Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 420



Only Noblemtl

420. Freedom Underpass (2)

When Sungjin first discovered Owen hiding in the darkness, he sensed a strong sense of alienation from him.

‘… Auror concealment? No.’

It was immediately clear that this was no ordinary ‘auror cloak’.

Rather than finely adjusting the aura emission to erase the presence, it felt like a curtain had been drawn to prevent the aura activity itself from being recognized.

A fundamental interference with the laws of the world, which distorts the senses and breaks down the boundaries of perception, so that ordinary people cannot even glimpse the essence… … .

“… … !”

Seongjin’s alertness was close to instinct. It was neither mine nor my father’s, but it was the will of a third party that had suddenly intervened in this world!

Before he could clearly perceive the situation, Sungjin’s hand was already on the nutcracker’s handle.

I didn’t try to delve any deeper into it, because I unconsciously felt that the more I learned about it, the less influence I had over it.

WHEEK-!

But just as Sungjin was about to thrust his sword into the center of that strange feeling, the curtain suddenly disappeared from sight as quickly as it had appeared.

The tip of the nutcracker’s blade is a pendant that glows a deep blood red even in the dark.

“…Owen?”

Seongjin recognized the milestone and the opponent at the same time, and immediately retrieved the nutcracker. His mind was spinning quickly.

-Is this it? Is this the [milestone] that Oracle created, that reflects the spirit of Oracle?

When I first saw the milestone, I thought of Dexter screaming in excitement.

-So, the principle of this engine editor is based entirely on this [milestone]!

Dexter said at the time that the [Homunculus Engine Source Editor] was modeled after the way the Oracle’s advanced mental world affects the real world.

‘So, the veil of concealment that I just saw was a phenomenon that occurred when the laws of the psychic world interfered with this world?’

A strong will to intervene with a clear purpose, felt in that fleeting moment.

‘As expected, the will of my dead grandmother remains in the signpost in some form. And I made Owen do it-‘

But Sungjin’s thoughts ended there. Owen, who had shown up, was looking at Sungjin with a blank expression as if the sky had fallen. His condition was too serious to be considered as mere surprise.

‘Why is this guy so listless after coming all this way?’

Now that I think about it, I think the way they respond to attacks is a little strange.

Sungjin, who played the game with Owen, knew Owen’s skills well. He was a guy who could fly around and slaughter players with just a small, one-handed axe.

What about in reality? Since he was the one who broke the pots of the so-called Barsha warriors, he was already called [Undefeated] on the front lines.

So no matter how fast I ran in, there would have been enough time to defend myself.

“Hey, are you talking about… … .”

Surely that status window isn’t controlling your mental state? Sungjin tried to ask.

But that soon became impossible, because Marsain and Dasha were running towards them, panting.

“Oh my god!”

“Who’s there… Owen, your Majesty? How on earth do you get here?”

* * *

“But your Majesty, when did you learn how to conceal your Aura?

Marsain questions Owen with a suspicious look on his face.

But Sungjin knew. What Owen had shown him earlier wasn’t a proper Auror cover-up.

As expected, Owen answered hesitantly.

“… I haven’t fully mastered it yet, so it’s not possible every time.”

That must be true. That was clearly the law of the world of rules, the intervention of the side status window.

If that’s the case, then Owen is currently working hard on the quest given by the status window. Sungjin thought that he should clean up this place without wasting any more time.

“So, are you going with me?”

Then Owen, who had been timid and unresponsive, answered with a slightly relieved expression.

“… Uh, yeah.”

“Okay, then.”

Seongjin nodded and turned around quickly, trying to hide his discontented feelings.

‘You let them rest, but now you have no use for them, so you bring them here?’

Well, that was my grandmother’s intention, anyway. Despite my instinctive antipathy, I still didn’t feel like her guidance was doing Owen any great harm.

then-

‘Since it’s come to this, I should use it well. I wanted to give Dasha something else to do anyway.’

