Children of the Holy Emperor

Chapter 7

Sungjin carefully walked down the wobbly carriage steps and was met by a group of knights, all in splendid uniforms.

“Hail, Prince Morres!”

“Hail, Third Prince Morres!”

The knights all held out their sheathed swords, thumped them on the ground, and bowed sharply. It was a respectful treatment with obvious discipline. The resident knights of the Pearl Palace paled in comparison. Sungjin’s mouth fell open.

Whoa, this is kind of cool. He stood gawking at the bowed heads of the knights. The one who seemed to be the leader approached him with a gentle smile.

“It’s a bit late, but congratulations on your recovery, Your Highness! We, the Imperial Guard, will escort you from here.”

He was a rugged man with impressive dark blond hair. His well-trained, sturdy body was pretty threatening, but his eyes, rather small and round, gave him a soft impression overall. Sungjin stared, not knowing what to say. The man’s smile faded, but he seemed to remember something he’d been told, as he smiled again, put his right arm to his chest, and politely bowed his head.

“I’m Masain Klanos, the captain of the Second Order of Knights of the Imperial Guard, Your Highness. I’m truly happy to see you back in full health.”

Oh. So he knew the original Morres too. Well, what is there to do?

Sungjin smiled awkwardly and Masain met him with the same gentle smile. He turned around and started leading the way. He must have guessed that Morres didn’t know his way around the Main Palace at all. Sungjin followed, grateful that Masain was a quick thinker.

When he stepped foot into the high-arched entrance, the demon king started groaning.

《Ugh, I’m suffocating. I feel like my soul is being crushed!》

Why? Are those holy knights too?

《No. I think they’re regular knights. It’s not that. I just feel like this area in particular is really dense with divine power. I feel like if I were to peek out of this body, I’d be crushed to death. Ugh.》

After that, the demon king shut up for good. Sungjin tried calling out to him a few times, but his presence had faded so much that he could barely feel that the soul was there. He had braced himself for this boss dungeon exploration, but he hadn’t expected that the demon king would be knocked out so soon. Sungjin forced himself to put on a brave face as he slowly followed the knights to the lobby of the Main Palace.

The holy emperor’s office was on the far end of the second floor. The wide hallway was relatively empty, but once in a while, people who seemed to be high priests in their intricate attire passed by their party. Every time they did, Sungjin froze up, but to his relief, they simply stepped aside and greeted him politely.

I guess even clergymen can’t recognize when a soul has changed. Maybe we were worried about nothing, Sungjin said, relieved, but the demon king was still silent. Had the energy of the clergymen really destroyed him?

At first, Sungjin had earnestly hoped for the demon king’s absolute destruction. He had been the one who’d led Sungjin’s world to collapse, as well as the one who’d led Sungjin to his death with the inferno of Gehena. Sungjin had let the demon king be until now because he’d had no way of kicking him out. Besides, his existence had been so pathetic. But now that Sungjin considered the possibility that the demon king had truly been destroyed, he felt a strange emptiness.

“Cardinal Benitus!” Sungjin’s thoughts were interrupted by Masain, who suddenly stopped walking and bowed.

Sungjin peeked out from behind the lowered shoulders of the knight captain to see a scrawny old man standing in front of the crew. His long nose was hooked and the corners of his mouth drooped, giving him a grouchy look. Despite his small frame, the tall priest cap on his head and the elaborate gown embroidered in gold and silver lent him quite a dignified air.

He’s a cardinal, huh? He must be pretty important.

The old man stood up straight, his piercing eyes looking over Morres’ entourage, and then he bowed slightly toward the knight captain.

“There’s no need for such ceremony, Sir Masain.” He sounded quite respectful despite his exacting first impression. Then, he gave a short nod to Sungjin. “Your Highness.”

Sungjin was caught off guard. What was that? That was really weird, right?

The man had greeted the escort knight first, and only then did he acknowledge the prince—and with only a slight nod, at that. Sungjin knew nothing of the culture of Delcross, but even to him, the old man seemed out of line. He narrowed his eyes. Masain seemed to notice this as his own eyes darted to and fro, trying to read Sungjin.

“So, what are you doing at the Main Palace?” the cardinal asked toward Masain. He didn’t even give Sungjin a second glance, even though the question couldn’t have been directed at the knight captain, who was always on guard duty at the Main Palace. The old man had let his manners go to the wayside.

Sungjin wanted to let it play out and see how far the old man would go, but Masain didn’t let it get that far. He stepped forward and gave the cardinal a warning.

“Cardinal Benitus, you are in the presence of a prince. Please watch your manners.”

“Hmph!”

