Chapter 7
Chapter: 7
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 007
>Chapter Title: Audience with the Holy Emperor (2)
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>Carefully stepping down from the swaying carriage, Seongjin was greeted by a group of knights dressed in splendid uniforms.
“We greet Prince Mores!”
“We greet the 3rd Prince!”
The knights simultaneously raised their swords and slammed the scabbards against the ground with a thud, then bowed their heads in perfectly disciplined unison. It was a far cry from the resident knights of the Pearl Palace—proper etiquette executed to perfection.
Seongjin’s mouth fell open unwittingly.
Oh, this is kinda cool.
As he stood there staring blankly at the bowing knights, one who appeared to be their leader approached him with a gentle smile.
“Though belatedly, we congratulate you on your recovery, Your Highness! From here on, the Imperial Guard will escort you.”
He was a handsome man with striking deep golden blond hair.
His well-trained, sturdy build was quite intimidating, but his slightly small, round eyes oddly softened his overall impression.
“…….”
Unsure how to respond, Seongjin just stared blankly, causing the man’s smile to falter.
But as if he had been forewarned, he quickly composed himself, placing his right arm across his chest and bowing politely.
“I am Masaine Clanoss, captain of the 2nd Knight Division of the Imperial Guard, Your Highness. It is truly a joy to see you in good health once more.”
Ah, this man must have known the original Mores.
Well, what could he do? Seongjin gave an awkward smile, and Masaine returned it with a soft one of his own before turning to lead the way.
He seemed to have anticipated that Seongjin might not know the inner palace layout. Grateful for the quick-thinking man, Seongjin followed behind.
But just as they entered through a tall archway, the Demon King let out a groan.
[Ugh… It’s suffocating. My soul feels like it’s being flattened!]
‘Why? Are those guys holy knights too?’
[No, they seem like regular knights… It’s not them. The whole area around here is just overflowing with holy power. The moment I try to manifest outside your body, I’ll be crushed… Urgh…….]
With that, the Demon King fell completely silent. Seongjin called out a few times, but the soul’s presence had grown so faint that he could barely sense it anymore.
He had steeled himself as if entering a boss dungeon, but he hadn’t expected the Demon King to tap out this quickly.
Pushing down his unease, Seongjin followed the knights’ guidance into the main palace lobby.
The Holy Emperor’s office was at the end of the second floor.
The wide corridor was relatively quiet, with occasional richly attired figures who appeared to be high priests passing by.
Each time, Seongjin tensed inwardly, but fortunately, they simply stepped aside and offered courteous greetings without any unusual reactions.
‘The priests don’t seem to notice the soul swap? Were we worrying for nothing?’
Feeling a bit relieved, Seongjin tried speaking, but there was still no response from the Demon King.
Had he really been annihilated by the priests’ aura?
The Demon King’s complete erasure was something he had desperately wanted. The culprit behind his world’s destruction and the enemy who had killed him with Gehenna’s flames.
Until now, there had been no other way to deal with him, and his existence had been too pathetic to bother with anyway……
But now that he thought the Demon King might truly be gone, Seongjin felt an odd sense of emptiness.
“Cardinal Benitus!”
His thoughts didn’t last long. Masaine, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and bowed his head.
Peeking over the lowered shoulders of the knight captain, Seongjin saw a scrawny old man standing before them.
He was a cranky-looking elder with a sharply hooked nose and downturned lips.
Despite his small, frail frame, the tall priestly hat and ornate robes embroidered with gold and silver lent him an air of considerable dignity.
A cardinal…… He must be someone important.
The old man stood rigidly, eyeing Mores’s group appraisingly for a moment before giving a slight nod toward the knight captain.
“There is no need for such formalities toward me, Sir Masaine.”
Contrary to his stern first impression, his tone was quite polite. Then he gave a curt nod toward Seongjin.
“Your Highness.”
“……?”
What? Something felt terribly off.
Greeting the escort knight first and only acknowledging the prince belatedly? And with just a tilt of the head?
Even Seongjin, ignorant of Delcross culture, found the old man’s attitude strange.
Seongjin’s eyes narrowed. Masaine seemed to notice as well, fidgeting and glancing at him nervously.
“So, what brings you to the main palace?”
The question wasn’t directed at the knight captain who guarded it daily; the cardinal asked Masaine without so much as glancing at Seongjin.
The old man had clearly swallowed all notions of manners. Watching to see how far he’d go, Seongjin held back until Masaine finally stepped forward and quietly admonished him.
