Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 861

Tap. Tap.

In the heart of the desolate desert, the empty sanctuary of Cheonryeo echoed with the sound of rain.

Ian, a faint smile playing on his lips as if enjoying the sound, flicked his fingers. He had come to understand that it was from nothingness that something could finally exist.

Beside him, Roel, carefully rolling gurute leaves [a type of medicinal leaf], asked, his eyes covered by bandages.

“Is this the rain from before?”

“Probably.”

Ian replied, pressing a hand near his chest, as if recalling the divine message he had received.

The message had said not to fear the rain, yet he couldn’t shake an instinctive aversion. Wasn’t death like that for humans?

“Are you afraid?”

“No.”

It was aversion, not fear. Ian gently took the gurute leaves from Roel and began rolling them himself. His touch was so delicate that Roel, despite his blindness, wasn’t surprised.

“To me, rain was ‘oblivion’.”

The rain brought by the Underworld God had caused precious people to lose their memories. Thus, the divine message could be interpreted as, ‘Do not fear even if they lose their memories.’

“Thankfully, everyone has regained their memories, so I have nothing to fear. It seems like it’s my turn this time.”

The rain began to fall again, signifying Ian’s oblivion. Even if he were reborn, he wouldn’t retain his current memories.

Could he succeed? Although he had eliminated all the black seeds planted by the Underworld God, could he navigate the past again without his memories?

Roel hesitantly placed his hand on the back of Ian’s hand.

“Do not be afraid, as the divine message says.”

“…Okay.”

*Kiss.* Ian lightly kissed the back of the child’s hand. Behind them, silask flowers [a fictional flower] were in full bloom.

“Shouldn’t we contact the people at the Imperial Palace?”

“They are busy people.”

Enough time had passed; they would be living their lives. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble again.

Besides, Ian had been keeping in touch in his own way, sending postcards from every place he had traveled. Due to various circumstances, he didn’t know when they would arrive, though.

“They will resent you when they find out later.”

Ian smiled faintly at Roel’s warning.

“It will be difficult for them to come all the way here.”

“They will have grown.”

“Is that so? I hope so.”

*Pitter-patter.* The rain grew a little stronger. The warriors set up new tents to prevent leaks into the barracks, and Roel opened the window to place the silask flowers outside. The red petals, soaked with rainwater, bloomed vibrantly.

“I heard it’s hard to find food after the desert monsoon.”

Ian muttered, flicking water off the petals. It was already difficult to find food in the Great Desert, but such abnormal weather would temporarily disrupt the ecosystem, leading to even more severe droughts.

“Be sure to go to Hiel or any other border region for help.”

Roel smiled, dismissing it as unnecessary worry.

Just then, the warriors, who had been moving busily, stopped, sensing something. Ian and Roel also turned their heads, puzzled by the unfamiliar magical energy.

“What is it?”

“Roel, Ian, stay inside.”

“There’s no one who should be coming nearby.”

*Shing.*

They gripped their swords and ran towards the entrance of Cheonryeo. They were a tribe of only a dozen people, vulnerable to annihilation from a single external attack, so their vigilance was extraordinary.

However, Roel calmly rose and held out his hand to his brother.

“It seems we have a guest. Shall we go greet them?”

Ian slowly took the child’s hand and went outside. The cool rain pleasantly soaked his hair and clothes.

They soon arrived where the warriors stood, binoculars in hand, looking puzzled.

“Roel, Ian, I told you to stay inside?”

“What’s going on?”

“…People are coming.”

“People?”

“Over there.”

Ian’s eyes widened as he followed the warrior’s finger. Beric was leading the way, and the mages were running with bulging bags. The desert sand, which would normally have made their feet sink, looked firm thanks to the rain.

“Iaaaaan!”

“Ian! Ian!”

“We’re here!”

The warriors, recognizing them as being from the Imperial Palace, relaxed, released the latch, and ran towards them. Roel also let go of Ian’s hand and smiled, as if telling him to go quickly.

*Thud.*

Ian also started running.

The mages threw off their heavy backpacks and ran with all their might, their cries lost in the sound of the rain.

*Thump*, one by one, they all hugged Ian. Ian, the mages, and Beric tumbled onto the sand in a heap.

“Ian! It’s been so long! How have you been?”

“You haven’t contacted us! It’s too much! Really!”

