Chapter 560
“Mom! Mom!”

In a small village near the Burgos border.

Beneath a half-collapsed stone wall, a woman turned her head weakly. A barefoot child, wearing only a tattered shirt, ran over and clung to her mother’s arms, eyes wide with fear.

“The soldiers are coming!”

“Soldiers?”

“They’re from Bariel’s army!”

Whoooosh—!

A heavy alarm blared at that moment. Whether it came from the village or the approaching Bariel troops, no one could say for sure. Most likely the latter. This place had long since fallen apart in the wake of civil war.

The woman held her child tightly, staring blankly into the empty air. Not only were they torn apart by their own countrymen fighting and killing each other, but now foreign invaders were attacking. They should run, but she was too exhausted.

“Shh, it’s okay.”

“Mom.”

She gently patted the child and remained seated like that. Soon, a blue flag appeared in the distance. In a world where everything seemed dead, it stood out like a lone patch of green life.

The fully armed soldiers looked threatening, but to those who had given up everything, they seemed almost like a painting. Not just the woman—everyone who had survived watched the Bariel army silently, holding their breath.

“Bariel’s forces have invaded!”

“Everyone, take cover! Hide yourselves!”

A small commotion broke out. It was such a tiny, trivial act of defiance that it only seemed to confuse the soldiers.

The man at the front shouted loudly.

“Do not resist! Bariel is not here to harm you, but to root out the rebel faction that threatens the kingdom’s stability! Do not fight back! If you clear the way, no harm will come to you!”

The soldiers handed jerky and other food to the crying children, and the fearful eyes gradually softened. Since they were marching through the heart of Burgos without pillaging or oppression, the villagers were bewildered.

Once again, the lead soldier called out.

“His Majesty the Emperor of Bariel approaches! Kneel and bow your heads in respect! If you do, our Emperor will show mercy!”

Whoooosh—

The weary and frightened people looked at the Bariel soldiers with indescribable expressions. Then, one by one, they dropped to their knees. These were the broken souls who no longer cared who ruled their land.

“This is worse than I expected. There’s not even a local militia, let alone a guard force.”

“Hmm. There might be some local militia somewhere, but they probably welcome this. If it fills the power vacuum caused by chaos, they don’t care who it is. At this rate, they’ll reach Agiar, where Rutherford is, even sooner.”

“Yes, that’s fortunate for Bariel. They might arrive not tomorrow, but today.”

“Order the soldiers not to engage with civilians.”

“Yes, Minister.”

Minister Tweller gave instructions to the officers, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The silence was astonishing, painfully bleak. He could easily tell that the scattered figures lying around were all corpses.

Suddenly, Tweller shifted his gaze from straight ahead to the side. The Emperor and Ian were whispering to each other.

“Sir Ian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is this alright? The path is opening too easily. It makes me suspicious.”

Ian nodded in agreement. Just like the vanguard had experienced in the northern region, all those prostrated people could be a trap. If even children were involved, it was truly tragic.

“All available troops in Agiar may have been gathered. The mages and I will keep a close watch. Hail!”

“Yes, Minister.”

With Ian’s command, Hail, Nakina, and Tommy took to the sky simultaneously. The weather was clear, so if all went well, they’d be able to see Agiar from there.

While they scouted ahead, the Bariel army continued its march.

“Minister Tweller, you said to forbid contact between soldiers and civilians?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Thank you for confirming.”

Ian’s question was practical. If civilians were a trap, contact could cause problems—poison, deserters, spies, internal sabotage.

He hadn’t realized it before, but now that he did, Ian’s abilities were truly impressive. He had experience leading the Clifford-Burgos war, but was that alone enough to reach this level?

“Ian!”

Suddenly, Hail’s shout came from the sky. He pointed with a signal, and Ian frowned. Something was wrong.

“Excuse me.”

Ian told Jin and took to the air, soon spotting a black moon hanging far away.

“A portal.”

“It looks like it was created by mages from Rutherford. I can’t tell where it leads—it’s too far—but the diameter is quite large.”

“The enemy’s magical forces are stronger than we expected.”

“What? They’re pouring out!”

At Tommy’s shout, Ian narrowed his eyes.

Through the black moon, something was pouring out in a steady stream. Most were soldiers clad in black armor, with dragons mixed in here and there, and even supplies being transported.

“Ruthswena.”

The portal connected to Ruthswena.

Well, both Burgos and Ruthswena had mages, so a connection was possible. But given the distance, Ian had thought it unlikely. Now, the enemy’s strength far exceeded expectations.

“There’s no immediate danger nearby. Soon, they’ll leave the village, cross a low hill, and reach Agiar.”

“Since Agiar is on high ground, their advance will slow as they get closer. At this pace, they’ll arrive at night. Is that acceptable?”

The three’s opinions were reasonable. Ian began descending to report the reconnaissance.

Then, his eyes caught a vast field of wildflowers. Dozens of black spears were stuck in the ground here and there. Ian frowned and flew slowly toward them.

“Ian? What’s wrong?”

“Those—”

“Oh, could they be graves?”

Graves of fallen soldiers. Instead of tombstones, spears or swords were planted to mark where bodies lay. Dark red wildflowers, nourished by the blood of the dead, covered the entire field.

