Children of the Holy Emperor Chapter 336

336. Salon (6)

Take Max with you to a proper hunting party. And I will definitely go to the salon where Amelia attends!

Seongjin made that decision, but surprisingly, the salon that Amelia chose was not the Murray or Sorcha family’s salon.

“Cadogan?”

“okay. “I developed a bit of a friendship with Baron Cadogan at the birthday party.”

Baron Cadogan is the leader in the publishing business in the imperial capital. He mainly publishes ‘Biblical Fairy Tales’ commissioned by the Holy Assembly, and imports various books from the Kingdom of Brittany and the Duchy of Assein.

Thanks to this, her salon is mainly attended by administrative workers related to the western part of the continent and children of small and medium-sized businesses.

“… … ?”

“The salon hosted by Baron Cadogan is quite a fruitful gathering. “There is a lot of up-to-date information about the situation in the West.”

However, even with that explanation, Seongjin could not hide his embarrassment. It felt like a surprising choice considering that he had been recommended to a mainstream gathering from the beginning.

Of course, Amelia thought of her younger brother as the next crown prince, so she had hoped from the beginning to expand her influence in the large gathering.

On the other hand, she herself had no intention of exerting influence even on the high-ranking members of the imperial capital. Not only is she not practical, but she could easily give them the impression that she is aiming for the throne.

Amelia had enough connections to understand the situation in western countries, including Rohan.

‘Because I will become Klanos anyway.’

One day, like Sir Martha, he will escape the competition for the throne and work purely for Delcross. That was Amelia’s simple dream.

Most imperial officials have no doubt that Amelia will become queen of Brittany or Rohan. But she had no intention of getting married to a foreign country in this life.

The Holy Empire, which was already heavily interfering in the internal affairs of neighboring countries, saw that the advantage it could gain from its own national marriage was not significant.

‘Furthermore, if you marry a royal from a foreign country, the path of revenge against Leonard will become even more distant.’

We’ll probably waste years there trying to build a new foundation.

Even if you are lucky and secure a strong position, how much influence can a queen from a foreign country have over Rohan?

On the other hand, there were many people in Delcross who could support Amelia. Not to mention Mores, who will become the crown prince, and your father, His Majesty, will also help you in both material and spiritual ways.

‘So, I will become Klanos, take the selection test fairly, and gradually improve my skills at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the past, he would be in charge of Rohan’s internal affairs alone, so that he could apply strong pressure at the right moment.’

It never occurred to me that riding on Delcross’s power was a cowardly act. Is there any need to save the famous sword that was rightfully in her hands?

‘Wait a moment, Leonard. For the empire, for Mores who will ascend to the throne, and for myself. I will completely take away everything you have!’

And I will give you the most miserable death imaginable.

Once all revenge was over, Amelia planned to spend the rest of her life with her family in Delcross.

‘Precious family is never far away. Mores, my father, His Majesty, and everyone in the Holy Family will be by my side!’

Amelia clenched her fists and quietly strengthened her will.

Meanwhile, looking at her like that, Seongjin had a slightly strange thought.

‘Sister, somehow you seem very motivated? Are you fantasizing about destroying a castle wall somewhere?’

* * *

Cadogan’s salon was held in a townhouse. Since all of the imperial capital’s most prominent figures had houses there, most meetings and banquets were often held in townhouses.

“Your Majesty Amelia, your Majesty Mores. “I am truly honored to have found you here.”

Baron Cadogan was a woman with a sad appearance. Even though two children of the Seonghwang family were present, she led Seongjin and Amelia to their seats in a relaxed manner.

“The recent growth of Lohan’s liquor industry is amazing.”

“But we still can’t surpass the wines of Brittany, whether in terms of quality or quantity.”

“Well, what do you think? There is no country that can match Rohan in terms of distilled beverages alone. Just wait and see. “Maybe within the next 10 years, Lohan will lead the continent’s liquor industry.”

The meeting had a fairly informal and comfortable atmosphere. Since most of the members are working-level members, their first-hand impressions of the industry atmosphere and the situation in the West come and go without hesitation.

Thanks to this, Seongjin, who had expected the sharp, aristocratic speaking style to be used as a shield by all kinds of cultured common sense, was at a loss. I felt a little sorry for Director Bruno, who had been enthusiastically singing the latest operas over the past few days.

“Baron Cadogan buys many rare books that are hard to find in the imperial capital. Where is that? When a new ‘scriptural fairy tale’ is published, it is the first to be sent to the Silver Rose Labyrinth.”

“okay.”

It seems like it’s thanks to this person that my sister has so many children’s books.

While the owner of the salon and Amelia were chatting amicably, Seongjin sipped a non-alcoholic drink and comfortably listened to their conversation.

Surprisingly, printing technology was relatively developed in this world. Although the price of books is quite high, it is still nothing compared to the era of copying.

There were even elaborate illustrations carved into engravings. It was the influence of old Ortona, where literature and ideas were actively flourishing.

“It was a true cradle of humanities like no other in history. “Nowadays, Brittany is playing part of that role.”

