Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 456



Only Noblemtl

456. Kaya’s Breath (5)

Pee- Peeeek-!

A small whistle blasts through the air.

It was a faint noise that was barely within the range of human hearing, but it was a signal that could be clearly detected by assassins at close range.

The assassins who heard the sound all changed direction and started to rush in. This was something that had been happening several times since a while ago.

‘shit……!’

Number 21 bit his lip. He hadn’t even dug in yet, and he was already being cornered by them.

I was proud that my ‘Auror concealment’ wasn’t at a level that could be easily detected, but who on earth is telling them our location?

‘Besides, there are more people than I thought. I had to take into account that most of them would be using Aura cloaking!’

It was a disaster. If we continue like this, rather than killing them all, we will be trapped in a net and helpless against a counterattack.

But then, right next to No. 21, a deafening whistle sound was heard again.

Peek- Peek- Peek!

The problem is that it is not the assassins who are blowing the whistle, but the intruders who have barged in.

‘omg!’

Number 21 was terrified and snatched the whistle from Prince Mores.

‘What the hell are you doing! Are you planning to reveal our location to them?’

Why do you always rummage through the dead assassins’ chests so diligently? If I had known you were going to blow the whistle so blatantly, I would have stopped you a long time ago!

‘are you okay.’

But the prince who actually caused the accident had a peaceful expression on his face.

‘I roughly analyzed the signals they were sending and receiving, and the encryption system doesn’t seem that complicated. For example, it seems to start with the direction, something like ta- tta- dara- ta- dan-‘

‘Oh, please put it away!’

Number 21 got angry at the prince who was suddenly humming a strange rhythm in an urgent situation.

‘You’re not saying you figured out their encryption system just by listening to a few signals, are you?’

In the history of political strife, where there have been countless clashes between assassination groups, why would there have been no attempts to figure out the other side’s code first?

No. 21 also received detailed training in the development of codes and deciphering methods in [Oberon’s Hand].

However simple the structure may be, it is mathematically impossible to understand the entire, ever-changing cryptographic system with only a few regularities.

‘That may be true, but… … .’

But Prince Mores still confidently turned to the center of the village. He didn’t seem to worry at all that his actions were wrong.

‘At least I can remember exactly when, where, and what signal they sent.’

‘…What did you say?’

‘That means they can reproduce the same signals they’ve already heard. Just wait and see. There’ll be some confusion between them soon.’

‘… … ?’

While No. 21 was half-doubting, something really strange happened a while later. The assassins who had been rushing towards Uruuru changed direction as if they had made a promise and started gathering near the village entrance!

‘Okay, let’s go!’

The Prince and Number 21, who had lightly stamped their feet on the ground, were able to successfully get behind the assassins once again, bypassing the large number of broken buildings.

Thin daggers with almost no air resistance are shot out –

“Huh!”

“Ugh!”

Once again, three or four assassins become famous all at once.

Having killed as many assassins as possible in the split second, they quickly slipped into the shadows of the building before their location could be determined.

‘Haha! See? What did I say?’

The prince’s face, whispering cheerfully, looks unexpectedly innocent.

‘… … .’

Number 21 closed his mouth and followed him quietly, as if possessed by something, possessed by a strange feeling.

Peeeeeee-!

Then, the long, drawn-out sound of the horn was heard again.

This time, it was not hard to guess the meaning of No. 21. It was a pure warning sound that completely ignored the signal system, completely different from the previous ones.

“Oh, no.”

Prince Mores pulled out his last remaining stiletto with a slightly deflated expression.

“It’s faster than I thought. I guess there’s a great guy over there. I thought I could use it a few more times, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

As he said, from that moment on, the sound of the horn was no longer heard. Instead, only the individual movements of the assassins chasing their footsteps could be felt.

Well, now that they were completely hidden by the Auror’s cover, they had dug too deep into the center of the village.

The assassin suddenly popped his head out from the alley across the street-

“100 million?”

He falls backwards after being hit by the stiletto shot by the prince. It was a terrifying throwing technique that hit the vital point between the eyebrows.

WHEEK-!

As if that was a signal, two assassins jumped out from the front and the back.

While one was swinging his dagger at the prince’s neck from the right, the other, a little way away, fired his weapon at the opposite end, at the prince’s left shoulder.

Even if you dodge the first attack by chance, the evasion maneuver will ensure that the second attack hits.

“I……!”

