Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 424



Only Noblemtl

424. Transaction (2)

Seongjin had been thinking like that for a while.

In order to stand Logan proudly before the Ortonians one day, some special measures must be taken.

-I was just running away. I was afraid of the cold stares I would receive from them, so I couldn’t bring myself to take the shortcut even though I knew about it.

Logan once said that.

It would be a natural concern. After all, this guy is no longer a proud general who fought for his country until the end, but the prince of the empire that destroyed Ortona.

‘I wish I could forget about my difficult past life and start a new life as a prince of the Seonghwang family, but… … .’

That would probably never be possible with Logan’s personality.

Besides, Sungjin had already heard. That evening when the rain was pouring down, Logan had poured out his true feelings with difficulty while soaking wet.

-I thought I could use any stigma, but in reality, I wasn’t ready to properly face any of my colleagues from my past life.

It’s a little frustrating, but in other words, Logan wants to stand by his colleagues from his past life even if it means getting a little bit of a bad reputation.

So Seongjin thought.

‘Really? Aren’t you ready to face it properly? Okay, then I’ll prepare you by force!’

So, what I came up with was the so-called ‘Uniting through Soccer’ operation.

This strategy was inspired by the experience of a boss who was a fan of a famous soccer team and received great hospitality when he visited the team’s home country during his vacation.

The face of my boss, who was a typical old fart, seemed to have relaxed as if he had been to heaven. In the world of die-hard fans, there is no such thing as race or borders.

‘So, first of all, I’m going to pretend to be the general’s biggest fan!’

If you are an Ortonian, especially one with ties to the old Republic, you can never dislike our Logan, or rather Gael Bertran!

‘Would you really be so rude to someone who has the same idol as you?’

Whether Logan would welcome that measure or not is a separate issue. What can you do? That innocent, foolish son of a bitch has no choice anyway.

Of course, I didn’t know that I would meet the remnants of the old republic so quickly and test the ‘Unity through Football’ strategy.

“… Yes? Yes?”

Look at that. It works.

Look at Giovanni’s dumbfounded expression! This brilliant and groundbreaking strategy instantly blew away any resentment against the Empire!

Wheeing-

A heavy silence falls for a moment in the barn where the chilly late autumn wind lingers. The only moving thing is the Demon King’s lamp, which occasionally blinks a dim light.

[Hey, Lee Sung-jin. In my opinion, you seem to have had a serious negative impact on his first impression… … .]

Shut up! That can’t be happening!

* * *

Anyway, having successfully(?) lightened the mood, they were able to change the conversation to ‘Giacomo Milo’.

“As you might expect, we currently have the new recruit of Giacomo Milo.”

Giovanni admitted calmly. Fortunately, he seemed to have no intention of bringing up ‘Bertran & Lee’ any more.

“In accordance with the policy of the Free Underground, we cannot directly arrest him and hand him over to the Empire. It may provoke a strong backlash from our comrades.”

Giovanni added that since it is run based on the values ​​and beliefs of each individual, it is necessary to avoid a situation where the legitimacy of the organization is questioned by the majority of its members.

“However, it will be possible to safely guide your group to the base where Giacomo Milo is.”

“Well, what do you think? Your policy is to protect those who have fled the Empire and taken refuge in it as much as possible? And yet you are willing to lead us to him?”

“It is an essential choice to protect more people.”

Giovanni, who responded to Seongjin like that, smiled a bit bitterly.

“Of course I know that it is hypocrisy and contradiction. However, the power of the empire is like a natural disaster that cannot be controlled by human power. Isn’t the result already determined?”

“… … .”

“In the end, no matter how hard we risk our lives to stop him, you will search every inch of the Freedom Underpass and eventually find him.”

That’s right.

To tell the truth, I was thinking of turning the Freedom Underpass upside down while I was at it.

“In the meantime, the net of the free underpass will be completely paralyzed, and there may be a huge loss of life. As for Giacomo Milo, the longer it delays, the more difficult it will be to catch him.”

Of course, the Free Underground is not an easy organization either. It does not have enough force to successfully eliminate intruders with malicious intentions.

If the person who had tampered with the entrance had been a mere inquisitor or exorcist, they might have tried to destroy the evidence in one fell swoop.

‘But the opponent is the prince whom Seonghwang cherishes and loves…!’

The fact that the various subversive groups that criticize the empire have been able to safely set foot on the continent until now is due to nothing other than the mercy of the current emperor.

