Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 919

Ian rubbed his eyes, watching the soldiers bustling about. They all seemed busy carrying out their assigned tasks. Whether it was the headquarters or the battlefield, mornings were busy everywhere.

Standing beside Ian, Ako yawned widely, her eyes swollen. Hale still seemed half-asleep, his eyes closed.

“Still, being in the north, the air is something else.”

“…….”

“Hey, aren’t you getting up?”

“…I was up.”

The three of them had returned at dawn after their secret meeting with Astana. As soon as they entered the tent, Ako muttered, looking at her doll with its middle finger extended.

“Just as I thought. Someone came in.”

“How did you know?”

“The angle is off.”

To Ian, it looked exactly the same, but Ako seriously raised her eyebrows and said so.

“Aish, if I had known, I would have set up something to explode.”

“Now that they know we were gone, they’ll react, right?”

“Yeah. But they can’t do it openly. I’m a bit cautious because I don’t know how far Chrony’s mind is working.”

Did they realize they went to Astana? And that they even found a clue about Idgal? Ako sighed, stretched, and popped the balloon to tidy up.

“Let’s just sleep for now. We’ll know when we meet tomorrow.”

That was how their conversation from the previous night ended.

However, the group couldn’t sleep properly due to the uncomfortable cots, the colder-than-expected night air, and the anxiety of Chrony being nearby. Eventually, they stayed awake until sunrise, rubbing their eyes as if they were tired, and soon discovered Chrony approaching.

“Good morning.”

“Yeah, whatever. Haaam.”

Ako yawned widely, and Chrony tried to hide his disgusted expression.

“It seems you didn’t sleep well last night.”

They were busy moving around all night, so it was understandable that they were tired, right? Ian and Ako understood Chrony’s roundabout way of speaking. Hale was still blinking blankly, staring into the distance.

“The Magic Division isn’t here for a vacation. We can’t rest easy for even a moment for the sake of the Empire. I just went out for a quick scout to see if there were any enemies lurking nearby, riding the night wind.”

They knew each other. Chrony knew they had disappeared during the night, and the Magic Division knew that they knew. Chrony lightly tugged at his beard and responded.

“That’s appreciated. But, mage.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“I am the commander here. Please refrain from leaving the camp without orders.”

“I don’t want to?”

“What?”

Ako rubbed her swollen eyelids and casually added.

“We came here primarily to get the guardian’s consent. If a battle breaks out, we’ll naturally help Bariel, but, well, it looks like the world is quiet and peaceful.”

The subordinates standing behind Chrony couldn’t hide their displeasure. Even if they were mages, their arrogance was excessive. But what was even more infuriating was that everything they said was true.

“And the Magic Division isn’t officially participating in combat. So, we don’t need to listen to the commander’s orders, right? We’ll take care of ourselves, so please, Chrony, mind your own business. Why are you so concerned about other people’s…”

It was a subtle way of mentioning that he had entered their tent during the night.

Ian watched Ako and Chrony exchange sharp greetings from the morning and gently tugged at Hale’s sleeve, as if telling him to wake up.

“Other people? That’s disappointing. I thought we were all working together for the great Bariel Empire.”

Ako sensed a slight danger. This bastard definitely knew they had gone to another camp, to Astana. If they weren’t careful, they could be hit with a backlash for colluding with the enemy. Ako took a step back for now.

“Of course, we exist for the great Empire, but we are part of the Magic Division, so please keep that in mind.”

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

“By the way, won’t you write the guardian consent form?”

Ako squatted down, put her arm around Ian’s shoulder, and asked. Chrony looked at Ian for a moment, then gave a perfunctory smile.

“I wanted to talk about this yesterday, but the timing wasn’t right. Becoming family isn’t something to be decided so easily, so I’d like to ask for another conversation tonight, Uncle Ian.”

“…Of course.”

It was a ploy to prevent Ian from wandering outside the camp. But it was okay. Ako, Hale, and Kkyu were there. Now that they knew the approximate location of the Idgal burial site, they could diligently check it every night.

“How much time do we have left?”

“Excuse me?”

Ako questioned Chrony’s sudden question.

“Didn’t you apply for an external assignment from the Magic Division?”

“Ah, it’s one week from the arrival date.”

Did Chrony know? That if the three of them didn’t return when the portal opened in six days, Arena would lead the mages here herself.

Chrony nodded slightly at Ako’s answer.

‘Six days, huh.’

They’ll try to find Idgal within that time. They’ll be moving quite busily. Chrony gave an enigmatic smile and lightly made eye contact.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Yes, please take care.”

Ako, who had roughly saluted and sent Chrony away, clicked her tongue and took out a map from her pocket. Then, she put up a light barrier around them to prevent the soldiers from approaching. Well, even without that, the soldiers wouldn’t dare approach the mages.

“We’ll divide the area and search for six days. Tonight, Ian has to stay in the camp, so I’ll stay by his side. Hale, you and Kkyu search this area.”

“Uh…”

“Are you listening?”

“Uh…”

Ako rummaged through Hale’s pocket and shoved a dry cigarette into his mouth. Surprisingly, his half-closed eyes opened wide.

