Chapter 180
Chapter: 180
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 180
>Chapter Title: Pavlov's Carmen (1)
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After leaving Regina, Seongjin's group enjoyed a smooth journey for a while.
They were able to stay in proper village inns about every other day. However, as the villages grew smaller, starting from the seventh day of travel, they camped outdoors every night.
Thanks to that, aside from the "little castle Aurelion," they hadn't picked up any noteworthy souvenirs.
Well, Zigsmunt Territory was said to be quite a large fief, so there had to be at least one thing worth taking as a memento. If not, they could always squeeze something out of Orden.
At that moment, Orden, sitting across the campfire, shuddered and glanced around left and right.
What a brute—yet he had sharp instincts.
The journey was now entering its tenth day.
Having strayed far from the imperial highway, it was around this time that bandits disguised as slash-and-burn farmers or bandit groups made up of Ortona refugees were supposed to start appearing.
But perhaps because they traveled boldly with the Wolf Knight Order's banner prominently displayed, no bold fools dared to block Seongjin's path. Thanks to that, their journey continued in excessive peace.
Of course, there were those who trembled with unfounded anxiety.
"With Your Highness here, how can it be this quiet for days? Something feels..."
"Hm?"
"It's ominous! What if disasters all come crashing down at once?"
What nonsense is that, Sir Masin?
Anyone hearing that would think I get caught up in incidents every single day.
[You gonna deny it? Where'd you sell your conscience?]
Shut up! You delinquent Demon King, forgetting your place and talking about conscience!
Of course, there had been minor changes along the way.
First, the numerous merchant caravans moving in the same direction gradually split off one by one. By the seventh day of travel, only Seongjin's group and the Milo caravan remained.
Around that time, caravan master Giacomo Milo visited Seongjin with a gift as a courtesy.
Until now, mixed in with the many caravans, things had felt ambiguous. But now that they would be companions all the way to Zigsmunt Territory, he must have felt the need to properly greet the prince at least once.
Through Regina's demon branch chief Schmidt, Seongjin already knew that Milo caravan master was a Demon Contractor. So, taking the opportunity, he thoroughly examined the caravan master alongside the Demon King.
[Hm. There's a faint trace of demonic energy lingering on his soul. But only someone like me could detect it—it's not enough to present to the Inquisition as proof of a contract.]
Once a Demon Contractor succeeds in a summoning, they communicate with the demon in the demon realm afterward through a kind of mental connection called a contract.
This mechanism differs from keeping a demon summoned in the real world continuously, so even close conversations with the demon apparently didn't cause the contractor themselves to reek of demonic energy.
[Well, if they borrow the demon's power to manifest it strongly or summon the demon directly, that's a different story.]
'...Tricky.'
What he really wanted was to just swiftly eliminate him and shove the corrupted corpse as evidence.
But that would lead to a slight problem.
If he testified that he knew the caravan master was a demon and executed him, he'd need sufficient proof to convince the Inquisition.
Otherwise, Seongjin himself would be suspected of being in cahoots with the contractor or branded a demon worshiper and subjected to investigation alongside him.
On the other hand, claiming ignorance of the caravan master's demonic nature would land him with charges of murder without cause before the tribunal. After all, the victim was just a Demon Contractor.
The best scenario was one where the caravan master died without Seongjin's hands being dirtied.
'Any way to make him die naturally or accidentally? Or hire an assassin without getting caught?'
[No option in that head of yours for just normally gathering evidence?]
Well, there was also the easy method of using aura concealment to assassinate the caravan master directly. But he planned to reserve that as a last resort.
Even with perfect aura concealment, completely evading Bruno the captain and the Holy Emperor's eyes was probably impossible.
Above all, hadn't the Holy Emperor once said to him:
-Sometimes, it's okay to entrust that burden to others.
Back then, the Holy Emperor hadn't gotten angry at Seongjin for trying to kill Isabella. If so, he would respect whatever choice Seongjin made.
'Which is exactly why I can't turn Mores into a reckless murderer.'
With family who cherished and worried about him like that, he couldn't ruin Mores' life just for the sake of an easy path.
'That said, there's something a bit concerning...'
Would the demon contracted to Milo caravan master recognize the Demon King in Seongjin's head?
In fact, the demon branch chief in Regina and his goat minion had kept tilting their heads at the demonic energy emanating from Seongjin.
[Since it's not summoned into this dimension like those guys, it won't notice easily. But if it syncs deeply with the contractor, most would eventually catch on. The demonic energy we emit seems more distinct than I thought.]
Come to think of it, the sharp reactions from high-ranking clergy like Cardinal Benitus toward Seongjin came to mind.
When you thought about it, Seongjin was a prince who exuded denser demonic energy than a human contracted to a demon. No wonder they were wary and hostile.
* * *
As the journey dragged on, Seongjin's group and the Wolf Knight Order grew increasingly close.
Especially during mealtimes, with the campfire in the center, everyone mingled and chattered boisterously more and more.
Among them, the most popular by far was Lorang, the bard who had recently joined somewhat unexpectedly.
At first eyed as an unwanted freeloader, his entertainer's natural affinity had soon blended him seamlessly among the knights. In terms of keeping the travel atmosphere cheerful, he was earning his keep.
In particular, the Wolf Knight Order knights loved Lorang's songs.
Some said they were hit songs, so apparently not utterly hopeless taste.
"Lorang, your songs have a spirited vigor you can't easily find elsewhere."
"Comparing heartbreak to an arrow piercing the chest! Are you truly a genius?"
