Margrave’s Bastard Son Was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 733

“Ian, are you worried?”

*Swish!*

The mage, who was snapping a twig with a dagger, asked casually.

Ian’s silence was normal, but the atmosphere felt different. While they were hacking through the uncharted forest, he hadn’t reacted to the mages’ grumbling about their fatigue. No chuckles, no disdainful looks. His gaze was fixed somewhere in the air, which surely meant his mind was in turmoil.

“About what?”

“Well, maybe you’re thinking about how the holy knight Eirin was worried about His Majesty. Or maybe you’re worried that Beric, that wild colt, won’t follow orders well without you.”

“Beric is part of the Imperial Guard. It’s only natural that he does his part without me.”

“That’s true, haha. Oh, I’m so tired.”

“If I had known it would be like this, I would have done some physical training. I never imagined we’d be walking this far without a word. Are you okay, Ian?”

The closer they got to the heart of Toloon, the more secretly they had to move. So, the mages had to choose the rough path through the forest instead of the skyway, and especially the non-combat mages were panting like they were about to die.

Notably, Acorella.

“Ugh, someone carry me!”

“Do you have no shame? Everyone else is about to die from exhaustion.”

“I even hurt my leg!”

“Oh, come on. Oh, our captain. Why do you talk like that? Grab here.”

“No. Don’t help her. She’ll get spoiled.”

“Still, we moved by portal to right before here, you’re being too dramatic!”

“You, you, you heartless bastards! What does it matter if we came by portal? Do you know how many hours we’ve been walking?!”

“Five hours, no, six hours?”

The mages grumbled but still offered their shoulders to support Acorella.

Banusa looked back at the mages who were starting to fall behind and asked Ian.

“What time is it?”

“Noon.”

“Hmm. It’s cutting it close. If we’re later than the time it would have taken me to move alone, the Toloon Royal Palace might get suspicious. Even if we saved time with the portal, it’s meaningless if we’re stuck on this forest path.”

It was a way of urging them to hurry and move without complaining.

Then, Acorella clenched her fists, and the mages who were supporting her reflexively grabbed her wrists. They didn’t forget to prevent her from raising her middle finger.

“If we keep this pace, we should see the gate in a couple of hours. It’s where the immigration checkpoint is before entering the capital. I’ll go through there, but the Bariel mages will have to find another way.”

“Are there many people?”

“Yes, there’s a small city nearby where trade is active. Unless you’re invisible, the skyway is useless. The information that you’ve reached the Toloon capital will go straight to the Royal Palace.”

If that happened, all this hard work to approach secretly would be meaningless.

Ian took out a map of the area near the capital from his pocket. It wasn’t accurate, but with Banusa’s help, important terrains were marked here and there.

“What’s the other way?”

“If we go south, there might be an area with lax security, but I don’t know now. It’s wartime.”

All the troops would be gathering at the border to protect the capital. They couldn’t be sure it was the same as before.

Ian raised his hand, signaling a short break. Banusa looked displeased, but when Acorella started breathing heavily as if she was about to faint, she didn’t add anything.

“Haa, haa. Damn it…”

“Are you okay? Captain?”

“Am I the only one like this? Really?”

“No. Well, it’s similar for everyone.”

Except for the mages specialized in combat, most were in a similar situation.

Ian unfolded the map and kept pondering. The path the Bariel main force would take, and the enemy’s reaction knowing that. He was estimating and re-estimating how they would deploy their defense forces.

‘I have to consider the mages’ stamina too.’

Stamina is the power of the body, and magic power is the power of the mind, but the two constantly interact. Just overworking the body could lower combat power.

Banusa came closer and tapped a spot with her fingertip.

“Once we pass the immigration checkpoint, we’ll have some breathing room. If we go up a little this way, we’ll reach our family’s territory, so we can go into the mansion, hide, and assess the situation.”

“Is it okay to go straight to the mansion?”

It was on the way back from the fall of Masantar. Wouldn’t it be natural to go straight to the Royal Palace and report?

But Banusa shook her head.

“How can I go to the Royal Palace first when they say my family is ruined? The king would see that as unnatural behavior. I’ll check on my family first, then go to the Royal Palace.”

And there was no guarantee that she could get out once she entered the Royal Palace. Before going in, she had to make the best plan she could.

While the two were putting their heads together, Hale got up.

“Ian, I hear the sound of water nearby. I’ll go get some water.”

The map showed a river anyway. Ian looked at the tired mages, nodded, and gave his permission.

“Go and come back, hiding your presence as much as possible.”

“Yes. Nakina, Tommy.”

“We’re going!”

“Senior, take the water bottles. If anyone has empty bottles, give them to me. We’ll be back.”

Acorella stretched out and rummaged through her inner pocket, then *poof!* She threw an unidentified potion on the ground, made an empty bottle, and handed it over.

“What did you just throw away?”

“Ah. It’s nothing. Something useless. Bring back lots of cool water. It won’t be enough, but still.”

“Yes, please rest.”

“Haa, damn country. Why is it so hot.”

