326. Days of No. 21 (2)
Cayenne’s attitude wasn’t like this from the beginning.
When he found a nice mansion in the Principality of Asein in accordance with his wish to enjoy life in a prosperous big city, the boy seemed to be happy with the help of the prosperous emperor.
He took full advantage of every opportunity given to him. Once decent clothes, good food, and basic education were provided, the transformation from a dirty country boy into a noble nobleman took place in an instant.
There were times when I looked at that pretty face and extraordinary hair and thought, “That person’s child must be different.”
Of course, when I happened to make eye contact with the boy, there were times when I felt that the endlessly dark three-white eyes were very creepy.
However, No. 21 was considered insignificant. Again, she thought it was just because she grew up rough and without her parents’ care.
Rather, what was strange was Seonghwang’s attitude at the time. He made a request to the extent that it seemed excessive, not only to the guild members who looked after the boy, but also to No. 21, who frequently came and went to the mansion.
-Treat your child as businesslike as possible. There is no need to attract unnecessary attention by showing unnecessary emotions. Above all, you must be careful not to hastily make physical contact with that child. Do you understand?
At that time, No. 21 could not understand Seonghwang’s impatience.
In his opinion, Cayenne was just an uneducated brat. That’s probably why she behaves rudely with people and sometimes shows off her sharp side.
Then one day it happened.
As usual, Seonghwang, who entered the body of a homunculus at the appointed time, suddenly looked serious and called Kaien over and began scolding him harshly.
“Cayenne. How dare you disobey my orders? “Why did you do that?”
Everyone was puzzled. It seemed to them that the boy had been quietly following his routine all day.
However, Seonghwang does not stop at this, and takes up a stick himself and harshly punishes the child!
“My sister emphasized this. This means that you should never cause harm to others. Nevertheless, since you violated this, shouldn’t you now pay the appropriate price?”
Everyone could not help but be taken aback by the sudden situation.
But what was even more surprising was Cayenne’s attitude. As if he knew something, he protested to the Holy Emperor like this.
“I was just a little bored. I needed some new stimulation! And take a look there. I didn’t do him any harm. “I didn’t disobey my father’s words!”
“It didn’t cause any harm, didn’t the person’s hair disappear altogether? “Did you think you could still avoid my eyes?”
“No, it’s not the limbs, it’s the hair too? What if that goes away? “What does it mean to live?”
At that time, No. 21 had no idea what the rich man was talking about.
It was like that when Seonghwang punished a child several times and hurriedly diverted one guild member to another task.
‘… … ?’
But not long after that, No. 21 realized something was strange.
The guild member who moved from department to department began to lose his hair one by one, despite his young age, and soon his forehead became noticeably refreshed.
If things continued like this, sooner or later, it was clear that he would become completely bald.
-No, it’s not the limbs, it’s the hair too? What if that goes away?
Number 21 suddenly remembered Cayenne’s protest and quietly broke into a cold sweat.
Only then did he understand why the Emperor had cracked down on people so severely.
‘… There is something! ‘Kayenne sees something that others don’t, and she has the ability to use it!’
Anyway, such minor incidents continued after that. Since she was a young boy, she would not have been able to behave well in everything no matter how much attention she gave her.
Cayenne sometimes got into physical fights with other kids his age, or sometimes ripped off something invisible from the guild members based on their perception.
And every time that happened, Seonghwang without fail received a beating. Naturally, Cayenne’s antipathy toward him grew stronger.
“How on earth do you know everything that happened during the day? Even the people watching didn’t notice! “Aren’t you just passing it on?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Cayenne, you can’t deceive my eyes.”
However, what was surprising was that although the Emperor strictly disciplined the child, he did not attempt to lecture or lecture him in any particular way.
He simply strictly considered the harm caused by the child’s actions and adhered to the method of punishing the child in the same way as he or she had hurt others.
Of course, Cayenne’s temperament couldn’t have accepted this gently.
“Mr. Lee. “Why are you hitting me?”
“Haven’t you been saying this all this time? “Everything you do always comes with a price.”
“But what I ate was someone else’s finger! But what right does my father have to beat me?”
“I am your father, Cayenne. I have a duty to properly police you. But I can’t rip your soul out in the same way. “Did you really want that?”
Then, Kaien would glare at Seonghwang with his fierce three-hundred eyes filled with resentment.
“Woo! It would have been better if I never met a father like him in my life! “You’re the worst!”
“Well, guess what? As long as I kept my eyes open, you wouldn’t have been able to hide from me your whole life. So just give up and listen obediently.”
“shit!”
However, there was a part that No. 21 could not understand. Are the minor mistakes a child makes really so difficult to correct?
Cayenne was smarter than her peers and was able to have everything she wanted without having to conflict with others.
But why do you pick a fight with someone if you can forget it, and cause unnecessary problems so that the king can beat you up?
