Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 423



Only Noblemtl

423. Transaction (1)

The carriage carrying Seongjin and his party ran without stopping from dawn, and by noon they reached a ruined village. This was probably the ‘Berdron’ that the coachmen had mentioned.

“… It doesn’t seem like a place with proper residents.”

Masain looked out at the desolate village landscape and spoke with concern.

Certainly there were not a single building left standing in the vicinity. The roofless lots were filled with broken bricks, and broken oak barrels were strewn all over the overgrown streets.

Only the vast scale of the ruins gives us a glimpse of the prosperity and glory this place once had.

“The imperialists wouldn’t know. The liquor brewed in this village was so good… … .”

The coachman, who had been silent until now, muttered while blowing out a puff of cigarette smoke.

The cart she was driving ran through the ruins until it finally stopped in front of a large barn. It was the only building in the village that had anything that could be called a roof.

Squeak.

As I opened the crumbling door and stepped inside, a man in a tattered suit was standing under the sunlight streaming in through the gaps in the roof.

“It is truly an honor that such a distinguished person personally uses the Freedom Underpass.”

A polite greeting with a friendly smile.

Sungjin could intuitively tell that he was the one who had ordered this entire journey. He had the presence of mind to be able to sit down and eat anywhere.

Looking at his graying hair, the long scar across his cheek, and his roughly wrinkled skin, I got the impression that he had been through some pretty tough times.

Yet there was a light air about him that contrasted with his appearance. His clothes were neat yet free-spirited, and his bright eyes sparkled with a cheerfulness that did not match his age.

And he introduced himself to Sungjin and his group as the ‘chief director of the Freedom Underground’ and the ‘head of the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front.’

“My name is Giovanni. It’s nice to meet you.”

alias.

Seongjin, who had such thoughts for some reason, looked around for signs of assassins hiding in the area without saying anything in response.

‘Four, five… no, six in total?’

The strange presence of ‘auror concealment’ surrounding the barn.

Dasha doesn’t even seem to have the faintest sense of presence, as if she doesn’t dare come near.

“lowering…….”

With so many assassins gathered in one place, Owen and Marsain couldn’t help but be unaware of their presence. The two stood tensely by Sungjin’s side.

“The atmosphere seems a bit strange. What are we going to do now? New… mores.”

After giving a quick wink to Owen, who was whispering anxiously, Sungjin turned his gaze to ‘Giovanni’, who was looking quite relaxed.

‘With this level of preparation, did you expect that you would be able to escape even in an emergency?’

Unfortunately, he made the mistake of not taking Sungjin’s power into account. Of course, if the conversation went well, he would never realize that mistake.

“Chief Executive Officer? Chief? You?”

Seongjin, who didn’t really feel the need for an introduction, asked ‘Giovanni’.

Of course, he also didn’t seem to expect any self-introduction from Sungjin. It probably means that he already knows their identities and has no intention of hiding it.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Even if it was a ‘special delivery,’ I didn’t think the person in charge of the Freedom Underpass would come out to greet me.”

Then Giovanni gently curved his lips and showed a rather amiable smile.

“When you visited the entrance of the Freedom Underpass, one of my capable subordinates happened to be there on an inspection tour. I also happened to be in the area. Thanks to that, this opportunity came about miraculously. I can only say that we were both lucky.”

For a moment, the image of a woman flashed through Sungjin’s mind. A small woman who had received their ‘luggage’ from the gatekeeper and then silently led them to the hay wagon.

Could it be her? The author’s subordinate?

“… Honestly, I didn’t expect that. I’m a little flustered because my plans were quite different.”

“I apologize for that. Well, whatever the process was, what does it matter now? What’s important is that we make this chance meeting into something more meaningful.”

“… … ,”

As expected, there is something strange about this person.

Just looking at his appearance, you can feel the hardships of many years, but his speech and actions are like those of a young man, and his voice is also as clean as that of a young man. His behavior has a strange elegance that doesn’t match his shabby appearance.

“If you are the person in charge, then this is the headquarters of the Freedom Underground?”

