Children of the Holy Emperor

The patients with the gray plague that were rescued by the Capital Guard were immediately transferred to the Imperial Palace’s medical facility for extraction surgery.

As the patients with shabby appearances began to pour in, the physicians openly scowled. However, with the prince himself standing and glaring, they reluctantly set aside other tasks to treat the patients.

Although he had repeatedly instructed the physicians to take good care of the patients until they woke up, Seongjin was skeptical about their recovery.

Most had already developed psychic crystals in their brains.

Even the academy students, who were relatively fine due to early discovery, had not yet regained consciousness. It was unlikely that those whose brains had been damaged by psychic crystals would easily regain consciousness.

“How is the patient who was brought to Pearl Palace yesterday?”

“Physician Ninnias is currently treating him, but there doesn’t seem to be much progress.”

The patient brought by Sir Calmen was currently receiving intensive care from Dr. Ninnias at Pearl Palace.

He had undergone extraction surgery as soon as he was brought in last night, but he was still unconscious and even struggling to swallow medication.

Well, he might be beyond saving. According to the Demon King, his brain was thoroughly damaged.

Still, they had to go through the motions of treating him.

After all, Seongjin had publicly declared him a ‘guest’ of Pearl Palace. Considering the attitudes of Sir Calmen and Sir Kurt, a bad premonition that the patient might not be unrelated to Morres’s past actions surfaced.

“I can’t promise anything since the disease has progressed quite a bit. Even with the priests pouring in divine power, the gray plague patients show no response. Moreover, his health was already in a severely weakened state,” explained Dr.Ninnias to Seongjin, who had returned to Pearl Palace and visited the treatment room.

The patient appeared much cleaner, likely due to the maids’ care.

However, his skinny body, full of wrinkles, and thinning hair suggested that he had been malnourished for a long time.

Above all, his aura activity was barely perceptible, indicating weak life signs.

If he had been the commander of the Royal Guard, he would surely have been an aura user. How did such a person end up in this state?

“Commander…”

Calmen, who had been fussing since yesterday, was a complete mess, sticking right beside the patient and staying up all night.

His face was swollen from bruises, and he had a splint on one arm; still, he had no regard for his own condition and was solely focused on tending to the patient.

Continuously wiping the patient’s face and limbs with a wet towel, as if trying to make him absorb water through his skin.

“Sir Calmen, you two must have had a special relationship. It’s unfortunate.”

Seongjin had carelessly remarked, thinking they were not related, but Sir Kurt asked, “Do you happen to not remember anything about him, Your Highness?”

Ah, I see.

This person must’ve had some relation to Morres.

“Regrettably, I don’t have any recollection.”

“…I see.”

Looking at Sir Kurt’s seemingly calmer face, Seongjin recalled the conversations he’d heard the previous night at the knight’s dormitory.

“-Because of what happened back then, Calmen still can’t raise his head around the 2nd Knight Division…”

“-It’s all Sir Kurt’s fault. Despite being a 2nd Division knight himself, he quietly supports the prince.”

[TL/N: Refer to Chapter 73]

This meant that Sir Kurt, despite knowing all the details of the case, bore no particular grudge against Morres. Perhaps he could offer a fairly objective explanation about what had happened in the past.

Seongjin gave him a light nod.

“Sir Kurt. If it’s alright, could we talk about that man?”

Behind him, he felt the aura of Masain taking a sharp breath, as if startled.

Well, he (Masain) had been the commander of the 2nd Knight Division not long ago, so he must know something.

However, this is a man who hasn’t even disclosed to Seongjin that he’s part of the royal family. If he decides that Morres doesn’t need to know, he will keep his mouth shut.

Ignoring the somewhat anxious Masain, Seongjin followed Sir Kurt out of the treatment room.

“That man is Commander Bruno. About 7-8 years ago, he became the commander of the Imperial Guard and led the forces.”

Leaning against the window in the hallway, Seongjin listened to Sir Kurt’s explanation.

Bruno Green.

He was a refugee from Ortona and, after joining the Imperial Guard, he received the surname Green for his various accomplishments. Remarkably, he had risen to the position of a commander, which is rare for a commoner.

Considering the sons of famous martial artists who have been training since childhood, Bruno was a self-made man who rose through the ranks due to his innate talent.

Especially during the early years of the Imperial rule, he stood by the Emperor’s side, wielding his sword valiantly.

