Children of the Holy Emperor Chapter 328

328. Days of No. 21 (4)

Branch Manager Justin held on to No. 21 tenaciously until the very end.

-A hundred guys like you should attack him all at once. Bart doesn’t even blink! So, just relax and leave this guy to the Asean branch!

Of course, No. 21 snorted inwardly.

Could it possibly be so? He is quite excellent in [Oberon’s Hand], and is the only one among the same trained riders to have received a ‘number’.

Of course, this is not to look down on Seonghwang, but the limitations of the homunculus’ body were very clear.

The load is too small and the durability is so poor that it is almost pitiful. Thanks to this, if you want to hit someone properly, you have to spin it around and around several times to get a usable hit.

Even so, if the other person gets bruised, the person who hit him or her will end up with cracked bones. At this point, there is a limit to how much divine power can be used to block it.

‘More than anything, my senses have become seriously dulled. If I decide to hide, there are many times when I can’t detect it properly even when I get close.’

So No. 21 was confident. For the Holy Emperor who has become a homunculus, his presence is absolutely necessary. He said there was no doubt about it.

Nevertheless, there was another reason why No. 21 felt helpless recently.

The biggest threat to Seonghwang, now a homunculus, was his own son, whom Number 21 could never touch.

* * *

At first, Kaien charged directly at Seongwang, brandishing his weapon. As for attacking Seonghwang himself, it was the result of confirming several times that he could not hold any books.

“After defeating my father, I can control the other guys’ souls and get out of here!”

The weapons that Cayenne wielded were diverse.

Sometimes it was a sword stolen from someone, sometimes it was a large rock picked up in the yard, and sometimes it was a small dish knife.

In this way, he hides the weapon without the guild members knowing, and attacks Seonghwang while he is at his most unguarded. The timing was so exquisite that even No. 21 sometimes clicked his tongue in admiration.

Quadang! Cheonggang!

Fortunately, before No. 21 or the guild members could step in, Seonghwang successfully subdued the boy every time.

“Tch, it’s a waste! “It’s almost done!”

“That’s your mistake, Cayenne. “You will never succeed in the future, so why not give up now?”

Seonghwang used to gently scold him every time, but at the point where he was competing with the young boy on equal terms, he was already very unreliable.

‘If more time passes… … .’

Number 21 naturally couldn’t help but think of that assumption.

What if Cayenne grows up and one day surpasses the homunculus’s physical capabilities? And even then, if the relationship between father and son does not improve at all. Will the attempt to assassinate Seonghwang, like now, end up as a simple incident?

If Seonghwang reaches a point where he can no longer control the child, how will the others, who have difficulty even contacting Kaien, stop him?

In this way, the days of successful practice continued, day after day, amid complex thoughts.

Around that time, some changes occurred in the relationship between Seonghwang, Kaien, and No. 21.

At some point, No. 21 began to feel that he and Cayenne were making frequent eye contact.

‘… what?’

At first, No. 21 was difficult.

Before and after attacking Seonghwang, the boy seemed to be watching him, but he thought it was just his mood.

I guess the Cayenne doesn’t have any reason to do that. She has never even spoken directly to me.

But it didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t an illusion.

So, it must have been some time after Prince Logan led the Lilium Detachment to rescue Lord Sigismund, who was in danger.

For some reason, Seonghwang missed the morning political meeting and suddenly ended up going to the prayer room.

-If you see a guild informant who always comes here, tell him. I think I won’t be able to go see ‘that kid’ for a while.

Number 21, who heard such a message from Chamberlain Lewis, wondered to himself.

Due to Seonghwang’s nature, there was no way he could put off matters related to children unless it was quite urgent. Isn’t it a promise to Cayenne, whom he has been especially concerned about lately?

‘What on earth is it? ‘What is going on around that person?’

Even after a full day, the Holy Emperor could not come out of the prayer room.

Number 21, who was looking around the palace with a nervous feeling, suddenly remembered the words that guild leader Greta had said with a serious face.

-Kike. There are some big conspiracies happening on the underside of the continent right now.

-Big conspiracy?

-okay. Without maintaining at least the form of this unreasonable empire, huge tasks that may be impossible to handle… … .

Were her concerns truly credible? If so, what is this conspiracy, and what is the Holy Emperor doing against it?

