Children of the Holy Emperor

CH 40

The flower village, filled with bright torches burning late into the night, seemed as if a festival was being held. Except that the torch-bearers were murderous bandits.

"We've divided into teams and spread out for the search, but their tracks remain elusive. Judging by their probable direction of movement, it seems they're heading towards the northern gate of Carthago, but we can't be certain."

"From the very beginning, it wasn't easy to track them as they deviated from the path..."

Jerome, with his cold face, was listening to the report and murmured out his words. "We've sent out all our search teams, and you're saying we've yet to encounter even one of them?"

"One of our search teams was attacked, boss. But not much time had passed since they fled, so they're likely far from that location by now."

"We also have a missing member from one of the search teams. We're suspecting he may have been attacked too..."

"It's hard to find traces in the dark. Even if we were to deploy trackers, it would have to be after the sun rises tomorrow."

Rodrigo was standing next to Jerome, listening to the report, then he glanced at a corner of the hut.

Compared to his usual demeanor, Kaien was quietly sitting there, holding his head. To anyone watching, he looked like a young son despondent over his mother's death. However, Rodrigo, who had known Kaien rather well, was aware that he was not the type to be so concerned with such matters.

For some reason, the boy's current state didn't seem normal. And his suspicion was accurate. Ever since Martha had died at the foot of the cliff earlier, Kaien was suffering from severe headaches. That suspicious devil-worshiper had done something to the boy.

'My head hurts...'

Kaien bit his lip.

He was simply trying to completely devour Martha's soul, which he had been feasting on for a long time, before she died. The soul of the dead didn't taste good, after all.

[Eeehhh, Kaien—]

[Why me! Why me! Why me!]

[Aslan, Aslan, Aslan, Aslan...]

Sounds of strange cries from beyond the mountains could be heard. Sounds only audible to Kaien in this place. Ordinarily, these fools' wailing was somewhat amusing to him, but now it was only intensifying his headache.

The scattered soul fragments strewn across the mountain were the remnants of his unfinished meals, poor things that had died before he could fully devour them. He had resolved not to waste such resources again, but an unexpected intruder had interfered.

'What was that thing...?'

He initially thought it was just an ordinary person, but the soul that faintly revealed itself in front of Kaien was shrouded in an extraordinary light. Kaien had never seen a light so brilliant and overwhelming.

And from the moment it revealed itself, Kaien was tormented by strange tinnitus and severe headaches. Even the attempt to interfere with another person's soul resulted in overwhelming nausea.

As the boy was groaning in a cold sweat, Rodrigo cautiously approached him. He was one of the souls Kaien had been voraciously devouring recently.

His weakened soul had already become a puppet, obediently following Kaien's orders. Unlike Martha, who was sensitive, Rodrigo was too dense to recognize this sense of incongruity himself.

"...Go to the Carthago gate, Rodrigo."

Kaien commanded without even looking at Rodrigo's face.

Regardless of their escape route, they would eventually have to pass through the gate of Carthago. With a booze-addicted old man amongst them, they wouldn't be able to hide in the mountains for long.