Chapter 287
Chapter: 287
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 287
>Chapter Title: Impulse Soft (7)
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After a hectic morning schedule finally wrapped up, during the brief lunch break when he finally had some free time.
Seongjin, who had planned to sneak away for a moment to use the [Key], ran into an unexpected roadblock. His brothers and sisters had gathered in the Pearl Palace as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, waiting for him.
“You’ve been coming here every day for lunch?”
Seongjin was utterly baffled.
The owner wasn’t even around, so what was this about?
“Yeah, before you got back, it was Logan, Sisle, and the Saintess. Today’s the first time the twins have joined us, though.”
As Amelia said this, Herena and Gades—dressed in their usual matching outfits—poked their heads out from behind her, hands clasped tightly together, ice bracelets glinting on their wrists.
“I’ve heard the Pearl Palace head chef has quite the reputation.”
“We just need to set two extra places. Don’t be so stingy.”
No, I don’t have any reason to be stingy with you guys, do I?
Seongjin nodded awkwardly, only for the twins—who had been gazing up at him—to flash sly grins.
“By the way, Mores. Got time after lunch?”
“Want to play chess together once we’re done eating, Mores?”
“…….”
Shut up, you little demons!
Looks like I just found a reason to be stingy with you after all.
Clink, clink, clink.
In the meantime, platters of neatly prepared dishes kept arriving one after another, transforming the Pearl Palace dining hall into a full-blown banquet in an instant.
The greatly increased staff of the Pearl Palace—unlike before—served the meal without a hint of surprise, as if accustomed to this sort of atmosphere.
Soon, the children of the Holy Emperor settled into their seats with familiar ease. Even Sir Masin, who had been with Seongjin, ended up joining the meal by accident!
‘…How did it come to this?’
Where had those peaceful, quiet days in the Pearl Palace gone?
Seongjin was the only one who couldn’t adapt. Even the Demon King was bouncing around joyfully in his head.
[Seongjin! Look! There’s lemon pie over there! Can’t we start with dessert before the meal? Huh? Huh?]
Come to think of it, lemon pie had been on that food list the Demon King had rattled off once.
‘Whatever. Food’s food, no matter where you eat it.’
Giving up on his thoughts, Seongjin took his seat, and a hearty family lunch began.
Fluffy and soft.
Abundant dishes and a warm atmosphere overflowed from every direction.
“Um… Cardmos said this place feels too ticklish and stuffy.”
Most surprisingly, it was Seoiseo’s attitude—the one who had tagged along with Sisle.
Gripping the hem of the little Saintess’s clothes tightly, she actually softened her expression and expressed gratitude to Seongjin!
Her eyes still brimmed with wariness, but peeking through was unmistakably a fragment of genuine appreciation.
“Thanks for at least helping protect my meals, Black Curtain 2. I mean that sincerely.”
“Meals…?”
“They say you’ve got potential to be a great Benz protagonist, and you’ve got some decent qualities after all.”
…What the hell is this woman talking about?
Seongjin stared at her in bewilderment, but Seoiseo plopped down next to Sisle as if it were natural, her face smug. The moment she sat, she started devouring the food on the table like a madwoman.
No wonder she looked a bit plumper than before—her gluttony had reached terrifying levels.
“This scene feels like a dream come true.”
Seongjin quietly sampled the dishes the Demon King picked out one by one when Amelia, seated beside him, smiled softly as she spoke.
She had dark circles under her eyes almost as bad as his and had forgotten to eat, completely lost in the sight before her.
“You look tired, sis.”
“A bit. I haven’t gotten a proper night’s sleep in the last two days.”
“…….”
He had a hunch. She had probably tried sleeping while holding the milestone, just like him.
He hadn’t met her in the Pangea Chronicle, but if his guess was right, Amelia must have dreamed all night long.
“Did you see those old dreams again?”
At Seongjin’s question, Amelia blinked for a moment before breaking into a melting smile.
“Yes, Mores. I dreamed of the little girl who was loved more than anyone in this world. Every place she stepped was fascinating, and everything reflected in her eyes was simply beautiful. I can’t believe I forgot it all this time.”
Seongjin sensed a tinge of wistfulness lingering beneath her joyful tone and listened quietly to her words.
“So when I woke up and realized it wasn’t real, I missed that lost world terribly. It felt so heartbreaking.”
Amelia spoke in a dreamy haze, as if still in the dream, but her clear gray eyes, turned toward Seongjin, faced reality squarely.
“But Mores, now I think I understand. Look—it’s like heaven, isn’t it? I must have gone through those hard times just to see this today.”
“…….”
“‘She’ was right when she said I’d end up happier in the end.”
Seongjin didn’t pry further about this mysterious ‘her’ whose identity he couldn’t even guess.
Amelia didn’t either. For some reason, both tacitly avoided delving deeper into the woman in the black veil.
And both subtly realized the other knew it too.
“I heard this gem is called a milestone, sis.”
At the very least, Seongjin felt he had to tell her this much.
“Milestone?”
“Yeah, it’s probably something Grandmother left behind. Father would know the most about it, so maybe talk to him when you get a chance?”
Amelia stared at him as if hearing something unexpected, then broke into a shy, beaming smile.
“You’re right. That dream world was just for Father and me. Who else would I share this with but you?”
With that, the two turned their heads in unison, as if by agreement, and gazed at the scene before them.
Sisle and Logan chatting affectionately, the twins pestering Sir Masin noisily.