“Your hair has grown a lot. I missed you.”

“Ian, are you feeling okay?”

“Ian! Oh my, you’ve gotten thin.”

Ian burst into laughter at the mages’ and Romandro’s gestures as they hugged him from all sides.

At the same time, a shadow fell over them. Ian looked up at the unfamiliar person.

“Is this the Ian I’ve heard about?”

“Don’t call Ian ‘that guy’!”

It was Ja-an. He looked down at Ian upside down, as if very curious, and smiled.

“Yes. He’s quite handsome. His eyes are clear.”

“…Are you the Great Mage of the East?”

“Oh? How did you know?”

“Your attire is from the East.”

“Ah!”

Ja-an straightened his back as if he had just realized it and laughed heartily. Beric pushed him aside and stuck his face in.

“Hey, you wanna get in trouble?”

“Oh, Beric. It’s good to see you.”

“I told you to contact usssss!”

Beric yelled into Ian’s ear, causing Ian’s eyebrow to furrow. He couldn’t avoid it, tangled up with the mages.

Ja-an kept looking at Ian’s face and muttering, while the mages kept talking. The quiet desert became noisy in an instant.

“Let’s move the luggage first, everyone.”

It was Jin. Jin also looked down at Ian from a few steps away, looking a little annoyed.

“Have you been well, Your Majesty?”

“As well as you.”

“You’ve grown more mature.”

Jin closed his mouth. He had grown, but why hadn’t Ian? Seeing his rather thin body made his heart ache.

The warriors of Cheonryeo easily picked up the bags the mages had thrown down and asked.

“Should we move the luggage?”

“That’s a gift for you all. We brought some meat, food, and alcohol.”

“Huk! Thank you!”

“Come this way.”

Meanwhile, Beric was momentarily speechless at the sight of Cheonryeo, which he had seen after a long time. Was it because of the rain? The bustling village was empty and desolate. It felt like the heart of the hot, intense, and vibrant desert had died.

As Beric frowned in dismay, the warriors patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s okay. We’ve rebuilt a lot.”

They unpacked the luggage under a narrow tent that barely kept out the rain. It was full of high-quality meat and fresh ingredients, as if they had raided the Imperial Palace’s warehouse. The warriors moved busily to prepare for the sudden guests. They prepared to grill meat, brought out wine glasses, and laid a cloth on the spot where the Emperor would sit.

Ja-an also sat down casually and curiously picked up a gurute leaf and smelled it.

“It’s a unique stimulant.”

“It’s not allowed for outsiders.”

“What does it matter? They brought this much meat?”

“The Imperial Palace brought it, not you.”

“Huh? Who do you think I am? Tsk!”

“Are you showing off in front of His Majesty?”

“Aish! Don’t do that, let me have just one puff!”

As Ja-an whined, Roel nodded slightly. He didn’t know when or how he would disappear, so it would be good to leave a trace even for a passing guest.

Ja-an quickly took the gurute leaf a warrior handed him and started to burn it. He held it in his mouth and looked back at Ian.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ian. I’m Ja-an. The Imperial Palace people kept talking about Ian, Ian, so I thought I should see your face.”

“I don’t use the surname Hiel anymore. Please call me Ian.”

Ja-an’s eyes narrowed as he puffed out smoke. Then, he said something cryptic.

“…You’re too young.”

Ja-an thought. He and Ian were alike, in that they had the mission to save the world by eradicating the monsters, and in that they were sacrificing their lifespans for that mission. Ian smiled, roughly pushing back his wet hair.

“Is that so?”

“Heaven is so heartless. I’m a worn-out old man, but you’re so young and beautiful.”

“It’s what I wanted to do.”

Even that answer was fitting. Ja-an gave a meaningful smile.

Ian was the same.

“So, you must carry on to the end. You will meet the world you desire.”

“Ha! That’s something!”

As Ja-an was impressed, the mages swarmed around Ian. They wanted to stop the complicated talk and catch up first.

They ate meat and drank alcohol with the warriors, asking how they had been. Ian smiled, saying it was difficult to answer.

“Too much has happened.”

“Tell us as much as you can. We’ll tell you too. Minister Acorella blew up the lab seven times in a year. Now, he doesn’t care about anything.”

“Shut up! Why are you saying that?”

“And recently, Romandro…”

“Iaaaaan! Hey, this is the barracks we stayed in, right? Wow. It’s still the same!”