“…He was a confidant of my father?”

Seongjin widened his eyes and asked. It seemed unlike the Emperor to neglect someone so close to him.

“But doesn’t His Majesty usually take good care of his people?”

“Yes, His Majesty highly valued Commander Bruno. It was the Emperor who recognized him despite his lowly background, opened the path for him, and even personally bestowed upon him his surname. He didn’t skimp on support.”

Having the Emperor’s favor, Bruno Green fully utilized his talent and eventually reached the level of a Decalon Knight. The Emperor then, as if he had been waiting for this moment, appointed him as the commander of the Imperial Guard.

Even the nobles who couldn’t accept a commoner as a commander were quickly suppressed. Some even complained about the excessive favoritism.

2nd Imperial Guard Commander.

A commoner knight who had been scraping by at the front lines had suddenly risen to a position only second to the continent’s greatest knight, Sir Baltazhar.

At that time, as Sir Baltazhar was busy at the southern front, it was only natural for Commander Bruno to supervise the swordsmanship training of the imperial princes.

Ah, so that’s the connection with Morres.

“Did some friction occur during the lessons?”

Rather than answering Seongjin’s conjecture, Sir Kurt seemed uncomfortable and averted his eyes.

“…It wasn’t so much friction, but rather bad luck.”

Commander Bruno’s swordsmanship lessons had been peaceful for a while.

Back then, the students that Commander Bruno  taught were Logan and Morres. Prince Logan was such a modest and diligent student that he didn’t need much teaching. Moreover, he was a genius in swordsmanship; when taught one thing, he would grasp twenty.

Morres, on the other hand, was usually absent, spending his days unseen, making it difficult for any incidents or accidents to occur.

Starting to enjoy training new disciples, Commander Bruno then shifted his attention to a new student—a commoner boy from his neighborhood who showed promise.

“That student is none other than Sir Calmen.”

Ah, so Calmen was involved in all this.

It’s said that Commander Bruno took great care of young Calmen. During work hours, he would have him sit in his office with some food. During swordsmanship lessons, Calmen was often seen practicing alongside Prince Logan.

Gradually, the people in the palace grew accustomed to seeing Calmen at the Commander’s side. Although he was still young, he was tacitly considered the official apprentice of the Commander.

However, this peace didn’t last long.

One day, while Calmen was waiting for the Commander alone in the royal garden, Queen Lizabeth and Morres appeared. And for some unknown reason, a fight broke out between the two boys.

“I’m not sure about the details. The only witnesses were the Queen and her attendants, and they all claimed Calmen was the one who committed the impiety.”

At that time, Calmen had no one on his side.

Well, it makes sense. It’s unlikely for an ignorant commoner boy to challenge higher-ups outright.

Seongjin speculated that perhaps the two who passed by picked a fight with Calmen for no reason.

The problem was that the fight left visible injuries on both children.

And to make matters worse, it happened right in front of Queen Llizabeth.

“By the time the guards arrived, the Prince already had a bruise on his face, and Calmen’s forehead was bloody from being slashed.”

So Morres even drew his sword?

“And the Queen ordered the immediate execution of Calmen.”

“What? A child?”

“Well, he did harm the Prince, so…”

“Even so, he was defending himself against a sword! So he should just die?”

At Seongjin’s incredulous reply, Sir Kurt’s expression subtly changed.

In the end, Commander Bruno, responsible for the situation, was summoned. The furious Queen Lizabeth demanded he take responsibility and personally execute the boy on the spot.

“…”

Wow, that’s extreme.

Commander Bruno pleaded for mercy, but the Queen’s stance was unwavering.

In the end, he had to make a drastic choice.

In order to save Calmen’s life, he had to resign as Commander and destroy his own Aura Layer, effectively crippling himself.

From a Decalon Knight to a man unable to gather even a handful of Aura—it was akin to death for a warrior.

Thus, Commander Bruno, whose Aura Layer was shattered, was cast out of the palace half-dead, without proper medical treatment. As for Calmen, who directly caused the downfall of the Commander, he was considered an ungrateful wretch among the SecondDivision Knights and still remains in an awkward position.

Hearing the unexpectedly brutal details, Seongjin was at a loss for words for a while before finally asking in a trembling voice.

“… What about Father? What did Father say at the time?”

“How could we dare to fathom His Majesty’s profound intentions?”

