Children of the Holy Emperor

Sigurd Sigurdson.

The dimensional storyteller who walks through a thousand dreams and speaks in a thousand voices.

He once wrote a forbidden book called ‘Otherworldly Apocalypse,’ predicting the destruction of Delcross long ago, and recently, he has drawn in Seo Yi-seo, a human from the imaginary world.

His stated purpose has always been the same from the beginning.

That is, to become a great single rule, a single story.

What exactly that meant was beyond anyone’s guess. Seongjin, too, had once dreamt of becoming a Tyrannosaurus in his childhood, so he wasn’t inclined to outright dismiss someone else’s future dreams, no matter how absurd they were.

“Yeah, whatever it is, it’s all good.”

But, what?

That man, who is extremely devoted to caring for his children, wrote a story about killing a child with his own hands?

And he shows it to a kid who’s hardly dry behind the ears?

“Haha, Sigurd Sigurdson, this son of a b*tch…!”

No matter what, I will definitely grind this bastard to dust.

While Seongjin was thinking about significantly increasing the interest rate to apply to this guy, suddenly, the Demon King spoke in a creeping voice.

[Calm down, Lee Seongjin. Why are you scaring the kids all of a sudden?]

“What?”

Confused by the trembling attitude of the Demon King, Seongjin looked up, and Sisle’s face, clutching her teacup tightly, seemed to have turned pale.

Moreover.

“Shaaaaa!”

Seo Yi-seo, who had retreated to a corner of the drawing room, was frantically hissing.

Why is everyone making such a fuss? What did I do?

“Your expression, that expression! Like a broker ready to harvest organs at any moment!”

“…Huh?”

Seongjin then realized his lips had twisted into a sneer without him noticing.

Come to think of it, his juniors always panicked when he smiled, asking who he was planning to “pickle” next.

He cleared his throat with a cough and slowly sipped his tea.

“Phew…”

Good. Bruno’s Melbourne tea.

It was a taste that purified the soul.

After a short pause, Seongjin put down his teacup and asked Sisle,

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. Sisle, why didn’t you tell Father about this story?”

“That’s…”

Sisle hesitated for a moment.

How could she explain what happened that day?

The day when the whole world seemed to have changed, as if a veil had been lifted.

The day when the person she once knew better than anyone else, and for whom she had a deep affection, suddenly felt terrifying and unfamiliar.

And the kind voice she heard in her head.

-That is his true nature. If he considers something useless, he will cut it down without mercy. In the near future, you too will meet your death at his hands, just like them.

True to his word, the Holy Emperor in the dream vision showed no hesitation in executing the real Sisle.

“I thought it was dangerous, brother. According to the Chronicle, His Majesty has already been on the path of degeneration for many years.”

“So you don’t trust our Father?”

“Of course I don’t think His Majesty sincerely wants my downfall. But he is already being manipulated by something evil, and so I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that he might unintentionally harm me.”

Seongjin tilted his head.

“Why do you believe the contents of your dream so much? The one who appeared in your dream must be the storyteller of that dimension that Seo Yi-seo mentioned, right?”

“Yes. I think it’s him.”

“You heard yourself what he did to Seo Yi-seo. And yet you still believe the dream you had was a real prophetic dream? You don’t suspect that he made it all up?”

At that, Sisle smiled wistfully.

“It’s hard to explain. Brother, I can tell the difference between a prophetic dream and a simple dream. That was definitely a vision that I saw with my own power, and so far everything has happened exactly the same as in Volume 1 of the Chronicle.”

Ever since Sisle showed the signs of the Saintess, the Holy Emperor had been consistently opposed to her becoming the Saintess.

It was as if he was a villain in a novel, who would never acknowledge her as the Saintess.

“And think about it simply, brother. If my prophetic dream is true, then telling His Majesty won’t solve anything. And if my prophetic dream is wrong, then there’s no need to worry him about something that might not happen. His Majesty would probably be very upset that I had such a dream.”

That was right. For whatever reason, Sisle didn’t want to tell the Holy Emperor about the miserable future that lay ahead for the two of them.

After all, no matter how afraid she had been, she still loved him very much.

“Then why are you telling me now?”

“Because I think you’re the only one who can change the future that’s been predetermined.”

Sisle said this as she carefully stroked her teacup.

“As I said before, everything has been happening exactly as it did in Volume 1 of the Delcross Chronicle. It’s only recently that things have started to go wrong. Right at the beginning of Volume 2.”

The gates that were supposed to open simultaneously in multiple locations across the empire a few months later had suddenly not opened.

A special department called the Demon Special Task Force, which didn’t exist in the book, had even been created.

And the protagonist, Seo Yi-seo, had been discovered earlier than expected and had become the Saintess without even going through the ‘Trial of the Saintess.’

“And I realized that all of these events have one thing in common.”

Sisle’s eyes deepened as she looked at Seongjin.

“It’s you, Morres-orabeoni. All of these things are somehow connected to you.”

“…….”

The Delcross Chronicle did indeed contain some information about Prince Morres.

In Volume 1, he was hurt by the Emperor and Empress and eventually went astray. And in Volume 2, after the fever, he suddenly changed his mind and worked hard to improve his swordsmanship.

However, in the book, Prince Morres, despite his efforts, was unable to accumulate any aura for several years.

