Children of the Holy Emperor

As the sun set and a red glow hung in the evening sky, the main palace was wrapped in a soft golden light, shining alone like the moon that had just settled on the horizon.

The splendid exterior, with every possible light employed, was both magnificent and supremely sacred. It was indeed a grandeur befitting the reputation of a thousand-year empire.

Considering the noble status of the attendees, the carriages entering the palace were not strictly regulated. As a result, the palace entrance and gardens were already bustling with high-end carriages draped in the insignia of various countries and crowds of people.

Amidst them, the carriage carrying Seongjin’s party slowly made its way through.

“…!”

The people who had been gathered in small groups, engaged in conversation, suddenly fell silent and stared at the carriage.

From within the carriage, adorned with the Delcross imperial crest, emerged a pair of siblings with dazzling appearances that could be described as sparkling.

“Oh my, that person is the rose of the imperial palace…”

“Look at that daring red dress. She’s certainly not ordinary. The emperor dotes on that princess so much, doesn’t he?”

“But who is that person with her?”

“Isn’t that Prince Morres?”

“What? That Prince Morres? Really?”

Starting with someone’s murmur, a small ripple spread out in concentric circles, slowly emanating from them.

The head designer’s words were true. Among the people mostly wearing light-colored banquet attire, Seongjin and Amelia stood out as a particularly eye-catching pair.

‘How is it? Doesn’t it catch the eye? This is the angel who has descended upon Delcross!’

Seongjin smiled with satisfaction, relishing the gazes of the people. Then, Amelia, who had gently linked arms with him, also whispered with a delighted smile.

“Hehe, look around, Morres. Today, no one can take their eyes off you.”

The Demon King, unable to bear it any longer, grumbled in disgust.

[Wow, when two attention-seekers meet, it creates such a minus synergy? It’s completely spine-chilling!]

Shut up, you Demon King!

You don’t even have a body, so what’s with the goosebumps!

The pair that alighted from the carriage following them also became a topic of conversation.

It was the combination of the noble holy maiden, called the small blessing bestowed by the gods, and the young swordsman who had recently gained fame for easily dominating the martial arts tournament across the continent.

“Oh my! Oh my! That person is the one!”

Soon after, various cringe-worthy nicknames like Delcross’s Blue Wolf and the Young Wolf of the North poured out from all directions.

Especially the reactions of the noble ladies were so exaggerated that it made one understand how Orden had acted like he had a celebrity disease when they first met.

Tsk, all those for Orden.

While Orden moved with composure, as if it were nothing new, Sisle had been muttering something with a tense face for a while. Her face, already as white as porcelain, had turned pale.

Seongjin, curious, focused his aura and listened carefully.

“…night. Beautiful…”

…Huh?

‘Hey, little one. Are you still thinking about that?’

Surely she didn’t take those words seriously?

Seongjin was gripped by an ominous premonition and silently broke out in a cold sweat.

As they ascended the stairs and approached the lobby, Logan, who had been waiting for Seongjin’s party, greeted them. He was with Seo Yi-seo, dressed in white priestly robes.

I heard that Empress Tatiana had personally ordered formal attire for Logan, but he had stubbornly worn the impeccable uniform of the Holy Knights.

In his posture, standing tall with his back straight, one could sense not only composure but also a kind of stubbornness.

And.

‘Cardmos mode from the start.’

Seo Yi-seo’s eyes were currently emitting a bright golden light. I had expected him to show up to target the banquet food, but I didn’t think he would be in Cardmos mode from the beginning.

“You arrived on time.”

Although Logan’s face appeared as calm as usual, Seongjin, who had frequently met him recently, could immediately tell. That guy’s face was actually rotting away.

‘He hates Cardmos to an unusual extent…’

Logan, who had shown strong distrust towards Seo Yi-seo from the beginning, turned pale the moment he learned the identity of Cardmos within him.

To put it nicely, he disliked him, but it was almost to the point of abhorrence. It was surprising that he was silently allowing Cardmos to link arms with him now.

Considering Logan’s usual personality of letting things slide with a good face unless it was a serious matter, it was truly strange.

“Brother Masain is already inside. Let’s go in for now.”

Logan said those words and turned around.

