Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 466



Only Noblemtl

466. Congratulatory remarks (6)

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Masain bowed his head to Seongjin in embarrassment. He had returned to his usual upright appearance, as if he had never been angry.

Of course, it was already too late, after his violent brawl had swept through the inn.

“I must have been a little out of my mind for making such a mistake. I will gladly accept the punishment for this disrespect when I return.”

“… No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

Seongjin responded in a trembling voice.

I didn’t really feel like blaming him. After all, he was the one who ignored the escort knights and wandered around.

The only strange thing was that, no matter how angry he was, was it really the case that Sir Marsain would harass the prince he served in such a reckless manner?

“But, Sir Marsain.”

Is it because of my mood?

“Somehow your face looks more refreshed than before. Are you feeling better now?”

Then, Masain tilted his head and touched the edge of his stomach with a very relaxed expression.

“… Is that so? After hearing your words, I feel a sense of relief. It’s as if a long-standing illness has disappeared all at once. I’ve heard rumors about it, but Father Bart’s healing power is truly amazing.”

“No, it’s healing power… … .”

It must have been great, as always, because that’s what my father did.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Although Masain Kyung seemed to be simply admiring the priest’s abilities, Sungjin couldn’t help but feel nervous as he sensed a subtle gap in his behavior.

Fortunately, Sungjin soon found out the reason, because a young man entered the inn with unsteady steps.

He was wearing the assassin’s signature stealth attire, and when he spotted Sungjin, he gave an incongruous grin.

“We are here. Mores.”

“You’re finally here. Mores.”

The man, who had repeated similar words twice, approached Seongjin with a gait that was somewhat unsteady, as if his feet were not moving together.

“Let me give you a little hint: it’s all because of your father.”

“Yes. My father gave me a slight hint when he woke me up.”

suggestion?

“Yeah. It’s a light hint that doesn’t linger long and doesn’t put a strain on your soul.”

“It’s a kind of consolation prize. I told you not to keep your words bottled up inside.”

As the suspicious person he was seeing for the first time approached him in such a casual manner, Masain was startled and blocked Sungjin’s path, growling.

“Get back! Who are you?”

“Sir Marsain.”

“If you look closely, you seem to know the lowliness, but how dare you disrespect that honor… …!”

Seongjin raised one hand to reassure the wary Masain.

“It’s okay. That’s the prisoner we captured last night.”

“…yes?”

At the man’s unexpected identity, Masain’s pupils shook violently.

“Capture me? A prisoner? How presumptuous of you, Your Majesty. The author just walked in here on his own two feet… …?”

“Oh, well. There is something like that.”

That’s actually a soulless living doll created by ‘Kaya’s Breath’. I thought I should at least leave behind a sample, so I brought it with me. My twins personally helped me with the valet parking in my stead since I don’t have much time.

“…yes?”

While Masain was dumbfounded by Seongjin’s unfriendly explanation, the man slumped down on a nearby wooden chair. Then, he stretched out both arms in front of him and made his demand with a calm expression.

“Okay, now that the transport is done, where are you going to tie this thing up properly?”

“If we leave, the souls that ran away might come back.”

“We should probably go there soon.”

“Because I have to take care of the crew that stayed up all night.”

“… … ?”

Marsain still looked dubious, but there was no need to refuse when the other party was willing to be bound. He quickly brought out the rope and began wrapping the assassin’s body around the chair.

Meanwhile, Seongjin pulled up a chair nearby and sat down across from the assassin.

“It took longer than I thought to get here?”

The bionic doll, which still bears the marks of precise neurosurgical operations, was worth examining for a long time.

The problem was that once the twins left and control of the body passed back to Kaya’s Breath, there was no way to know what kind of unexpected situation this doll would cause.

Also, at the time, Dasha’s condition was quite critical, so I left the doll with the twins and returned to the inn first.

but-

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have carried it on my own, even if it meant pushing myself a little. The two kids would have suffered all night… … .’

The assassin chuckled with a playful expression, as if he had guessed Seongjin’s thoughts.

“It’s okay. We just took turns playing around and moving around appropriately.”

“Later, it got a bit annoying so I even used Arrangea.”

“Arrange?”

“Yeah, of course Rebecca was totally disgusted.”

“What can I do if we are being criticized?”

Seongjin felt a little relieved.

Great, kids. I guess I don’t have much to teach you. At least you won’t be easily beaten up by others when you go somewhere.

“By the way, here’s the problem.”

How do we keep this bio-doll safe? I have a feeling that if the soul from the other side returns, we’re going to have some serious problems.

As Sungjin frowned, the assassin nodded and responded.

“Mores’ guess is correct. The doll’s salt crystals are inscribed with a mild [Self-Destruction] spell.”

