Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 73

A ravine where the dense trees and leaves blocked out the sky.

A man slipped on the mossy rocks and fell. At the same time, the people following behind him tumbled down in a heap.

Thud!

“Ughhh!”

“Watch out!”

“Seriously, can’t you look where you’re going?”

“Tsk tsk. Hey, are you alright?”

The procession, formed by groups of people, was so long that the end was not in sight. Most were merchants, but there were also quite a few who had paid to hitch a ride to other regions.

“Can you get up?”

“Yes, thank you.”

A man grabbed the arm of a fallen woman and helped her up. Her head was tilted up, covered by a hood. She was dressed in the typical style of a woman from the Hawan Kingdom.

A member of the caravan shouted as he reorganized the disorderly line.

“Keep moving! The further back you are, the more congested it gets!”

“Yes, yes, we’re going. When are we getting out of here?”

“We just got in. It’ll take at least a week.”

“The wheel is stuck here! Push from behind!”

It wasn’t just people moving. Boxes that couldn’t be loaded onto carts had to be dragged with ropes, and rare beasts in iron cages, foreign furniture, and heavy raw stones were a definite burden on the procession.

The woman brushed off her hands and grumbled inwardly.

‘Ha. Seriously… I was a fool for happily eating that meat.’

From now on, she would never, no matter what, eat the meat that Kakanthir gave her. Soo clenched her teeth and touched the gulla powder she had stashed in her pocket. It had been two days since they departed from the Hawan Kingdom. She had roughly learned how the merchant caravan’s march proceeded.

‘Three meals a day. And for dinner, they always boil a stew with all the leftovers.’

She had also brought gulla powder, which caused food poisoning, and the poison of the yellow scorpion. Her goal was to use these to keep the procession stuck in the ravine as long as possible. If they turned back, she would be even more grateful.

“The sun is already setting.”

Since it was a remote area, darkness descended fiercely as soon as the sun set. The vice-captain checked his watch and clicked his tongue. At this rate, they might not get out within a week.

“Alright! We’ll rest here for today. Prepare dinner. Don’t wander too far, and find your own places to sleep.”

“Ugh, I’m dying. I’m dying.”

“Who the heck ordered this? Damn it!”

“Who else? Some unknown noble, I guess.”

As soon as the order to rest was given, everyone dropped their luggage and groaned. Soo was an outsider who had hitched a ride, so she didn’t have a stretcher, but the caravan members were each responsible for carrying things that were as big as they were.

“Excuse me…”

Soo cautiously approached the area where meals were being prepared. A large pot was filled with all the leftovers from the day.

“Is there anything I can help with? Even though I paid, everyone seems to be having a hard time…”

Her inner thoughts were screaming about how she was supposed to eat that garbage, but Soo tried her best to be gentle and kind. This was why Kakanthir had chosen her.

‘Kakan knows you are responsible. It will surely be a cold and arduous task. Other warriors have fiery tempers and might find it hard to endure, but it’s different for you.’

‘And above all, aren’t you the fastest in Cheonryeo [a fictional region]? This is a solo operation, so if a problem arises, you must escape instead of dealing with it. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know anyone else but you.’

He must have been crazy. She had been tricked by Ian’s sweet talk and was now suffering like this. Going to the Hawan Kingdom was one thing, but traveling with the caravan was the worst of the worst.

“Help? Hmm.”

“Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Then, can you hold this for a moment?”

A caravan member glanced at Soo with suspicion, but soon, perhaps because he was too tired, he decided to accept her offer. Above all, she seemed much more helpful than the men scratching their crotches over there.

“Are you sure it’s not too heavy?”

“Not at all… well, it’s a little heavy, but I’m fine.”

“Wait here.”

Soo smiled awkwardly as she supported the pot. The caravan members in charge of cooking glanced at Soo for a moment, but soon they were busy moving around, preparing dinner.

Swoosh.

She put one hand into her pocket and found the gulla powder. Then, she naturally poured the contents into the pot.

A caravan member who had brought the seasoning looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“You can put it down now. Were you holding it all this time?”

“Oh my.”

‘You son of a bitch… you told me to hold it.’

Soo tried her best to suppress the wrinkles forming on her forehead and smiled. The man was impressed by the woman’s strength and then roughly stirred the contents with a ladle. The gulla powder mixed into the stew.

“Let’s start serving! Who’s on duty today?”

“I don’t know. You can do it again.”

“You bastard, I didn’t even eat dinner yesterday!”

“I’ll do it. I’m not very hungry.”

“What? You?”

When Soo offered her help, even offering her arm, the caravan member was bewildered but readily handed over the ladle. The person on serving duty could only eat if there was food left over, so there was no reason to refuse.

Tap tap tap!

“Alright, everyone, line up!”

“Who is she?”

“An outsider who joined us from Hawan.”

Soo greeted people with a friendly smile as she waved the pot around. If she saw any clumps of gulla powder that hadn’t dissolved properly, she would carefully crush them with the ladle.

“Hey, it’s a bit bland.”

“Really? Just a moment. Would you like to sprinkle some of this?”

She even showed off her ability to sprinkle gulla powder on those who asked for more seasoning. The man ate the stew with the gulla powder and then widened his eyes.

