Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 422



Only Noblemtl

422. Freedom Underpass (4)

Bruno Green.

He was confident that his ability to deal with situations was not that lacking.

Although he retired due to an unexpected accident, didn’t he once serve as the only commoner knight commander and assist the Emperor without any trouble?

This time too, Bruno consoled the resident knights left in Regina with his gentle charisma.

“Why is everyone so down?”

“Boss! No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange. There’s no way that someone as diligent as our Lord Mores would leave us to rest alone! Perhaps our presence was too much of a nuisance to your work?”

When Sir Claudia started to cry, Captain Bruno shook his head firmly.

“Haven’t you heard what His Majesty the King said? He told you to go sightseeing in Regina for a while and ask about Giacomo Milo publicly.”

“But he’s probably already deep in the shadowy cult. How much we can search for him here will make a difference?”

“Sir Claudia, Your Majesty did not ask me to find him. He only asked me to inquire.”

Then the quick-witted Sir Kurt immediately understood what she meant.

“Ah! So you’re saying that while Your Majesty is doing something underwater, we should make it widely known that we’re searching hard in Regina!”

“Yes. That’s it. It’s something that only we, the people close to the Emperor, can accomplish.”

Bruno also had to look after Edith, who had been becoming overly nervous about carriages lately.

The prince’s maid, who had a somewhat blind side, kept her eyes wide open as if she was going to stay up all night, saying that today was the day to reveal the identity of the sound.

“Miss Edith, it’s getting late. Stop watching the empty carriage and go into your room and get some rest.”

“But Commander Bruno, this is an order from the Lord. Lord Mores told me to go back and forth and keep a close eye on the carriage.”

“Doesn’t that mean you should abandon all your work and just watch the carriage all day?”

Then the maid looked up at the groom with her round eyes blinking.

“But there’s nothing else to do. I don’t usually prepare meals or refreshments, and right now there’s no one here to serve me.”

…forgot for a moment that this maid was a great wage thief of the lower classes, just like himself.

Finally, the captain sighed and handed her a blanket and a cup of warm Melbourne tea.

“Then do whatever you want. But why don’t you at least put this on so you don’t get cold?”

It was the same when Prince Owen sneaked out of the quarters.

“We’re in trouble, Captain! No matter how much I search the quarters, I can’t find Owen!”

The former Dekaron Knight had naturally noticed this fact long ago, but instead of stopping the prince, he restrained his party to prevent further chaos.

“It’s okay, Sir Kurt. He told me where he was going before he left last night.”

This was information that had been repeatedly confirmed through the thoughts of Rebekah, the leader of Arangea.

“Prince Owen is with Prince Mores now.”

And finally, Bruno sometimes had to try to ignore the familiar, nostalgic feeling he felt in the carriage hold.

‘I want to take it out right now. But… … !’

It was truly heartbreaking to see Bruno knocking on the lid whenever he had the chance, but Bruno was now in a position where he could not have even the slightest contact with the emperor.

How could I carelessly abandon the will of Him who healed me with miraculous power, yet is still careful not to even make eye contact?

So he had a hard time suppressing the urge to open the box right away.

‘Oh my! This is all my fault. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!’

But even Bruno couldn’t help but lose his composure the next morning when Sir Claudia brought him this report.

“Commander, we’re in trouble! The palace carriage has disappeared without a trace! It seems that the Varshain that Prince Owen brought has run away with the carriage! Should we give chase now?”

“…what?”

He must have been managing the carriage at the inn just fine, so how on earth did he do that?

While Bruno was greatly embarrassed, Sir Kurt came running into the room.

“We must hurry, Captain. The guards say he may have already left Regina.”

“No, why didn’t the guards stop it sooner… … ?”

“At first, they tried to stop him. But they said that they couldn’t communicate with Barshain at all. But if they tried to stop him with force, Barshain’s power was too much to ignore… …!”

