Children of the Holy Emperor

“Whoa, whoa, calm down!”

As Dasha quickly stepped back and drew her dagger, Olivier quickly raised both hands.

“Although it’s my wish, we’re not enemies to each other. Right?”

Even while saying that, she took a couple of steps back, seeming to accurately gauge Dasha’s attack range. At a glance, it was clear she was no ordinary skilled person.

‘How did I fail to notice someone like this right next to me?’

Dasha glared at her sharply, pointing the dagger.

“…Since when?”

“Oh, no! It’s a misunderstanding! Sabrina, I wasn’t monitoring you!”

As if wanting to reassure her, she grinned at Dasha. Unfortunately, due to the lack of eyebrows, it ended up making her face look even more bizarre.

“I just threw that out there on the off chance! It seemed like you noticed the guys hiding in the forest.”

“……”

“I really had no idea until now. You’re incredibly good at concealing your presence, huh?”

The same went for Dasha.

Although there were occasional moments of doubt, apart from the lack of eyebrows, Olivier seemed to be the most normal among the new recruits.

“Honestly, I was suspicious of all the other guys, but I never thought it would be you!”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I didn’t expect someone as eye-catching as you to brazenly show your face around! Varshan assassins aren’t common, you know!”

Ah. That was also the reason Dasha quickly excluded Olivier from the list of suspects.

To think an assassin would shave off their eyebrows and show up. It was bound to leave a deep impression on anyone.

“Besides, think about it. When all the newly hired guys are spying, wouldn’t you think at least one of them would be a proper employee?”

“……”

In the end, all the new recruits hired from the Imperial Capital were suspicious individuals. It was ridiculous enough to make one laugh hollowly.

At that moment, Olivier, who had been gauging Dasha’s reaction, slyly made a suggestion.

“Come on, let’s make a deal. If the two of us settle this here, one of us will definitely die, and the remaining one won’t be in great shape either.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Just this once, let’s pretend we didn’t see each other. As you probably guessed, this ambush is completely screwed, right? So let’s go our separate ways now!”

The group trailing the caravan was surely not approaching with good intentions. If she survived this clash, the caravan leader would prioritize dealing with the remaining new recruits first.

The decision was quick.

“…What’s your infiltration objective?”

“I’d like to say, ‘As if I’d tell you that easily!’ but well, fine. It would be troublesome if our objectives conflicted.”

Olivier shrugged.

“Let’s go our separate ways on good terms. I was simply ordered to closely monitor the caravan leader. What about you?”

Those words couldn’t be taken at face value.

However, Dasha thought there was a high possibility that woman wasn’t targeting Prince Morres’s safety.

In that case.

“My objective is also to monitor the caravan leader.”

“Great. Then there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

With those words, the two slowly backed away to create distance.

And when they judged they had reached a point beyond the range of hidden weapons, they stopped and exchanged glances for a moment instead of a farewell.

“……”

“……”

At that instant.

Both of them pretended to turn around while simultaneously throwing weapons filled with Aura power at each other!

Bang!

Clang!

The stiletto that passed by Dasha’s eye penetrated the tree right next to her, shattering it into pieces.

Likewise, the pointed dagger that grazed Olivier’s neck broke a few branches and got stuck at an angle in the tree trunk behind her.

‘Damn it!’

And as soon as their final attacks failed, the two grabbed the thrown weapons and began running in opposite directions.

Tap tap tap!

“Sabrina, you! I’ll never forget this! How dare you betray my trust!”

Olivier’s long shout could be heard fading away in an instant.

Dasha also gritted her teeth as she quickly ran through the trees.

‘That’s my line! You fake-eyebrowed witch!’

I don’t know who you belong to, but next time, I’ll definitely take you down!

***

Around that time, people in the Milo Trading Guild also began to notice the anomalies.

“Sir Giacomo! A group of unknown identity is approaching from the forest!”

The mercenary captain hired as an escort came to Giacomo’s tent to report.

“What’s their scale?”

“About twenty. They don’t seem to be heavily armed. They don’t appear to be a group of bandits rampant in the area.”

