Children of the Holy Emperor

“Sir Calmen. If it’s that difficult, let’s stop. Why don’t we try to think of a different method?”

Seongjin asked, watching Calmen roll on the ground after finally receiving a fifth flick on the forehead.

I’m worried about you, Sir Calmen.

You don’t seem to be very smart. It seems like your IQ is plummeting in real-time right now, so I’m a bit concerned.

“Ugh, no! I can endure it!”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

Seongjin sighed.

This guy is being stubborn in strange ways again.

“By the way, you’re exaggerating too much. What my father did to me was way worse than this.”

“……”

Calmen had nothing to say about that either.

It wasn’t really painful enough to roll on the ground like this, as being beaten by Commander Bruno had been much more painful. The prince’s words about adjusting it to a moderate level were probably true.

But it was a strange thing. Whenever he was flicked on the forehead by the prince, an extreme sense of fear would simultaneously engulf him, as if he were about to die at any moment.

It was an eerie feeling, as if a large stone or an axe blade was striking down from above, splitting his skull in half in an instant.

That was why Calmen kept unintentionally screaming in an annoying manner.

At the same time, a strange sense of déjà vu arose. A very uncomfortable feeling, as if he was forgetting something important.

“His Highness is right, Sir Calmen. Overexerting yourself like this is not the only answer. Why don’t you try to think of a different approach?”

Pouring sacred power onto Calmen’s forehead, which was turning purple with bruises, Priest Gustav tried to persuade him.

“Perhaps your inability to control your anger is also influenced by suddenly leaving the grace of the Imperial Capital. Once you return, you’ll be much better than you are now, so please have some patience.”

“……”

As he said, if Calmen had his way, he would have wanted to stop this right away.

It was strangely painful despite being just a flick on the forehead. He even thought about challenging the eccentric maid’s bitter tea again.

The problem was the Wolf Knights who were blatantly watching this spectacle.

“How many more can that guy endure?”

“He’s making a fuss about dying, so isn’t he reaching his limit soon?”

“That guy is supposed to be an Imperial Knight? Now that I see him, he’s just a greenhorn whose head hasn’t even dried yet, hahaha.”

Argh!

Despite Priest Gustav’s dissuasion, Calmen, whose anger had reached the top of his head, abruptly stood up and approached Seongjin.

“Please, I beg you to do it one more time, Your Highness!”

“…Sigh, okay. I got it.”

In front of Seongjin, who let out a sigh, Calmen confidently shouted.

“You crazy bastard!”

And then, smack!

With a tremendous impact, the ground suddenly flipped over, and Calmen’s mind turned white.

“Huh? Sir Calmen!”

“Sir Calmen, are you alright?”

“Cal…!”

As his eyes closed, the voices calling out to him grew distant.

And through his hazy consciousness, someone’s voice was heard as if in a dream.

-Are you okay?

Calmen subconsciously grumbled inwardly.

You’re the one who hit me, so who are you mocking now?

Then, with a soft laugh, a hand was extended in front of him. The other person’s face was not clearly visible, but for some reason, it felt like the surroundings were brightly lit.

-With that temper of yours, you’ll die of unnatural causes at any time. It’s perfect for you to die somewhere else, so from now on, try to stick close to the Pearl Palace as much as possible.

That’s right. Someone had said that to Calmen before.

Who was that again? Trying to recall it somehow made his heart ache.

-I knew something like this would happen someday! If anything happens to His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, I will never forgive you!

Suddenly, the scene changed, and a voice filled with venom was heard shouting beside him. A familiar voice that always nagged at him.

Chasing after someone who had gone far ahead, riding like crazy, Calmen absentmindedly thought.

Ah, this is that nightmare again. When I open my eyes, it will vanish from my memory like a mirage.

-It’s all because of you! If only Sir Masain were here!

As always, scenes jumbled together flashed through his mind, and a series of indescribably complex emotions shook Calmen in turn.

-Is it you? Last night with our Olivier……

-You fool! Do you know whose nerves you’ve gotten on……

Then, eventually, as always, the much younger Calmen from that day was standing still in the Imperial Palace garden.

-You’re really lucky. You’re the perfect guy to live off a meager soldier’s salary and die somewhere.

That’s right. I remember this.

I can never forget who this guy is.

-I just happened to give you a perfect position, so be grateful for the rest of your life. Ha. Ha. Ha.

How could he forget those eerily gleaming silver-gray eyes that stared straight at him as if amused?

Damn it! Damn that Prince Morres!

Thrashing around, seized by fierce anger, a chilling voice suddenly rang out in Calmen’s mind, awakening his senses.

[Life is so uncertain, so your soul cannot settle properly and wanders the boundary between life and death.]

‘…Huh?’

With those words, a definite gravitational pull was felt in his floating body, and Calmen began to sink downward.

His frantically beating heart gradually slowed down, and his entire body was enveloped in a cozy sense of relief. The scenes that had been swirling around and disorienting him had also disappeared one by one from his sight.

The utter silence that followed.

As he was savoring that tranquil peace with his eyes closed, someone’s hand touched Calmen’s forehead. Soon, a cool yet warm sensation spread throughout his body, starting from his forehead.

And a soft voice admonishing him.

[This time, you must hold on properly. The time you can sustain yourself by relying on this small wound is running out.]

…What?

Before Calmen could question it, an irresistible voice commanded him.

[Open your eyes.]

“……!”

In a flash.

Following the command, Calmen reflexively opened his eyes.

What entered his sight were the faces of several people looking down at him with concern from above.

“Calmen! Are you alright?”

“Sir Calmen!”

“Are you conscious, Sir Calmen?”

Calmen blinked blankly.

What? Wasn’t there a similar situation not too long ago?