[Hahah! A banquet, a banquet!]

Cardmos repeated absurdly and clung tightly to Logan’s arm.

And at that moment.

Boom.

Along with the unfinished ominous energy, the temperature around Logan noticeably dropped by a level.

Wow. How menacing.

As everyone observed Logan’s face, only Cardmos himself laughed obliviously.

[The food of a long-awaited banquet! Hahahah!]

The interior of the banquet hall they arrived at was brightly lit, as if it were broad daylight.

The fully illuminated lights collided with the splendid chandeliers, creating a dazzling feast of light that seemed to pour down.

Against the background of the quiet melody played by the orchestra, the sound of conversation and occasional joyful laughter could be heard from here and there.

“Greetings to Your Highnesses.”

“Greetings to the Princess and Prince.”

Wherever Seongjin’s party passed, nobles who had stopped in their tracks lightly bowed their heads and paid their respects.

He had heard that in some royal families like Brittany or Rohan, one couldn’t even casually greet a superior before being spoken to, but compared to that, Delcross had a relatively free atmosphere with less strict etiquette.

As Seongjin carefully observed his surroundings, he noticed that distinguished guests invited from all over the continent were mingling in groups, wearing banquet attire that strongly reflected the colors of their respective regions.

There were also places where clergy members had gathered, and he caught a glimpse of Sir Masain, surrounded by high-ranking priests including Cardinal Benitus, sweating profusely.

And there was also a face he hadn’t seen in quite a while.

“Morres!”

“Morres!”

It was the twins he hadn’t met in a long time. Herna and Gades ran over with delighted expressions and simultaneously embraced Seongjin from both sides.

‘This is unexpected. Seeing them like this, they do look their age.’

Normally, the twins gave off a completely childlike impression, making it hard to believe they were older than Sisle.

But dressed up neatly like this, they gave off a gentlemanly and ladylike aura, didn’t they?

“Hello, Red!”

“Have you been well, Red?”

Of course, their behavior and words were still the same as always.

[What did you say? Who are you calling Red! Kraaak! You little…!]

Ignoring the Demon King who was prancing around in his mind, Seongjin turned his attention to the twins.

Apart from their formal attire, there was something particularly eye-catching: the red and gold accessories the children wore here and there.

Noticing Seongjin’s gaze, the twins spoke up.

“We begged Father Emperor to buy them for us. It’s the trend these days!”

“His Majesty Father was quite troubled, so we begged even more!”

“……”

Do you find it that amusing to trouble that man, you little devils!

“We couldn’t help it either. Somehow, this red color feels nostalgic.”

“You could say it was irresistible. This color is stimulating and, at the same time, evokes a sense of nostalgia.”

“Oh, is that so.”

As Seongjin tilted his head in confusion, he asked.

“…But why are you two speaking in reverse today?”

Although the twins had no distinguishing features in terms of their faces and physiques, Seongjin had been gradually grasping the characteristics of the two while interacting with them.

First, the one who impatiently opens their mouth first is Herna. She calls the emperor “Emperor Daddy.”

On the other hand, the one who discreetly observes and supports Herna’s words is Gades. He calls the emperor “His Majesty Father.”

At that, the twins’ eyes widened.

“Wow! Morres is sharp in strange places, isn’t he?”

“Ooh! As expected, we can’t let our guard down around Morres, right?”

Really? Did you two actually switch clothes and come here?

At the birthday banquet, which is said to be the most important event of the year?

“If we miss this day, when else would we play such a prank?”

“It’s a precious opportunity that comes only once a year.”

Then, tapping the violet sash, Herna said.

“Only Morres should know about this, okay?”

Likewise, fluttering the hem of her violet dress, Gades said.

“Morres can keep a secret. We trust you!”

And the two burst into laughter in unison.

“Hehehe!”

“……”

Seongjin was at a loss for words.

As he always thought, with his extremely normal way of thinking, he could never keep up with these fourth-dimensional children.

[…Who’s normal?]

‘Shut up!’

The twins, who had been giggling for a while, soon joined hands and ran towards Masain.

And then.

“Her Majesty the Empress is entering! Everyone, pay your respects!”

