Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 757

Jin, leading the march, noticed strange movements in the distance.

Bizarre motions, dark and indistinct figures from head to toe. There was no need to ponder deeply about their identity.

‘Monsters.’

Monsters that had leaked out from the palace.

The creatures were running frantically as if being chased by something. They paused briefly upon spotting the Imperial army advancing from the opposite direction.

There was no need to delve into what thoughts might be crossing their wicked minds.

-Kieeeek!

Even the smallest of creatures were desperately trying to confuse Bariel.

The standard-bearer waved the flag vigorously. It was a signal that an obstacle had appeared. The national anthem, which had been sung with such intensity and fervor, gradually faded.

Then, Jin gripped his sword firmly and commanded,

“Keep singing! Focus your minds through song. By constantly praying, we will manifest our faith.”

“Keep singing!”

Thump! Thud-thump! Thump!

This war was different from any they had faced before. Wasn’t the outcome of war dependent on faith and morale?

As the Emperor, he needed to rush ahead, strike down the enemy more fiercely than anyone else, and prove to his soldiers that victory belonged to Bariel.

“Your Majesty, I will go.”

It was Siao Shi who stepped forward. There were only three of them, and they were crude-looking monsters. There was no need for the Emperor to intervene; it would be better to handle them at his level.

However, Jin shook his head.

“No. It’s alright.”

Siao Shi’s will was sufficient, but it lacked significance. At this crucial moment, the actions of an Imperial officer alone would not resonate deeply with the soldiers. Just as Jin was about to declare that he would step forward himself,

“Then, I will go.”

It was Eirin.

She had tied her disheveled hair up into a single knot and roughly rolled up her tattered sleeves. Her eyes, looking up at the Emperor from below her horse, were full of confidence.

“Your Majesty, I am no different from the soldiers behind us. I wear the same armor and wield the same weapons. If I defeat those monsters, it will give them great courage.”

If Eirin could do it, it would instill in them the belief that they could do it too. Moreover, she was a paladin [a holy warrior]. It would also prove that the grace of God was definitely present.

It was suitable, but there was another problem.

“Eirin. Can you do it?”

Siao Shi asked cautiously. Whether she could defeat those monsters was the key. If she acted rashly and suffered a severe blow, it would be a great disaster.

However, Eirin nodded confidently.

“I know better than anyone the meaning of my stepping forward now. I will win. Even if I die, I will die having won.”

Her determination was remarkable.

Jin withdrew his hand, which had been about to draw his sword, and gave a nod of approval. As Eirin was about to pass him, Jin called out to her.

“Eirin.”

Jin leaned forward and extended his hand to her.

The two’s gazes met in the air. Eirin smiled softly and gently took his hand. It was a handshake, a monarch’s handshake to encourage a knight going into battle.

However, it held so much meaning. It meant to be careful and that he believed in her. It meant to definitely succeed and return, and that he cherished her.

Eirin, having engraved the monarch’s encouragement in her heart, drew her sword and slowly approached the monsters.

Screech!

She tore off her tattered sleeve. A cross-shaped scar was revealed on her arm, stained with dirt and blood. It was the mark she had made with her sword during the great monster outbreak in the northern region.

‘I will not back down this time either.’

Compared to the monster outbreak, this was a trivial hurdle.

Eirin gripped her sword tightly and lowered her stance. Then, she immediately sprang forward and charged at the monsters without hesitation.

-Kieeeek!

The monsters, as if finding it laughable, opened their maws wide and waited for her charge.

They would tear her apart alive. They would shatter her flesh into pieces in front of everyone!

Swoosh!

In that instant, the monsters felt it. The holy energy swirling at the tip of Eirin’s sword.

It was so white and pure that they instinctively knew their lives would be in danger the moment they touched it. They were still far away, but just basking in it made their skin tingle.

“Too late.”

Swoosh!

Eirin muttered to the monsters, who were trying to retreat, and resolutely swung her sword.

Even though it was just a light graze, the monsters collapsed and screamed in a chilling manner. Unfortunately, the sound was immediately drowned out by the loud singing of Bariel.

Swoosh!

She continued her attacks, enduring the monsters’ counterattacks with her whole body. Even though she was entangled with three monsters, she showed no sign of backing down.

No, to be honest, she staggered and was pushed back a few times, but Eirin’s posture was so upright and resolute that it even looked like part of her swordsmanship.

“Eirin didn’t know she was a paladin.”

“No way. Really?”

“That’s why she volunteered for the army.”

“Amazing. She didn’t even know herself.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t lose hope either. Who knows? Maybe you’re a paladin too.”

“What? Hahaha! That would be nice.”

“You never know! Eirin wasn’t that different from us either. Really.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Even after realizing her identity as a paladin, Eirin still lived and fought alongside the soldiers at the lowest ranks.

Eirin’s existence was a hope and a wish for the soldiers. It awakened the desire to be chosen by God, giving them hope that they too could awaken and become special beings, just like she had.

‘Me too…’

Thanks to that, many soldiers who had passed by her were able to witness and recognize her existence.

It was the same now. The soldiers who had been chanting the national anthem, encouraged by Eirin, once again cried out loudly.

Ba-riel!

They desperately wanted Eirin to win. If she won, they felt like they could win too.

Ba-riel!

Thwack!

Eirin’s sword pierced through the center of a monster’s torso. Black blood splattered everywhere, soaking her.

However, her brown eyes still shone brightly. No impurity could tarnish her purity.

Ba-riel!

“In the name of God-!”

