The puppet show came to an end.
A yellow lump approaches the side of the red lump lying on an angle.
[The Demon King of Dreams fell into deep sorrow after seeing the death of the Demon King of Fire. Although they faced each other, they were once allies fighting the same enemy. So, they decided to mourn him who died a miserable death at the hands of the evil hero.]
Why is the story like that?
What kind of children are those who fought to the death until now? Where did the hero go again?
[The Demon King of Dreams honored his sad death by calling their friend’s name.]
The voice that recited the narration was low, but deep emotions of sadness that could not be hidden came out in it. Before he knew it, the children were holding their hands together and weeping.
Is this what collective hypnosis is like? He thought something was strange, but Seongjin also felt a strange sensation as if a corner of his chest was frowning. It was as if something directly stimulated his brain and elicited a mental change similar to emotion.
He can only speculate that the puppeteer’s voice might be the cause, but there was no way to confirm this.
The voice with that strange magical power said calmly.
[Goodbye forever, Al Fahas, the Demon of Fire.]
Jeeeeen. In an instant, a tinnitus spread in Seongjin’s head as if something was cracking.
“……?”
[Rest in peace, Al Fahas of Fire.]
Crack. Seongjin felt a slight dizziness from the small shock that rang once again.
“Bye, Demon King of Fire Al Fahas!”
“Rest in peace, Al Fahas!”
The children gather their mouths and shout.
“Goodbye forever, Al Fahas of Fire!”
He feels nauseous.
While trying to calm his shaking stomach, Seongjin suddenly thought. Something is very wrong with this.
Herna and Gades didn’t chant along with the children. They just looked up at him with slightly worried eyes while holding Seongjin’s arms as if to support them.
The context of the story is poor, and the puppet show, which has no coherent theme, suddenly ended with a heartwarming ending.
The children who had been mourning the Demon King of Fire for a while left their seats one by one, and now only a shabby plank with a curtain down and a few burnt candles remained on the simple stage.
As if the narration and puppet show were conducted alone, one person was tidying up the stage while taking care of the puppets. They have a slender physique and wears a long, loose robe, so it is difficult to tell whether they are a man or a woman.
They wear a shabby half-mask that reveals their slim lower body, and their long silver hair is tied and hung down below their waist.
After the puppet show ended, Seongjin, who had calmed down like a lie, tried to approach the puppeteer who was cleaning the stage. It was impossible not to know that the strange phenomena and puppet shows that Seongjin had experienced earlier had something to do with the Demon King of Gehenna.
But there were two pairs of arms pulling him back.
“You mustn’t meet that person yet, Morres.”
“That person won’t tell you anything, Morres.”
But wasn’t it these guys who brought him here?
Seongjin didn’t mind and tried to move again. Then, Herna and Gades came hanging onto his arms, this time carrying their entire body weight.
“Father Holy Emperor wouldn’t like it if he knew you were here.”
“You mustn’t make trouble for His Majesty Father any more than this.”
Seongjin stopped walking this time. It was because the eyes of the twins, who always seemed relaxed, are more desperate than ever.
He stood there for a moment and thought.
What the hell do these kids know?
How reliable the twins’ recommendation is another matter, but what is the possibility that Seongjin will get additional information if he ignores these guys’ words and contact the puppeteer?
In addition, when the Holy Emperor was mentioned, he remembered the last request he made before entering closed prayer.
-Don’t make trouble.
Come to think of it, today might have been the day he really just broke his words. Of course, most of the cause was because of these unknown children.
Above all, his premonition, which is sometimes shown in unexpected places, strongly conveys the feeling that now is not the time.
After glancing at the puppeteer, who was still busy cleaning up, Seongjin was meekly led by the twins’ hands to the carriage.
Sensing a strange gaze from somewhere, the puppeteer turned around.
However, apart from the occasional glances of the busily walking passers-by, no one paid much attention to them. In the distance, only a small carriage was moving away from the plaza, and the streets where the sunset had begun to sink were relatively quiet.