“Once they regain control of the body, they will probably destroy this doll to destroy the evidence.”

“It’s not that difficult. Just quietly stop your heart and stop your brain.”

“That alone will rapidly damage the organization and the doll will lose its value as a specimen.”

I see.

“Then while I’m at it, should I use Arangea a bit more? I’ll have them take turns guarding the dolls.”

Instead of answering right away, Herna and Gades stared at Seongjin playfully for a moment.

“Or there’s an even simpler way.”

“I don’t need help from people like Arrangea.”

He looked like he was dying from gnawing teeth.

Although he felt like he was being dragged into something, Sungjin couldn’t help but ask this in the end, seeing the twins’ passionate gazes.

“…What is that?”

“Mores is the one who is carving a new motto.”

“It’s like adding a new blessing on top of an old one.”

Seongjin blinked.

Congratulations?

“You know what? I can’t tell you exactly, but the guy who carved the inscription on this doll is more amazing than you think.”

“So even if you’re an Arenja, it won’t be easy to resist. There’s no way to get rid of this curse.”

“It would have been quite dangerous if we hadn’t been there to watch you last night, right?”

“That’s right. I would have been robbed of my body in the blink of an eye or would have died easily.”

I can guess. It’s probably the guy who carved the congratulatory words into Minja’s eyebrows.

At that time, the Demon King had guessed the bastard’s true identity as follows.

– Think about it. Such restrictions are usually only applied to beings of lower status than you. But even this great Fire Lord is not able to read it properly.

-Maybe. No, it’s almost certain, but that eyebrow-less woman might be a servant of one of the high-ranking demon lords.

Then another question arises.

‘Herna and Gades, who can resist that curse? …?’

Their gazes, as if searching for each other, intersect deeply. The assassin’s innocent-looking eyes have a purple glow that is somewhat sinister.

At that moment, Sungjin somehow felt that he and his twin were thinking similar thoughts.

“Do you understand? That’s why we need Mores’ words of encouragement even more.”

“Mores would be more than capable of overriding that order.”

“Do you understand? Mores is Mores.”

“That’s right. Mores is none other than Mores.”

Well, at least we know one thing for sure. Let’s put aside our suspicions about each other for a moment.

“… … .”

By the way, it was a difficult situation.

In fact, Sungjin has accidentally engraved something similar to a blessing several times so far. For example, what he did to the former Countess Sigismund, or to Minjja Eyebrow last night.

But isn’t that something that happened unintentionally on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness?

Moreover, how is it possible to carve a blessing on an empty vessel from which the soul has been taken?

“You know what? Sometimes, certain sayings are engraved on the biomes.”

“It avoids the essence of the soul, Aeon, and imprints only on the outer surface of the soul.”

“So the same thing is possible with Dachion.”

“Because Dachion, like Bion, is the outer surface of the soul.”

“Normally, they use that method to avoid damaging Aeon. Just like the hint that Seonghwang’s father gave to Marsain’s older brother just now.”

“Sometimes, they use that method to avoid being caught by Aeon. Just like how Grandma branded His Majesty Dad in the past.”

“…stigma?”

Wait a minute. I feel like I just heard something I absolutely shouldn’t have heard.

“… … .”

Seongjin and the twins shut their mouths at the same time and stared blankly at each other. Then, after a while, they naturally changed the subject as if they had made a promise.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try. So how do I get that blessing engraved on the surface of my soul?”

“It probably won’t be much different from what you did before.”

“Just try to be a little less serious and lighten your mind.”

“Don’t let your strong intentions become a dagger that pierces the very essence of your soul.”

“So that those dull words do not ruin the empty salt crystals.”

Hmm, I have a feeling I know something.

If you want to overwrite the curse that is already engraved, it would probably have to be stronger than the curse that was placed on the soul of the Marsain Lord. But at the same time, it would have to be much weaker than the one engraved on the real eyebrow.

When Sungjin turned to look at Masain, he was listening to their story with a slightly confused expression. Perhaps Masain would need to explain this conversation to him in some way later.

“Phew… … .”

Seongjin took a moment to catch his breath, looked straight at the assassin, and slowly opened his mouth.

[From now on, I will not allow any rash actions. From now on, do your best to maintain the current state for as long as I want.]

Then, I felt the wind of causality that started from the corner of Seongjin’s mouth lightly wrap around the body of the assassin tied to the chair.

Did it work? Probably so. The assassins – the twins – smiled broadly, seemingly satisfied.

“Haha, look at this. Mores is still Mores.”

“That’s right. Mores is none other than Mores.”

The twins muttered playfully, waving their heads instead of their tightly bound arms in an awkward farewell.