Soon, with the empress’s entrance, the orchestra’s music stopped, and the murmuring of the people subsided. Everyone ceased their chatter and simultaneously looked at the head table placed at the front of the banquet hall.

Click, click.

The empress, walking towards the platform with graceful steps, looked exceptionally beautiful.

It was a rather elaborate adornment, but the peculiar thing was that there was not a single red-gold accessory on her.

Perhaps it hurt her pride to adorn herself with the specialty products of the enemy’s homeland, or maybe she wanted to project a humble image; it was impossible to know.

Melody, the queen following behind her, was also dressed relatively plainly.

On the other hand, Queen Lizabeth’s side looked like a living red-gold accessory display.

From the accessories decorating various parts of her dress to the small pins stuck in her hair, everything glowed red.

Seongjin suddenly wondered if the stingy Grand Duke Asein had contributed to obtaining all those accessories or if the queen had directly purchased them with her own budget.

Meanwhile, Seongjin’s eyes met those of Queen Lizabeth.

“…?”

A strangely indifferent and cold expression.

Receiving that chilly gaze from her for the first time, Seongjin felt his fingertips grow cold before he even realized it.

‘What’s going on?’

At that moment, Empress Tatiana stepped forward from the head table and began to speak. It was the empress’s opening remarks, signaling the start of the banquet.

“As always, I welcome all of you who have gathered to celebrate the day when the Proxy of the Gods personally descended upon this land.”

Despite her relatively young age, her voice was full of dignity, lacking nothing as the mother of a vast empire leading the nation.

“A thousand years have passed since the first Holy Emperor, Lord Cardmos, valiantly rose to save this continent from the demons. Delcross is gradually getting closer to fully realizing the kingdom of the gods on this land. It is evident that the strength of all of you who have spared no effort from all corners of the continent has also been significant in this.”

The empress then elaborately mentioned the big and small issues that had become topics across the continent since the last birthday banquet.

She commends the successful maritime demonic beast subjugation in the maritime city alliance of Cyprus and expresses deep regret for the floods that occurred in southern Anatolia.

Although her words sounded like simple consolation or encouragement, they were laced with the utmost arrogance of coaxing the royalty of other countries as if they were her own subjects.

However, among those listening, not a single person frowned or showed any signs of discontent.

This was the status that the thousand-year holy nation held on the continent.

“At tomorrow’s banquet, His Majesty the Holy Emperor will personally bless your futures. It will be a solemn occasion where you can come closest to the gods. The one before whom you must stand tomorrow is the Proxy of the God who sees through and embraces all your faults.”

At the end of her rather lengthy speech, the empress finally concluded.

“So today, enjoy the banquet to your heart’s content and fully indulge in worldly pleasures. Cast off all the desires of the world, so that tomorrow you can stand before the Proxy of God with the most devout body and mind.”

Clap, clap, clap.

With the applause of the audience, the music that had stopped began to flow again.

“I will go and pay my respects to the empresses for a moment. What will you do?”

At Amelia’s question, Seongjin briefly glanced in the direction of Queen Lizabeth. She was still ignoring Seongjin and was in the midst of exchanging greetings with other nobles.

“I’m fine. I’ll wait here, so go ahead.”

Seongjin then picked up a drink and headed to the corner of the banquet hall.

There were more than a couple of things that bothered him, not only Empress Lizabeth but also various parts of the banquet hall.

When he turned around, feeling piercing gazes from somewhere, he noticed several high-ranking priests eyeing his movements sharply.

-Be careful of the high-ranking priests. Especially Cardinal Benitus. The old men will probably notice quickly.

Sisle had once given such a warning to Seongjin.

Could it be that they had really noticed the existence of the Demon King and were acting like that?

Or…

“May I have a moment?”

As Seongjin was lost in thought, someone approached him and spoke.

It was a young man with a slick face whom he was seeing for the first time. Judging by his lavish attire, he seemed to be of very high status.

‘…Who is he?’

Since he didn’t introduce himself, Seongjin wondered if Morres was acquainted with him.

But then, the man, who had been carefully observing Seongjin, suddenly lowered his head slightly and whispered softly to him.

“Bethel.”

Seongjin blinked in confusion, not understanding the situation.

What’s with this guy?