“Cardinal, this is in the presence of His Highness. Please observe proper etiquette.”
“Hmm!”
Whether a false cough or a scoff, Cardinal Benitus finally turned to Seongjin, meeting his eyes. He stood with hands clasped behind his back and chest puffed out arrogantly.
“I heard you’ve been through quite the ordeal lately, but it’s good to see you still in fine fettle… Hm?”
Mid-sentence, the old man squinted and scanned Seongjin up and down.
Masaine’s face hardened at the blatant discourtesy, but suddenly the cardinal’s eyes widened.
“Oh? Wait a moment… No, Your Highness?”
Then he grew serious and began approaching.
Seongjin realized something was going wrong.
“What in the world…….”
Looking somewhat dazed as if he’d spotted something odd, the old man suddenly reached out toward Seongjin.
A hand enveloped in intense white light hooked toward him like a claw. Even to the clueless Seongjin, it didn’t look auspicious at all.
‘Probably…… holy power.’
The first real holy power he’d seen since arriving in this world. His heart raced, and in that brief moment, a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind.
Had he detected Seongjin’s soul? Or the Demon King inside him? What would happen if he touched that holy power? Would he be expelled from the body?
As a prince of the Holy Empire, such encounters would likely become routine. Testing it now wouldn’t be a bad idea.
That said.
‘Just because I’m standing here, he shoves his hand right in my face?’
Seongjin’s brows furrowed involuntarily. He had no intention of nitpicking etiquette with an elderly man, but as a prince, being manhandled like this was going too far.
Reflexively about to swat the hand away, Seongjin restrained himself. The cardinal’s skinny arm looked like it might snap with the slightest touch. Fortunately, before he could commit elder abuse, Masaine swiftly blocked in front of him.
“Stop, Lord Benitus!”
The old man halted abruptly, then regarded the knight captain with disbelief.
“Do you realize what you’re doing, Sir Masaine?”
His tone clearly blamed him, but the knight captain was resolute.
“No high priest may approach His Highness. Not even a cardinal is exempt.”
“Don’t you find that order absurd?”
“It is His Holiness the Holy Emperor’s command. For the prince’s protection.”
A chill hung between them for a moment. The cardinal glared at Masaine with piercing eyes, but seeing no give in the knight, he finally sighed in lament.
“To protect him from the priests who serve the Lord…….”
Shaking his head, the cardinal stepped back.
“You’ve always been like this, Sir Masaine. Why are you so blindly devoted to that man?”
“…….”
“Then we shall meet again, Sir Masaine.”
He shot Seongjin a glare and tilted his head sideways in what was more a sneer than a greeting.
“…Your Highness.”
Without waiting for a response, he brushed past the group.
Masaine silently watched the cardinal’s retreating figure, his lips twisted in an expression that could have been a smile or a grimace.
But it was fleeting. Regaining his usual gentle smile, the knight captain bowed to Seongjin.
“We’ve been delayed slightly, Your Highness. Let us hurry.”
Their exchange had felt oddly peculiar, but Seongjin soon brushed it off and followed Masaine obediently.
Of course. With an audience with the Holy Emperor looming, what did it matter?
* * *
“Ohh, Your Highness Mores! What a splendid sight you make! His Holiness the Holy Emperor will be greatly pleased!”
Upon arriving at the office, Chief Steward Louis, waiting outside the door, approached with arms spread wide.
Seongjin felt awkward at the overly enthusiastic reaction, but Louis flinched and quickly bowed.
“My apologies, Your Highness. Your dignified and robust appearance caused me to momentarily forget myself.”
The seemingly dignified man had a subtly boastful side. Seongjin gave a wry smile and asked,
“Uh… Louis? As you know, my memory is a bit… off. Is there anything I should be careful about when meeting Father? I don’t want to cause any more worry.”
Louis’s face lit up radiantly. If the Demon King could read his thoughts, he would have said something like this:
‘To ask such a thoughtful question—this from Mores? He’s grown so mature!’
Thanks to Mores laying the groundwork with his abysmal reputation, Seongjin could do no wrong.
“I anticipated Your Highness might be uncertain of the proprieties. Graciously, His Holiness the Holy Emperor places little stock in outward formalities. Simply address him as ‘Your Holiness the Holy Emperor’ and show due respect—that should suffice.”
The Holy Emperor didn’t seem as strict as he’d feared.