Coming to his senses, he found himself lying on the bare ground of the campsite. Many people, including Commander Bruno and Priest Gustav, were tightly surrounding him.

And Exorcist Sharon was touching Calmen’s forehead, pouring sacred power into him.

“Ah, thank you……”

“……”

“…Lady Sharon?”

Calmen, who had inadvertently expressed his gratitude, called out to her, feeling somewhat unfamiliar. For a moment, it seemed like a faint silver light had flashed in the exorcist’s eyes.

But when he closed and opened his eyes again, Sharon’s eyes had returned to their original black color. She grinned at him, stretching the corners of her mouth.

“Hehe. Are you feeling a bit better, Sir Calmen?”

“Ah, yes……”

With her support, Calmen sat up.

Even though he had fainted and woken up, his body felt incredibly refreshed for some reason.

‘…What the hell?’

It was a strange sensation, lacking a sense of reality to the point where it still felt like a dream.

And Calmen’s gaze met Seongjin’s, who was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression from over there.

“How’s your body, Sir Calmen?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine, Your Highness.”

Then Seongjin pouted and grumbled.

“Of course you should be fine! Because of your stubbornness, I’m the only one who’s likely to get scolded later for no reason!”

“…Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Leaving the puzzled Calmen behind, Seongjin turned around.

After Calmen unexpectedly fainted suddenly, the startled Seongjin had immediately sought out Sharon. He was secretly worried that it might be a serious injury requiring that person’s help.

Of course, he had ulterior motives, but didn’t he also have a history of cracking Kenneth Diggory’s back of the head before?

And the Holy Emperor, who came borrowing Sharon’s body at his request, silently stared at Seongjin for a moment.

Although he didn’t say it outright to Seongjin in front of others, the meaning behind that chilling gaze was clear.

-What have you been up to that you’ve been quiet all this time?

He seemed to be busy with something, so he just checked on Calmen for a bit and left right away, but it was obvious that he would give Seongjin an earful later.

‘Argh! Because of that guy, what the hell is this situation? But these days, I was becoming a rather reliable son!’

[…You’re joking, right?]

Of course, there was also an unexpected positive outcome from this incident.

The knights of the Wolf Knights, who had initially given Calmen unfavorable looks, were now looking at him like a mischievous new recruit and snickering.

“Hey, you greenhorn! What’s so painful about that that you’re exaggerating?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone faint from a flick on the forehead! Hahaha.”

Then, that Calmen guy burst out in anger.

“Tsk! Why don’t you try getting hit by it yourself and then talk?”

“Tsk? This guy still hasn’t come to his senses! Looks like he needs to be hit one more time, huh?”

“Stop it. If he gets hit more, he’s going to cry!”

“Shh! Who’s crying? Everyone, please stop laughing like that! Is this funny right now? Huh?”

“Hahahahaha!”

Originally, the knights who would have glared and created a hostile atmosphere as soon as he opened his mouth were now falling over backward, giggling whenever Sir Calmen started grumbling.

Even the vice-captain of the Wolf Knights, who had inadvertently received curses from Calmen at first and almost became his sworn enemy, was like that. He had his log-like arm wrapped around Calmen’s neck, laughing heartily.

Watching that scene, Commander Ilma of the Wolf Knights said in admiration.

“Did you anticipate even this result, Your Highness?”

“Huh?”

“You punished him in front of everyone to a degree that wasn’t humiliating, simultaneously earning the sympathy of the other knights and even inducing their friendliness!”

“……!”

At those words, Commander Bruno sent a gaze filled with surprise and respect.

No, that’s not it.

Seongjin scratched his cheek and looked at Calmen, who was getting farther away among the knights.

Well, wouldn’t this be okay in its own way?

It seemed to have turned out a bit different from the picture he had expected, though.

***

Today, as usual, Dasha, who was collecting firewood far away from the campsite, lifted her head at the presence of several people quietly approaching.

‘…They’re openly getting closer today?’

For the past few days, she had been intermittently sensing the presence of dozens of people trailing the caravan.

Since they were keeping their distance quite far from the caravan, the actual mercenaries hired by the Milo Trading Guild were enjoying a peaceful journey, unaware of anything.

At first, she had suspected that they might be targeting Prince Morres’s entourage.

However, after observing their movements for several days, Dasha concluded that their target was the Milo Trading Guild.

Whenever they occasionally camped far away from the prince’s group, they would invariably stick to the direction where the Milo Trading Guild was located.

Those guys, who had been quietly following for more than ten days, were now approaching closer without even trying to hide their presence for some reason.

‘They’re coming from the forest. Are they trying to attack now?’

Dasha felt for the dagger hidden under her skirt, preparing for the worst-case scenario.

Just in time, the hired hands who had been collecting firewood with her had all returned to the campsite, and now only Olivier, who always wore a head scarf, remained by Dasha’s side.

‘Maybe the newly joined ones are all from the same gang……’

By this point, she thought the caravan leader’s suspicion was valid.

For the past few days, she had witnessed some of the newly hired individuals secretly leaving the caravan at night and returning several times.

Judging by how they had cleverly deceived the eyes of the mercenaries, they were quite skilled assassins.

Gauging the presences that had now approached within close proximity, Dasha put down the firewood and stood up.

‘Yeah. The incident where a bunch of hired hands got entangled happened at the right time. Somehow, I thought it was easy to infiltrate the caravan.’

“Ugh, somehow I thought it was easy to get in.”

“……?”

For a moment, Dasha thought she had spoken her thoughts out loud.

Turning her head, the matron Olivier, who had been looking towards the forest, stared at Dasha with wide eyes.

“…Oh my?”

She stroked her strangely empty eyebrows and soon smiled with a peculiar expression.

“I had a hunch, but could it be that you’re also…?”