When he first received a visit from Commander Leandros, Seonngjin had thought that he would need to start working in the [Monster Special Task Force] from the very next day.
However, pulling together the budget to establish a new department, securing office space, filling up the team members, and even determining the operational policy—all of these required a long road ahead.
On top of that, the celebration of Emperor Seonghwang’s birth was just around the corner. Inquisitor Valerie explained that it would likely be after the celebration before the department could be fully operational.
“So, Sir Valerie, where are we headed now?”
“We’re going to the temporary office of the Monster Special Task Force, Your Highness. Fortunately, some suitable vacant space has just opened up in the administration building annex.”
Sir Valerie was a rookie Inquisitor in the St. Marcius Knight Order, a handsome man with flaming red hair. He was the person designated to be assigned to the Monster Special Task Force when it was established.
Seongjin didn’t initially have a favorable impression of him since there had been some friction with the St. Marcius Paladin Order before. However, after talking a bit, he found Valerie to be quite likable.
“Why do I have to visit an office that’s not even properly set up yet?” Masain, who was following behind Seongjin, growled.
Ever since Seongjin decided to join the Monster Special Task Force, Masain had been like this, as if irked because he couldn’t find any faults.
“Sir Masain, I was the one who told Commander Sharon that I would go to the office.”
“But Your Highness, you could have summoned them to the Pearl Palace…”
“Do you not know how difficult it is for knights to gain entry into the Pearl Palace?”
“…”
Commander Sharon was also set to join the Monster Special Task Force as an Exorcist.
Seongjin had once visited the Pearl Palace for work reasons, and having witnessed the complicated authorization process, decided to make the move himself next time.
“Haha. The office is shaping up quite well, Sir Masain. For now, Commander Sharon and I have been coming to work here every day,” Valerie said, managing to dismiss Masain’s veiled threat with a smile.
“In fact, we’re sticking it out here on purpose. If we continue to forcibly occupy this place, there’s a high chance it will become our official office as long as there aren’t any major incidents.”
Then the suave red-haired Inquisitor winked at Seongjin.
“Going to the main building has its share of hassles. Yet, being too far from it also makes paperwork difficult. The location of this temporary office is just perfect.”
“The office might be a bit small, but it has quite a cozy atmosphere,” Valerie added, laughing heartily.
The administration buildings were all huddled together on the west side of the imperial palace.
In stark contrast to the blindingly white main palace, the buildings here were mostly made of red brick, exuding an antique charm.
The walls covered with dense ivy and well-maintained garden trees created an illusion as if one had visited the campus of a university with a rich history.
As Seongjin looked around curiously, Valerie asked, puzzled.
“Is this your first time visiting the administrative side, Your Highness?”
“Hmm, probably. It’s my first time since recovering from the fever.”
Ah, I see.
Valerie seemed to have understood something, nodding his head.
On the other hand, Seongjin felt a fresh sense of revelation.
Come to think of it, this isn’t the issue of not being able to go out of the palace right now.
Have I ever been to other parts of the imperial palace besides Pearl Palace and the main palace?
Not even to Amelia’s Moon Rose Palace, let alone Queen Elizabeth’s Ruby Palace!
‘I’ve been too cooped up in the Pearl Palace…!’
[…You’re just realizing that now?]
Seongjin heard the snide laugh of the Demon King in his head.
The Monster Special Task Force was located on the second floor of the Administrative Branch annex.
As they opened the door and entered, Knight Sharon, dressed in dark ash uniforms, stood up to greet them.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Your Highness.”
Sharon was a veteran inquisitor of the St. Terbacchia Knights.
She was a tall woman, making most men look inferior. She had jet-black hair like a crow and seemingly permanent dark circles under her eyes.
The dry, ominous impression she gave off slightly resembled that of her commander, Leandros.
It seems people’s expressions change when they deal with demons for a long time.
“What an honor it is for someone of your stature to visit this humble specialized squad’s office. I’m at a loss for how to express my gratitude, especially since you’ve taken even my convenience into account,” she said.
Her voice was thin and shaky, a stark contrast to her robust physique. Throughout the conversation, she couldn’t make eye contact.
As I thought before, she seemed to have low self-esteem.
