Golden Truth Society.
An academic society that explores the truth of this world without prejudice based on pure academic curiosity.
Andrian Davis, a young man who introduced himself as the head of the society in the capital branch, was a scion of a fairly high status. His skinny, diminutive physique was typical of a corner scholar, but the tight, downturned mouth seemed a little stubborn.
“His Excellency Cardinal Kaplan is my uncle.”
When he said that, Seongjin did not miss the momentary expression of slight contempt on the young man’s face.
“Our society, which was once on the verge of extinction, was able to face a great turning point thanks to the prince. For the distant future of the empire, our members are always moved by the wisdom of Your Highness who has generously and silently supported us for many years.”
“What, I’m touched.”
“No! It is indescribable how deeply the indignation we feel every now and then when slanders come from ignorant people.”
Of course, Seongjin had no memory of supporting them.
However, it was clear that now was not the time to explain about his memories since he was sick. It was because he got the feeling that the society that this young man was talking about was not a place that was normally active in the sun.
It is a matter within the Holy Empire, where the authority of the Main God pierces the heavens. It is not only on Earth that a group that claims the truth is a perfect environment to be branded as a cult.
As evidence of that, the face of Sir Marthain, who was silently listening to the conversation next to him, was gradually hardening.
“When I heard that you suffered from a severe fever, I was terrified that something unpleasant might happen to you. It is a great honor to be able to meet you and say thank you, even if by chance.”
“Um, is that so?”
“Yes, to be honest, I was worried that seeing you in person like this would hurt you, but I have no idea when I will be able to greet the prince, who rarely leaves the imperial palace……”
It seems that he stopped by the dressing room and heard that Morres had come by chance, so he came to visit on an impulse. It is said that it is a regular dressing room for gentlemen in the capital, indeed.
Marthain took a step forward and tried to say something, but Seongjin quickly raised his hand to stop him. The moment they showed a strange expression, he was sure that the young man would quickly run away.
He had to figure out as much as possible about what and how far Morres was caught up in the current situation.
“It is because I believe that your quest will always be of great help to Delcross. There’s nothing I can do differently, I just wanted to help in a small way.”
“Ahh, as expected……”
The young man seemed very moved. The little doubts and insecurities that had lingered in his eyes until just now had completely disappeared from him.
“Actually, there was some talk within the society as well. There were some terrible people who misunderstood your intentions under the pretext that Your Highness did not show yourself and only delivered donations. However, having heard the words from Your Highness myself today, I know for sure what a foolish doubt it was. It is just overwhelming.”
“Uhm. That’s right.”
It meant that there was no direct contact with the people of the society. Is it true that Morres was the one who sponsored it?
His mind was getting complicated, but the young man lowered his head and continued talking hastily.
“As you have an ignorant companion with you, if more than this was said then it will surely cause unnecessary misunderstandings. I’m going to leave now, so please take care of yourself. The only person we can truly rely on at Delcross is Lord Morres.”
He glanced at Sir Marthain’s hardened face and walked away.
Wow.
Suddenly, he felt like he had been hit hard in the back of the head.
“… Do you know anything about this, Sir Marthain?”
“I’m sorry, but this is the first time. Your Highness.”
Marthain’s face was hideous. As he approached Seongjin with the momentum of shouting at any moment, another clever and timid knocking sound was heard.
The two of them looked at each other’s faces with an ominous premonition passing by.
“The irreplacable great happiness of Delcross! With sincere gratitude to Prince Morres, who sponsors the Plague Society of Adelheit……”
Outside the door, a short, gourd-headed man was bowing respectfully.
* * *
When the twins returned to the Salon de Mercy, Seongjin made friends with a total of three groups.
Golden Truth Society.
Plague Society of Adelheit.
Blue Republican Revolutionary Front.
All of them are unusual organizations that wouldn’t be strange if they were immediately accused of being a traitorous group and killed.
Morres you crazy bastard! What the hell is the Prince of the Holy Empire doing all the time!
– While I’m gone, practice quietly. Don’t make trouble.
The last words that the Holy Emperor left before doing closed prayer come to an unusual resonance only after reaching this point.
“Our Salon de Mercy is also a place for social gatherings of highly educated young masters.”
Madame Justine, who was seeing him off, said, rustling a handle fan. Seongjin glared at him without answering.
You bastard is the most suspicious.
There was no way that those people would have gone up to the special room without the tacit permission of the dressing room.
Above all, no matter how tumultuous it was, he couldn’t erase the suspicion that the Madame’s influence must have had a big impact on Morres’ visit being known to people in various groups in that short time.
Either that or not, Madame Justine just smiled as she stroked her dark pink fur.
Soon after, when Seongjin climbed into the carriage with the twins, he raised his long arms and bowed deeply towards the carriage.
“I look forward to seeing you again from the bottom of my heart. Prince Morres.”
A heavy tone that doesn’t even stretch at the end of the word1.
It was his true voice, spoken for the first time by Madame Justine.
Surprised, Seongjin looked back at him through the window, but the carriage had already left. In an instant, Salon de Mercy was moving away.
Clatter clatter.
Herna and Gades were sitting side by side in the seats across from Seongjin, staring at him.
“Did you have a good time, Morres?”
“Have you had a good time, Morres?”
“……”
Seongjin didn’t know what to answer.
What do these children know? Did they guess in advance who would approach Seongjin?
It was obvious what the position of the prince of the Holy Empire would be like if it became known that he was sponsoring such militant groups. Are they planning on taking advantage of Morres’ weakness and threatening him?
Considering the possibility that it might be a coincidence, he had no intention of speaking openly about those strange organizations in front of the twins. But at least this one must be asked.
