Chapter 72
Chapter: 72
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 72
>Chapter Title: Portrait Decision (3)
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>Seongjin couldn’t believe his eyes, and to help Dasha who was struggling to accept it, he repeatedly demonstrated [Aura Concealment].
“How is this possible…….”
She remained in shock for quite a while.
“How could carefully selected trainees, who normally take three to four years on average, master it in just one day…….”
With his aura deactivated, Seongjin merely shrugged.
Yeah? Well, that’s pretty decent.
I’ve got a track record of stacking up to the fifth layer of aura, which supposedly takes people an average of seven years, in just a few weeks.
Though my father still treats me like a kid who’d wander off by the water.
“Your Highness, can you move while maintaining that state?”
At Dasha’s question, Seongjin cautiously stepped forward. But despite his efforts, the faint presence sharpened right back to normal.
“Hmm…….”
This isn’t easy at all.
Seongjin focused his mind, trying to vividly reconstruct the image he’d been repeating nonstop until moments ago.
In truth, to manipulate his aura more easily, he was drawing on a memory from his hunter days.
Long ago, the day he’d been isolated in the middle of a nest belonging to fire caterpillars, monstrous beasts with deadly venom.
Surrounded by venom that permeated not just the moisture floating in the air but everything touching his body, he’d gathered all his vital energy to coat his respiratory system and skin, layering it over and over to endure.
Unable even to breathe properly, with his skin melting away the moment he let his guard down even briefly—in that toxic fog, Seongjin had crawled and walked nonstop for a full day and a half to return to base.
‘Right. [Aura Concealment] isn’t just about binding aura to the body.’
The key was visualizing an airtight barrier of aura, just like back then.
He had to keep circulating the aura in constant linkage with his body’s interior so it wouldn’t stray from the surface, while maintaining a dense concentration to prevent even the slightest external aura from seeping in.
And then.
Just move the body like he had back then.
“Is it really that easy? This is insane……!”
Dasha’s astonished cry came from beside him.
After several trials and errors, Seongjin finally succeeded in taking his first step without any change in his presence. From there, it was smooth sailing.
Before long, he could stably erase his presence while walking around the room. He even channeled some aura into his legs and bounced in place.
“How on earth did you do it, Your Highness? Why does [Aura Concealment] look so effortless when you do it?”
To Dasha, who looked almost desperate, Seongjin kindly explained, slightly modifying the image he’d built.
So, Dasha, use your imagination. You’re a tree frog. In simpler terms, imagine you’re a tree frog who’s unluckily fallen right into the middle of a venomous ant nest. Since you have no resistance to their venom, you have to constantly secrete skin mucus to protect yourself. But once you’ve secreted all of it, you can’t protect your body anymore, so you have to reabsorb the venom through your skin. So the tree frog, amid the venomous ants’ poison, uses its venomous mucus to……
After listening to his rambling explanation for a while, Dasha.
“No way…….”
Stared at Seongjin with a blank expression, then hung her head low and muttered softly.
“Even with such a messy method, it somehow works? Is that how it is? A world where geniuses hog everything…….”
“…….”
With his senses heightened to the max for delicate aura control, Seongjin couldn’t have missed that, but he decided to let it slide for now.
He did feel a bit guilty for instantly devouring the fruits of someone else’s years of bloody effort.
“…Tomorrow, I’ll procure some stealth clothes suited for Your Highness.”
Dasha, who had been floundering in a state of panic, finally pulled herself together and spoke.
“Now that it’s come to this, we absolutely, absolutely cannot let it get out.”
Her face, with fists clenched tight, looked grimly determined.
“Couldn’t I just sneak out now?”
“What are you saying! You’ve grasped the basics of the most important technique, but assassination isn’t just [Aura Concealment]. You haven’t even started practicing sound nullification, breath control, or intent suppression.”
According to Dasha, they still had a long way to go.
Depending on the situation, he needed to learn various footwork techniques, assassination weapon handling, dark arts, how to use sedatives and such drugs, and ways to deal with all sorts of emergencies.
“To properly use all those skills, it takes a long time of practice. And there’s pre-preparation and all sorts of other things. But more than anything…….”
“More than anything?”
“I can feel it. Your Highness still lacks faith.”
Ah, that damn faith.
