"Your Majesty!" Though he had grown accustomed to his sovereign's jokes, Constantine still felt somewhat helpless.
He understood the sovereign's ease when faced with such a simple mission, but he did not want all the Praetorian Guard to let down their guard because of the relaxed atmosphere. Moreover, he was not quite used to the sovereign's praise and teasing, so Constantine's voice inevitably carried a hint of irritation. Constantine's tone over the encrypted Communication Channel made Salomon burst into laughter again. "This is the first time you've felt embarrassed, my child. It seems this so-called mental cleansing had no side effects after all," he said with a laugh. "I've explained it to you many times. I made no mistakes when I cleansed your mind. See? You were the one rejecting emotion. You were the one who wanted to become a killing machine."
"That would only affect my ability to carry out missions," Constantine said seriously. "I will not allow that to happen."
"You are a normal person, Constantine. Gene Alchemy allows you to think rationally because that is what I need you to do. No matter what you encounter, I need you to make rational choices and carry out my will. You know what that is, and you know the price it will demand, because I told you about the future I saw." The Emperor of Latveria ended the encrypted call. He had never told anyone besides Maya Hansen and Constantine where the Gene Alchemy used to create the Praetorian Guard had come from, or why he had obtained genetic engineering technology that could be considered the most advanced and supreme in the physical universe. He had traded everything beautiful in his soul for enough knowledge. Deals with devils always came at a price. The previous mental trauma had merely