Chapter 245
Chapter: 245
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 245
>Chapter Title: Return (5)
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From a good while after that, Seongjin remained buried in the waterfall of holy power.
His body became perfectly fine in an instant.
As expected, they said the power's nature was on another level altogether—the holy power was so immense that it rendered Logan's efforts and those of the priests from yesterday onward utterly pointless.
Yet for some reason, even after his body had fully healed, the cascading waterfall of light showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.
*Just how long is this going to...*
Seongjin's mind grew a touch uneasy.
Wasn't this nothing short of a meaningless waste of a true "miracle"? On top of that, it looked for all the world like he was nestled in the arms of some random woman from outside, which was more than a little embarrassing.
Still, Seongjin decided to let the Holy Emperor have his way for the moment.
The more holy power poured down, the more noticeably the trembling in his arm subsided.
[I'm sorry, my son.]
At last, the Holy Emperor released Seongjin and spoke in a subdued tone.
He hastily peeled off the eye bandage, revealing that the man's pupils had already regained their usual calm gleam.
[I thought I would never leave you alone forever, but in the end, I neglected you during your hardest time.]
Even so, the man's gloom seeped through unfiltered, leaving Seongjin with no choice but to offer a sly smile.
"It's not your fault, Father. Did a rift open up in the imperial palace in the meantime? Whatever it was, there had to have been some unavoidable emergency, right?"
[.......]
"If anything, it's my fault. I was managing my stamina as best I could, but my condition took a sudden nosedive with no warning—there was nothing anyone could do."
The Holy Emperor peered down at him then with an inscrutable expression.
Judging by the silver glow that flickered in his eyes now and then, he seemed to be rapidly scanning something invisible to others.
[...I see. Once your aura started tangling, it spiraled out of control in an instant.]
The Holy Emperor let out a sigh at last and stroked Seongjin's head.
*Tap tap.*
[Not sure if I should say you learned too well or that your talent went overboard. You handle mental images and intent as naturally as breathing, and that's what brought on these side effects.]
Sure enough, the root cause had been the aura inside him moving on its own in response to Seongjin's will.
After his body had been tossed around several times like that, even the aura unconsciously shielding his eyes got caught up in the mess, sending his vision into a rapid decline.
"So what do we do now?"
[There's no real fix for it. Your only option is to practice until you learn how to consciously separate your intent, step by step.]
A faint flicker of bitterness passed through the man's steady gaze.
[But once you get the hang of it, who knows what else you'll pull off on that foundation...]
"Hm..."
Seongjin averted his eyes, feeling oddly called out, when something suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Ah, right! That!"
Seongjin perked up in an instant and flung his arms wide in an exaggerated flourish to lighten the mood.
"Anyway, Father—I picked up the most amazing souvenir!"
"Souvenir."
"Yeah! Don't freak out when you see it. This is the real deal, a one-of-a-kind specialty from Sigismund territory! Good luck finding it anywhere else."
Seongjin strode right over to the bedside table and proudly pulled out the ice hearts he'd stashed in the corner—three small chunks of ice emitting a faint glow.
"Know what these are? Controllers for commanding Glacier Trolls!"
"Glacier Tr..."
"I even named them. Bingsoo! I'll haul back as many as we have family members to the capital! One for everyone in the palace, and it'll stay nice and cool even in summer. What do you think?"
"......"
The Holy Emperor fell silent for a moment before slowly raising a hand to his forehead.
[Yes... Bingsoo...]
*Whoa, Father gets it!*
First person around here to nail the Bingsoo pronunciation. Seongjin sparkled with admiration, but the Holy Emperor sighed softly and asked,
[You want to take those back to the capital?]
Of course Seongjin bobbed his head with gusto.
"Yeah, as many as possible. I especially want to show one to Sisley. She's always been dying to see a real Glacier Troll up close."
The pulse-pounding clash between the Wolf Knights and the Glacier Trolls.
Maybe the one part of that endless torment, the *[Delcross Chronicles*, that the kid actually liked?
The Holy Emperor's gaze grew grave then, like he was mulling something over deeply.
[...Take them as-is, and Benitoas will throw a fit, no doubt.]
*Ah, figured as much.*
[But shrink them down a little, and it should be fine.]
"Wait, really? That's possible?"
[It is. I'll clear some time soon to show you how to work them. Don't go messing around with them on your own.]
The way he said it gave off the vibe he'd be gone any second, so Seongjin blinked wide-eyed.
"You leaving already?"
[Yes. There are those who don't take kindly to me lingering here.]
Now that he thought about it, the Holy Emperor *had* been cutting back on possessing Sharon lately. Something about insufficient northern karma?
[And since I'm here anyway, there's somewhere I want to check in on.]
His gaze drifted into the distance as he stared off, then he gave Seongjin's head one last reassuring pat.
[We'll see each other again soon. You're heading straight back to the capital without any detours now, right?]
"Yes, Father."
The Holy Emperor quirked up one corner of his mouth at Seongjin's confident nod.
[Good. That's what I like to hear.]
And just like that?
No. Before leaving the room, the Holy Emperor delivered a solid flick to Seongjin's forehead and vanished.
*Snap!*
"Kweh...?"
It just didn't hurt as much as the sound suggested this time, which was weird.
Rubbing his forehead with an odd mix of feelings, Seongjin tucked the ice heart away neatly and settled back into bed.
[Didn't expect that? Figured you'd be itching to test it the second he left.]
The Demon King muttered, sounding baffled.
You deaf or something, Demon King? Father said he'd teach me, and *not* to try it solo.
[You? Taking that advice? Yi Sungjin of all people?]
*'Course.*
Time to step up my good-son game from here on out.
[*Sigh*, who do you think you are...]
