Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 452



Only Noblemtl

452. Kaya’s Breath (1)

A realm of rest where cold silence flows.

Martha, who had been standing blankly for a moment and looking around, suddenly felt a strange sense of floating and rubbed her eyes vigorously.

No, now that I had become a soul, there was no longer anything that could be called an eye, nor a hand that could rub it.

However, her bionic body, which contains the exact same appearance as when she was alive, will inadvertently reproduce her habits from when she was alive as a soul if she lets her guard down even for a moment.

‘what?’

Martha, who had strained her eyes, looked around, overcome by a sense of discomfort. She saw tombstones that had been smashed to pieces. Corpses strewn about, and the earth that had been roughly dug up.

Although there were no particular meteorological phenomena in the realm of rest, the scene before my eyes looked as if a huge typhoon had passed through.

‘… … .’

And in the middle of it all, the instigators of this chaos, Haze and Belinda, were lying down together. They were making a lot of noise and were beaten by the Wolf King who woke them up and knocked them unconscious.

Since you’ve been hit in the very core of your soul, it’ll probably take quite some time for you to come to your senses.

‘But something is different.’

Yes. Given the clear cause and effect, Martha felt a strange awkwardness about the whole scene.

‘Let’s think about it carefully.’

Did they fight here from the beginning, or did they clash a little further into the center of the territory?

‘or not…….’

Was it really the Wolf King, Nebraska, who punished them? Or was it the giant corpse woman who crushed them flat?

Only then did Martha finally manage to find the starting point of these confusing memories.

‘… That’s right. The beginning was definitely the soul of that noble person.’

In the realm of rest, a spirit so brilliant that even the spiritual eye could not properly gaze upon it appeared. That was the beginning of all this chaos.

The spirit appeared without warning and seemed to gaze blankly at the master’s throne for a moment. Then it seemed to slowly walk around the outskirts of the realm of rest and soon disappeared.

Needless to say, Hayes, who usually harbored a great dislike for him, was extremely agitated. He was on a rampage and accidentally started an argument with Belinda, which soon led to a violent clash and a huge commotion.

Then, Wolf King Nebraska, who was hit by a flying piece of stone, woke up from a deep sleep and shouted loudly… … .

‘… No, no.’

Martha shook her head.

It was hard to explain, but strangely enough, she had another thread of memories that corresponded to the same time period.

Instead of hovering around the outskirts of the realm of rest, the spectacle of that shining soul moving straight towards the center of the realm, that is, towards the throne of the master. The spectacle of it continuously sending soft thoughts towards the sleeping master.

Because of that, the clash between Haze and Belinda took place in the center of the area. And the giant corpse woman who raised her body to stop them… … .

For Martha, these were two separate memories that could never coexist, and she couldn’t tell which was reality and which was a dream.

[…huh?]

Then, suddenly, Martha’s spirit saw new souls that had not been there before. They were on the outskirts of the realm of rest, in the very place where the soul of that noble person had been just a moment ago.

‘Did he bring it?’

Martha knew very well that he sometimes brought poor souls from the earth here as refuge. Wasn’t she also one of those saved in that way?

So she flew towards them with a somewhat happy heart, as if she were welcoming a new friend. Of course, she had to stop in place after a short while.

‘They are… …!’

Martha was greatly perplexed, for all the spirits she examined up close had strange appearances.

[Sa… Save me… … .]

[Kwii… Kwii… Kwiik… … .]

Surprisingly, they were souls with half-rotten biomes. They were so incomplete, without any proper reasoning, just staggering around in place, scattering imperfect thoughts in all directions.

‘The soul is… rotting away?’

How can that be? The essence of the soul is not easily damaged, so how on earth can a person die and end up like that?

[Uh… uh… uh… … .]

Anyway, those souls looked like they were in a lot of pain. They were constantly groaning strangely and tearing themselves apart.

‘… … !’

Fortunately, before Martha felt pressured to do anything, they had merged into the realm of rest and slowly fallen into a deep sleep.

