Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 950

“……!”

Herch, who had been standing with his arms crossed, gripped the railing. The other Imperial Guards did the same, leaning forward as if to confirm what they were seeing was real.

Thud.

Startled, Barsabe dropped the towel she was holding. Others reacted similarly; those with even a basic understanding of magic swordsmen were shocked and held their breath.

Ian smiled faintly and made a note on Beric’s documents. The mages also whistled, admiring Beric’s crimson flame sword, though they didn’t fully grasp its significance.

“Oh my. Beric created a magic sword?”

“Wasn’t that supposed to be difficult?”

“Looking at Beric, it doesn’t seem so.”

“It’s the second awakening.”

“Second awakening?”

Ian drew a star next to Beric’s name and slightly folded the corner of the page. This mark was reserved for test applicants under special observation and monitoring, those who would be strongly recommended for recruitment through a special system even if they failed the standard test.

“A skilled magic swordsman creates their own sword with magic, which is no easy feat. In fact, I’ve heard that about a third of the current Imperial Guards haven’t created a magic sword.”

“About a third?”

“They might be lower-ranked members, but still, it’s like a molting process that all magic swordsmen must go through. Beric did it in just a couple of months. It’s only been a couple of months since I opened the floodgates of his soul and started training him at the Count’s residence.”

“So, you’re saying Ian of the Imperial Guard is responsible?”

“That’s a bit of a strange comparison.”

Ian frowned slightly, then smiled. It was unclear whether he was saying the joke was inappropriate or that no one should be compared to Beric, even in jest.

“Anyway, he’s a genius.”

“That’s right, from a magic swordsman’s perspective.”

“This shows the importance of finding your aptitude. The day has come when Beric is called a genius by Ian.”

“I wonder if I would have been called a genius if I hadn’t been a mage.”

“If you weren’t a mage, you would have starved on the streets.”

“I guess so. Right.”

Unlike the relatively calm mages, the Imperial Guards were in an uproar. None of them had achieved a second awakening before entering the Imperial Palace, not even the current three leaders, including Herch.

“Ha.”

Herch let out a gasp of excitement. Was this what it felt like to witness a brilliant future firsthand? Just knowing he had met the master of the next generation filled him with a sense of relief.

“Whoa!”

“Look over there!”

As Beric soared up, using the barrier as a stepping stone, the spectators cheered and shouted. If nothing else, Beric knew how to work a crowd. He had learned that from being beaten up in the underground arena for the past few years.

“You inside there!”

Beric flew into the air, aiming for the center of the mass of corpses. As if trying to stop him, the opponent spread its net-like hands again, but the moment they touched Beric’s crimson flame sword, they turned to ashes and disappeared.

“……!”

“Meat tastes best when it’s grilled!”

“Ah!”

“You’ll taste best when you’re burned!”

So it could talk? Beric grinned and swung his sword powerfully. The vitality that had been dormant in every corner of his body was not only awakening but exploding, channeled through the sword and the hot, red flames.

Whoosh!

Beric sliced the huge mass from head to toe in one stroke. The two halves split with a tearing sound. Something like mucus stretched out to quickly regenerate, but Beric’s flames made it difficult. The flames engulfed the mass of corpses instantly, as if they had met oil.

Whoosh!

Swoosh!

This time, the wind blew, but unlike before, it was hot and scattered pieces of the corpse.

The inside was obscured by the dust swirling in the rectangular isolated space. Everyone narrowed their eyes, trying to see what was happening.

Swish.

As the wind subsided, the figures of two people facing each other were revealed: a mass of corpses, scorched and shriveled, flames that wouldn’t die down, Beric panting and bleeding, and a young girl standing there as if nothing had happened.

“A girl?”

“No.”

Ian immediately corrected the mage’s murmur.

“Necromancers can’t be judged by their appearance.”

They can shape their appearance as they wish, whether with iron or anything else.

The mage tilted his head and checked Ian’s documents.

“Nadia. Age thirty?”

“Huh? What?”

“She’s thirty.”

No way. She looked younger than Beric.

While the mages were marveling at trivial things, the Imperial Guards were constantly marveling at Beric’s talent. Not only was his first awakening early, but its power was also tremendous, wasn’t it?

“Crazy.”

They say that Ian Hadel has been appointed as the next director of the Magic Department? Unless something goes wrong, Beric will be the next of the three leaders of the Imperial Guard. Looking at it, it seems like there are a few things to teach him.

“If he just knew how to read, he’d be fine.”

“And had some common sense and manners.”

“He also needs to eat less.”

“He needs to have some manners.”

“He knows how to calculate numbers, right?”

“…….”

Looking at it this way, it seemed like he was lacking in many ways. Maybe he’s not that great after all? The next leader, will he be okay…? They exchanged glances in a strange silence and then turned their heads towards Beric.

“Finally out. Did you use up all the corpses now?”

Beric panted as he wiped away sweat. It was partly because he had overdone it as soon as he awakened, and his side was already soaked with blood. Moreover, his bones felt like they were about to shatter from being hit by that massive fist earlier. Beric’s eyes flashed as he endured the pain that was belatedly rushing in.

It was then.

“Ugh~ This is so annoying~!”

Nadia whined, twisting her hair and raising her eyes. As she reached into her inner pocket, Beric rushed in again, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

But-

“I surrender.”

What came out of her pocket was a white flag.

Beric, who was about to strike her head, was surprised and hurriedly turned his body, but it was too late to stop, and he slammed his head into the barrier.

“Huh?”

Beric blinked, stuck upside down. What did she just say? Surrender?