Kurt was vague in his explanation, but Seongjin knew. 

The Holy Emperor did nothing at the time!

Commander Bruno, whom he had cherished, was not stopped from becoming a cripple and being expelled. Even a man of his power, who could easily work miracles with just a touch, didn’t even offer the man a proper treatment.

Why on Earth?

“Anyway, the commander ending up like that is all my fault,” said Seongjin, feeling a headache creeping in.

At this point, he was even grateful for the rude glares that Calmen used to give him. 

Whenever he looked at his face, he felt like stabbing him with a knife; how had he held back until now?

As Seongjin was massaging his forehead, Masain, standing beside him, exclaimed in a fluster, “That’s not true, Your Highness! You’re not the one who requested his punishment, are you? You were just a child who knew nothing back then!”

“Being young doesn’t absolve me of responsibility, Sir Masain.”

Seongjin quickly organized his thoughts.

Initially, he had thought to help as much as possible just for the sake of making eye contact with Sir Calmen, but now he realized that he must do his best to treat the former commander. 

The man had ended up in the slums and contracted the Gray Plague; in the end, it was all because of Morres’ actions.

But how could the man be cured?

A person whose brain has completely deteriorated can’t be revived even with modern medicine.

The only possibility he could think of was to seek help from the Holy Emperor and bring about a miracle, but…

‘If he completely ignored it just as before, what would change now?’

Well, it’s not like I don’t know how that man is.

There must be some reason, Seongjin thought.

“First of all, I will talk to my father. Both of you, help Doctor Ninnias here. Make sure that the commander gets the best treatment possible…”

As Seongjin, having made up his mind, lifted his head to speak, the treatment room door violently swung open.

“Don’t bother pretending to care! It’s all useless now!”

Turning around, he saw Calmen, his face flushed red, glaring menacingly at Seongjin.

“What kind of impudent language is this before His Highness…”

With a stern face, Masain took a step forward, but Calmen, exploding with anger, cut him off.

“Why? Did I say something wrong? Stop pretending not to know, stop pretending to care! You all think there’s no hope for the commander anyway! That it would be easiest to just bury him and be done with it! Don’t you?”

Calmen’s eyes seemed to flare with intense anger, as if sparks were flying from them.

‘Doesn’t he look like he’s so mad he can’t see anything else right now?’

“How dare you show me pity like you’re doing some noble deed? It’s too late! What use is it now when things have gotten this far!”

“Sir Calmen…”

“You people know nothing! Do you know what the commander always said, even after being driven out of the palace? That it was an immense honor to have been by His Majesty’s side even for a moment! That he has no regrets! He always said that like a mantra! But look at this! Is this the tragic end for a lifetime of devotion to Delcross and His Majesty? I can’t, I can’t…”

Shaking uncontrollably, Calmen couldn’t continue speaking. Sir Kurt quickly approached him.

“Sir Calmen, please calm down. His Majesty also did his best for the commander’s treatment.”

“Don’t make me laugh, Sir Kurt! The 2nd Knight Division is the same!”

Calmen shouted as if he was lamenting.

“Back then, was there anyone from the 2nd Knight Division who stood up for the commander? You did nothing for him! You looked down on him because he was a commoner, and now you suddenly talk about pity when he is tragically expelled! You are no different from that worthless prince!”

Is he going to cross the line at this rate?

Seongjin frowned, and the arrows of anger were aimed back at him.

“Nice job, you say! So, it’s all your fault, is it? Even if you’re young, it doesn’t mean you’re not responsible. Stop saying things you don’t mean! Anyway, you don’t remember anything!”

“…Yeah.”

“And all you could do is discuss with His Majesty? Why? Because he’s…”

Thud!

Before Calmen could finish his sentence, he fell to the ground, knocked out by a punch from Seongjin.

“…….”

Facing the bewildered expressions of Masain and Sir Kurt, Seongjin hastily explained.

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen, but it seemed like he was really going to commit a serious act of disrespect, so I acted without thinking.”

I mean, isn’t disrespecting the prince and His Majesty not much different in weight?

He seems out of it, maybe he should rest.

As Seongjin thought this, he looked at Calmen, who was now lying quietly beside Commander Bruno.

On another note, Calmen really does have a fiery temperament.

Maybe I can’t entirely dismiss the possibility that he could have committed an act of disrespect, just as the queen suggested.