Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor -
Chapter 47
“Commander Erica!”
At the call of her subordinate, Erica put down her documents. It was rare for any commotion from her subordinates to be good news since she came here…
“Countess Mary and her son Chel have been found!”
“What?”
But this time, it was different. A most unexpected piece of excellent news! Erica’s eyes shone with elation.
“Where?!”
“Well, it’s at the northern gate. They dashed past the soldiers who were going to check them, riding two horses. There were four of them in total, and they split into two groups as soon as they left the gate.”
“Four people? Are you sure it’s Mary and Chel?”
“They had their hoods on, so I couldn’t see clearly, but one of them had the reddish hair of a boy who hasn’t reached adulthood yet. The woman also resembled Countess Mary and looked middle-aged. We suspect that the riders may be surviving knights.”
Erica briskly walked to the table and spread out a map. If they passed through the northern gate and then split into two directions, those directions were completely opposite: east and west. Mary and Chel would not want to separate from each other.
“What about the chase?”
“The soldiers at the gate are currently chasing them, but it looks like we need to send reinforcements quickly.”
“Reported location?”
“They are suspected to have reached this point so far.”
“Wait a minute…”
Erica traced the traces of Mary and Chel slowly with both hands. The two seemed to be heading continuously north after splitting to the left and right. North? North, then… A sharp thought flashed through Erica’s eyes.
“Exclude Merellof. They walked to the gate to avoid entanglement, so……”
Next was Shailon, a city famous for commerce. Though ‘next’ made it sound close, it was a place that would take more than ten days to reach by land.
Considering that it takes a fortnight from Bratz to the central region, it was a ridiculous estimated time. This was because they had to cross the ‘Denba Mountains’.
“They’re likely to go through Shailon.”
“Shailon connects to various other territories. If they ride, they could reach Fontrol, the maternal home of Countess Mary, within a day.”
“Fontrol, good. Send a message.”
“How many should we send for the pursuit?”
“For now…”
Erica hesitated for a moment. The appearance of allies bothered her. While Dergha was imprisoned in the dungeon, it was strange to have surviving knights. She had little knowledge about this remote foreign land. What if they had hidden troops?
Mary and Chel could also be leading them into the mountains.
“Send about twenty people.”
Erica glanced out the window as she commanded. Some unfamiliar beast cubs—Kusilre or whatever they were—were frolicking in the garden. If she exhausted all her forces, the beast tribe could seize control of her mansion. For now, this was the limit.
“Even if they’re knights, it’ll be hard for a woman and a child to face twenty men. If there’s a problem, tell them to continue the pursuit and send another letter.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Capture them alive if possible, or if not, bring back their corpses. No, even their heads will do. You understand?”
“I will make it clear.”
Her subordinate hurriedly left after receiving Erica’s order. They couldn’t run far, not for long at least.
Erica looked at the map and smiled contentedly. As long as she captured Mary and Chel, she could easily crush the annoying Ian and the beast tribe.
What she didn’t know was—
That the laughter would only last for three days.
* * *
“Over here!”
“This way!”
“Split up and run in both directions!”
Tadak-tadak!
Two horses darted between the enormous trees, which stood like pillars holding up the world. Pursuing them were the central army’s chasing unit. The warriors of the Cheonrye tribe effortlessly weaved through the trees, making it look like they were the ones being chased.
“Damn it!”
Observing this, the central army increasingly suspected that these warriors were knights from Dergha. It appeared that unlike the inexperienced chasing unit, they knew the roads well.
Shiiiiik.
The reason the Cheonrye warriors could find their way so effectively was due to the hawk in the sky continually sending signals. Unlike the disordered ground cluttered with rocks, moss, and all sorts of tenacious weeds, the sky was completely unobstructed.
“Should we stop here?”
“It looks like there are about twenty of them in total.”
Hwiiik.
One of the warriors blew a whistle, signaling a change in tactics. They directed their horses into the bushes and leaped down, landing effortlessly. Their agility was almost superhuman.
“The targets have stopped!”
“Stop! Surround them!”
Hiing!
The only sounds heard in the dense forest were unidentifiable animal cries. Every member of the chasing unit aimed their bows and yelled.
“Drop your weapons and surrender!”
“Reveal your identities, show your faces!”
But the only response from the two men was to draw their swords. Seeing their intent to fight, the chasing unit swallowed dryly and tightened their bowstrings even more.
“Who’s the commander here?”
“What, what did you say?”
“I’m asking who the commander is.”
The chasing unit hesitated momentarily; something about the way they spoke felt awkward.
However, before they could ponder it any further, the two men rushed forward as the chase commander unsheathed his sword.
“Kill all who run!”
“Shoot, shoot! Fire the arrows!”
“We will spare only one who fights back!”
“You fools!”
Chang! Chaeng!
Both warriors leapt into the air, signaling the start of the battle. Arrows rained down upon them, but they swatted them away with their swords as they charged forward. One of the warriors had two arrows embedded in his forearm.
