Children of the Holy Emperor Chapter 21

021. Closing prayer (3)

In fact, it was not a very long time that the Holy Emperor used his aura, but the amount was so enormous that a person could not reach it even if he worked hard for a lifetime.

-What level do you think that level is? Even if they devote their whole lives, how many people will reach the end?

Suddenly, I remembered Masain’s anger toward Seongjin. Did he tell me to give up the idea of ​​learning anything from this gentleman?

As Seongjin’s expression became more subtle, Seonghwang spoke as if making an excuse as to how he accepted this.

“Hmm, well, the passage took up more than I expected, so the amount I had to drag in inevitably increased. “It didn’t get to that dangerous of a situation.”

It seems like it was a bit too extreme, but it seems like yesterday’s auror storm was an unexpected accident. Collapsing from exhaustion probably wasn’t in his plans.

“As expected, you used the Aura directly from outside, right? How is that possible?”

“Didn’t you tell me earlier? When you reach the level, go wherever you want… … .”

“Oh, yes.”

Lord Masaine was right.

I don’t think it will be much of a reference.

After that, time passed quickly as we talked about sword training and Auror training.

“Could you please take a look at my sword skills next time?”

After this gentleman took a moment to look at it, his Auror training became dramatically faster. Wouldn’t swordsmanship be possible in that way?

Seongjin expected so, but Seonghwang’s reaction was sour.

“That must be difficult. “I have never formally learned swordsmanship from the basics, so I don’t know what to teach based on.”

yes? Self-taught swordsmanship?

“By the time I met someone who could be called my teacher, my sword had already lost its form. “It’s a sword he can’t sharpen or teach to anyone, that’s what he said.”

Wow, this guy really has no common sense.

Some people develop bad habits by swinging weapons at will for decades, while others create their own style of swordsmanship after wielding them at will?

Seonghwang glanced at Seongjin’s dumbfounded face and added,

“Still, I think it’s possible to mix swords for fun. “After the prayer, let’s have some sparring.”

So, while I am gone, just quietly practice and practice. Don’t get into an accident.

Seonghwang said so.

That evening, news of His Majesty’s closing prayer was delivered throughout the imperial palace.

And even after that night, the demon king’s spirit did not return.

* * *

[Sniffle.]

Oh, what?

[Urrrrrrrrrrr.]

Please don’t cry. If you’re not a kid, what are you doing that’s so disgusting?

[Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.]

I told you not to cry. It’s noisy, so don’t cry and talk.

[…] Call… Sniff.]

What man?

[Call me.]

Oh, okay.

“… Oh, it’s really noisy. I’m calling you. I am calling… … .”

While speaking out loud without thinking, Seongjin opened his eyes in surprise at the sound of his own voice.

Tweet Tweet. As always, the sound of birds comes from the garden.

Seongjin, who blinked a few times, fully regained his senses. Faint sunlight poured through the curtains covering the large window, illuminating the entire room.

He stood up, rubbing his eyes.

Was it even a dream?

I think I heard that stupid guy whining all the time.

‘… ‘Demon King?’

There was still no answer.

Seongjin scratched his messy hair and sighed. Now, I think I have to admit that the demon lord has completely disappeared.

But what was his name?

* * *

“okay. Did you speak directly to Your Majesty yesterday? “Have you ever heard anything about why you are attending the closing prayer?”

Masain approached with a wooden sword and asked with a slightly strange expression.

“There was no special comment. why?”

“It’s because the timing is a bit odd.”

“okay?”

After finishing his morning meditation, Seongjin was doing some light stretching.

Behind them, several resident knights are walking around the training ground with an undisturbed posture. Since Lord Masain began appearing at Jinju Palace, the resident knights were literally changing day by day.

Well, they would probably be dying.

“Did your father say it happens occasionally?”

When Seongjin turned his waist and spoke casually, Masain slightly furrowed his eyebrows.

“The supreme ruler of the empire is leaving his position. Could it happen that easily?”

It is said that usually, when the imperial family is ill or a national disaster occurs in the empire, people go to prayer to ask the Lord for help. When we last heard the closing prayer two years ago, it was actually a very dangerous time on the southern front.

“But there is no clear cause now, is there?”

Moreover, the grand birthday banquet was just two months away.

This is a sensitive time when royal families, high-ranking nobles, and envoys from each kingdom and grand duchy are adjusting their visit schedules.

That’s why Masain said it was half-baked.

