Chapter 326
Chapter: 326
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 326
>Chapter Title: No. 21's Days (2)
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Kaien’s attitude hadn’t been like this from the very start.
When he’d secured a fine mansion in the Asain Principality in line with the boy’s desire to enjoy life in a bustling metropolis, the boy had seemed inwardly pleased with the Holy Emperor’s support.
He made full use of every opportunity given to him. Provided with fine clothes, good food, and a basic education, the grubby country boy transformed into a refined young noble in the blink of an eye.
Seeing his pretty features and sharp mind, No. 21 had even thought, as expected, the child of that man is different.
Of course, when his eyes happened to meet the boy’s by chance, those endlessly dark three-hundred eyes sometimes felt profoundly eerie.
But No. 21 hadn’t made much of it. He’d simply chalked it up to the boy growing up rough without any parental care.
What was odd, rather, was the Holy Emperor’s attitude at the time. Not only did he repeatedly warn the guild members tending to the boy to an excessive degree, he did the same with No. 21, who came and went from the mansion often.
“Treat the child as formally as possible. There’s no need to show unnecessary emotions and draw undue attention. Above all, you must absolutely avoid any hasty physical contact with that child. Understood?”
Even then, No. 21 couldn’t comprehend the Holy Emperor’s impatience.
To him, Kaien was nothing more than an ill-mannered brat. That was why he acted rudely toward people and occasionally exuded a sharp hostility.
It happened one day.
As usual, the Holy Emperor entered the homunculus body at the appointed time. His expression suddenly turned grave, and he called Kaien over to scold him harshly.
“Kaien. You’ve finally disobeyed my warnings. Why did you do such a thing?”
Everyone was baffled. To them, it looked like the boy had obediently followed his routine all day long.
Yet the Holy Emperor didn’t stop there. He personally picked up a switch and began disciplining the child sternly!
“I’ve emphasized it time and again. You must never harm others. And yet you disobeyed, so now you must pay the appropriate price, mustn’t you?”
Everyone was inevitably flustered by the sudden turn of events.
What was even more astonishing was Kaien’s attitude. As if he knew something, he protested to the Holy Emperor like this.
“I was just bored and wanted a snack. I needed some new stimulation! Besides, look—I didn’t really harm him. I didn’t disobey Dad’s words!”
“You didn’t harm him? All his hair fell out! Did you think you could escape my eyes?”
“No, hair counts as harm too, not just limbs? So what if a bit disappears? Does it really matter for getting by in life?”
At the time, No. 21 had no clue what the father and son were talking about.
Even when the Holy Emperor gave the child a few swats as punishment and hurriedly reassigned one of the guild members to other duties.
‘……?’
But shortly thereafter, No. 21 realized something was off.
The guild member who’d been transferred to another department—despite his young age—began losing his hair one strand at a time, until his forehead soon became noticeably shiny.
If it kept up, he’d clearly be completely bald before long.
*No, hair counts as harm too, not just limbs? So what if a bit disappears?*
Recalling Kaien’s protest, No. 21 quietly broke out in a cold sweat.
Only then did he understand why the Holy Emperor had so strictly reined in everyone.
‘…There’s something to it! Kaien can see things invisible to others, and he has the power to make use of them!’
In any case, minor incidents like that continued afterward. Being a young boy, no matter how much he was warned, he couldn’t always stay perfectly well-behaved.
Kaien would sometimes get into scuffles with other boys his age or sneakily pluck away at some invisible something from the guild members(?).
And every time, the Holy Emperor unfailingly brought down the rod. Naturally, Kaien’s resentment toward him grew ever deeper.
“How does Dad know every single thing I did during the day? Not even the surveillance guys noticed! Are you just guessing wildly?”
“I told you, Kaien. You can’t fool my eyes.”
Curiously, amid all this, even as the Holy Emperor strictly disciplined the boy, he never attempted any real lectures or moralizing.
He simply investigated the harm caused by the boy’s actions and punished him with an equal measure of corporal punishment.
Of course, Kaien’s temperament wasn’t one to accept that lying down.
“Damn it. Why hit me!”
“I’ve told you repeatedly. Every action of yours comes with a price.”
“But what I ate was someone else’s soul strand! So what right do you have to hit me!”
“I’m your father, Kaien. It’s my duty to properly discipline you. But I can’t very well pluck out your soul strand in return, can I? Is that truly what you want?”
Kaien would then glare at the Holy Emperor, his fierce three-hundred eyes brimming with resentment.
“Ugh! I wish I’d never met a dad like you! You’re the absolute worst!”
“Well, who knows. As long as I have my eyes wide open, you could never have hidden from me your whole life. So give up and obey me quietly.”
“Damn it!”
But there was one thing No. 21 couldn’t quite fathom. Were the boy’s minor misdeeds really so hard to correct?
Kaien was sharper than his peers, and he could have anything he wanted without clashing with others.