She sighed in relief as she watched the souls sink to the ground. The damage to their souls seemed so serious now, but if they spent a long time sleeping soundly, they would eventually recover to their former state. Just like all the other wounded souls.

[Wow, this is it.]

At that moment, a thought as strong as thunder echoed above Martha’s head.

[I thought something was noisy, but while this old lady was sleeping soundly, new brothers came in.]

Squeak… … .

The giant’s corpse slowly moves, accompanied by a large vibration that shakes the area.

A huge, skinny body, with crumbling flesh and an old muslin dress covered in grey dust.

Martha stared blankly up at her, lost in thought at the sight that was both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

[… Hexenjabad.]

Then, the corpse woman, who had half raised her body, looked down at Martha as if she found it somehow amusing.

[You know me?]

[… Yes. That’s strange. I don’t know why, but Lord Hexenjabad, I definitely have memories of you.]

Then the corpse woman let out a sound similar to a moan. Her clouded corneas moved stiffly from side to side, as if she was trying hard to dig up some vague memory.

[Surely, this old man is a little confused too. Actually, I remember having a friendly greeting with you. You, Martha, were you?]

The corners of his mouth, half-collapsed and rotten, form a strange smile that encompasses conflicting elements of ferocity and kindness.

Looking at her like that, Martha couldn’t help but recall the questions she had felt from the strange spirits she had just encountered.

Even after death, one cannot escape the body, and eventually even the soul rots away.

How on earth?

[Ah, it looks like some poor souls have been saved this time too.]

The woman, who had already fallen into a deep sleep and examined the new souls, confirmed that there was nothing unusual in the realm of rest and then lay back down on her bed.

[How foolish. How could those who did not even have the ability to do so fearlessly seek immortality… … .]

[Immortal?]

At Martha’s question, the corpse woman slowly blinked her eyes.

[That’s right. When you see those pitiful sights, you can’t help but notice them. They’re no different from this old woman’s shabby little rascal, right?]

[… … .]

[But our master had eyes for even such insignificant souls.]

The woman, who had been looking affectionately at the master’s throne for a moment, slowly closed her eyes and muttered.

[How merciful, how truly merciful… … .]

* * *

“…hmm?”

Seongjin looked around.

What? Didn’t someone just whisper something in your ear?

“What’s wrong? You’re a newbie.”

As I was carefully gathering my wits, Owen handed me a drink, asking me a question.

“… No, nothing.”

Apart from the two assassins who had been hiding in the same place since arriving at Terre, no significant changes were detected around the inn.

Seongjin tilted his head and then returned to eating.

A timeline that suddenly separated and then came back together.

There were a mountain of questions that needed to be resolved, but Sungjin couldn’t dwell on them any longer. Soon after, Owen came rushing in with a bright expression, carrying a bunch of food.

Boom-!

-Newbie! I found a new quest this time! I didn’t know there were so many food quests hidden in the Green Zone!

The newly airlifted shortcake was so delicious that Sungjin was soon able to put his troubled problems to the back of his mind.

Yum yum.

“How is it? Are you okay?”

“Well, so-so.”

“Haha, by the way, do you secretly like sweets?”

The problem was the popularity.

He hurriedly put his hood back on, but he couldn’t resist the pressure of Owen, who was smiling broadly and pushing him the fish cake, so he ended up having no choice but to pick up a piece of fish cake. Of course, he had to carefully bring it under the cloth while his face was completely covered.

“… … .”

Although it was an extremely passive eating attitude, Owen was delighted anyway.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Father Bart eat something. I’ve always worried about his health, so I’m glad that the food seems to be to his taste.”

“… … .”

“Oh, here, would you like to try this too?”

Owen, who was happily watching Seongjin and Seonghwang eat, suddenly said something that was like a bolt from the blue.

“Hmm. Somehow, when I look at the priest, I feel like I’m treating my father to a meal. It’s so nice. Ah, I’ve decided! When I return to the imperial capital this time-”

“… Cool!”

“Coolook!”

Owen panicked and panicked as coughs erupted from both sides simultaneously.

“Huh? Newbie, what’s wrong with you? Father Bart? Why are you suddenly… Are you okay?”

