A Mage Reborn: Legacy of the Fallen Emperor
Chapter 36: Outbreak

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Outbreak

Su raced through day and night, finally reaching the Bratz estate as dawn painted the sky. She slipped into the grounds under the cloak of fading darkness, a shadow herself. Scaling a tree, she surveyed the guards, her eyes narrowed.

Imperial inspectors. They’re using the main building as quarters. The annex is heavily guarded... wasn’t that where Ian and we stayed?

A flicker of movement in the annex window. Derga. Finally, time to deliver the gruesome package she’d been lugging around. Su dropped from the tree, a silent predator circling to the rear of the annex.

Just like that time with Beric.

She scaled the wall with practiced ease, reaching Derga’s floor. The window was secured, not from the inside, but nailed shut from the outside. Su’s dagger flashed, splintering the wood.

Crack!

"Heavens!" Lady Mary gasped, recoiling from the curtains. Count Derga rushed in, his face haggard, a shadow of his former self after days of confinement.

The window creaked open. Derga frantically beckoned her in, but Su remained perched on the ledge, a whisper of defiance.

"You... you were with Nersaren, weren’t you?" Derga stammered. "Where is Bell? Where is the knight...?"

"You look like hell. They won’t even let you open a window?" Su pulled out a pouch, chewing on a piece of jerky as she untied it. The inspectors had sealed the window after the butler’s escape. Derga, oblivious, took the small box she offered.

"Here. Khacan’s reply."

"What did the Chieftain say? Ian? He’s dead, I trust?"

Su said nothing. She glanced at Chel, cowering in the corner, then gave a curt nod and dropped out of sight.

"Aaah!" Lady Mary shrieked, but there was no thud, no impact. Su, a phantom of the wind, was gone.

"What in the..."

"Darling, read the reply! I’ll open the box."

"Mother, the Cheonryeo Tribe is helping us, right?"

"Hush, Chel. We have nothing to fear."

Something must have happened to Bell, but the Cheonryeo had sent their own messenger. They’d even broken open the window. Mary wrapped her arms around her son, offering a silent prayer of thanks. It would have continued if Derga hadn’t hurled a dish across the room.

Smash!

"I’ll kill them! Kill them all!"

"Darling?"

"Father, what is it?"

"I’ll break their necks with my bare hands! Argh!" Derga swept the table clean, his face contorted in a mask of rage. Chel scrambled into his mother’s arms, sobbing. The Count slammed a chair against the wall, destroying everything in his reach.

"They break the alliance? Those filthy, savage bastards! The stench of their barbaric blood pollutes even this place! Ungrateful dogs! Fine! Let’s have it their way! Once this is settled, I’ll wage war on them! I’ll tear them limb from limb and feed them to the beasts!"

"Darling!" Blood streamed from Derga’s hand. Mary finally wrestled her husband away from his rampage. His wounds were one thing, but the noise could alert the inspectors.

"Calm yourself. Break the alliance? They can’t. Wouldn’t that put them in a difficult position? Even I know that much. Why would the Chieftain..."

There was no justification. None. This was an open declaration of their savagery. Mary’s trembling hands fumbled with the torn reply, her eyes widening in horror.

"Is this true? Smuggling Grootleaf?"

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

Crash!

Two reasons were cited for breaking the alliance: Ian’s illegitimate status and the attempted smuggling of Grootleaf. The latter was the critical issue. The Count had used Ian, a supposed peace offering, to smuggle forbidden goods. This was deemed a grave breach of trust, rendering the alliance null and void.

That bastard, Ian...

How had this happened? He was supposed to take the fall, thinking it was his mother, Philia’s doing. Derga had made sure his tracks were covered. How could Ian have known he was behind it?

Derga gnashed his teeth, spitting curses. "Open the box."

"Oh, right!" Mary quickly untied the strings. Hope was shattered, but a sliver remained.

"Aaaah!"

"Argh!"

Inside lay the severed head of Bell, the knight, his dead eyes staring up from the gruesomely hacked neck.

Knock, knock.

"Count Derga. Is everything alright?" An inspector’s voice from outside. The tension in the room snapped. If their dealings with the Cheonryeo Tribe were discovered, it meant immediate execution. Their lives now hinged on the Captain’s mercy.

"...N-nothing."

"May I come in?"

Mary’s gaze darted to the shattered window. She shrieked, "No! I’m... I’m undressed!"

"..."

"If you don’t wish to humiliate me, do not, under any circumstances, open that door!"

