Chapter 246
Chapter: 246
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 246
>Chapter Title: Return (6)
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>"Father Emperor..."
A flicker of tension crossed Logan's face as he opened his mouth.
"Could it be that you forcibly seized Lady Sharon's body? What has happened to her soul now?"
[...]
The Holy Emperor's eyes widened slightly as he gazed at Logan. It seemed like quite an unexpected question to him.
But from Logan's perspective, it was a perfectly natural doubt.
It hadn't been long since he learned that Cadmos, the first Holy Emperor, had been seizing the bodies of successive saintesses and erasing their souls. That man was still arbitrarily manipulating the body of Saintess Serise right now.
So, from Logan's standpoint, who knew nothing of spirit abilities or soul crystals, it was reasonable to suspect whether the Holy Emperor had done something similar to Lady Sharon.
[...Yes. I understand well what you're worried about.]
The Holy Emperor replied with a bitter tone, tapping the floor lightly with his toe once more.
[It is not so. Lady Sharon simply possesses a special ability different from that of ordinary people, and I am merely borrowing it for a time. Her soul remains intact at present, and everything I do is done with her consent. So, you can rest assured.]
Detecting the voice laden with telepathy was a novel experience, but even so, Logan felt that his words carried the resonance of truth.
"Of course, I didn't truly believe that Your Majesty would do such a thing..."
Somehow sensing the Holy Emperor's mood turn somber, Logan floundered unwittingly before his face hardened coldly, and he shut his mouth.
What pointless excuse was he making? Hadn't he indeed suspected him?
He always held the Holy Emperor's character in high regard, but as the emperor of the empire, he constantly reminded himself not to lower his guard forever.
[Is that all you're curious about?]
The Holy Emperor asked again in a deliberately casual tone.
'What on earth does this man want to tell me?'
Logan furrowed his brow in confusion, then suddenly recalled the offhand explanation the Holy Emperor had given while coming here.
-People's presence is determined by various factors. Among them, memories and experiences have a profound influence on one's presence.
If it was coincidence, it was truly uncanny.
As if he knew Logan was pondering Mores's presence.
'...No. It's not a coincidence.'
Noticing the Holy Emperor's unwavering gaze upon him even then, Logan realized.
It was the gaze of one called God's proxy, feared by all. Eyes that seemed to pierce through not just thoughts but the unconscious beyond, radiating deep and sharp brilliance.
'He really intends to talk about Mores!'
This terrifying man truly knew everything.
But Logan felt gladness before fear. It was a grateful opportunity, as he rarely got to ask such difficult questions.
He resolved not to miss this rare chance.
"Yes. There is something I've been curious about for a while. I've heard that Your Majesty can see people's souls plainly with your eyes. Is that true?"
Yes. As Seongjin had said, how could he not suspect Mores of being a malevolent spirit when his presence was so different, unless he could distinguish souls? How could he treat him like his own son?
-Do not sin. God's proxy sees through your tainted souls!
It was one of the sermons priests loved to deliver during mass, but Logan had dismissed it as a convenient slogan to indoctrinate the populace.
That view changed probably right after meeting Seongjin.
-You don't really think that guy doesn't know you're not an ordinary person, do you? That man sees souls with his eyes.
Seongjin had also said things like this.
-Of course, he mumbled something about only knowing after dying, but I think he dodged because it was hard to answer. Why not? Sometimes he stares at the top of my head for no reason. If that's not seeing souls, what is?
And now, the Holy Emperor seemed to recall the same person at that question.
[Yes. I can tell who you heard it from.]
The Holy Emperor let out a low chuckle and nodded.
[That statement is correct. Indeed, my eyes can see people's souls.]
"Then, Your Majesty."
Feeling his throat inexplicably dry up, Logan pressed on with difficulty.
"Is the current Mores... really Mores?"
It came out as a somewhat odd question, but even so, Logan took care not to utter 'Seongjin''s name even by mistake.
If by any chance the Holy Emperor truly didn't know of Seongjin's existence, this question might unnecessarily expose his identity.
'It might stir up trouble unnecessarily. But...'
Even risking that slight danger, there was something Logan absolutely had to confirm from the Holy Emperor.
If Seongjin was truly Mores himself, that would be ideal, but if not, what did the Holy Emperor plan to do with him, the malevolent spirit?
'If he intends to eliminate Seongjin right away, how can I persuade this man?'
Even as he awaited the answer, Logan's mind whirled in complexity. The Holy Emperor's expression watching him grew equally subtle.
[Yes. You've been like that 'before' as well. Always worrying about others' positions before your own. It's undoubtedly a praiseworthy virtue, yet sometimes it seemed like foolishness.]
...Before?
Catching the subtle nuance, Logan responded cautiously.
"As a member of the Holy Imperial family, prioritizing the well-being of the subjects over my own is only natural, Your Majesty."