“Of course, since it is something your Majesty does, I think there must be an important reason.”

Masain gives a blank look on his face.

Soon the two were engrossed in class.

The standard swordsmanship of the Imperial Knights has already entered the fifth form.

Learning a new formula was definitely fun, but I also thought it was a bit rushed. When I asked Masain a question, he looked at Seongjin with a very strange expression and smiled.

“You already know that it is important to have a strong foundation. You are great. However, if you make the 3rd floor of Auror, you will have to dig only the 1st and 2nd types for initiation for a while. “I’m sure you’ll get bored, so let’s take it easy for now.”

If that’s the case.

Seongjin fell into a trance, moving the wooden sword countless times following the newly learned formula.

There is a clear difference between randomly swinging a weapon against monsters and sophisticated swordsmanship designed for interpersonal combat. That was fun.

The resident knights who were training in the training hall were already watching his movements one by one, but Seongjin did not realize it.

Just like that, the morning training time passed in the blink of an eye.

“Anyway, you. The aura around your body has become really active. This means that your storage capacity increases that quickly. “At this rate, I think we’ll be able to build a second layer of Aurors soon.”

“huh?”

Seongjin blinked at Masain’s words.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? sorry. Actually, I built the second floor last night.”

“… yes?”

I was secretly disappointed that I had to cut short the afternoon training yesterday because I was going to visit a patient. So, I meditated a little longer than usual before going to bed at night, and suddenly the second floor appeared.

When I explained it like that, Masain’s expression changed noticeably.

“I felt the aura and went to the second floor in one day… … .”

“Yes, if I just build one more floor, I can begin full-fledged Auror training, right?”

The minimum standard for flowing a sufficient amount of aura from the dantian to both limbs is aura level 3. Once you build those three layers, you can start practicing weaving auras into your swordsmanship ritual.

Once you are initiated like that, only then can you officially call yourself an Auror user.

Unlike Seongjin, who was very excited, Masain seemed a little shocked.

“No, why is it that someone who can do so well still…?” … .”

Seongjin shrugged his shoulders at Masain, who was muttering blankly.

I made a strong decision to pull it in, but the aura in the air was drawn into my body more easily than I expected. This is a huge improvement compared to before, when auras could not even be detected.

Perhaps, as I was caught up in the Auror storm, I became a little more Auror-friendly. Or, since he has a habit of using the energy of monsters, using auras is relatively easy.

Anyway, at this rate, I felt like I could become stronger faster than I thought.

Seongjin, who was happily putting away his wooden sword and heading to Jinju Palace for lunch, paused for a moment and looked at the fence of the training hall.

“… huh?”

Is it because of my mood? How come it’s cheap?

An uneasy feeling that I’ve never felt before.

“Why are you doing this, sir?”

Masain approached with a puzzled look, but Seongjin calmed down a little more without answering.

Even when he was originally working as a hunter, Seongjin was evaluated as having a different sense than his other colleagues.

Although it is nothing compared to its heyday. However, some of the senses that had been sharpened to the limit were still intact, and from somewhere, I caught the eyes looking towards the training ground.

“Lord Masaine. “Who is over there?”

“yes?”

Masain blinked for a moment, not knowing what was happening. However, his complexion soon changed and he quietly shouted to one of the resident knights who was standing closest.

“Lord Kurt! “There is someone spying on Jinju Palace!”

“yes? “Spying?”

The aged knight named Kurt asked back with a bewildered look on his face.

“I can’t feel anything?”

“It’s faint, but it’s definitely nearby. He is a person who controls auras quite skillfully. “It seems like he’s just not used to completely erasing his presence.”

“… “You mean you’re not an assassin?”

“I think he’s closer to a knight, but I’m not sure yet.”

Lord Masain instructed him with a stern expression.

“We are searching the area around the training center right now. Divide into two groups and create a siege network from the entrance to the training hall to the back gate of Jinju Palace without any leaks.”

Sir Kurt still seemed skeptical, but he didn’t particularly complain about the words of the knight commander, who was known for his skill.

As if he was used to leading the resident knights on a regular basis, he quickly divided the men into groups and rushed forward with one group leading them. Soon, all the knights except the minimum number of escorts left and the training hall became empty.

“I think you already noticed… … .”

Seongjin looked towards the back gate of Jinju Palace in the distance, assessing the presence of a rapidly moving away.

Was it necessary to start a search so conspicuously? look. Like running away in a hurry.