Going to the prayer room unexpectedly is becoming more and more frequent, but is it really something that he can handle on his own?

and-

‘In this situation, trying to assassinate Seonghwang might be… … .’

Feeling a sense of intangible anxiety creeping in, No. 21 spent the entire week circling around Seonghwang.

Naturally, during that period, No. 21 also had no time to look at Cayenne. Just like that, several days passed by, leaving the boy’s care solely to the Asin branch guild members.

If it’s short, it’s a short gap.

However, it was probably enough time for the brilliant Cayenne to come up with a small plan.

“It’s been a while, dad. “I was pretty bored during that time.”

Kaien was especially happy to welcome the arrival of a homunculus in his body after a few days.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. “Whatever I say will be an excuse, but I’ve been very busy with important work.”

“no. It’s okay, don’t worry. Your uncle is the majesty of the Holy Empire, right? There must be a mountain of things more important than me, right? “I understand everything.”

Kaien responded with a natural smile and invited Seonghwang to sit at the table with him.

“Anyway, dad. Would you like to have a meal with me after a long time? “If I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything with you, except for the first day I came here.”

“… … .”

“You’re family, right? But don’t just pretend to eat in front of people like you did before. “I didn’t say much, but I was quite disappointed with my father that day.”

Seonghwang stared at Kaien for a moment, then slowly sat down with a slightly stiff expression. That attitude was somehow unusual, so No. 21 quickly glanced at the guild members.

‘Did anything happen while preparing the meal?’

‘Yes, nothing happened. We were keeping a close watch without any leaks.’

‘okay.’

Number 21 nodded, but still had a very ominous feeling.

Was it because Seonghwang’s face looked unusually bloodless than usual? Or maybe it was because of Cayenne’s pitch-black three-white eyes, which showed no sign of laughter even as the corners of her mouth were raised.

“… Cayenne.”

Seonghwang, who was holding his breath for a moment while looking at the food in front of him, eventually opened his mouth in a slightly cracked voice.

But before he could say anything more, Cayenne quickly cut him off.

“Wait a minute. Before that, do you want to hear what I have to say first, father?”

“… … .”

“While my father wasn’t coming, I was thinking about a lot of things on my own. About the situation I am currently in. And about how to solve this. “I worked hard to figure it out with the limited knowledge I had.”

Kaien paused for a moment and looked quite innocent, resting his chin on one hand.

“Your father said that before, right? Because I am deeply hurt somewhere in my head, I am completely unaware of the natural emotions that other people feel. So, I have no choice but to carefully observe how ordinary people live and learn their reactions over and over again.”

No. 21 also remembered hearing something similar. This was when he was asked why he punishes children but does not preach to them.

At that time, Seonghwang said it was not much different from Cayenne being born blind. So, he said that no matter how much he taught people about human emotions and good and evil, it was the same as asking a blind person to explain and distinguish colors.

“Honestly, I didn’t feel good when I heard that. In my view, ‘ordinary’ people living in the city are also not that different from bandits in fundamental ways, except that their behavior is a bit calm. “They were all just thoughtless idiots.”

“… … .”

“But I have to observe and follow those guys? Does that make sense? If that’s ‘normal’ and ‘normal’, then I don’t need any of that! There’s no way you’ll be motivated at all, right? So I thought.”

And Kaien pulled his body closer towards Seonghwang and raised the corners of his mouth with a grin.

“Who do I resemble to be like this? Isn’t that flattering? So who is best to follow? Of course it would be flattering!”

“… … .”

“To me, Abuji seemed quite different from other idiots. So I thought it would be quite fun to imitate you. Anyway, out of all the people I’ve met so far, I thought my father was the best!”

At first glance, it seemed like he was friendly. However, No. 21 could not take Kaien’s words literally.

When a boy who doesn’t know much about emotions says ‘I like it’, does it really mean the same thing as ‘liking’ or ‘affection’ that ordinary people use?

“But you know what? I definitely thought so at first. “If I decided to observe you for a long time, wouldn’t I be able to see some pretty interesting facts?”

In the cold silence, only Cayenne’s bright voice spreads with a strange resonance.

“Why on earth is my father so anxious that he always comes to see me? Why am I so anxious to control my actions? Why do you insist on punishing me even though it’s so hard for you? why? “What does that mean?”

