Children of the Holy Emperor Chapter 318

318. Change (3)

Suddenly, half of the monster task force’s staff was sent on a long-term business trip.

Nevertheless, Seongjin felt uneasy for some reason. I know well that Logan goes out every year to subdue the sea, but this time, I felt particularly uncomfortable.

[If it bothers you that much, you can go together too, right?]

Is it because I have an excuse to escape the stuffy imperial capital? The devil bastard asked vaguely.

‘Well, I’d like to do that too, but… … .’

But Seongjin still had a lot of things to sort out.

It would be great if we could catch him before Giacomo Milo’s trial. We also need to separately investigate Margrave Sigismund’s scheme.

Where is that? The investigations into groups entrusted to Dasha are slowly showing tangible results.

‘Plus, Leonard of Lohan… … .’

The thing that bothered me the most was, of course, him. A moody bastard who hangs around his sister.

At the last birthday party, I thought he was being overly friendly with Seongjin, but as expected, as soon as he returned to the imperial capital, he was sending me letters requesting a meeting every day.

It was clearly visible that he had impure feelings for Amelia and hoped that Seongjin would build a bridge in the middle.

‘As expected, I have to be in the ecliptic now. Owen will come back soon.’

[Owen? You mean the 1st prince? How do you know she’s coming back?]

‘Oh, there is such a thing.’

Seongjin responded roughly and quietly frowned.

Oh, it’s really uncomfortable. I guess I’m anxious. We need to come up with some more measures.

* * *

But surprisingly, it seemed that Seongjin was not the only one who received such a premonition.

It’s been a while since I had some free time, so I went to the training hall of the Knights of St. Marsyas to check out Sisley’s training.

Cough!

Before you even reach the entrance, you see armor flying powerfully into the air with a loud noise. Perhaps Sisley is accelerating his training.

“wow! “That’s really cool, Sisley!”

On one side of the training hall, I saw Seo Yi-seo cheering with excitement.

What is he doing here? You’re a saint in name and appearance, but don’t you have an official schedule?

“… ah? Brother Mores!”

At that time, Sisley, who noticed Seongjin’s presence from afar, waved his flail and gave a fierce greeting. I could see that the little boy’s mood had improved significantly.

“Aren’t you busy with the task force these days? “What’s going on here?”

“Well, I was just passing by and stopped by.”

It seemed like a lot of changes had occurred in Sisley’s training while I hadn’t seen him.

First of all, the little boy has thrown off the cumbersome saint’s clothes and is wearing proper knight’s attire.

Additionally, held in a small hand, was an ugly flail with spikes sticking out here and there.

Seeing that his posture was quite stable even while holding a weapon that seemed heavier than before, I was able to guess how intensely the little boy had been training.

“The armor’s distance has increased 1.5 times compared to usual. “That’s incredible power.”

“Your hitting is becoming more and more accurate. “It’s increasing every day, so what’s new?”

“But today I feel particularly strong. “Is something troubling the saint?”

“Now that I think about it, I feel an impatience that has never existed before regarding the use of Aurors.”

The biggest change is, of course, the Inquisitors training together. They must have gotten used to this sight, and now they have enough time to chat about trivial things.

And Seongjin was able to immediately hear from Sisley the reason why he was impatient with the training.

“I’m going to follow Brother Logan this time.”

“you? “You’re applying to the punitive force?”

“huh. Although it is still far from sufficient, I think it is sufficient to not interfere with the activities of the punitive force. Even if I can’t do the job of a single knight, there are ways to contribute to the subjugation team as a healer.”

“hmm.”

“Don’t even think about stopping me, brother. There is no other reason why I usually do not neglect training. “It’s all to prepare for something like this.”

Seongjin took a close look at Sisley’s determined expression.

Of course, the little girl had done volunteer work as a saint before. However, I could not shake the feeling that this decision to carry out the subjugation was sudden.

“why? “Did you have a precognitive dream or something?”

Sisley then flinched and looked at Seongjin.

“ah? Well, not really… … .”

“then?”

At the series of urgings, Sisley looked worried for a moment and then let out a small sigh.

“Well, the only person who can fully understand my current situation is you.”

“It’s about the Delcross Chronicles?”