Of course, Giacomo already knew their identity. The demon Sallos had been making a fuss in his head for a while now.

[Hurry up and summon me! The dark cult is coming! Only the dark cult raises those cursed demon trees! I shall sweep them all away!]

Ignoring Sallos appropriately, Giacomo instructed the mercenary captain.

“I’ll talk to them for now. Just be prepared for the possibility of an armed conflict at any time.”

A large group showing up without notice surely didn’t have good intentions.

However, the dark cult and the Milo Trading Guild had a tacit trade relationship. There was nothing to gain from a clash, so he intended to have a conversation as much as possible.

‘Besides, if things escalate, it might unnecessarily draw the attention of the Wolf Knights.’

If, by any chance, his relationship with the dark cult was discovered, he would have to silence them even if it meant fully summoning Sallos. Not only the entire Wolf Knights but also the prince’s entourage traveling with them.

Praying that such a worst-case scenario wouldn’t occur, Giacomo slowly rose from his seat.

Just as he stepped outside the tent, a group of people emerged from the forest.

They were wearing tattered black monk’s robes, and most of them had emaciated bodies that looked like they were about to die at any moment. Amidst their stiff, tree-like faces, only their eyes shone fiercely, giving off an eerie impression.

Moreover, their faces and arms exposed outside their clothes were densely covered with countless scars and wounds.

Evidence of having gone through long periods of asceticism. They were people from the [Repentance] Order.

Murmur murmur.

As the mercenaries drew their weapons and became agitated, they stopped walking right in front of the campsite.

“We’re here to meet Giacomo, the caravan leader.”

The one who stepped forward and said that was a hulking woman wearing a patched-up monk’s robe.

She was a woman whose entire body was covered in muscles and scars, and her appearance was more fitting for a thug rather than a believer.

“It’s been a while, Bishop Belinda.”

Swallowing dry saliva, Giacomo opened his mouth.

Although they had met a few times for business, he always felt intimidated in front of her.

“What is this all about? Until now, I thought we had a pretty good business relationship, but was I mistaken?”

Then, the woman snorted with a grim expression.

“Hah, a good relationship? What bullshit!”

With that ominous atmosphere, the tension among the mercenaries escalated further.

“Just state your business for now. I don’t want to create a big problem here. The Third Prince’s entourage and the Wolf Knights are nearby.”

“Whether it turns into a problem or not depends entirely on your answer.”

“Answer? What do you mean by that?”

Then, Bishop Belinda’s face contorted.

“Hey, Mr. Merchant. We’re ignorant folks who live in the shadows, so we don’t know much about business ethics.”

“……”

“But we at least know one thing. If you receive goods, you have to pay the proper price.”

At her words, Giacomo was quite flustered.

“If it’s about the [medicinal tea], didn’t we settle the payment last time?”

“It should have been a promissory note that could be properly used.”

“Wasn’t it agreed upon that it would be processed at the logistics relay station? Are you saying the payment wasn’t made according to the promissory note?”

At those words, Belinda’s cheeks twitched.

“They insisted on thoroughly verifying the identity.”

“Why?”

“How would I know the reason? You should know! It was a special order from the branch manager that the Milo Trading Guild’s promissory notes should only be paid to those with verified identities! Didn’t you say something unnecessary to him?”

Giacomo’s expression turned blank with shock.

Branch Manager Schmidt? Why all of a sudden?

Of course, this happened due to Seongjin’s instructions, but there was no way for Giacomo to know that fact.

He stroked his goatee, trying to hide his nervousness.

“Then there’s the Scarcepino family, isn’t there? I clearly remember the young lord agreeing to be the guarantor of the promissory note, and he would gladly pay the amount on my behalf!”

Before establishing direct transactions, both the cult and the Milo Trading Guild had traded goods through Young Lord Riccardo. Even now, for some items, they still went through the ghost caravan created by the young lord.

But as soon as he finished saying that, Belinda’s momentum became even more fierce.

“Yeah, that’s great! I wanted to talk about that too! Why did you attack Riccardo?”

“What…?”

For a moment, Giacomo was dumbfounded.

