Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 387



Only Noblemtl

387. Collision (4)

“This is the end of your case for review, Sir Marsain.”

At Jibril’s words, Masain breathed a sigh of relief. The paperwork that seemed like it would never end was finally coming to an end.

As he received the last document from her, Martha looked around absentmindedly.

‘By the way, since there are only two of us left, somehow this place feels empty.’

It’s funny to feel empty in a small office. But wasn’t it usually a space where Prince Mores, Lord Valerie, Lord Sharon, and even Prince Logan would hang out together?

Masain, who had been lost in strange thoughts for a moment, soon shook off his distracting thoughts and squeezed out the last of his concentration.

“… Judging from the contents, it seems like it was simply a fever. It is clearly distinguishable from the Gray Plague from the early symptoms.”

“I see. If you could just check, I’ll send it back to you right away.”

In response to Jibril’s simple answer, Masain asked something he had been curious about for a while.

“Rep. Jibril. Wouldn’t it be better for the Lyora Plague Society to first filter out such clear cases? Why are these all sent to the Demon Task Force without distinction?”

“Well? Well, Prince Mores ordered us to report all suspicious cases.”

The Demon Task Force was originally established to investigate the Gray Plague. Accordingly, the plague doctors of the Lyora School spread throughout the continent continue to consistently send reports on suspected cases of the Gray Plague to the Imperial Palace.

Then, the monster task force will collect them all and manage the parts that need to be investigated separately.

“Besides, Mr. Mores is surprisingly quick at processing documents.”

“hmm.”

Martha sighed.

Well, since it was something that Prince Mores usually handled in a flash, I didn’t expect there to be so many aspects to look into.

Even today, it was the same. He spent the whole day struggling with a month’s worth of documents, but if Prince Mores had been there, he might have finished them all in the time it took to have a cup of tea.

‘Your Majesty, by now… … .’

As Masain’s face became blank again, following the flow of consciousness, Jibril nodded with a knowing expression.

“You’re worried about the decline again, Sir Marsain.”

“…Does it look like that?”

“Yes. Haven’t you been looking in the direction of the main palace every time you get a chance?”

“… … .”

Of course, the biggest problem is that you can’t focus on your work because of worry.

But when Prince Mores was suffering from a high fever, there was nothing Marsain could do for him.

In that case, wouldn’t it be more helpful to you later if I took care of these chores for you?

“Oh, and Sir Marsain. While you’re here, there’s something I’d like you to see. It’s a report from Sir Valerie to Your Majesty.”

“Yes? Isn’t he with the punitive force right now? The punitive expedition hasn’t even started yet, so what on earth is he going to report… ?”

“It’s more of a whining letter than a report. I keep sending it to you, so could you please do something about it?”

So the letter that was presented to Masain’s eyes was as follows.

-Your Majesty, Mores. While I was on my way to Cyprus with the punitive force, I heard a very interesting story. Well, there was this crazy guy who called himself a prophet, and he was deceiving innocent people by talking nonsense about the end of the world and the coming of the fires of hell. I think this is something that our special task force should be doing.

If true, this would be a perfect thing to get on the Inquisitor’s nerves. Marsain read the following letter with astonishment.

-Damn! The rumors are getting more and more ridiculous. Well, that crazy guy is advertising on a grand scale for people to come to him for salvation! He doesn’t call himself a servant of the Lord, but idolizes himself as a new savior. Isn’t this blasphemy and heresy? This is an urgent matter. Please allow me to begin the investigation!

Indeed, the expressions blasphemy and heresy came up. Masain opened the following letter, feeling a nagging headache.

-Your Majesty! Please reconsider! That crazy sage is already expanding his influence around the Benso Marquisate. With his power expanding so quickly, I have reasonable suspicions that the Dark Cult is secretly working behind the scenes. If Your Majesty gives me permission, I, Valery, can immediately leave the punitive force and rush to the Marquisate!

Letters came flying in one after another.

As if to reflect Valerie’s anxious mind, the tone of the letter is becoming more and more urgent. As I read it, I began to feel a headache.

‘If there had been a decline in this, a clear answer would have been given, but… … .’

After thinking about it for a while, Masain had no choice but to reply like this.

-His Majesty Mores is still in bed. I will report to you separately when I have time. Sir, please finish subduing the demons properly and come back. As soon as you arrive, we will discuss an investigation plan together.

Of course, my head was filled with complicated thoughts.

Can I handle this report on my own? Could it be that the investigation was delayed even after receiving the report, and that the Heresy Tribunal would later find fault with Mores?

‘I would rather allow Sir Valery to conduct the investigation he wants… No, but His Majesty personally ordered Sir Valery to join the punitive force… … .’

