Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 451



Only Noblemtl

451. Dachion (8)

Click.

During the brief silence, Seonghwang gently pulled at one of the plates placed in front of him.

This dish, which was smoked once and then baked until the skin was crispy, was the inn’s signature dish that the owner was quite confident in.

“… … .”

Seongjin quietly followed the sight of him moving the dishes with his eyes.

In the time that had passed, Seongjin had been the first to actively recommend the dish and had even personally served it to him.

And the current Sunghwang, coincidentally, was in the process of removing the exact same part that Sungjin had cut off at that time.

Seongjin thought blankly.

‘No, it couldn’t be a coincidence. What meaning could there be in that behavior?’

Is it a slow recollection of memories that I have not personally experienced, or is it a desire to eliminate even a little of the sense of disconnect from the past?

Maybe it’s both.

“Mores.”

Then the saint opened his mouth.

“What just happened is just one of many ways to create a milestone. Of course, if we delve deeper into the underlying principles, we can say that they are all the same methods.”

He added his explanation calmly, moving the dishes.

“The reason why what you’ve created this time is your milestone is because you are the subject of all of this. This time, I had to borrow the perspective of a third party, but if you get used to it a little more, you’ll be able to do it on your own from now on… … .”

Then he stopped talking and stared at Sungjin for a moment, who still had a stern expression and his mouth shut.

“… It’s still confusing.”

Seongjin nodded honestly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“okay.”

Seonghwang seemed to be lost in thought for a moment as he put a piece of cut skewer meat in his mouth. After he had finished the small amount of food he had taken out, he put down his plate and continued speaking.

“If you do, Mores, I’ll tell you an old story during the intermission.”

“… A story?”

“Yes. Long ago in Ionia there was a famous prophet.”

Seongjin’s expression became subtle. This kind of explanation by borrowing stories was a method that Seonghwang often used to save even a little bit of cause and effect.

But why? When I listened to his voice, I remembered the voice of another emperor who had been explaining Dacianus without any hesitation, despite the causal effects.

“He was generous with his abilities and was willing to share them with others. That’s why he was relatively well-respected among people.”

According to the description of the saint, the prophet was moderately selfish, but he was said to have a fundamentally altruistic nature that sought to help others.

That is why I cannot easily overlook the dangers of those around me, and I try to intervene in the matter whenever possible to achieve a better future.

As a result, many people who heard his prophecy were able to be saved.

“Was he a Kornsheim?”

The moment he heard that, Sungjin’s intuition flashed strongly.

“Could it be that you were the Oracle of Korn? Another Oracle who lived in Ionia long ago, before your clan migrated to Delcross.”

“… That may not be a very important issue right now.”

Although Seonghwang’s words trailed off, Seongjin read a faint glimmer of positivity in his expression.

“Then one day, the prophet was suddenly accused of a grave sin and brought to trial. His most trusted friend sold him out. It was a tragedy that the prophet could not have foreseen, a tragedy that he had never even considered as a possibility.”

Due to the unexpected betrayal of his friend, the Prophet suffered terrible things that are hard to describe. Not only was his body crippled and rendered unlivable, but he also lost his family and friends all at once.

When all the hardships were over, the prophet who barely managed to survive shed tears of blood and lamented. He could predict the future of people and change the outcome, but he couldn’t even protect himself properly. How could he call himself a prophet after all?

“So the prophet, deeply despairing, tried to end his life by stabbing himself in the heart.”

The look in Seonghwang’s eyes deepened a little as he spoke.

“But right after he died, for some reason, he woke up again, completely fine. One morning, in his old house, before all the tragedy had happened.”

“… The prophet has returned to the past.”

Seongjin focused on the story with an anxious expression. Going back to the past? Isn’t it exactly the same as what he experienced?

“Yes, Mores. The Prophet has truly returned to the past. The moment he first realized this, he burst into ecstasy and cried out incessantly.”

It can be undone. All mistakes can be undone!

After that, the Prophet did what he should have done. He struck down his friend and brought him to trial before he could sell him. He created false evidence to completely bury his friend, and successfully escaped from the eyes of some suspects.

He saved his lost family, took everything from the traitor and made it his own. He successfully turned his tragic past around.

“Then at some point the prophet realized that he might have been making a big mistake all along.”

“Mistake… … .”

“Yes, it is a mistake. Did he really return to the past, or did he simply foresee the terrible future that was to come? At least the prophet has become unable to distinguish between the two on his own.”

It might have been so. Regardless of whether the ability to travel back in time existed, the result would have been the same either way. In the end, it doesn’t matter to the prophet which side is true.

Didn’t another father say the same thing?

-It means that if you just see the same result in front of your eyes, you no longer need to investigate the cause and process in detail.

And he also said that such unwavering certainty is what can connect all uncertain elements into one world.

Seongjin silently looked down at the milestone he was holding in his hand.

Everything is contained within it. Another possibility that existed simultaneously, albeit briefly, is now a sad world that no one but himself and Seonghwang can remember.

“… … .”

Seongjin felt the cold landmark with his fingertips for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Father, that’s a little strange.”

“weird?”

“Yes, that’s right. According to the prophet’s story, the [branch] where the two possibilities are divided must always exist in the past before anything happens. Only then can it be a true prophecy, and a trigger to change the planned future. But this is… … .”

Seongjin raised his head and looked straight into Seonghwang’s eyes.

“This time, after time has already passed, that is, after everything has ended, the [branch] has become. Then, isn’t this just a change to the past, and not a ‘foreknowledge’ anymore?”

“… … .”

