just watched with wide eyes. Would the shield break? They all looked at Hale worriedly, but he just shrugged his shoulders with a rolled cigarette in his mouth.

“Ian is going first.”

“Ah! Ian! Let’s go together!”

The water from the unfrozen source continued to rush in, filling the gaps. It meant they had to enter quickly when it was broken. The mages scurried after Ian, and Aierin and Cedric also quickly threw themselves into the water. As soon as they entered, the shield closed again.

“It seems it won’t disappear until Banusa withdraws its power. Ian, there! It’s the entrance.”

“Beric. Did the last people you saw go in that way?”

“Yeah. That guy named Raju and all his subordinates went in there. I don’t know where Banusa went. They’re probably together, right?”

Following Ian’s gaze, the mages also focused on the entrance. It was suspiciously quiet, and there was no reaction. The temple entrance was empty, and there were no obstacles. It was as if they were just supposed to enter.

“It’s a trap.”

“Shit, it’s a trap.”

Even if they had eyes on the back of their heads, they would know that it was a trap. The mages clicked their tongues and cautiously looked around.

“Ian, but if we want to investigate, we have no choice but to go inside.”

“Should we just smash everything? If we cause a ruckus, they’ll come crawling out, won’t they?”

“No. We might not be able to clean up the sewage and get into trouble. You never know. There might be another path in the basement, and they might have already escaped. If that’s the case, we should chase them right away.”

Ian stared silently at the dark entrance and nodded as if he had made a decision.

“Form a scouting party.”

“Yes, just give the word.”

“Beric, Hale, and Tommy, Nakina.”

“We’re ready.”

“Nakina, are you okay? It seemed like your magic power wasn’t fully recovered.”

“What do you take me for? Don’t worry. Ian, I’m in top condition.”

At Ian’s call, Tommy and Nakina put on their gloves and lightly stretched. Hale did the same. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his outer pocket and put it in his back pocket.

“The scouting party will enter first, and the rest will follow, maintaining a certain distance from the entrance. Cedric and Aierin, you two will be last, in charge of the entrance.”

It was like a line. Even if something happened to the scouting party, it would be easy to share the situation with those behind. Since the mages could communicate through magic power, a wide distance wouldn’t be a big problem.

“Let’s go, Beric. Lead the way.”

“Okay. I guess my reflexes are good. I’ll be back! Keep your wits about you, okay? Keep a lookout.”

Beric pointed at his eyes with two fingers, indicating that he would watch carefully, then pointed at Cedric. Nakina kicked him in the butt, telling him to hurry up and go.

“First fork in the road.”

“We’ll stay here.”

“Good. Jang and Sarga will stand in the central corridor on the first floor.”

“We’re going down!”

While the mages took their places one by one, Ian’s group continued to descend. Beric, who was walking in front, repeatedly gagged at the unpleasant smell that was gradually rising.

“Ugh! Ueegh!”

“Ugh, that’s disgusting. What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you smell it?”

“What smell?”

Beric frowned, not knowing exactly what it was. It was familiar, but it made him nauseous…

“It’s a rotten smell.”

He couldn’t define it.

As Beric muttered, the mages tensed up and strengthened their guard. Even though he had a bad temper, he had an amazing sense of smell.

Even if that wasn’t the case, it was a place where there could be some danger. Since the basement was connected to the god and Rutherford, it certainly wouldn’t be a trivial danger.

“Second basement floor, we’ll stay here. Please be careful.”

Tap tap!

“Third basement floor! If anything happens, let us know right away. We’re going down!”

Tap! Tap!

“Ugh! 4… 4th floor! We’re the last ones.”

“From now on, only the scouting party goes down.”

“Yes, everyone be careful! It’s too dark!”

The mages felt more nauseous as they went deeper underground. Ian also narrowed his eyes and minimized his breathing.

“Huh? There!”

It could be called the last basement floor. Instead of stairs leading down, there was an empty space in front of them. And a faint light in the distance. A blue light flickered through a half-open door.

“Those damn bastards. How far did they dig?”

“Ian, let’s go.”

Squeak.

Hale opened the door. Then, a huge wall, a tank filled with water, was revealed.

An aquarium? There’s water behind a glass wall? Hale, Tommy, and Nakina were overwhelmed by the strange and amazing sight and stared blankly at it.

“Ha…”

On the other hand, Ian let out a dumbfounded laugh because the blue flickering scene was very familiar.

‘Isn’t that the Abyss Sea?’

He didn’t know how there was a passage connected to the sea here. Just as Ian was about to take a step forward-

Wham!

The door they had entered closed on its own.

And then, the priests slowly appeared. They were looking down at Ian’s group solemnly from the upper floor.

“Are you Ian Hielro?”

He didn’t know who was speaking, but it was probably the high priest.

“Yes. I am Ian Hielro.”

“We have been waiting for a very long time.”

“As long as you waited for my mother?”

A faint smile spread and echoed at Ian’s question.

“Of course. But I didn’t expect you to come here yourself. Did you miss that day ten years ago?”

That day when he dived into the Abyss Sea?

The high priest’s voice echoed, moving from ear to ear, but Ian did not react calmly. He just smiled faintly and looked at the sea in front of him. And then he said.

“Yes. I miss it. How could I forget that day ten years ago when Arsen was dying? It was all thanks to you, so I want to express my gratitude now.”

Ian added with a sneer.

“So, you’re showing yourself? Even if you hide like beasts in the basement, aren’t you still human? Ah. Or are you not?”