Was it an illusion? They tilted their head.
The distinctly dulled senses of the body were not very reliable.
“I wondered where you went at this time, what are you doing with the kids?”
From the other side of the plaza, a tall man approached the puppeteer waving his hand. He was a very sleek-looking young man with healthy tanned skin and shiny black hair.
The clothes, which were comfortably buttoned up with a couple of buttons, were quite classy, and the confident smile that he must have had from birth lingered on his firm chin.
The puppeteer bowed their head respectfully toward him.
“Prince Leonard.”
“Hey, didn’t I tell you to call me Leo? This is an informal visit. Romaine.”
“Yes, Lord Leo.”
Leonard approached with great strides and comfortably placed his arm on the small puppeteer’s shoulder.
“Listen anyway, Romaine. It’s already been several days since I entered the capital and asked for an informal meeting, but these scoundrels still have no news.”
“Is that so?”
“Isn’t it frustrating? How many times have I been contacting them from a few months ago to get some official papers, but all they’ve done is brood over it.”
Leonard grumbled as he stared into the void with a face full of dissatisfaction.
“So what if he’s the Holy Emperor? He can’t be that amazing, just playing hard to get.”
Of course, Leonard had no way of knowing that the Holy Emperor had been disapproving of him since before – because he was the kind of guy his daughter was interested in.
And the fact that now he’s completely out of the limelight for things he hasn’t yet done.
“Perhaps your request for an audience will not be accepted.”
Romain answered calmly. It wasn’t a voice with a strange resonant sound like the puppet play now, but a thin but normal male voice.
“Shit! Why?”
“It’s not that he doesn’t accept it, it’s that he can’t meet you. Lord Leo. Since yesterday, the spirits defending Delcross has greatly diminished. Perhaps the guardian left the capital.”
That’s why it is possible for him to perform such tricks right in front of the imperial palace.
Romaine didn’t bother to say that.
Hmm. Leonard said with a serious face, resting his chin on the arm over Romaine’s shoulder.
“There is only one way now. Handsome guy.”
“… Yes?”
… Who are you talking to?
Leonard, who was well aware of Romaine’s shy face under the mask, laughed with a chuckle.
“Don’t you know? There is a beautiful rose that has not yet ripened in that imperial palace. Didn’t that guy care for his daughter a lot?”
“You are so confident.”
Romain slipped back his shoulders, which had begun to feel heavy, and crossed his arms.
“You should have seen the princess’ eyes looking at me at last year’s birthday party… I’m willing to bet. She’s a pitiful girl who fell in love for the first time.”
Romaine’s eyes deepen under the mask at the prince’s confident declaration.
Leonard is like a ghost when it comes to women. If what he said was true, things might be easier than expected.
The most obstructive was a simple way to effectively pressure Delcross and tie the Holy Emperor’s hands and feet.
“So, Romaine. You too, stop doing these useless things with the kids, and think about a way to get in touch with the princess naturally.”
Got it?
Leonard tapped Romain on the shoulder with a smile on his face, then turned around and waved.
Again, head to the nearby pub. If the request for talks is not going to be accepted anyway, he must be trying to change his mood until the birthday party.
Romaine, who was staring at the back of the prince who was moving away, suddenly muttered to himself.
“Neither the Hero nor the Demon King of Fire could kill the Demon King of Dreams that was not talked about. It’s the only way he can do this nonsense.”
A voice no one heard spread hollowly in the middle of the empty plaza.
* * *
Dusk fell and darkness settled everywhere. Seongjin, who had been dragged around all afternoon without knowing why, now had his final destination in front of him.
Monkey Watchtower. It is a small pub with many regular customers from the Imperial Guard.
“It won’t take too long here, Morres.”
“Just say hello to the owner and leave, Morres.”
Herna and Gades, who dropped him off in front of the fountain plaza, didn’t even get off the carriage this time.