“Rather, this time, with the divergence as the starting point, the world that was already divided has become one again. If we were to say that, we should rather call it ‘convergence’ or ‘combination.’ How can we call this a ‘divergence’?”

Then, the Seonghwang smiled faintly without answering. To Seongjin, that expression seemed to convey this meaning.

-Haven’t I already given you the answer?

… What? Was there something I missed until now? Seongjin, who was pondering his conversation with Seonghwang, suddenly recalled the urgent explanation he had heard in his head.

– Ultimately, all of these things exist simultaneously in the same space and time, and they flow in the same direction, but they are fixed and do not flow at all.

Ah, Sungjin only now fully understood what he meant.

Yeah, it didn’t make sense intuitively, but at least I could understand his logic rationally.

“therefore…….”

Seongjin answered his own question, his voice slightly trembling.

“So, what you’re saying is this, Father? The fact that the world with different possibilities is splitting into two is no different from the fact that the world that was already separated is converging into one again.”

“… … .”

“It doesn’t matter what comes first or second? Time… doesn’t actually flow somewhere?”

“… Yes, Mores.”

Seonghwang nodded heavily.

“That is indeed so.”

* * *

Seo Yi-seo was now sitting in a splendid living room. It was a place that was very similar to the scene in ‘My Room’ that she had once decorated with great care, purchasing a bunch of paid items.

Even sitting across from me was a handsome man, just like in the picture. It would have been a very exciting situation if it had been like that.

Still, she wasn’t happy at all, because the man had been making constant, annoying demands on her.

[You piece of shit. Enough with the ramen. Imagine another delicious dish you know.]

[Wow, a piece of trash! Mr. Cardmos. Isn’t this really too much?]

As my anger grew, my voice became sharp without me realizing it.

[I have a proper name called ‘Seo-i-seo’! Please realize that you are living in my house without my permission, and shouldn’t you treat the landlord a little more appropriately? Yes?]

[joy!]

But the man didn’t care and just snorted lightly. What was even more frustrating was that even the way he held his head up high looked like a picture.

‘Give me! If you’re going to use that face like that, then just give me! You broke bastard!’

The man’s name is Cadmus. He was once the first emperor of Delcross, a national hero, and a great man who was also called a demigod. Of course, he is now nothing more than a nuisance who unintentionally lives off of Seo-seo’s body, and a narcissistic patient with a seriously inflated ego.

However, it seemed that he had the ability to boast that he was a self-proclaimed god. Cardmos, who had been diligently exploring Seo Yi-seo’s spiritual world for some time, had quickly created a space in his thoughts similar to the old ‘My Room’ service.

And now he is constantly urging Seo Yi-seo to think of delicious food. It seems that he is even borrowing her imagination and intends to lead a culinary life in the salt world that he could not achieve in his lifetime.

[Oh, look at this! Why are you never satisfied no matter how much you eat? You call yourself a god, but are you actually a god who has starved for a thousand years?]

[Shut up! But lately, haven’t you been turning your body properly during mealtimes? If you keep resisting, I might take your body away forever. You mortal!]

[Wow… He almost died! Aren’t you being too harsh with what you just said?]

Seo Yi-seo pouted, but soon acknowledged the difference in strength between them and obediently imagined a small pot dish.

Thick red broth. And chewy rice cakes and flavorful fish cakes submerged in it.

[…What is this strange thing?]

Seo Yi-seo straightened her shoulders and cleared her voice as she stood before the masterpiece that was the product of her own specific imagination.

[Oh, don’t you know? This is ‘Tteokbokki’. It’s the best, topped with a generous amount of the divine ingredient called mozzarella cheese!]

[… You worthless little thing. Listening to your strange speech, I am somehow getting annoyed.]

Cardmos’s pupils constrict as he glares at Seo Yi-seo.

She was immediately taken aback by those eerie eyes, and quickly lowered her head and tail.

[Ah, yes! Oh, this is a very delicious dish! I can’t eat it first, so the great Cardmos, please take a bite first.]

[… … .]

[… Hehe?]

Cardmos seemed quite displeased with her attitude, but he decided to let it slide since there was a new dish right in front of him.

He stirred the pot with his recently learned clumsy chopsticks. Then he picked up a small rice cake dripping red broth and carefully put it in his mouth.

[Ummm… … .]

Oh? Your expression doesn’t look so bad. I guess it suits your taste.

So Seo Yi-seo tried to ask him directly.

-how is it?

And she actually said this:

[How/How, How/How/When/When?]

‘… Hmm? Didn’t something feel strange just now?’

He didn’t seem to bite his tongue or stutter at all? Seo Yi-seo tilted her head, and Cadmus’ face instantly stiffened.

widely!

He put his chopsticks down on the table, stared off into the distance, and growled softly.

His irises were torn vertically and glowed with a bright golden light, and sharp fangs were protruding from the corners of his mouth. It was evidence that he was currently in a very uncomfortable mood.

[The time of this great demigod is being manipulated by that evil thing… This is truly disgusting!]

* * *

And at the same time. The northernmost part of the continent.

A woman sitting alone at the entrance to a cave, looking out at the snowy scenery, turns her head to the south in surprise.

She was a strangely dressed woman, her face completely covered by a veil of swords. Her black dress fit her body perfectly and flowed gracefully down to her ankles, and her black hair, like a crow’s feather, wafted softly below her waist.

In that cold snowstorm, she stared somewhere with her veiled gaze.

[… Okay. That should work.]

Finally, she muttered in a small voice.

Although her lips did not move at all, her voice, full of loneliness, resonated hollowly in all directions without passing through the air.

[So, Mores. Please turn back your time and fulfill my long-cherished wish.]