[...]
At that, the Holy Emperor lowered his eyes and gazed quietly at his feet.
Tap, tap.
The blood-soaked earth from the magic beast splashed up lightly with each kick.
[Very well. Let us speak of Mores. You grew up together in the Blue Rose Palace from childhood, did you not? So I thought if anyone would first question that child, it would surely be you.]
Logan listened intently to those words, his gaze fixed on the small pit forming bit by bit.
[Yet I waited for when you might ask me, but even when opportunities arose, you never inquired.]
"That's because..."
It was because he couldn't be sure how you would react upon learning of Seongjin's existence.
But more importantly, there was a more fundamental reason.
'Probably because I still can't fully trust you even now.'
And that man surely knew it too.
Scrape, scrape.
The Holy Emperor pushed the dug-up soil roughly aside and lifted his head to look straight at Logan.
[Is that truly all you wished to ask? Surely you must have many questions about yourself as well.]
"...!"
For an instant, Logan's face stiffened rigidly.
The implication of the Holy Emperor's gaze was all too clear.
-I see your soul, yet why do you not ask about yourself?
But why bring it up so suddenly now?
Hadn't they both been pretending not to know and getting along fine until now? There was no particular reason for him to raise that issue abruptly.
'...Ah!'
Come to think of it, there was a trigger.
-I've seen you up close! You were surely a sacrifice offered to the Penance!
The demon who had shouted nonsense upon seeing Logan.
If it hadn't been a demon that could be reverse-summoned to the demon realm at any time, Logan would surely have captured him and interrogated the full story.
-Your death had more at stake than you think! If the guardian hadn't whisked you away, many things would have changed by now!
Yes, this man already knew even that.
Then did he know the answers too? The circumstances behind Ortona’s fall, the demons' filthy schemes, and even his own inexplicable reincarnation.
Did he want to tell me all of that?
'But...'
Even so, Logan couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.
The Holy Emperor carefully examined the complex emotions in his eyes before finally letting out a small sigh.
[People rarely change. You've always disregarded yourself, trying to trust and understand even those who sought to harm you. Even if it meant being betrayed by them in the end.]
Was the 'previous' you speak of referring to Logan's childhood, or Gael Bertrand's lifetime?
Logan still faintly remembered Gael's final moments and what happened beyond death. The white light enveloping him and the gentle voice murmuring softly in his ear.
-You did well, my son.
Thinking about it, how many in this world would call me son?
But how could that have been you? You were a boy as young as I am now back then.
[But as your father, I wish from now on that you would cherish yourself a little more.]
And in that moment, Logan realized what he had been hesitating over all this time.
The same reason he had hesitated to ask about Seongjin.
He feared that confronting that doubt directly might cause his present reality to crumble in an instant. That this current relationship might change into something else, and he had preemptively grown afraid.
'I can't be this man's son, but I didn't want to cease being family altogether either!'
The complex thoughts he had unconsciously suppressed exploded forth the moment he recognized them.
Glancing at Logan's eyes trembling anxiously with conflicting emotions, the Holy Emperor nodded.
[Yes. It seems the time has not yet come.]
With those words, the Holy Emperor waited silently until Logan regained his composure.
Tap, tap.
He didn't forget to occasionally tap at his feet.
It was a meaningless motion, but by now, Logan couldn't help but grow a little conscious of his toe.
How much time passed like that? The Holy Emperor glanced briefly at the distant sky and spoke.
[The time has come at last. First, I shall answer your question. People often look for what's right in front of them in the wrong places.]
The Holy Emperor did not speak definitively. Not 'Seongjin is your brother' or 'Seongjin is actually Mores.'
He merely spoke vaguely, as always.
[Do you understand? You need not seek that child elsewhere.]
"...!"
But even so, it was enough. The resonance of that answer rang with truth, and what that fact implied was singular.
As Logan looked at him with wide eyes, the Holy Emperor smiled faintly.
[Logan.]
Despite the faint warmth in his eyes, they held a gentle light somewhere. It was probably the same gaze he had shown consistently since first meeting Logan.
[You safely rescued Mores. You did very well.]
Tap.
And in an instant, a hand rose above the sword master's head unawares.
It was such a natural motion that Logan only belatedly realized he was patting his head like a child's.
[As promised, I'll increase your allowance.]
That was the last thing the Holy Emperor said.
"Ugh!"
The exorcist staggered for a moment before bending over and vomiting violently.
And the Holy Emperor's presence vanished in an instant.
"...Lady Sharon?"
"Ah, yes. It's me, Your Highness. Heh heh."
The exorcist who raised her head had eyes returned to their original black.
However, as she grinned widely, splitting her lips, she covered her mouth again with her hand and let out a low groan.
