Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 74

“Ugh!”

“A-are you alright?”

“Ugh… My stomach, my stomach hurts so much.”

“Someone, please get me something to drink…”

“Hey, get a grip.”

It was quite a sight. Half-conscious bodies were strewn among the dense trees and bushes. They were all clutching their stomachs and groaning. Su was running around, doing her best to help the afflicted.

“When are the doctors supposed to arrive?”

“Ugh. Who knows? They left empty-handed, so they should arrive by tomorrow, right? If they don’t get lost.”

Su perked up her ears, eavesdropping on their conversation. If the doctors arrived by tomorrow, they would be treated and move forward again. It would be slower due to the loss of manpower, but they would still reach Mereloff.

‘Hmm.’

Su muttered, looking at the ridge stretching down the mountain.

“Is Mereloff closer from here, or the Hawan Kingdom?”

Then, a man sweating profusely replied. He seemed to be rambling to forget the pain.

“We haven’t traveled far, so Hawan is closer.”

“And the road to Mereloff is rough, but the road to Hawan is mostly flat, right? Until we entered the mountains.”

“Then the doctors from the Hawan Kingdom will arrive first.”

“But I don’t trust those quacks over there.”

“There are a lot of gypsies, but it’s still a kingdom, so they wouldn’t kill a healthy person, would they?”

“Ah… I want to go back. I don’t want to lie here in the mountains, getting wet with dew. I need to lie in bed and rest for a few days to recover.”

Everyone sighed, exhausted. Regardless, Su approached the boiling water pot and pretended to put firewood in. Then, after looking around, she sprinkled in the yellow scorpion poison.

‘Not enough to kill them. But enough to make them feel a bit out of it. I feel bad, but… I have no choice.’

The yellow scorpion poison also had components that caused stomach pain. A lethal dose would be fatal, but it wouldn’t be a problem since they would all share the water in the huge pot.

“Hey, give me some warm water.”

“Yes, just a moment. I’ll cool it down for you.”

At someone’s request, Su turned around with a bright smile. Then, she went back to tending to the patients, creating an atmosphere as if a white-clad angel had appeared.

“Is she a dependent? It’s a relief that at least she’s alright.”

“Yeah. If there hadn’t been someone who didn’t eat that evening, we’d all be dead.”

Su wiped away her sweat and laughed.

‘Damn it, if I ever go back, I’m never, ever, leaving the desert again.’

Her inner and outer selves were a bit different, but she was still doing her duty faithfully.

Now, when the doctors from the Hawan Kingdom arrived, she would subtly instigate them to return that way.

“Hey, wait a minute.”

As she was about to fetch water, someone grabbed Su’s wrist. It was the caravan’s vice-captain. He took Su’s hand and began to feel it.

“W-what the…”

She was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t even curse properly. Regardless, the man frowned as if he expected it.

“Your hands aren’t normal, are they?”

“What? My hands aren’t that big!”

“No, I mean, you have calluses on your knuckles and palms. That’s usually what people who throw punches have.”

At those words, Su stopped being flustered and glared at the man. The vice-captain glanced at Su’s inner pocket and warned her in a low voice.

“You better take out what you just put in your pocket.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Watching what I’m doing.”

They were behind a cart, blocking the view. If they made a loud noise, people would hear them. Su gritted her teeth and muttered.

“You’ve been ruining my mood since earlier, when I’m trying to help.”

His smirk was unusual. The vice-captain pulled out a dagger from his waist, trying to threaten her.

“…Damn it, who the hell are you?”

Thwack!

Then, Su’s fist flew right at him. It seemed to have landed squarely, as he passed out with his mouth wide open. At that moment, several people, clutching their aching stomachs, came around the cart.

“What’s going on?”

“I just heard something break…”

“No…”

The people blinked, looking back and forth between the sprawled vice-captain and Su. They couldn’t understand the situation at all.

Then, it happened.

Rustle!

There was a rustling sound from beyond the bushes, and a person popped out. A group of strangers wearing hoods and panting. They clearly looked like they had been wandering in the forest for a long time.

“…What is it? What’s going on?”

“Where the hell are we? Damn it!”

A strange woman slightly lifted her hood. Su paused and then shouted.

“Aaaah! Bandits!”

“What? Bandits?”

“Damn it! Get your weapons!”

“No, wait a minute. Hey!”

At the commotion, the caravan’s guards staggered and grabbed their swords. They were barely standing, but they had no choice when faced with the threat of bandits.

The woman who had appeared from the bushes took a step back with a dumbfounded expression.

“Hey, why are you calling us bandits? I’m from the Imperial Investigation-”

They were the central investigation team searching for the bodies of Mary and Chel. Su, recognizing Erica’s face, made the first move. At the same time, she overturned the pot of water, putting out the fire.

Sizzle!

Clang! Clang!

“Aaaah! Kill them! Kill them!”

“What, what is it? Damn it!”

“Where’s the fire? Fire! Start a fire!”

