Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 455



Only Noblemtl

455. Kaya’s Breath (4)

As expected, something is seriously wrong with this.

Even as he approached the assassins, his footsteps muffled, No. 21’s mind continued to agonize fiercely.

‘It’s not too late, it’s not too late, we must stop Prince Mores even now… … .’

‘But you didn’t even pretend to listen to me until now. I should have reported to His Majesty by myself… ‘

‘No, this matter is already beyond my control. So even if things go wrong, I must do my best by the prince’s side… … .’

Then, No. 21 realized that he had naturally handed over the initiative to Prince Mores, and was once again embarrassed.

“… … .”

Ah, yes. This was something that could not have happened originally.

Even if he had shown genius in some skills, they would not be able to make up for the prince’s lack of experience. Since it has come to this, from now on, he who has received formal training must take the lead-

‘Over there.’

Sasa Sak.

But even as his mind was in turmoil, No. 21’s feet steadily moved toward another cover, following the prince’s gestures.

‘Pause.’

‘… … .’

As he followed Prince Mores diligently, No. 21 was slowly realizing the true nature of the strange sense of foreboding he had been feeling since earlier.

Isn’t this a familiarity that reminds me of when I was working together with a veteran senior informant?

‘No, no. Rather than that… … .’

Maybe it was a behavior pattern that had been ingrained in him since long ago, perhaps even back when he was Kike.

-What? You want to go into the Western Mountains? Are you crazy, Bart?

-We have luggage too! With this number of people, there’s no way we can properly deal with Haesu! Are you saying that you’re going to voluntarily roll into Haesu’s den to avoid the royalist pursuers?

The boy who put the Astros mercenary group that was running wild at the time to sleep with just one word.

-I have a feeling it’s much safer there. I can guarantee it.

presentiment.

For those who knew even a little about the prosperity of that time, it was a magical word that covered up all the incomprehensibility and absurdity.

and-

-Don’t worry, Enrique. You’re not a burden, you’re the most important person in our group. Everyone will fight to protect you, so just follow me.

-…huh!

I blindly believed in and followed that boy.

That day, Kike followed Bart as if in a trance and headed towards the western mountains, finally being able to safely cross the border of Ortona, which was becoming increasingly chaotic as the civil war was entering its final stages.

And now, for some reason, No. 21 was feeling similar emotions as before.

‘Yes, that’s right. I remember. It’s just like following the old majesty… … .’

No. 21, who had been absentmindedly thinking about such things, suddenly came to his senses and shook his head. What kind of nonsense is this… Have I finally gone completely crazy?

“… … !”

Just then, one of the assassins standing guard on the rooftop flinched as he spotted No. 21. The fact that he was able to identify him first, even though he was farther away than the prince, meant that the two had quite a difference in their Aura concealment skills.

As soon as I realized it, the dagger I had reflexively thrown was already flying through the air.

WHEEK – PHOOK!

The dagger reflects the cold moonlight and plunges straight into the bastard’s crotch.

Grrrrr… … .

The body of the assassin, whose voice had been silenced, slowly collapsed, spewing out blood.

“Whew… … .”

For a moment, I felt relieved that I had dealt with the assassin before it was too late-

Wedge-!

Suddenly Prince Mores ran forward and hurriedly threw his stiletto somewhere, in a direction that his senses had not yet detected.

‘suddenly?’

Let’s follow that trajectory with our eyes-

Boom! An assassin patrolling from afar was suddenly hit in the neck from behind and fell down into the bushes with a thud.

But before Number 21 could fully see the bastard’s end, the prince was already flying somewhere again, arms outstretched.

Chin! The assassin, who was struck by a dagger in the eye and fell down, fell onto the broken pottery, but Prince Mores barely managed to catch his body and-

WHEEK!

I pulled another stiletto from his arms and, without looking back, threw it behind him.

Phew!

Far away, beyond the darkness obscured by the shadows of the buildings, there was a dull thud, as if a stiletto had become lodged in something soft.

dump!

When the cover was broken after the death of Auror, 21 only just realized that there was another assassin hiding there too.

“… … !”

No. 21, who had been blankly observing the series of events, only then understood the prince’s actions.

The assassin he had killed. The moment he fell to the ground and broke the pottery, those two assassins would surely have discovered their location.

While No. 21 accidentally killed one of the assassins, the Prince immediately realized the chain reaction that would occur and moved his hands in three directions simultaneously.

“Calm down, 21.”

Prince Mores carefully places the assassin’s body on the floor and warns him.

“Yes, your Majesty.”

Number 21, who had answered politely without thinking, felt a sense of discomfort in his own attitude for a moment and trembled. He had never humbled himself this much before the other outstanding children of the Holy Emperor, not even Prince Logan, who was called the youngest sword master, surpassing Gael Bertran.

“It would be impossible to avoid being caught at all. It would take too much time. Even if there is a bit of a commotion, let’s just break through the center together.”

His voice was as calm as ever, but No. 21 felt that the prince was somehow in a hurry.

“Why all of a sudden… … .”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Premonition. The magic word that convinces No. 21 in any situation.

When he lost his mind and looked at the prince, his silver-gray eyes, shining alone in the darkness, stared straight at No. 21 and emitted a strange light.

“We need to hurry up and clean up this place and find Dasha.”

* * *

At that very moment, coincidentally, Dasha was in a really big crisis. She was trapped in a delicately tightening net, like a rat that couldn’t move.

‘How many days has this been going on?’

