Chapter 274
Chapter: 274
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 274
>Chapter Title: In the Dream Path (3)
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>“The battle in the pitch-black night was like a nightmare itself, but we pressed forward, trusting in the Lord and leaning on the glory emanating from the Knight of Grace. When it was all over and I came to my senses, lo and behold, wasn’t this right before the Knight of Grace?”
The prince raised high the object in his hand so the assembly could see it. It was the ice heart, transformed by Dexter’s craftsmanship into something like a small key.
Ooh—
Exclamations of awe erupted here and there. The faintly glowing key looked anything but ordinary at first glance.
Not only that, but the paladins who enhanced their vision with auras could make out the distinct emblem of the Lord engraved on the small key. Whatever it was, it was clearly a holy artifact.
“In that moment, I instinctively knew. This was another sign from the Lord, the key to activate the Knight of Grace. Even after saving the Sigismund Territory, the Knight of Grace willingly remained in this world to protect Delcross.”
Murmurs spread through the hall—
The mighty ice knight continued to protect the capital and the palace!
Hearing the tale directly from the prince rather than as mere rumor gradually transformed the assembly’s vague suspicions into thrilled anticipation.
“…What a beautiful story.”
Lady Agnes, seated beside Wesker, whispered with a gentle smile.
As the captain of the Saint Grazier Knights, she was past seventy and had remained in the capital, leaving the Fourth Missionary Corps bound for the south in the hands of her adjutant.
“Now that I’m getting on in years, I find myself drawn to these dreamlike tales that bind everyone together.”
A dreamlike fiction, in other words. She seemed to have seen through the bluster in much of the prince’s account.
Yet even so, Lady Agnes’s eyes gazed warmly at him, as if watching a playful grandson perform tricks.
“I feel the same. Heh.”
Wesker replied, but the moment he looked toward the throne, he struggled to suppress a chuckle.
He had caught the faint, fleeting expression that crossed the Holy Emperor’s otherwise stoic face.
*Cut it out already, son.*
Wesker had worked alongside the Holy Emperor for many years and had himself resorted to less-than-honest means on several occasions.
Some of those had danced right on the edge of outright fraud. Of course, they had only been possible with the Holy Emperor’s tacit approval.
But who would have thought he’d live to see the day when that man grimaced at someone else’s con artistry!
“I thought it when you spirited the prisoners out of the capital guardhouse, but what a cheeky one you are.”
Wesker fundamentally admired that sort of scoundrelly flair.
To her, who believed it was fine to cross lines now and then for the right outcome, such people weren’t criminals—just folks you could reason with.
Somehow, in a different way from the Holy Emperor, she felt she’d get along quite well with Prince Mores.
“Ah, it’s terrifying. That unknown thing is bewitching everyone! If we leave it be...!”
Not everyone was so approving, of course.
Tsk!
Cardinal Mayer had shot him warning glances several times, but Cardinal Benitus was already too worked up to care about the eyes on him.
At that moment, a heavy voice halted him.
“Cardinal Benitus.”
A voice like rusted iron scraping, ominous and cracked. It was Sir Leandro, captain of the Saint Terbakia Order.
His face, dry and lifeless as withered wood, rarely betrayed emotion, but now it glared coldly down at the cardinal.
“Prince Mores took on advisory duties for the monster suppression unit at my earnest request. And he returned with achievements no one can belittle. If you spout any more words that besmirch His Majesty and His Highness, I will not stand idly by.”
The chief of all exorcists. The man rumored to make even demons flee in fear—Sir Leandro.
As that gloomy, sinister gaze fell upon him, Cardinal Benitus flinched and clamped his mouth shut like a mute.
“Hoo.”
Lady Agnes watched, whispering in surprise.
“I’ve crossed paths with him often in the palace over the years, but this is the first time I’ve seen him step forward for someone like that.”
Wesker nodded in agreement.
Leandro was indeed a man shrouded in mysteries.
Like Captain Katrina, he was counted among the Holy Emperor’s innermost circle, yet little was known about him beyond his frequent absences from the capital on duties.