“You get it, right? Your [Aura Concealment] might fool ordinary people, but it’s not enough to completely evade aura users yet. So don’t recklessly go outside and get caught, strengthening the palace guards for no reason.”
Seongjin slowly raised his arm, peering at his hand which was visible but somehow hazy in presence.
It was definitely much fainter, but maybe not perfect enough to fool the palace knights like Dasha could.
“Your Highness, please keep this in mind above all else. Your safety comes first. If you’re going to sneak out, you must, must go with me. Got it?”
“Yeah, got it.”
Avoiding Dasha’s blazing eyes, Seongjin replied half-heartedly, and she let out a deep sigh.
“Phew, what grave am I digging for myself here? I thought if I just taught you half-heartedly to kill time, you’d give up within three years at least…….”
So you were just planning to stall for time, huh.
Please, whatever you do, don’t try to sneak out of the palace alone. Okay? Okay?
Even after seeing Seongjin obediently lie down on the bed, Dasha kept nagging insistently before leaving.
Of course.
The moment her presence fully vanished from the Pearl Palace, Seongjin sprang up and flung open the terrace door.
Shall I just take a quick lap around the Pearl Palace grounds?
It’s my palace—I want to walk around it. What’s the problem if I get caught?
* * *
“Asein introduced it as a new mineral.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In the pitch-black main palace on a moonless night, the Holy Emperor was receiving a report from No. 21, Enrique, in a room without a single light.
“Archduke Asein named it [Crimson Gold].”
“Crimson Gold…….”
“Yes. He boasted that due to its rarity, its price would soon surpass even gold. It’s slightly heavier than gold with a beautiful red luster, making it ideal as a precious metal. As hard as platinum, it’s difficult to work with, but that very quality is quietly gaining popularity among the wealthy as an unchanging luxury.”
Tilting his head, the Holy Emperor said.
“Even so, breaking into Asein’s gold jewelry market won’t be easy.”
“It seems the Archduke plans to aggressively lead the charge. They’re making some holy relics for delivery to the Orthodox Church out of crimson gold, and all gifts prepared for the birthday celebration are being crafted from it. To maintain high quality, they’ve mobilized every artisan in the workshops—apparently, no one’s ever seen the Archduke spend so lavishly.”
“I see. Likely aiming to establish its credibility through this birthday celebration…….”
The Holy Emperor abruptly stopped mid-sentence and looked out the window.
“…….”
Puzzled, No. 21 followed his gaze, but the pitch-black palace garden outside was merely silent, without even a patrolling guard.
“What mischief is it this time…….”
“…Your Majesty?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
The Holy Emperor soon faced No. 21 again with a face as if nothing had happened.
“So, what about this [Crimson Gold]? It’s not an alloy?”
“Yes. The guild’s technicians tried melting it but failed to separate anything. Surprisingly, it appears to be a pure single metal.”
“Fascinating. I assumed it was an alloy, given Asein’s history of passing off copper as gold.”
After scrutinizing the Holy Emperor’s face, No. 21 cautiously asked.
“Do you believe it’s not a new mineral, Your Majesty?”
“Don’t you think the timing is too perfect for it to be a new mineral now? Especially considering how Asein has combed every resource in his territory over the past decades. Only…….”
The Holy Emperor paused, resting his chin in thought for a moment.
“…What if that [Crimson Gold] vein extends from the triangular zone in the western mountains toward Carthage?”
No. 21’s body jolted.
“You’re right. But how did you…….”
“Indeed.”
Though shrouded in darkness, No. 21’s night-adapted eyes clearly caught the Holy Emperor’s lip curling slightly.
“Then, even if it truly is a new metal, it’s hardly significant. Not enough reserves for long-term profitability.”
“Yes?”
“By now, the grandson of Archduke Carthage must be growing up nicely. Enough to make Asein get impatient.”
“…Yes?”
“Same as always, that consistent old man.”
“…….”
How can that be? How far do you see?
The old No. 21 would have asked the Holy Emperor outright without hesitation.
But now, he merely gazed at him with faintly troubled eyes before quietly bowing his head.
“Enrique.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Investigate the recent supply of dark salt from Carthage. Compare it with the trends in Asein Trading Company’s dark salt dealings.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Ah, and if you can obtain some freshly mined crimson gold ore, prepare it. I’ll pay a brief visit to the Asein branch soon.”
