Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor
Chapter 77

“Are these the people?”

“Yes, Count.”

It was the kind of weather where it seemed that if God breathed just a little, snow would fall. Count Merellof scanned the people standing in front of the mansion. Besides the conscripted soldiers, there were residents who volunteered to go to Sherion, standing awkwardly grouped together.

The butler covered the list and explained briefly.

“They are of good conduct and have large families.”

The road to and from Sherion was isolated. Like a sea on the vast ocean, if a problem arose, it would certainly be troublesome. As survival was directly involved, the members were selected based on their morality and responsibility.

Additionally, as a reward for enduring hardships, they were to be given a modest remuneration and permitted to trade food individually. Count Merellof was inspecting everything when suddenly:

“Count! Count!”

Swoosh!

Someone evaded the guards and ran from the main gate towards them. The man threw himself at Count Merellof’s feet and began pleading desperately. The sudden situation furrowed the count’s brow.

“What’s this? Since when has the mansion’s gate been so easily breached?”

“I’m Collin from Hyfentown below! Please include me in the temporary trade delegation! I beg of you!”

Collin’s groveling posture, with his head touching the ground, made Count Merellof look at the butler questioningly, wondering what this was all about.

“Sorry, Count. Guards! Take him away!”

“Count, I’m really useful, you’ve seen. I’m confident in running, and, and my strength is better than it looks. If you add even one young man like me, you can bring several more sacks of grain. No, perhaps even seven. Please, please…”

Count Merellof crossed his arms and looked down at the back of Collin’s head, who was prostrated on the ground. The man seemed eager and young, so why was he excluded?

The butler frantically added while searching through the list.

“He has a large family but no credibility due to frequenting illegal gambling dens. He’s a small-time criminal with a record.”

“That was just foolishness in my youth. I have four siblings, and my parents chop wood and sell it daily. Honestly, I’m the only one not pulling my weight at home. If given the chance, I’ll work hard!”

Count Merellof pondered for a moment before asking.

“Have you always lived in Merellof’s territory?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Include him.”

“Count! That might be…”

“What trouble can he cause, trembling and begging for work? Soldiers will be with them, so there’s no need to worry. However, his remuneration will be halved. You have no objections, right?”

“No, none. Thank you!”

It was a time when every person was needed. Adding one more person like him would increase the number of sacks they could bring, so there was no reason to refuse. Plus, the cost of his remuneration was halved. It was a win-win!

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“That’s enough. Butler, finish up and let’s go inside.”

“Yes, Count.”

Collin, relieved as if he had been saved, bowed his head to the ground again. Count Merellof mistook his actions as mere desperation born of hunger.

‘I survived. F*ck, I survived. If I hadn’t gotten in here, those bastards would’ve…’

Watching him clasp his hands in apparent gratitude, the count felt a bit of contempt. What kind of family situation must it be for someone to be so happy about getting a job?

“Looking at him, he seems capable of doing the job. Right?”

“…We’ll train him well.”

At the count’s words, the butler replied reluctantly. No matter that it was his master’s decision, he couldn’t understand why things were being handled this way. It must be folly born of greed.

He was frustrated by the inability to calculate which was more valuable: the benefits of including this person or the stability of not doing so.

“You there. Collin, was it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Come this way.”

“Yes!”

The butler sighed deeply, leading the cheering Collin. Collin followed, genuinely happy about the chance to fulfill Ian’s orders and the extension of his own life.

“I’ll call you one by one to write a contract. We will pay part of the remuneration in advance.”

The butler gestured to the temporary trade delegation while opening the list again. Collin awkwardly smiled as he wrote the contract and received his advance payment, then quickly left the mansion.

Just seeing his back, the butler thought he didn’t seem reliable at all. He lamented as he tucked away the contract with Collin’s palm print on it.

Wadadada!

Collin passed two men smoking cigarettes by the roadside. The men exchanged a wordless glance and then smirked, exhaling smoke.

“He’s extended his lifeline.”

“Seems so.”

From the relief on his face, it looked like he had joined the temporary trade delegation. If he had failed even in that, tonight would have been Collin’s last.

“But look here, the atmosphere’s quite different from the last time we were here, isn’t it?”

The men extinguished their cigarettes, muttering. They were Romandro’s subordinates, assigned to monitor Collin. In just a couple of months, the once lively spirit of the territory had wilted.

“It’s because of the rumors that the trade guild won’t come.”

“It’s not just rumors, is it?”

“Ah, right.”

As high as their hopes had risen, disappointment and anxiety had grown uncontrollably.

The subordinates followed Collin into the dark back alleys, and a man who had been watching the two also turned around. He was Clark, a servant working at the Merellof mansion.

Knock, knock.

Back at the mansion, Clark knocked on Lady Merellof’s study. There was no response from inside. He glanced left and right in the corridor, then quickly entered.

“Madam, a suspicious person has been mixed into the trade delegation.”

“Is that so? Good.”

Lady Merellof did not appear, only answering with her clear voice as always.

“Clark, have a safe trip.”

“…Yes.”