By then, the prince’s report had reached its conclusion.
“And so, I present this token of glory to my father, the proxy of the Lord and supreme ruler of the continent.”
The ice heart was handed to a servant, then passed to Head Servant Louis.
Finally receiving the object, the Holy Emperor stared silently at the prince’s back for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
“I’ve heard that praises for the Lord and the Holy Imperial Family abound even on-site, just as Prince Mores reported. The Lord is said to reside where there is will, so the princes’ devotion to their subjects must have been that profound.”
At last, the Holy Emperor’s calm voice echoed through the grand hall.
“Mores, Logan. Though young, you have accomplished deeds beyond reproach as members of the Holy Imperial Family. As a father before the emperor, I am immensely proud of you.”
“…Thank you.”
For some reason, the prince hesitated briefly before responding, his plain gratitude a stark contrast to his earlier florid rhetoric.
The Holy Emperor smiled faintly and concluded.
“Today is a momentous day. To commemorate the princes’ safe return with honors, I shall host a grand banquet in the palace.”
* * *
Seongjin had prepared refrigerators for most of the palace buildings in advance. And they became a huge topic among the servants preparing the banquet.
“It’s a small cold storage made from the witch capital’s melt-proof ice.”
“Egrmoney! The witch capital? Then it’s cursed, ain’t it?”
“Haha, it’s fine, Head Chef. His Highness said there was a phenomenon around the land blessed by the Knight of Grace where the ice didn’t melt. They mined it and made these, so it must be holy, right?”
In any case, the refrigerators received rave reviews from everyone.
Only the Holy Emperor, upon seeing the small one delivered to his office, paled slightly and muttered.
“My head…”
“Pardon? Your Majesty, your head? Do you have a headache?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
If Seongjin had known, he probably would have grinned and said it outright.
*Ah, as expected, Father would notice? This is the noble sacrifice of Bingsu No. 4. A refrigerator made by dividing its body into 11 segments. For the office, I specially used the head one. Haha!*
In any event, the generously made refrigerators were delivered to each palace.
Not just the main palace and office, but Pearl Palace, Silver Rose Palace, Blue Rose Palace, the twins’ residence, and the palaces of each empress and consort.
Of course, these weren’t controlled separately by the ice heart.
The ice heart wasn’t abundant enough for that, nor were they valuables like the cold wagons entrusted to Schmidt that required heavy theft concerns.
It would be troublesome if a servant accidentally opened one wrong and all the palace refrigerators merged back into Bingsu No. 4.
And sooner than expected, there was a gift-giving ceremony.
Before attending the palace banquet, all his siblings inexplicably swarmed Pearl Palace.
“Sorry I couldn’t come greet you first, big brother.”
Cissley approached with a bright, joyful face. The girl, once doll-like, now wore a far more lively expression.
“But I promised you I wouldn’t skip knight training.”
“Good for you. Training must always be diligent.”
Uttering words like an elder, Seongjin suddenly realized the kid before him was even younger than he’d thought. And more welcome, too.
Trailing behind her was still the unwelcome fake saintess, of course.
“Shaaak!”
Ah, tone it down!
If you can’t keep a proper distance, don’t come—or better yet, bring Cardmos! Where’s that old man?
“This is the gift I prepared for you, sister.”
Seongjin first handed Amelia a long package.
“You must have had it rough in Sigismund Territory, yet you found time for this? Thank you, Mores.”
Amelia unwrapped the gift with a delighted face.
Seeing the pitch-black, ominous sword inside, she froze, speechless, her breath catching as if deeply shocked.
“…The shape’s a bit rough, but it’s a great famed sword, sister. I guarantee it, and I know my Henesis longswords.”
Logan chimed in cautiously from the side, worried. But it was unnecessary.
“Co… cool!”
Exhaling heavily, Amelia let out a cry of delight. Her white cheeks flushed visibly, her clear eyes sparkling like stars.
A girl fallen head over heels at first sight—that was her.
“It’s so, so cool! It’s exactly the sword I’ve dreamed of!”
