Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 745

“Ian-nim!” Ian, who was flying ahead, turned around at Nakina’s call. Ardo’s flames had already spread towards the fortress walls. ‘Did Banusa succeed in persuading him?’ However, that thought was quickly dismissed. His actions clearly showed his intention to block the Bariel army. If he had decided to join Banusa, he would have acted differently. Knowing the meaning behind it, Nakina’s voice lowered slightly. “Banusa, do you think she’s dead?” “…Well. I can’t say for sure.” If Banusa were alive, understanding the situation would become a bit more confusing. Why did Ardo return to the fortress walls instead of chasing after them? Since there are no mages in Toloon, isn’t the only way to fight back by gathering the power of all the sorcerers? “Ian-nim. Look ahead. Soldiers are pouring out.” At Hale’s nod, Ian’s gaze returned to the front. Thousands of soldiers were rushing out from the palace and the barracks next to it. They were the ones going out to face the Bariel army’s attack. The momentum of their running in formation was extraordinary. “I’ll stop them.” “Yes, I understand.” “You all save your strength. I’ll do it.” If the siege war is prolonged because of them, it will be a burden on Bariel’s forces. Besides, aren’t the fire elementalists, including Ardo, defending the fortress walls right now? No matter how many magic swordsmen there are on their side, it was important to end the battle quickly. If the process is prolonged, the sacrifice of ordinary soldiers will increase exponentially. As Ian lowered his altitude, Hale, Nakina, and Tomi followed behind him. Whoosh! “Huk!” “M-m-mage!” “What? Where?” “Over there! In the sky!” Someone who noticed the mages’ approach pointed to the sky. Countless heads turned upwards at the same time. But no one could accurately identify the opponent. Thud! It was because Ian dropped right into the middle of the formation, causing a huge explosion. A cloud of dust rose around him. Those who barely survived struggled to get up from the scattered remains of their fallen comrades. Something sticky and hot soaked their bodies, but there was no time to recognize what it was. The dust slowly cleared, revealing the cause of the explosion. Swish-! “……!” It was a boy who had landed on one knee. As he raised his head, his golden eyes flashed. A murderous aura, whether from a beast or a human, was overflowing. “M-ma-!” “It’s a mage! Run away!” “Anyone who runs will be beheaded! Everyone, hold your positions! Pick up your weapons!” Shouts erupted from everywhere. Chaos reigned. Ian placed both hands on the ground while still kneeling. Crack! The part where Ian’s hands touched began to crack and burst open. From the gaps, an endless stream of amber-colored Idgal [a type of magical energy] surged. It stretched out endlessly like a whip, binding the soldiers around them. “Woah.” “Don’t just stand there gawking, put up a shield.” Crackle! Thud! Countless large, sharp thorns sprouted from the Idgal. They completely pierced the bodies of the soldiers who couldn’t dodge, and those trapped inside the Idgal froze in panic. The energy surging around Ian showed no signs of subsiding. His gleaming golden eyes seemed to say: Even if you cry out for help, you can’t stop here in front of the palace. Just accept your fate and die. “Ian-aaaaa!” “Ian-nim!” “Oh, heavens!” Whoosh! The moment the soldiers’ bodies were strewn across the street, a familiar call was heard. It was Beric, and the mages who had crossed over to Bariel with him. They seemed startled by the blood-soaked street, but soon waved their hands nonchalantly. It was more of a signal to continue than a greeting. “Ian-nim! Don’t just stand there, keep moving! They’ve noticed our presence in the palace. There are sharp, thin attacks, but also powerful attacks that crush the earth!” “That bastard told us to come into the palace! There must be something inside, like the Masantar Temple [a place of worship or power], right?” “Beric, come into the palace? Who told you that?” “Banusa’s friend.” “Ardo? That guy? Is Banusa dead?” “No, she’s coming over there.” Tap tap! Banusa was lagging behind, looking at the ruined street. Beric, unable to watch any longer, slung his sword over his shoulder and warned her. “What happens if you go outside the shield?” “I know! I know! But this is too much!” “What’s too much? It’s a war where people kill and get killed.” She approached with a tearful face, panting. Unless she was moving through water, she couldn’t keep up with the mobility of the mages and magic swordsmen. Ian roughly wiped the blood from his chin with the back of his hand and looked at Banusa. “You’re alive.” “Yeah, let’s just say it’s thanks to you.” A mix of gratitude and resentment surged within her. They only needed to destroy the palace, so why were they killing innocent soldiers like this! Ian heard her silent resentment but turned away, pretending not to notice. If she wanted to stop this, she should have persuaded or held Ardo back. So that the fortress walls could fall quickly. “Let’s go.” Ian took a step and stopped. Because of his sudden action, Hale and the mages passed him. Beric tapped Ian’s shoulder and asked curiously. “What’s wrong?” “……” “Are you okay?” “…Yeah.” Ian answered calmly, pretending to be fine, but on the inside, he was very confused. His stomach was churning, and he felt a pain as if a part of his heart was being scraped. It was a pain he had never experienced before, so, yes. More than pain, he was bewildered. Ian took a moment to catch his breath and wash away the pain, and soon it subsided. “Ian-nim?” “It’s fine.” It wasn’t just words, it really was fine. The pain had subsided. Ian started walking again, leading the mages. “The streets are quiet.” What could the residents do when even the soldiers were being crushed helplessly? They were either hiding in their homes praying or flocking to the outskirts to secretly escape the capital. Ian passed through the empty main street, his eyes fixed on the palace in the distance. It hadn’t been that long, but