“Shut up, Beric! We’re talking right now!”

“Your Majesty, does the meal suit your taste?”

“Of course, Roel. Is your eye okay?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. In the desert, sometimes it’s more comfortable not to see than to see.”

Ja-an took a drink and looked around at the people who were talking busily. They were all chaotic and seemed a little rushed. They instinctively knew that they didn’t have much time. Not only could they not leave the Imperial Palace empty for long, but the boy’s body, soaked in the rain, was too frail.

Suddenly, an unknown emotion surged up.

“Tsk, tsk…. Warriors of the tribe, beat that drum.”

“It’s not a drum, it’s called a tunmong [a type of drum].”

“Whatever. We’re drinking in the rain, so how can we not have music?”

Cheonryeo tapped the side of the chair he was sitting on. Ja-an nodded his head happily and spun around in the rain with a glass in his hand. What’s wrong with that crazy old man?

*Boom boom boom! Boom boom!*

“Oh, that’s good!”

*Thump! Clack! Thump thump!*

“…He’s drunk on gurute leaves.”

At Ian’s mutter, the mages made disgusted faces, saying they were all doing their own thing.

Regardless, Ja-an kept humming a strange tune and singing. It was a similar rhythm to when he used the erasure magic.

“Anyway, old man.”

“I’m a good dancer! Hey, at this age, it’s hard to have this kind of precision, you know? Look, kid. Isn’t it awesome?”

“That’s ridiculous, who dances like that these days?”

Beric shrugged his shoulders as if to show off and danced, and the mages and warriors grabbed their stomachs and flipped over at the ridiculous sight. But soon-

“I can’t stand it.”

“Let’s go!”

The warriors also jumped into the rain and sang at the top of their lungs.

Ian suddenly felt like he was back at Philia’s engagement ceremony.

“……”

And it wasn’t just Ian who felt that way. Jin, who had attended wearing a mask, was also remembering that day.

The mages, who had been trying to stop them, were also soon assimilated by Ja-an and Beric and started jumping around.

*Swishhhhh!*

The rain intensified. The refreshing feeling washed away the heat of the desert in an instant. Beric held out his hand to Ian, and Ian took his hand, and at the same time, pulled Jin towards them.

“Run, run! Faster than anyone on the Apichino field! Beric is coming, get out of the wayyyy!”

“Wow, he’s still the same. Really.”

“Make Beric shut up.”

Ian spun around and danced with his companions, enjoying the cool rain. The more he laughed, the bigger his friends’ laughter became. With alcohol, meat, and song, they lost track of time.

As the sun set and it became dark, the exhausted people collapsed. Ja-an, who had started first, was the first to pass out, already with his mouth wide open.

“Kuh-erk.”

“Oh my, my head is killing me.”

“Ian, are you okay?”

Ian was also lying down, stretching out his arms and legs comfortably. He chuckled with his eyes closed and answered as if he couldn’t move at all.

“…I’m tired.”

“I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve had this much fun.”

“Ah, it’s fun. I want to stay like this forever.”

“…Me too.”

Ian murmured softly.

“…It’s been a long time.”

“Ian, are you sleepy?”

“…Yeah. I laughed too much.”

An irresistible sleep came over him. The sensation of raindrops flowing down his cheeks, *tap tap*, became more and more distant.

Ian’s breath trembled slightly. Tears trickled down his eyes, but they were instantly washed away by the rain.

“Ian, do you know what has appeared in the central square?”

A flower tomb has been created, made by those who want to remember you.

“Sir Siaoshi and Lady Chloe finally got married. Don’t even ask what happened then.”

“Oh, and…”

Ian listened to his friends’ rambling voices and fell asleep.

If someone asked what happiness was, Ian would answer that it was now, this moment. And he would ask back. What is this fullness that fills his heart?

“Ian?”

Since there was no answer for a long time, the mages got up one by one and looked back at Ian.

*Swishhhhh.*

Ian was peacefully closing his eyes, as if it was okay to be submerged in the rain, with a faint smile on his face.

“Ian?”

Beric grabbed his hand with a trembling hand, and Jin also leaned his forehead on Ian’s shoulder. Everyone held their breath and watched Ian’s last moments.

*Swishhhhh.*

The golden light given by God had faded.

It was one day during the desert monsoon.