*'Shut it!'*
* * *
Meanwhile, Logan—finally disarmed and seated across from Masain at the table—eyed his cousin's face with care.
"Not a little put out?"
"Put out? About what?"
"Mores going back to calling you like he used to."
Logan treaded lightly.
He'd long known Masain held Mores in special regard.
The kid had always trailed after Masain since he was little, and compared to the more grown-up Logan, he was the type who needed extra watching—natural that affection built up along the way.
But after finally calling him "brother," reverting to "Sir Masain" must sting.
Masain's reaction, though, caught him off guard.
"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, Your Highness. Prince Mores sleep-talks like that sometimes."
"...Pardon?"
"He does it now and then at night."
Masain explained to the flabbergasted Logan, calm as ever.
"It came to light thanks to a report from his personal maid. Started after that awful fever, so at first I was concerned enough to check on His Highness at night pretty often."
Which meant around the time Seongjin first snuck out of the palace. Masain had kept a discreet watch on the prince's sleep for a stretch after.
He'd unintentionally disturbed the rest a few times, too. Prince Mores had senses far beyond the ordinary, after all—even the most careful peek often woke him right up.
"And every time, he'd call out for me like that."
*Masain, brother*, or whatever.
Logan's face stiffened as he listened.
"But come morning, he remembers nothing at all."
"Nothing... at all?"
"Right. Not just waking up—he forgets the whole encounter with me."
Logan's look turned grim, and Masain—reading into it somehow—offered a faint smile to set him at ease.
"No need to fret. It went on for a few days straight, but there weren't any real red flags with His Highness's health. Got me thinking: even if the fever wiped most of his memories, maybe fragments linger deep in his unconscious."
"Memories..."
"Yes. Asked the physician Ninnia over at Pearl Palace about it, and she explained that amnesia patients will sometimes dredge up bits of lost memory when something specific triggers it. Though they might blank out new memories in the bargain."
"......!"
Logan's face drained of color.
Masain's words had planted a brand-new possibility—one Logan had never once entertained before.
*...Your Highness? Highness, what's wrong all of a sudden?*
It was because Seongjin's words from their first meeting rang so utterly genuine—he'd never even considered it till now.
*'Yi Sungjin claims he's not Mores and has no clue where Mores's soul went. But what if Yi Sungjin himself doesn't grasp his full situation?'*
What if Mores's memories lingered in Yi Sungjin's unconscious? And surfaced now and then in his sleep?
But that wasn't the half of it. Why assume Yi Sungjin could only forget memories from his "Mores days"?
Especially when Logan himself retained his past life's memories in full.
*'What if Yi Sungjin is actually Mores's reincarnation? Reborn as Mores, forgot his past life, then the fever jogged it loose?'*
And in exchange, he forgot the memories of his life *as* Mores?
It would explain every lingering question.
The way Logan sometimes saw echoes of Mores's childhood in Yi Sungjin.
Even the Holy Emperor—who had to know exactly what Yi Sungjin was—leaving him be without interference.
*'But...'*
Still, Yi Sungjin's presence felt utterly unlike Mores's. No way Logan could mix them up. So how did that factor in?
That was when Logan sank into profound confusion.
An unfamiliar presence slipped into their dining hall all at once. Whoever it was had suppressed their aura so flawlessly that even Sword Master Logan hadn't sensed their approach.
"Ah, Sir Sharon."
"......!"
Masain lit up and called out, sending Logan whipping around in high alert.
*Caught from behind? By who?*
There stood an exorcist—familiar on the surface, yet somehow off.
"...Sir Sharon?"
It *looked* exactly like Sir Sharon, sure.
But those silver-gray eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light. Logan would know those distinctive pupils anywhere.
*'Father?'*
The exorcist spoke then, his voice echoing straight inside Logan's skull like nothing else.
[Logan, care to step out for a walk, if you're free?]
* * *
Logan knew the exorcist's presence well enough from all their monster-squad run-ins.
But this one striding ahead so purposefully?
*At first, it felt obvious: Holy Emperor.*
That's why he'd followed without hesitation.
Strictly speaking, though, the aura radiating from this exorcist wasn't a perfect match for the Holy Emperor's.
And that was just for starters—subtle shifts in posture and stride, born of differing physiques, stood out plainly enough.
Yet one thing never wavered.
That signature air cloaked in aura so precisely controlled and serene. Movements so ethereal they seemed oblivious to air or earth, presence blooming in solitude.
"Father?"
Logan finally ventured the question after tailing him awhile. He knew it sounded strange, but he couldn't phrase it any other way.
The exorcist replied without so much as glancing back.
[You saw through it after all, huh?]
"Yes. But your presence feels... off."
[Yes. Presence.]
The exorcist—no, the Holy Emperor, without a doubt—went on in even tones.
[You know this, Logan? All sorts of things shape a person's presence. Memories and experience have the biggest sway by far. Human experience just rarely loses its thread, so it doesn't shift much in short order.]
Then came the unexpected.
[Yours does too.]
"Pardon?"
[It flips several times a day. The changes are subtle enough that folks just breeze past them.]
Logan gaped, flustered, until the Holy Emperor halted at last in some nondescript spot.
The territory gate.
Still a chaotic mess strewn with monster corpses here and there.
Soldiers stomped relentlessly on Lycanslope hearts locked in stubborn regeneration, then spotted the pair and bowed deeply in awe. No way they'd miss the prince's crew after yesterday's heroics.
*'Why here, of all places?'*
Logan was still puzzling that out when—
*Tap tap.*
The Holy Emperor nudged the ground lightly with his toe and spoke.
[Yes, Logan. You've got questions for me. Out with them.]
The words he'd been waiting for.
"Yes. I do."
Logan squared his stance and met the Holy Emperor's eyes head-on.