But what would happen if, for some reason, he were determined to completely destroy the Freedom Underpass?

‘Perhaps it will end up like the Church of the Sabbath.’

Giovanni had witnessed how the Order of the Sabbath, once popular in the area of ​​the capital and Regina, had been completely destroyed by the Holy Emperor.

“We are just building a small dam to divert the water from the coming flood. Even if one or two houses are washed away, it is a much better deal than if the whole village were to be flooded.”

“okay…….”

Sungjin found his decision a bit surprising. He had only just met Giovanni, but his first impression of him was that he was quite an idealistic person.

Just look at the group he leads. The ‘Blue Republican Revolutionary Front’, isn’t it full of republican romanticism?

But, unable to ignore the experience he had accumulated over the years, the old idealist eventually came to terms with reality.

“Let’s make a deal. I will take you to Giacomo Milo right now.”

“If it’s a deal, what are the conditions?”

“Please do not damage the base as much as possible, do not harm your comrades, and do not attempt to find out about other bases nearby. That is our condition for your assistance.”

“hmm.”

Seongjin stared at Giovanni for a moment and then nodded.

“Okay. I’ll try to do as little harm as possible to you. I won’t even try to dig inside the organization. You can just run the free underground as usual without any problems.”

“Thank you for your understanding-”

“Oh, by the way.”

Seongjin added with a relieved look on his face to Giovanni.

“Now I think about it. Wouldn’t it have been quicker for you to just throw Giacomo Milo out of the Liberty Underpass? If you had left him somewhere conspicuous, we would have tracked him down.”

Shudder.

Giovanni, who reacted without realizing it, smiled awkwardly.

“Haha. As I said before, it is difficult due to the organization’s policy. An organization that is united by beliefs will quickly fall apart the moment it abandons those beliefs. We are open to anyone who seeks freedom-”

“At the point where you’re guiding us to Giacomo Milo, you’ve already lost all faith. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to deal with him without the organization knowing? It looks like you have several proper assassins with you.”

“… … .”

“I don’t plan on taking action myself. It doesn’t matter to us as long as we can retrieve his body later.”

Giovanni’s face hardened noticeably. In response, Sungjin raised the corners of his lips with a confident expression.

“And that’s not all? You’ve already caught me in two bases, and you’re about to lead me to a third. Why on earth would you want to take such a risk?”

“… … .”

“So let’s stop pretending to help and be more honest.”

In that moment, Giovanni saw the young prince’s eyes shining strangely brightly. The pale gray pupils took on a cold and sharp glare, as if they were swords reflecting the sunlight.

“Wouldn’t it be the same as helping you out a lot by cutting out that troublesome thing cleanly without causing much damage?”

“… So what are you trying to say?”

Seongjin smiled brightly at him, who was unable to hide his look of defeat.

“Oh, that’s what I’m trying to say. Let’s make a deal.”

“…What are the conditions?”

“Someday, I’ll really set up a space with Logan. How can I contact you again later?”

“… … .”

* * *

The prince’s party departed in the same manner as they had arrived, in a small wagon, and another ‘special delivery’ wagon, full of empty wooden boxes.

Now they will run for another full day, and by dawn tomorrow they will arrive at the Furiano branch where Giacomo Milo is.

Coming soon. Coming soon.

Giovanni stared at the moving carriage for a moment, then asked the woman in the undergarment who had approached him.

“…What do you think of that prince, Chief Greta?”

Giovanni’s declaration of himself as the leader of the Blue Republican Revolutionary Front was a largely impulsive act.

First of all, I had a big intention to take advantage of the young boy’s weakness. It’s also true that I felt a little angry for a moment because he was the one who brought up the precious name that I had kept buried in my heart for a long time.

But after a short conversation with the prince, all that remained for him was a strange sense of alienation and wonder.

“Have you ever noticed anything strange about that prince?”

The woman named Greta seemed to ponder his question for a moment.

“He certainly seemed strangely calm for his age. I had heard he was a self-centered and picky person, but I was a little surprised to see him leading the conversation so frankly.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It seems like you and Giovanni are able to communicate without any problems.”

“Without a hitch… That’s what it looked like.”

Giovanni let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s not true, Greta. Prince Mores was a strange boy.”

“… … .”

Greta looked up at him questioningly, but Giovanni was already lost in his own thoughts.

Yes. The more I thought about that conversation with the young prince, the stranger it seemed.

‘He didn’t ask me anything, even when it was obvious he should have been asking questions.’

