Chapter 6

#006 "Kids, what's going on...?"

Huh.

Suddenly, I felt my throat constrict. I quickly grabbed my neck.

There's nothing. There's definitely nothing.

"Choke... "

I couldn't breathe. Not even a whisper or a breath could come out.

I looked at the children standing in front of me and slowly collapsed.

The expression on the Balang twins' faces, illuminated by the moonlight, was unfamiliar.

The faces that always smiled when they saw me were as cold as ice. What the hell is going on here?

"Shinki, prepare the ritual."

"Focus, Peter. He's resisting."

"Choke, choke... "

'Shinki' and 'Peter'? Those weren't the names of those kids.

At least, they were completely different from the names I knew.

I tried hard not to lose consciousness, even as a metallic sound came from my throat and my face turned bright red.

"Don't rely on magic. Try to draw out a little more divine power."

"Got it."

"Ugh!"

'Shinki' advised 'Peter.' Then my airway became even narrower.

These kids are killing me. That much was certain.

I don't know what they did, but the two servants are murdering me without even touching me.

"Choke, choke, huff!"

"Quite stubborn, aren't you?"

"Your Highness, accept it. This is the will of the deity and the choice of His Majesty the King."

Terrifying words flowed from the mouths of the boys whose voices hadn't even broken yet.

I could feel the veins on my forehead bulging. I clenched my teeth and shook my head.

Accept what, accept what?

"Cough, choke... "

"Almost done."

It was dizzying. My vision blurred from lack of oxygen.

I couldn't help but realize that this, this world, is the 'present' and 'real.'

Such a cold shadow of death couldn't possibly be a fiction.

I'm scared. The faces of Eunseo and my brother, and my mother, flashed before my eyes.

"Ugh... "

"Good, good."

Reno Balang, or rather 'Peter,' said with an innocent face.

I glared at the boy and desperately tried to recall what I had read in 'The Theory and Practice of Divine Power Manipulation' just a moment ago.

My mind was fuzzy, and I wasn't sure of the memory. There was no guarantee of success.

But still. Even so.

"I'll start the ritual."

"Okay."

Dying helplessly was a hundred, a thousand times worse than fighting back, even if it was just a straw to cling to.

I gathered all my strength to pull myself together. I had to focus.

A small golden circle appeared under 'Shinki's' feet, and I started my prayer at the same time.

"To the proud deity of the great continent, I pray."

I don't know if you'll hear my prayer, but please. Save me.

"Wait, Peter. Right now... "

"I can do it. Hurry."

"Idiot, that's not it!"

Help me.

-Clang!

-Clang!

[Get lost, you bastards!]

"Ahh!"

A golden circle exploded from my body.

The two boys were thrown back like bullets by the power of the 'divine message.' Finally, I could breathe.

The walls cracked, and all the windows in the bedroom shattered.

The chandelier swayed precariously, and the ground shook.

The pages of the books scattered around the room fluttered like reeds.

In the darkness, only the golden circle under my feet was radiating a brilliant light.

[Cough, cough, don't come any closer!]

My hoarse voice echoed through the divine message.

Then, the feet of the two boys, who were trying to stand up, stuck to the floor as if glued.

"What, how... "

"Huff, huff... Hoo... "

I repeatedly inhaled and exhaled. The coughing wouldn't stop easily.

Tears welled up in my eyes from the physiological effects of suffocation, making them feel hot.

"It's impossible... You can't have that much divine power!"

"Did you really steal divine power?!"

[Shut up, will you?]

The two boys shouted.

When I got angry, the divine message was applied again, and the boys' mouths were sealed shut.

I took a deep breath and looked under the bed.

Just as the book said. A radiant golden circle.

The smallest unit of the ether circle that protects the priest from all threats, the 'sanctuary.'

It appeared when I swore to Benshaimeng.

As long as the circle is open, everything I say can be activated as a 'divine message.'

The coercive power of the divine message varies greatly depending on the divine power of the priest who opened the circle.

And if the opponent has stronger divine power and refuses, the divine message won't work.

In other words, the divine power of these boys, who are completely at my mercy, is far below mine.

[Don't bite your tongue. Don't think about suicide.]

"Ugh... "

No matter who these guys are or why they tried to kill me, I had to keep them alive for now.

I needed to understand the whole situation and come up with a plan, or the same danger could happen again.

They called me 'Your Highness' and said taking my life was 'His Majesty the King's choice.'

Could it be from the Theocracy...?

-Bang!

"Prince Yesoo!"

"It's the Royal Guard! Drop your weapons!"

The door, which was already damaged by the circle opening, finally fell off with a loud noise.

Led by Sir Elizabeth, armed knights rushed in.

The room, which was already a mess, instantly turned into a chaotic market.

A few elite guards blocked in front of me protectively.

Benshaimeng, who followed them, quickly supported my wobbling body.

His face, which I saw briefly, was pale.

"Get down! Now!"

"Ugh! Yes!"

Other guards bound the two criminals.

The boys, whose lips were stuck together, scowled and struggled.

One of the guards, who was forcibly pulling out Steve Balang, or rather 'Shinki,' looked confused.

The boy's feet were stuck to the floor and wouldn't move.

"Your Highness, you need to revoke the divine message. It's difficult to transport them like this."