"The part where the beautiful woman steals Fernan Brack's heart at a glance is overwhelmingly superb. Listening to that song makes me vividly see the old days when Grand Emperor Remus led his army like a gale across the conquests!"
Why does a love song feel spirited? What the hell kind of songs does this guy write?
And to such a Lorang, Lady Claudia, who was teaching him about [melodrama], gave this assessment.
"Lorang. Love songs don't seem to suit you very well. How about trying epic war poems from history or myths instead?"
"War epics..."
"Your songs overflow with an intensity and grandeur that sometimes don't fit. Love songs lack the natural pull or excitement that should naturally arise."
The young artist furrowed his brow in anguish.
"Natural pull, excitement... All fine words. But aren't they distant from melodrama?"
"Only when true love blooms first does the fun of it spiraling into melodrama begin."
Declaring so, Lady Claudia wrinkled her freckled nose.
"Well, if you're set on love songs, Lorang, at least get some proper romance first."
Kwang.
The young man, struck deep in the heart, staggered from the blow.
'...What the hell are they doing?'
Lady Claudia, that enjoyment I'm seeing must be my imagination, right?
Seongjin clicked his tongue and headed to the wide field beside the campsite.
Though it was already dark, he planned to squeeze in some sword practice before bed. He'd been stuck in the carriage all day with no chance to move.
Of course, instead, focusing solely on meditation while seated had yielded results. He'd finally completed the 7th layer of aura.
Captain Bruno had been immensely impressed.
-Your Highness, truly remarkable. How do you maintain such focus in a shaking carriage without losing concentration?
Drawing his walnut cracker and standing in the field, he saw Masin, who had arrived earlier, sweating as he diligently swung his sword.
Ever since visiting the logistics relay together in Regina, Masin had inexplicably been pushing his personal training even at the cost of sleep, as if determined to become a Decaron Knight immediately.
And beside him, Captain Bruno was instructing Lady Carmen in sparring.
The longsword swung sheathed cleverly curved around the guard, slamming fiercely into Lady Carmen's shoulder.
Puk!
"Argh!"
Lady Carmen rolled across the ground and, dirt-covered, fumed.
"Damn it! I said no! Why keep beating me under the pretext of sparring!?"
"If you did wrong, you get hit, obviously!"
Wait, instruction sparring or just beating? What did she do wrong this time?
As Seongjin blinked in surprise, Carmen, noticing his gaze, whipped around with reddened eyes.
"Damn! And what are you staring at...!"
Before she could finish.
Ppak!
The captain's longsword struck her occiput.
"Guh!"
Letting out a dying screech, Carmen collapsed face-down and didn't get up.
Then, having floored his disciple in one blow, Captain Bruno rushed to Seongjin and prostrated.
"Terribly sorry, Your Highness! I'll sternly warn her afterward!"
"......"
Seongjin sighed.
What could you call this? Anger issues he couldn't control at will?
Looking pitifully at the passed-out Carmen, a large lump was already swelling on her head.
"...Who'd she mouth off to this time?"
"Uh... Regrettably, to the Wolf Knight Order's vice-captain..."
Captain Bruno's head bowed lower.
Though most of the group got along well, Lady Carmen frequently clashed with the Wolf Knight Order.
Her utterly unsociable personality constantly collided with the northern knights whose tempers had roughened fighting blizzards.
The problem was it wasn't easily resolved by her will alone.
Recently, Lady Carmen had become remarkably docile compared to before. When encountering Seongjin, she awkwardly showed respect and carefully averted her eyes to avoid meeting his gaze.
It was clear at a glance she was doing her utmost to comport herself properly.
But there was an exception: whenever her emotions flared for any reason.
Not just when angry, but during training when extremely focused on something. In such cases, Carmen's blood boiled to the top of her head, and she spewed abuse indiscriminately.
Then, once cooled, she'd sink into self-loathing, becoming even more dejected, and the stress from those relationships led to even greater outbursts next time—a vicious cycle.
"It's probably because she grew up in that environment from childhood."
When Captain Bruno first met her, Lady Carmen had been a venomous brat who fearlessly hurled double curses back at her abusive foster father who beat her while cursing.
It turned out her family had been the neighborhood's top cursers for generations. So naturally, she'd learned profanity before babbling, and Captain Bruno offered excuses-not-excuses for his disciple.
"That kid reacts reflexively before even thinking. I've warned her many times, but beating alone won't fix it."
Thus, her squire days had been a continuous ordeal. Constantly defying senior knights, getting beaten or disciplined. In the end, she couldn't fit into the order and requested duty at a remote annex.
That explained why, despite his resentment toward Mores, she volunteered for Pearl Palace duty.
"I'm... sorry, Your Highness. I... never again..."
A moment later, regaining consciousness, Lady Carmen bowed her head deeply and apologized to Seongjin.
But even she seemed uncertain of her own vow, her voice trailing off smaller and smaller.
'Hm. This really won't do...'
Even with Captain Bruno preemptively reining her in and apologizing, there were limits.
For a grown knight to be this bad at group life—how could she function properly anywhere?
Who'd bring her to official events fearing she'd cause trouble?
Lost in thought, Seongjin muttered unwittingly.
"This is worrying, really. Maybe you should just stay a Pearl Palace resident knight forever?"
"......!"
As Carmen's eyes widened and she lifted her head, Seongjin gave her a warm smile.
Yeah. What could he do? With his broad mind, he'd have to take this one in.
Patting her shoulder, he asked nonchalantly.
"By the way, Lady Carmen. Do you happen to know who Pavlov is?"