Chapter 100
Chapter: 100
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 100
>Chapter Title: Imperial Palace Banquet (2)
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There is poison in the food that just came out.
The tingling on the tip of your tongue from the sauce isn't due to spices. It seems to be some kind of nerve-paralyzing poison.
It's unclear if it's in the meat itself. But the same type of poison is lightly coated on the plate.
The wine is a bit off, too.
The reflected color looks like the hemostatic poison from Kabamira that always comes with tea.
Your Majesty. Are you listening?
Open the channel quickly.
* * *
Logan had spent no small amount of time at the Holy Emperor's side, observing him.
He had spent his childhood with him in the Azure Rose Palace, and afterward, they often had audiences where they did things befitting a father and son.
Sometimes, that included sitting in the office together, cracking walnuts.
But that was it. Logan could confidently say he had never once seen the Holy Emperor casually eat any food within the imperial palace without hesitation.
The others were just as shocked. The chief chamberlain at his side was even tearing up with emotion.
The Empress and the consorts had stopped their greetings laced with veiled barbs and were simply staring blankly at what the Holy Emperor was doing.
Ignoring the atmosphere around him, the Holy Emperor quietly moved his utensils and eventually emptied the entire plate of smoked salmon cutlets.
Of course, after that, he reverted to slicing his food with an impassive expression.
But Logan, who had observed him for so long, could tell. The man was just letting his mind wander elsewhere again.
From the reflexive way he did it, it seemed merely pretending to eat had become a long-standing habit for the Holy Emperor.
'I thought he was just overly cautious...'
Otherwise, what reason would a man with such immense divine power—enough to instantly recover from deadly poison—have for barely eating properly?
"Ah, that guy's doing it again."
A grumbled mutter came from across the table. It was the fake pretending to be Mores.
Logan eyed the strange impostor anew.
What the hell was this guy?
When he first saw him at the triumphal feast, Logan had no doubt he was a malevolent spirit that had seized Mores' body. Even faintly, there was a sinister aura around him.
The last time he'd seen the real Mores was just a few months ago.
But in that short gap, his brother had become a completely different person.
Somehow, his aura activation was at the level of a seasoned knight. No need to mention how much weight he'd lost.
Above all, though well-contained, the occasional bursts of wild, ferocious energy—what was that?
He didn't feel like a prince delicately raised in the imperial palace. It was like facing a veteran hunter who'd spent decades solely slaying sea beasts.
"...Your Highness, this is the first time I've seen His Majesty eat anything during a banquet."
His brother Masin whispered to the fake with an emotional expression.
When had those two gotten so close?
"Huh? Why do you all just let it slide? With table manners like that, it's an embarrassment to His Majesty. Shouldn't someone nag him about picky eating or at least serve food he likes?"
"W-Well... calling it table manners for His Majesty is a bit..."
The fake really had no filter.
"Mores, thanks to you, Father is finally eating properly. I've always worried about His Majesty's health since he barely touches his meals."
Amelia pressed her hands to her chest, beaming with joy.
When had those two reconciled?
"What? You let him skip meals every day? No, why does everyone put up with it? What if the great Holy Emperor of Delcros ends up malnourished? What a scandal that would be!"
"Well... even if he does, his divine power would probably heal him right away..."
Was that really a malevolent spirit?
At this point, Logan found it hard to judge rashly.
Though he shouldn't think this way, the fake seemed to get along better with people than the original Mores.
Moreover, Logan felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Clearly, this spirit had a completely different presence from Mores, so why did he increasingly remind him of that willful kid from their childhood?
'...I need to talk to this guy a bit.'
Above all, that was what bothered him.
The Holy Emperor of Delcros.
Would a man so questionable whether he was even human allow a malevolent spirit to occupy his son's body unchecked?
Logan decided he needed to be more cautious in dealing with the fake.
* * *
The banquet dragged on for quite a while, finally ending late in the evening.
Returning to the Pearl Palace feeling a bit tired, Seongjin did his usual short meditation before picking up the fairy tale book he'd borrowed from Amelia.
It had been decently engaging during the founding Holy Emperor's dragon-slaying rampage, but once he started laying the foundations for Delcros in the capital, his interest plummeted. He needed to finish it before his motivation hit rock bottom and borrow a new one.
But Seongjin had to close the book just shy of the ending. The Demon King had come babbling in a panic.
[Yi Seongjin, light! Light is coming!]
What kind of cult preacher nonsense was that? If you're gonna warn me, do it properly.
The Demon King replied as if exasperated.
[That Prince Logan. He's charging this way at an insane speed!]
What?
Only then did Seongjin tense up and leap to his feet. Just in case, he grabbed the nutcracker by his bedside.
He didn't know Logan's exact level, but the approaching presence was so faint even Seongjin could barely detect it. That put him near Captain Bruno's tier.
