Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 412



Only Noblemtl

412. Lee Seong-jin’s Exploration Journal (1)

Even after arriving at his accommodation, Sungjin’s dazed state continued. It was as if he was in a coma, and then when he opened his eyes, the surrounding scenery had changed.

“Down, down!”

Edith tries to wake Seongjin up by calling him repeatedly from the side.

[Lee Seong-jin, what’s wrong? Lee Seong-ji!]

“Your Majesty. I will take you to your room right now.”

Occasionally, the voices of the Demon King and the Marshal could be heard.

‘Everyone will be surprised. You have to tell them it’s okay… … .’

But unfortunately, I didn’t have the presence of mind to move my mouth properly.

‘It’s too early to feel relieved. Just a little more.’

As he was walking around with such a hazy mind, he felt someone next to him grab his arm and support him. Of course, Sungjin was not in the right state of mind to tell whether it was Masain Kyung or Edith.

Was it really a good thing that the Demon King’s lamp he was holding didn’t fall to the floor?

‘It’s not over yet. I don’t know what it is, but there’s definitely something I need to do…

But it’s almost time now.

While repeating these thoughts that even he himself did not understand, Seongjin followed the guidance of Sir Martha and Edith and walked unsteadily.

… papapapak!

Again, my blurred vision filled with mounds of dirt being dug up here and there. For a moment, I thought I saw the front paws of a dog diligently digging the ground.

Okay. You’re doing great, Max. Right there… … .

“…Mores?”

But just then, there was someone who suddenly interrupted Seongjin’s concentration.

It was Owen who went in first and found a place to stay.

“What? What’s going on?”

The guy approached with brisk strides and shook Seongjin’s shoulder sharply, instantly breaking his concentration.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you okay? Where else does it hurt?”

“Hey. Be quiet… you idiot.”

Seongjin waved his hand with a frown. He told them not to talk to him because he still had to concentrate.

“Hey! If you’re in pain, just say so! Don’t be so frustrated and do it alone!”

“Don’t be so excited.”

Sungjin frowned and held out a hand towards him. It was a tactic he had used effectively whenever Owen had been nagging him in the past.

“what……!”

For a moment, Owen flinched excessively and stepped back, but Sungjin was too busy paying close attention to his condition at the moment.

It’s almost over now. It’s almost over… … .

“Let’s talk tomorrow. It’s nothing. Go and get some sleep.”

How about it! Here’s a cute hoof skin that suits your taste. So calm down and listen to me. And don’t forget to wear a sleep mask when you sleep.

When Owen suddenly became quiet, Sungjin’s mind suddenly became distant from reality again.

Wheeze- Wheeze-

The scenery before my eyes changes here and there.

Seongjin, who was diligently running somewhere while biting something, finally found the reliable new model he was looking for.

-… Max! Where did you disappear to and now… … !

Seongjin responded with a loud voice and a wagging tail to the white-robed knight calling out to him from afar.

Boom!

‘… Huh?’

What the heck? Why does my voice sound like this?

The moment you realize the intense sense of discomfort, your mind suddenly wakes up and returns to reality.

Blink.

Seongjin, who had been standing blankly and blinking his eyes, slowly looked around with his vision clearer.

Then, soon, he was faced with Owen’s frozen face, Sir Marsain’s worried face, and Edith’s fierce face.

“Huh… … ?!”

He also realized that he was holding his palm out in front of him for no reason.

‘Wait a minute. What am I doing?’

Seongjin quickly pulled his arm back and opened his mouth as if nothing had happened.

“What’s wrong with you all? I’m fine. Let’s go back to the dorms.”

“…lowering!”

“iced coffee…….”

But unlike the two who sighed in relief, Owen still looked as if he was greatly shocked by something.

What the heck? This annoying guy.

“What? Why? What?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you standing there?”

Then Owen flinched, let out the breath he had been holding, and let out a strange scream.

“Huh?!”

And then, without even being able to say anything, Seongjin slowly started to back away!

“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing. Nothing.”

“You now… … .”

“Then you seem tired. Get some rest! See you tomorrow!”

Owen, who had said his evening greetings so dryly, turned around and ran out into the hallway.

“… … ?”

Seongjin, who couldn’t understand English at all, furrowed his brow.

What the hell is that guy doing? Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?

Meanwhile, Owen, who had fled to his room in a panic, muttered in despair while frantically messing with his already messy hair.

“… I really didn’t think so… Is it really true?”

* * *

A few days ago.

When he first told his maid about the business trip, Owen was just light-hearted. He thought, ‘I have nothing better to do, so I might as well help Mores and do the quest.’

“Huh? You’re going on a trip with Prince Mores?”

Her maid, Carrie, also seemed secretly pleased.

“No, it’s not a trip, it’s a business trip.”

“Whether it’s a trip or a business trip, isn’t it the same thing? Whatever it is, it’s important that you go together.”

The old maid laughed and snorted.

“I knew this would happen someday. I thought our generous Lord Owen would quickly reconcile with his younger brother. So, when are you leaving?”

“Hmm? Ah. Probably in a few days… … .”

“Then I guess I have a lot to prepare! First, I need to make a few more new shirts for our quirky Owen.”

“Stop it, Carrie. Didn’t you just make enough new clothes a while ago?”

As Owen roughly took off his clothes, Carrie quickly approached him to serve him.

And then-

Clank!

The scarlet pendant hanging from his shirt collar falls down and reflects light, causing him to flinch and quickly step back.

“… … .”

Owen glanced at Carrie, who was frozen stiff.

If you think about it, she was always like that. Even when she would gently take care of Owen, didn’t she cleverly avoid the pendant when it came out?

Naturally, I had no choice but to ask this.

“Carrie. Does Carrie know about this necklace?”