Furthermore, the explanation was that he was also a member of the prince’s party, so he could not bring himself to use force.

Tiing-

Bruno staggered to his feet, clutching his head as he felt dizzy.

“It’s okay. I’ll go. It’s not too late. Get ready to talk right now-”

But before he could finish speaking, Sir Carmen came rushing in and shouted!

“Oh, we’re in trouble, Master! Miss Edith… …!”

“Why her again?”

“I guess she must have been sleeping in the carriage the whole time. Many people have seen a young maid being violently thrown from the runaway carriage!”

Fallen from a running carriage and left defenseless on the road?

It was the worst. I should have stopped her before the accident happened!

“So, how hurt is Miss Edith now? Is she alive?”

“But he seemed fine. In fact, he even grumbled and followed the carriage for a while.”

“…what?”

“And then he ended up causing an accident. Well, he snatched the horse of a passing mercenary and rode it away, following the carriage! Now, that mercenary has come to the front of the inn and is protesting loudly!”

“… … !”

It was so confusing. Where on earth should I start and where should I end it?

Then suddenly Bruno’s thoughts turned to the precious luggage that had been placed on one side of the carriage. His face turned pale in an instant.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty… … !”

* * *

Bartoza ran madly through the streets of Regina.

“Eww! Get out of the way! Everybody get out of the way!”

“Eww!”

“What? The coachman must be crazy!”

“Everyone get out!”

No one could stop the runaway carriage. Ironically, it was a carriage bearing the royal seal of the Imperial Household.

Thanks to this, the carriage, unstoppable, was already crossing the desolate plains beyond the outskirts of Regina.

‘Owen of Delcross has finally abandoned me! Now there is nowhere for this Bartoza to rely on, nowhere in the world!’

Although he was in a state of sadness and panic, Bartoza instinctively drove his carriage northwest of Regina, judging that he had to get as far away from the zodiac as possible, from the way he had come.

And at that moment, someone was riding fast and chasing after him.

“Hey, stop! Stop the carriage of the lower class!”

Edith was suddenly thrown out of the carriage and later snatched the mercenary’s horse and chased after him.

Of course, Bartoza, who could not understand what she was saying, became even more panicked.

“Woahhh! Don’t come here, woman! Don’t come here!”

“What the hell are you talking about? Stop right now! There are a lot of important things in there!”

“Alas, Owen! You who have forsaken the faith! Why have you forsaken this Bartoza! Owen!”

As the coachman loses his composure and swings the reins this way and that, the horses pulling the carriage also panic and let out screams.

Hehehehehe!

In the meantime, the surrounding scenery changed little by little. A patch of grass appeared here and there, and before we knew it, the carriage was entering a gentle mountain road.

At the point when the road started to slope, the carriage’s speed just started to slow down a little.

Paat-!

Edith jumped up from her horse and barely managed to grab hold of one corner of the carriage.

“Ugh! I told you to stop!”

Then, Bartoza glanced back and was startled to find Edith hanging from the carriage.

“Eww! Get off! Get off, woman!”

Rattle rattle!

Due to his poor steering skills, the carriage loses its balance and sways dangerously from side to side.

“profit!”

The long skirt flutters in the wind, creating a strong resistance.

Edith, who had been clinging to her hands and gritting her teeth for a while, barely managed to support herself by pinning one foot to the carriage wall. Her eyes, which were usually fierce, were now burning with a strong determination.

‘His Majesty told me to keep a close eye on the carriage! I already have nothing to do, so I have to be careful. If I lose this too, how will I face you in the future?’

Of course, Bartoza was even more terrified by her appearance.

‘That woman was definitely a warrior protecting the second son of the chieftain! Just like Alicia who is by Owen’s side, that woman is definitely a seasoned warrior!’

Then you must be after my life for stealing my master’s property!

“Eww! No!”

As Bartoza tightened his reins, he became very nervous –

CLANG!