“You guys, did you know? What are you up to?”
“Um, are you upset about this? Everything is for Morres.”
“Yeah, are you a little sad? We think of Morres quite a bit.”
“……”
They don’t deny that there were any special intentions.
The twins added, as if admonishing him, with resolute faces, as if they were aware of Seongjin’s complicated mind.
“Now you’re going to go to some social gatherings by yourself, Morres.”
“You must not be under the protection of His Majesty Father forever, Morres.”
Seongjin sighed.
If he pays close attention to these kids, he will only get answers that go round and round as before. Even if not, the information currently given to Seongjin is extremely limited. If he sharpen his edge too much now, he might miss out on things that he can at least find out.
First of all, let’s adjust the rhythm a little bit.
“… Where next? Didn’t you ask to see the puppet show?”
At Seongjin’s words, the twins smiled brightly at the same time. It was a smile of infinite innocence on a face as smooth as porcelain.
* * *
Bertrand Street.
Decades ago, this was an unsightly street lined with shabby warehouses located next to the market.
Then one day, a theater company from Brittany rented a shabby warehouse and started performing, gradually transforming into a theater district.
Named Bertrand Avenue after the most famous actor in the troupe, this place is now home to three large opera theaters, three huge ballet theaters, and dozens of theaters and small theaters, it has become a cultural street where various other theatrical performances are held.
Performances were often held not only in theaters but also on the streets, with one-act plays to promote plays, arts performances from other countries, and small puppet shows for children.
They were usually played on a small simple stage set up in a plaza.
The place where the twins led Seongjin was also an insignificant simple stage where the performance had just begun.
A small window in the middle of a large plank is the entire stage. There are no seats, so children stand huddled in front of the stage waiting for the performance.
Seongjin was a little taken aback because most of the children gathered around the age of five or six. I think this is a very young age for the twins……
Anyway, the show started. A few burning candles placed in a large oak barrel next to the stage are lit, and the red curtain opens to reveal two small puppets.
‘What’s with the condition of the doll……’
It was a shoddy doll that couldn’t even be called a stuffed toy, let alone a marionette.
As flimsy dolls with eyes and mouths roughly patched with cloth and stitched together appeared swayingly, a disappointed sigh flowed from the mouths of some children.
However, even that disappointment dissipated as the narration flowed. It was because the voice with strange magic captivated the children at once.
[This is the story of two demon kings from another world. The story of the Demon King of Dreams and the Demon King of Fire making a promise and betraying each other. A story about an unfinished fight.]
The yellow and red balls of cotton that looked like cheap leftover poop seemed to be the two demon kings.
‘… Didn’t they say it was the story of a hero and a demon king?’
Seongjin wondered for a moment, but soon began to focus on the puppet show.
There was a hypnotic resonant in the husky voice that resonated as if he was chanting lowly. It is a voice with a strange charm that makes it impossible to distinguish whether it is a woman or a man, old or young.
[The Demon King of Dreams had an important mission. They swore to protect precious dreams from a terrible catastrophe that threatens the world. So, the Demon King of Dreams decided to become a powerful Demon King of Stories someday.]
A red lump of shit exited the stage.
In the middle of the small stage, only a yellow mass remained, making a spleen decision. The expression of the doll, which seemed to be tongue-in-cheek and sticking out, was not so important.
[They knew they must fight a hero to become stronger. They soon found a suitable warrior and gave battle. But unfortunately, the opponent was a very cruel person.]
A dirty gray lump appeared next to the yellow lump. And the yellow and gray lumps did a few head-butts.
Is that scruffy hunk a warrior?
Are you doing that as if it were a battle?
Embarrassed, Seongjin looked at the twins holding his arms, but the two of them kept their eyes on the puppet show with serious faces. He shrugged once and looked straight ahead again.
[The Demon King of Dreams realized that they could never defeat him with their own strength. So they locked him in a dream and ran away. Their dream of becoming the Demon King of Stories was thwarted by the hero like that.]
Children’s sighs flow. It seemed that they genuinely felt sorry for the demon king’s escape.
Guys? Aren’t you supposed to cheer for the hero?
[At that time, the Demon King of Fire appeared. He said he would help the Demon King of Dreams in crisis.]
The red poop appeared again.
After that, the story progressed swiftly. It is embarrassing to even call it a puppet show, and most of the plays are stories that only lead to narration.
The Demon King of Fire promised to go into the dream and get rid of the hero in his place, but in reality he intended to eat the Demon King of Dreams itself.
On the other hand, the Demon King of Dreams was planning to bury both of them in a dream and kill them if the Demon King of Fire got rid of the hero.
Beneath the candlelight swaying in the wind, the shadows of hidden dolls dance gloomily.
For young children, it was an overly dark story full of petty betrayals. And the highlight of the gloom began when the hero reappeared.
The cruel hero succeeded in defeating the Demon King of Fire, and he beat the demon king for three days and three nights and half a day. Even for the last half day, only the face was slapped.
One by one, the children began to whimper, saying that they felt sorry for the demon king. Even to Seongjin, he was a terrible guy.
“Wow… What a bastard. That cruel guy……”
This is why he’s called a cruel hero. At this point, even if it were him, wouldn’t he side with the demon king?
Seongjin, who had clicked his tongue, suddenly felt a strange gaze and looked down. Herna and Gades had been staring at his face for some time.
What? Why? What?
T/N:
A hero beating a demon king for a full three days plus another half a day straight…… Sounds very familiar, doesn’t it?
1Usually Madame Justine talk ‘playfully’ by making the words in a sentence longer (like “yeess” or welcoomee”) but in this sentence he didn’t do that.
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