No. 21 bowed and then melted into the air as if vanishing.
After he left.
Alone, the Holy Emperor slowly turned to gaze out the window. For an instant, a silvery-gray light flickered in his eyes, as if they alone illuminated the dark room.
“I told him to do as he pleases, but this kid is utterly unpredictable…….”
He sat there until deep into the night approaching dawn, unable to tear his gaze from the window.
* * *
Rustle.
Without a breath of wind, the flowers in the garden bed swayed all at once.
Swish.
A tree branch suddenly shook, its leaves rubbing together with a faint frictional sound.
“……?”
The sudden noise drew the attention of a knight on patrol. But after scanning the garden briefly, he found nothing amiss and continued toward the training grounds.
Had he known what was happening in the Pearl Palace garden right then, he would have been horrified.
The prince in his pajamas was testing every limit of movement, freely dashing all over the garden.
‘Hahaha!’
[You’re way too excited. Pumped up.]
Even as the Demon King chided him inwardly, Seongjin just laughed gleefully to himself.
When he’d first cautiously stepped out into the garden, the resident knight guarding the door hadn’t noticed him slipping onto the terrace at all. Judging by his aura activity, he was mid-mid-level knight!
‘It works? Then shall I check other places?’
So Seongjin wandered near the servants’ quarters too.
Edith, who used to bolt over at the slightest oddity, was now deep in sound sleep, oblivious. Confirming her steady breathing and faint snore from her room, Seongjin gained confidence.
‘Will this fool the guards and resident knights too?’
Though Dasha had said he needed to learn other techniques.
Seongjin himself had built up know-how on stealth during his hunter days, like sneaking into monster nests to wreak havoc.
Above all, unshakeable resolve.
-Getting caught walking in my own palace? So what? What’re they gonna do?
This rock-solid confidence far surpassed the shaky faith Dasha had pointed out.
And shortly after.
After verifying against a few patrolling resident knights, Seongjin was now freely bounding around the garden as he pleased.
‘Puhahaha! Feels like I’m alive!’
Apparently, maintaining princely decorum had built up some stress. Sprinting freely after so long brought back hunter days.
Seongjin adjusted his aura as much as possible, pushing his body to jump as high and far as he could. It was beneficial time for adapting his body to the rapidly growing aura.
But the limits of his newly entered fifth-layer aura soon made themselves known.
Thud. Thump. Thud.
Channeling aura into his legs for one last jump, hopping terrace to terrace, Seongjin plopped down on the Pearl Palace roof, catching his ragged breath as he released [Aura Concealment]. Soon, deficient oxygen and depleted aura began rapidly replenishing inside him.
‘This is better than expected? Maybe even sneaking out of the palace alone isn’t impossible…….’
If not for the pale pajamas, he might’ve bolted out of the palace right then.
Instead, the Demon King seemed anxious.
[You’ve caused enough ruckus. Time to head back, Seongjin. It’s already dawn. Kids need sleep to grow.]
‘…Should I?’
Come to think of it, he’d skipped meditation today learning [Aura Concealment].
To train properly tomorrow morning, bedding down now was best.
‘Might not get another chance for a while.’
Today happened to be the day Masain went home.
He’d been practically living in the Pearl Palace lately, but he had a proper house in the capital with servants of his own.
If Masain had stayed, Seongjin wouldn’t have dared this much. He wasn’t confident enough to fool a senior knight on the cusp of Decaron Knight perfectly.
‘Yeah, might as well go all in. Just for today.’
[For real?!]
Having decided, Seongjin reactivated [Aura Concealment] and quietly returned to his room. Peeking through the door, the oblivious guard knight yawned widely and began dozing off, head nodding.
Perfect.
‘First, I need some casual clothes or something to throw over…….’
Opening the dressing room revealed only flashy outfits screaming “prince.”
‘…Gotta ask Dasha for some comfy stealth clothes later.’
With no choice, Seongjin strapped on his sword belt with the walnut pommel over his pajamas and pulled on boots.
[You’re heading out like that?]
‘Let’s swing by the knights’ quarters on the way. Maybe borrow an outer cloak or something?’
Worried about waking sleeping knights, Seongjin crept toward the knights’ quarters with presence minimized. But he soon realized he didn’t need to be so cautious.
The knights’ quarters, brightly lit, were hosting an impromptu drinking party.