“I used up all the corpses I prepared~ I don’t like being hurt~ I’ll stop here~ I surrender~”

“No, you bastard. You put holes in people’s bodies, and what? Surrender?”

“If you didn’t want holes, you should have surrendered earlier~”

“Hey! Why are you talking so annoyingly?!”

“Hmph~ You’re more annoying? The corpses you just burned, I collected them for five years~”

“Who cares? Pick up your weapon! I’m not done yet!”

“I don’t know~ I surrender~ You know you’ll be taken away immediately if you attack me here~? Hey~ Managers~ Keep your eyes open~ Whether this guy is harming me or not~”

“Ugh! Your tone is so annoying! I want to stomp on your squirming body!”

“Aha~ Too bad~ You missed your chance to beat me up~”

Nadia elegantly waved the flag, blowing on her bright red nails. Beric tried to get up, shouting something, but he was struggling because he was stuck between the barrier and the arena. It seemed like he couldn’t get his body up properly because of the wound on his side.

“Ah…….”

The examiner looked up at the second floor with a troubled expression. Ian nodded at him, and only then did the whistle blow.

“Be, Beric wins! Nadia loses! Thank you for your hard work.”

“No! I don’t want this kind of victory! I have to split her in half!”

“Ehem~ You have no manners towards a lady. You. Man. In!”

“You’re talking about being a lady while wearing corpses, what a load of crap. Hey, come here. Won’t you come here? Let’s finish it!”

Buzz! Buzz!

As Ian removed the barrier, Beric rolled down to the bottom of the arena. Nadia glanced down at him, snorted, put on her fur coat, and disappeared, tossing her hair without any regrets.

“Resume the test.”

Ian brought the attention of the people who were blankly watching, and soon carefully wrote down the record of the battle.

“Healing mage, let’s go sew up Beric’s side.”

“Yes.”

While the mages were focusing on treating the injured, Barsabe was sitting down with a blank look on her face. She was so out of it that she fell over at the light touch of a passing mage.

“What’s wrong, Barsabe? Are you okay? Why are you like this?”

“Beric… that damn dog… awakened first…”

“Bring a stretcher. It’s a mess today.”

“Ugh! Bring that girl back! I’m going to fight again!”

“Shut up, and bite down on this cloth. Oh my, your side is all torn. Did you put a new pocket on?”

“Pocket? Seriously! You’re talking nonsense.”

“Nonsense?! Nonsense?! I won’t heal that bastard Beric!”

“Why are you doing this again!”

In the midst of the unexpected chaos, Ian leaned against the railing and pressed his forehead as if he had a headache. Beric was at the center of all the commotion. He was seriously starting to wonder if he should really bring ‘that guy’ in. Maybe after he matures a little more…….

‘No, that’s not right.’

He couldn’t rely on Count Jacques’ residence until then. Even for the sake of food expenses… yes, the Imperial Palace would be better.

Ian circled Beric’s evaluation and gave him 8 points. And he also circled the name of the opponent, Nadia, but she got 6 points.

“Ian!”

The mages who had gone to the general test area came to the entrance of the second floor and called Ian. It was to switch the barrier creation and maintenance duties. Now, Ian had to go to the general test area and check again if there were any others with the qualities of a magic swordsman.

“What’s wrong? Why is the atmosphere like this here?”

The mage looked around and asked. Was it because it was a place where people with special abilities gathered? The atmosphere was definitely different. It was louder, more chaotic, and something…….

“Ah, it’s because of Beric.”

The mages immediately recognized the culprit and took the documents from Ian.

“Beric just finished.”

“Really? Awesome, that’s a relief. I’ve got less annoying work to do.”

While the examiners were sweeping and wiping the arena, the mages were newly maintaining the barrier. They told Ian that he had done a good job and told him to go to the other test area.

“It’s quiet there. And the people are okay.”

“The Imperial Defense Department is taking care of most of the work.”

The mages could just relax and focus on discovering talent.

“Then, good luck.”

“Yeah. You too.”

“Ah! And, Ian.”

“Yes?”

“That person named Siao Shi, is he your friend?”

Friend? It hadn’t been long since they met. They hadn’t talked much either. But…….

“If you had to say, he would be on that side.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“But why are you asking that? Is there something wrong?”

The mages were impressed and gave a thumbs up.

“In my opinion, Siao Shi is number one.”

“That seems like a hasty judgment. It’s only the first day of the test.”

“No, no. I can see his potential.”

“You’ll know when you go and see him?”

How great was he that they were like this? The mages rarely praised others.

Ian nodded, saying he understood, and left the training ground. He saw Barsabe slumped on a nearby bench, looking out of it.

“Sister.”

It was the moment when Ian was about to encourage her, saying that she had worked hard and that it was a great fight. Ian realized that Barsabe’s mind was half gone.

“Sister?”

“Ha, life, damn… how did that damn dog… get the sword first… and it’s so big and cool… it’s not even his place…….”

She was shocked. It seemed like she was even more disappointed by the fact that Beric had taken the lead, not anyone else.

Ian was wondering what to say to comfort her, but he chose not to say anything. Even he would probably deny reality if Beric used advanced magic.

“Hey, Ian!”

At that moment, Beric, who had finished his treatment, came running, jumping excitedly. As Barsabe’s head slowly turned, Beric greeted her with a brighter smile than ever.

“Oh? The loser was here too?”

“Ha… shit…….”

…I want to deny it. I’m already denying it, but I want to deny it more fiercely. How can I, who has been holding a sword since I was a toddler, not be able to do the second awakening that even that bastard can do……!

Barsabe tilted her head back and fainted again. It was her own way of escaping reality.