it felt like a very long time since he had seen it. “We’re back again.” Beric must have felt the same way. The time when they came to find Philia flashed vividly in his mind. The ivory palace was unchanged, but so much had changed for them. “They said they’d give us a grand welcome, but I don’t know if they want us to come in or not.” Creak. Beric lightly pushed the palace gate with the tip of his sword. Not even an ant was visible. It was suspicious to anyone, so Beric smiled and turned to Ian. “Ian, what do we do?” It seemed a bit different from the Masantar Temple. Since they were entering the puppet master’s base, their lives were on the line with every step they took from now on. “Ian-nim. It seems dangerous to go in. How about we just blow up the whole building?” “I agree. I’m confident I can do it well.” “…There’s no need to fall for the enemy’s provocation. If we push it down, how can it withstand it?” “That’s right! Let’s show them that there’s no way to hide! We can push this down, right, Banusa? If you’re going to talk about historical traditions or whatever, let’s go a different way right now.” “…I don’t care about that. Buildings can be destroyed thousands of times. Especially if it’s a remnant of a stained history.” “Then it’s settled! Ian-nim!” “Push it down!” Thud! As if he had made a decision, Beric kicked the gate. Then, something thicker than a human torso flew away like a wooden plank. Following that, the mages widened their distance to the left and right, creating magic circles at their feet. Buzz! Buzz! “Ian-nim, we’ll do it this time!” “Yes! Please watch us!” Their magic circles gathered together, combining their power. The mages confidently spread their palms. And at the same time, they chanted the incantation. 「Crush」. The golden incantations, forming a huge sphere, slowly rose and then fell towards the palace in an arc. Crush it! No matter how skilled the opponent is, they won’t be able to stop this… Boom! But then, something invisible pierced the sphere precisely. Half of the group was seeing it for the first time, and the other half had already seen it. It was the indiscriminate attack that had taken place outside the fortress walls. The enormous power that crushed the earth and reached the sky. “Huk!” “I-!” Whoosh! The magic circle, with its center crushed, disappeared, leaving behind ashes as if it were burning. The aftermath caused a strong wind to swirl, but the mages were flustered and took it head-on. No, how could they make such a mess when Ian-nim was watching… “What was that just now? Is it Toloon sorcery?” “That’s the attack we were talking about! It was a blind attack outside the capital, but now it’s aimed properly. Is it because it’s the palace, or what?” “Again! Do it again!” “Oh, okay! Good! They can only do that a few times anyway.” “Let’s go!” Beric shook his body vigorously, telling them to regain their strength. However, the mages couldn’t gather their magic circles like before. “It’s coming again!” The fact that the attack had landed properly meant that they were within the king’s sight. Drawing and combining magic circles while moving was impossible unless one was a highly skilled practitioner. Here, except for Ian, only one of the three could barely do it. “Shield!” “……!” They had to choose. Whether to cast Crush or put up a shield. Flash! Something sparkling was seen in the sky. Seeing that meant that an attack was coming right above their heads…! Thud! Ian accurately sent Idgal to the point where the attack was falling, destroying it. In a split second, three or four attacks poured down in succession, but Ian calmly and quickly hit them all. As the sharply broken pieces of Idgal flew around, the mages raised their sleeves to protect their faces. Tap! The Idgal powder scattered like snowflakes. If you only looked at the scene, it would seem like a scene from a grand festival. “……” After a while, when everything was quiet, the mages cautiously raised their heads. Everyone except Ian and Beric was frozen with their upper bodies bent over. “Is it, is it over?” “It’s transparent. Really. They take a break after doing it a few times.” “Is everyone okay? Ian-nim, th-thank you.” “Oh dear. W-we were going to try this time. Ahem. We’ll smash it again right now. Magic circle, prepare!” “No, it’s fine.” Ian stopped them with a light gesture. “This is not something I can decide.” “…Yes?” “Isn’t the Emperor entering?” Destroying the palace, the symbol and heart of the enemy country, was up to the Emperor’s will. Especially since it was related to the end of the war. Ian elegantly rolled up his sleeves and touched the remaining door, tap. It was pushed away weakly, creaking. “The king’s power is already limited. So, it shouldn’t be as dangerous to enter the palace now as it was before. When was the last time we saw the attack from outside the fortress walls?” “It wasn’t long ago. Before sunrise.” About an hour or two. It could be shorter, but it was enough. As Ian was about to enter, Beric grabbed his arm. “Wait. Not Ian, Banusa, you go first.” Since she knew the palace’s layout well, wasn’t it obvious? And what if Ian got hurt while going ahead? At Beric’s nod, Banusa opened her mouth as if she was dumbfounded, but soon agreed. Well, there was no reason to refuse. “Fine. You damn bastard, I understand. Everyone, follow closely. We’re going to the king’s residence.” Banusa said that and entered the palace. From the time they passed through the barren land until they reached the main building, no sign of people was felt. Banusa stepped into the main hall and turned around. The first thing she saw was Beric, who was grumbling. “Damn it, it’s empty. Isn’t the king actually running away?” “Beric, shush! Keep your mouth shut.” “…This is the main lobby. The palace itself isn’t that big…” At that moment, a faint shimmering thread appeared before her eyes. Dozens, hundreds of sharp threads were stretched taut throughout the central hall. And- Slice-! Banusa’s face and body, which had touched and brushed against it, were slowly sliced into pieces without even feeling the pain.