“It seems like a formidable opponent, but wouldn’t it have been better for Sir Masain, the strongest, to attack the back alone?”

“It’s so difficult that I can’t leave your side.”

Masain placed his hand on the sword at his waist and answered with an evil look on his face. Looking at the muscles in her forearms twitching, it seems like she is probably trying to hold back something she wants to burst out.

Well, even though he usually looks gentle, is the Knight Commander a Knight Commander? With a straight face, Lord Masain also has a slightly intimidating face.

‘I don’t mind swinging a wooden sword in this atmosphere, I should just sit down and meditate.’

I was alone with such carefree thoughts while everyone else was rigid, but after a while, the resident knights trudged back to the training ground.

As expected, they were empty-handed, but the face of Sir Kurt, who led them out, had turned quite serious.

“A paladin was wandering around the Jinju Palace. “He noticed and ran away before we could create a siege.”

“Have you checked who it is?”

“Unfortunately, it’s too far to reach Shinwon… . “But I clearly saw the black sword emblem on the Templar’s ​​livery.”

A black sword wrapped in a golden chain.

“The Holy Knights of Marsyas!”

“I guess so.”

Seongjin quietly listened to the conversation between the two people.

‘The Holy Knights?’

Now that I think about it, I remembered what the Demon King grumbled the other day. There are five unnecessary Holy Knights in the imperial palace.

They declare that they will carry on the names of five great saints, and according to that, each department performs its own duties.

Among them, the Demon King especially emphasized to Seongjin that he should be especially careful of the Holy Knights of Marsyas. Because it’s probably the department they’re based in.

“… “Heresy Tribunal.”

Sir Masaine’s face suddenly contorted.

“Those ungodly people, as if they had been waiting for you as soon as your Majesty was away… … .”

Sir Kurt spoke to Masain in a low voice.

“With some exceptions, Holy Knights are strictly restricted from entering Jinju Palace. If you ignored this, could it be that His Excellency Cardinal Benitus ordered it himself?”

“Seeing as how he ran away, I guess that’s not the case. “It is highly likely that it is the opinion of the knight commander or lower.”

“Would you like to inquire with the Inquisition?”

“It won’t help. Even so, it is a department with a strong closed atmosphere, so there is no way they will give you an answer easily from a dishonest position.”

Masain thought for a while with a stern expression on his face, and then took a sip of his food with a slightly uneasy expression.

“There is no other way for now. “First of all, we have no choice but to further strengthen the security of Jinju Palace until His Majesty returns.”

And the two knights looked at Seongjin’s face at the same time as if they had made a promise.

Masain had an expression of concern, and Sir Kurt had an expression of admiration.

“Anyway, you are truly amazing, sir.”

Sir Kurt stuck his tongue out.

“How on earth did you know there was a spy lurking around? “I didn’t notice it at all.”

“huh? Well, just. “I felt a little strange, so I looked into it.”

I can’t explain it because in the past, he was renowned among hunters for his ability to search for monsters.

Seongjin scratched his cheek while receiving slightly admiring glances from the resident knights.

In fact, it would be better not to mention that there was another person spying a little further away. Just run away anyway, it seems like it would be wrong to catch it already.

* * *

A remote garden quite far from Jinju Palace. A man who was staggering down the small side road leading to the administration building fell to the ground, out of breath.

“… “Huh, huh, huh!”

The thin middle-aged man, breathing heavily, was wearing a white priest’s robe with the god’s symbol engraved on it.

Clothes that would have been neat originally were now crumpled and covered in sweat and dust. This is because as soon as he saw the movement of the resident drivers, he turned around and ran like crazy, and even fell down a couple of times on the street.

“Huh! omg!”

The man was breathing hard and shaking as if he were about to die.

However, the expression on his face was closer to joy than pain. Her thin cheeks are damp with tears and sweat.

“… at las!”

A sob-like voice soon came out of the man’s mouth as he took a long moment to catch his breath.

“You’ve finally arrived! “He has come!”

As the long years passed, his strong faith also gradually faded. Nevertheless, when he heard the rumor that that bitch had turned into a completely different person, he was worried about what might happen.

He was able to see it with his own eyes when the Emperor’s surveillance was neglected.

And then I realized. That his long years of patience were never in vain.

“To this place… He said he would come!”

The wait was long, but in the end it did as he said.

then.

“… In the future, everything will happen just as you intend!”

Afterwards, the man bowed his head to the dirt floor in a reverential posture for a long time, not knowing how to move.

fantasy,