Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 781

Melania and the Eastern Magicians

Meanwhile, at that very hour, north of the capital, in Hawan.

The area occupied by the Revolutionary Army was a scene of utter devastation, offering no respite. The wounded were carried on stretchers to the edges of the camp, while the dead lay where they fell, as if their spots were their graves, for days on end.

Caetano, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, surveyed the camp with his sword drawn, constantly on edge, unsure when the enemy might strike. The blood on his hand, gripping the hilt, had dried and hardened into a crust.

“What’s the damage?”

“It’s quite severe this time. The recent continuous rain made it impossible to use the fire cannons.”

“Damn those puppet army bastards, taking advantage of the rain to attack. If any of the wounded can still wield a sword, put them in the combat unit.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any word from Bariel yet?”

“No, sir.”

“Tch!” Caetano clicked his tongue and roughly ruffled his hair. It was a miracle they had held out against the puppet army this long. If they hadn’t had fire cannons, they would have been defeated and beheaded long ago.

But now, they were reaching their limit. Public sentiment was meaningless without people. Too many had died in the continuous battles, and doubts about the rebellion itself were spreading.

“If Bariel would just recognize us, we could rally the local forces.”

“They will surely accept us. There’s nothing for them to lose. Keep a close watch for any word from the Eastern magicians. If we have them, we can persuade Bariel more easily.”

“Yes, sir.”

He had no intention of seeking victory through outside forces. Their history should be written by their own will. It would be difficult, but Caetano would not waver.

Just as he was about to turn away, a woman hurrying among the wounded caught his eye.

“Who is that?”

Amidst the cries of the fallen, the pleas for help, the desperate shouts to hold on, and the agonizing requests to be killed-

The woman stood out. She was wearing a robe and veil that concealed her face. Despite her cumbersome attire, she was moving with purpose.

“Ah, she’s the daughter of a merchant from Luswena. She’s from a fallen family, but she knows how to read and write foreign languages, so we brought her into the camp. We didn’t have anyone who could identify the medicines.”

Most of the supplies they were using were abandoned by foreign merchants fleeing in haste. Medicines were labeled in foreign languages, so they needed someone literate to read and use them.

“She’s not one of the puppet army, is she?”

“I don’t think so. She always carries a family brooch, but she gave it up, saying it was useless.”

A puppet soldier wouldn’t give up jewelry that the enemy could use for funds. Of course, it could be a trap, but Caetano had been watching the woman for a long time. Aside from concealing her face, she hadn’t done anything suspicious. She was just helping the wounded and assisting with the camp’s operations.

Caetano nodded and casually passed her by.

Swoosh.

The woman followed Caetano with a sharp gaze from under her veil. She imprinted every moment, every detail of her surroundings, into her mind. The people he was with, his gait, his routine, what he saw, and what he said.

Once Caetano was completely out of sight, she focused again on the wounded man in front of her. He was severely injured and near death. His head was half-turned. He, too, seemed to have been watching Caetano, as if wanting to receive his leader’s last comfort, even in his dying moments.

“He seems very busy. He left right away.”

“Cough, ugh…”

The wounded man groaned, his voice like the sound of boiling metal.

“There’s still no word, I see.”

“Word about what?”

“The path to our victory, cough, them.”

The woman calmly caught the blood he was spitting out with her hand. She couldn’t tell him to stop talking. All the information circulating here was her lifeline.

Instead, she gently patted his back. The man thanked her with tears in his eyes. His life was reflected in his fading pupils.

“Thank you, nameless one, cough, for being with me at the end…”

His breath began to falter. The end was truly near. The woman held the veil with one hand and leaned in. Then, she whispered very softly,

“You’ve done well. Rest in peace. My name is Melania.”

“Mela, ah…”

Thud. His breath ceased.

Melania slowly stood up and looked around. There were more dead than alive, so there was no need to collect this one. She carefully moved in the direction Caetano had disappeared.

‘Are they waiting for word from the Eastern magicians?’

If so, that was good. Her judgment that the rebels were connected to the Eastern magicians through the fire cannons was correct, and the timing was right. How worried she had been while traveling from Vergos, through Bariel, to Hawan? She had feared that the opportunity might have passed her by.

‘Let’s wait.’

Even if she tried to be discreet, this was a chaotic battlefield. Footprints couldn’t be hidden on the gray ruins, and voices couldn’t be concealed in a place where all the walls were down. But if she kept watching, she would surely have a chance to meet the Eastern magicians.

Melania looked up at a bird flying in the distance.

Flap, flap!

A carrier pigeon with something tied to its leg. She saw one of Caetano’s men reach out to take the pigeon and then run to his leader.

Melania leaned against a mountain of corpses and sighed softly. Her body was tired, but her mind was clear. When she met the Eastern magicians, she would, without fail…

‘Without fail, guide them to Bariel. I will do it myself.’

The East was an unknown land. A new world where she couldn’t know what benefits would arise from establishing relations. And this was an opportunity not only for Bariel but also for Melania. A chance to regain her lost wealth and honor, or even more.