“I trust you’ll do well.”

“Don’t worry.”

Clark hoped to see the lady one last time, but she never came out.

* * *

The delegation had patched up torn cloth several times, inserting wood pieces under the soles of their shoes. Four days had passed since leaving Merellof. In the face of the biting wind, the delegation only sniffled, pulling along empty carts.

“How much further do we have to go?”

“Hard to say. The distance is similar to the Hawan Kingdom, but the path is rough. Judging by the weather, it seems it’ll snow soon.”

“Still, I’m not cold inside, maybe because of the sweat.”

“Sigh. Ah, why does my nose keep running? Feels like it’ll fall off.”

The mood was still somewhat good.

After all, even the soldiers were residents of Merellof’s territory and neighbors. Whether from the house in front or behind, weren’t they all familiar with each other? Occasionally, laughter could be heard.

“Collin, where were you all this time?”

“…Just had some things to deal with.”

“That’s not related to what we heard, is it?”

“What’s that?”

“Well, those big guys from the green-roofed gambling house in Bratz tried to kill someone. There’s a rumor it was Ian.”

“The bastard son of the Count of Bratz?”

At the men’s words, Collin flinched and averted his gaze. It felt as if Ian was still watching him through his eyes and ears, with some unknown power dissolved in his stomach.

“No, it’s nothing to do with me.”

“Right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be alive and here.”

“Right, he’s now the new head of the family. Really, what a fate. Born and raised in the red-light district and now he’s even received a title.”

“The red-light district?”

“Yeah, wasn’t his mother a prostitute? This is why one must have abilities.”

“A prostitute? I don’t think so. From what I heard, he just lived there because of debts.”

“Whatever. What does it matter what he did? It’s all about luck, not ability or anything else. His luck started when he crossed the great desert and the count’s head was chopped off. Now that he’s back alive, he’s used up all his luck!”

“Sounds like you’re hoping for that. Hehe.”

Collin tuned out the idle chatter. These were new revelations to him. He had joined without knowing the full story, just hearing that he would be paid…

“Let’s stop here for today. That cave looks suitable.”

“Yeah, if we go any further, it’ll be dark.”

“Tsk. Short days in winter. Can’t move much.”

They set up sleeping bags in a small cave, blocking the entrance with carts. Though it was inconvenient to have the entrance blocked, it did stop the cold wind. Once the fire was lit and wood piled in the middle, everyone, exhausted, sprawled out around it.

“What if it snows during the night?”

“What can we do? Just bear it…”

“Ah, move over a bit.”

“There’s no space here. You want me to get burned by the fire?”

“I’ll move back a bit.”

Thump, thump. Collin moved away from the crowded area towards the entrance. It was cold, but this was the best spot for his plan.

And a few hours later…

“Snore…”

“Grunt, snore…”

As the sounds of snoring filled the air, Collin stealthily got up, picked up a torch, and stepped outside. The night was pitch black.

‘Sorry, everyone. But if I don’t do this, I’ll die.’

He took an oil pouch from his pocket and threw it onto the empty cart. Hesitating, he contemplated whether to throw the torch onto the oil when suddenly…

“What are you doing there?”

“Eeek!”

He was startled by a sudden noise from behind.

Though Collin was surprised, he didn’t drop the torch. A man approached him with a calm expression, looking alternately at the cart, the torch, and Collin.

“I, I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Not doing anything? Collin, you! Were you trying to start a fire for the gold? Despicable! Unbelievable!”

“…What?”

It seemed like a performance. The man shouted loudly as if he was in a play, then snatched the torch from Collin and threw it without hesitation. The fire engulfed Collin.

“What, what, what’s happening…”

Whoosh!

In an instant, a blade slashed across Collin’s neck. His vision slowly lifted, then all he saw was the murky night sky. Stirred by the commotion, people rose one by one and rushed out of the cave.

“…What’s happening, Clark? Ah! Fire! There’s a fire!”

“Is there no water? Damn it! Throw dirt on it!”

“Fire! Fire! Everyone, wake up!”

“Ahh! Crazy!”

“He started the fire!”

Even amidst the chaos, Collin’s eyes just blinked. He couldn’t speak. The sky, sprinkled with white spots, was filled with snowflakes falling amongst the stars.

‘Who is that? A stranger, but they know my name.’

Blood spurted from Collin’s throat, soaking the soil. The mysterious man who looked down at the twitching Collin. Collin met death with his eyes wide open.

Meanwhile, Romandro’s subordinate was hidden in the nearby bushes, witnessing the entire scene.

‘…No, damn it. What’s happening here? Who the hell is that guy?’

It wasn’t a hallucination from the cold, was it? The mysterious man who suddenly appeared, killed Collin, and set the cart on fire. There was nothing more to see. Romandro’s subordinate cautiously turned around and retraced his steps.

Clark glanced briefly at the rustling bushes, then calmly continued to shovel dirt.

“Save the cart!”

“Damn, this crazy bastard!”

“Ah, it’s all burning! It’s burning!”

In the dead of night, the people’s screams echoed more fiercely than the wind.