Chapter 6
Chapter: 6
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 006
>Chapter Title: Audience with the Holy Emperor (1)
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>Suddenly, the chief steward came by and informed him that a meeting with the final boss was coming up soon.
And it turned out this utter wastrel of the empire had been brazenly provoking that final boss on a regular basis.
Seongjin felt a dizzy spell hit him.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Uh… um, yes. No! I mean…”
He was so flustered that his pupils trembled wildly and his words tumbled out incoherently.
Desperation to avoid losing any more points with what might be the final boss forced a barely passable sentence from Seongjin’s lips.
“This time, I shall come to you directly… I am grateful for Your Majesty’s consideration… please relay that.”
One couldn’t just summon a Holy Emperor of all people, after all.
If only he knew Morres’s original manner of speech, or if this was even proper etiquette. The Demon King, who usually chattered nonstop in his head, was strangely silent right now.
Fortunately, Seongjin’s response seemed to please the steward.
“How sensible the Prince is—His Majesty must be so gratified. I shall do my utmost to ensure the audience proceeds without flaw! I will send word from the Pearl Palace shortly, so please await it.”
Luis bowed elegantly once more, then departed the training grounds with a composed expression.
But Seongjin’s sharp eyes, honed by countless battles, caught the steward’s cheek twitching as it tried to rise in a grin, despite his efforts to suppress it.
‘What the hell did I do to make him that happy…?’
The more he dealt with these people, the more he realized just how utterly hopeless the previous Morres had been.
Seongjin watched the steward and his entourage recede with light steps for a moment, then sighed softly and turned back.
The unexpected encounter had stretched his rest longer than planned.
Steeling himself, Seongjin resumed circling the training grounds. At least if he managed a few more laps than yesterday, he could claim some progress.
Of course, his resolve crumbled as he barely made half a lap before his breath came up to his throat.
The knights huddled in groups of twos and threes in the corner of the training grounds, glancing warily at the steward, made no effort to hide their discomfort when the prince they thought would leave soon started jogging again.
Some openly showed their irritation and left the grounds, while the rest plopped down, pretending to polish their gear while shooting irreverent glances at Seongjin now and then.
Seongjin had ignored their arrogant attitudes until now, but the steady stream of hostility was starting to grate on him.
Irksome as it was, he figured he’d have to give these knights a collective thrashing sooner or later.
“Huff, huff.”
How many laps had he done?
Staggering and coughing from the labored breathing, Seongjin took a few more wobbly steps before collapsing flat on the ground.
“Cough! Cough! Kek, ugh, hek! Hngh!”
His vision turned yellow.
Whoa, I feel like I’m dying.
Even back on the Paju front lines, fighting monsters while catching catnaps for a week straight, he didn’t think it had been this bad.
As he gasped raggedly for air, a small, creeping voice addressed him timidly.
[…Hey. So you’re really going to meet him? The Holy Emperor.]
‘…Huh?’
Oxygen-starved and mind foggy, he didn’t catch it at first. Come to think of it, this guy had been unusually quiet earlier.
‘Guess I have to? By the way, what were you up to? Couldn’t you have pried some info out of the steward? You were so quiet I thought you’d finally dissipated.’
It should’ve been prime time for the Demon King to snap back, but oddly, there was no reaction.
[I did check. But…]
The Demon King replied in a strangely deflated tone.
[The steward resists soul detection. It wasn’t easy, so I had to focus hard.]
Seongjin tilted his head.
‘Resists detection? You never mentioned that before. Is the steward a priest or something?’
[Are you insane? Me touching a soul with divine power? I’d sooner try suicide again.]
According to the Demon King, soul detection was like whispering to someone in their sleep.
Outside of crises or stress, souls were usually half-asleep and defenseless.
Send a strong thought wave with your question, and relevant memories would bubble up sporadically from the unconscious.
The handy ability had limits: the Demon King couldn’t directly read memories from Seongjin’s soul, for reasons even he didn’t fully understand.