So why did he keep picking fights and stirring up needless trouble, provoking the Holy Emperor to punish him?
‘…Could he be deliberately provoking His Majesty’s punishments…? No, surely not.’
It was probably around that time that the Holy Emperor’s disciplinary policy began to shift bit by bit.
Rather than wielding the rod himself, he started confining Kaien to his room for a time equivalent to his misdeed or outright banning him from going out for a set period.
When No. 21 expressed puzzlement at this, the Holy Emperor let out a low sigh and gave a brief reply.
“It’s because Kaien is using himself to get revenge on me.”
“…What?”
“He probably thinks the harm he inflicts on me is far greater than the punishment he receives. He sees it not as taking his punishment, but as giving me one instead. So he’ll never stop his mischief this way.”
At the time, No. 21 couldn’t grasp the Holy Emperor’s words at all.
But strangely enough, as the confinements to his room increased in place of beatings, Kaien’s mischief began to taper off little by little.
‘He really was trying to punish His Majesty…?’
Whatever the truth, a period of peace seemed to settle between them for a while after that.
That didn’t mean Kaien had given up his rebellion against the Holy Emperor. Direct barbs and defiance aimed straight at him intensified in place of trouble aimed at others.
Eventually, this clever boy started getting a feel for how to deal with the Holy Emperor.
“This is unfair! You’re the one who didn’t look for me all this time, Dad! So why are you freaking out about not being able to interfere with me now?”
“I’ve told you repeatedly. Your soul is already at the critical point. If you commit more sins or attempt to devour more, even I can no longer guarantee what will happen to your soul.”
“Then that’s all your fault, Dad!”
“……!”
“It’s because I take after you that I can see souls! It’s because of you that my soul ended up like this! So why do I have to pay the price in your place!? That’s way too unreasonable!”
“…….”
For the first time that day, the Holy Emperor had no response for Kaien. And No. 21 could never forget the pitch-black three-hundred eyes that had gleamed with sharp insight in that moment.
From that day on, Kaien began directing his aggression straight at the Holy Emperor.
*Never harm others first.*
The one and only rule the Holy Emperor had given the boy.
But the homunculus the Holy Emperor inhabited wasn’t technically a “person.” And between father and son, the first to err had been none other than the Holy Emperor.
The sole exception to his rule.
In a truly cruel twist, the boy had quickly realized this fact.
* * *
“Phew…….”
“No. 21. Something wrong? Why the sudden sigh?”
At the Asain branch of the guild.
No. 21 had stopped by there briefly before heading to Kaien’s mansion as usual that day. Spotting Aslan approaching from afar, he brightened.
“Long time no see, Aslan. How’s the sword training going these days?”
“Haha. Well, I don’t know if I’m good at it, but I’m working hard, at least.”
Aslan approached with a broad smile.
This boy, training diligently for next year’s Imperial Palace knight exam, was as kind and affable as ever the more you got to know him.
Their first meeting had been quite memorable, so even No. 21—who wasn’t particularly sociable—had gradually grown fond of the boy.
“You’ve grown a lot taller. You’ll catch up to me soon.”
“It’s all thanks to the guild taking such good care of me. I get to eat delicious meals every day.”
“Good. Is Branch Chief Justin teaching you swordsmanship well?”
“Uh, well…….”
At the mention of the branch chief, Aslan awkwardly averted his gaze.
“He hardly sticks around the branch these days. He must be really busy.”
“Really?”
“But I’m truly grateful—he told me I have innate talent. He said for someone like me, self-training matters more than a master’s teachings. Something about how geniuses have to realize things on their own?”
“I see…….”
Yeah, that explains why that damn branch chief suddenly decided to play swordmaster.
He hadn’t shown his face at the imperial capital’s tailor shop lately either. What the hell was that guy thinking?
“Um…….”
As No. 21 frowned in thought, Aslan, who’d been gauging his mood, hesitantly spoke up.
“Bart…….”
“Hm?”
“No, I mean, how has His Majesty been lately…….”
No. 21 stared at him, and Aslan trailed off, scratching his head in embarrassment.
“It’s been a good while since I last saw him.”
“…Yeah.”
*Does he like him that much?*
They’d only met face-to-face for a few days, but the Holy Emperor must have left quite an impression on the boy.
Well, who knew better than No. 21 himself what it meant to a child with nowhere to lean on in the world to gain his first protector?
“He asks about you regularly. I hear he gets reports from Ms. Pola on your progress every time.”
“R-Really? Then I’ll have to work even harder so I don’t disappoint him!”
Getting the answer he wanted, the boy’s face lit up with uncontainable joy. Delighted by the Holy Emperor’s small attentions and eager to repay them.
No. 21 thought bitterly.
*Worlds apart from someone else…….*
If only this boy were His Majesty’s son instead of Kaien.
He couldn’t help but think it.