"Ughhh. Still, the aftereffects of Rift are too severe. And they say this is much better? I have no idea how His Majesty endures this normally."
"Aftereffects?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I'd love to talk more, but honestly, I feel like I'm dying, so I need to lie down somewhere right now."
Her words didn't seem empty; Lady Sharon was drenched in cold sweat.
"Then I'll take my leave."
The pale-faced exorcist staggered away from the spot.
But then something caught Logan's eye. The place where Lady Sharon had stood.
Part of the blood-soaked ground was dug quite deeply. The spot the Holy Emperor had been kicking habitually earlier.
'...?'
And something odd was visible inside it.
'No wonder he was doing something he doesn't usually do. There must have been a reason!'
Logan knelt and hurriedly dug through the soil. Then he spotted a familiar object and sharply inhaled.
Buried in the dirt was a small stone emitting a yellow glow.
'This is...!'
The magic stone he had given to Seongjin.
The very one he had despaired over losing right after waking up.
* * *
"No, Sir Knight. Is that really true? A Glacial Troll?"
"Indeed. I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Come on, no way. Tales of valor are built on embellishment and exaggeration by default, but isn't this a bit much?"
Sir Oscar then glared at the young bard.
"You doubt my word? Why on earth would I embellish or exaggerate what an outsider did in our territory?"
"Ah, well, sure."
Lorang pondered with a troubled expression before plucking the strings and beginning his song.
Twang.
The prince pointed to the white horizon with a flick of his fingers.
Behold, the intruders in the frigid cold! Those are our age-old foes!
At that light gesture, the mountain-like ice monster rose...
Twang.
But then he sighed as if the ground had caved in.
"It's not going to sell, is it? The exaggeration is so over the top, we'll be lucky if we don't get laughed at."
"But that's the truth as I saw it? Maybe your tune is just bad?"
"Is the tune the problem now? Put your hand on your heart, Sir Knight! This isn't the era of the Three Ancient Dragons anymore. Do you think people will buy into this kind of oral myth?"
"Hmm..."
Certainly, the scale was excessively grand and epic. It didn't balance well for adorning the early parts of a hero's saga.
The lyrics alone could spawn an epic surpassing even the first Holy Emperor.
"Then how about this? Make a song of Prince Logan's exploits?"
"Oh, what feats did that one accomplish?"
It was a fairly tempting proposal.
Prince Logan was the fruit of love from the protagonists of 'The Wandering Prince and the Blue-Eyed Maiden.' Surely he could craft an exciting sequel.
But that anticipation lasted only a moment.
"No, Sir Knight, exaggeration has its limits! A boy not even twenty yet, a Sword Master?!"
"That's what really happened."
"Is it fun to tease a desperate artist like that? Huh?"
After bickering for a while like that, the two spotted a boy approaching rapidly from afar.
"Huh?"
It was none other than the topic of conversation, Prince Logan.
Sir Oscar hurriedly straightened his posture and asked.
"Prince Logan! Where are you rushing off to? If it's not too much trouble, could you say a word to this friend..."
"Good work, both of you!"
But the prince tossed out an unexpected reply and vanished into the count's residence like an arrow!
"...What in the world is going on?"
The two stared at each other in bewilderment.
* * *
Rustle, rustle.
Meanwhile, Seongjin, lying on the bed, couldn't settle down and was growing impatient. Unable to stand it, the Demon King chided him.
[I knew it would be like this. I knew it. Foolish me for believing you had even a shred of patience. How long has it been since your father left...]
No, this time I'll really hold back. I won't even glance at the ice heart.
I promised. Absolutely no trying alone.
Seongjin squeezed his eyes shut, furrowed his brow, and tried to think of something else.
'Yeah, better to meditate instead!'
Lately, he'd been so busy his aura training had stalled. Just as Seongjin finally put the ice heart out of mind and began focusing,
Boom!
Someone flung the door open violently and rushed in.
It was Logan.
"Huh?"
As Seongjin blinked wide-eyed and sat up, Logan strode to the bed with a rigidly set face.
"Logan? What's wrong..."
But Seongjin couldn't finish. Logan closed in instantly and wrapped one arm around his neck.
Squeeze.
"Guhk?"
Crack.
He pulled so hard that something odd sounded from his neck bones!
Seongjin panicked.
"Hey, you idiot! Father just fixed it, and now what the hell?!"
But as he flailed and patted Logan's back, Seongjin noticed something strange. The guy, headlock in place and head bowed, was trembling faintly.
Wait, why was this guy suddenly like this?
"...I'm glad."
And a mumbling voice reached his ears.
"Huh?"
"I thought I might never find your soul again."
In that instant, Seongjin intuited.
This guy had learned something.
"Uh..."
Unsure how to react, he flustered, and soon his shoulder grew damp.
"I'm really glad, Mores."