Chapter 33
Chapter: 33
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 033
>Chapter Title: Channeling (3)
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>The boundary between the Delcross main world and the Void.
In that profound darkness so vast that it crushed all sense of presence, a single soul suddenly appeared, radiating the most brilliant aura of all.
It was the Holy Emperor. Or at least, it should be?
Seongjin was forced to doubt his own eyes—or whatever passed for eyes in his soul state—for a good while after this unexpected arrival.
He looked exactly as Seongjin remembered: the usual calm face, comfortable attire, and a long white robe draped haphazardly like a cape.
The only difference was that everything was enveloped in a dazzling white light. The light was so overwhelming that the Demon King's soul shriveled up even further inside Seongjin's embrace, its energy completely deflated.
And above his head floated something like a golden crown. It was an extraordinary coronet with sharp, golden spikes extending in a circle.
The way it shone so radiantly made it seem like some kind of halo.
Thus, the Holy Emperor appeared, wrapped in an intensely sacred aura, and proceeded to chide Seongjin for not studying.
[You are a prince of the Holy Empire. Shouldn't you at least possess the basic knowledge of the empire's patron god?]
Moreover, this man was showing more facial expressions than usual. Pity was plainly written on his face as he looked at Seongjin.
Hey, is now really the time for nagging?
[And when something like this happens, can't you just summon me right away? It takes too much time to find you.]
[Uh, well...]
[I told you not to cause trouble. Do you even know where the example is? Tsk.]
He clicked his tongue. This guy just clicked his tongue!
He was usually an impenetrable poker face, impossible to read, but in soul form, the Holy Emperor's emotions were excessively candid.
In any case, Seongjin felt wronged.
[No, Father—Your Holiness. I may have died suddenly, but I protected Delcross from the demon realm's threat! I stopped hordes of Bantra Moss from swarming the capital!]
That's right. Delcross had nearly faced a gate incident.
At this point, he could proudly say he'd acted without shame as a prince.
[That... you did well.]
The Holy Emperor's momentum softened slightly. His gaze briefly shifted to the red soul fragment huddled and trembling inside Seongjin's embrace.
A flicker of displeasure crossed his face, but he said nothing about the Demon King. Seongjin, feeling oddly guilty, pulled the pathetic soul a little deeper into his chest as if to hide it.
[That doesn't mean it's okay to just up and leave your body like this. Thanks to you, I had to abruptly leave my post, putting me in a very awkward situation.]
Seongjin tilted his head curiously as the Holy Emperor slightly furrowed his brow.
[What situation? Aren't you in the prayer room right now?]
The man cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze.
This guy really ditched his entire schedule—what the hell is he doing right now?
Ah, but isn't this perfect timing? Seongjin thought.
Last time I asked if he could see my soul, he said, "Want to die and find out?" Well, guess what? I'm dead now.
He'd been too flustered during the previous aura storm to ask, but this time, Seongjin was determined to get clear answers. It was obvious the Holy Emperor knew his true identity, so how long did he plan to treat him like his naive little son?
[Your Holiness, now that my soul is visible, can you tell me what it looks like?]
[......]
[How did you know I died suddenly? How did you find me so quickly here at the Void's boundary?]
Even Seongjin, who had no concept of dimensions, could tell the distance from Delcross to this place was staggeringly immense. There was no way he could have blindly searched everywhere for Seongjin's wandering soul.
The Holy Emperor stared at him silently for a moment, then sullenly clamped his mouth shut.
What, he doesn't want to say?
It was right then. An excruciating wave of terror from the Demon King hiding in Seongjin's embrace hit him, as if its breath had stopped.
Something's watching us.
[What the—]
In that instant, the Holy Emperor's robe, wrapped in light, enveloped Seongjin's head from above.
Bewildered, Seongjin looked up at him in confusion. The Holy Emperor had turned his head, staring coldly into the distance somewhere.
Even in soul form, his face somehow looked paler—was that Seongjin's imagination?
[We've been here too long. We've drawn unnecessary attention.]
As soon as he spoke, Seongjin felt it too. A viscous gaze sweeping over them from somewhere.
It crawled leisurely across their skin like insects, yet each sensation was as sharp as a sword thrust. The sheer weight of that pure malice was suffocating.
Was this the gaze of high demon kings or alien lords? Just a look could flatten a soul, and the gaze of these superior beings was this heavy.
Even protected within the Holy Emperor's light, the sensation was so vividly chilling that Seongjin gritted his teeth to control his trembling soul.
[It's just one for now, but more will gather soon. We can't delay any longer.]
A rare note of urgency colored the Holy Emperor's words.
Seongjin realized: This man knew this dimension had become a target.
[Go back now. Don't make Masain worry too much.]
The Holy Emperor smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth, and placed his thumb and middle finger on Seongjin's forehead as if to flick it.
Seongjin instinctively braced for impact, clutching the Demon King tightly in his embrace.
[Return. [Mores].]
Snap.
* * *
Something like water droplets plopped onto his cheek. Huh? What's this?
And why was his body being shaken so much? Shake, shake.
Guh! It hurts! It hurts so bad. Stop. Please stop...
“...Kuh!”
A small cry escaped Seongjin's throat, and the shaking stopped abruptly.
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness!”
Cough, cough. Seongjin curled to the side and coughed repeatedly.
What? His chest hurt like mad. Even when a monster had crushed his ribcage before, it hadn't hurt this much.
A cautious whisper came from nearby.
“Lord Masain, isn't His Highness's rib broken again?”
Huh, Lord Kurt? What did you just say? Again? Again??
He swore he'd just heard something he couldn't ignore.
After rolling around clutching his chest and enduring the pain for a while, Seongjin finally lifted his head to survey his surroundings. It had hurt so badly that tears welled up, blurring his vision.