“It would be a bit of a stretch to call it a headquarters. The Freedom Underground is not an organization with a central focus. It’s just a tangled web of people who dream of freedom of thought, who voluntarily help each other out.”

“But there is a certain hierarchy, so there must be someone in charge like you.”

“Haha. Even though I’m the CEO, my job is pretty trivial. I just coordinate with external forces and organizations, and handle financing.”

… Isn’t that the real power in the organization? Why is this kid pretending like nothing happened?

He added an explanation awkwardly, perhaps noticing Seongjin’s fierce expression.

“But I have to admit that this place is one of the most important strongholds in the Free Underpass. There are good roads in all directions. Did you know that this Berdron was once the largest brewery town in Ortona?”

“I didn’t know that.”

Seongjin replied vaguely and thought for a moment.

Are you really going to bring up the fallen brewery and say that this is all the Empire’s fault?

‘Although he speaks impeccable Imperial language, the author is probably an Ortonian.’

Giovanni has already guessed the identity of the group and calls them ‘your noble person’. However, he insists on using the title ‘you’ instead of a specific honorific.

then-

‘They are either those who sided with the Republic during the Ortona Civil War, or they are those who have a deep-rooted antipathy towards the Empire, even if they don’t show it.’

Nevertheless, he went to Sungjin in person, revealing his relationship with the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front. That means that the author has a clear business to do with Sungjin right now, and it is most likely related to the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front.

‘Well, let me ask him directly.’

Seongjin decided not to waste any more time.

“Enough small talk, let’s get to the point, Giovanni. There must be a reason why you brought us here so soon.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Giovanni nodded seriously, his smile fading away.

“I won’t beat around the bush. I want to know why someone like you visits this underpass of freedom, a place where only those abandoned by the Empire visit.”

“Why? If you knew, would you help me?”

“In order to avoid confusion in the organization, depending on the purpose… … .”

“Then I will gladly accept your help. We are here to capture Giacomo Milo, who is hiding here. There is no other reason, and we have no intention of interfering with the operation of the Free Underground. I think you have already guessed that, right?”

“… … .”

Giovanni looked a little taken aback. He probably didn’t expect Sungjin to come out so directly without even a little bit of exploration.

“But what I’m curious about is something a little different. Why did you insist on telling us that you’re the leader of the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front? What does that have to do with this matter?”

“There was no special meaning. I just told you in advance because the activities of the two groups can never be separated. As you might have guessed, most of the intermediaries of the Freedom Underground are members of the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front. The origin of the Freedom Underground was to help people who were trying to escape to the Republic in pursuit of freedom of thought… .”

When Seongjin glared at him fiercely without answering, he eventually sighed softly.

“I see. Let me be honest. In fact, it would be more correct to say that I am standing here now as the ‘Head of the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front.’”

Blue Republican Revolutionary Front. A subversive organization that Seongjin has been supporting for years with funds from unknown sources and in ways he doesn’t know about.

Dasha had already started investigating, but she still hadn’t found anything concrete, which seemed strange. It turned out that they were a group that operated covertly, mainly in the North, through the Free Underground.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time. How did you find out about our organization and decide to donate such a large sum of money?”

Just a few years ago, the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front was a very small organization.

They had set foot on the Zodiac to recruit members and raise funds, but it was not easy for them to survive in the Zodiac where all kinds of subversive groups were already active.

But a few years ago, a large sum of money suddenly began to come in without any conditions. With this money as the basis, the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front gradually restored the network of free underground passages, and eventually became a strong organization that could deal directly with the Repentance Sect.

‘Hmm. I thought they were the ones who were eating away at the North along with the Church of Penitence, so I was going to beat them all up when I got the chance… … .’

Ironically, it was the grant that Sungjin, or Mores, sponsored that revitalized the Freedom Underpass.

“At first, I thought it was just a coincidence that you decided to support our group. After the fall of the country, those who longed for Ortona’s ideas and innovations created groups that followed in their footsteps.”

Among the youth of the zodiac, joining or supporting these groups is sometimes considered a kind of romanticism.