It is said that Baron Cadogan, who was saddened by the fall of Ortona, expanded the size of his publishing company by accepting many printing technicians who had run away from there.

“Oh, Amelia! Now that I think about it, you came at a good time!”

The Baron, who had been talking for a while, suddenly glanced at the butler as if he had remembered something.

What the old butler, who had received instructions, brought to them a short while later was a children’s book of a type that Seongjin was also quite familiar with.

“I brought you a new publication with me today.”

“Another biblical fairy tale?”

“Yes, it is.”

Unlike Ortona, which was the cradle of the humanities, or Brittany, which had many famous universities, the number of book publications in Delcross was quite limited. First, it had to go through censorship by the Holy See, and even if it was slightly unpalatable, it was summoned by the Heresy Tribunal.

Thanks to this, ‘Biblical Fairy Tales’, which were fun reconstructions of anecdotes from the scriptures, were the only books that the Imperial Capital could publish relatively freely.

Still, thanks to its easy composition and beautiful illustrations, it is said to be quite popular among imperial subjects.

-Saint Bastian and the Finger Devil

Amelia tilted her head as she scanned the title of a new book.

“The story of Saint Bastian? That’s surprising. “I thought this publication would definitely be an anecdote about Saint Grazier.”

Saint Bastian was famous for creating many dramatic scenes in the scriptures. In addition to her beautiful appearance, she is a very popular adult for published fairy tales.

Nevertheless, ‘Biblical Fairy Tale’ tried to cover the five saints relatively evenly.

This was a phenomenon that occurred because the saints being promoted as the main force by each ministry of the empire or the Holy Knights were all different. If you think that your saint is being treated with even the slightest bit of neglect, you will hear protests from cardinals and priests.

That was why Amelia was puzzled.

It’s been a long time since St. Grazier’s feast day passed, but the story of the ‘Knight of Grace’ suddenly became a hot topic, and Granius’ [Exploration of the Miraculous Continent] was pushed out of publication.

“There was a special request from the Orthodox Church. “St. Bastian’s feast day is just around the corner, so it’s not something we can’t understand.”

Even with the Baron’s explanation, questions were not easily raised.

‘There was also the inauguration of a new saint. I thought that this time the saint’s fairy tale would be published in Grazier… … .”

And after flipping through a couple of pages of the book, Amelia became even more embarrassed.

-The huge dog carried the saint and ran like the wind.

– After leaping over the finger devil’s men and passing through five hills, Saint Bastian finally arrived at the highest snowy mountain on the continent.

Amelia frowned slightly at the pretty Ami.

“… dog?”

“Why are you doing this, sister?”

“No, the content is a bit surprising.”

“… … ?”

For Seongjin, who still didn’t understand the English language, Baron Cadogan explained.

“The scriptures simply state that the saint rode the wind and flew to the snowy mountain. Of course, there is also an oral tradition in the folk world that it was a huge beast named ‘Wind’.”

What I was saying was that the story about running on an animal was not a common interpretation.

But wind is wind, and beast is beast. Why are you picking on me?

“… This book has been officially approved for publication by the Holy See. “There is no problem.”

Baron Cadogan, facing the siblings’ puzzled faces, responded sarcastically. However, her voice sounded very weak, as if she was not very confident in herself.

“hmm… … .”

Seongjin looked at the storybook over Amelia’s shoulder.

To be honest, regardless of whether the content was true or not, Seongjin really liked this story. Because the image of the dog in the elaborately drawn illustration looked a lot like Max.

“The picture is cute. “I want to show it to Max too.”

“ah? It really is! “It looks a lot like the wolfdog you brought in.”

Amelia, who completely casts doubt on Seongjin’s words, smiles brightly as if a flower is blooming.

“Looking at it again, I think dogs are cuter and better than just the wind.”

“Yes? “I think it’s becoming a more dramatic story, sister.”

“okay. “There was a reason for the bold adaptation.”

Baron Cadogan was inwardly dumbfounded by the princess’s quick change of attitude.

‘Contrary to the rumors, the rumors that you two are close were true!’

However, when he came face to face with the beautiful siblings’ selfless smiles, the Baron smiled along with them without realizing it.

“If you like this, I will bring another copy for you, Maures.”

* * *

The conversation continued until quite late.

Thanks to this, when Seongjin and Amelia had just left the salon, it was already deep into the night and bright stars were shining in the sky.

“What do you think, Mores? “Isn’t the atmosphere of a small salon like this quite nice?”

Seongjin smiled in response to Amelia’s question. It’s a small salon and all, and it was my first time meeting like this, so is there anything to compare it to?

Of course, I heard that he often attended Ricardo Scarzapino’s meetings in the past, but I don’t remember it at all.

“There were some achievements.”

Seongjin replied, adjusting her coat that was slipping off her shoulders.

okay. I also got a cute children’s book. Above all, it was quite encouraging that the ‘curse of social gatherings’ jinx had disappeared.

But they were standing at the entrance for a moment, savoring the fresh air.