Cardinal Benitus made a noise that may have been a dry cough or a scoff. He finally turned his body to Sungjin and met his eyes. With his hands behind his back and his stomach jutting out, he was still in an arrogant pose.

“Yes, yes. I heard that you went through something quite serious. I’m glad you haven’t lost your generous figure,” the old man said before pausing to squint up and down at Sungjin. “Hmm.”

Masain’s face stiffened at the plainly inappropriate attitude. Suddenly, the cardinal’s eyes grew wide.

“Huh? Wait a minute, Prince Morres?”

Then he started walking toward Sungjin with a serious look. Sungjin sensed that something was going wrong.

“What is… How could…”

The old man looked stunned, as if he’d found something inexplicable. He stretched out his arm toward Sungjin, and the cardinal’s hand was soon enveloped in a bright white light. It came closer and closer to Sungjin like a claw. Sungjin didn’t know much, but he knew that the light was ominous.

This must be divine power.

It was his first time taking a good look at divine power ever since he’d arrived in this world. His heart started beating rapidly and all kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind in that short moment. Had the cardinal noticed Sungjin’s soul? Or had he perceived the demon king who was with him? What was going to happen to him if that divine power touched him? Was he going to be kicked out of this body? He expected that this kind of thing would happen to him often in his life as a prince of the holy empire. It wasn’t a bad idea to test out the effects of divine power on him now.

That was all true, but… How far is he going to go? Who does he think he is, shoving his hands in my face like that?

Sungjin’s brows furrowed. He wasn’t inclined to nag the elderly about the fine details of courtesy, but he was still a prince. Wasn’t the cardinal going too far by touching him without permission? He almost slapped away the cardinal’s hand in anger, but he calmed himself. The cardinal’s scrawny wrist seemed delicate enough to break at the slightest tap.

Thankfully, before Sungjin resorted to elderly abuse, Masain stepped in front of him. “Cardinal Benitus, halt there!”

The old man flinched and paused. He looked at the knight captain, dismayed. “Sir Masain, do you understand what you’re doing right now?”

He was clearly scolding him, but the knight captain stood firm.

“No high clergyman is allowed to approach the prince. You’re not an exception, Cardinal.”

“You don’t find that order strange?”

“It’s a command from His Majesty, the holy emperor. It’s meant to protect the prince.”

The air stayed tense between them for a moment. The cardinal glared at Masain, but when he realized that the knight captain was not going to budge, he lamented, “Exactly who needs protection against the clergymen who serve God?” He shook his head, then took a step away. “You were always like this, Sir Masain. Why are you so blindly faithful to His Majesty’s command?”

Sungjin stared in shock.

“Well, until next time, Sir Masain.” Then, he glared at Sungjin and gave him a slight sideways nod. It wasn’t so much a greeting as it was a scoff. “Your Highness.”

He didn’t even wait for Sungjin to react before he sped past.

Masain didn’t say a word as he watched the cardinal walk away. Something about the twist of his mouth made it uncertain whether the knight was smiling or frowning. But soon enough, he had slapped on his gentle smile once again. He bowed to Sungjin and said, “We’re a little delayed, Your Highness. Let us make haste.”

The two were both acting strange, but Sungjin decided not to worry about it and let the knight lead him away. Surely, nothing could matter more than the imminent audience with the holy emperor.

* * *

“Oh, Prince Morres! You look simply splendid. I’m sure His Majesty will be delighted.”

Head Chamberlain Louis had been waiting outside the holy emperor’s office, and as soon as they arrived, he approached him with open arms. Sungjin felt a bit uneasy at this exaggerated greeting. Louis flinched as he noticed this and minded his manners.

“Oh, dear. My apologies, Your Highness. Your handsome, gallant figure made me forget my manners.”

The chamberlain looked respectable, but he was a bit of a fanboy. Sungjin forced a smile and asked, “Uh, Louis? You know about my, uh, memory, right? Is there anything I should watch out for during the meeting with my father? I don’t want to worry him any more than I already have.”

Louis’ face beamed. If the demon king had been there to read his mind, he would have told Sungjin, What a considerate question. How mature Prince Morres has become!

Morres had so diligently ruined his reputation that whatever Sungjin did was sure to impress.

“I expected you to have forgotten the rules of courtesy, Your Highness. Thankfully, His Majesty doesn’t care much for outward shows of decorum. Just call him Your Majesty or Holy Emperor and simply be respectful. That should be enough.”

​Sungjin was relieved that the holy emperor didn’t seem to be too rigid.

The head chamberlain turned aside and loudly announced at the door, “Your Majesty, I announce to you Prince Morres.”

