Children of the Holy Emperor

Bruno Green’s words were nothing short of shocking.

“For example, yes. I can hear the voice of the person who just spoke to you. That person is the [Red One] that Arenja speaks of.”

Could he possibly be talking about the Demon King right now? Really?

Seongjin was so surprised that he froze. The Demon King was the first to snap out of his shock and grew irritable.

[What? Is that what you’re saying to me? Who’s the Red One?]

“Then could you please tell me your name?”

[How dare a lowly human seek to know the true name of this great Demon King?]

“I apologize. Red One.”

[No, I said I’m not the Red One!]

Unbelievable!

Bruno Green was really talking to the Demon King!

In the midst of the confusion, Seongjin checked to make sure there was no one nearby. Fortunately, Sir Masain, who had left when they were talking about rejoining the Knights, had not returned yet.

In a low voice, Seongjin cautiously asked Bruno,

“…Since when?”

“Since I regained consciousness in the palace. I began to hear strange voices in the air.”

“And you never had such an experience before?”

“Correct. There is a slight gap in my memory, but I can say with certainty that I’ve never had this kind of experience.”

Then, there could only be one reason to consider.

‘…The Mind Crystal!’

And the Demon King confirmed Seongjin’s speculation.

[Yes, that guy has a rather intact Mind Crystal in his head. Seems to be functioning quite well. That means the [ability] he’s talking about is clearly channeling.]

That seemed a reasonable conclusion.

“Is what he is saying true?”

Seongjin asked Bruno for confirmation, but this time his reaction was a bit strange.

“Pardon? Did you say something again? I didn’t hear it.”

“…?”

Could it be that he can’t hear all the conversations?

“He says you’re channeling…”

Then Bruno nodded.

“Channeling… Ah, Arenja’s agents said the same. They said what I’m doing is the most basic form of channeling.”

“So the ‘ability required by external agents’ is channeling?”

“Yes. Precisely, all Arenja’s agents are channelers. Internal agents would have spiritual abilities added to that.”

To be precise, spiritual abilities are like secondary skills exhibited by advanced channelers. Ultimately, the essence of the two abilities is the same.

“That’s why Arenja can only be an elite group. Channelers themselves are not common to begin with.”

[Yet they have enough numbers to form an organization? Why haven’t I ever seen any of them before?]

When the Demon King directly asked him, a satisfactory answer returned.

“It’s not unreasonable. Originally, Arenja’s agents are not allowed to approach the Pearl Palace.”

So, not only the clergy but also spiritual ability users are restricted from entering!

As they continued to talk and test each other, Seongjin was able to get a fairly detailed understanding of the range of Bruno’s abilities.

Firstly, he clearly understood the thoughts the Demon King directly transmitted to him. He also sensed the waves of thought the Demon King emitted whenever he became agitated.

However, he couldn’t hear the thoughts that the jerk was discreetly transmitting to Seongjin’s mind. The same was true for the words that Seongjin said to the Demon King.

[It makes sense when you think about it. To sense someone’s thoughts through channeling, those thoughts first have to be emitted out of the soul. But our conversation is different. We directly transmit thoughts from one soul to another. It’s like a true soul-to-soul conversation!]

The Demon King spoke with a somehow proud demeanor.

‘Wow, that feels terrible.’

[…You cold bastard.]

Either way, Seongjin started feeling a headache due to the sudden situation.

Even a few days ago, the Demon King, who was initially trying to communicate with the Soul Orb, got furious, didn’t he?

-How dare you call me ‘Red’?

Seongjin had just found out that an organization called Arenja existed, but they already had enough information about the Demon King to even give him a friendly nickname like ‘Red’.

Just because they are part of the imperial organization, expecting them to be friendly towards Seongjin and the Demon King was perhaps naïve?

“How did you come into contact with Arenja? What did they say about ‘Red’… this guy?”

When he asked, sensing that he had received some rumors about the Demon King from Arenja, Bruno briefly explained what had happened.

Initially, when he heard the Demon King’s voice, he suspected that the prince might be possessed.

But while he was cautiously observing Seongjin, Arenja contacted him through channeling.