So, contrary to his original plan, Sungjin decided to have Owen disguise himself as Varsha instead of Dasha.

“Remember well. From now on, you are Barshain.”

“… Huh?”

Seongjin, who repeatedly warned him that he was absent-minded and absent-minded, walked briskly toward the meeting place he had known in advance.

While trying to ignore the question that was clearly revealed on the faces of Masain and Dasha who were following behind, ‘How does Your Majesty know about a place like this?’

According to information provided by Belinda, Regina had scattered locations where one could use the free underground passage.

Seongjin arrived at a shabby building that was most frequently used by the Penitence Sect and spoke to the gatekeeper with a calm expression.

“I have come to deliver the goods. You must be one of those who have converted to the underground sect.”

Then the old gatekeeper sitting at the entrance looked Seongjin up and down as if assessing him, and asked back rudely.

“Delivery? Where are you going?”

“I intend to use the free underpass to the north. I intend to welcome this heretic from Varsha as a brother in penitence. So, please call your superiors quickly.”

Then the gatekeeper slowly walked forward and blocked the door straight ahead.

“Wait a minute. These are faces I’ve never seen before in this area, and the leader is a child? Something seems suspicious.”

“… … .”

“Hey, kid. What about the middleman? Did the delivery guy come here himself?”

Then Seongjin glared at him, slightly annoyed.

“Bethel. Who are you treating as a criminal now? The faithful underground religious brothers are using the road, so why do you need a middleman?”

There were already stories I heard from Belinda. There are intermediaries who actually take a certain amount of commission and lead you here.

But that’s only the case for criminals. The situation is a bit different for believers in underground religious groups who are directly involved in the operation of the organization.

“Hmm.”

I guess it wasn’t a wrong answer.

Still, as if something was suspicious, the gatekeeper hesitated in his seat and made no attempt to open the door.

“But kid. Are you really a brother of penance? None of you show any traces of penance… and your skin is too clean.”

“Then why don’t you leave your traces in a place that looks stupid? It’s not like you’re blatantly advertising to the Inquisitors. Stop making ridiculous excuses and just open the road quickly.”

“Oh, wait a minute. That guy doesn’t look like a Barshain either. He’s just a little tanned, but no matter how you look at him, he’s definitely an Imperial.”

Seongjin sighed and repeated Seongho.

“Bethel. This guy is from the Missouri tribe. Missouri has had a lot of mixed blood with Anatolian people since ancient times. I understand. People who don’t know better might get confused.”

“No, even if you say it like that-”

The gatekeeper’s eyes narrow. Since Aesong’s answer is so smooth, his suspicions grow.

“How can I believe that? What if that guy is an Inquisitor pretending to be Barshain? If you’re sure, prove it.”

“How do you want me to prove that?”

“You’re from Barcelona? Then tell him to speak in Barcelona.”

“If you do it, you can understand?”

“That’s none of your concern, kid.”

Look at this kid. He’s more picky than I thought.

So Sungjin looked back at Owen and ordered.

“Did you hear that? He said he couldn’t believe it. You, say something in Varsha quickly.”

Owen flinched for a moment. He probably hadn’t expected to hear proper Volanta here.

Fortunately, he didn’t make the mistake of looking back at Seongjin with his eyes wide open.

“Ugh! That… … !”

Owen, who almost blurted out Imperial German, barely managed to bite his tongue and change his words.

“Hey! What are you talking about? How are you going to recover from a lie like that later?”

But Seongjin’s attitude was relaxed.

“You’re the one who barged in without proper preparation. Let me tell you after seeing what you’re like now. How are you going to explain those chicken feathers stuck in your head?”

“Then it would be better to say that you came from the area near the southern front.”

“It’s okay. Trust me. It’ll be easier later if you pretend to be a pagan.”

Even if it is a disorganized organization, there are at least some basic principles of conduct. If the gatekeeper feels that it is too burdensome to handle alone, he will eventually call his superior in defeat.