The carriage shook violently, and Edith’s body was lifted into the air.

“Ugh!”

But she never let go of the carriage, and slowly began to climb up onto the roof of the carriage with her eyes burning brightly.

“Eww! Don’t come! Don’t come!”

But despite Bartoza’s reckless driving, Edith, who had been moving her body persistently, finally reached the groom’s seat.

Then Bartoza completely let go of the reins and started swinging his axe wildly at her.

Boom! Boom!

“Get away!”

“When you say something nice, give me the reins right away!”

“Die!”

“Profit! This kid will… … until the end!”

But just then, Edith’s eyes widened as she happened to spot something ahead.

…omg?

“Hey, hey, hey? Look ahead! Look ahead of me!”

“Go away, woman! I told you not to come!”

“Hey hey! Cliff! There’s a cliff right ahead! Grab the reins! Quickly!”

“Eww! Leave me alone!”

“Hey! Now is the time… … !”

Despite Edith’s desperate efforts, the steep cliff quickly approached. When Bartoza realized the situation, it was already too late.

Phew-!

The carriage shot into the air at incredible speed. Then, as if it had lost gravity, it stopped for a moment and fell violently down the cliff.

“Eww!”

“Kkaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

* * *

“…uh?”

Seongjin raised his head and looked at the distant southwestern sky.

“What’s wrong? New… what is it? What is it?”

Owen kept asking him persistently, as if he sensed something ominous. Seongjin frowned for a moment and then slowly shook his head.

“No. Nothing… … .”

Even Sungjin himself, who answered like that, wasn’t completely sure.

What is this? Is it really nothing?

Why does my heart suddenly flutter and the ground beneath my feet feel empty?

“…lowering.”

Just then, Marsain opened his eyes and warned softly.

“There have been people chasing us for a while now.”

“huh.”

Seongjin nodded without wavering. In fact, he had sensed their presence long before Masain.

As they approached their next destination, Berdron, the surroundings, which had been quiet, began to change little by little. They began to see houses that had been destroyed and furniture that had been shattered here and there, and before long, they could sense the presence of several ‘Auror Concealment’ units following them.

Judging from what Marsain realized belatedly, they are the owners of some pretty decent skills.

‘Dasha must follow me safely… … .’

After confirming once again that she had moved further away than before, Seongjin reassured Masain.

“Don’t worry, Sir Marsain. We’re just skipping the middle ground and going to see the higher-ups a little faster.”

To some extent, Seongjin’s trick must have worked.

A bit of a shabby make-up. A suspicious Barshain who suddenly wants to confess. And upon closer inspection, the Demon King’s lamp is anything but ordinary.

The bait has been set far enough. If the Free Underground has spread its information network across most of the northern region as Belinda says, it will surely react to Sungjin’s trick in some way.

Of course, if I could just get through like any other fanatic without any problems, that would be great.

-This delivery is a ‘special delivery’. Please take over the luggage and transport it to Berdron.

Fortunately, they seemed to respond fairly appropriately. What was a little surprising was that they reacted faster and more sensitively than Sungjin had expected.

Who would have thought that they would rush to the key bases in one day, almost without stopping at any transit points?

“Still, everything has to be within the expected range.”

“…Is that so?”

“huh.”

How do you know that?

Marsain didn’t ask that question. Instead, he just held Misra tightly and sharpened his prayer.

But when they arrived at the ruined Berdron and the ‘special delivery’ was finally completed-

“Did you experience any inconvenience on your way here?”

Seongjin couldn’t have predicted this. That a greater figure than he had expected would come out to greet them in person.

“It is truly an honor that such a noble person personally uses the Freedom Underpass. I am the person in charge of this insignificant Freedom Underpass-”

The man who had said that looked at Seongjin with a strange smile on his face.

“No, perhaps it would be more appropriate to introduce you to our precious patron as the leader of the [Blue Republican Revolutionary Front].”