As I think about it, I feel sick again.

As Martha got up from her seat, rubbing her chest, Jibril gave her a small spray bottle of rose perfume with a pitiful expression.

“Oh, my. If you’re that worried about His Majesty, then go back quickly. And don’t forget to disinfect the area around the treatment room.”

When Masain returned to the palace in the evening, he found not the prince suffering from a high fever, but a messy treatment room with a sumptuous banquet spread out before him.

Prince Mores, Prince Owen, and his personal maid Edith were all chatting away in a noisy manner, with food spread out in the room without any formality!

Martha’s eyes shook slightly in bewilderment.

“No, your Majesty? What is this… …!”

Then, the prince, who had been absorbed in his meal, greeted him with a bright face. It was hard to believe that he was a person who had been groaning and unable to swallow porridge until recently, but he looked so lively.

“Sir Marsain, come here quickly! You must have been working so late that you didn’t even eat, so come here quickly and sit down!”

“Excuse me. What on earth is all this?”

“Yeah. Edith bought the food herself at ‘Bertran & Lee, Salmon Specialty Shop.’ She told me to pack up all the signature dishes so Owen can taste them too.”

The prince, who had explained it like that, suddenly let out a bitter smile as if something had occurred to him.

“I should eat all the delicious things now. I think I’ll be eating only bear meat for a while.”

“…yes?”

Isn’t this what you’ve been looking for so far?

As the bewildered Martha awkwardly sits down between them, Owen pushes a plate of well-cooked salmon steak to the side. On the other side, Edith quickly unfolds a new set of cutlery.

“Don’t worry too much, Brother Marsain. Mores seems to be feeling much better now. He hasn’t had a fever all afternoon.”

“…Is that true?”

It was like a dream. When Masain, who still had not yet regained his sense of reality, asked blankly, Prince Mores quickly swallowed his food and answered.

“Of course. I told you, it’s not like Father left his post for no reason.”

“Your Majesty… … .”

“Yes, he went to the prayer room to do his homework. Don’t worry too much about your father. Sir Katrina is here to assist you properly, and the Empress will take care of the piling up state affairs.”

“… … !”

His Majesty had come to the prayer room after a long time. As he recalled the significance of this fact, Masain’s mind slowly began to clear up.

His Majesty, who sometimes postpones state affairs meetings to stay in the treatment room, spends long hours in the prayer room, even leaving the work to the Empress.

It means that he has now decided that he can leave Mores’ side with peace of mind.

then-

‘Your Majesty, now truly… … .’

Suddenly, all the tension in my body was released and a strong sense of relief came over me like a tidal wave.

Ugh!

To hide the intense emotions welling up inside him, Masain quickly turned his head and put a piece of salmon in his mouth.

“By the way, I can’t understand English at all. I was right there with you the whole time. When on earth did you and your father ever have that conversation?”

“I explained it to you earlier. Quietly, I spoke well.”

“… What? Does that make sense?”

“Shut up! If you have time for nonsense, try this. This is a traditional recipe for salmon in Cyprus. Do you think you’ll ever get to taste something this precious in the South?”

“No, if it’s precious, then it’s precious. Why are you showing off with food? Huh?”

“It’s all something to brag about. Can you imagine how much trouble I had to put in to bring this in?”

While Martha’s eyes were red, the brothers continued to tease each other as if it was natural.

‘Hmm. That guy Mores. Is he trying to tell me I’m a country bumpkin? For something like that, he seems to be pretty meticulous in suggesting things to eat. Should I like it or be angry?’

One of them was thinking this inwardly –

‘That Owen guy. He usually just lets it slide, but sometimes he gets a little picky in strange places. Since he’s being noisy, should I give him a good beating? Even if Dad finds out later, he’ll probably turn a blind eye after just one time.’

Another one was seriously considering the possibility of violence for a while.

How much time has passed like that?

After calming down a bit, Masain was finally able to free himself from the deep sense of relief and slowly begin to recognize some of the problems.

therefore…….

“Your Majesty. But I still feel a faint heat coming from your danjeon… … .”

“It’s okay, Sir Marsain.”

To his hesitant question, the prince answered definitively:

“It’s just that Aura’s personality has changed a little. It’ll be okay soon.”

“…Is that so?”

Marsain answered like that, but somehow he felt uneasy.

The nature of the aura has changed… and on top of that, it has turned into a heat I have never heard of or seen before.

I have served as a Knight Commander for a long time and have been respectful of the seniority of the squires, but I have never heard of such a case.

“If you do it, it will be worse.”

And there remained an even more serious problem.