“And I got detailed explanations from them. They said ‘Red’ is not a demon but actually a loyal servant of Your Highness. A perfectly harmless entity, so you can relax.”

[What!?]

The Demon King wasn’t willing to let that go.

[Who said I’m a loyal servant! Who said I’m harmless! These mindless fools! I am the owner of a terrifying presence that can even burn souls! Will they realize the greatness of the true Demon King after they burn to the bone!?]

Kraaaack!

His mind was in chaos due to the Demon King’s outburst.

Well, the trivial and harmless part is true. They seem to have a detailed understanding of the Demon King.

“So, if you join Arenja, what will you primarily be doing? You said something about becoming an external agent?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

What Bruno Green said next was unexpected.

“They want me to stay by Your Highness’ side and act as a liaison.”

“…With me?”

“Yes. They said there will be a need for close cooperation between Arenja and the department led by Your Highness in the future.”

“…”

Cooperation? With my Monster Special Task Force?

He suddenly remembered what the emperor had said about the Monster Special Task Force not long ago.

—’…The Monster Special Task Force is, a small cog that will eventually support one pillar of Delcross, Morres.’ (Chapter 76)

Although it was founded due to the Gray Plague, its real purpose seemed to lie elsewhere.

What exactly did the emperor expect from Seongjin and the Monster Special Task Force?

“The terms are favorable, so I’m considering it positively. Being a Knight Commander is actually filled with more trivial tasks than people think. They’re offering me good pay just to stay by your side as a liaison, and I can devote myself to personal training. What could be a better job?”

It looked like Bruno had already made up his mind.

“Is it alright? The position of an imperial knight commander isn’t light.”

“It would be a waste to let a rare ability rot, wouldn’t it? Channelers are scarce.”

You there. Just how scarce must one be to qualify as a Decalon Knight Commander?

***

The atmosphere in the Imperial City had been quite chaotic lately due to the sudden changes in the Gray Plague situation and the unexpected emergency measures.

But those who were most disturbed were none other than the sower brothers who had been sneakily planting Lophellum seeds, awaiting a large harvest.

Including Clemence, the three underground priests were huddled in one corner of the Heresy Tribunal building with worried faces today.

“Ah, it feels like a farmer who watched all his crops wash away in a flood for a year.”

The elderly priest who spoke had a gloomy expression.

“Why did this happen now? The Holy Emperor who wouldn’t bat an eye at a few people dying is acting now?”

Clemence, who was next to him, shook his head.

“It’s not the Holy Emperor’s doing. I heard this was entirely the church’s unilateral decision.”

“…That Archbishop Wesker!”

The elderly priest ground his teeth.

During the period of the Great Purge, Wesker, who was merely a high-ranking priest at the time, led the crackdown on an underground cult, which he considered brethren serving the same deity. His accomplishments eventually earned him the rank of Archbishop.

He was famous for his rapid rise to power, but the path he took was stained with the blood of many brothers.

“Has he noticed something about the [Mission]?”

“It doesn’t seem like it, according to the Bishop. He simply thought that Wesker was excessively cautious about the Grey Plague.”

Just as the three of them were disguised as ordinary priests of the Inquisition, there were brothers of the [Seed] hidden within the church. The [Bishop] leading them was also one of those undercover brothers within the church.

“But did the Bishop really not know anything about Wesker’s moves? How is that possible?”

“Until emergency measures were activated, even his close aides didn’t notice. And even after learning the facts, there was no feasible way to evacuate the seeds scattered throughout the empire,” the Bishop said.

“…Bethella.”

The old priest swallowed his saliva and drew the holy symbol.

The youngest among them, a young priest, also drew the holy symbol and asked with an anxious face.

“Bethella. Are there no saved seeds at all? I heard that the majority of those arrested were released.”

“Unfortunately, Prince Morres intervened. He singled out the seeds and handed them over to the capital’s guards. Now they’re all being transferred to the Inquisition here, so our plan to scatter the seeds widely has failed.”

At Clemence’s answer, the old priest sighed.

“…And yet his preparations are not over!”

“Yes, it seems his preparations are not over yet.”