The last one.

Eirin gritted her teeth, unleashing her fury.

“I will annihilate you!”

-Kieeeek!

The monster’s sharp tentacles reached near her neck. But Eirin’s sword was faster and more accurate. The spot where the sword pierced melted powerlessly, and soon lost its shape and flowed away.

Swoosh!

The monsters’ corpses lay scattered on the road.

Eirin tried to calm her pounding heart and slowly turned around. Jin and Siao Shi, along with the entire Imperial army, were watching her.

Eirin wiped the grime from her face with the back of her hand, then raised her sword forcefully.

Clang!

She had won. A mere laborer from a back alley pub had defeated monsters with the power of God. If I could do it, so can you.

These are nothing. If you have faith, God will respond, and we can return home safely!

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Eirin! Eirin!”

Cheers erupted simultaneously. It sounded like a song, and also like cries of overwhelming emotion. Eirin smiled brightly, a smile she had never shown before, and her eyes sparkled.

Swoosh.

It was then. A shadow fell over the triumphant Eirin. A huge, dark shadow.

The soldiers, who had been cheering loudly, fell silent, and Jin’s expression hardened. His pupils widened and trembled instantly.

“Th-”

Eirin slowly raised her head and looked up. Her pupils also widened, but only for a moment. Eirin straightened her posture, gripped her sword, and slowly stepped back.

“It’s the Shadow God!”

Whoooosh-!

Whoosh!

The Shadow God had leaned its head down to look at Eirin. Even though the palace was quite far away, it could reach them so easily just by bending its waist. It was a stark reminder of how enormous it was.

The soldiers were startled and began to panic, so the commanders shouted.

“Stay calm! Maintain formation!”

“The Shadow God has come!”

“Uwaaaah!”

“Observe calmly!”

Yes, observe calmly. The fact that it had shown movement meant that something had changed.

Jin was certain that the gray smoke and flames rising from all directions had created a rift in the creature. The believers were dying, and in the meantime, Bariel’s faith was gradually becoming stronger. It must have wondered what was going on.

Soon, a voice that seemed to shake the world resounded loudly.

-You are the Emperor of Bariel.

All the soldiers covered their ears. It felt like their spines were vibrating. Only Jin stood firm and faced it.

“How dare the shadow of a god address the Emperor.”

-How pathetic, human.

“You are a monster. Who is calling whom pathetic?”

-Indeed. Humans are foolish and ignorant by nature. Isn’t that why you’ve come this far? Emperor, you should have been satisfied with driving out your brother. If you had, at least you would have enjoyed power and died within your lifespan.

“…Shut your wicked mouth.”

It was referring to Arsen, the monster that had infiltrated the Imperial Palace. There was a hint of laughter in the monster’s voice.

-Did you believe that everything would be alright with Ian Hielo by your side? Your confidence is excessive. Unlike Ian Hielo, you were just a fool who was swayed by a mere young monster.

Clench. Jin clenched his teeth. He knew it was an attempt to shake the Imperial army, but he could no longer tolerate it.

“What, what is that thing saying?”

“That His Majesty was swayed by a monster?”

“You crazy bastard! That’s blasphemy!”

“Wait a minute, it’s true that he drove out his brother.”

“A young monster…?”

This conversation was shocking to the soldiers who had covered their ears. The Arsen incident was a complete secret to the outside world.

Half of the central nobles who had witnessed the situation at the time were beheaded, and the other half were silenced by the magic department’s sealing magic.

The Imperial Palace itself was closed during the rebellion, so outsiders would never know the story, the fact that a monster had taken root in the Imperial family.

“You fiend-!”

Jin couldn’t hold back and struck the horse’s flank hard. Hihhihing- The Emperor’s white warhorse reared up and neighed loudly, then charged fiercely towards the Shadow God. It was a charge that even Siao Shi couldn’t stop.

It was a formidable opponent that neither a mage nor a magic swordsman could handle, but Jin was the Emperor of Bariel. He couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Swoosh.

The Shadow God brought its arms together, as if trying to seize the Emperor of Bariel who was charging at it.

“Your Majesty!”

Swoosh!

Whoosh!

But just in time, there were those who blocked his path. It was Commander Jayrut and the Imperial Guard, covered in blood. Among them was Beric, who was also pale.

The magic swordsmen, who had flown in in the blink of an eye and blocked Jin’s path, formed a semi-circular formation to protect him.

-Not so fast.

But it was too late. And it was not enough.

The Shadow God’s attack grabbed a magic swordsman’s ankle. The magic swordsman, who was being dragged away helplessly by an unprecedented force, floated into the air and disappeared from view in an instant. The ankle that had been grabbed was long gone, like dust.

“You must never make contact!”

Thud!

Buzz! Buzz!

Jin stared blankly at the backs of the Imperial Guards who were facing away from him to protect him. The precious ones were crumbling into gray dust, one by one.

Swoosh!

Then, a shadowy hand shot through the ranks of the magic swordsmen. It flew in with the momentum to devour everything it touched.

“… !”

As he raised his sword to block it, Jin sensed it. He would never be able to stop it.

Tap!

At that moment-

Amidst the flashing white light, golden hair sparkled. The warmth of the sunlight, the fresh green eyes… As he recognized it, surprisingly, the world seemed to stop.

“…Ian.”

Whoosh!

Without a word, Ian instantly unleashed magic to deflect the shadowy hand. Then, he emitted an aura that he had never shown before in all directions.

Jin felt it. Something had changed.

Something inexplicable… .