“…This is!”

‘Oh no, did he notice?’

“…Wh-what’s wrong?”

“It’s perfectly seasoned. Thank you.”

The man turned away, giving her a thumbs up. Soo sighed in dismay and continued to stir the ladle. Everyone had to get sick so she could return to the desert…

“Hahaha! This meal is delicious!”

“Can I have another bowl? Burp.”

Unaware of Soo’s feelings, the laughter of those relieving their fatigue echoed through the forest. Awoo- It sounded like a wolf was howling in the distance.

* * *

Mereloff Estate.

“Mommy, I’m hungry.”

“Hold this. Don’t chew it. Dinner will be ready soon.”

At the child’s whimper, the mother took out a long, dried piece of meat. After sucking on it a couple of times, the child couldn’t help but chew it because of the savory taste.

“Hey, I told you not to chew it!”

“Waaah!”

The child burst into tears at the mother’s harsh scolding.

It wasn’t just this house. The same was true for the house next door, the house in front, and the house behind. The price of a disastrous harvest was this great. Foreign trade was the main economy, but still…

“We’re doomed.”

“I know. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Wasn’t it like this last year too?”

“It wasn’t this bad. It’s all because the river was mixed with blood. Shouldn’t we demand compensation from Bratz [a fictional kingdom]?”

“Don’t be absurd. Haven’t you heard? Someone from the Mereloff estate tried to kill Ian. That’s why the relationship is so awkward.”

It was the worst harvest ever. The food they had stored last year in preparation for starvation was almost completely depleted. They couldn’t ask Count Mereloff for mercy either. If they upset him, he might demand more taxes.

“I heard the people of Bratz say gulla is delicious…”

“Do you want to become a beast? Then I’ll gladly roast you and eat you. Hehehe!”

“No, I’m serious. There’s an advisor from the imperial palace there, and he eats it often. They say the news is slow here because it’s the outskirts. Up there, the imperial family and nobles are all eating gulla.”

“You idiot, do you believe that?”

“That’s why they’re even offering money to collect gulla.”

“No…”

He wanted to argue, but he couldn’t think of a good answer. He had heard that they were not only collecting weeds for money but also planting and cultivating them all over the land. Because they were strictly blocking outsiders, it sounded like a rumor.

“I don’t know, gulla or whatever, I just hope the caravan comes soon. We’re going to be sucking our fingers at this rate.”

At someone’s words, everyone nodded in deep agreement. When the caravan came, they could provide them with lodging and facilities and receive money and food. And then? They could buy food from the caravan again.

It was something they did every year, so they always looked north when the cold wind blew. It was the direction of the Hawan Kingdom.

Clatter clatter!

It was then. A horse galloped down the main street of the village. Judging by his clothes and the flag, he was definitely a foreigner. He grabbed the reins and asked the villagers.

“Where is the road to the mansion?”

“Go out on the left road and go straight up. But, are you a member of the caravan coming from the Hawan Kingdom?”

“That’s right.”

He didn’t look too good. The villagers grabbed him as he was about to leave and asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“The caravan is stuck in the ravine. Everyone seems to have eaten something bad and has severe food poisoning, so they can’t move. The doctors are all out of commission, so there’s nothing we can do. I came ahead first. Now, get out of my way.”

The man quickly headed to the mansion to ask for help. The villagers stared blankly at his retreating figure. There was a phrase that kept lingering in their minds.

“Stuck there?”

Then, when would they come? No, would they even come at all? Everyone looked up at the Mereloff mansion with a desolate gaze.

Meanwhile.

“What? What did you just say?”

Count Mereloff also couldn’t believe it and kept asking. It was a large caravan of over 100 people. But they were all stuck because of a mass food poisoning outbreak?

“It seems the problem was with dinner. At first, only a few people had symptoms, but as time went on, it increased… more than half of them are lying down, unable to move.”

It must be quite a sight. Humans collapsed in that dense forest. Mereloff stroked his beard and calmed his surprised heart for a moment.

“Tsk tsk. I told you to stop boiling it all together like pig slop!”

How could the Count know the circumstances of a caravan that crossed the sea and traveled through the land? Food poisoning was common among caravans on the march, but it was rare for everyone to be so severely ill. Most of the time, they just had a stomachache.

“Anyway, please send doctors. The medicine we prepared ran out in a day.”

“How will you pay for the treatment?”

“The caravan members will pay through the caravan, and the outsiders will pay individually.”

“Where is the location?”

“Around here.”

“It’s a bit far. I’ll charge double for the travel expenses.”

Count Mereloff added greedily as he looked at the map the man had pointed to. Judging by the location, they had barely left the entrance of the mountain range.

“The caravan leader told me to do as you wish. Staying alive is the priority. But I’ve also sent people to the Hawan Kingdom, so it would be best to hurry.”

“Alright. Wait a moment. Outside! Butler!”

“Yes, Master.”

“Summon all the doctors in the estate, except for the elderly who have difficulty walking.”

Soon, the butler reported that he had gathered the doctors, and Mereloff sent them with soldiers to escort them.

The horses carrying the doctors left the estate in a line. The villagers followed their shadows with troubled hearts.