Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 749

Koo-oong!

A massive boom echoed from the direction of the royal palace. Though quite a distance away, it was powerful enough to halt those engrossed in battle.

Soldiers, mid-thrust with their spears, paused and turned towards the palace. Ardo did the same, unconsciously calling out to the king.

“…Your Majesty?”

It seemed the commotion was caused by Ian’s group arriving at the palace, but what exactly was happening? Despite Ardo’s call, the king did not respond. It was, in fact, a natural occurrence. Ardo was always the one being summoned, never the one to call upon the king.

He looked bewildered, unsure of what to do. Banusa, was Banusa alright?

‘If the royal palace collapses like this, what will happen to Toloon?’

One thing was certain: his five senses, held in the king’s grasp, would be released.

But what would happen after that was truly unimaginable. It was too horrific to even picture in his mind. Toloon would surely head down the path of destruction, and the glory of its history would be lost.

“Keep fighting! Stand your ground!”

Ardo had no choice. He stoked the flames, encouraging the soldiers, and those who regained their senses roared once more, swinging their swords.

Swish!

It was then. A dozen or so figures soared over the castle walls.

Ardo’s eyes narrowed. Their movements were so swift that he couldn’t make out their faces.

Zhiing! Zhiing!

“…M-Magic swordsmen!”

“It’s the Imperial Guard!”

Ardo’s subordinates announced, as if expecting them, and flew into the air. Flames trailed behind them, drawing crimson arcs.

Clash!

The clash of magic swordsmen and sorcerers.

The energies collided, creating a massive explosion. Flames erupted in the air, magic exploded, and their swords clashed repeatedly, scattering in all directions.

‘Ah.’

Ardo’s sorcerers let out small groans each time they struggled. Frankly, the difference in power was overwhelming.

The opponents were the ones who guarded the Emperor of the Empire. They, too, had pride in maintaining order in Toloon, but they felt like they were collapsing under a different class from the start.

“Keep your wits about you!”

“Uwaaaah!”

And then he realized again. The only ones shouting were the magic swordsmen.

The Imperial Guard were silently infiltrating like still water. Slowly, but surely, they were gaining the upper hand.

Thud! Bang!

“Soldiers, fall back!”

Boo-ooo-

Boo!

As the order from the Imperial Defense Officer was given, the Bariel soldiers hurriedly retreated, catching their breath. They were following the order to preserve themselves as much as possible when magic swordsmen or mages stepped in. Getting caught up in their fight would be a pointless death.

“Will it take long?”

“I estimate 10 minutes.”

Jin calmly watched the battle between the magic swordsmen and sorcerers through his telescope. Ten minutes? No. The momentum had already shifted. If it continued like this, five minutes would be enough….

“Hmm?”

As a curious groan escaped the Emperor’s lips, Tweller reacted swiftly.

He, too, focused his telescope on the castle walls. Unfamiliar flags were fluttering in the air.

“…What is that?”

“My apologies. I will find out right away-”

“Ah, no. I see. They are other spiritists [people who can control spirits].”

About a hundred people appeared instantly beside the flags. They were dressed in yellow, white, and black, and all were fully armed.

“Ardo! What are you doing? Half the castle wall is gone!”

“If I had known, I would have come first.”

“Bariel bastards! What gives you the right to set foot here!”

They were spiritists who controlled earth, wind, and darkness. Since all those who could wield weapons from each family had gathered, their numbers were enormous.

They were said to have a bad relationship with the royal palace, but it seemed their desire to protect their country was united. Jin clicked his tongue slightly and muttered.

“It will take a bit longer.”

There were mages remaining by the Emperor’s side, but they were focused on maintaining the barrier. It was not appropriate to deploy them in battle.

And knowing this situation well, the Imperial Guard members simultaneously looked towards Jeyrut and called out.

“Captain Jeyrut!”

“Maintain your composure. There is no need to be flustered by the number of enemies. They are just spiritists from Toloon after all.”

A pack of foxes cannot defeat a lion.

Jeyrut raised his sword again, aiming forward, and the spiritists lowered their stances, tensing up.

“You’ll regret looking down on us!”

“Who do you think you are, acting tough when you’re not even mages!”

Swish!

At that moment, the wind sharply brushed past them.

Using that as a catalyst, the Imperial Guard members soared into the air again, and in response, the spiritists summoned various spirits from their fingertips.

The sky was instantly adorned with a variety of colors. It was as if a rainbow had bloomed across the entire sky.

At the magnificent sight, the soldiers slightly lifted their helmets, staring blankly at the sky.

Thud! Bang!

But they all cowered at the explosive heat and roar.

Jin only frowned, following their battle with his eyes. He was contemplating the next strategy.

His contemplation did not last long.

“Minister Tweller.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Prepare the siege ram.”

At Jin’s order, Tweller paused for a moment. The battle between the magic swordsmen and sorcerers was not over yet. The battle was so fierce that if they approached carelessly, the soldiers would suffer great losses.

But Jin did not retract his order. Rather, he nodded firmly, as if urging them to hurry. There was no way His Majesty would not know this simple fact. Tweller judged so and quickly obeyed the order.

“Deploy the siege ram.”

At Tweller’s command, a flag was raised.

While his subordinates moved busily, he once again examined the battle situation. Surely, there must be a reason why the Emperor made this decision….

‘Oh.’

Tweller unconsciously rubbed his chin.

He could see it. The Emperor’s thoughts.

‘The Imperial Guard are a powerful force, but unlike mages or spiritists, they do not have the mobility to move freely in the sky.’

They only appeared to be mobile because their jumping range was wide and their airtime was long, but they could not fly. That was why Beric had to cling to mages every day to move.