It was when he was deeply frustrated by his fruitless efforts that he met the kind and gentle Saintess Seo Yi-seo. He received her warm comfort and eventually fell deeply in love with her, becoming the tragic second male lead.

And by Volume 3, the prince was showing signs of going crazy from his unrequited love and becoming the second villain.

‘That’s what happened to Seo Yi-seo-ssi too. You’re the second villain in the novel.’

But what was this?

The real Morres that Sisle met had become strong as soon as he woke up from the fever, and was now known as a hidden swordsmanship genius!

And from the gaps in the distorted stories, Sisle learned the truth behind the scenes that was not in the Chronicle.

That the reincarnation of Saintess Gracia was, in fact, nothing more than an illusion with no substance.

And that the ceremony of the First Emperor, which she had thought was a blessing, was actually a trap set by Cardmos to take over people’s bodies.

She could no longer guess the direction of this story.

Only.

‘Everything depends on Morres-orabeoni!’

It would not be unreasonable for Sisle to think so and place her hopes on him.

Meanwhile, Seongjin was having a different thought as he listened to Sisle’s story.

Flipping through the diary quickly, he asked Sisle.

“But there doesn’t seem to be anything about Cardmss here. What about the Chronicle you read? Was there anything about him?”

“About the first Emperor?”

“Yes.”

Could there be a possibility that Sigurd Sigurdson and Cardmos were somehow related?

It was a natural question for Seongjin.

Sisle started dreaming about the Delcross Chronicle at the same time that the Saintess’s mark appeared on her body. The timing was too coincidental.

“There wasn’t anything except when Seo Yi-seo received the blessing. Why?”

“No, maybe Cardmos is behind all this?”

At that moment, a deep voice rang in the heads of the two people next to them.

[This is really ridiculous to listen to. I was just trying to protect this body from being swayed by the evil deeds of my descendants, but what kind of nonsense accusation is this?]

Turning their heads, they saw Seo Yi-seo, who had now returned to the front of the tea table, chewing on cookies and looking at them.

Those golden eyes that shone brightly.

“…Cardmos?”

Then Seo Yi-seo, no, Cardmoss frowned.

[How dare you! Where did you learn your manners?]

“Um, ancestor?”

[I told you not to call me ancestor! You evil thing!]

What the hell am I supposed to do?

“Anyway, you’re here yourself. Now, answer me, Cardmos. Did you conspire with Sigurd Sigurdson to harm Sisle?”

At that, Cardmos flared up.

“What? Conspiring? There’s nothing you wouldn’t say, is there! Why on earth would I do such a thing?”

“You tried to possess Sisle under the guise of a blessing, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it! Why would I harm the child who is to become my new vessel, the one who will devote everything to me?”

“……”

“……”

Caught admitting his own intentions, Cardmos sighed upon receiving Sisle’s subtle look of contempt.

“While I’m not unaware of the dimensional storyteller, it’s true. I only marked her to prevent him from meddling in the dreams of my descendants with his nonsense. Why on earth are you suddenly pitting me against him?”

“You’re taking over a perfectly healthy person’s body, and that detail is completely omitted from the chronicles, isn’t it? Usually, such individuals are the most suspect.”

“What vulgar remarks!”

Cardmos clicked his tongue and picked up a piece of candy.

“What are you expecting from such a person? My descendant. Have you no thought of entrusting everything to me and resting peacefully even now?”

This madman!

Seongjin was about to burst into anger, but Sisle remained unshaken and calmly shook her head.

“The scriptures say that a temporary solution is the sweetest whisper of the devil. I am not ignorant of who can truly help me.”

“……”

With an expressionless face, Sisle, who had just fiercely criticized her ancestor as being devil-like, turned to Seongjin and continued.

“Not long ago, Amelia-eonni and Logan-orabeoni said that if I had concerns, it would be good to consult with Morres-orabeoni. They said he always knows the right answer.”

“Sister Amelia and Logan?”

That was unexpected.

“Yes. So, please help me, Brother.”

Gray eyes filled with desperation captured Seongjin’s face entirely.

“I don’t want to die like that.”

“……”

Though she tried to appear calm, the girl’s voice trembled thinly with fear.

Sisle, who had read about her own demise for years.

The mental anguish this little girl must have endured was hard for Seongjin to fathom.

After a moment of contemplation, Seongjin nodded and began to speak.

“Hmm. How about we try this?”

* * *

That evening, Dasha, who had visited the Pearl Palace as always, opened her eyes wide at the unexpected sight.

This was because Prince Morres, who was sitting on the bed waiting for her, was in a much different mood than usual.

He was neatly dressed in the black outfit that Dasha had prepared for him a few days ago, and he even had the Nutcracker on his belt.

And the aura surrounding the prince was tense yet calm.

As a result, the air density around him became extremely high, and Dasha even felt a little short of breath.

“…Your Highness?”

“I’ve been waiting for you, Dasha.”

The prince said as he stood up from his seat.

“Since this is the place, I think I’ll need the help of a professional to infiltrate perfectly.”

“Yes?”

While Dasha was confused by his unfamiliar appearance, the prince walked towards the terrace and said.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait a minute, Your Highness! Where are you going at this time…!”

Then he jumped over the railing of the terrace with a light step and said as if he was spitting it out.

“Scarcepino Estate.”