Chapter 303
Chapter: 303
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 303
>Chapter Title: Demon King No. 2 (1)
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Meanwhile, Seongjin, who had bolted out of the Pearl Palace, arrived at the main palace in an instant. He had unleashed his aura freely to boost his speed.
[What's going on? What happened all of a sudden, Seongjin?]
The Demon King asked repeatedly in a fluster, but Seongjin's mind was too frantic to give a proper answer. He had a mountain of things he needed to discuss with the Holy Emperor right away.
-Father! It seems Owen has gotten caught up in some strange world! If we just sit back and watch, the danger keeps escalating. I think it's the influence of something called the 'God's Code.' What should we do? Should we just pull Owen out?
-Ah! And something really bizarre happened earlier. I got caught by this thing called Justitia—goddess or system, I don't know—but suddenly Demon King No. 2 showed up there! That place was definitely a material world, yet imaginary forms could exist too. Just like that old [Rift]!
What in the world is going on?
-Oh, right! By the way, Father, do you remember that dwarf engineer we met at the elder's workshop a while back? His name's Dexter. Would it be okay to bring him to Delcross? He seemed pretty intrigued. If he comes here, he'll definitely be a huge help to the Empire going forward!
But the moment he arrived and took in the dimly lit facade of the main palace, he realized something.
'Oh no! It's dawn right now!'
He had been in such a rush that he hadn't even considered the time.
"...Prince Moreth?"
"What brings you here at this hour without an escort?"
The Imperial Guard knights jumped to attention, then recognized the visitor and asked in bewilderment.
"......"
At a loss for words, Seongjin hesitated, wondering if he should just turn back. That's when a servant suddenly approached him; otherwise, he probably would have.
"We've been expecting you, Prince Moreth."
A tall servant he had never seen before greeted him with impeccable courtesy.
"And you are?"
"I'm Raphael, Your Highness. At this hour, I'm standing in for the Chief Attendant in serving His Majesty the Holy Emperor."
Of course. The elderly Louis couldn't stay by the Holy Emperor's side all day.
"Please, come this way. His Majesty is waiting."
Following Raphael's guidance up to the second floor, he was relieved to see the office brightly lit. And there sat the Holy Emperor, waiting for him as usual.
"Moreth."
"......"
Seongjin forgot his greeting and blurted out a question at the sight of his impeccably composed figure, unchanged from any other time.
"No, seriously, what are you doing up at this hour instead of sleeping?"
The Holy Emperor fixed him with a steady gaze, tilting his head slightly in mild puzzlement before countering.
"Didn't you come to see me at this hour?"
"......"
It meant he had anticipated his arrival and waited purely for that reason.
Seongjin was momentarily speechless.
'In Delcross...'
In this dimension, there were people who would gladly open their doors even if he knocked unannounced.
Caught up in a strange wave of emotion, Seongjin stood there blankly for a moment until the Holy Emperor beckoned him over with a wave of his hand. Only then did he snap out of it and approach.
Whoosh.
As divine power poured over him, the fatigue melted from his body, leaving a soothing languor in its wake. Only then did Seongjin realize how poor his condition had been.
He had been too excited to notice earlier, but today had been tough: grinding through a dungeon and getting bitten by some leech-like bastard to boot.
Tap.
Once the healing ended, a light flick—not quite a knuckle-rap—struck his forehead.
"......?"
Looking up at the Holy Emperor in confusion, Seongjin felt another light tap on his forehead as the Holy Emperor spoke.
"You might see him as a bit naive, but he is still your elder, Moreth. It's unbecoming to strike him so casually."
"......!"
"Since that child graciously forgave your rudeness, you must show him the proper respect in turn."
Seongjin felt a bit deflated.
Ah, right. Father would know, of course. Maybe there was no need to rush like this.
"But am I imagining it? Father, you seem somehow relieved?"
A firm reply came back.
"Not at all. Naturally, it's your imagination."
"But......"
"No, Moreth."
"Ah... yes."
Seongjin eyed him suspiciously, but the Holy Emperor pointedly ignored it and nodded toward the seat with dignified poise.
"Sit."
No sooner had he taken his seat than Raphael appeared with a tray of hot tea, as if on cue.
Clink.
It wasn't on par with the Chief Attendant's, but the flavor was still exceptional.
After a couple of sips of the fragrant brew, Seongjin felt his earlier excitement settle into calm.
"I'm really sorry for disturbing your rest at this hour, Father."
"No, it's fine. You must have something urgent to ask me."
"Yes, exactly."
Seongjin nodded, feeling oddly touched for no reason.
-Couldn't he just say yes once in a while, like handing out candy?
That's what Dexter had said, anyway.
See that, Dexter? My father fields his kids' questions even in the dead of night!
"You already knew Owen was receiving guidance from the status window, didn't you, Father?"
With a strange sense of satisfaction, Seongjin asked, and the Holy Emperor slowly nodded.
"How could I not? He told me himself before he left."
Ah, right.
Seongjin had heard the story of Owen's departure from Dasha.
-Father, this humble son seeks to grow stronger with the power of this status window. Regrettably, I must leave your side and my siblings' for a time.