“huh. that’s right.”

Recently, Sisley has not had nightmares disguised as precognitive dreams. Seongjin strongly advised me not to believe it, and the rabbit eye patch Owen gave me was working properly.

However, the contents of the Delcross Chronicle, which he had pondered over and over for years, still remained a strong memory in Sisley’s mind.

“I know that? “Since my brother started working on the monster task force, a lot of things have changed since the Chronicles.”

According to Sisley, from what he had read, there were no incidents of Lycanslopes on the move in the north. Instead, during the same period, a large number of sea demons occurred disturbing the coast of Cyprus.

So, instead of going to Sigismund territory, Logan in the chronicle seemed to have formed a punitive force and headed to Cyprus as usual.

“Are those the same demons that caused the problem this time?”

“I don’t know that. Since the chronicle mostly revolved around the imperial capital, only the simple results of the subjugation were described. But since the timing is similar, I think it’s highly likely.”

“What is the result of the subjugation?”

“That’s what Brother Logan does, right? Of course, I came back after cleaning up.”

After responding like that, Sisley continued speaking with a slightly more serious expression.

“But it is said that during that subjugation, two Lilium knights who followed my brother passionately lost their lives. So, it is said that Brother Logan was depressed for a while after that.”

“okay?”

These are knights who follow with enthusiasm.

The first thing that comes to mind is the extreme trio of Otto, Ellie, and Duchamp.

“Anyway, it’s unusual for there to be deaths in the punitive force.”

The biggest reason why the Lilium Detachment’s reputation is so high is that the number of casualties is almost non-existent. Every year, we take the lead in carrying out large-scale seawater suppression, but the damage is so small that it can be considered a miracle.

The world often talks about this as proof that the Lord’s blessings are with Lilium. Of course, Seongjin knew very well Logan’s true power, so he thought it was a natural result.

‘But even though Sword Master Logan’s eyes are still open, the knights of Lilium have lost their lives?’

This had great implications.

Considering that the Delcross Chronicles was created based on reality to some extent, the recent actions of the sea monsters may not be ordinary riots that occur every time.

Perhaps the scale is much greater than reported.

“Or, even though it is not specifically stated in the chronicle, it could be that something happened to Brother Logan himself.”

After saying that, Sisley raised his clear gray eyes and looked up at the distant northeastern sky.

“Is that why? Brother. Ever since I heard that a punitive force was being formed, I’ve been feeling uneasy. “I have a feeling that there, on the black coast of Cyprus, something evil is lurking around to devour Brother Logan.”

“… … .”

“Of course, it might be a needless worry. But rather than staying like this, I thought I should do whatever I can.”

Seongjin was able to fully understand Sisley. Until just now, wasn’t he also anxious due to a somewhat uneasy premonition?

‘but… … .’

I realized this the moment I heard Sisley’s decision. There are clues to a solution.

“Whatever is waiting there, you want to see it with your own eyes and stop it.”

“huh. I trained hard for times like this. “I’m building my strength to protect myself and my family.”

Sisley nodded and tightened his grip on the flail.

Although the boy’s small hands were already red from the arduous training, although he was unlikely to get hurt thanks to his powerful divine power.

“I know that? At first, I thought you were the key to all these changes. So he thought he should help his brother somehow. However, after joining the Knights of St. Marsyas and devoting himself to training every day, he gradually came to realize this.”

Sisley, who had said that much, turned his head and looked straight into Seongjin’s eyes.

“Just waiting for someone to bring change is not the way to go. When I think about it, who would be the horse I could most easily move to change the Delcross Chronicles? “It’s me, right?”

“… … .”

“So how can I dare expect positive change in the Chronicles if I don’t change myself first?”

Seongjin silently looked down at his younger brother, who sounded quite dignified.

What can I say, until now I just thought of him as a little boy who needed to be looked after. Now that I see it, I see that he is a more reliable ally than I thought.

“… Sisley.”

He did not want to remind people of the contents of the Delcross Chronicles as much as possible, but after thinking for a moment, Seongjin soon made up his mind and opened his mouth.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while.”

“huh? What?”

“Perhaps. “Does the Margrave Sigismund also appear in the Delcross Chronicles?”