“What happens now? Baron Cadogan. “Are you two going to continue to come to our meetings in the future?”

Unusual voices were heard from afar. Since the conversation took place at quite a distance, I had to enhance my hearing with Aura.

“I didn’t know that you would actually accept the invitation I sent you as a courtesy. But you two will probably be good members of the group.”

“under! How could that possibly be the case? The strength of our meeting was the informal exchange of opinions! It was a place for free conversation that was not restricted by religion or institutions. But now it’s all over!”

“Calm down, Sir Alton. “It hasn’t been long since you two left.”

Seongjin thought it was a relatively easy meeting, but the long-time members of the salon seemed to think a little differently.

“Don’t we all know the true face of the Holy Empire! The subjects of the imperial capital who are oppressed by the main god and by powerful divine agents and have no mental freedom! But now, do we have to look at the royal family’s opinions even at private gatherings like this?”

“Upper stock. “His Majesty the Holy Emperor has not done anything to restrict the freedom of his subjects.”

“Is that really true? Any merchant who travels to and from other countries knows this! The current situation in the ecliptic is absolutely not normal! Crimes that go beyond the level will never occur, and all the subjects will just be gentle sheep and chant for the Lord! Do you think this is normal?”

“That’s right. Other countries are never like this. Are there only subjects? The people of Seonghwangga are also strange. “Even though there are so many heirs to the throne, is it possible that there hasn’t been a single noise?”

Authors! As the level of her remarks gradually became stronger, Seongjin frowned at her and pulled Amelia’s arm.

I was thinking of leaving this place right away. I wanted to prevent a situation where their voices got louder and my sister heard them.

“Mores.”

But isn’t Amelia smiling faintly as she comforts Seongjin’s hand? She had already been listening to their conversation.

The training period was not long, so the total amount of Auras was not large, but Amelia’s ability to use Auras was unrivaled. So, enhancing her hearing wasn’t that difficult for her either.

“Don’t pay too much attention to what they say.”

ha.

Amelia took a breath of cool air and looked up at the night sky.

“You don’t know how strange the current situation in Delcross is. Aside from Ortona, who opened the Republic, Cyprus, Brittany, and even Rohan have already long ago surpassed the empire in terms of institutions and culture. Yet why are they helplessly under the rule of the old empire?”

“… … .”

“Strong military power? No. Look at the knights who are divided into pieces and move as they please. There is no other place other than the Empire that operates such an inefficient military. Strong faith in God? That’s not it either. “The royal families of other countries see the Lord as nothing more than an excuse to interfere in their internal affairs.”

Seongjin quietly listened to Amelia’s lonely voice.

“It is your Majesty, my father.”

“… … .”

“This is because the power to sustain this inefficient and incomplete empire, the power to unite and lead the hearts of its subjects, comes only from Him, Father, Your Majesty.”

Seongjin, who lived on Earth, was vaguely aware of how strange it was that a thousand-year-old empire full of absurdities still existed.

Therefore, before being bound by the agreement, my father would have tried to implement radical policies to somehow change the fundamentals of the empire.

‘If the… … .’

What would happen if there was no prosperity in this world, or even now, if he completely gave up on maintaining the empire?

Conflicts will arise simultaneously here and there. The empire will collapse into nothingness in an instant. Nevertheless, it is truly a normal, human world.

“But what a fortunate thing.”

Amelia’s eyes, looking into the sky, burned quietly. Unlike his usual gentle and kind nature, his eyes are deep and full of restrained anger and madness.

“The fact that I can look away from all of this absurdity with peace of mind.”

Leonard.

Amelia remembers the merciless battle he began that eventually engulfed the entire continent. The blood-stained sky and the earth filled with nothing but death.

No matter how deep and enormous the darkness inherent in Delcross is, it will definitely not be worse than the world at that time.

“I have never been so happy that he is, without any doubt, the worst evil in the world.”

It was a sudden remark to Seongjin, but it didn’t make any sense.

He recalled an incident from several months ago. He had probably his first meal with Amelia and listened to her advice seriously.

-I thought revenge that didn’t reach the end was just vain. However, true revenge is something that enriches life not only through the results but also through the process itself.

plural.

Ever since the conversation that day, there was only one proposition that had occupied my sister.

“So even if I prioritize ‘revenge’ over the safety of the empire, I have no hesitation in my heart.”

Amelia had already forgotten even the harsh events of Sigismund’s reign.

Who is it that makes her burn like this? What on earth did she do to her sister?

“… yes. you’re right.”

But Seongjin didn’t bother to ask who that guy was.

The process of revenge is entirely up to you. It is a sweet fruit that she bites. If it’s the Amelia I know, she will take revenge better than anyone else in the world. I can tell.

‘And whoever he is, if he ends up dying like that… … .’

Next it’s my turn.

His soul will never rest. Of all the people I know, I will become the most pitiful and pitiful soul, and I will wander in terrible pain forever.

‘Because he won’t be allowed even the slightest mercy shown to Countess Sigismund!’

fantasy,