Children of the Holy Emperor

The birthday celebration was approaching, just one day away.

Seongjin was unable to leave Pearl Palace for the entire morning due to the late dress fitting. The final fitting was delayed significantly due to major changes in the fabric and design.

“Hmm…”

Seongjin looked at the mirror, adjusting his collar.

The neat yet vividly detailed dress seemed to suit him well.

He had thought that Madame Justine only presented unconventional designs, but it seemed the man could also make such modest clothes.

Of course, the color, which was almost black except for a faint hint of gray, was mostly the result of Amelia’s active input.

“Changing the fabric was an excellent choice. You will surely stand out among the brightly colored gowns.”

The head designer from Salon de Merci said as he finished adjusting Seongjin’s outfit.

“By the way, where did Madame go?”

“She suddenly had an urgent matter and went down to her hometown for a while.”

“When will she be back?”

“Well, we don’t really…”

Originally, Seongjin was supposed to visit Salon de Merci in person to meet Madame.

He had intended to talk to him about the circumstances of Seo Yi-seo’s employment, but how did that kid find out and send him away in advance?

‘Still, it’s convenient to have the costume team here.’

In any case, Seongjin had to attend the main banquet for three whole days, starting tomorrow. Even though it seemed like there was nothing to do, there were actually many things to prepare for in secret.

Seongjin and Amelia were still relatively better off.

A grand mass was scheduled at St. Bastian Cathedral tomorrow afternoon, followed by a complex and elaborate ceremonial procedure in front of the imperial palace for the next two days.

Since Logan and Sisle also had official positions within the Orthodox Church, they had to attend both the events and the banquets for three days.

No, isn’t that too harsh of a schedule for children who are still minors?

—Of course, those two are overflowing with divine power.

Sir Masain smiled and said that in response to Seongjin’s concern.

In particular, Sisle had such a vast amount of divine power that she had never been seen to get tired of anything.

‘I’m envious. Then she can train all night for several days without any problems?’

[The point of envy is a bit…….]

Anyway, the entire palace was bustling with everyone busy with their own schedules.

“Brother, if you don’t mind, can we talk for a moment?”

So that’s why Seongjin couldn’t help but feel surprised by Sisle’s sudden visit that afternoon.

“Talk?”

“Yeah, just for a moment.”

Sisle, with a face as expressionless as a carved doll, was holding a small book-like object in her arms, just like last time.

And following behind her was.

“Shaaaak!”

The still-growling Saintess Seo Yi-seo.

“When are you going to stop taking her around with you?”

“I can’t help it, brother. Seo Yi-seo shows extreme separation anxiety if I’m not in sight for even a moment.”

Is she really being treated like a pet cat?

“What is Cardmos doing?”

“It seems like the first emperor only appears during mealtimes.”

Cardmos, trapped in Seo Yi-seo’s body, had been behaving quietly for several days without any problems. For now, it seemed he had decided to enjoy having a new body for a change.

Thanks to that, Seo Yi-seo, who had not been able to eat properly for several days, was now in a state of extreme nervousness.

“But do you have time for this? Have you fitted your dress?”

“No. I have an official position, so I can just wear a priest’s robe. As a saintess who serves God and should be an example to the priests, I should always avoid and be wary of luxury.”

“…Hmm, really?”

Seongjin looked at the youngest of the imperial family with new eyes.

Maybe it was because he thought of them as the same age, but he couldn’t help but compare her to Chloe.

Even though she was smart beyond her years, Chloe, who gave off the impression of a child who had grown up with plenty of love, could not erase the impression that she was mature.

Well, if she was proud of her life as a saintess, then that was it.

But how should he feel about the fact that a 12-year-old girl had to live a frugal life wearing only a simple priest’s robe for the rest of her life?

“Let’s have some tea first.”

Thinking that the conversation might take a while, Seongjin headed to the living room with Sisle.

“I’ve never shown this to my brother before.”

As Commander Bruno naturally served tea and disappeared, Sisle put down the small book-like object she had been holding in her arms on the table and opened her mouth.