Confused by the vague conversation, the young priest asked.

“…Prince Morres?”

The so-called disgrace of the imperial family—how did he manage to do it?

Clemence chuckled at the young priest’s puzzled expression.

“Don’t you know? Well, maybe not to brothers of your age, since it’s been over 10 years since then.”

Just 10 years ago, no one among the brothers of the underground cult didn’t know of Prince Morres.

The day he was born, the leaders of the four underground cults, each an Archbishop of [Passion], [Seed], [Repentance], and [Rest], gathered exceptionally to bless his birth.

Together, they made offerings to the Lord and celebrated his birth, saying,

– “Rejoice! The child is the [Chosen One] for the glory of the Order!”

– “Passion ignites flames in the dead of winter, Sowing plants crops in the desert, and Rest personally breathed life into him!”

– “Repentance shall accompany him, ensuring he walks without regret!”

– “Freed from long-standing oppression, the underground Order shall prosper once again!”

At the time, Morres was a fatherless illegitimate child, but as the only grandson of the mighty Archduke of Asein, he was not easily accessible to the Order, so his brothers watched him from afar, waiting for the time of glory the Archbishops spoke of.

However, years later, the situation took an odd turn.

One day, the child’s father emerged and became the 17th Holy Emperor, and the child entered the palace as a prince. Naturally, Prince Morres was out of the cult’s sight.

Not long after taking power, the young Holy Emperor began a massive crackdown on the underground cult. They were defined as heretics and [Cult of Darkness], and a great purge began against the brothers scattered across the continent, not just in Delcross.

The underground cult suffered a severe blow from the Holy Emperor’s unexpected actions.

[Seed] and [Repentance], who were based in foreign lands, narrowly survived and maintained their lineage. However, [Passion] and [Rest], the cults that were prospering in Delcross, were utterly eradicated without a trace.

And among the surviving old brothers of the cults, strange rumors began to circulate. They said the reason the Holy Emperor hastily purged the underground cults was that he had learned in advance that his son was the Chosen One prepared by the cults..

“Isn’t that strange? Then, isn’t Prince Morres not the Chosen One for the Order’s prosperity, but rather like…”

Unable to finish his sentence, the young priest hesitated. Clemence lowered his head and said, “How could sinners like us ever fathom the Lord’s deep grace? Besides, the faith of the Archbishops remained steadfast to the end, they say.”

It was the [Rest] cult that the Holy Emperor slaughtered the most brutally. And even up until the moment his neck fell to the Emperor’s blade, it is said that the Archbishop of [Rest] loudly mocked the Holy Emperor, shouting his last prophecy.

-“His preparations are not yet over!”

“His preparations are not yet over…”

“By now, we can’t even know what Prince Morres is being prepared for. However, whatever his actions may be, we can’t sit idle. Because…”

“Because [Repentance] said that there will be no regret in his steps.”

“…”

A heavy silence descended upon the three underground priests.

“…Given the situation, we have no other choice. Starting now, all we can do is sow the seeds diligently. For the time being, it seems that the Holy Emperor has no plans to make a move, and the Church’s Archbishop cannot continue to issue temporary emergency measures. If we hurry, we might still be able to reap a great harvest.”

A moment later, Clemence spoke with a determined look on his face.

“That’s the only way, indeed. By the way, what happened to him? I’m talking about the other brother from the Forgotten order. Didn’t he say he would cooperate?”

At the elderly priest’s question, Clemence’s face darkened.

“It would have been better to just preach to a wall. I’ve repeatedly emphasized the importance of our task, but Priest Hayes keeps giving the same answer with a somewhat carefree expression.”

– “I’m just waiting for His command.”

His demeanor felt like that of a condemned prisoner who has accepted his fate, making Clemence sometimes feel a sense of eeriness.

“We’re not getting through to him at all.”

“What a shame. I had hoped that some part of [Rest]’s legacy would surely be preserved here. If so, it would have certainly been a great help in our mission.”

The elder priest sighed and made the sign of the cross.

“In that case, let’s forget about him. If we remain faithful to the tasks given to us, the Lord will surely respond someday. Bethel…“