Leaning against the broken wall, Dasha looked back at her pursuers, panting, her movements refined and slow, masked assassins who seemed completely emotionless as they approached.

‘No matter how hard I run, I can’t shake them off. Are they really people?’

Those pursuing Dasha were highly skilled assassins, each of whom seemed to have the skills of an elite agent of the Monkey Tower.

But there was one strange thing. No matter how hard I observed them, there was no sign of them exchanging information with each other.

Judging from the fact that their body shapes and movements changed frequently, it seemed like the personnel changed regularly over time. But strangely, they did not open their mouths or exchange any signals.

It seemed like they already knew each other’s location without having to fire a signal flare or leave a mark.

Also, even if they do change positions, they do so without saying a word, just like shadows moving.

Because of this, Dasha had been having a strange feeling that she was being chased by the same assassins for the past few days.

‘… It must be an illusion. I’m just so tired that I’m causing confusion without realizing it.’

Dasha clenched her teeth and twisted her cheek with her hand. If she let go of the tension even for a moment, she felt like she would lose consciousness and collapse to the floor.

It wouldn’t be a stretch. It’s been several days since I started running away, surrounded by unknown assassins, without being able to sleep or eat properly.

Although his body has been trained to perform missions even in extreme situations, at this point, he has already gone far beyond the limits of his body and mind.

‘I guess I should consider getting out as being completely impossible.’

Even if he were lucky enough to create an opening, it was uncertain whether his body would react properly. After repeating the aura concealment without rest for several days, his body’s aura had completely depleted. Now, there was no need to pay attention to the aura concealment.

Rustle.

Dasha took out the poison she had hidden in her bosom and put it between her teeth so that she could break it with her molars and swallow the poison without delay.

She prepared for the worst, took a deep breath and focused on the sounds beyond the wall.

‘Those guys must be members of ‘Kaya’s Breath’. I heard that they were slowly falling apart in the north, but they still had that kind of organizational power… … .’

There was a time when several assassination organizations dominated the continent.

It was a time when the authority of the emperor was not what it used to be, and countries that were free from imperial interference were making remarkable progress and making great strides.

These assassination organizations gradually grew in size by realizing and leading the people’s desires amidst constant political strife and infighting.

However, as Ortona, which had been the most fiercely contested dynasty, was destroyed by civil war, and the 17th Emperor, who had unprecedentedly strong imperial authority, seized the throne, they could not help but gradually enter the path of decline.

The only assassination organizations that are still alive and well are [Oberon’s Hand], which was absorbed into the guild and relegated to being a subordinate organization of the Imperial Central Intelligence Agency, and [Kaya’s Breath], which has been completely pushed north and does not even come near the capital.

‘But ultimately, an assassination organization cannot thrive on its own without those who command it.’

Naturally, this question could not help but arise.

‘Kaya’s Breath’ is not a group that can survive on its own, so how is it that it still maintains its power?

Damn it.

At that moment, unusually loud footsteps were heard. The bold footsteps of the prey, who knew they were completely cornered, and who had no intention of hiding their presence.

“You really held out so tenaciously. You were wasting time by running away like this. I just want to see who you are.”

This is the first time I’ve heard the voice of the other person since the chase began. It’s probably their leader.

Dasha traced the outline of the dogma with her tongue and listened to the new voice.

“… … .”

But strangely, no one answers that question. All you can hear is the voice of a woman talking to herself as she pleases.

“You drove them over there? Yeah, they all did a good job.”

“… … .”

“No, that’s enough. Stop right there. You guys, wait here.”

Dasha, who had been listening to their conversation with her ears perked up, suddenly became curious. The masked men had not said anything so far, but why did it feel as if they were talking to each other?

‘Besides, I’m sure I’ve heard that voice somewhere… … .’

At that very moment, the figure of the opponent who had come within a stone’s throw came into Dasha’s sight.

Just then, under the bright moonlight that had broken through the clouds, a haggard face covered in a black hood was revealed. His real eyebrows were completely pulled back, and his eyes shone brightly beneath them.

Dasha’s eyes widened.

– No matter how you look at it, the owner is a miser.

Yes, I’ve seen that face before. The woman with the nice, natural eyebrows who was once employed with Milo at the top.

-Sabrina, you! I will never forget you! How dare you betray my trust!

He was very good at concealing himself, and left a strong impression as they exchanged daggers until the moment they parted ways.

Olivier. An elite assassin believed to be a member of [Kaya’s Breath].

“…Who is this?”

Olivier also seemed to recognize Dasha. The eyes that stood out especially under her brows soon narrowed into a squint.

“Hey! Long time no see? I really missed you!”

The thin lips that had been spitting out such playful greetings were soon split in a long line.

“Sabrina!”

Dasha sensed the end was near. She clenched her teeth against the dogma and said her final farewell to Prince Mores in her mind.

‘I’ve finally reached this point. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be of any help, your Majesty!’

It was when I was about to break that dogma.

[wait.]

Someone’s urgent voice came from my mind.

When Dasha raised her head in surprise, she saw a strange figure before her eyes. It was a strangely dressed woman with her face covered by a black veil.

“… … ?”

Surely no one was there until just now? When Dasha rubbed his eyes and looked at the woman, she slowly shook her head.

The meaning of that action, her voice that would normally not be heard, rang clearly in Dasha’s mind again.

[Don’t do that.]

“you are……?”

Right then.

“Got it!”

Phew!

With a blunt impact to her head, Dasha’s consciousness blacked out in an instant.