‘… Could it be that you are intentionally inducing His Majesty’s corporal punishment…? Surely that’s not true?’
It was probably around that time. Seonghwang’s corporal punishment policy began to change little by little.
Instead of punishing Kaien directly, he began to lock him in a room according to the amount of time he did wrong, or order him not to go out for a certain period of time.
When No. 21 wondered about this, Seonghwang sighed softly and gave a short answer.
“It’s because Cayenne is using herself to get revenge on me.”
“… yes?”
“He probably thinks that the damage he inflicts on me is much greater than the corporal punishment he receives. Rather than being punished, I feel like I’m being punished. So this will never stop trouble.”
At that time, No. 21 could not understand Seonghwang’s words at all.
But surprisingly, as the time he was locked in his room instead of corporal punishment increased, Cayenne’s troubles began to subside little by little.
‘I really wanted to punish His Majesty… … ?’
Whatever the truth, it seemed like peace came between them for a while.
However, this did not mean that Cayenne gave up rebelling against the Holy Emperor. Instead of decreasing the amount of trouble directed at others, direct criticism and backlash aimed at Seonghwang has increased.
Then, this smart kid gradually started to get a feel for how to deal with Seonghwang.
“This is not fair! You’re being abusing me for not looking for me until now! “But why are you so anxious now that you can’t interfere with me?”
“I told you this many times. Your soul has already reached its critical point. “If you commit any more sins or attempt to feast, I can no longer guarantee what will happen to your soul.”
“Then it’s all your fault!”
“… … !”
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“The reason I see spirits is because I resemble my uncle! The reason my soul is in this state is all because of flattery! So why do I have to pay the price for you!? “That’s so absurd!”
“… … .”
For the first time that day, Seonghwang was unable to give any response to Kaien. And No. 21 could never forget the three white eyes that flashed so brightly at that moment.
From that day on, Cayenne slowly began to express her aggression directly towards Seonghwang.
-Never harm others first.
The only rule that Seonghwang presented to the child.
However, the homunculi that were flourishing were not ‘humans’. And among the father and son, it was none other than Seonghwang who committed the mistake first.
The only thing that escapes his rules.
Cruelly enough, the child quickly realized this fact.
* * *
“Phew… … .”
“Mr. 21. What’s wrong? “Why are you sighing all of a sudden?”
Asean branch of the guild.
Today again, No. 21, who stopped by there briefly before heading to Cayenne’s mansion, was delighted when he spotted Aslan approaching from afar.
“It’s been a while, Aslan. How do you feel? “Are you doing well with your swordsmanship training these days?”
“haha. well. “I don’t know if I’m good at it, but I’m working hard anyway.”
Aslan comes to the side with a bright smile.
The more I got to know this boy, who was concentrating on training with the goal of taking the Imperial Knight Exam next year, he was a really kind and friendly guy.
Because their first meeting was very special, even No. 21, who was not very friendly, was gradually becoming attached to the boy.
“You’ve grown a lot lately? “You will soon be like me.”
“It’s thanks to the guild being so kind to me. “I eat delicious food every day.”
“okay. Branch leader Justin teaches you how to use the sword well?”
“Uh, um… … .”
Let’s talk about the branch manager. Aslan looked embarrassed and looked away.
“He isn’t really attached to the branch these days. “He must be very busy.”
“okay?”
“But thankfully, they told me I had natural talent. So, he said that training on my own would be more important to me than the teachings of a teacher. “A genius has to figure it out on his own?”
“Well… … .”
okay. How could that damn branch leader so obediently call himself a swordsman teacher?
It seems like he hasn’t been seen in the imperial capital’s dressing room lately, so what on earth is that person thinking?
“But, I… … .”
Number 21 frowned and was lost in thought, but Aslan, who was watching him, quietly opened his mouth.
“Bart… … .”
“huh?”
“No, how is your Majesty doing these days… … .”
As No. 21 stares, Aslan suddenly loses his temper and scratches his head as if embarrassed.
“I feel like it’s been quite a while since I haven’t seen him.”
“… okay.”
‘Is he that good?’
Although they had only seen each other for a few days, it seemed like he had left quite a strong impression on the boy.
but. Didn’t No. 21 know better than anyone else what it meant to be the first guardian for a child who had no one else in the world to rely on?
“He asks how you are all the time. “I heard that you are receiving reports from Paula every time about your accomplishments.”
“Well, really? “Then I’ll have to work harder so I don’t disappoint you!”
Perhaps it was the answer he was looking for, but the boy’s face beamed with joy, unable to hide it. He is genuinely happy about Seonghwang’s trivial attention and wants to repay it.
Number 21 thought bitterly.
‘It’s completely different from anyone else… … .’
How much better it would have been if this boy, rather than Cayenne, had been His Majesty’s child.
I couldn’t help but think that way.
fantasy,