No. 21 thought that the prince would never be able to escape. But at that moment, something amazing happened before his eyes.

The prince, who had slightly turned his head and avoided the dagger with minimal movement, spun his body around by inertia and kicked the stiletto flying from behind with a sharp kick. His movements were like those of a ghost.

“Huh?”

The stiletto, with its orbit greatly distorted, was absurdly embedded in the heart of the assassin who had come swinging his dagger.

“… … !”

The guy looks down at his chest with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

But at that moment, the prince had already left the bastard behind and was shooting backwards at high speed.

Snap!

The sound of the nutcracker being swung with its sheath shattering the assassin’s arm bone resonates.

The guy who raised his arm in a panic to block the attack, before he could even control his body that was staggering from the shock-

Boom!

The nutcracker flew in again, slamming the assassin’s neck into the wall of the building.

Shut up… … .

With a strange sound of air escaping, the assassin’s eyes roll back white. Judging by the sudden swelling of the nape of his neck, his carotid artery must have ruptured internally, and his cervical vertebrae must have crumbled to dust.

That wasn’t the end of it. Before the assassin’s body completely fell to the side, the prince carefully snatched a few more stilettos from the bastard’s arms.

The series of events were so fast and smooth that No. 21 could not easily accept the sight even though he saw it with his own two eyes.

‘… Wait a minute. But why are all the attacks suddenly focused on me?’

As he beheaded the assassin who was slowly crawling out of a nearby cabin, Number 21 looked back at the prince with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, the prince was steadily reducing the number of assassins by shooting the stilettos he had stolen here and there.

Then, No. 21 was greatly embarrassed when he realized belatedly that Prince Mores was no longer using Auror Cloaking.

‘Surely you’re doing that on purpose?’

Rather than going to each one and taking care of them, are you saying you’d rather save time by making them come running to you?

‘But they are well-trained assassins. Once they realize the difference in skill between you and me, they will no longer show themselves honestly as they have done so far.’

It was as No. 21 feared.

Fit fit fit!

As soon as they had identified their location, sharp stilettos rained down from the sky. The assassins gathered on the building simultaneously scattered their daggers downwards.

Number 21 quickly ducked, using the collapsed wall as cover.

‘… … !’

Then he realized that the prince was standing right in the middle of an alley where daggers were flying, and he was shocked.

‘What are you doing now?!’

Pubberbug!

The stilettos that flew at a small target were all embedded in one person’s body like thorns. To be exact, not the prince’s, but the corpse of a comrade the prince had dragged up.

Although he had the slender physique typical of an assassin, it was more than enough for a young boy to hide his body.

‘I……!’

And then, when the rain-like pouring rain stopped-

Shh.

Prince Mores, who slightly twisted the corners of his lips, leisurely collected the stilettos that had gathered in one place. He had a satisfied expression on his face, like a farmer harvesting fully grown crops.

After gathering his weapons, he gave a slight nod to No. 21.

‘Then I’ll go first.’

‘Yes? Down! Down? Just a moment… … !’

Number 21, who realized the meaning late, waved his arms anxiously, but the prince had already started running, holding the assassin’s body up as a shield.

He had a strength that was hard to believe for a boy who hadn’t fully grown yet. It was proof that he was already naturally flowing his aura throughout his entire body.

Papa Pot!

Another merciless shower of daggers poured down. Prince Mores boldly jumped into the middle of it, and as soon as he reached the half-broken eaves, the blind spot of the men, he threw down his tattered shield. Then, with his body that had become much lighter, he kicked off the wall and soared upward, upward.

Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

Not long after the prince disappears beyond the roof, short slashes are heard again from above. At some point, the daggers that had been raining down on his head have completely stopped.

‘… … .’

No. 21 slowly got up and stared at the prince’s grand adventure unfolding on the rooftop, lost in thought. Under the bright moonlight, the rough yet unadorned movements performed solely for the purpose of killing.

‘… It’s just like that person.’

At the same time, No. 21 began to face reality as he felt a clear gap between the memories etched in his mind and the current scene.

‘But also, it’s completely different.’

Perhaps, he had been identifying Prince Mores with someone he knew well. Perhaps that was why he could not resist his unreasonable instructions and was helplessly swayed by his actions.

But once the prince began to demonstrate his skills in an open space, it was only then that the two completely different fighting styles could be properly compared.

As if cold water had been poured over me, my mind slowly became clearer.

‘Bart, His Majesty would never move in that way… … .’