“No, it’s fine, Dame Sharon. We will be working together from now on; it’s only natural that I get used to the department. So what should I do next? Do I share what I know about the monsters?”
“Yes, we’ve invited you to the specialized squad to consult about [Monsters]. I’m deeply grateful that you’ve readily accepted our request.”
“It’s not a big deal, really.”
“If you don’t mind waiting a moment? I’ll need you to detail the Diggory estate incident first. I intend to make it an official record of the specialized squad, so paperwork will take some time. Hehe.”
Despite Masain giving her a stern look, she leisurely began to gather her writing tools.
Perhaps she is more daring than she appears.
Seongjin then sat down and began explaining in detail about Bantra Moss for quite some time.
The approximate periods from egg to adult, the characteristics of the larvae and pupae, the adult’s characteristics, their respective weaknesses.
And most importantly, about Bartos, their channeling organs.
Of course, Seongjin already knew all the knowledge needed for defeating monsters, but organizing this knowledge was easier thanks to the intrusive Demon King who always wanted to meddle.
[Also, also… tell her this too. The factor that influences the larva transforming into a pupa isn’t the amount of nutrients consumed but the number of the entities. The varying sizes of Bantra Moss are because they consumed entities of various sizes…]
‘Yeah yeah, this is enough. It’s not like I’m writing a dissertation.’
Throughout this, Dame Sharon kept nodding and diligently taking down Seongjin’s words.
Not a shred of doubt about the authenticity of the information showed in her demeanor, making Seongjin wonder.
‘Why isn’t she asking me anything?’
Seongjin now suspected that there might be some directive from higher-ups.
But even if that was the case, blindly trusting like this is another story.
“Aren’t you curious about the source of the information I’m providing?” he asked.
At this, Sharon gave a strange laugh, curling her lips. “Hee-hee-hee.”
“How could I dare to?”
“I mean, shouldn’t you naturally be curious?”
“I trust all that Your Highness says.”
Isn’t that a matter of forced belief?
Suddenly, her eyes glazed over and she started mumbling.
“Heh. Maybe it’s not just me. Some of the emperor’s close aides might have noticed by now.”
“Noticed what?”
“The constraints due to your latent potential.”
“…?”
“And that constraint implies another possibility.”
For the first time, she lowered her gaze from the sky and looked directly into Seongjin’s face.
“At least I, for one, am not ignorant of the potential and constraints of the Oracle, Your Highness.”
…Oracle?
Before Seongjin could ask further, Sharon turned her eyes away and began to chuckle aimlessly.
“Yes, that’s right. I know. Although I’m nothing but a useless half-breed, I heard quite a bit while spending my childhood with the tribe. In my own way, I co…”
Realizing Seongjin’s confused expression, she shut her mouth saying, “Ah.”
“Please forget what I just said. I sometimes talk to myself when I’m distracted. Commander Leandros often scolds me for it. Yes.”
“Huh? No, Dame Sharon, it seemed like something important, so about the ora…”
“Uh uh! No need to worry about my delusional blabber. How could I dare to doubt a member of the esteemed imperial family? It’s just that.”
Seongjin narrowed his eyes and glared at Sharon, but she skillfully dodged his gaze, her eyes darting around.
“You’re not planning on talking, are you?”
“Uh… What do I have to say? Moving forward, I’ll be alert and keep my mouth shut. I’m already overwhelmed just trying to document each and every precious word of yours.”
As Seongjin slightly knitted his eyebrows with disdain, Dame Sharon raised her voice a bit.
“It’s not nonsense, Your Highness. From now on, your every move will become a significant milestone in determining the course of our monster-specialized team. Naturally.”
“Quit the digression. I’ve just come as an advisor.”
“Heh. But it will eventually come to that.”
“How do you know that?”
Upon hearing this, Dame Sharon smirked in a twisted manner.
“Hehehe. I just…know, Your Highness.”
She then leaned in closer to Seongjin and spoke in an even softer voice.
“Isn’t that why I strongly recommended you join the ‘Monster Task Force’ to Commander Leandros? Hehe.”
For a moment, Seongjin stared at her with a glare that could devour her whole.
So you were the one who manipulated Commander Leandros into summoning Morres!
Sharon merely focused back on her documents, feigning ignorance.
Some people really are unexpectedly audacious.