Melania clenched her teeth as she watched the heat haze rising above the corpses. Having come this far, she would never return empty-handed.

* * *

A few days later, Caetano, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, moved with his men to the outskirts of the capital.

Their movements were very cautious as they were leaving their base. Under the cover of darkness, dozens of soldiers formed a line, holding their breath.

Swoosh.

On a path where corpses formed a backdrop like stones and only death lingered, they silently walked through the ruins. When they reached a certain point, they cautiously looked around.

“I think this is the place, Caetano.”

“Yes, I see the flag over there.”

Find the flag waving at the highest point, that was the clue given by those they were to meet.

Caetano waited with a tense expression and his sword drawn for the other party to appear. The moon, which had been hidden by the clouds, emerged, illuminating the surroundings.

“What time is it?”

“It’s two in the morning. There’s still some time left.”

They didn’t know when the enemy might attack. They were tense and huddled together, and then they noticed long shadows stretching behind them.

“They’re behind us!”

At his subordinate’s shout, he quickly turned his head. Just moments ago, there had been no one there, but now two people were standing and looking at them.

The rustling of Eastern clothes, the glossy black hair. One was clearly a woman, but it was hard to tell if the other was a man or not.

…Such a peculiar attire. Caetano took a moment to compose himself and bowed politely.

“Welcome, Eastern magicians.”

The woman swayed her flowing sleeves and slowly walked down. Her movements were like walking on water. There was no swaying, and strangely, her sense of distance was vague.

“Yes, welcome. Humans of the West.”

Her features were as noble as the golden ornaments in her hair. Deep purple eyes as dark as her lips. Unreadable characters were engraved on her cheeks.

“I am Caetano.”

“I am Eunrang [Silver Wave]. Did you bring what we discussed?”

“It’s here.”

Caetano gestured to his men, and they brought out small pouches. Eunrang didn’t hesitate and opened them on the spot. Inside were amber gems of various sizes.

“Idgal, was it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Eunrang held it up to the moonlight and murmured that it was truly amazing. After looking at it for a while, Eunrang’s lips stretched into a wide smile. She turned and gestured to her companion to come quickly.

“Amazing. It’s exactly as Shatima described. Hohun! Look at this. It really has the property of erasing magic.”

At the woman’s call, the one called Hohun approached. Up close, it was clear that he was a man. Unlike his dark black hair, his eyes were a pale blue.

“Indeed.”

“Right? But the quantity is a bit small?”

Eunrang estimated the number with her eyes and then slowly looked at Caetano, as if she didn’t know what was going on.

Just the mere act of their eyes meeting sent a chill down Caetano’s spine. It wasn’t just their unfamiliar appearance, but perhaps the mysterious energy they exuded from their entire bodies.

“I apologize. It’s not easy to obtain Idgal during a civil war.”

“It’s far too little. Shatima promised to give three chests of Idgal. Just because she’s dead doesn’t mean we should end the deal like this.”

It was unknown how Shatima had made a deal with the Eastern magicians. She was already dead. And Erika, who had been her closest aide, had also disappeared somewhere in Luswena.

Whether they would continue their relationship or become enemies now depended on Caetano, the current leader of the Revolutionary Army.

“I apologize for saying this, but you will no longer be able to obtain Idgal in Hawan. Therefore, I would like to make a proposal.”

“A proposal? How amusing. What else could we do here?”

“There’s nothing for you to lose, so please calm your anger.”

Caetano clearly saw that Eunrang’s snarling fangs were quite sharp. Were all the Eastern magicians like that?

“Idgal is produced in the Bariel Empire. Specifically, I heard that the Minister of Magic there has the ability to create it.”

“A magician produces magic stones?”

“Yes, that’s the rumor. It’s considered a fact.”

The Eastern magicians frowned. Was it common for magicians to create magic stones in the West? That couldn’t be. Especially magic stones that conflicted with magic? There was no such case in the East.

“Is he really a magician? Or a monster?”

“Ah, he’s definitely not a monster.”

Caetano strongly denied it. The Empire’s Minister of Magic being a monster? That was impossible.

But the Eastern magicians didn’t seem to believe it. In their world, monsters often pretended to be humans and disrupted the order.

“Anyway, so?”

“If you go to the Bariel Imperial Palace, you can get as much Idgal as you want. I’ve already sent word, so if you two are willing, I’d like to escort you there.”

“Escort us? Look at your own state.”

Eunrang chuckled and replied as if it were annoying. But Caetano didn’t give up and confidently added,

“The Emperor of Bariel will officially invite us. You can trust me. Gaia [the world] and the East are unknown worlds to each other. If you come with us, you will surely get what you want.”

“What we want? What do we want?”

“I heard it from Minister Shatima. You are looking for Eastern treasures.”

“Ah.”

It was the moment when Eunrang nodded in agreement. Hohun sensed something and turned around.

A figure was running with difficulty in the distance. A robe was fluttering in the wind, and a woman’s figure was briefly visible.

“…”

Hohun didn’t stop her or warn them. Her desperate expression was clearly visible even in the darkness.

O