Chapter 20
Chapter: 20
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 020
>Chapter Title: Closed-Door Prayer (2)
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The Demon King had vanished. Since when?
He had been so intoxicated by the sensation of aura filling his entire body that he hadn't noticed right away. Come to think of it, there hadn't been any sign of the bastard since morning.
The guy would sometimes curl up silently without a word, so Seongjin hadn't thought much of the quiet.
'No, was he really gone since morning?'
What about last night? After getting caught in the aura storm, he'd been half-conscious as he was carried to the Pearl Palace and collapsed until morning.
Had the Demon King been there then?
'Wait a minute. When was the last time that punk talked to me?'
Seongjin recalled the Demon King's voice screaming amid the aura storm.
-You madman! You planning to pour even more out here?!
-Kuuaaaaaah!
No way. Was that really the last time?
Seongjin broke out in cold sweat.
Just as Seongjin's consciousness had flown off to Earth back then, maybe the Demon King had been flung to some other world.
Or, in the worst-case scenario—though it seemed unlikely—that immense storm might have outright annihilated the puny Demon King's soul.
If he'd drifted off somewhere, where the hell was he supposed to look for him?
'But do I even need to go looking for him?'
They'd ended up alone in this other world, so a bit of camaraderie had formed, but they were sworn enemies at heart. If he was gone for good, wouldn't that be best for both of them?
Seongjin mulled it over with a stiff expression for a moment before ruffling his hair wildly.
Ah, whatever. He'd said he couldn't stray far from this body, so if he survived, he'd come back soon enough.
* * *
Arriving at the training grounds later than usual, Seongjin was taken aback by the unexpected scene. The moment he stepped through the entrance, five or six knights rushed over and simultaneously placed hands over their hearts, bowing their heads.
"We greet Your Highness the 3rd Prince!"
Their voices boomed in unison. What the hell? For a second, he thought he was looking at the Main Palace guards.
Seongjin rubbed his eyes and looked again, but no mistake—they were definitely the Pearl Palace's resident knights.
What did these guys eat wrong? Why the sudden change?
"Your Highness! You've arrived!"
Sir Masain approached from across the way with a bright, cheerful face.
Instinctively sensing this shift had something to do with the man, Seongjin asked,
"Sir Masain? What's with them?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Their discipline had grown lax, so I've been putting them through some mental training these past couple of days."
No one under my watch will ever fail in serving at Your Highness's side from now on. I'll make sure of it. As Masain added this with a beaming smile, the rigid resident knights' faces darkened ominously.
Now that he thought about it, something clicked for Seongjin. The day Masain had shown up at the training grounds, the knights had all scattered like roaches.
He'd brushed it off at the time, but apparently Sir Masain had a notorious reputation among the knights.
Feeling a twinge of pity, Seongjin glanced at the resident knights.
They'd been insolent scum who dared show disrespect toward a prince, but after just two days of whatever Masain had put them through, they already looked half-dead, faces gaunt and blackened. Seeing their miserable state, he couldn't even muster any resentment.
"Hm, Sir Masain. You're handling Main Palace guard duties, training my swordsmanship, and now managing the resident knights too? Isn't that overdoing it?"
But Masain was resolute.
"The resident troops may be drawn from various places, but they belong to the Imperial Guard. I cannot tolerate lax discipline among those under my command."
"Uh, alright...."
Seongjin shook his head at the resident knights, whose eyes were gradually losing their light.
That's what you get for not shaping up sooner.
Once he started sensing aura, the lesson progressed smoothly.
After receiving a detailed explanation from Masain on how to condense it, Seongjin meditated and soon formed a tiny aura core the size of a mung bean near his dantian.
The aura that wouldn't stay fixed and kept slipping away had suddenly gathered into a perfect sphere the moment it reached a certain amount, stabilizing at last. It was still a small quantity, but he could feel the aura rotating more vigorously around the core.
'It's definitely different from the monster essence that spreads evenly throughout the body and gets absorbed....'
Before long, he even managed to build the first layer around the core. It was harder to stabilize than the core itself, but the aura eventually formed a grape-sized orb and began smoothly orbiting in his dantian.