He'd said that straight to Father's face? Owen, you lunatic, more unhinged than I thought.
That thought must have shown on his face. The Holy Emperor gave him a stern look.
"Remember this, Moreth. He is your elder."
"Ah, yes."
Seongjin mumbled awkwardly, paused for a beat, then continued.
"So, the milestone Owen has—is that something Grandmother left behind?"
The Holy Emperor affirmed it readily once more.
"Yes. I handed the milestone to his mother, and I personally blessed the newborn Owen."
"What about the others? In Pangea Chronicle, there are other guest ID users called something like that. They all have their own oracle milestones."
"Those are probably from another oracle. Left behind by previous oracles for some reason."
After that answer, the Holy Emperor rested his chin on his hand, pondered briefly, then continued.
"A single oracle can't create many milestones in a lifetime. Even Grandmother, as powerful an oracle as she was, left only three in her entire life. You know better than I where they ended up, Moreth."
Seongjin nodded.
The broken milestones he and Amelia had. And the one intact milestone Owen still held. Three in total.
"Opportunities are limited. Oracles always create milestones with clear, momentous purposes in mind. If those milestones remain after death, it means the future they foresaw and prepared for hasn't arrived yet."
"......"
Hatsusu Titi, and Gurupbyeorapgurup Bipyeoraprip.
All of them were pawns arranged in advance by some oracle from an unknown past in a corner of the world.
Seongjin cocked his head.
"Why drag them into Pangea Chronicle specifically now? What's the point?"
"Who knows. It's hard to fully grasp what an oracle from ages past was thinking. But..."
There, the Holy Emperor slowly curled one corner of his mouth upward.
"If he was a proper oracle, he wouldn't have arranged anything contrary to my will."
"......"
Seongjin shivered involuntarily, struck by a sudden chill.
This guy smiles so menacingly sometimes. Has no one ever told him he looks scary when he does that?
[...Who do you think you're saying that about right now?]
Just then, a low mutter echoed in Seongjin's mind. It was the Demon King, who rarely spoke up in the Holy Emperor's presence.
'...Hey, Demon King? What're you on about?'
[.......]
But the Demon King retreated into the imaginary crystal and clammed up.
Seongjin was dumbfounded.
'What a buzzkill...'
Grumbling inwardly, he pressed on with his questions to the Holy Emperor.
"So, you're saying Grandmother arranged that future for Owen's sake? Why?"
An oracle's milestone pointed the way one must go.
Three chances to change the future. So why leave it for his oddball nephew instead of the Holy Emperor or someone else?
The Holy Emperor gazed at Seongjin steadily for a moment.
"I can't fully fathom Grandmother's deep intentions either. But one thing is certain."
"What's that?"
"If something were to happen to Owen, wouldn't you do everything in your power to help him, Moreth?"
"Well, I..."
Flustered, Seongjin pursed his lips sheepishly.
Sure, the guy's got plenty of annoying traits and looks more like a dim-witted fox the more you see him. But he wasn't completely unwilling to help for the sake of the Holy Emperor's people.
"So, arrangements for that child are, in the end, arrangements for you—and for me as well."
"Hmm."
I see. Wise Grandmother stepped in to personally look after that dimwit in busy Father's stead.
Seongjin reached that neat conclusion.
"But there's still something I don't get. The Pangea Chronicle I experienced—the material world Owen's caught in. Father, it was shockingly unstable and dangerous for a material world."
"Yes. So it seems."
A faint silvery gleam lingered in the Holy Emperor's calm eyes for an instant before fading.
Perhaps he was truly seeing all the events Seongjin and Owen had gone through. With that odd certainty, Seongjin continued.
"So, what's the real reason Grandmother drew Owen there? He said he had to find something important, but the status window didn't give any specific way to get it."
"......"
"That's why I'm suspicious. Maybe the status window's goal isn't some item at all. Maybe it's just to keep Owen trapped in Pangea Chronicle as long as possible. And Father..."
Seongjin paused, then locked eyes with the Holy Emperor and asked the question he'd truly wanted to from the start.
"You already know that, don't you? That's why you're letting Owen wander that dangerous place on his own."
The Holy Emperor regarded him with an enigmatic expression, then slowly lowered his gaze without answering.
That confirmed it for Seongjin.
Yeah, this guy's silence is as good as a yes.
"There are two reasons I'm leaving that flawed material world alone."
After a stretch of silence, the Holy Emperor finally spoke softly.
"First, unless it gravely threatens Delcross's safety, I cannot interfere in other dimensions preemptively."
"...The accord."
Seongjin immediately grasped what he left unsaid.
It couldn't be literally impossible. This was the man who could create new dimensions at will if he wanted.
It had to be the strict strictures of the 'Council of Six': no meddling in other dimensions without just cause.
As if confirming it, the Holy Emperor continued without elaboration.
"And second, Owen himself unconsciously desires it."
"...Pardon?"
Seongjin blinked at the unexpected answer.
"That guy desires it? To put himself in danger?"
"Of course not. He simply wants to immerse himself in that material world."
The Holy Emperor shook his head bitterly and went on.
"Otherwise, he could never truly sleep soundly."