A Mage Reborn: Legacy of the Fallen Emperor
Chapter 43. Bagged

Chapter 43: Chapter 43. Bagged

Clang!

Theo strained to parry the blow from Beric’s sword. Despite his rapid improvement, the gaping wounds in his side were a cruel equalizer, tipping the scales back in Beric’s favor.

"Woo!"

"Beric, you alright?" Ian called out.

Beric glanced back, a savage grin splitting his face. "Yeah, yeah. So quit yappin’, Master."

He spat, a bloody glob, but if he said he was fine, who was going to argue? He lunged at Theo again, a whirlwind of steel, his sword tracing a wide arc, seeking a vital point with relentless precision.

Clang! Clang!

"Count!"

Theo, barely dodging the attacks, still managed to worry about his master. The sight seemed to irritate Beric, his grin slowly fading.

Derga, throwing caution to the wind, charged at Ian again.

"Die, Ian!"

Whoosh! Swish!

The count’s curse was a signal. The Cheon-Ryeo warriors loosed their arrows in unison, while those with swords leaped over moss-covered rocks, closing in.

They moved like predators closing in on their prey.

Each step was powerful, precise, and destructive. The atmosphere was thick with a palpable bloodlust, a grotesque enjoyment of the slaughter.

Slash!

Thud!

"Argh! Help!"

"Yeah, run. Run faster, you little shit."

"Drive ’em, drive ’em to that side!"

"Gendaro! I called dibs on that one!"

The warriors effortlessly cut down the fleeing soldiers. Derga might be one thing, but these grunts? Expendable. The dew-soaked earth drank deeply of their blood.

"Whoops. Weren’t we supposed to bring back the bodies?"

"Just the heads. Can’t carry the whole damn thing. Too much hassle."

Clang! Clang!

"That one looks useful."

"Bel, was it? Seems to be a friend of the knight."

The small fry were quickly dealt with. The Cheon-Ryeo warriors circled the elite knights, like wolves stalking their prey.

Meanwhile, Derga was gasping for air, drool dripping from his slack jaw. Su merely deflected the count’s attacks, offering no counter. Derga had simply exhausted himself.

"I... an... Guh..."

"You’re a disgrace, Father."

"You, how could you...?"

Su grabbed Derga by the hair and slammed his face into the ground. Derga, now prostrate at Ian’s feet, struggled, his face crimson, but it was no use.

Ian knelt beside him, murmuring, "Was it courage, or just greed? How could you collude with the Fmat while the Wincheons held the Great Desert? Not that it matters to me, but as your son, it’s a hard thing to watch."

Slice.

The sound of a blade slicing through hair made Derga’s eyes bulge. Su, his expression impassive, was cutting Derga’s hair.

This was the man who had seduced his family, who had tried to kill his mentor. A traitor who had sharpened his blade even as he swore oaths of alliance.

"Wh-what! What are you doing!"

"Cutting your hair instead of your throat. It’s not time yet."

There was a time to hold back, for the sake of the perfect revenge and the grander scheme. But to soothe the boiling rage within, something had to be cut.

"You, you insolent...! You think you’ll get away with this?"

"Shut up. You sound like a pig being slaughtered."

"Wh-what? You lowborn cur!"

"If you don’t like losing your hair, maybe I should just take your head?"

Su pressed his dagger against Derga’s throat, his voice dripping with a cold, seething fury. Derga swallowed hard, his eyes darting around wildly, and he saw a fountain of blood erupt from Theo’s neck.

"Ugh..."

"Th-Theo...!"

Beric circled Theo as if they were playing a game, thrusting at vital points as if practicing. Theo collapsed forward, eyes wide and unseeing.

Thud!

"Argh!"

To the left, the knights surrounded by the Cheon-Ryeo were meeting the same fate. One moment of weakness, and a throat was ripped open. Even the so-called elite knights fell, helpless.

"Ha..."

"Don’t worry, Father. This isn’t where you die."

Ian caressed Derga’s cheek, smiling radiantly. Su pulled a black hood over Derga’s head and tightened the cord.

Thwack! Thwack!

"Argh!"

A relentless beating ensued. Even the warriors clearing the bodies took turns kicking Derga’s back and spitting curses.

Thump! Thwack!

"Fucking bastard, daring to go against Lord Wincheon..."

"When do we kill this piece of shit, Lord Ian?"

"Can’t we just do it now?"

Derga had long since fainted, his lower body soaked, his hands twitching feebly. It seemed Chel had taken after his father.

Ian glanced at Kakantir and replied, "We’ll hand him over to the Center for now, and create an opportunity later."

Once they had control, Derga’s execution could be arranged as the Cheon-Ryeo desired. But first, they needed to gain the trust of the Imperial Palace, not just Erika, but the core of Bariel, fifteen days away.

Unlike the warriors who were licking their chops, Kakantir stood apart, nodding in understanding.

"Clean up, everyone."

"Yes, Kakan."

"Kakan! I see signs of the Central Army in the distance."

"Too late, bastards!"

Beric chuckled, wiping the blood from his sword on his pants. It seemed a satisfying warm-up; his expression was even lighter now.