* * *
“Embroidery practice?”
The lunch banquet dragged on longer than expected, but astonishingly, it wasn’t the end.
They naturally migrated to the drawing room for after-meal tea, where the siblings laid out their embroidery supplies on the table.
‘…What the hell is this now?’
As Seongjin gawked in confusion, a kindly looking maid standing behind Amelia stepped forward.
“I’m Mirabel, the exclusive maid to the Princess. It’s the honor of a lifetime to show my humble skills to the children of the Holy Emperor.”
Uh, sure.
With her help, the children all grabbed needles and thread in unison, as if rehearsed, and dove into embroidery. Even Sir Masin, who had stumbled into the gathering!
“We promised to make you a pointy hat that suits you, old timer.”
“We said we’d decorate you with cool pouches and flowers.”
Even the twins, who seemed interested only in chess, were lost in a trance, clutching unfamiliar needles.
That’s when Seongjin learned something surprising: Sir Masin had surprisingly deft hands!
After carefully observing Mirabel’s explanations and demonstrations, he overcame a few trial errors and soon embroidered with skill.
Having stitched a few white petals onto a small pointy hat, he asked Mirabel proudly.
“How’s this?”
“Oh my, what a lovely hat! The embroidery placement and spacing blend perfectly with the fabric’s color. It’ll suit you wonderfully, sir!”
So, who the hell is this ‘old timer’ everyone’s been talking about?
Whatever—whoever this old timer is, if he wants to wear a pointy hat, he will. Why go out of your way to painstakingly make one that suits him?
Meanwhile, there was another person as serious about embroidery as Sir Masin.
Whirr.
Logan’s faint silver-blue aura flared up.
The sword master’s razor-sharp focus shook the drawing room air, gathering at the embroidery teacher’s fingertips.
“…Chop it finely.”
Mirabel’s skilled hand movements, the angle of the needle piercing the fabric, the consistent pull of the thread—without a single mistake.
Flash!
Logan’s eyes gleamed with fierce blue light.
“Chop it even finer. Divide the spacing between each stitch.”
“…….”
Watching quietly, Seongjin was dumbfounded.
Dude, is embroidery really worth that level of intensity?
In any case, thanks to his superhuman abilities, Logan eventually completed a fairly even little leaf embroidery.
His clear face broke into a rare, bright smile.
“Great! Now I can bring my old timer back from the church soon!”
…Uh, yeah.
Whatever it is, glad you’re happy.
After spending such a bustling afternoon, Seongjin finally got some alone time by skipping his afternoon training.
‘Tired….’
Lying down on his bed early, that’s what Seongjin thought.
This fatigue wasn’t just from pulling two all-nighters gaming. Even back on Earth as an only child, Seongjin had never gotten used to such family chaos.
-Look—it’s like heaven, isn’t it? I must have gone through those hard times just to see this today.
That’s what Amelia had said.
Seongjin blinked, recalling the banquet, then let out a wry chuckle.
No way, sis.
If heaven really exists, I can guarantee it’s not this madhouse.
[Where to this time?]
As Seongjin picked up the silver disc and got comfortable, the Demon King noticed and asked.
‘Like I said before? There’s this place called the Elder’s workshop. This is a tribal key that takes you there.’
[Oh, right.]
The Demon King replied glumly, then rolled around inside the soul crystal, muttering.
[Tch, I wanna go too. Sounds fun. I wanna follow you, Seongjin…]
Yeah? Seongjin pondered the soul stone’s existence for a moment.
The soul stone, a product of the dimensional world, had followed him even to the Elder’s space. So what about the soul inside?
‘What if I use the Amulet of Nebraska to put the Demon King’s soul into the soul stone.’
Then the Demon King could follow him everywhere—even to the Pangea Chronicle, maybe.
But he soon shook his head.
Who knows how that’d work? No way I’m testing it recklessly.
It’s not like Hayes, who’s A-rank. Mess it up, and this puny Demon King’s soul might vanish without a trace.
[Aww, I wanna gooooo…]
Ignoring the whining Demon King, Seongjin quickly manipulated the key.
〚Portal〛
>〚-Workshop〛
>〚-Locked〛
>〚-Locked〛
>.
>.
Selecting the only activated option, the workshop—
Whoosh—
The familiar sensation of his soul detaching from his body and floating hit him, his consciousness blurring in an instant. Before he knew it, Seongjin’s vision shifted.
Chiiiik-chiiiik-chiiiik—
>Beep-beep-bzzzt—
Mechanical noises echoed from all around.
Coming to his senses, Seongjin found himself standing in the middle of the Elder’s workshop.
‘The key’s portal is a seriously bizarre way to travel, huh?’
Dexter, whom he’d been looking for, was right there in the workshop.
“You, you…!”
Deep in work with his goggles on, he startled at Seongjin’s sudden appearance in the center and yelped.
Then he hurriedly covered the half-finished milestone on his desk with his body.
What? That reaction?
“Hey, Dexter.”
Seongjin waved cheerfully in greeting, but the dwarf engineer glared daggers and shouted desperately.
“I knew it! From the moment you ruthlessly swindled me, I never believed you’d hand over the milestone quietly!”
“No, I…”
“But to come steal it already! Listen up—even if you’re the son of the Delcross Guardian, I won’t give up this milestone easily, you crook!”
“…….”
Hey, hold on.
Didn’t we part as friends back then?
What the hell do you think I am?