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you playing dumb now? You attacked the young lord and planted our cult’s emblem there! Aren’t you trying to screw both him and our cult over at the same time?”

“……?!”

“That medal was clearly leaked from our workshop. Who else could have done such a thing if not you? Thanks to that, the inquisitors have been running rampant in our territory recently!”

Of course, this was actually Seongjin’s doing, but.

Anyway, Giacomo, who was unaware of the details, realized that something was getting terribly twisted.

With a pale face and quivering lips, the prelate’s voice grew even louder.

“What the hell are you trying to do? Now that you can operate the workshop on your own, are you trying to involve the church and sever the troublesome relationship with our cult?”

Giacomo felt his mind going blank.

Why did things suddenly turn out like this?

Meanwhile, the prelate’s pressure continued.

“The Great Bishop of Penitence was very angry when he found out about this. If you don’t pay the amount immediately, he said he would personally deliver that [Repentance Tree] to you!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a few Repentance believers approached, carrying a large jar-like object.

It was a jar almost the size of a human torso. It was filled with black soil, making it look like a flowerpot. Various ominous patterns in vivid colors were drawn around it.

[Oh no! Stop that from sprouting, Giacomo! That’s the demon tree! It’s a cursed seed that even captures souls!]

At that moment, Sallos’ desperate cry rang out in his mind.

‘Stop it from sprouting? How?’

[The seed of that demon tree must never come into contact with blood!]

‘Blood?’

As the Repentance believers placed the jar in front of Belinda, she drew a small dagger from her bosom and flashed a grim smile.

“Now, answer me, Giacomo. Will you pay the amount right now?”

“Wa-wait! I’ll pay! I’ll pay, so if you just give me some time……”

“Time?”

“That’s right. There’s no way I would carry such a large sum of money when leaving for a trade journey! As soon as this trade is over, I’ll personally process the promissory note in Regina……”

“You want me to wait until then?”

“Ah, no, then at least until we reach Siegmund Territory! I’ll somehow try to arrange the money there!”

The more Giacomo continued, the colder Belinda’s eyes became.

“……”

“Please understand, will you?”

Then, she twisted her lips and let out a chilling laugh.

“You filthy apostate bastard! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you guys!”

Slash!

Hot blood splattered from the hand tightly gripping the dagger.

***

[Lee Seongjin, I sense something ominous nearby.]

Suddenly, the Demon King called out to Seongjin while he was meditating before bed.

‘Something ominous?’

[Yeah. The demonic energy is faint, but it feels unsettling.]

Seongjin focused his senses for a moment, but he didn’t feel anything particularly unusual.

As he tilted his head in confusion.

[Huh? What’s this? Lee Seongjin! Be careful! The demonic energy suddenly…!]

Before he could even finish his words.

Boom!

A huge shockwave suddenly occurred, shaking the entire carriage.

‘What the?’

Seongjin quickly opened the carriage door and jumped out, just in time to see Masain and Sir Valerie running towards him.

“Your Highness! Please take cover for now!”

“Sir Masain? What in the world is going on?”

“I’m not sure either! It seems like some kind of accident occurred on the Milo Trading Guild’s side!”

The Milo Trading Guild?

Then, Sir Valerie added from the side.

“Something doesn’t feel right, Your Highness! The demonic energy is suddenly increasing explosively, as if a demon has been summoned…!”

Right at that moment.

Aaaaaaah!

A sharp and eerie sound resonated through the chilly night air, shaking it.

It was clearly something evil, not human, like a scream from the depths of hell.

As everyone in the campsite gasped and held their breath.

Kaaaaaaah!

That ominous sound was heard again. It was definitely coming from the direction where the Milo Trading Guild was located.

“Dear God……”

Masain, who had been blankly opening his mouth, muttered with a pale face.

“I knew this would happen! I thought it was too quiet for the past few days.”

Then, he turned to Seongjin, who was listening to the sound with a curious expression, and asked!

“So, what did you do this time, Your Highness?”

“…What?”

Seongjin was greatly startled by that sudden question.

No! I’m innocent, Sir Masain!

I really didn’t do anything this time! I swear!