Children of the Holy Emperor
chapter-125

[Yi-seo’s POV]

In other worlds, isn’t it important for a saintess to have some romantic tension with charming secondary male leads?

Of course, my mind is filled only with thoughts of saving the world, but how can one not be swayed when surrounded by numerous male leads, each whispering words of love?

-“I engaged a woman I do not desire for the sake of the throne. But the true owner of my heart is you, the noble saintess.”

Prince Leonard of Rohan.

Though he has a flirtatious nature, he ultimately becomes irresistibly captivated by the saintess. He’s an attractive, ambitious character who will forsake a beautiful queen for the saintess.

-“Strange, isn’t it? The free winds lead my soul, but in the end, I always find myself returning to you.”

The wandering knight, Fernand.

A romantic swordsman, currently creating a love epic across the continent. He’s seen as a frivolous playboy destined to follow the saintess.

-“I cannot leave Delcross, worried about your safety. From now on, my duty is not to fight the sea monsters, but to protect the saintess.”

Prince Logan, the genius paladin.

A cool, calm beauty, who would give everything for his beloved saintess… a sucker, perhaps?

“Wait a minute, ‘sucker’ might be a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“If you capture his heart, you’ll receive the most devoted love. What, don’t you like him?”

“Ah, that’s a contrarian statement again. Remember! These days, male leads who are cruel to everyone else but kind to the female lead are popular!”

“…He’s very handsome though?”

“…Of course, appearance is the most important plausibility.”

And in this novel, there’s even a hidden secondary male lead.

-“Everyone has rejected me. My royal father and mother abandoned me long ago. But you, you’re the only one who truly sees me.”

Prince Morres, the overweight troublemaker.

Recently, he’s undergone a transformation after deciding to mend his ways and train his body. However, unable to overcome the emotional scars from childhood, he’s drawn to the saintess’s warmth like a chick to its mother…

“What’s this now? This underdeveloped kid? Isn’t saving the world enough, now I have to take care of a baby bird too?”

“So, it’s about the face…”

“Okay. Noted!”

Yes, in romance fantasy, the most important thing is ultimately the appearance.

A fool’s actions are seen as folly, but when a charming man does the same, it becomes a poignant appeal to maternal instincts.

Ah, I am such a slave to appearances, alas!

“Ah, if you happen to capture his heart, there’s something you should be careful about.”

“Something to be careful about?”

“Yes. This prince has his peculiarities. If handled incorrectly, the world within the novel could face the worst bad ending.”

“Ah! So there’s a reason he’s a hidden character? What should I watch out for?”

“Well, the thing is, he actually is…”

* * *

Seongjin blinked his eyes.

‘What is this now…’

After finishing his morning training and starting his work at the Monster Special Task Force office with a refreshed feeling, that unpleasant guy he thought he’d never see again had brazenly shown up at the task force office.

Orden Siegmund, with a stoic face, bowed his head slightly, showing the bare minimum of courtesy.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Still as stiff-necked as ever.

“Well then.”

“…!”

Still, seeing his flustered face was somewhat amusing.

Seongjin, with a smirk, asked,

“But what brings you to our department?”

Orden soon composed himself and spoke with a calm face.

“Actually, I’ve come to report a grievance to the Monster Special Task Force.”

“A grievance?”

“Yes, about the atrocities of a large trading company called Milo.”

Seongjin tilted his head in confusion.

Isn’t he at the wrong place? If there’s illegal activity, it should be reported to the judiciary, and if it’s a matter of trade ethics, it should be taken to the commerce-related department within the administrative branch, right?

“The Siegmund territory, indeed the entire continent, is under a threat that can jeopardize our safety. Since corrupt elements are involved, resolving this internally in the territory seems difficult, so I earnestly request that the royal palace take some action.”

“…”

Corrupt elements.

Seongjin silently observed Orden’s expression. It was hard to read due to his usual stern face.

‘He’s not requesting an Inquisitor or an Exorcist, but he’s come straight to a department that has no record of dealing with such matters…’

This must be a case involving his family.

There are differing stances within the family, making internal resolution difficult, and if it goes to the heresy court, they won’t be able to escape responsibility.

“…Let’s hear it then.”

As Seongjin settled into his seat, Orden glanced uncomfortably to the side.

Ah. He’s worried about Inquisitor Valerie.

“Don’t worry about him. He is entirely a part of the Monster Special Task Force, and without my permission, he won’t disclose anything to the heresy court. Right, sir Valerie?”

At this, the red-haired Inquisitor weakly smiled with a bitter expression.

“Of course. I could never go against Your Highness’s orders.”

Why is he secretly smuggling out forbidden books and hiding in the Monster Special Task Force office to read them, this maverick Inquisitor?

“Hmm hmm. The same goes for me. Your Highness’s words are the future of the Monster Special Task Force.”

Dame Sharon snickered on the side, worsening Orden’s complexion.

He seemed to regret coming here, probably thinking Sharon doesn’t seem all that sane.

With no choice, Seongjin had the Monster Special Task Force members step back. Then, with a warm smile on his face, he quickly reassured Orden before he could escape.

“Come on, don’t hesitate to tell us. Our Monster Special Task Force is always open to help the empire’s citizens.”

At that moment, Orden visibly tensed up and froze.

Huh? Why’s he reacting like this all of a sudden?

[Wow, you just looked really evil. Like a broker pressuring someone to sign an organ trafficking contract!]

…Shut up, unnecessarily detailed and realistically patched-up demon king!

After much persuasion and overcoming the Eldest Young Master’s wariness, the situation in the Siegmund territory that he finally heard about was quite serious.

Recently, a suspicious drug has been circulating in the territory, and since then, there have been frequent instances of people behaving strangely or suddenly disappearing.