The place where he lay was right outside the stone chamber where they'd caught the Bantra Moss larva. Inside the entrance, he could see the black mass and tentacle roots withered and shriveled.
And surrounding his prone form was a fair number of people.
Lord Masain, Lord Kurt, and one paladin he didn't recognize.
Further back stood a group of people in gleaming silver armor...
One of the paladins standing right beside Seongjin knelt down and placed a hand on his chest. He was a tall man in light armor and glasses, with sharp eyes that—sorry to say on first meeting—made him look extremely ill-tempered.
A white light soon enveloped the man's hand, and the chest pain subsided in an instant.
“How many times has this happened now, Masain? You have no sense of proportion. Two rounds of CPR and his ribcage is smashed to bits.”
Right. This is all Lord Masain's fault.
Wanting to say something, Seongjin looked up at him—and lost his words.
Masain looked utterly distraught. Sleeves rolled up, hands still clasped from the compressions, he sat there dazed, staring at Seongjin.
He must have performed CPR so vigorously and for so long that he was drenched in sweat, breathing raggedly as if he'd sprinted across a training field.
But above all, his face was a mess of tears and sweat. What kind of state was this for a grown man?
Uh... how am I supposed to respond to this?
My ribs are broken, so why do I feel like I should apologize?
“Ahem...”
A sudden cough from behind drew everyone's attention.
Among the silver-armored knights lined up at the rear, one who seemed like the leader stepped forward and addressed Seongjin's group.
“Now that the prince has awakened safely, may the Holy Marthias Knight Order take custody of him?”
He was an elderly knight in ornate silver armor. A sharply angled forehead, sunken eye sockets, and thin lips that gave a sly impression stood out.
But most striking were his eyes. The cold gaze he flicked down at Seongjin was filled with far too much malice for someone looking at a prince of the Holy Imperial Family.
[The prince is a key witness in this incident. Thus, he must undergo the same fair interrogation process as the other suspects...]
Was that something to say to a prince who'd just come back from the dead?
Evidently not just Seongjin thought so; a fierce glint began to form on Masain's previously expressionless face.
[You dare, in a place you think safe!]
Masain snarled at him with a savagely twisted face. The sudden burst of murderous intent made even the old knight—and Seongjin—flinch.
Some of the lined-up knights instinctively drew their swords. Shing, sching.
Srrrring.
Masain and Lord Kurt also stepped in front of Seongjin, drawing their blades. The air around them froze taut in an instant.
A powder keg ready to ignite.
Fortunately, someone quickly inserted himself between Masain and the old knight—the ill-tempered paladin from earlier.
“Lord Durand.”
He raised a hand slightly toward Masain, adjusted his glasses with a flick, and addressed the old knight. His great height made him look down on the man, and his sour expression made it seem like he was condescending.
[As you know, all religious and legal matters concerning Prince Mores are delegated to the Captain of the Holy Aurelion Knights in His Holiness's absence. This includes the inquisitor's investigative and prosecutorial authority.]
The old knight called Durand retorted with a dissatisfied face.
[Leaving aside the legality of that exception, Lady Katrina is currently absent, is she not? Assisting with His Holiness's seclusion prayer?]
[And in Lady Katrina's absence, that authority transfers to her deputy, me—Francis Agen.]
“...What?”
The old knight's face crumpled horribly.
[Thus, regrettably, your demand for the prince's custody cannot be entertained from the start. Whether he is treated as a witness is entirely my prerogative.]
Durand shouted indignantly.
[Lord Francis! You, a mere deputy—not even an inquisitor—dare infringe on the inquisitor's exclusive authority?]
[What...]
The young paladin let out a scoffing laugh and uttered the magic words that could resolve any situation.
[This is by His Holiness's command...]
[You insolent cur!]
The old knight's eyes blazed with fury. His hand went to his waist as if to draw his sword at any moment, but Francis calmly rummaged in his pocket and produced a letter.
[Lord Durand might react this way, so he said to deliver this personally.]
Durand hesitated, then took the letter. It was an official executive decree, properly authenticated. And on that document, in elegant script, was a single sentence.
—Don't get ahead of yourself and wait for me.
Durand's hand trembled, but he couldn't just toss the letter away. A large imperial seal was stamped prominently on the side.
[This... this is outrageous! I'll report this to Cardinal Benitus right now!]
[No need to worry.]
Francis adjusted his glasses and replied indifferently. To Seongjin, it clearly seemed like he was taking their side, yet he had the talent to look insufferably smug even to allies.
[An identical decree, not a letter off, will have already arrived at Cardinal Benitus by now.]
“Gaaaargh!”
Turning his eyes from the old knight roaring into the air, Seongjin let his body go limp and closed his eyes.
Ah, whatever. Let them sort it out.
Too much has happened today.
'Hey, you okay?'
[...Yeah.]
He tossed out a casual question, and a small reply came back.
He'd worried about dropping it while flying back in Mores's body, but fortunately, the Demon King's soul had returned with him unscathed. Feeling the familiar soul presence as before, Seongjin smiled faintly in relief.
Time to rest for now.
Later, when he woke up, he'd ask the guy his name.
* * *
At the same time, in a remote mountain village on the western edge of the continent.
Holy Emperor Nate came to his senses surrounded by a gang of rough-looking bandits and felt depressed.
'So I got left behind after all...'
[You ran, you bastard? Spill it! Who's your backer? Are you one of Asain's spies after all?]
[There's an inside man here, right? Confess, or you won't see a good end, punk!]
One bandit grabbed him by the collar, yanking him up and tapping his cheek with a sharp dagger as he threatened.
Nate sighed quietly with a gloomy face.