Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 360



Only Noblemtl

360. Enlistment (3)

Blink.

When he first opened his eyes, the first thing that came into Sungjin’s sight was an unfamiliar canopy hanging gracefully.

‘Where am I?’

As I was blankly staring up at the ceiling, a calm voice came from next to me as if answering my question.

“This is a temporary treatment room set up next to the office.”

“…father?”

“I took this measure because I thought I would often have to take care of both treatment and state affairs, so please stay here for the time being.”

Seongjin, who discovered Seonghwang, felt both joy and embarrassment.

As expected, my father was the one who took action! Somehow, his eyesight was still fine.

‘But once the treatment is over, it’s over. What other treatment are you doing here?’

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

‘He was right next to me, so why didn’t I notice his presence right away?’

But when Seongjin tried to get up and squirmed, Seonghwang pressed his forehead and consoled him.

“Lie still, Mores.”

“Yes? But… … .”

“Your condition has not fully recovered. Don’t you still have a high fever?”

Hearing that, I definitely felt a strange sense of exhaustion that was different from usual.

It was truly strange. When exposed to the powerful divine power of the Holy Emperor, my body would usually become completely cleansed, so why did I still feel this way?

‘No, that’s not the issue right now.’

Hwaaak-

Seongjin, who was enjoying the divine power pouring down once again, suddenly came to his senses. This was because the chaotic situation from earlier slowly came back to his mind.

An incident where I rushed at a large demon without a plan and was helplessly surrounded by its flesh.

He tried to stop Logan from rushing to save himself, but instead brought out the fire of Gehenna and almost burned himself… … .

100 million!

‘Oh no! I really had a big accident today!’

Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.

I’m not sure if this is the sweat flowing from my feet due to tension or if it’s a physiological phenomenon that occurs when a high fever goes down.

In any case, it seemed that Seonghwang had decided that it was the latter. He took his hand off Seongjin’s forehead and said while pulling up the crooked bedding.

“Just lie down. I’ll go check on the other kids for a bit.”

… other kids?

Only then did Sungjin realize that they were not the only two people in the room.

The beautiful rosy waves covering her chest. That must be Amelia’s hair, lying face down on the bed and sleeping.

“… … ?”

Why is your sister sleeping here?

While Seongjin was flustered, Seonghwang carefully picked up Amelia so she wouldn’t wake up. Then, he laid her down comfortably right next to Seongjin.

‘Why here?’

Because the bed was so large, I didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable.

But is it okay to be like this? They’re not children who hold hands and go to sleep because they’re afraid of monsters under their beds.

“Amelia will definitely look for you as soon as she wakes up.”

This time, Seonghwang answered first even though I didn’t ask.

“… … .”

Seongjin, who had become slightly more solemn, turned his head and looked at Amelia lying next to him. Once again, he could see her furrowed brow and the clear tear stains on her cheeks.

‘Sister. You cried because of me.’

As Seongjin stared blankly at her innocent face with a sense of guilt weighing on his chest, Seonghwang turned to the other side of the bed and picked up the little saintess.

“Sisley… … .”

Yes, it wasn’t just Amelia. Across from her, little Sisley was lying in the same position.

He must have been pouring out his divine powers until just before falling asleep, as he held onto Seongjin’s sleeve tightly with his small hand.

This time, Seonghwang laid Sisley down next to Seongjin. Because of this, Seongjin was suddenly caught between the two princesses and was unable to move.

“uh…….”

But that wasn’t the end.

On the long sofa a little way from the bed, Logan and Sir Marsain were sitting, nodding off!

At this point, a feeling of guilt and a sense of foreboding began to well up in me.

What the heck? Why didn’t I feel this way sooner?

“father.”

I called out to him in a slightly hoarse voice, but he didn’t answer right away. This time, he slowly walked towards the sofa. Maybe it was because of his mood, but his steps seemed very heavy.

Only after Logan and Sir Marsain had laid down neatly on the sofa one after another did he finally turn his head towards Seongjin.

“Everyone was insisting on staying by your side, so I just told them to do so.”

“uh…….”

“I think it’s a good thing. Then I can look after all of you at the same time, right?”

It sounds like she can’t leave Sungjin’s side for long.

Seongjin couldn’t help but recall the words he had heard in passing earlier.

-This is a measure taken because I think I will often have to do both treatment and government work, so please stay here for the time being.

no way?

Does this mean that Sungjin has some serious problem that requires him to continue receiving treatment?

“Father, I feel… I feel like my senses are a little strange.”

As he confessed his ideals in a trembling voice, Seonghwang looked at Seongjin blankly for a moment and then nodded slightly.

“…Maybe so.”

“What the hell is going on? Can you tell me exactly what’s wrong with me?”

“okay.”

Seonghwang answered obediently and explained with a somewhat bitter expression on his face.

“Because my aura is binding your aura and senses.”

“Come, sense?”

What does that mean?

While I was still confused, Seonghwang paused for a moment and then continued speaking.

“Rather than giving a long explanation, it would be better if you experienced it yourself. I’ll let you off the hook for a moment, so why don’t you try moving your aura on your own?”

Phew-

With those words, the small pressure that had been weighing down my body disappears.

“… … !”

Only then was Seongjin able to properly understand Seonghwang’s words.

This was a space filled with the aura of the Holy Spirit as if it were air.

The materialized aura filled the room, encroaching on the path through which Sungjin’s aura flowed, and ultimately taking away his breathing and senses.