“…Is it a drug?”

“We suspect so, but it’s not a type known throughout the continent.”

A few years ago, the Siegmund Border Count signed an exclusive contract with a large trading company, Milo. Given the barren environment, the territory relied heavily on the company for many necessities. The company offered goods at low profit margins, aiming for volume sales, so there was no reason for the territory to refuse the deal.

Along with cheap, high-quality goods, a suspicious herbal powder began circulating in the territory.

Those who brewed and drank tea from this powder began to talk nonsense and go mad, or suddenly ventured into the Black Forest and disappeared.

“Why not just ban its distribution?”

“That’s a bit complicated. Initially, it only gives a slight euphoria and well-being, and Milo is marketing it as a tea that boosts vitality.”

The man explaining all this, showing various documents, was Herman, a subordinate of Orden. Unlike the rigid Eldest Young Master, this man seemed more reasonable and articulate.

“To legally ban its distribution, we need clear evidence that the herb is a narcotic. But it doesn’t have a particularly strong analgesic effect, nor does it cause a state of extreme mental or physical debilitation…”

“Hmm.”

Listening to the explanation, Seongjin could roughly guess the underlying situation.

Whether it’s legal or not, if the Border Count simply bans it, that’s the end of the story. Thus, needing to request a ban with legal justification implies that someone in the family, in cahoots with Milo, is a powerful figure pushing the drug’s distribution.

And if the official heir, the Eldest Young Master, finds it too overwhelming to handle, it must be the work of.

‘The Border Count.’

Perhaps he is acting in opposition to the head of the family. That must be quite a burden for him.

“The Eldest Young Master was away from the territory participating in a martial arts tournament in another country recently. Upon his return, he found that everyone in the territory was drinking this tea. But since it’s distributed in powder form, it’s impossible to identify the ingredients.”

As he said this, Herman took something out of his pocket. It was a few flat, seed-like objects wrapped in a handkerchief.

“We’ve only recently been able to track down the distributors and obtain these, the original ingredients of the tea.”

Seongjin, feeling a strange premonition, closely examined the objects.

Although they were flat and dried, these were clearly not herbs but rather.

‘Hey, demon lord. Doesn’t this look familiar?’

[Yeah? It’s actually the dried seed of Lophellum!]

What? Where did this come from?

As Seongjin looked at Orden with newfound surprise, Orden seemed to sense something ominous and shivered.

“So? You’re saying this tea suddenly flooded the territory, causing severe harm to its people. But why do you suspect that corrupt elements are involved in its distribution?”

Responding to Seongjin’s question, Orden and Herman exchanged a glance, remaining silent for a moment.

But then, as if making up his mind, Orden let out a sigh and placed a small medallion on the table. It was a small, red-tinted medallion with a crudely engraved spider symbol on it.

“This is a mark of the Dark Cult, found during our investigation of the distributors.”

As Seongjin picked up the medallion, Herman added to the explanation.

“In the process of investigating Milo Trading, we frequently encountered this mark. It’s clear that Milo Trading is connected to the remnants of the Dark Cult.”

This means the force spreading the seeds of Lophellum in the Empire is also linked to Milo Trading. The trail of the Dark Cult, which had disappeared after Priest Heiz, has resurfaced.

The Dileraria butterflies seen near the Siegmund territory by Logan might not be entirely unrelated to them either!

‘I thought he was just a troublemaker, but turns out, this guy is a goldmine.’

As Seongjin grinned, Orden jolted in surprise, then scowled disdainfully.

But what does it matter? To Seongjin, Orden no longer seemed like a brash, arrogant youngster but rather a plump lamb, innocently awaiting its turn at the table.

“Alright, the Monster Special Task Force will assist in this matter.”

Seongjin smiled contentedly.

“But just like that?”

“…Yes?”

As the two men looked bewildered, Seongjin explained calmly.

“As you know, our department is short-staffed, and we’re already overwhelmed with investigating the Grey Plague. Even so, we’re stepping up for the Siegmund territory.”

“…”

“Of course, we’re doing this for the Empire’s citizens, so we’re not asking for a labor fee. But at least, the expenses for our department’s activities should be covered by you, right?”

Orden, looking stunned, nodded.

“Yes, that’s only fair.”

“And let’s make one thing clear,”

Seongjin said, looking him in the eye.

“I’ll let this go this time. You owe me for this one.”

“…”

“Whenever the time comes, in whatever form, you’ll have to repay this debt to me. Understand?”

Orden’s pupils quivered slightly.

“Of course… As soon as this matter is resolved, I will find a way to compensate you…”

“No, that’s not it. That’s just another debt that will arise after the resolution. We need to settle this one now.”

“…?”

“Don’t you get it? I’m keeping quiet about the Siegmund family’s collusion with the Dark Cult. I’m hiding your family’s misdeeds from the heresy tribunal. Surely, you aren’t planning to just let this favor slide?”

There seemed to be a draining of color from the Eldest Young Master’s face.

Given the gravity of the situation, both men appeared shocked and out of sorts. Hence, not only Herman but even Orden failed to notice the whispers of the task force members behind them.

“Wow… Creepy. I didn’t see that coming from His Highness Morres. He’s really good at playing it cool. Did you see? His expression didn’t change at all.”

“Jibril-nim, we should refrain from disrespectful remarks.”

“But, sir Masain, wasn’t His Highness just deliberating on how to send an investigation team to the Siegmund territory? This seems like a good opportunity, so why is he now pressuring the Eldest Young Master like this?”

“His Highness must have his reasons. We just follow his lead.”

“Hmm hmm. I… I knew it all along. His Highness’s potential is truly remarkable.”

“Dame Sharon? You’re not implying that this potential is about being a con artist, are you?”