"To form even the first layer right away—truly impressive, Your Highness! It's hard to believe this is the same person who was struggling before."
No one was more delighted with his progress than Masain.
"Now all that's left is steadily building more layers! Of course, aura also accumulates in the muscles and bones, but that's a gradual change that happens over long years of wielding it. Nothing can match the explosive power from layering around the core."
You'll need at least three layers to properly weave it into sword forms, he added by way of explanation.
Buoyed by the rare success, Seongjin immediately tried for the second layer, but Masain shook his head.
"It'll take a bit more time for the second layer. If forming the core takes a force of 1 and the first layer takes about 3, the next layer requires drawing in at least 10 all at once."
According to him, far more aura was needed to neutralize the repulsion between layers than to form them in the first place. And the repulsion grew exponentially with each additional layer.
At the pinnacle for knights—an aura 10-layer Decaron Knight—the repulsion alone was hundreds of times greater than for the first layer.
"So you need prolonged meditation to practice handling much larger quantities of aura than now. Your pace is already plenty fast, so take it steady over time."
That said, Masain added cautiously,
"I'm sorry to interrupt when you're so absorbed in your training, Your Highness, but if you have a moment, could you visit the Main Palace?"
According to him, all the Holy Emperor's official schedule for the day had been canceled.
Of course, everyone knew he was fine now, but the incident where his annex was destroyed and the Holy Emperor collapsed from exhaustion still demanded appearances. An imperial prince visiting promptly would look good to onlookers.
He'd last seen the Holy Emperor yesterday in a coma, so he was a little worried anyway. But dropping in on His Majesty without an appointment felt awkward.
When he said as much, Sir Masain chuckled softly.
"The important figures have probably already paid their respects by now. After clearing his schedule so energetically, imagine him stuck receiving visits from people he's not thrilled to see, without even a break—His Majesty must be exhausted. Your Highness showing your face would delight him to no end."
Seongjin nodded readily and handed his wooden sword to Masain.
There would be plenty of time for training ahead. If not for the Holy Emperor's grace, he wouldn't have even achieved aura condensation.
When he quietly focused his mind on his chest, he still felt something sloshing around inside.
But Masain's face looked a little off as he took the wooden sword.
His eyes, curved in laughter, slowly twisted, and the smile on his lips twitched uncontrollably.
What? Why the sudden face?
"I never dreamed I'd live to see the day when the two of you could spend time like this again...."
"......?"
With an expression caught between a smile and a grimace, Masain swallowed his words. Before Seongjin could ask, he spun on his heel and pointed at two of the waiting resident knights.
"You two! Escort His Highness to the Main Palace. The rest of you, patrol the training grounds starting now!"
Yes?!
As the knights' faces paled, Masain bellowed,
"You let His Highness go to the Main Palace alone yesterday without even a proper escort? And you call yourselves proud Delcros Imperial Guards? Time to hammer some sense into those thick skulls of yours!"
Uwaaaaaah.
Seongjin silently offered a prayer for the knights amid their anguished cries as he departed.
* * *
The Holy Emperor was receiving all visitors in the reception room adjoining his bedroom.
Seongjin arrived to find someone already there.
"Oh! Prince Mores! What a majestic bearing you have! Truly, the glory of the Sacred Empire's future shines upon us!"
Chief steward Louis lavished a grand eulogy before murmuring discreetly,
"...Her Majesty the Empress is with him."
When the Holy Emperor took time off, Empress Tatiana usually handled official duties in his stead, Louis explained.
Approaching the open reception room entrance, Seongjin heard murmured conversation.
"...how should we handle... Rohan's... protests......"
"...unofficial... every single one... no need......"
"...potential issues... up to the Nativity Festival... be cautious......"
Louis politely knocked on the open door and announced,
"Your Holiness, Your Majesty. Prince Mores has arrived."
The two seated on the sofa, sipping tea, turned to Seongjin in unison.
"Oh my!"
The Empress reacted first.
Her eyes widened round before she covered her mouth with a hand and smiled gently. Her slightly drooping eyes curved softly.
"Prince! You've become so splendid in the short time since we last met. Elizabeth will be over the moon!"