Up until now, there had been no gaps in the flow, so he didn’t feel anything strange, as if it were Sungjin’s own aura.

‘Why on earth would you do something like that?’

But Seongjin soon felt the reason deeply in his bones.

The aura layer that had been rotating on its own from the danjeon soon began to become hot as if on fire.

“… … ?!”

It was completely different from the aura Sungjin had felt before.

The aura that had been flowing smoothly like water was now burning everything it touched as if it had turned into lava. A burning sensation and hot heat surged from my body.

‘Is this… the fire of Gehenna?’

Seongjin, who was flustered, first tried to control the flow of aura as quickly as possible.

But strangely, the more I tried to control the aura, the more the flames rising inside me raged. The aura spread throughout my body, and the burning pain also grew worse.

I was so confused and didn’t know what to do –

Phew-

A cool breeze blew in, instantly confining the fire inside my body to my danjeon.

It was a grand aura.

At the same time, a bright divine power pours down again from above the head.

“… … .”

Feeling the pain disappear in an instant, Seongjin looked up at Seonghwang with a defeated face.

‘That’s right. The temperature dropped quite a bit, but it was definitely a disaster from Gehenna.’

Didn’t your father just push all the fire out through the passage? Why is it still inside you?

But at least one thing is certain. Whatever happened to his body now, it was clearly Sungjin’s own fault.

Seongjin quickly cast a self-criticism while watching Seonghwang’s expression.

“I’m so sorry, Father. You warned me to be careful before, but I acted too hastily based on my premonitions.”

“… … .”

“It seems that the fire that Father spoke of has come here because I have been pulling the Aura too hard. I never intended for this to happen… … .”

While he was making excuses, Seonghwang’s hand slowly approached Seongjin.

But this time, contrary to expectations, the slapstick would fly –

Swish swish.

Seonghwang simply lightly patted Seongjin’s head as if to comfort him.

“You just tried to save Delcross with everything you had.”

“No, I just… … .”

“And you paid the price for it. You were the one who was hurt because you couldn’t use your Auror as you pleased, but instead of taking care of yourself, why did you try to comfort others first?”

“… … !”

Seongjin felt his heart sink at Seonghwang’s remark.

Are you heartbroken? Me?

‘No. But I’m sure Father will have a solution. He’s Father, right?’

Seongjin believed in Seonghwang, and he also believed in his own premonition.

‘My Auror is back. I can see it. It won’t be long before I can use my Auror like before.’

But it was truly a strange thing.

Despite such a strong premonition, what slowly crept into me was a greater sense of loss than I had expected.

It’s like running hard and then suddenly your goal disappears from before your eyes. It’s like having a toy you were playing with taken away from you.

Seongjin realized anew how much he had enjoyed practicing the Oro Yeongong.

“I am…….”

He was mumbling absentmindedly, feeling unfamiliar, when Seonghwang briefly glanced at Seongjin and continued speaking.

“You probably knew deep down that this would happen. That’s why you tried to learn as much as possible in the little time you had left.”

okay.

Thinking back now, it seemed a bit strange that he was acting so recklessly. He was peacefully learning how to use the Oro while urging Logan next to the demon species.

But at that time, Sungjin clearly knew. If not now, there would be no other chance for a while.

“And there must be a reason why you brought that fire. So what can I do? If you have decided to do it, I can only help you achieve it by staying by your side.”

“… … .”

“Don’t be too disappointed. The hellfire has completely bonded with your aura, but it’s not something that can’t be erased with time. That’s why I left a little bit of leeway instead of blocking all the passages.”

Swish swish swish.

Seonghwang added, ruffling Seongjin’s hair while his mouth remained shut.

“Remember, son. There is nothing wrong with you. If there is anyone to blame, it is only the one who put you in this situation… … .”

He didn’t continue talking there, but Sungjin suddenly came to his senses after hearing his muddled words.

Oh, now is not the time for me to be feeling this down.

I feel this way again, but this guy really has a lot in common with Logan. Especially the way he digs deep into the ground for no reason, even if it’s not his fault.

“Father! Absolutely not! This is entirely my… …!”

But Seongjin couldn’t finish speaking because Seonghwang covered his eyes and gently consoled him.

“Shh- If you wake up and try to move, your mind will follow you and continue to move. Then your fever will rise again, so it would be better to sleep more for now.”

Bam.

With a thud that drained all his strength, Sungjin’s consciousness sank down again.

-Have a nice dream for a moment.

It seemed like I heard a faint voice near my ear.

* * *

[Ugh! I really can’t eat this!]

Seongjin felt inwardly puzzled.

‘Wait, didn’t you say it was a good dream?’

But the first thing Sungjin heard in that ‘good’ dream was the angry lament of Lord Masain.

[What do you think, Your Majesty Logan? It always, always ends up like this. Isn’t Your Majesty going too far?]

… Sir Marsain?

Yes, now, Sir Marsain was standing before his eyes.

Although it was strange that he looked a little younger than usual, Sungjin could still immediately tell that he was his loyal bodyguard.

[I understand everything, Brother Marsain. You did your best.]

And next to him, Logan, who also looked strangely small, was patting his shoulder.

[Was I lacking in resolve? If I had to do it, I promised myself that I would use this sword without your help this time… … .]

[No, it’s definitely not your fault.]

Pat pat.

‘…What is this?’

Seongjin blinked blankly at the unimaginable sight.