Then the old maid immediately relaxed her expression and replied.

“Isn’t that obvious? Back in my prime, I was one of the senior maids who only served the empresses.”

“I see.”

It was said that she was the personal maid of the late Empress Beth Sheva. The mysterious woman that No. 9 once called a ‘psychopath’ and who left this strange message to Owen.

“That necklace is definitely Lady Bethsheba’s heirloom.”

“… … .”

“Many people misunderstand him. But the Bethsheba this person saw was not an ordinary person.”

Although it had been more than 20 years since the empress left, Carrie’s memory still vividly recalled the image of the beautiful and elegant woman.

-Be careful not to touch it.

When one of the maids who had tampered with the empress’s belongings collapsed foaming at the mouth, he looked down at her and gave her this warning in a cold voice.

-Once you get caught up in a huge causal relationship that you can’t handle, there’s no turning back.

Carrie could not dare doubt her words even a little. So even on this day when she served Owen, she was careful not to touch that necklace by accident.

“It is the pride of my life to have had that wonderful person by my side, even if only for a short while.”

Carrie’s eyes, looking at Owen, were filled with a faint sense of longing.

“And now, to be assigned to assist his grandson, what greater honor could there be as a servant in the palace?”

“Carrie, I… … .”

He is not your father’s biological son.

Owen, who was about to respond like that, suddenly became speechless and closed his mouth.

But the dedicated maid who had been looking after Owen for a long time seemed to know exactly what he was saying and couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Whatever you are worried about, it is not what Owen thinks. Bethsheba’s lost necklace has safely reached Owen. That is definitely not a coincidence.”

“… … .”

“And even though you carry that mysterious item every day, Owen is still fine, unlike the others. What better proof of Owen’s extraordinary talent and of his status as Lady Bethsheba’s worthy grandson?”

Owen silently touched the scarlet pendant. The gem glowed a sinister red under the dim moonlight.

A mysterious terminal that gives quests to Owen and helps him access the Pangea Chronicles.

‘The Queen of Beth Sheva… … .’

Naturally, this question arose.

The original owner of this, the empress dowager, what kind of person was she?

* * *

It was that night that I received an unexpected report from No. 9.

“What? Iseonjin? Is that Mores’ nickname?”

“Yes, that is what I am saying, Your Majesty.”

Owen couldn’t help but be puzzled.

‘Why does that kid have that nickname? There’s some kind of relationship between Mores and Lee Son-jin.’

Owen, lost in thought for a moment, looked down at Number 9, who was filled with anticipation.

“So, No. 9. What you’re trying to say is, that Lee Son-jin is ‘newbie Lee Seong-jin’? How could that be?”

At that, No. 9’s eyes widened. He was secretly relieved that he had completed the mission easily.

“Then isn’t it?”

“Maybe not? The pronunciation is slightly different.”

“yes?”

“It’s different.”

“…yes?”

When I first taught him, he seemed to follow along well, but now it seems like No. 9 is having trouble pronouncing his name.

‘Well, it’s not that far-fetched. No matter how much I think about it, it’s not a Delcross-style name.’

When Owen first heard that name, didn’t he think, “What kind of name is that in the world?”

However, the reason he still remembered the correct pronunciation was because he had accurately received Lee Sung-jin’s name through his mind several times. He had to use his mind whenever he spoke to the silent villains.

‘Ideas convey the essence accurately. That’s why I know the name of that group? Well, that strange group.’

But even if Mores really was a newbie, Owen knew that their situations were completely different.

“Newbie said he was living in the zodiac and going through all kinds of hardships. It couldn’t possibly be Mores.”

Owen thought back to the day he first met the newbie. The baby goat, showing off its flower-like hooves and speaking wistfully—perhaps in Owen’s distorted memory.

-What should I say? The neighborhood I used to live in was a bit of a rough place.

The little goat friend had neatly slaughtered the players and explained his situation to Owen.

-Everyone there had to learn these skills to survive. If I seem skilled in your eyes, I’m glad. That would be perfect proof that I’ve survived alone until now.

Owen firmly believed the baby goat’s words. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the young fellow’s unusually skilled killing skills.

But isn’t Mores living comfortably in the palace, under his father’s care?

“You should keep the possibility open. How about conducting some more investigation with Prince Mores while you’re at it? In that case, I should first follow your Majesty… … .”

“But that can’t be true.”

Owen asserted.

“Besides, if it’s Mores, I can watch over you from the side in the future, right? So, No. 9, you stay in the imperial city and continue to explore the newbies.”

“but…….”

“Now, let’s learn the name properly. What if I get that important thing wrong? Now, try pronouncing it again correctly. Lee. Seong. Jin.”

“This, Seong… Jin.”

“Yes. That’s it, No. 9!”

“… … .”

Number 9 eventually returned to the monkey tower with a sullen expression. It seemed like the events of that night had passed off as a simple incident.

But the human mind is truly unpredictable. As he stayed by Mores’ side every day for the quest, Owen couldn’t help but be increasingly concerned about No. 9’s words.

‘Why on earth does Logan call that guy Isonjin? Weren’t they originally close enough to exchange nicknames? Amelia, who is actually close with Mores, doesn’t seem to know much about him… ‘

But, asking him directly didn’t feel right either.

Why on earth would Owen care what Logan and I called each other by nicknames?

‘… Ah, this is driving me crazy!’

Even before leaving the zodiac, and until the last time he had an audience with the Holy Emperor, Owen was too busy groaning alone to concentrate on the conversation.

Then the king sighed softly and muttered.

“As the eldest child who has to lead the other children, how can you be so clueless… … .”

“Yes? Father. Did you just give me some orders?”

“No, no. Have a safe trip, Owen.”

“… … ?”