Pwooook!
Chyaaaak!
“Aaaaaah!”
Simultaneously, the head of the chasing commander flew off. Blood spurted out like a fountain, but nobody could quite grasp the reality of the situation. Was that a human? An animal? That question floated into the commander’s mind just then.
“Cheo…”
Chyak!
The word “Cheonrye” was never fully uttered. The warriors were like wolves rampaging in a chicken coop. They wiped the dripping blood from their blades onto their sleeves and declared.
“We are knights of Dergha. If you plan on defeating us, bring at least a hundred men.”
“Heeek!”
Chyaaaak!
Twenty men—this should be enough, they had thought. But their forces were scattered uselessly. Before long, the surrounding noises shifted from animal cries to the increasingly loud sounds of humans dying.
The warriors looked down with contempt at a trembling member of the pursuit team who lay prostrate before them. The two exchanged signals with their eyes.
“Didn’t we say we should let one go?”
“Yes. That way, the second pursuit team will engage.”
Swoosh!
“Ah! Spare me, please spare me!”
The warriors called their horses, confirmed their location, and left without hesitation. The panicked soldier continued to plea for his life, unaware of their departure. By the time he finally raised his head, the men had long vanished like the wind.
“Huh…”
Are there monsters even among monsters? It felt like he had been dreaming. If it weren’t for the corpses of his comrades strewn around him, the soldier would’ve thought so too.
* * *
Erica asked incredulously. The dirt-streaked, blood-spattered soldier continued to stutter through the day’s battle account.
“The pursuit team has been annihilated.”
“How on earth…”
“It was knights from Dergha. They seemed to have some special abilities; their movements were extraordinary. They seemed like dark sorcerers or something. We couldn’t identify their faces, and we couldn’t recover the bodies of our comrades either.”
She could only let out a sarcastic laugh as her lips tightened. There were twenty of them, after all. Even if the opponent was a knight, they should have gathered some kind of clue. It was unbelievable that they were so utterly defeated.
“The location?”
“I remember it.”
“Are you sure it was Mary and Chel?”
“Yes, certain. Their hoods were knocked off a couple of times during the chase. It’s definitely Chel and Countess Mary.”
“Damn it. Form a second pursuit team.”
“Erica-nim, if I may, it seems like sending another team won’t do. We’re barely able to move with our current force…”
Erica blinked at the soldier’s words. Who didn’t know that? Obviously, a full-scale assault would be easier and better. However, they had superiors who couldn’t afford to vacate their estates.
“I—I’m sorry.”
“You may leave.”
As soon as the soldier left, Erica angrily swept the table clear. It was fortunate that they had identified Mary and Chel, but it was problematic that the conflict was dragging on.
“Damn it, really! Why are the responses from the center so slow?”
“It’s probably because they’re coming by land…”
For reports and simple commands, they could use messenger birds, but a letter bearing the Emperor’s seal had to be hand-delivered by an official in a carriage.
And of all the things, it had to be an appointment letter that was considered important, likely arriving in a flashy golden carriage forsaking all efficiency.
“Any word from Ian and his group? How are they doing?”
“There’s nothing particularly suspicious. They’re preoccupied with rebuilding the village.”
“Those dog-like bastards. They should take better care of their own land.”
Unlike the Central Army, which was frantically chasing after Mary and Chel, they were focused on erasing the traces of battle in their domain. They were rebuilding collapsed walls, fixing roofs, and moving the injured, among other things.
How ridiculous.
Erica was mentally berating Ian but then hesitated. She had an odd, uneasy feeling.
“Mary and Chel broke through the wall on horseback?”
“Yes.”
“Where were they before that then?”
They had scoured their domain as if hunting for a mouse, but couldn’t find them. And suddenly they escaped on horseback, carrying an accomplice? Given the current situation in Bratz, the number of people who could command horses was limited, wasn’t it?
‘… Surely not.’
Is Ian involved?
“Summon the stable manager immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
Besides the horses managed by the Central Army, there were other privately-owned horses in Bratz. Why hadn’t they checked that before? Annoyed at her own negligence, Erica ruffled her hair.
Knock, knock.
“Erica-nim.”
However, the person who entered the room first was not the stable manager but Ian. He had come up after confirming that his subordinate was heading to the stable.
“What’s going on?”
Piles of documents were scattered all over Lady Mary’s room, completely out of place. Ian entered the room with a grin.
“Any progress in the pursuit of Lady Mary and Chel?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Would you look at this?” Erica leaned her arm on the back of her chair and tilted her head back. Neither were her legs numb, nor was this the time for such a question, was it?
“Of course I’m curious. If by any chance Lady Mary and Chel survive and plot something, I won’t be safe either.”
Erica nodded her head, as if to say ‘continue’. Both were smiling and assessing each other, but it was Erica whose expression hardened first.
Things r getting more n more interesting 😎
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