“What is this?”

“It’s a diary where I’ve been writing down the contents of the book.”

Some time ago, Sisle had come to Seongjin and told him that this world was actually a world inside a book.

—In fact, when I was young, I read the novel that Seo Yi-seo mentioned. Since then, I’ve always had a vague suspicion that this world might be inside a book.

Of course, the Demon King’s opinion was that it couldn’t be.

He had said that a solid real world like Delcross could never be maintained by the mere imagination of a book.

As Seongjin was lost in thought, Sisle pushed the diary forward slightly and continued speaking.

“Brother Morres. You may not remember this, but I’ve been having prophetic dreams since I was a child.”

“…Prophetic dreams?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s hard to believe right away, but…”

“Oh? No, I believe you.”

Seongjin looked into Sisle’s clear gray eyes and replied. He knew that those eyes, which were exactly like the emperor’s, came from the Kornseim family, so how could he not believe in prophetic dreams?

“Hehe. You’re like that before too, but you say you believe me even when I say something strange out of the blue.”

Sisle let out a small laugh without much change in her expression. However, Seongjin’s sharp eyes did not miss the faint blush on the girl’s cheeks.

Why do I feel like I can tell her expression even though I look at that poker face?

Under Sisle’s expectant gaze, Seongjin silently picked up the book.

When he turned a page, he saw childish, round handwriting on the first page.

—The Chronicles of Delcross, Volume 2: The Fall of the Saintess.

Wait, hold on. Not only the title, but…

“…Volume 2?”

“Yes. I actually saw Volume 1 first, but I started writing after Volume 2.”

So it was probably around the time the saintess’s mark appeared on her body. That was when a person who was always the same started appearing in Sisle’s dreams, unlike her usual prophetic dreams.

The man was wearing a mask, so his face was not visible, but he was said to be sitting at a desk, humming a tune and writing something diligently with a quill pen.

And then, every time before the dream ended, he would proudly show Sisle what he had written.

It was an exciting novel set in the real Delcross.

“That’s how I read Volume 1, little by little, over two years, whenever I had a prophetic dream.”

The title of the Chronicles of Delcross Volume 1 that she read was ‘The Young Wolf of the North’.

It was an exciting story about Orden Siegmund, the protagonist, who grew up hunting sea monsters and eventually conquered the martial arts competitions of the continent.

“You mean the story of that simple-minded brute Orden? How can it be interesting just by hearing it?”

“If you had read even once about the battle between the Order of the Wolf and the Glacier Troll, you would never say such a thing. It was a vivid description, as if you were watching the battle with your own eyes. The way the Order captured that huge troll was by forming a double envelopment and driving it down the mountain slope, which it was weak on……”

As she spoke, Sisle waved her hands and imitated the last blow of Orden that she had read in the book.

“The protagonist cuts the troll’s throat like this.”

“……!”

Seongjin’s eyes flashed in an instant.

“Sisle, wait!”

“Huh?”

Oh, wait, didn’t that feel like part of the properly executed Banaha’s 3rd Form just now?

“When did you start learning Aura?”

“What are you talking about?”

Sisle blinked her eyes.

Aura initiation? Me?

“What do you mean?”

“But that move just now!”

“Oh, that was just me imagining the move I read in the book. I’ve never learned swordsmanship or aura cultivation specifically?”

“…….”

“This move was so impressive and memorable that I would do it from time to time when I thought about it.”

Seongjin’s mouth dropped open.

What the heck? Where did this talented person come from?

Even if it was just one move, how could she follow the Banaha’s Aura Weaving just by reading it in a book?

Until now, he had thought that the reason this child’s aura activity was more active than ordinary people’s was simply because she was too healthy due to her overflowing divine power.

‘But if that’s actually because of the aura layer unconsciously accumulated in her core….’

And the fact that it flowed out properly woven into aura movements meant, in other words, that the aura this child had accumulated had already exceeded the 3rd layer!

“Anyway, that’s not important right now, brother.”

No, it seems very important!

