Chapter 572: The Fall of Agiar

“What the hell is going on right now?”

Beric stood frozen, staring blankly at the backs of the Bariel soldiers climbing over the Agiar wall, repeating the same question over and over in his mind.

Both his legs were completely shattered, and only Kyu could move him, but he had never felt so utterly defeated, so unwilling to move.

“No, seriously, what the hell happened?”

Ian is from the future? And he’s the emperor? Then what was Ian all this time—from the moment they first met at the Bratz training grounds until now? A bastard-born Minister of Magic? Or the emperor himself?

Beric’s eyes, vacant and staring into space, suddenly flickered with a spark of energy.

“No, wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

The medic, who had been examining his legs, looked up in confusion, but Beric didn’t even glance at him as he rambled on.

“Look. Ian met me for the first time at Bratz, right?”

“Uh, yes. But…?”

“From then until now, Ian’s been just one person. Got it?”

“…Sorry, I don’t really understand.”

“No, I mean, he didn’t change halfway through. Ian has always been Ian. It’s like a past that wasn’t spoken about! Something like that, right? Yeah, I get it. When I was a kid, I got caught stealing food from the neighbor and got my ass kicked. Same kind of thing.”

Is he crazy? The medic said nothing and kept wrapping the bandages tightly around Beric’s legs.

Whether he liked it or not, Beric kept muttering to himself, as if he’d finally found the answer.

“Yeah, I’m damn smart. Minister of Magic or emperor, what does it matter? It’s Ian.”

“Um, sir, someone might hear you.”

Calling the emperor that crudely in one breath was blasphemy.

But Beric narrowed his eyes, feeling like he was missing something. Let’s see, let’s see. Since I’m so smart, I might as well look even smarter… What’s this nagging feeling…?

“Philia?”

Right. Philia.

There was only one person who remembered Ian before he was possessed by the past—the biological mother, Philia. Though Romandro and Beric himself had met Emperor Ian and built a relationship, Philia was the one who gave birth to bastard Ian. From her perspective, it was as if her son had been replaced halfway through.

That’s it! This unpleasant, nagging feeling is pity for Philia! Beric couldn’t even begin to guess how she would react if she knew the truth.

He suddenly stood up, lifting one foot to step forward.

“Hey, no, you can’t!”

“What do you mean I can’t?”

Thud!

Before he could finish, he lost his balance and collapsed forward.

As Beric tried to crawl forward, someone stepped in front of him.

“Oh, old man.”

It was Jarrett. He silently looked down at Beric, who gestured weakly for help.

“Help me up.”

But Jarrett grabbed the back of Beric’s neck and tossed him back onto the bed. The medic took the chance to finish wrapping the loose bandages, and Jarrett pulled up a chair and sat down.

“You can’t even walk properly, so why are you trying to move?”

“I only need Kyu. We actually get along pretty well.”

“The dragon is injured too. Since the wall has fallen, we can’t afford to waste our main forces. Stay put. The best way to help His Majesty and our comrades is for you to recover quickly.”

“No! I’m not going to fight! I’m going to talk to Ian! I’m just feeling like crap right now. It’s because of Philia.”

“Philia? The mother of Lord Ian, the bastard?”

“Yeah. I need to tell Romandro and discuss it with him. Otherwise, I won’t be able to eat because of this nagging feeling.”

Jarrett studied him carefully with narrowed eyes.

Since Ian Hielo revealed his true identity, people’s reactions had mostly fallen into two categories: surprise or welcome.

Most were surprised; some interpreted his existence as a sign of victory. Well, the true emperor was a bit different, but—

“Feeling uneasy?”

“Yeah. It’s frustrating, annoying. I don’t know.”

But Beric?

Jarrett crossed his legs slowly and shared what Beric hadn’t yet realized.

“It’s because you’ve realized Lord Ian’s time is flowing from the future, Beric.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said he’s the emperor from the future. Due to some incident and the will of the gods, he’s here now, but eventually, he’ll return to his own time. Two suns can’t rise in the same era.”

Beric stared blankly at Jarrett again. He understood each word but couldn’t grasp the whole meaning.

He blinked, then lightly shook his head.

“…No, I don’t think so.”

“On what basis?”

“I’ll just ask him now. Step aside.”

Beric pushed the medic’s shoulder and tried to stand, but Jarrett was faster. He pressed down on Beric’s chest with his crutch to stop him.

“Don’t be reckless. Recover and walk on your own. With your healing ability, it won’t take long.”

Beric collapsed backward and, unusually, didn’t move. The medic finally quieted down and secured the bandages with some herbs, while Jarrett clicked his tongue and left the room.

The wind was cold. The battle that had started at dawn was now past noon. So much had happened in such a short time.

“Captain Jarrett.”

At that moment, Simon, one of the three commanders, called out to him. He looked ready to scout Bonita and Barsabe.

Jarrett nodded and patted his shoulder.

“Good luck. Bring them back safely.”

Then he took a moment to look over the faces of the other palace guards.

“Complete the mission safely, but with all your strength.”

“There’s a meeting tonight, so we’ll be back by then.”

“With Captain Bonita and Barsabe.”

“Right. Let’s hurry.”

“Take good care of that Beric, Captain.”