Ian counted them as he looked on.

‘If the soldiers were recently conscripted toward Agiar, it means Burgos troops were stationed here until not long ago.’

Likely, civilians had been mobilized to collect the bodies.

What did that mean?

“The sunset is deep, and black spears rise everywhere. There’s a low hill toward the sunset, and the blood-stained flowers are strangely beautiful. People in black armor are burying the dead.”

Ian recalled what Roel had seen and looked around.

The secretive, magic-consuming gypsies, Melania, and Clark had been here. He didn’t know exactly when, but at least before, when Roel had looked at them with special eyes.

“Is that west?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The low hill to the west—the place Bariel’s soldiers must cross.

Suddenly, Ian was certain. If Melania and Clark were with him, they probably hadn’t moved far in this chaotic situation.

‘Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t keep two people like baggage for long.’

Still, the traces were clear.

Ian lowered his altitude and approached Jin.

“What is it?”

“The portals between Rutherford and Ruthswena have connected. It seems the magic-consuming gypsies were nearby. The scene Roel described is clearly visible from above.”

To understand what had happened in the abyss, capturing her was essential.

Jin’s face brightened at the unexpected news, and Tweller also responded positively.

“Let’s advance to the hill first, assess the situation, and then decide.”

“Agreed. Continue the advance!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Whoooosh!

Like answering Jin’s command, the bison horns blared louder and stronger. The soldiers marched with renewed vigor, and soon, as the sunset deepened, they reached the hill.

“Wow.”

The sky looked like it was on fire.

Where else in the world could one see such a sunset?

The soldiers were briefly captivated by the breathtaking scene that made them forget their fatigue. Ian, however, approached the barrier with the troops for a final declaration.

“Stop!”

A shout came from the Burgos soldiers above.

The terrain was high, but the barrier itself was also impressively massive. The soldiers tilted their heads almost at right angles to look up, while Ian unfolded a letter as if to show it.

“The Bariel bastards are here!”

“Yes. I am Ian Hiel, Minister of Magic of the Great Empire Bariel. I bring a message from His Majesty the Emperor. Anyone who values their life should listen carefully.”

Zzzzzzz.

Ian’s voice spread widely through his magical device. It could be heard by the Burgos soldiers guarding the barrier, the Bariel troops standing on the hill watching the sunset, and the civilians who had given up everything and sat down.

“Currently, Burgos is in chaos due to a treacherous faction denying the royal family. Bariel is well aware of this. We protect King Damon and support Burgos’s legitimate rule more strongly than anyone else.”

“Shut up! It’s because of you that this happened!”

Boom! Thud!

Rocks tumbled heavily down the barrier, but Ian paid no mind and continued speaking.

“The rebels who have ignited a civil war against the royal family must be suppressed. The Great Empire Bariel has dispatched an envoy to deliver this message. You surely understand the consequences that will follow if you resist.”

“Stand down! Withdraw from Burgos!”

“Once more, I warn you: open the barrier and hand over Rutherford. Those who surrender will be shown mercy.”

“Get lost!”

Ian glanced at the sun, now sinking low, and issued a final warning.

“If by dawn tomorrow you do not show your intent to surrender, we will bring down the barrier—and annihilate every living thing within.”

Bariel’s soldiers busied themselves, setting up camp. The barrier gave no further response, seemingly preparing for battle in kind.

“Ah.”

A familiar voice cut through the tension.

Without thinking, Ian lifted his head—and locked eyes with Rutherford, who was grinning, a long pipe clenched between his teeth.

“Feels like we see each other too often to call it ‘long time no see,’” Rutherford said.

“Rutherford!”

“Your Majesty, it’s Rutherford!”

“You bastard, you’re dead meat! Come down here!”

“Captain Accorella, please hold on!”

“Damn it! Shave his head off!”

“Beric! You too!”

Bariel’s camp stirred at Rutherford’s arrival. His long hair hung loose as he smiled leisurely, as if merely watching the scene from a window.

“So this is the form the kid takes here,” he mused.

In the depths, he had appeared differently.

Ian handed the letter to a soldier and immediately began channeling his magic. He wanted nothing more than to charge forward and cut Rutherford down, but having just delivered the emperor’s message, he knew he couldn’t backtrack now. Neither could Rutherford.

“Want to know something?”

With a flick, Rutherford tapped the ash from his pipe.

“Ruthwena has defeated the Hawan Kingdom.”

Which meant the southeast of Bariel was about to become a dangerous place, Rutherford warned.

But Beric shot back immediately.

“Bullshit! I don’t trust a word you say. You’re nothing but a lying bastard!”

It was illogical, but not entirely without merit. If that were true, their rear was exposed—so it made sense to keep the uprising as secret as possible.

“You really bring along the worst kind of company,” Rutherford said, waving his hand.

Suddenly, something flashed before Ian’s eyes.

In an instant, something flew toward his head. Ian reflexively turned to dodge, but couldn’t prevent it from grazing his cheek.

“…!”

A faint scratch marked Ian’s cheek—so slight only he could feel it.

Rutherford taunted loudly.

“Come on, Ian. Try flying at me again.”