"Madam. I shall give you a moment."

"Wait! Wait! Please!" Mary slammed the window shut. She frantically shoved the scattered wood shards under the bed and straightened the curtains. Derga, consumed by fury, and Chel, paralyzed by fear, stood motionless.

"...Hhh." She closed the box containing the head with trembling hands and shoved it into a wardrobe.

"I’m coming in now."

"W-wait!"

Creak.

The inspector entered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Two figures stood awkwardly, while a third huddled in the corner, sobbing.

"What happened here?"

"What do you mean?"

The inspector glanced at the shattered chair and the mess. A fit of rage, it seemed. He slowly surveyed the room, then bowed stiffly. "My apologies. Noise can lead to misunderstandings. Please refrain from further disturbances."

"Get out. You worthless cur."

"As you wish." The inspector merely smiled, unfazed by Derga’s insult. Derga was a dead man walking, while he was on the path to advancement.

Creak.

"Damn it." Derga gripped the table, praying this was all a nightmare. Mary and Chel sank to the floor, a heavy silence filling the room. Suddenly, Derga ground his teeth and muttered, "Fine. Let’s do this."

There was only one path left. He had to take matters into his own hands. Forget the Cheonryeo. He would use his own resources to drive out the inspectors and the central army.

He would declare independence from Variel.

He was already branded a traitor. What did he have to lose? If he succeeded, he wouldn’t have to send those damn taxes to the capital anymore. How glorious was that?

"...Darling?"

"Wife, you and Chel will remain in the mansion. You know where the secret vault is, right? Hide there. Don’t come out until I come for you."

"...What about you? Let’s go together."

"Yes, Father."

"Shut up!" His calculations were complete. Without the Cheonryeo’s help, his only card was time. He had to eliminate the inspectors before the central army arrived.

Rip!

Derga tore down the curtains, tying them into a makeshift rope. Mary and Chel watched, bewildered, as he prepared to escape.

"Ah..." Reality hit him as he contemplated his escape. He was nervous. Derga lowered the curtain rope out the window.

"Go. Get to the vault."

"But you..."

"Now!" At Derga’s command, Mary and Chel reluctantly climbed onto the windowsill. They clung to the fabric, hesitating. While they made their escape, Derga gathered paper and lit it with a lantern.

Whoosh.

The flames grew. Derga fanned them, creating a thick plume of smoke. When it was sufficiently dense, he looked out the window.

His wife and son were gone. They must have reached the secret vault.

Thud!

"Ugh. Damn it." Derga dropped to the ground, clutching his throbbing ankle. He limped towards the stables, the smoke from the annex mixing with that of the dining hall, obscuring the sky.

Thump, thump, thump!

"It’s an emergency!" Erica, who had been sorting documents in the main building, frowned at the sudden commotion. But the look of terror on her subordinate’s face made her jump to her feet.

"The Count set fire to the annex and escaped!"

"He’s digging his own grave."

"Draw your swords!"

"Kill him if you must. Don’t let him leave the estate."

"Phillip! Inform the central army of the situation."

"Yes, sir!"

"The rest of you, with me." Erica tied her hair back tightly as she raced down the stairs. This was supposed to become her estate once everything was settled.

And he dared to set it on fire?

"Aaaah!"

"Help! Help us...!"

"Fire! Fire!"

"Water! Sand!"

"Find Derga! He can’t have gone far!"

Whoosh!

The lower floor of the annex housed the servants. They were also under confinement, trapped by the fire.

"Help! Please, help!"

"Aaaah! There are people trapped in here!"

"We’ll do anything! We’ll tell you everything!"

Screams echoed from all sides, but Erica hesitated to give orders. Derga was gone, and her forces were scattered. If the rescued servants revolted, it would be difficult to regain control.

"W-what should we do, Captain?"

Amidst the men battling the blaze with water and sand, the flames surged higher. Erica chewed her lip, her mind racing.

They’re as good as dead anyway, once Derga is gone.

They’d likely be sold into slavery to cover the unpaid taxes. What difference did it make?

Erica turned towards the main gate. "Contain the fire. There shouldn’t be anything important in the annex. Capturing Derga is the priority. Use your men for that."

"Yes, Captain."

"Everyone, after Derga!"

"Leave a few men at the mansion, the rest of you, out!"

"Hurry!"

Erica turned away, her face cold and resolute. Behind her, the hot, sticky, desperate screams of the dying were consumed by the roaring flames.