Children of the Holy Emperor Chapter 404

404. Head Tower (2)

Preparations for the business trip went smoothly according to Seongjin’s plan.

First the cost.

Fortunately, the Seonghoe gave Seongjin the budget he requested without any hesitation. Even though I paid quite generously because I thought I would get a discount.

-As an apostle of the Lord, I will spare no efforts in my power for Delcross. So, I believe that in the future, not only the Orthodox Church but also the other four Holy Knights will fully cooperate with the work of the monster task force. Because that is the will of the Lord.

It seems that the threats thrown at the crusade worked. Of course, rather than cooperating, it seemed like the intention was to wait and see how far that guy could go.

And personnel.

After sending all of the few members of the monster task force to Cyprus, there was no choice but to recruit new personnel centered on Lord Masain and the resident knights of the Jinju Palace.

“I want to go too.”

What was surprising was that Owen suddenly decided to follow Seongjin.

“you? why?”

“There’s nothing special to do, right? The portrait work is almost finished, so I no longer have to go to the atelier regularly. really! Mores. “Can I take Bartoza with me?”

“Bartoza? “Who is that?”

“huh. He is a survivor of the Purma tribe, but unfortunately he was hated by the strongest tribe leader in Barsha. Contrary to his appearance, he is a timid guy and gets very anxious when I’m not around. “If you take him with you, he will probably do a great job as a porter.”

Seongjin looked at his eldest son, who seemed to be comfortable alone, with a disapproving expression.

Owen’s long hair had already grown full of cormorant feathers. Even if they were kept in the ecliptic for various reasons, they would be antagonized by high-ranking priests or a pagan’s best friend.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Seongjin obediently gave permission. Rather than nagging him to dress up like a prince, it might be easier to take him with you.

Then this time Rep. Jibril also raised his hand.

“Can I go with you too? Lowering? You never know when someone might get injured, so it will definitely be of great help if I accompany you. “There are no conferences that I have to attend for a while.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

Seongjin, who was about to give a positive answer, suddenly found ominous jars piled up in her place. Huge perfume jars, each emitting a strong and unique floral scent.

“… No way, Rep. Jibril. Are you planning on taking all those perfumes with you?”

“Yes, sir! I am a doctor who fights the plague. “I don’t know how long I will be away from the imperial capital, so I plan to prepare for quarantine as thoroughly as possible!”

“ah! Now that I think about it again, I think one person should still stay in the office. “We also have to deal with epidemic reports coming in from all over the country.”

“yes? No, you lower! “Why?”

A large number of people were assembled, excluding Rep. Jibril, who was so shocked.

Except for the division and selection of the resident knights and the fact that Sir Kurt and Sir Maria argued with each other over who would follow Seongjin during the process, everything went smoothly.

Then one day.

An exorcist I had never seen before came to the monster task force. It was accompanied by an officially completed moving-in report.

“You are my senior?”

“Yes that’s right. Lowering.”

He was an older man with a dull expression, with messy curly hair and flat glasses. It gives a dry impression, like tree branches that have been dried out by a long drought.

It was the same for Sir Leandros and Sir Sharon, but I thought that the overall characteristic of exorcists was that they looked desolate. If you struggle with loneliness for a long time and deal with the devil alone, it seems that everyone changes like that at some point.

“The Knights of St. Terbachia rarely gather and train new members like other knights. Instead, new exorcists are individually assigned a senior person to guide them for a while. “It can be seen as a kind of apprenticeship-style guidance.”

“okay. I understand. But why are you suddenly transferring to our department? “There’s already Sir Sharon in the monster task force?”

Then the exorcist straightened his posture and immediately made a straight face.

“Sir, I respect Sir Sharon as a junior with outstanding skills. But you don’t really expect that you can really learn something from her, do you?”

“… … .”

Seongjin, who remembered the exorcist laughing like he was crazy every time, had no choice but to inadvertently agree with his words.

Well, it involves hitting the stronghold of the Dark Church. I would be grateful if at least one more paladin were added.

“okay. Well, anyway, thank you. that… … .”

Seongjin added, glancing sideways at the moving-in notification form.

“… Sir Robert.”

“Please call me Robert, sir. “My parents were from Brittany, and I have been called by my Breton name ever since.”

A monotonous voice with little pitch. At first glance, he had an extremely businesslike attitude, but he still seemed the most sociable among the exorcists that Seongjin knew.

Seongjin nodded slowly and answered him.

“Of course, Sir Robert.”

* * *

Unlike other Holy Knights, it is somewhat absurd to say that the Knights of St. Terbachia is a huge public power. Basically, exorcists were scattered throughout the continent and most of the time they performed their missions alone.

So, even if a new exorcist happened to come in, there was no proper way to systematically train him. So, for a certain period of time, it became a kind of custom to follow a veteran and move together.

In this way, the new knight follows his senior like a teacher and learns everything he needs to know as an exorcist.

“But, unusually, you were given the rank of adjutant upon joining the service. So, it became impossible for an exorcist to treat me like a squire.”

Of course, there were many other reasons why the precious prince of the Holy Emperor could not be taken to remote places.

Thanks to this, a laughable situation arose where Sir Robert, an experienced exorcist, followed his junior and applied for a transfer.