“And the next day, from here to here. And then here. We’ll take turns watching at night, and during the day, we’ll have Kkyu do the overall scouting.”

“Okay.”

“You’re finally awake. We only have six days, so check carefully. I heard it’s large, but we can’t be sure. If it’s small, we’ll miss it.”

“Is there a forest?”

“I don’t know from the map.”

“If there is, we’ll have to lower the altitude.”

They reorganized their search operation and marked it on the map. Ian, who had been listening intently, suddenly realized something and asked.

“But-”

“Yeah?”

“Where is Kkyu right now?”

“…….”

There was no way they wouldn’t notice that huge body?

Ako and Hale also realized this belatedly and jumped up. With the Dragon Pact, there was no way he could have been attacked by someone, and even if he was, he wouldn’t just stand there and take it. He would have turned the place into a fiery pit with his breath, and they would have noticed immediately.

“That’s right. Where is he?”

“Kkyu! Kkyuuu!”

Ako released the barrier and strode into the center of the camp. Then, she approached a nearby soldier and asked.

“Did you see where Kkyu went?”

“Kkyu, Kkyu?”

“The dragon! The red dragon!”

“Ah, he flew that way before sunrise.”

The soldier’s fingertips trembled. The place he pointed to was north. Judging by the fact that it was out of sight, it was clear that he had gone beyond the horizon. Ako muttered irritably.

“That damn thing, where is he always wandering off to?”

“Ako. Kkyu must have his reasons.”

A dragon was a spiritual being among spiritual beings. Ian calmed her down, saying they should wait a little longer. The soldier cautiously added.

“But, m-mage.”

“Aang?”

“The dragon ate all the food that was supplied.”

“…Excuse me? What did you say?”

Ako became extremely polite. Ian took a small step back in shock.

“I don’t know what to do…”

“Why, why did he eat that? We brought our own. Wait a minute. Does Chrony know about this?”

“I was on my way to report it now, but…”

“No! Wait a minute! I’ll take care of it! Wait for me!”

Ako immediately ran to the tent, and Hale moved away from Ian and lit his cigarette. …Haa. It was a sweet morning.

* * *

Swoosh!

Kkyu flew through the wind, chasing a strange sensation that he could feel faintly. Last night, he was too tired, and his focus was blurred, so he couldn’t find it, but as expected, with a full stomach and cool air, flying was easy.

-Kkyuuu!

Kkyu roared happily and slowly lowered his altitude. He remembered. 100 years ago, during the Great Demon War, he had sensed the evil energy and Ian Hiel’s sacred golden energy.

Now, it was as if they were mixed together, sending a signal from somewhere, so the Idgal burial site that the mages were looking for must be somewhere here.

Rustle, rustle!

Meanwhile, on the ground, the Megetu tribe was quickly running through the grass, following the dragon. The green lining changed to the color of dry grass according to the surrounding scenery, and then suddenly turned to the color of soil. They ran like monkeys, grabbing onto trees with long, whip-like vines.

-Can you follow the movements of the dragon and the mages?

Chrony’s secret letter, which had secretly entered the Megetu tribe during the night. It stated that the Magic Division was presumed to know information about Idgal.

Since the tribe was the most mobile among them, they gladly agreed to Chrony’s request.

-If things go well, the Megetu tribe will gain dominance in the north. Isn’t it time to establish a kingdom like Astana? You know that the history of a kingdom only begins with the Empire’s recognition, right?

This was an opportunity. But since it was a dragon, it was not easy to follow. The only good thing was that it was large and easy to see. The Megetu tribe kept running and looking up, watching the dragon’s flight path.

Swoosh!

That was when it happened. The dragon’s wings swung wide, and it suddenly changed direction.

‘Oh no!’

Did they get caught? The Megetu tribe lay flat in the grass and crawled towards the dragon. Their movements were nimble and quiet, like snakes.

-Kkyuu.

Pushing through the grass, the sight that appeared was truly spectacular. A hill of golden jewels and a dragon quietly watching it. The Megetu tribe covered their mouths to stop themselves from gasping.

‘Found it!’

The Idgal burial site! It really existed! And the amount was more than they had expected. It was enough to build several buildings and still have some left over.

The Megetu tribe turned around to quickly report this fact, and because of that, they didn’t look closely at what the dragon was looking at.

Thud.

Under the amber-colored jewels, a gaping darkness. A crack. Black energy swirling within it. Kkyu growled and lowered his head, and an unknown shape gradually changed into a human face and lunged towards Idgal.

Boom!

As if asking to be taken out from here, as if asking to break this ridiculous amber-colored jewel.

-You’ve finally come. I’ve been waiting for a long time.

A faint voice. Kkyu felt the ground shaking. It was an earthquake. The underground god, who had been sealed 100 years ago, burst into a chilling laugh, saying he had waited too long. Kkyu didn’t know if the one he was waiting for was Ian or someone else.

Swoosh.

The only certain fact was that he had to hurry back and inform the mages. Kkyu flew up with all his might and flew at full speed towards the Bariel camp.