“Why is the aura of decline still active… … .”

Are you not recovering as well as before, and are you just that weak? Marsain was about to ask that.

It was a bit of a delicate matter, but it was something that had to be brought up. He was also Prince Mores’ swordsmanship teacher, and he knew how much his disciple was devoted to the Aura training.

But the prince answered him firmly before he could even finish asking the question.

“That’s because I’m recovering. Everything will be okay after some time.”

“… … .”

Marsain felt a strange sense of foreboding. Recently, while assisting Prince Mores, he occasionally felt an eerie feeling.

And that feeling of discomfort became clearly visible after we finished eating.

“I want to rest early today. So, after a long time, go back to your room and get some rest.”

While beating Prince Owen and Edith, the young prince secretly asked Martha to give him a seat as well.

“Yes? But your Majesty. It’s still too early! At least until today to confirm that the condition has completely stabilized… … .”

But the prince’s attitude was firm.

“It’s okay, do as I say, Sir Marsain. Haven’t you been napping on the treatment room couch for almost a month?”

“… … .”

“Since Kyung is working so hard, I can’t rest comfortably even though I want to.”

There is something. There definitely is something!

Martha was convinced, but he could no longer disobey the prince’s orders. He could only bow his head respectfully and answer like this.

“I will stay nearby, so please call me whenever you need, Your Majesty.”

But as he left the treatment room, his eyes were shining fiercely with determination.

‘I’ll have to watch the treatment room all night today. I’ll have to call Captain Bruno too. And I’ll have to tell the guards to strengthen the security of the main palace even more!’

* * *

After completely sending out the Masain, Seongjin lay quietly on the bed and waited for it to get dark.

All the high priests who used to come and go from the main palace have left, and the Knights of Saint Aurelion are also busy guarding the prayer room.

Finally deciding that the time was right, Sungjin quietly got up and took out the red soul stone that he had hidden away next to the bed.

?Red’s soul stone?

Seongjin, who repeatedly checked the words that came to mind with a trembling heart, took a moment to collect his thoughts.

‘It’s summoning the Demon King’s soul into reality. There’s no telling how much the magic will spread. Originally, it would have been better to go to the Pearl Palace, where clergy entry was completely prohibited, and try it out.’

Now that my father is away, I somehow feel that I shouldn’t move rashly on my own.

Besides, he had gone to take care of the work that had piled up because he was taking care of Sungjin, so he couldn’t just go back without seeing her return safely.

‘But I can’t just wait until I return to Jinju Palace.’

Sungjin thought so and picked up the Nebraska amulet.

Click.

My fingertips trembled slightly from nervousness, but fortunately, the Demon King’s soul stone found its place and stuck to the amulet’s groove.

Then, as I experienced once before, a new guidance window pops up before my eyes.

?Summoner Red?

?Summon / Dismiss?

Ah, thank goodness.

Now there was only one worry lingering in Seongjin’s mind.

‘Is the Demon King summoned by this really the Demon King I knew?’

It’s unknown.

Haze was a completely different person from her previous good impression, and Bazra also seemed to have undergone some changes.

Didn’t Seonghwang give this advice some time ago?

– It’s probably the kind of thing that fundamentally changes the soul. It’s definitely precious, but it would be better to be a little careful when using it.

But now, this is the only trace of the Demon King left on him.

‘Then there is no other way?’

Seongjin steeled himself and made up his mind. This time, even if it felt like a horror movie, he would maintain his composure.

Doesn’t Hunter Lee Seong-jin have the dignity to be scared of a lowly demon lord?

?*Summon* / Release?

Let’s press the selection so carefully –

Poof!

It suddenly appeared in the middle of the air, like a drop of water falling. It was in the form of a small, red flame that I had seen several times with my soul’s eyes.

‘… … !’

There was no smoke or ominous magic filling the room.

The only difference was that it was slightly larger than before, and was clearly tangible enough to be seen with the naked eye, not just the spirit eye. What was there was still an ugly, insignificant red flame.

[…ok?]

The demon lord who suddenly appeared blinked red as if he was anxious about something. It was exactly the kind of behavior that a foolish demon lord would do.

[Huh? Huh?]

Seongjin was able to realize it intuitively.

Even though it had changed into a visible form, the essence of its soul had not changed at all.

[What is this? Is this a kaleidoscope? Am I seeing the kaleidoscope that humans are talking about?]

“… What the heck, as I live I hear all sorts of nonsensical things.”

As he let out a shaky voice, the flame flinched and stared at Sungjin.

And after a while-

[This, this is Lee Seong-ji!]

The bastard shouted loudly and rushed towards Seongjin.