The meeting was sure to be long. Aside from assessing the state of Agiar city and our forces, there was a mountain of things to discuss with Ian.

Once the deployment report was finished, the palace guards opened their magic and charged toward the wall.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Clatter, clatter!

Jarrett watched their backs, then shifted his gaze to the wall. The Burgos flag that had fluttered atop the Agiar wall drooped and was torn down by the soldiers.

Then, a new blue Bariel Empire flag was raised—a signal that the wall was fully captured.

Bwooo-!

Bwoo!

The sound of water buffalo horns echoed simultaneously, and the Bariel soldiers roared in response.

Tweller, riding his horse, saw the flag and shouted.

“Hiiing!”

“The Burgos flag is down!”

“Waaah! Let’s drive them out!”

“Ahhh! Bariel troops! B-Bariel! Run!”

“Defend Agiar! Anyone fleeing is a traitor!”

“Please, spare me…”

“Burgos soldiers! Over there!”

“The remnants fled down the left path! No sign of Luswena forces! Looks like they used dragons to move quickly…”

“Chase the remnants! Don’t let them escape!”

Shwaaak! Shwaak!

The Burgos soldiers, leaderless, scattered in confusion, while the Bariel soldiers pursued relentlessly, stabbing them in the back.

Civilians nearby screamed in terror, and the narrow streets quickly filled with chaos—chasers and fleeing, wailing and resisting.

Tweller raised his voice, ordering:

“Residents of Agiar, surrender! Drop your weapons and surrender, and you will be spared! Come out to the streets and pay respects to His Majesty! Hey! Leave the children alone!”

The Agiar wall and city center were closer than expected. Debris from earlier explosions littered the streets, and partially destroyed buildings dotted the area.

Tweller’s orders were quickly relayed by officers, and the soldiers passed trembling residents, rushing deeper inside.

“Surrender! Surrender!”

“Drop your weapons and get down!”

Bariel soldiers swept through the central road, leaving a firm mark with their footsteps, delivering death to those who refused to surrender.

Then—

“Minister, no Luswena forces in sight.”

“Nor Rutherford. I think he might be buried under the wall.”

Tweller turned his horse and called to the mage hovering overhead.

“How’s it up there?”

“Yes, the vanguard just reached the center of Agiar. No Luswena mages or dragons visible here either. Isn’t there a wall on the opposite side?”

“There is a back gate, but it’s connected directly to a cliff, so it’s practically useless.”

“Our two mages will make a wide sweep there! If there are dragons hidden under the cliff, it’s the perfect spot.”

“Ian!”

At the mage’s shout, Ian turned around.

He’d shed his robe, dressed lightly, expression unchanged but eyes sharp and relentless, carefully scanning the crowded streets where thousands intertwined.

“Rutherford is nowhere to be seen!”

“We need to find his body at least.”

“How about digging under the wall?”

“…How many golems can we mobilize right now?”

“Ah, the Astana mages have suffered heavy casualties. I’ll go check it out. Just a moment! Astana!”

“Hold your fire on the surrendered civilians and keep advancing!”

“Anyone who dishonors Bariel’s honor will not go unpunished! Spare those who surrender! Search the buildings!”

“Ian, sir! There’s only one of them, and it should take just a few minutes. Shall we begin?”

Ian nodded at the mage’s report.

If they failed to capture Rutherford, the glory of conquering Agiar would be diminished. After all, this war was fought solely on the pretext of locating Rutherford.

Moreover, that man was connected to the underground deity and held the secret of reincarnation. They had to capture him alive if possible, but even if he died, they needed to secure his body. No exceptions.

“Minister Tweller, I’m counting on you here.”

“Understood. Don’t worry.”

As Ian turned and flew toward the barrier, Minister Tweller followed him with his eyes.

He had always considered Ian extraordinary—his swordsmanship bore the mark of the imperial palace, and his worldly wisdom was beyond his years. But to think he harbored such a monumental secret…

For the first time on the battlefield, Tweller found himself more intrigued by what lay behind than what was ahead.

“Advance!”

What had become of Bariel a hundred years from now? Given the talk of rebellion, was the political situation unstable? But if this was the Ian Tweller had known, he wouldn’t have allowed it to spiral out of control.

Lost in thought, Tweller raised his sword—

Bwooo—

This time, the buffalo horn sounded low and long.

It was the signal that the emperor was approaching. A historic moment: the first battle he commanded since his ascension, and the first step into a conquered city.

The people of Agiar instinctively dropped flat to the ground, frozen in place, while the soldiers who had been shouting fell silent in respect.

Hiiing!

Tadad!

Jin lightly pulled the reins and rode into the heart of Agiar. The feeling was bittersweet, but that was as far as it went. This was merely one of Burgos’s rebel strongholds—not the fall of Burgos itself. They had only taken a single city. The road ahead was still long.

—Uoooh!

“Exactly three minutes! The golem’s left arm is out of commission, so stick to its right side and assist!”

Meanwhile, the golem struggled forward and finally reached what was believed to be the source of the explosion.

Before the towering pile of rubble, as tall as Ian himself, he signaled to the mages and the imperial guards.

“Begin. Every corpse that comes out will have its identity verified—no exceptions.”