Relieved inwardly, Seongjin watched as the steward turned and announced loudly toward the door.
“Your Holiness the Holy Emperor, Prince Mores has arrived.”
Here we go—boss room entry.
The door creaked open slowly.
Seongjin steadied his pounding heart and stepped inside.
‘Worst case, I get booted from this body.’
Reaffirmed by the encounter with Cardinal Benitus, his initial anxiety had largely faded.
In its place, curiosity welled up, and his thoughts began to wander.
What sort of being was the Holy Emperor, proxy of the gods? Try as he might to imagine, all that came to mind was the pope in the mitre from TV before his world’s end.
That man had been a grandfather, but the Holy Emperor had a teenage son, so he must be younger. Did he resemble Mores much?
Was he strong? Or the typical frail priestly type?
At least age wouldn’t be an issue. Sure, he bickered childishly with the Demon King now, but Seongjin had been over sixty when he died on Earth.
Half tense, half eager, he swallowed and entered the room. First, his eyes fell on the lavish tea set in the center.
Likely prepared with Mores’s tastes in mind—he’d seen similar desserts served at the Pearl Palace.
Beyond it stood a large desk intricately engraved.
Piles of documents and scattered books confirmed this was a place of official business.
And there.
By the large window open to the terrace, the Holy Emperor stood.
“……!”
Seongjin’s eyes widened involuntarily.
‘The Holy Emperor? That guy?’
He was a youthful man of refined features.
His soft countenance and boyish face made it hard to believe he was father to a teenager.
Short-cropped black hair, simple attire, and a lean, agile build made him look more like a seasoned swordsman than a cleric.
The priest even wore a long sword at his waist!
No tall hat like the cardinal’s, no mitre like a pope’s. Only a white, ornate robe draped like a cloak over his shoulders hinted he was no ordinary high priest.
If he resembled Mores at all, it was perhaps the gray eyes shimmering silver in the light.
Those cool, emotionless eyes gazed steadily at Seongjin.
That man was the father of this tubby kid?
“Ah… Father?”
Oops! He’d been told to say “Your Holiness the Holy Emperor”!
Too flustered, he blurted out the term from his thoughts.
The Holy Emperor tilted his head slightly. Was he puzzled? His impassive face betrayed no expression, offering no clue to his thoughts.
“…Your Holiness the Holy Emperor.”
Quickly correcting himself with an awkward bow, Seongjin heard the Holy Emperor speak. His voice was a clear, low timbre.
“Father is fine, but it seems your prior memories are indeed gone.”
“Yes. It… turned out that way.”
Seongjin trailed off. The truth was a soul swap, but lying felt strangely uncomfortable in the Holy Emperor’s presence.
Fortunately, the Holy Emperor seemed to detect nothing amiss and replied curtly.
“I see.”
Then he strode toward Seongjin. The long robes swayed with him, emitting a subtle glow from certain angles.
Unwittingly watching the motion, Seongjin realized the Holy Emperor had closed to within one step.
Up close, he was taller than expected.
Blink, blink. At a loss for how to react, Seongjin stared up wide-eyed, and the Holy Emperor, gazing down with an inscrutable expression, suddenly raised his arm toward Seongjin’s head.
It happened too close for any response.
His fist clenched involuntarily, slick with cold sweat.
So he’d been found out. Was this the end? Bracing himself, Seongjin squeezed his eyes shut. But then.
Tap. A hand lightly touched the crown of his head.
‘…Huh?’
Nothing happened.
[Eh?]
Not nothing……
[Eeeh?]
The familiar, dimwitted voice echoed in his mind.
‘…Demon King?’
The Demon King’s presence, which had been undetectable, surged back intensely, followed by a sudden stretching vibration—like a soul yawning.
‘Huh? Wait, whaaat?’
‘You were alive? What happened?’
The Demon King didn’t answer. He probably didn’t know either—his shock and confusion flooded through unfiltered.
[Huh? What is this… Eh? Eeeeek!]
Startled by something, the Demon King let out a bizarre shriek before falling silent again.
But this time, his presence was unmistakable, so Seongjin sighed inwardly in relief.
At the same time, a chill crept over one side of his head.
‘What did the Holy Emperor just do? Did he detect the Demon King?’
If so, why not eradicate him? Or rather……
No time for more thoughts. The Holy Emperor had withdrawn his hand from Seongjin’s head and spoken calmly.
“Sit.”
And so the dissimilar father and son sat facing each other across the tea table.