So, it wouldn’t be surprising if an irresponsible prince went along with the trend.

“But as I watch your recent actions, I somehow get the feeling that choosing our group wasn’t just a coincidence.”

“Recent moves?”

“Bertran & Lee.”

For a moment, Giovanni’s eyes flashed with an unresponsive, sharp glare.

“Most people think that the top is nothing more than a wealthy prince’s business ploy. But anyone who knows anything about commerce will realize that all your business is actually aimed at helping refugees settle down.”

Giovanni, having said that, asked again with a slightly serious expression.

“That’s exactly what I want to know. Aren’t you the prince of the empire? Why are you helping people who don’t even matter?”

But Sungjin didn’t answer his question. He was distracted by the strange sense of discomfort that Giovanni had shown.

“Let me ask you one thing. So, you don’t like our group very much right now? I think they would rather work together than harm the group you run. I’m sure it would be a great help to the refugees.”

“I don’t mean to say I don’t like it. Everything you do has a huge impact on the Ortona region. So I need to know your true intentions first-”

“No, that’s not it.”

Seongjin shook his head and cut off Giovanni.

“You’ve been angry at me for a while now. Why on earth?”

“…yes?”

Giovanni asked back, bewildered. But at the words Sungjin spoke next, the expression on his face completely disappeared.

“Bertran & Lee.”

“… … !”

“As soon as our story about the top came up, your mood suddenly got worse, didn’t it?”

Language is only the surface.

The tone of voice and direction of the gaze of the person speaking, the minute expressions that appear and disappear in an instant, and even the subtle movements of the aura.

For Sungjin, who is extremely sensitive, no one can completely hide their true feelings that they unconsciously reveal. This is especially true for ordinary people like Giovanni, who have not yet entered the Aura training.

“You better not try to hide it. It shows on your face.”

Giovanni was silent for a moment at Seongjin’s comment.

“… That was definitely a problem. Yes, that’s true.”

After a while of silence.

As soon as Giovanni opened his mouth, a sharp hostility that had been deeply hidden in his subconscious flashed in his eyes.

“Actually, that’s what I was most curious about. The top company you run, why is its name [Bertran]?”

* * *

Bertran is not a very rare surname on the continent. I think there is a similar surname in Brittany and in southern Anatolia.

For example, we can mention the famous actor from Brittany, Alain Bertrand. He was extremely popular in the capital city hundreds of years ago, and it is said that in his later years he built a large theater on one side of the capital city. And the street where he mainly worked became called Rue Bertrand.

But if we were to talk about the most famous Bertran on the continent, it would have to be him. The Last Sword of the East, General Gael Bertran.

Fortunately, Sungjin had something to say about that.

“That’s because our Logan is a huge fan of General Bertran.”

“…yes?”

It seemed to be an unexpected answer. Giovanni’s expressionless face cracked and a look of bewilderment appeared for a moment.

“As you know, the top representative of Bertran & Lee is Logan. But Logan idolizes General Gael Bertran.”

“… … .”

“In fact, the reason our top is carrying out the Ortona economic revival project is because of that guy. He’s completely crazy about Ortona.”

“… … .”

“I told you so.”

Seongjin was confident. No matter what anyone said, he had the means to perfectly prove what he said.

“Logan really knows everything about General Gael Bertran. His family, his relationships, his childhood… Even what he liked for a midnight snack when he was alive?”

And that’s not all? He’s also skilled in Ortona, and he only uses Ortona’s Auror training and swordsmanship. And he handles Gael Bertran’s beloved sword as skillfully as Gael Bertran himself.

If that guy isn’t a huge fan of the general, then what is?

“If the opportunity arises, I would like to have a chance to meet with you and Logan sometime. It seems that you too are a great admirer of General Gael Bertran, so I think the two of you could have a very meaningful time talking about your common interests.”

Somehow I feel Owen and Martha’s astonished gazes on the back of my head.

What? Why? What?

Oh, I’m telling you, it’s true! If you don’t believe me, just ask Logan yourself later!