“Because you are my father? Because you have a responsibility to me? Do you cherish me as your son? There’s no need to say things like that. “I don’t understand it anyway, and I don’t really believe it.”

“Instead, I thought I should make a judgment that only I can make, based on what I can see.”

Kaien, who had said that, slowly raised one hand and spread it wide before the Emperor’s eyes.

It’s hard to believe that he’s had a rough life, and his hands look so clean and without a scratch.

“Now, look. There is gold in this hand, father. “It is a large crack that was created after swallowing Jerome completely, and will no longer heal.”

… gold?

Number 21 couldn’t understand anything Cayenne was saying.

But it occurred to me that perhaps there was something unseen there. This was because Seonghwang’s complexion worsened as he stared at Kaien’s hand.

“As I continued to observe you, I found out automatically. “What are you so worried about, why do you look anxiously all the time?”

Seonghwang looked away from the hand and looked at Kaien’s face with sunken eyes.

“Cayenne.”

“Yes, that’s right! I finally realized why these cracks appear! It’s not just about devouring souls! If I do something you tell me not to do, that is, if I commit that ‘sin’. “Even then, the crack was still small, but wouldn’t it be getting bigger little by little?”

“… … !”

“And I often get the feeling that something is stirring a little inside! So I thought. If the cracks are left to open like this, won’t something incredible come out of it someday?”

Wow.

Kaien clenched his fist as if he was clutching invisible gold and exposed his teeth as he put his face close to Seonghwang’s nose.

“how is it? Father. Am I right? “A person’s soul isn’t just a layer that appears on the outside, right?”

“that… … .”

“If one day my soul is completely broken and torn apart, that won’t be the complete end, right? “Is there something else hiding inside, just waiting for it to reveal itself to the world?”

I thought No. 21 had to be stopped now.

I couldn’t completely understand their conversation, but I could tell just from the atmosphere that things were going in a not very good direction.

“Now, tell me honestly! That’s what you’re really scared of, right? I’m anxious because I don’t know when it will pop up, and that’s why they keep trying to control me! how is it? “Am I wrong?”

Above all, the face of Seonghwang.

Even though his expression is still sparse, his face strangely carries an uneasy atmosphere, as if he could disappear somewhere at any moment.

“your majesty… … !”

This was when No. 21 took a step forward and tried to call him.

Rattling.

Slowly, Seonghwang, holding the silverware in both hands, opened his mouth in a calm voice.

“Don’t spin the story around and say what you want to say, Cayenne. “Seeing as you’re asking for a meal, you must have something to offer me.”

“… … !”

Kaien opened his eyes wide for a moment and looked at Seonghwang.

And then soon after-

“Puhahahaha!”

I laughed out loud and went back. She laughed so excitedly that in the end, tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

“Ahaha! The more you watch, the more fun it is! Actually, I don’t really care what happens to my soul, but are you really willing to do anything for my soul?”

Kaien, who had said that, calmly closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chest.

“okay. I thought my father would have noticed a long time ago. “Sometimes this gold grows, and sometimes it shrinks a little.”

“… … .”

“As you said before, I don’t know what my soul really wants. So until now, I have been feasting on anything and everything and allowing my soul to be ruined. But looking at this gold, I knew at least one thing for sure.”

Between the slowly lifting eyelids, pitch-black eyes that did not look human flashed eerily.

“My soul probably wants to repay my father for all these things, right? So, if I think that I have vented my anger on you even a little, this gap narrows noticeably.”

Rattling.

A plate containing a strangely blue dessert was slowly pushed in front of Seonghwang with a gesture from Cayenne.

“And your father knows it well. So even though you know I’m going to attack you, you always pretend not to know, right? “I know that just by making up my mind to harm my father, my soul is moving forward little by little.”

Kaien, who had said that much, spread his arms wide and smiled brightly at the crowd.

If it weren’t for the dark eyes that couldn’t tell what was inside, it was a smile so pure that it could have looked like an angel in a sacred painting.

“So, I prepared something for both of us! Come on, father! “Would you like to eat with me?”

That day, Kaien succeeded in poisoning the Holy Emperor for the first time.

At the same time, No. 21 became acutely aware that the gaze he sometimes felt from Cayenne was not just unfounded.

“your majesty!”

Number 21, who ran towards the crowd in panic, was met directly with the gaze of Kaien, who was openly laughing at him.

fantasy,