“Then the work is done well, we’ll take our leave.”

“You too, stop thinking about it and return quietly to Regina.”

Hmm? I have a feeling these guys have been in a hurry since a while ago.

“Are you leaving right away? Why? Is there something urgent?”

“Don’t be in a hurry. It’s already late afternoon.”

“It’s almost time to wake up.”

What kind of lazy person in the world wakes up at this hour?

“Oh! That’s rude. It’s like dawn for our group right now.”

“I have to go and feed him quickly. Otherwise, he’ll just roll around the room all day starving.”

Feed them? Do you guys have any animals at home?

The twins looked somewhat confused at Seongjin’s question.

“Well, from the perspective that we take care of Joe every day, it’s hard to see that as completely wrong.”

“Of course we like Joe a lot, but we’re still a little embarrassed to put Joe out there.”

“Anyway, Mores. You too, work hard from now on.”

“Don’t forget the hint given to Brother Marsain.”

Seongjin was momentarily confused by the unexpected request.

“Hint? Why?”

“Well, didn’t your father Seonghwang tell you not to suppress any more unpleasant things?”

“Your Majesty, Father, was just giving a little advice, but you saw the dire consequences it had, didn’t you?”

“Be careful, Mores.”

“Be careful, Mores.”

“… … .”

So the twins left, leaving Sungjin with a few big questions.

Of course, the question that caught Sungjin’s nerves the most was this.

‘… So guys. Who the hell is that ‘Joe’?’

* * *

Meanwhile, time in Dasha’s dream was passing quickly.

The atmosphere at the orphanage completely changed when Director Mathieu hid in the prayer room and became a recluse.

Sometimes, priests would gather in groups of three or four and mutter with anxious faces, and occasionally, people with fierce expressions would come to visit the abbot and return empty-handed.

But there were no more cases of orphans going missing.

‘Bart said the director would be self-restrained for a while.’

Dasha was relieved. Everything was going as he had said.

-I’ll be back soon with some people, so you won’t have to sneak out at night anymore.

Yes. Now you don’t have to fight off sleep while collecting evidence. You don’t have to hide your face with your hair in case you get noticed!

For the first time since coming to this orphanage, Dasha was able to feel at ease and return to being a normal child.

The environment was still poor and hunger had not improved one bit, but life became much more livable just by eliminating the fear that they might be sold off somewhere without a sound.

It was probably around that time that the Dunstan estate became disorganized.

“Do you know that, Father Ellison? I heard that a powerful demon species appeared in Primrose’s entertainment district recently.”

“Oh, I heard that too. It was so horrible, all the people were torn to pieces and killed.”

Although Primrose’s pleasure district was administratively located on the outskirts of the ASEAN Territory, it could actually be considered closer to the Dunstan Territory when considering its distance from the city center. Since the living radius of the residents overlaps greatly, any disaster that occurs there is bound to be a big topic of conversation.

“A demonic species at this time, not long after the Feast of St. Basil! Could this be the work of those evil devil worshippers?”

“I heard it was the work of a demon contractor. He sneaked into the red-light district like a normal person and unleashed the demon in the middle of a crowded street.”

“Ah, how could such a scary thing happen… …!”

“Grand Duke Asain is also taking this incident very seriously. He has officially requested that the Knights Templar be dispatched to Delcross.”

As the incident resulted in numerous casualties, the Dunstan Estate was not completely unscathed either.

Funerals for the people who died in the incident were held one after another, and the number of people visiting the monastery to cleanse themselves of their sins also increased.

As Dasha looked at those sights, the boy mercenary’s monologue that night suddenly came to mind.

-It seems like the priest’s decision was a little late.

-The collapse… will happen. And there… will be countless screams and shadows of death… … .

It was when Dasha was shivering from an inexplicable cold.

“Huh? That lady… … .”

Ramira, who was chewing on a hard crust of bread next to me, pointed her finger somewhere quickly.

Dasha looked up and there stood Peter’s mother, who had not been seen for the past few days.

“What’s going on with that lady? I haven’t seen her at all lately, so I thought she had completely given up on finding her son.”

“Really? But… … .”

Dasha trailed off, her voice trailing off. There was something eerie about her appearance that was hard to describe.

“… … .”

The woman had become unrecognizable in the meantime. Her complexion had turned dark somewhere, and her expression was distorted and grotesque. There was even a strange black smoke surrounding her body.

“what?”

“who is this?”

The other children who discovered her appearance also hesitated and stepped back, because they felt an instinctive fear from that ominous appearance.

It was just then.

“Mathieu… … .”

The woman tilted her head up and glared at the children with sparkling eyes.

“Director Mathieu. Where is that son of a bitch now?”