After warmly waving to Seongjin and Marthain, who were looking at each other with bewildered faces, they slammed the carriage door shut.
“……”
“First… Shall we go in, Sir Marthain?”
“… Yes Your Highness. I don’t even know what it is anymore.”
The two of them were determined to go wherever they wanted to go.
With weak steps, they trudged toward the small wooden door of the tavern. Beyond the door comes the chatter of already drunken guests.
Creak. When the stained wooden door opened, the smell of alcohol rushed in along with the heat inside.
The outside is small, but the inside is also a narrow bar. Five rough wooden tables against undecorated wooden walls were all the furniture.
Surprisingly, every table is packed full of customers in this clumsy shop. Holding large wooden goblets one by one, they were laughing and talking loudly about what was so exciting.
I heard that the price of alcohol in this house is extremely cheap. Of course, they only deal with poor quality dark beer.
When Seongjin and his party entered the entrance, the drunken guests gave them a quick look, but they didn’t even recognize who they were, and they didn’t seem very interested. Soon they turn their heads again and laugh or scream.
Marthain also kept his mouth shut and followed closely behind Seongjin, as if he had no intention of yelling at them to serve the prince in this atmosphere.
The store owner was an elderly man. He was dressed in an old leather vest and apron on a well-groomed figure, and the round, shiny top of his head stood out.
He was wearing a black eyepatch over his right eye, and judging by the long scar protruding from the eyepatch, it was a knife cut.
He waited for Seongjin to approach and asked in a gruff voice, spitting out a thick wooden pipe.
“What did you come here for?”
“I just came to say hello.”
Seongjin responded politely. For some reason, honorable words naturally come out for this old man.
“Hmm……”
The old man chewed on his pipe and studied Seongjin closely.
Somehow around the time he doubted whether he knew who he was, the old man stroked the empty crown of his head a couple of times and said,
“You are too young to share a drink. But it’s a bit late to say hello.”
“……”
“My name is Breman. Well received. I will give you an answer soon.”
What is this? Was the greeting some sort of keyword?
Seongjin was thinking about it, but Breman issued a toast.
“Cheers.”
Seongjin and Marthain faced each other.
“Old man, one more drink here!”
“Give me here too!”
Just then, orders started pouring in. He wanted to ask something more, but he couldn’t stand the atmosphere. Turning around and walking out the entrance, just before closing the wooden door, Breman called out to them.
“Anyway, be careful! Since he is away for a while, flies are attracted as if they were waiting!”
Seongjin looked back, but the owner had his back turned and was standing there filling a new beer glass.
When he arrived at the Pearl Palace, it was already after it was completely dark.
Seongjin was almost a super corpse. It was because so many things had happened in half a day, and after watching the puppet show, his physical condition had dropped dramatically.
First of all, he was very hungry. As he leaned back in the seat without energy, Herna and Gades came up to him as if they were sorry.
“You worked hard all day today, Morres.”
“It went well. Great work, Morres.”
Of course, after the twins snacked on snacks in the carriage whenever Seongjin and the others were gone. It was even worse.
“Then, good night, Morres.”
“Sweet dreams, Morres.”
Seongjin, who waved roughly at the twins who came to say goodbye with bright faces, stumbled into the lobby of the Pearl Palace, dragging his dangling feet.
And he was at a loss for words at the tremendous sight that unfolded before his eyes.
Numerous gift boxes of various sizes, and various attendants holding them, fill the lobby of the Pearl Palace.
Art and antiques were randomly piled up on one side of the hallway, and bouquets of flowers that couldn’t find a place to put them were scattered all over the stairs.
And the letters piled up like a mountain on a tray. A huge number of invitations to the Third Prince to social gatherings were waiting for him.
The amount is so huge that one would believe that all the people in the capital wrote letters to him.
One day.
All of this happened just one day after the Holy Emperor entered closed prayer.
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