Clink. The Holy Emperor set down his teacup with a slightly rougher sound.
His eyes widened just a fraction, but otherwise his expression barely changed—though Seongjin's sharp eyes caught the faint tremor in his pupils.
Hold on?
If you're the most shocked one here, what am I supposed to do?
Staring at him in baffled betrayal, the Empress rose with a smile.
"Oh dear... I've been keeping an invalid tied up with work talk without realizing. I'll take my leave so you two can enjoy your time."
"Then I'll leave the rest to you, Tatiana."
"Yes, Your Holiness. Just don't forget the Nativity Festival is near."
She glided toward Seongjin with fluid, elegant motions.
Tall and elegant like a crane, she was a beauty with droplet-like drooping eye corners and a perpetual soft smile. Bowing slightly to Seongjin, she whispered,
"I'm overjoyed to see the prince so healthy again. His Majesty must have worried endlessly. Now, I hear there's been some issue with your memory?"
"Yes, well......"
Unsure of the proper etiquette, he replied with a sullen face, and the Empress's lips curved faintly.
"Don't dwell on it, Your Highness. Let bygones be bygones, and everyone will rejoice."
"......?"
He had no idea what she was getting at, but it felt like a veiled jab.
Frowning unconsciously at the inexplicable discomfort, Seongjin watched as the Empress stepped back with an innocuous smile.
"Then I'll be off."
She glanced at the Holy Emperor's suddenly chilly eyes, curtsied gracefully, and left the reception room.
"......"
"Sit."
The Holy Emperor nodded toward the opposite sofa. Shoving aside his lingering unease about the Empress, Seongjin plopped down.
"Not too busy for a visit?"
"No, perfect timing. Starting tomorrow, I'll be in seclusion for a while—no audiences or official duties. Won't see your face for some time."
"What? Do you need long-term recuperation?"
He looked perfectly fine.
As Seongjin puzzled over it, the Holy Emperor shook his head.
"I'm entering the prayer chamber soon. Just handing off duties a bit early as a bonus."
"The prayer chamber?"
"...Another thing you don't remember, huh."
According to him, he occasionally secluded himself for several days of prayer.
During that time, he delegated official duties to the Empress and authority to the council chairman and executive directors among the cardinals before entering seclusion.
Deep in the Main Palace lay a vast prayer chamber accessible only to the Holy Emperor, sealed by the Holy Knights during his retreat so no one could enter or exit.
A theocracy after all—the national leader even did closed-door prayer retreats.
Having been close to an atheist in his old world, Seongjin couldn't help asking,
"Prayer for what? The Empire? Does it... work?"
It was a rather blunt question for the proxy of the gods, but his answer was surprisingly nonchalant.
"At least people believe it does."
So it's just an official slacking-off.
True enough, the Holy Emperor—dressed casually without his usual vestments and sipping tea—somehow looked relieved, like he was on vacation.
"Speaking of which, looks like you've finally made progress with aura cultivation. Still just the first layer, though."
Seongjin realized his gaze was fixed on his dantian and felt certain.
This guy really can see aura or whatever with his eyes.
"Yes, thanks to Father, I've formed my first aura layer at last. Which brings up a question."
"A question."
"Yes. What the hell happened to my body?"
The near-miraculous transformation couldn't be explained merely by sensing aura. Seongjin was convinced yesterday's incident had played a major role.
"Hm......"
The Holy Emperor averted his gaze slightly.
"I have my suspicions......"
His trailing voice sounded uncharacteristically uncertain.
"As you know, aura restores the body and reshapes it toward an ideal form."
Seongjin had heard plenty from Masain. Aura flowing through the body gradually improved it in positive ways.
But wasn't that supposed to be a slow process over a lifetime?
"It's less about time and more about total aura volume."
His explanation went like this: Even daily cultivation had limits to how much aura the body could absorb and wield over a lifetime. Supply enough aura, though, and changes could happen rapidly.
Which meant,
"The amount of aura that passed through my body yesterday exceeded what a human could handle in an entire lifetime?"
Seongjin's jaw dropped. Was that even possible?