You’re just wasting such natural talent and tireless energy by doing nothing but volunteer work!

“Focus. This is a serious matter that involves you, me, and Seo Yi-seo.”

Sisle, who dismissed Seongjin’s internal outcry as mere attention deficit, continued speaking.

“Anyway, at the end of Volume 1, Eldest Young Master Orden subjugates all the martial arts competitions and arrives in the imperial capital. And then the female protagonist, Seo Yi-seo, who crossed over from another dimension, appears, and Volume 1 of the Chronicles comes to an end.”

It was when Sisle was just 9 years old.

At that time, Eldest Young Master Siegmund was just making a name for himself as a genius swordsman of the North, and rumors were circulating that he would soon be participating in martial arts competitions in other countries. Sisle, too, was solidifying her position as a saintess, so she thought it was another form of her prophetic dream and didn’t think much of it.

And not long after Volume 1 ended, the man in the prophetic dream appeared again.

The half-masked man, who smiled brightly at Sisle, showed her the title of the new book he had just started writing. It was none other than The Chronicles of Delcross Volume 2.

‘The Fall of the Saintess……!’

The girl was greatly shocked.

If the story proceeded as the subtitle suggested, then the new chronicle was nothing less than a prophecy of her own downfall.

Waking up from her sleep that day in a cold sweat, Sisle began to transcribe the contents of the book she had seen in her dream into a diary. She tried to be as detailed as possible, not wanting to miss a single story.

The story unfolded roughly as follows.

The female protagonist, who is the true reincarnation of the Saintess Grazia, appears, and Sisle, who has lost the mark of the Saintess, is greatly criticized by the Orthodox Church and the people of the imperial capital.

—It is God’s punishment! The saintess has fallen and lost her divine power! She must have colluded with the devil!

The little girl struggled to clear her name, but each time she did, the story strangely went in a worse direction.

A series of vicious cycles where repeated misunderstandings made Sisle harbor malicious thoughts, and her actions in turn caused even more vicious misunderstandings.

It was an unlikely development that made one wonder how anyone could be so malicious to a single character.

—Why are you persecuting me so?

The kind protagonist Seo Yi-seo eventually cried out in tears.

—I never thought you would be like this, Saintess.

The serious protagonist Orden looked at her with eyes of deep contempt.

—Restrain yourself for the time being.

The fallen Holy Emperor commanded in a cold voice.

As she read each word, Sisle felt her breath getting caught in her throat. It was as if she was slowly sinking into a deep mire from which there was no escape once she took a step in.

She wondered if she would really do such things, but as the dream continued, she began to doubt herself and whether she would really become such a person.

For about two years, Sisley was haunted by the harrowing dream of her tragic demise. During this time, the young girl lost her laughter, becoming increasingly consumed by severe anxiety.

And in the climactic final chapter, Sisley ultimately met her end at the hands of the divine envoy.

“After reading that chapter, I couldn’t bring myself to look at His Majesty directly for a while.”

“……”

Seongjin, with a rigid expression, quickly flipped through the diary to the last chapter of the infamous second volume.

Indeed, the trembling hand that had pressed down hard while writing those words seemed to smear the occasional teardrop that fell from the girl’s eyes.

“I’ve mentioned this to you before, brother. With Seo Yi-seo actually appearing before my eyes, I moved beyond trusting the content of this book to realizing that this place is merely a world within a book.”

Sisley’s voice sounded painfully calm as she continued.

“The bigger problem is what happens after I die, brother. Since last year, I’ve been reading the third volume of the Delcross Chronicles.”

Seongjin looked at the neatly written text on the next page.

—Delcross Chronicles Volume 3. The Executor of the Apocalypse.

It detailed the greatest and worst crisis in Delcross, where a fallen Holy Emperor uses the saintess’s body to summon high-ranking demon kings.

“Ha ha.”

A soft laugh echoed.

Sisley, puzzled by the sound, looked up at Seongjin and flinched.

He was baring his teeth in a fierce smile.

“Sigurd Sigurdson, this bastard…!”