[For such a sloppy, simpleton host, you’re weirdly tricky.]
‘What was that, you bastard?’
Strong-willed souls or those with divine power were also off-limits.
High mental fortitude resisted thought waves like a soul under extreme tension.
And divine souls would outright annihilate the Demon King’s soul on contact.
[In that sense, the steward’s ego defenses are rock-solid. Strict, self-controlled type. They don’t easily surface desired memories, and their mental walls are so thick it’s hard to poke around without damaging the soul.]
Even so, the Demon King had tried his best to gather intel. Soon, he’d be dragged before the continent’s mightiest priest, helpless to avoid judgment.
Could the Holy Emperor really detect the otherworlder possessing his son’s body and the demonic remnant?
‘So, did you find out anything?’
[Regrettably, nothing immediately useful. The old man’s a Huang Palace veteran with vast experience—way bigger deal than I thought. Too much info; couldn’t zero in on what I wanted.]
Fair enough; he did look seasoned at a glance.
[So I tried digging into the Holy Emperor at least. But his perception is… heavily biased, let’s say. Can’t trust it fully.]
‘Can’t trust it? Info from the steward who serves the Holy Emperor up close?’
At Seongjin’s doubt, the Demon King’s soul wavered slightly—as if sighing if it had a body.
[His loyalty to the Holy Emperor is genuine, no doubt. Why else be so kind to a mutt like Morres? And his faith in him is rock-solid—loyalty at best, fanaticism at worst.]
‘Fanaticism?’
[Yeah, he sees him as near-omniscient and omnipotent. Reliable info? Please.]
Seongjin blinked.
Omniscient?
[He doesn’t consciously realize it. Just content serving under a great Holy Emperor. But deep down, he’s no ordinary man. The greatest Holy Emperor ever, unquestioned proxy of the Lord God.]
‘…’
[Get this: the guy barely believes in the Lord God. No real interest in religion.]
What? Doesn’t believe in God but believes in God’s proxy?
[Exactly why it’s hilarious. Total contradiction. And this uptight guy doesn’t see it! How extreme does admiration and faith in one man have to get?]
Seongjin silently rose. His breathing had steadied unnoticed.
A gentle breeze cooled his heated body, raising goosebumps.
‘…This isn’t just about strong or weak divine power.’
Proxy of God.
As near-atheist himself, Seongjin didn’t buy an omnipotent divine agent existing.
But the steward’s subconscious fanaticism planted seeds of doubt: maybe the Holy Emperor had something special.
Like the Demon King’s soul detection? Wouldn’t people think he knew everything?
Whatever it was, one thing was clear.
‘We’re probably screwed. Got any countermeasures?’
[Yeah, right? Can’t you just bail like Morres would?]
‘That’s a band-aid. Last time he ghosted, they came to the Pearl Palace themselves. What if they barge in again?’
[Escape the palace?]
‘No time to prep, and with this trash stamina? Plus, this body stands out anywhere.’
[…We’re doomed.]
Guess they’d have to face it head-on.
Feeling the Demon King’s soul shudder in his mind, Seongjin suppressed the rising unease.
* * *
The main palace sent a servant early evening to announce tea time. The Pearl Palace erupted in chaos.
How long had it been since the tubby prince last made an official outing!
Hearing the news, Consort Elizabeth arrived at dawn, leading a horde of Ruby Palace maids. Soon the entire Pearl Palace buzzed under her command.
Seongjin, planning to spend the morning on the training grounds for the afternoon appointment, was nabbed by grim-faced maids before leaving his room.
“…Huh?”
Dazed, he was dragged to the bath for a thorough scrubbing—humiliatingly, in front of his attendant maid!
Squirming in protest, Edith dumped scented oil on his head with a stern face.
“Calm down, Your Highness. Let’s finish quick and have a snack?”
Are you bathing a cat?
He glared incredulously; she tilted her head.
“Hm, you used to eat it right up.”