A battle broke out in the mountains in the dark. Without anyone taking the lead, their swords were pointed at each other. Su quickly climbed up a tree and watched the bloody battle.

‘Half will die, and half will run away, hmm. Whether it’s Hawan or Mereloff, everything will be settled before the doctors arrive, right?’

Moreover, she could spread the rumor that bandits had appeared without much effort, which was perfect. Su admired her quick thinking and patted her own head. If all went well, she could return to the desert by tomorrow.

* * *

“No…”

Count Mereloff was speechless. Even if it was unexpected, it was too unexpected.

The doctors he had sent out returned after a week, bringing only three patients. The grand procession that the people of Mereloff were waiting for was nowhere to be seen.

The Count looked around with a bewildered expression.

“Where are the others?”

“Count, it seems there are bandits.”

“What the hell are you talking about!”

“When we arrived following the guide, they had already been attacked, and bodies were scattered everywhere. Fortunately, we found some survivors a bit further towards the Hawan Kingdom. They said they were attacked unexpectedly and scattered in all directions.”

“S-so?”

“In the chaos, the caravan leader was especially badly injured and returned to the Hawan Kingdom. It’s closer that way. We brought back only the dependents among the survivors.”

The problem was that the caravan’s location was closer to Hawan. Moreover, they were familiar with the road they had come from.

Mereloff was a ‘border’ of Bariel, but the Hawan Kingdom was a large city in itself, so it was deemed suitable for reorganizing the caravan.

“Kaaaaah!”

Count Mereloff involuntarily screamed. He was so thin that he rarely made loud noises, but this time it was too devastating.

“Damn it! Damn it! Why did you eat that pig slop! You morons!”

Crash!

Mereloff angrily threw the clutter on the table. The doctors, who had returned after a week of hardship, took a step back, sweating profusely. They knew Mereloff’s situation better than anyone. The people of the territory would soon be starving, and there was nothing to eat in the territory.

“W-well then, we’ll be going.”

“Excuse us, Count.”

Thud!

The doctors rushed out of the room, not caring who went first. Mereloff fell silent, holding his forehead.

“…Butler.”

“Yes, Count.”

“How much is the market price in Sheiron?”

Sheiron was a city located northwest of Mereloff. Unlike Mereloff, which made a living from trade on the border, it was a thriving commercial center.

But the problem was…

“A few days ago, we received information that a bag of wheat was being traded for six silver coins.”

The relative economic difference was too great. Mereloff was a border region, while Sheiron was the second most prosperous city after the center of Bariel.

In Mereloff, a bag of wheat could be obtained for three silver coins, but in Sheiron, they had to pay twice as much. That was a few days ago, so it was unknown how the situation had changed now that the rumors of bandits had made things even more difficult.

“If we leave now?”

“It would take about nine days, I think.”

It was because of the mountain range that the caravan had been traveling through. The mountain range surrounded Mereloff and stretched to the northwest. It was good for defending the territory, but it was a difficult journey to get there. It only took about fifteen days to get to the center from here…

“There’s no other way. Send people.”

“How much should we budget?”

“Accept applications from those who need supplies. Once the list is compiled, we’ll form a trade group.”

Of course, supplies were not free.

If the number of people in the territory decreased, it would have a significant impact on the territory in the long run. Each person was a source of productivity. The usual method was to help them not starve to death and then raise taxes when the harvest season came.

“Um, Count.”

“What is it?”

The Count glared and asked irritably.

“Even if we go to Sheiron, the problem is coming back. It’s colder there than here, and it will snow sooner. It would be impossible to cross the snow-covered canyons with so much luggage.”

“So? What are you trying to say?”

Even the experienced caravan had been defeated by unexpected food poisoning and bandits. It was uncertain whether the people of the territory, who had been born and raised here, would be able to endure that hardship.

“How about asking for help from Bratz?”

“What?”

“It’s best to assume that the road to the Hawan Kingdom is closed for the time being due to the appearance of bandits. At least until the rumors that the kingdom has cleared them out spread.”

“Look, Butler. I know that too. That’s why I’m saying we should go to Sheiron, right?”

“Bratz is said to have developed gulla for food. It’s said to be very filling, so a small amount is enough to satisfy. We could get some urgently…”

The butler couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because he met Count Mereloff’s murderous gaze. It was a clear warning that if he said one more word, he would be fired.

“Buy weeds with money?”

“…The price will be low.”

“Enough. I thought you were smart, but you’re just a dud. How can we put something that even dogs and pigs won’t eat on the table!”

“I apologize.”

“Go find out the market price in Sheiron right now.”

The butler lowered his head and left the room. When you think about it, Count Mereloff’s actions were not entirely incomprehensible. It was just that the situation was more serious than he had thought.

Squeak.

‘…There’s no other way.’

This time too, if the master didn’t do it, the butler had no choice but to step up.

He returned to his room and took out parchment and a quill. After pondering for a while, he pressed the pen and began to write.