‘On the other hand, spiritists are free to move as they ride the wind. If they are attacked from a high place, especially with a large number of attacks, it would not be easy even for the Imperial Guard.’

The damage could be severe, and above all, the delay would be significant. Delaying time was the situation the Bariel army needed to avoid the most right now. They did not know when the King of Toloon would recover and unleash ‘that’ threatening attack again.

“Deploy the siege ram!”

“Push! Put more strength into it!”

Clunk! Clunk!

A massive wheeled siege ram pushed forward, cutting through the ranks.

The spiritists’ goal was to defend the castle gate. But what would happen if the Bariel soldiers rushed to break it down? Could they continue to attack from above and stall for time?

“Smash it! Smash their castle gate!”

Thump! Thump!

At Tweller’s command, the drumbeat grew louder. In fact, this was to draw attention. While there was an intention to break down the gate, the bigger purpose was-

“Damn it! Ardo!”

“Below! The siege ram is pushing in!”

To induce the spiritists to lower their flight altitude. If the sorcerers were to stop the siege ram, they would have no choice but to come down below the castle walls, given the angle.

“H-Heok! They, they’re coming!”

“Shut up and advance!”

“Push the ram! Push!”

“Uwaaaah!”

The Bariel soldiers squeezed their eyes shut and continued to push the ram straight ahead. And it was at that moment, when the spiritists who had flown above were about to unleash their power.

Swoosh!

Jeyrut approached at an incredible speed, blocking the spiritist’s path. It was truly in the blink of an eye.

He grabbed the sorcerer by the collar to prevent him from flying high again, and with his other hand, he created a lightning sword. Everyone squeezed their eyes shut at the flash that was too bright to look at directly.

Crack! Crack!

“…This!”

Thud!

He was sent flying, unable to even scream, and crashed into the castle wall. He was motionless, clearly dead on the spot.

‘Lure the spiritists with ordinary soldiers, and have the Imperial Guard deal with them.’

Tweller, having read the Emperor’s intentions, glanced at Jin. It was nothing new. The Emperor he served had always been this cold and decisive, so how could he have forgotten that? How disloyal of him.

“Keep pushing in. And show them that we are advancing towards the gate.”

Jin gave a low command and gestured, and the Bariel soldiers swarmed in.

The battle gradually intensified. The spiritists continued to close the distance to stop the siege ram, and the height of the battle gradually approached the ground.

Bang! Thud!

“One, two, three!”

Bang!

“Again! One, two, three!”

The soldiers squeezed their eyes shut amidst the fierce battlefield, pushing the siege ram to strike the gate.

Koo-oong, Thump!

Each time it collided, their whole bodies vibrated, but they could not stop. It was as if they would die the moment they stopped. Either die by the spiritists, or die by their superiors if they returned.

Thud!

“I-It’s twisted!”

“It’s twisted! A gap has opened up a little!”

“Good! Let’s keep going!”

“Waaaaah!”

The soldiers roared, raising their morale. The siege ram continued to batter the gate, and smiles spread across the soldiers’ faces as the gap widened….

Zhiing! Zhiing!

“Huh?”

Boom!

The last hit. Just one more hit and the gate would fall.

But then, a sound like an explosion came from inside, and the gate collapsed towards the soldiers. In other words, someone had kicked the gate from inside the castle walls.

Thud!

“……?”

They were almost there! Jin, bewildered, gripped his telescope tighter.

Standing in the doorway was none other than a Bariel mage. They, too, were standing there bewildered, awkwardly rolling their eyes.

“A mage?”

“Is that Yen? Why is he there?”

Yen approached the soldiers who were sprawled out, having avoided being crushed by the gate, and helped them up, then waved his hand towards the formation. As if telling them to come this way.

“Ian-nim told us to open all the gates! I’m going to the north gate now! Please enter quickly!”

…Damn it. The timing was terrible…. Tweller clicked his tongue and bit his lower lip. If this was the case, who opened the gate? Was it His Majesty, or the Minister of Magic?

Some would say that it doesn’t matter. But others would say that nothing is more important than that.

“Your Majesty, the gate is open.”

“Ah, yes. Have the entire army advance.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Jin also seemed momentarily flustered. But there was no time to stand still. They had no choice but to quickly enter and escape the king’s attacks.

Following the soldiers who were pouring into the gate like a tide, the Emperor’s carriage also began to move.

Boo-ooo-!

Boo!

The signal that the gate was open echoed everywhere. The soldiers pushed in wherever their feet led them, roaming through the capital, and the people in the streets knelt down, begging for their lives.

Most seemed to have hidden in their homes or fled. There was hardly any sign of people compared to the size of the city.

“Go straight to the royal palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Increase the speed!”

“Increase it!”

“Eliminate all who resist!”

“We are the Great Bariel Army!”

Taptap!

Ian, Beric, and the mages must be in the royal palace, right? Had they subdued the King of Toloon? If they had, they would have contacted the gate right away. Jin checked the time, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Minister Tweller. How long do you think it has been since Ian entered the royal palace?”

“Yen is a mage who came over from the main force. Since he met Ian-nim, received instructions, and is going around the gate, I would guess at least two hours have passed.”

“Two hours, huh.”

Yet, the royal palace was still the same.

Jin looked at the royal palace in the distance and gave an order.

“Surround the royal palace. And Barsabe!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You will enter the royal palace and assess the situation.”

“Is it alright for me to leave my post?”

“What are you saying?”

Jin asked back. The mages were by the Emperor’s side. There was nothing to worry about, was there? Jin pointed towards the royal palace with a nod.

“Your two eyes are in the royal palace.”

He had to take them back. In person.