“Coolook, coolook!”

Sungjin, who had been caught in a fight, glared at Owen with a bewildered expression. Is that guy so perceptive, or is he clueless?

It was at that very moment that Sungjin sensed a strange current from the assassins on the roof.

‘Another assassin has appeared. He seems to be quite the man.’

The three assassins were gathered in one place, muttering something as if they were planning something. The murderous intent began to grow stronger.

“… … .”

As Seongjin gets up from his seat and fixes the nutcracker, Seonghwang casts a worried look at him.

Sungjin could intuitively understand the meaning of that gaze. It was not simply a concern for his own current safety, but a concern for the much more distant future, for his own choices and the causal consequences that would follow from them.

“It’s okay, Father Bart.”

Seongjin responded to his silent request and then gave instructions to Owen as if it were a given.

“Owen.”

“huh?”

“I’m going out for a bit to get some fresh air, so you stay by Father Bart’s side and watch over him. Got it?”

Then, Owen, who had been blinking for a moment, nodded obediently for some reason.

“Yeah, okay. Have a nice trip.”

Seongjin grabbed a small lamp and lightly leapt toward the window.

Whirik-!

As the boy’s presence disappeared in an instant as if it were a lie, Owen looked around in admiration.

“Newbie, that guy’s auror concealment is truly amazing every time I experience it.”

Seonghwang stared blankly at Owen. As if he knew what he was thinking, Owen rubbed his nose awkwardly and replied.

“Oh, why are you leaving a newbie alone on this night? Well, when that guy makes that face, I somehow feel like I should listen to him. I don’t know why.”

“… … .”

Seonghwang thought about it again. He was confused whether his godson was really perceptive or just completely clueless.

* * *

Number 21 was wandering the streets of Terre alone at night, hoping to use the intermission to find a shabby cart.

‘Now that we have safely met the princes, we can consider that His Majesty’s purpose has already been achieved. Now, we must hurry and head to Regina.’

For some reason, assassins were already loitering around the inn. They didn’t seem to know their true identities yet, but there was no point in wasting any more time here.

Of course, finding a carriage in this poor village was a distant prospect.

‘It would have been easy if I could just borrow the power of the guild… … .’

However, this is the northern part of the continent, and it is a place where the Free Underground’s power is deeply entrenched. It is an area that is far outside the guild’s scope of activity.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to walk a day like before and then find the carriage hidden in the canyon?’

Although he was momentarily lost in thought, No. 21 soon shook his head.

‘No, that would only be possible before attracting the attention of the Freedom Underpass.’

They’ve already attracted too much attention. It would be better to get out of here as fast as possible, even if it means standing out a little.

Indeed, the town was full of talk about Teosinte until late at night.

“Hey, look at this gorgeous color. It looks like it was grown with gold as fertilizer.”

“And what about the effects? Even if you drink just one glass of this, your energy level will just soar.”

“That’s right. Just one sip and I’m as sleepy as if it were daytime. It really is an elixir!”

… What on earth did the prince sell to people?

Number 21 briefly wondered about this, but then frowned and passed them by.

It was while wandering down a dark alley that No. 21 encountered an unexpected face in front of a half-ruined shack.

“Kike.”

The person who called him by his old name was a middle-aged woman of petite build.

Her body was wrapped in the same cover-up as other assassins, but she didn’t seem to have any special powers. Only her two bright eyes gave off a hint of her strength.

“… Guildmaster Greta?”

Why are you here?

No. 21, who was momentarily dazed by the unexpected encounter, quickly pulled himself together and responded.

“This is number 21.”

“Yes, number 21.”

“Guild Leader. Didn’t you say you were going to the Asean branch for a bit? But why are you here… …”

Then, a strange smile appeared on Crete’s lips.

“That was just an excuse. I took some time to come see Lord Benicio. But I couldn’t say that out loud to my guild members, could I?”

“… … !”

Number 21’s eyes widened as he repeated her words.

“Surely not, Guild Master. Have you finally decided to completely turn your back on the Empire… on His Majesty the Holy Emperor?”