Though she’d visited the palace reports several times with the Holy Emperor’s permission, she’d never found a sword to her liking.
Yet here was his little brother, as if peering into her mind, bringing one perfectly suited to her taste.
Caressing the jagged, fearsome blade in rapture, Amelia turned to Seongjin.
“I’m so happy, Mores! Thank you so much!”
“No big deal.”
Amelia’s intense reaction lifted Seongjin’s spirits too.
“But, Mores, could you hold it for a bit?”
“Huh?”
“And strike a pose here. Hmm, Banahas Fifth Form should do.”
“…Huh?”
Bewildered, Seongjin awkwardly complied with her command, and Amelia beamed, unable to hide her joy.
Then, clenching her fists, she murmured intensely.
“Perfect! Let’s have your portrait painted! We’ll call in the palace’s best artist!”
…Huh?
*Well, she’s happy, so that’s what matters?*
Cissley was just as thrilled with her gift.
Seeing the toddling little ice bear, she was deeply moved.
“You’re really giving this one to me? I’ve never seen a doll like this! It’s so pretty!”
See? She likes it.
Seongjin shot a confident look at Logan’s worried face and Masain.
“Thank you so much, Mores big brother. But what’s its name?”
“Uh, Bingsu No. 3.”
“Hey. From now on, live with me. I’ll give you a cool name, cute baby bear.”
…Hey, wait a sec?
Kid. That guy’s got a proper name: Bingsu No. 3.
[Al~la~view!]
The bear tilted its head and emitted an electronic chirp, and the saintess hugged it tightly, touched.
“I don’t know what it’s saying, but somehow just listening warms my heart.”
It was purely Seongjin’s mistake.
He’d assumed a talking bear would just say ‘Allabiu’ no matter what, but in Delcross, no one would understand it.
“How does a bear you brought know Earth’s ‘Allabiu’? Suspicious as ever!”
Only the fake saintess Seo Iseo eyed him suspiciously, but no one paid her any mind.
“There’s a controller to operate it too. I’ll explain the functions in detail later.”
And there were gifts for the twins as well: a pair of small ice bracelets to wear on the arms.
He’d gotten the idea from seeing Dexter’s [Thought Blocking Veil] in the workshop. For some reason, the twins had immediately come to mind.
He’d hounded Dexter relentlessly to make two with the same function.
*We have some too?*
Herne and Gades took the gifts with expressions tinged with surprise, as if not expecting any.
“Of course I’d get you something too. We’re family.”
Plus, for some reason, even back in Sigismund Territory, he’d often felt their presence. It nagged at him, like he’d received heaps of subtle help.
“It’s super cool…”
“And quiet…”
Fortunately, the twins, now wearing the bracelets, looked oddly relaxed, unlike at first.
Since they seemed to like them quite a bit, best not delve into what they were made from. Some secrets are better buried.
“I once accidentally opened a channel briefly, and my mind went wild. Couldn’t think straight. So I made this function. Figured random noise would distract from focusing on games.”
At that, the two gazed at Seongjin with deeply moved faces.
“It blocks thoughts between us too?”
“We can game just the two of us now.”
Really? It wasn’t meant that deeply, but glad it worked out.
Now point those blades at each other, you chess terrorists.
“Stop tormenting Father now and play chess just between yourselves from now on. Got it?”
“Wow! Mores!”
Rarely, the twins cried out in unison and latched onto Seongjin’s arms.
“Love you! Mores!”
“You’re the best! Mores!”
Deeply satisfied, they rubbed their cheeks against his sleeves.
The twins always had a somewhat flat tone despite their lively words, but now genuine joy radiated from them.
*Well, worth the gifts.*
As Seongjin thought that—
“Mores, do you know how to play chess at all, by chance?”
“Mores, wanna play chess together sometimes?”
“It’s okay if you don’t. We’ll teach you good!”
“Yeah, learn up. We won’t bully you too much!”
In that instant, Seongjin felt a chill run down his spine.
“Ah, you two play by yourselves!”
Why drag me into it? You’re making me nervous!