“Well, I feel a little sorry for you, Sir Robert.”

“No, sir. It’s almost time for me to start working. Moreover, since you have a solid foundation in military power, you will be fine without me having to follow you around for a long time.”

In addition, Seongjin had another unique feature that set him apart from other new exorcists.

The most troublesome training for senior paladins is teaching juniors about sacred barriers?

however-

“I don’t have divine power?”

“Yes, so the distance to teach has been greatly reduced. “I may be presumptuous, but this is truly fortunate for you and me.”

Those who don’t know may think that all you have to do is simply unleash divine power, but creating a sacred barrier involves a more complicated process than you might think.

It is the act of forming one’s own power into a certain form and releasing it to the outside in a stable manner. If you think about it, it’s the same as using divine power to spread a sword of a certain shape.

In particular, deploying a large-scale barrier with other Paladins is more problematic. So, you have to repeat the practice of defending an exact range with a certain intensity and at the same time resonating with the power of others to harmonize with it.

“Uh, just hearing that gives me a headache?”

“That’s exactly what I want to say, sir.”

Wow, I never thought there would come a day when I would be glad that I don’t have divine powers.

“But then, doesn’t that mean I have nothing to learn from Sir Robert? Lord Masain is already taking care of my swordsmanship.”

“No, sir. “A paladin has basic skills that are more important than the sacred barrier.”

“Basic knowledge?”

“yes. Examples include the review ceremony, the chairman’s demonstration, and the easy washing of uniforms.”

“… … .”

Come to think of it, I once heard this story from Logan.

-This is a fact that outsiders don’t know, but the first thing you learn when you join the Holy Knights is how to properly dress up and conduct a review ceremony.

-A four-line ceremony? Not swordsmanship?

-okay. In a way, it is also about penetrating the essence of the Holy Knights. In order to spread God’s will to the world, it is more important to ‘show’ it well than to use ‘force’.

At the time, I thought it was a half-joke, but could they really learn something like that?

Well, Logan isn’t the type to make pointless jokes.

“And there is the most important thing that you, who do not have divine power, must learn properly. “It’s a way to use tools that have been prepared in advance.”

After speaking up to that point, Sir Robert began to unfold the large bag he was carrying.

“After your joining was decided, Director Leandros immediately ordered me to join you. It is not common for an exorcist who has been active for a while to be called to the imperial capital, but isn’t there a reason for such an unusual appointment?”

“reason?”

“yes. I dare say that of all the exorcists, I am the most adept at using tools. “It means that I can teach you in more detail than anyone else how to use exorcism tools in the right place.”

As Sir Robert had assured, his bag was filled with countless items.

From large and small holy water bottles to complex magic scrolls engraved with the symbols of the main deity. A pile of wooden awls and mallets. And an old straw doll with black thread wrapped around it… … .

Perhaps they are all sacred tools blessed by priests.

[Wow. Scary guy. Are you carrying around such ugly things?]

The demon lord sitting on the desk was fed up. To him, it would seem like a feast of weapons.

“… … ?”

Meanwhile, there was one object that caught Seongjin’s eye. It was a teddy bear as white as snow, and no matter how you looked at it, it had a somewhat familiar design.

“Sir Robert. This?”

“Ah, that is the newly consecrated amulet. He said he was the guardian of children, [Vince Bear]. “It is an item that exorcists have recently consecrated and carried around as a companion.”

“… Eh?”

what. Is this really a doll modeled after Bingsu No. 3?

But why on earth does an exorcist carry a doll like this as a talisman?

“In the end, the one who gives power to meaningful images is the one who exerts the strongest power. Plus, it looks pretty cute, doesn’t it?”

“… … .”

“They say it’s quite popular even among imperial officials. “Did you have no idea?”

and. I thought the teddy bear was a design that would work well anywhere, but I never thought it would be popular among exorcists too!

* * *

Romain had been feeling a suspicious atmosphere recently.

I visit Bertrand Street every few days to collect information, and the atmosphere there is noticeably changing day by day.

“Vince Bear! Buy Vince Bear, who protects the Lord’s little favor!”

“A cute knight of the Lord who willingly came down to earth for Saint Sisley, the Lord’s apostle!”

Romain noticed the white teddy bears lined up at the stall and quietly broke into a cold sweat.

‘… How did this happen? Why is there a teddy bear in this Delcross dimension?’

But what was strangest of all were the one-act plays taking place here and there on the streets.

“Ah, it’s so sad! “The story of the moon fairy’s unrequited love for His Majesty the First King!”

“A new play is here! The bizarre adventures of the beautiful Saint Bastian and his faithful servant, the Shadow Fairy!”

“Come see the mischievous fire fairy puppet show! “If you watch, we’ll also give you some delicious fire fairy candy!”

Romain could not understand the current phenomenon at all. Decades ago, the story of Olivier the Moon Fairy was sensationally popular, but how could the atmosphere of the city change so suddenly?

No matter how you look at the phenomena that are happening now, they are unusual and even artificial.

‘… ‘Why suddenly?’

There is no way to know whose influence is behind it. So Romaine felt fear sinking into his bones and could only tremble helplessly.

‘What are these paving stones for? I can’t read anything, nothing! Guardian of Delcross! What kind of future does he see… … !’

fantasy,