Here we go, it’s the boss dungeon. The door to the office slowly creaked open. Sungjin tried to calm his beating heart as he walked inside. The worst that could happen is being kicked out of this body.

Once he had reiterated this fact to himself at the encounter with Cardinal Benitus, his anxiety had become diluted. In its place, curiosity bloomed, and his thoughts darted every which way. What kind of person was this holy emperor, the so-called God’s Champion? All Sungjin could imagine was what he had seen on TV before his world came to ruins, the image of the pope in his flat little hat. The pope had been an old man, but the holy emperor had a teenage son, so he must have been younger than that. Would he look a lot like Morres? Was he strong? Or was he a typical weak priest?

Sungjin was confident that he wouldn’t fall behind in years of experience. Though he was becoming childish now, having little arguments with the demon king, on Earth, he’d been over sixty at the time of his death. He gulped, half anxious and half excited.

The first thing he noticed was the table full of tea and fancy refreshments. It must have been catered to Morres’ usual taste. Sungjin often had such desserts presented to him at the Pearl Palace. Beyond the table of food, there was a large desk with elaborate embossments. On it, tall piles of paperwork and books were strewn about here and there. It was an office, after all. And finally, standing in front of the massive window opened toward the terrace, was the holy emperor.

Sungjin’s eyes grew as wide as plates. That’s the holy emperor? Him?

He was a young man with a tidy appearance. His soft features and youthful face made it hard to believe that he was the father of a teenage son. His black hair was trimmed short, he was in simple everyday attire, and his frame was slender. He looked more like a hardened swordsman rather than a man of God. He was even wearing a long sword at his waist! He didn’t wear the tall hat the cardinal had worn, not to mention the pope’s flat little hat. Only the ornate white gown tossed about his shoulder like a cloak hinted at his high status as a clergyman.

If Sungjin had to name something that the emperor shared with Morres, it was his gray eyes with their peculiar, silver shine. Those cold eyes were staring straight at Sungjin.

That man is the father of this slob?

“F-Father?”

Damn it! The chamberlain told me to address him as “Your Majesty” or “Holy Emperor!”

He had been so bewildered that he’d blurted out the word on his mind. The holy emperor cocked his head a little. He might have been puzzled, but his glacial face held no expression. Sungjin couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.

“Your Majesty,” he hastily corrected himself, then bowed his head awkwardly.

The emperor said in a clean, low voice, “Father will do. But I suppose it’s true, you have no memory of the past.”

“Yes. Uh… I’m afraid so.” Sungjin’s voice grew quieter as he spoke. The truth was that he had replaced Morres’ soul, and in front of the holy emperor, it was somehow difficult to lie. To Sungjin’s relief, the emperor didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary in his response.

“I see.”

Then, he strode toward Sungjin. His long gown swayed along with his footsteps, emanating a soft light according to its fluctuating angles. While Sungjin stared thoughtlessly at the emperor, the emperor had already come up to him and stopped, one step away. From up close, he was taller than Sungjin had thought.

Sungjin simply blinked. He was at a loss for how to respond. He just looked up at the emperor with wide eyes as the emperor looked down on him with an expression he couldn’t quite make out. Suddenly, the emperor raised an arm and stretched it toward Sungjin’s head. It had happened so close to him that he didn’t get a chance to react.

Sungjin’s hands curled into fists on their own, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Had he been caught? Was this how he was going to die? Sungjin expected the end as he clenched his eyes shut. But…

Tap. The hand lay lightly on his head.

Huh?

And nothing happened.

《Huh?》

Well, something had happened.

《What?》

The dumb voice he had grown familiar with rang out in his head.

Demon King?

The demon king’s presence had been so dim that it was impossible to sense, but now, it grew exponentially and Sungjin felt a strong vibration. It was as if the demon king’s soul was having a big stretch.

《Huh? Wait, what?》

You, you were alive? What happened?

The demon king didn’t answer. He didn’t seem to know up from down either. Sungjin could plainly feel his surprise and confusion.

《Hmm? What is this? Huh? Eek!》

Something seemed to startle the demon king, as he made a bizarre noise and fell silent again. But this time, Sungjin felt the demon king’s presence without question. He sighed in relief in his mind.

At the same time, a part of his mind went cold. What had the holy emperor done just now? Had he recognized the demon king’s presence? If he had, why wasn’t he removing the demon now? It wasn’t that, it was more like…

But there was no time to think further. The holy emperor took his hand down from Sungjin’s head and commanded flatly, “Sit.”

And so, the son and father who looked nothing alike sat across the table of refreshments.