“Margrave Sigismund?”

“okay. The current margrave, Hendrik Sigismund. Since he is the father of the main character, Orden, he probably appears often.”

Then Sisley, who had been reflecting on his memories for a moment, shook his head.

“well? Was there sometimes minor friction with the Archduke? “Given the fact that I don’t remember much of his actions, it seems like he hasn’t been a very important character until now.”

hmm. Is that so? I thought there might be a clue to the Margrave’s plans.

-I am just standing by and watching him commit a serious and irreversible sin.

My father definitely had those thoughts at that time.

-If you knew that, you definitely wouldn’t try to stop me.

In that case, it means that you must first find out what the Margrave’s intentions are, so that you can prevent what your father has planned in advance.

However, Sisley, who noticed Seongjin’s dejected expression, spoke carefully.

“Is it important? “Then shall we take a look at it from now on?”

“hmm? how?”

“I’m having a precognitive dream again. “Go into that dream and read the Delcross Chronicles from beginning to end.”

… what?

When Seongjin opened his eyes, Sisley smiled softly.

“In order to change the future, you must first fully understand the intended future.”

“But Sisley. As I said before, that’s not the right future. “It’s just a ploy by a bad guy looking for your destruction.”

“If it’s not really a precognitive dream, then yes. “If it’s just someone’s prank like my brother said, then knowing all the details will be a clue to what he’s aiming for.”

It’s not that Seongjin didn’t think of that, too.

There was just something that bothered me about recommending it, because I knew better than anyone else what the Delcross Chronicles meant to Sisley.

It must have been a truly merciless sentence of death. The little boy in front of you must have endured the fear of death alone for years, unable to confide in anyone.

But going through it all over again?

“It’s okay, brother.”

Sisley, perhaps understanding Seongjin’s complicated expression, answered calmly.

“I’m already dead in the chronicles anyway, right? “Now that the most nerve-wracking story is over, all you have to do is feel a little more comfortable and read the process of the world being destroyed.”

“… … .”

“Of course, it is still scary to face the end of each Seonghwang family member.”

Still, if you repeat that it is not true and that it is something to prevent the future, it will become bearable.

Sisley said that and tried to comfort Seongjin.

‘uh… … .’

Seongjin realized something again. The fact that our little boy is a child with a really strong spirit who does not give in to external pressure.

In the end, Seongjin decided to let me do whatever I wanted, and had no choice but to respond to the little boy like this.

“But don’t push yourself too hard.”

“of course. As long as you sleep well, it won’t interfere with your training. “I will sleep without the eye patch only once a day when I have free time.”

Sisley, who burst out laughing, continued speaking.

“Now that I think about it, is there a story I heard before? Before His Majesty carried out a large-scale subjugation, that is, when the power of the Dark Church still existed in the imperial capital. “I heard that the apostates of the church at that time volunteered to become victims of human sacrifice on a large scale in order to enjoy eternal [rest].”

Clearly, human sacrifice is an unacceptable heresy.

Sisley added, though, that he thought about how difficult life must have been at the time and how he would have hoped for salvation from death.

“I’m saying this because you are my brother, but sometimes I think that death has the same meaning as ‘rest.’ Same goes for me. Once I experienced death once in the Chronicles, I felt a little more at ease… … .”

It was right then.

[Nonsense!]

Someone’s sharp voice interrupted their conversation.

[Do not fall for the deception of false things, my descendants! How can something as ominous as death become ‘rest’?]

At some point, Seo Yi-seo was glaring at Seong-jin with fierce eyes. Her eyes, which were originally dark brown, suddenly changed to bright gold and began to sparkle.

Cadmus appeared.

[What are your intentions? How far are you trying to control and control my descendants!?]

However, the yelling from the old man in the back room did not reach Seongjin’s ears at all. An important realization struck my head in an instant.

‘… Oh my!

When Seongjin chuckled and raised one corner of his mouth, Cadmus, who was startled, got angry again.

[Why are you looking at me like that! What kind of trick are you planning again, you evil bastard!]

‘Yes, Cadmus.’

Now I feel like it’s finally coming together.

If Sisley goes, that guy will end up being part of the punitive force, right? This would be a pretty solid appointment, right?

fantasy,