* * *
After a somewhat exhausting morning, Seongjin returned to Pearl Palace Palace and casually asked Edith while having lunch.
“Edith, do you know what an Oracle is?”
However, Edith simply tilted her head and asked back, “Oracle? What’s that?”
“…Ah, never mind.”
Seongjin hastily fiddled with his utensils.
[Are you bothered? By what that insane knight said earlier?]
‘Insane… Haven’t you picked up on anything during your time here?’
[No, this is the first time I’ve heard of Oracle.]
Even the Demon King, who had soul-scanned for a relatively short period but still collected ample information, didn’t know. It probably wasn’t something commonly known.
‘It seems important, though…’
I’ll have to ask Dasha later.
As he thought this, the Demon King chuckled.
[Just ignore what that woman said earlier. She looked like someone who’s going to have a hard time keeping his sanity intact for a lifetime.]
‘…What does that mean?’
[She’s not mentally stable, right? Even if she doesn’t realize it, she might sometimes hear hallucinations, right?]
Seongjin was appalled as the Demon King explained what he had observed earlier.
The Demon King went, explaining that he saw something like a tiny shining pebble inside Sharon’s head.
At the core, Sharon is a Paladin with divine energy, which is why her soul is enveloped in a faint light, making it hard to notice initially.
However while the woman was talking to Seongjin, the Demon King saw an unstable, flickering little light on one side of her head.
[That was undoubtedly a mind crystal.]
‘A mind crystal?’
[It’s like a receptor organ that living beings have.]
Surprisingly, the Bartholomew organ that the swarm monsters possess is also a type of mind crystals.
[It’s rare, but it seems that it can naturally occur in humans as well. When it functions unstably in a vague location like that, you go insane. But if it stabilizes in the right place, you become something like a psychic or a prophet.]
[You humans also occasionally leave records of it, right? Those depictions where light shines from the forehead, like in paintings or sculptures.]
Upon hearing the Demon King’s words, Seongjin inadvertently recalled halos or Buddha statues he’d seen long ago when the Earth was still intact.
…Could it be?
[It’s the same with that paladin. She’s got an uncontrollable and incomplete channeling organ in the wrong place. I don’t know how such a person can act as an exorcist against demons or evil spirits. She seems to have a constitution that’s good for anything ‘holy’.]
It’s the perfect setup to go insane when random voices suddenly appear in your head.
[She even said it herself earlier, right? That it’s hard to focus on even a single person’s words.]
She did say that.
“Moving forward, I’ll be alert and keep my mouth shut. I’m already overwhelmed just trying to document each and every precious word of yours.”
That didn’t sound sarcastic to you?
[Be nice to her, life must be exhausting for that poor soul.]
…Does Sharon deserve sympathy even from a lowly being like me?
Seongjin felt slightly uncomfortable as he finished his meal and headed for the training ground. Then, unexpectedly, good news awaited him.
“His Highness, Haven has awakened!” Kurt announced, rushing over with a bright face.
Seongjin hurried to the knight’s quarters. Finally, he could get clues about the Lophellum’s egg!
“Your Highness!”
Under Ninnias’s care, Haven, who was lying in bed, jumped up as soon as he saw Seongjin.
Fortunately, he seemed mentally stable at first glance.
Haven stared at Seongjin with a fervent look and said something bizarre.
“Thank you, Prince Morres! Not only did you save my life, but you’re also responsible for half of my life!”
What?
Seongjin looked at Ninnias, puzzled.
Is this guy really fully recovered? Is he in his right mind?
Masain, who was standing beside him, started to look menacing. Nonetheless, Haven began to ramble, tears welling up in his eyes.
“I’ve heard it all from Calmen! I, Haven, have never received such affection even from my parents! How can I ever express this overwhelming emotion…”
What the hell is Calmen doing?
Seongjin’s eyes narrowed, and Kurt quietly hinted.
“…The knight who helped you support Haven.”
That insubordinate gaze is one thing, but sabotaging someone like this?
Confused, Seongjin was about to say something when Haven stood up, his face full of resolve, and exclaimed while kneeling.
“I’ve made my decision! I’ll dedicate the rest of my life to Prince Morres. I wish to be buried in the Imperial Palace, so please accept me!”
Seongjin gave a commanding response.
“I don’t need it!”