However, it is a well-known fact that the appearances the prince shows now are just as wonderful as the boy mercenary in the memories.

What more ironic is there than feeling that two people are similar despite their obvious differences?

Talent, or bloodline. Or perhaps something more fundamental, something essential to human beings that they themselves could never imitate.

Now that No. 21 has finally come face to face with the vast gap between them and himself, he has become very conflicted.

* * *

Fit fit!

Another stiletto flying in from somewhere.

But unlike the first time, the attack was noticeably weaker.

While Prince Mores lightly struck them away, No. 21, who had a specific direction, quickly ran towards him and stuck his dagger into the back of the bastard’s neck.

“Ugh… … !”

Kicking the assassin who was collapsing before he could even say a word, No. 21 sighed.

‘I think most of it is sorted out now… … .’

Prince Mores must have thought so too, because he no longer paid attention to his surroundings and began walking straight toward a building. It was the very building from which the assassins had initially poured out.

Following him, No. 21 began to wonder again.

‘Where on earth did you learn how to fight like that?’

As far as he knew, Prince Mores had studied the standard swordsmanship of the Imperial Knights like any other noble child. It could be seen as a typical training course for knights.

However, his rough and free-spirited fighting style and his wide field of vision that made use of the surroundings were far from that of ordinary knights.

‘That’s not all. I also have a clear understanding of my own strengths and I am taking action taking this into account.’

There is only one thing that can explain all these wonders: his vast experience in combat compared to his age.

‘But how could that be? Wasn’t it just a flower that was raised in the palace?’

But as if reading his mind, the prince turned around and opened his mouth slightly.

“By the way, I saw you again, No. 21. You seem to have quite a bit of combat experience for your age, don’t you?”

“…yes?”

“I’m complimenting you. I thought you were a kid, but you’re actually quite skilled.”

“… … .”

Number 21 was ridiculous. Isn’t that exactly what he should be saying? What kind of nonsense is that, an old senior praising his junior!

But that appearance also reminds me of a boy mercenary from some time ago who was unusually mature.

Ugh.

Number 21, who felt bad for no reason, responded in a twisted manner.

“… A song? Is that something you would say, Your Majesty?”

“What? Your gaze suddenly became very rude.”

“How could that be?”

The two entered the building, bickering.

“I don’t feel any more suspicious presence. How about taking a quick look around and heading back to Terre?”

The prince shook his head at No. 21’s suggestion.

“Huh? No. But I’ll wait here a little longer.”

“Why is that?

“Well, I have a bad ‘guise’… … .”

As Number 21’s eyes narrowed, the prince grumbled with a sullen expression.

“Tch! It doesn’t work anymore.”

It was ridiculous. Since when did he realize that he was particularly weak to those words?

Number 21 has come to his senses.

“That is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot stand by and watch any more misconduct, so let’s go back to Terre.”

“So you’re saying that your attitude suddenly became disrespectful?”

“You must be mistaken. I am only concerned about your safety.”

“I don’t think that’s it?”

Prince Mores, who had been responding like that, suddenly stopped walking and frowned. His expression seemed to indicate that something was not right.

“Why are you doing that?”

Number 21, who had already acknowledged that the prince’s aura was far superior to his own, asked nervously.

“Actually, there was something that had been bothering me for a while.”

The boy whispered softly, his voice quiet.

“The sound of the horn could be heard here and there in the village, but although there were people responding to the signal, the presence of the person actually blowing it was unusually faint.”

“… … .”

“It must have been no ordinary skill. But so far, I haven’t met anyone that great here.”

At that moment, No. 21 felt a chill down his spine.

Are you saying that the assassin who is so elusive that he can even evade the prince’s senses is still hanging around here?

“Then when was the last time you noticed him… … .”

It was just as number 21 was asking the question.

Kwajik!

Suddenly, the thin wooden wall shattered, and someone’s body shot out like lightning. Another assassin in black coveralls.

“… … !”

Before No. 21 could even catch sight of him-

visor!

The nutcracker, which had been pulled out of its scabbard, clashed with the sword the man swung, sending up white sparks. It was a reaction as if it had been waiting for it.

“Haha! I knew you’d show up sooner or later-”

Giggik-

The prince, who had been wrestling with the man for a moment, twisted the corners of his mouth and let out a ferocious laugh.

“Why do you blurt out words so frighteningly? I mean, don’t you often hear that you lack patience?”