“Besides, there will be close surveillance of the Free Underpass for some time to come. If you tell them in advance that you are a heretic, you will be able to communicate with them without them knowing in case of an emergency, right?”

Seongjin, who had explained up to that point, looked back at the gatekeeper.

“Did you hear? I explained the situation clearly, but this guy got angry? If you don’t turn to [Repentance] right away, he said he’ll ask about your parents’ well-being soon.”

“… You don’t seem that angry?”

Then Owen, who had been watching her return, suddenly showed his teeth and made a very strange expression.

It was a miserably poor performance. Well, it was such an awkward and unfamiliar expression that it seemed to have made the gatekeeper very nervous.

“But why are you suddenly asking about your parents?”

… Hmm. I guess this world doesn’t have any pad-lips.

“It’s an old custom in Barcelona. You don’t greet your enemies with force.”

Then the old gatekeeper suddenly frowns.

“Stop talking nonsense, kid. Our parents have been dead for a long time.”

“Oh, well then I must ask after your well-being. I may meet my son in the next world soon. How heartbroken must your parents be?”

“… … .”

“Bethelah.”

The gatekeeper looked at Seongjin, who was making the sign of the cross devoutly, with a bewildered expression. It was difficult to get angry because they were so confident. However, if you try to drive them out by threatening them, the prayers they were giving off were not easy.

Fortunately, the gatekeeper was older and had a lot of experience dealing with the truth.

The best way to deal with troublesome friends is to simply pass the responsibility on to your superiors.

“Well, your treatment will be decided by your superiors anyway. Go in and see.”

Once we got past the gatekeeper, things were smooth sailing from there.

Once inside, they were guided out the back door of the building by a small woman who had come out to greet them. They followed her down a winding alley until they finally arrived in front of a shabby wagon loaded with hay.

“… … .”

The woman bowed her head and disappeared without a word.

‘…lowering?’

Masain looked back in confusion, but Seongjin was already getting on the carriage as if it was nothing.

“… … !”

As Owen and Martha settle into their shaky positions among the hay, the coachman starts the carriage without saying a word.

Crackle crackle.

As the carriage began to move, Owen and Marsain rolled their eyes helplessly. In that heavy silence, they were slowly leaving Regina.

‘Dasha is following along well.’

Not far away, she can be felt following her, using her Aura cloak.

Seongjin felt a little relieved and hugged the small lamp the Demon King was sitting on.

[Where are we going now, Lee Seong-jin?]

“Yeah, we’re going to the middle point of the Freedom Underpass. Since we skipped meeting our superiors at the starting point, I think they’re going to pass us on to a higher-level route.”

[Will it take a long time? Isn’t it dangerous there?]

“What’s the danger? If it’s urgent, you can jump out of the ramp too. You can set fire to the carriage with your own strength and run away together.”

Then the Demon King seemed satisfied and flickered his flames.

[Ahhhhhh! I see. It’s finally time to unleash my power upon the world! Now everyone will recognize the greatness of this body!]

Even so, it only became a portable lighter for short-distance navigation.

Seongjin felt a bit salty and carefully caressed the lamp. But the coachman in front of him seemed to hear his quiet conversation as if it were Seongjin talking to himself.

“Hey guys, don’t you know I’m leaving the city in secret? Keep quiet. What the hell has that little guy been mumbling about all this time?”

At the coachman’s irritation, Seongjin raised his head and answered him.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I have a fever and my head is spinning, so I sometimes talk nonsense. But it’s just a little noisy, and I’m not really a harmful person.”

“Ah, I see. My head hurts from the fever… .”

The coachman, who had been responding absentmindedly, looked back at Seongjin with a strange expression.

“No, but is that something the person involved should be saying now?”

But Seongjin’s attitude was shameless.

“Well, since it’s my job, I know best. That’s why I’m answering you kindly. What’s the problem?”

“… … ?”

“Or did you want my friends to badmouth me? Man, you really have a bad personality.”

The coachman turned his head again with a puzzled expression.

Oh, is that so? Was I bad?