"Beric, your wound. It’ll be hard to treat if it gets worse here."

The medical staff was limited, and there were so many injured villagers from the battle. Adding Beric to the list would be troublesome.

But Beric just sniffled, lifting his shirt to show the bandage wrapped by the Cheon-Ryeo healer, still intact.

"I’m telling you, I’m fine."

"...How?"

"I don’t know. Maybe the stress relief from swinging my sword is speeding up the healing? Stress is the root of all evil, right?"

Swish, swish! The sharp, precise movements of his sword contrasted with his playful words. Ian examined Beric’s wound closely, but it was a mystery.

"Let’s head down!"

"Quietly, so the Central Army has to work harder!"

"You’re the loudest one. Haha."

A warrior shouted, hoisting Derga, bagged like a sack of potatoes.

Ian walked past the headless corpses, heading towards the Bratsch mansion. Above them, the hawks of Cheon-Ryeo continued to circle.

"Lady Erika, Lady Erika!"

"The Cheon-Ryeo have returned!"

Bang!

At her subordinate’s shout, Erika rushed to the window and drew the curtains. The insolent barbarians were entering the front gate, looking all too proud. They were covered in blood and carrying some kind of sacks.

"What about the Central Army?"

"A messenger bird arrived. They’ll be camping in the forest. They found traces of Derga and his soldiers."

Crack. Erika bit her nail, frowning. She had a bad feeling, especially since the faces of those who had returned from the same forest were unusually bright.

Ian, having dismounted from his Kushile, entered the main building with a few warriors.

"Wait, you need Lady Erika’s permission-!"

"Shut it. Did you rent out the mansion?"

"Show some respect! We are the Imperial Investigation Team!"

"Yeah? And we’re the heart of the Great Desert. Piss off."

The commotion from the hallway indicated that her subordinates were blocking Ian’s group. Erika sighed and opened the office door. The wide hallway was crowded with men.

"What’s all this ruckus?"

"L-Lady Erika."

Ian tidied his sweat-soaked hair and bowed. It was a gesture of respect, but it lacked any real deference.

"I asked what the ruckus was, Ian."

"We’ve returned from pursuing Derga. What else would we be doing?"

At Ian’s signal, a warrior threw a sack onto the floor. The thud echoed through the hallway. Erika’s subordinate hesitantly approached and cut open the sack.

"Gah!"

Heads of soldiers rolled out, some torn off, some cleanly severed. Erika covered her mouth, feeling nauseous, and the warrior grinned.

"My apologies. I thought since you turned Bratsch into a bloodbath, you’d be used to this."

"Shut up! You think you can just...!"

"Oh, the real thing is right here."

Thud!

Another sack was thrown down, the sound distinct.

This time, Erika opened it herself. Derga was inside, hooded and tightly bound.

"D-Derga?"

"Is it really him?"

"It seems so."

He was unconscious but alive. The investigation team members looked at Erika, unsure of what to do.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"...Hmph. You’re not entirely useless, it seems. Take Derga to the underground prison!"

"Y-yes!"

The team members tried to drag Derga, but he was so heavy they couldn’t budge him. They managed to hoist him onto their backs, only to collapse under his weight.

"Careful, careful!"

"Argh!"

Thud!

How could they not laugh at this? The Cheon-Ryeo chuckled.

"Need help? At this rate, he’ll roll down to the basement before you. He might die before Derga."

"Hahaha!"

"Good thing we caught him. How else would you have brought him here? Maybe you were planning to nurse him back to health and ask him to walk on his own two feet?"

Even Kakantir couldn’t hide his amusement. Erika’s face turned red, about to burst, and Ian changed the subject.

"So, now that we’ve captured Derga, what’s the plan? If possible, we’d like you to hold the execution ceremony quickly and leave."

"You’re quite bold, Ian. I still have a mission. I need to eliminate everyone with the name ’Bratsch’."

"And that means?"

"We haven’t found the key figures, Lady Mary and Chel. If you’re not busy, why don’t you go down to the village and look for them? You can stay there while you’re at it."

"Is there a possibility they went outside?"

"Almost none. We can pinpoint the day they disappeared. No woman left the fortress that day."

Then, Erika, with a flick of her ponytail, confidently returned to her office, implicitly asserting that the seat was rightfully hers. Only her helpless subordinates remained in the hallway, at a loss.

"Help them move Derga."

"Yes, Kakan."

Kakantir instructed his subordinate, then gestured to Ian. He wanted to talk privately. Ian readily followed him towards the back of the hallway, then stopped.

"What is it?"

Beric had followed them, oblivious as ever.

Ian looked around, pretending to scan their surroundings, then gave an order.

"Don’t follow us. Go see Philia."

"Oh, right! Your real mom?"

"Yes. Beric, you helped her hide, so you know the way, right?"

"Of course, I know."

His expression belied his confident answer. He hadn’t forgotten, had he? As Ian was about to add something, Beric dashed out of the mansion.

"Lord Ian."

"Yes, Kakan."

Ian left Beric to his own devices and faced Kakantir. His expression felt unusually stern.