It turns out that the secret organization he supports is actually in control of the North. It would be natural to ask various questions to dig into the situation in more detail.

But the prince didn’t seem to be curious about the organization at all.

The same goes for Giacomo Milo.

Even though it was clear that something was off, he didn’t try to get any more information. I couldn’t figure out what kind of nerve he had.

‘Besides, he didn’t even try to probe me through conversation. He didn’t seem very thorough, but he didn’t leak information or get easily swayed by me.’

No matter how much he thought back on his conversation with him, Giovanni could not quite follow his train of thought.

For example, there were many parts of the conversation with the prince that lacked proper context. I couldn’t tell if he was just making wild guesses or if he just had a good feeling about it.

Then, there were times when the conversation suddenly became superficial. So, if I kept up with the rhythm, I would find myself getting closer to the core of the story before I knew it.

For example, it felt like this. It was as if the conversation was just being roughly led towards a predetermined outcome… … .

‘… No, that can’t be true. Maybe I was just being overly sensitive about Gael’s problem.’

Giovanni smiled bitterly, thinking of the face he missed so much that he could no longer see it.

As a child, he was always confident. His voice was charming, and his speech was always fluent. He had a strong power to attract people wherever he went.

Didn’t everyone in the Academy look as if they were entranced whenever he would start preaching his ideal republic?

‘But Gael was different from others.’

When I would give a long and flashy speech as if I was bragging about something when I was young, my friend who had been listening quietly would always respond like this.

-I am not sure whether the values ​​of the Republic are worth all these sacrifices. However, I can be the sword that will carry out the will of the Prince who is sure of this.

At the time, I felt a little resentful toward my friend who didn’t respond as enthusiastically as others. Perhaps he was young and didn’t fully understand the weight of his friend’s words.

And in the end, his friend kept his promise to become the sword.

When he was like a wizard in an old tale, bewitching people and eventually rushing towards destruction, his friend carried out his will by shedding the blood of tens of thousands with his proud sword.

He silently walked the path of blood, shouldering the sacrifice that he was not sure was worth it. Even Giovanni himself, the person who pushed everyone into the civil war, constantly doubted and doubted the path.

Without a shred of doubt, and without the slightest resentment.

‘It is indeed strange, Gael. Looking at the prince of that empire, I cannot help but think of your own childhood. I am sorry to bring up such a hateful enemy, but it seems that those who excel more than others are different from their childhood.’

Giovanni stared at the horizon of the wasteland, where the carriage had disappeared without a trace, with a lonely expression.

* * *

Rattle rattle.

Seongjin was lost in thought, surrendering himself to the rough rocking of the cart.

Maybe it was my mood, but I’ve had an uneasy feeling since a while ago.

“…Are you not satisfied with the results, your Majesty?”

As expected, Masain, who had been watching Seongjin closely since earlier, asked cautiously.

“Huh? Oh, no. Why?”

“It’s just… you don’t look very happy for some reason.”

Is that really so obvious?

Seongjin scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just feel like I haven’t been able to tell Giovanni enough about Logan.”

Then, as if hearing something unexpected, Owen and Martha’s eyes widened at the same time.

“Logan? Suddenly?”

“… Your Majesty Logan?”

“okay.”

Seongjin sat up comfortably, hugging the Demon King’s lamp.

“I’m planning on introducing Giovanni to Logan later. Anyway, I hope they get along well… … .”

And Giovanni, one day, must become a bridge between Logan and the Ortona people.

“But I feel like I haven’t been able to completely change Logan’s perception of me. That still bothers me.”

But Owen, hearing that, asked back with a puzzled expression.

“You’re having strange worries? Isn’t that something Logan should take care of?”

“…huh?”

“So how you’re going to get along with that guy Giovanni is entirely up to Logan. Why are you, New…Mores, trying to prepare for that in advance?”

Huh? Is that so?

Seongjin blinked blankly for a moment.

“Oh, yes. That’s true.”

Owen was right. It’s not like you can just adjust such small details all at once.

‘But I can’t help but feel like something is missing.’

Strangely enough, I’ve been feeling anxious a lot lately.

At first, I sent Logan and Sisley off with the confidence that they would be okay, but later, I was overcome with anxiety and sent Max back to Cyprus.

‘I feel like everything is going a little bit, a little bit, a little bit more creaky than originally planned.’

While repeating such baseless thoughts, Seongjin looked worriedly toward the distant southwestern sky.