Hale and his group followed the sound of water, hiding their presence as much as possible. Wherever there is water, there are people. Because those who are thirsty, like them, gather.

Soon, they found a river flowing powerfully below a low cliff.

*Swishhh-*

“It looks refreshing. Should we dip our bodies in?”

“Senior. Do you want to get scolded?”

“Right? That’s a bit much?”

“Shh. There are people over there.”

Hale gestured for the two to be quiet. Three or four wagons were parked in the rock crevices on the opposite side of the river. Because the rocks were so big, only the edges were slightly visible.

“There are quite a few wagons.”

“Are they from the Toloon Royal Palace?”

“There’s no flag. And the formation is all over the place. Well, it’s a lawless country, so maybe that’s how it is.”

“Shh! I see people. Let’s turn back this way.”

The three lay flat and narrowed their eyes. Judging by their clothes, they didn’t seem to be high-ranking…

They filled large containers with water, then turned around and called out to someone.

“… !”

And people were dragged out one after another. They were almost naked, with their hands and feet tied.

“Looks like a human trafficking ring.”

“Ah, right. Toloon is famous for that, they say.”

“Judging by the scale, it seems like a merchant group.”

They grabbed the slaves by the hair, forced them into the river, and started washing them. It seemed like the sales would take place as soon as they entered the capital. It would be difficult to wash so many people at once inside, so they seemed to be planning to take care of everything in the river before entering.

The three watched the scene quietly, then their eyes widened at the same time.

“… !”

Then, without saying a word, they jumped up and ran back the way they came. There was no need to hide their presence anymore.

*Thump thump!*

Ian was the first to notice the rough footsteps, and the mages also tensed up and held their breath.

“Ian!”

“Oh, you scared me!”

But what appeared from the bushes was Hale’s group. The mages jeered, but Hale didn’t even blink.

“Captain Hale! Try to be quieter! We can hear you too.”

“The water? Why are you back so soon?”

“Ah, I’m dying of thirst!”

“Captain Acorella is going crazy.”

But the three had no water bottles in their hands, not even empty ones. They went with full bottles, so how?

Hale took a moment to catch his breath, then said quietly.

“Ian, there’s a way to pass through the gate without going the long way around.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hey! My water!”

“There’s a human trafficking ring with about four wagons by the river.”

The complaints of Acorella and the mages, who were demanding water, stopped abruptly. Ian also slowly folded the map and put it in his pocket, and Banusa shrugged as if there was nothing she could do.

“Well, it’s the most likely option right now.”

“Everyone, take off your robes.”

*Thud.* Ian unbuttoned his shirt and ordered. One by one, they took off their outer garments, and a small flame ignited on the pile of clothes.

Ian nodded to Captain Hale, as if telling him to lead the way.

“Shall we go? To borrow a wagon.”

* * *

“What’s that smoke?”

One of the slave traders muttered, looking into the distance. It was because faint smoke was rising from the middle of the forest.

There’s no path over there? As he was staring with a puzzled look, another trader lightly hit him on the back of the head and urged him.

“What are you spacing out for? I told you to wash the kids’ grime off.”

“Ah! You damn… Those who have all their limbs can do it themselves.”

“Hey! Move it! The sun’s going down!”

“The face! You have to wash the face especially clean. Got it?”

They brandished their swords roughly and intimidated the slaves. Regardless of gender or age, they washed their bodies with only a rough cloth covering them.

Unlike the hot weather, the water was cold. Goosebumps rose on their tense bodies, and they felt chills because of their damp clothes, but what could they do? It was better than being beaten.

“But will we be able to trade even if we go in? I heard that all the kids who were gathered on the outskirts of the capital have been moved south. The Royal Palace closed the market, they say.”

“That’s the slave market near the Royal Palace. It’s still okay here. There are many people leaving the capital. Since the atmosphere is bad, let’s just get rid of the kids and hide for a while.”

“Where should we go?”

“It’s a mess everywhere, but the best place is Bariel. It’s safe.”

“Oh, what a waste. I worked my butt off to gather all of them.”

The traders chatted while puffing on cigarettes. At that moment, the bushes rustled. Some of them grabbed their swords, thinking it was a wild animal.

“Why are there so many animals these days…”

“Oh my! Gentlemen!”

“…?”

But what appeared was a woman with pink hair. She smiled brightly with both hands raised. She didn’t hesitate to approach, limping.

“No, damn it. I got lost nearby, you know? Well, people don’t just die, right? Don’t you think? I want to drink some water, so could you move those people who are bathing?”

“What is this crazy bitch?”

“Get lost.”

Acorella, who was limping, stopped and gave a sly smile.

“Um, is the owner here?”

“Owner?”

“It looks like a merchant group, so who is the head of the group?”

“Why do you need to know that?”

“Ah. That’s-”

Acorella picked up a stone and approached the man who had called her a crazy bitch.

*Halt.* The man felt danger and instinctively stepped back. He completely forgot that he was holding a sword in his hand.

“We want to sell ourselves.”

“What?”