“…”
No wonder she’d handled Morres’s bratty tantrums solo—treating him like a dumb animal.
“Get out. I can bathe myself!”
“I’ve tended to you through your illness—what’s there to be shy about now?”
This woman…
Seeing Seongjin unyielding, Edith’s face darkened sharply.
“Please, Your Highness, cooperate. You know how Consort will chew me out for any delay?”
With Consort’s visits ramping up, even this iron-willed maid was stressing.
“Why do Ruby Palace maids have to swarm our palace and act like they own it? It’s not even theirs.”
She grinned chillingly, like ‘Those nobodies barely worth a punch. Heh.’ As an aura user, it was twice as terrifying.
Cowed by her fierce aura, Seongjin rushed his bath. Then he faced a line of Consort’s maids armed with pro grooming tools.
Trimming hair, nails, brows—pandemonium.
“Oh, look at this beautiful hair just like Consort’s!”
“My, you’ve lost so much weight. Your face is so sharply contoured now!”
Don’t lie, you lot.
‘It’s just an audience—what’s with all this?!’
Pulled here, pinched there—total mayhem.
Finally catching his breath amid the wreckage, Seongjin realized it wasn’t over.
Maids lined from room’s end to hallway, arms full of clothes and jewels.
His face paled.
‘Hey, can’t you do something about this? How long do I have to endure?’
But the Demon King, who’d normally mock him mercilessly, was off.
[Heh heh. Last march to death—gotta look the part. Of course. Heh heh heh heh.]
‘…’
Thankfully, Consort Elizabeth’s taste leaned refined.
He’d fretted over frilly outfits parading by, but the final look was decent even to modern Seongjin’s eyes.
The deep navy uniform, embroidered with silver thread, seemed neat at first but revealed lavish craftsmanship upon closer inspection.
The weight loss comments weren’t total flattery; hems hung loose, keeping maids busy with alterations.
Still, no amount of primping hid the pig in fancy wrapping.
Seongjin sighed inwardly, but Consort seemed thrilled.
“Oh, Morres—what a splendid figure!”
Her maids chimed in with soulless praise.
“Such a noble bearing!”
“The dark fabric makes Your Highness’s lovely hair stand out more, doesn’t it?”
“And the cuffs and brooch—how perfectly they match your jewel-like gray eyes!”
“Ah, beauty that steals the heart at first glance!”
Hey, you went too far.
* * *
The main palace sent a carriage right on time. The chief steward was meticulous as promised.
With Edith’s help boarding, two guard knights mounted up behind.
‘The imperial carriage is flashy. Ride’s nothing like a car, though.’
[Lucky you. Kid? You’re plenty old—don’t you know this is your hearse?]
‘Shut it.’
But soon after leaving Pearl Palace, the Demon King shuddered and alerted him.
[Hey, bad vibes.]
Lounging casually, Seongjin snapped tense.
‘What? Why?’
[Look outside, idiot.]
‘…?’
[The main palace is still far, right? But ominous glows everywhere already.]
Peeking past the curtain, the vast palace gardens unfolded.
Endless green lawns with a grand avenue wide for three carriages abreast, leading to the gleaming, majestic main palace.
Crowds filled the wide plaza before it.
Patrolling knights, clustered nobles, scurrying clerks with document stacks.
And a staggering number of priests in pristine white uniforms.
‘Whoa, this is…’
Whites outnumbered others, from plain robes to gold-embroidered vestments—all emblazoned with the Lord God’s sun-and-sword emblem.
It truly sank in: this was a den of priests.
[Agh, I messed up! Thought hiding in your body would be fine—wrong! Just being near divine power souls stings like needles in mine!]
‘…’
Tensing at the Demon King’s panic, Seongjin swallowed hard.
He imagined the priests spotting him, screaming “Demon possessing the prince!” and charging.
[Should’ve bolted at the first chance, no second thoughts…]
As the woeful Demon King lamented, the carriage halted.
They’d arrived at the Holy Emperor’s residence: the main palace entrance.