Either way, sneaking into the Pearl Palace in the dead of night without announcing himself didn't seem like a friendly visit.
Considering the killing intent Logan had shown earlier, a fight breaking out right here wouldn't be surprising.
Waiting tensely for a moment, sure enough, someone vaulted from the third-floor terrace.
Since Dasha always used that route, the third-floor security must really be lax. He should tip off Masin later.
Watching the balcony quietly, Logan appeared before the window in light clothes, a slender sword at his waist.
Then, knock knock.
He tapped on the glass.
"......?"
What the hell was this guy doing? Sneaking in but knocking to enter the room?
It was so absurd Seongjin just stared, and Logan knocked again.
Knock knock.
"...Yes."
Only when Seongjin reluctantly answered did Logan open the terrace door and step inside. What an oddly principled guy in the strangest places.
"Like I said earlier, I think we need to talk."
Logan strode over and spoke to Seongjin with a calm face.
The anger and killing intent from before were gone. Though that could change depending on the conversation.
Seongjin nodded, and Logan stared piercingly at him for a moment.
His slightly droopy eyes were so gentle toward Amelia or Masin, but now, stone-faced without a smile, he looked utterly cold.
"I'll ask again. What the hell are you? What did you do to Mores?"
Seongjin furrowed his brow slightly.
Truthfully, he didn't know what happened to the real Mores, and explaining his own identity wasn't simple either.
So, he decided to ask a question first. Answering a tough question with another was the easiest way.
"You're asking me that—what about you? Are you really just a normal person?"
Seongjin already heavily suspected Logan was possessed too.
"......"
"What's your secret?"
The moment Seongjin uttered "secret," the boy's eyes widened hugely. He clearly hadn't expected to hear it from Seongjin's mouth.
"How do you know that...? That's something only Mores should know..."
Logan's gaze sharpened again.
His hand subtly drifted toward the sword at his waist.
"You did something to Mores after all! How did you find out?"
Whoa, the guy's momentum, which had just calmed, turned ferocious again.
He'd only probed lightly, but it was hopeless after all.
"Where's Mores? Where's the real Mores?"
"No, wait!"
Before he lost control, Seongjin quickly spoke up. Preventing a brotherly swordfight seemed wise.
"I got dragged into this by accident! I really don't know what happened to Mores!"
"......"
"Come on, calm down. I'm curious about this too! I'll tell you everything I know, so you spill what you're hiding. Fair trade, right? That's all!"
Fair my ass!
In his panic, blurting nonsense, Seongjin was dumbfounded even at himself. Yet the crisis sense kept his mouth running.
"Got it? From my side, you're the weirder one. Are you really Logan? Or another spirit possessing his body? Why should I bare my soul to you?"
"......"
The agitation slowly faded from the boy's blue eyes. Logan stared at Seongjin, seemingly pondering.
Then, at last, he spoke.
"...Fine. From your position, I suppose those doubts make sense."
"......?"
Seongjin unwittingly gaped.
What the hell was this guy? Even Seongjin thought it was bullshit, but it actually convinced him?
Whatever, Logan glanced around, walked to a nearby sofa, and sat primly.
"Then let's do that info exchange you mentioned. Sit down first."
"......"
"One question each at a time. Answer as briefly as possible, and if it's sufficient, move to the next. That sounds fair."
Was he hung up on fairness? What a weirdly by-the-book guy.
As Seongjin stared blankly, Logan nodded at him.
"Shall I start? Who the hell are you?"
"...I'm Yi Seongjin. Probably from another world."
Screw it, he didn't know anymore.
From then on, the two traded questions for a while. They started strictly one-for-one, but soon they were just freely exchanging info without formalities.
Seongjin confessed to Logan that he'd died fighting the Demon King in another world and woken up in Mores' body.
That Mores' soul was already gone when he arrived. He had no idea why this happened.
He also emphasized that he was actually quite old.
And he learned something shocking about Logan.
Logan wasn't possessed by another soul.
He called himself an Ortana officer who'd died on a battlefield long ago, reborn as Logan.
He'd never heard of another reincarnator, and he didn't know why only he was like this.
Just that in his previous life, he was an experienced, elderly knight—please note that.
"But I might've been over sixty! Doesn't that automatically make me senior?"
"My past life memories aren't clear either, but I think I was past seventy."
"Seventy and still active on the battlefield? You're full of shit."
It had started so serious, yet now they were bickering over age.
After wasting time on that tangent.
Logan hesitated, then voiced the question that had troubled him most.
"Why does Father leave you alone?"
Yeah, why?
Seongjin was just as curious.
But that question applied to Logan too. Seongjin shot back.
"What about you? Why does your father leave you be?"
What? Logan's eyes rounded as he stared at Seongjin.
He'd clearly never considered it before.
Seongjin tilted his head.
You still don't know much about that guy, do you?
"Listen. You don't seriously think he has no idea you're not normal, right?"