Sir Elizabeth, who understood the situation, quickly spoke to me.

But I found it hard to even open my mouth.

Whether it was from the release of tension or the delayed effects of fear, I couldn't muster the strength in my body.

My legs gave out, and a severe dizziness washed over me.

"Your Highness!"

The sensation of my body collapsing was unfamiliar.

It felt as if my soul and body were separating, with my vision above and my body plummeting to the floor.

"Call the doctor, quickly!"

"Damn. Someone, bring the Cardinal!"

Those were the last lines I heard before I fainted.

*

"Do you plan to live a quiet life?"

A man's voice pierced my ears. A deep, resonant voice that made me snap to attention.

It sounded like a voice actor's performance.

I wanted to lift my eyelids to see who the man was, but my body, unlike my mind, wasn't responding.

"The ether flow has stabilized."

"Does that mean he'll wake up soon?"

The voice asking the question was Sir Elizabeth's. The man didn't answer.

Instead, there was a small sound of a chair being moved.

"Seadi, will you come back?"

She asked. But all I could hear was the sound of the man's footsteps getting farther away.

Only then did I think this might be a dream.

I wasn't suffocating or having trouble breathing, but the feeling of being awake mentally while unable to move physically was like being pinned down.

With that thought, sleep washed over me again. I didn't resist.

*

"Are you awake?"

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling...

No, it wasn't. The wallpaper I had been looking at for a week filled my vision.

I'm still 'Yesoo Penethian.' Not the real Yesoo.

I felt a sense of loss that I hadn't woken up in my home with Eunseo and my brother, and slowly turned my head toward the source of the sound.

"Hello."

A middle-aged woman was smiling warmly at me.

Her hair, tied in a single braid over one shoulder, was purple.

Her kind, beige eyes carefully examined my condition.

It was the first time I had seen someone wearing half-rim glasses, which was quite interesting.

"You fainted from an ether surge. It's fortunate that you're recovering faster than expected."

"Who, cough. Who are you...?"

When I asked in a hoarse voice, she handed me a cup from the side table.

I drank the water, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

The ceiling and wallpaper were familiar, but to be precise, it was just a room with the same wallpaper, not the one I used.

Well, given the state of things, I couldn't use it anymore.

I thought of my 'dorm room' with the walls cracked and all the windows shattered.

I got a room destroyed in just a week of possession.

"I'm Aurelia Bute. Have you heard of me?"

"Ah... "

My mouth opened involuntarily.

Aurelia Bute. Of course, I know her. I couldn't not know her.

She was a famous figure who appeared in every book I read.

The prince's godmother. The one who refused a dukedom twice. The emperor's close friend and 'religious companion.'

"Greetings, Your Eminence."

"I'm glad to see you, Your Highness. You don't need to get up."

The empire's only cardinal smiled slightly and greeted me.

When I tried to sit up, she waved her hand.

I never expected such a prominent figure to appear before me like this.

Cardinal Bute was a key figure in the 'Retired Duke' that Eunseo often mentioned.

'Oh, Mr. O is defending Seri in front of Cristel. Wow, I almost fell for it. His words are so convincing.'

'Mr. O.' She played a matchmaker role, connecting the protagonist Cristel and the male lead.

When I met Sir Elizabeth, I was surprised, but meeting the cardinal made my heart feel queasy.

"First, I want to apologize on behalf of the royal family. The empire is also at fault for what happened. The emperor is busy with state affairs and couldn't come, but he expressed deep regret and promised to accommodate any request you have."

Cardinal Bute's eyebrows furrowed. I gripped the empty cup tightly.

This person plays an overly important role in the story and is very close to the royal family.

In the long term, it wouldn't be good to get entangled with her.

But precisely because of that, the quality of the information I could get from her would be exceptional.

I had just experienced a life-threatening situation before fainting. I managed to save my life thanks to my studies, but...

If I had gained vivid knowledge from people in addition to the books, and if I had more control over my surroundings, the situation might have been much better.

I can't let the same thing happen again. I decided to return home safely.

To do that, I had to make the most of the opportunities given to me.

"I want to hear the explanation. Everything."

"I'll explain. Everything."

She gently took the cup from my hand, refilled it with water, and handed it back to me.

Then she filled her own cup.

"Who are those kids? What happened to them?"

"If you're talking about Shinki and Peter, they are priests and holy knights. They were sent by the Theocracy to assassinate you."

As expected, but it was still terrible. The kids were too young to be doing such things.

"Is that possible? I heard that the pages had to go through a rigorous selection process to enter the palace."

"Yes, they even tampered with that process."

She took a sip of water. Her expression was grim.

"The Balang family is a small rural noble family in the southern empire, with deep faith. When the news spread that you were coming to the empire, the baron and his wife wanted to send a child to serve you. Since the eldest son was to become the heir, they decided to enter the twin second and third sons in the page selection exam. The parents and children were all happy."

'I visited the Balang family when I was young. The baron and his wife were kind people.'

I remembered what Sir Elizabeth had said.

"The two children who passed the document review got on a carriage for the interview. They couldn't afford the portal, which is too expensive. Then, they were killed by bandits in the dangerous southern forest. The coachman also died on the spot."

I could guess the horrific aftermath without hearing more.

"Those bandits were pretending to be the Balang twins."

The cardinal nodded.