Chapter 128
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Chapter 128
I had once asked Hailon a question in the past.
"Why did you become a Holy Knight?"
Hailon answered that he had no particular reason.
On a snowy winter night, his parents abandoned him—a helpless newborn who hadn't even opened his eyes—on the street.
The child who should have frozen to death miraculously survived, and by fortunate chance, drifted into the Orphanage managed by the Holy Temple.
There, alongside holy power, he discovered a talent for swordsmanship.
Thus, he naturally became a Holy Knight.
Rising from a mere orphan to the position of Heretic Inquisitor could not have been an easy path.
I naturally imagined that Hailon, like me, must have endured countless hardships.
But I didn't know the detailed circumstances, nor did I press him about it.
We weren't intimate enough to share such stories.
Hailon's past, which I had only vaguely guessed at, was now revealing itself before my eyes.
'What did the Holy King do to Hailon?'
Suddenly, the scars carved into Hailon's back came to mind.
Eight terrible scars etched along his shoulder blades.
They were scars from receiving a sacred relic, but Hailon had never mentioned them in detail.
Why did his scars now seem to overlap with this wingless bluebird before me?
I swallowed hard.
Surely Hailon had never been tamed enough to satisfy the Holy King.
He must have endured an education no different from abuse, like this bluebird before me.
Perhaps even now, as the leader of the Heretic Inquisitors.
Not long ago, Hailon had been summoned by the Holy King.
Because I released the Fairy, he was called to the Holy Empire earlier than expected.
When we met again, Hailon was somewhat gaunt, but appeared fine on the surface.
So I thought he was alright, but his strange words kept nagging at me.
"...So this was your face."
"I missed you."
Though only days had passed, he whispered tenderly to me as if we hadn't seen each other in ages.
Perhaps at that time, Hailon had been "educated" by the Holy King.
Like a bluebird dying in its cage for not obeying its master's commands....
I slowly clenched my small fists.
I wanted nothing more than to strike Sianor before me.
But this anger couldn't be resolved with a single blow.
Instead, I resolved to properly scratch Sianor.
Widening my eyes like an innocent child, I made my request.
"Please give it water now. The bird looks like it's in so much pain."
At my words about wanting to give it water and food, Sianor answered with apparent difficulty.
"It's still wild, so you might get hurt...."
"Then it's fine if it obeys, right?"
I opened my eyes wide and gazed up at him.
Then I cried out in a bright voice.
"These are all the birds here!"
"Of course."
At his ready agreement, Chesa smiled softly.
The moment Sianor sensed something strange in that smile—like a flower bud bursting open—his eyes narrowed.
Brilliant flowers bloomed from Chesa.
It was the power of a Fairy.
Dozens of butterflies made of light emerged alongside the flowers, scattering in all directions with a whoosh.
The butterflies fluttered their wings elegantly, scattering shimmering light.
The butterflies' destination was the birdcages.
They clung to each cage hanging abundantly from the trees.
Then, with a click, the firmly locked cage doors opened of their own accord.
Though the doors swung wide open, the trapped birds did not stir.
As if they dared not fly without permission, they simply sat still, grooming their beautiful feathers with their beaks.
The Holy King, whose face had been rigidly set, lifted the corners of his mouth.
"...Observe. Those children have no desire to leave their cages."
But Chesa paid no heed.
She simply spoke in a clear, ringing voice.
"Come here!"
For a Fairy is born from nature itself.
All things belonging to nature were also the Fairy's companions.
No mere human rule could dare break a Fairy's command.
Following the fluttering butterflies, the birds gradually began to leave their cages.
At first they hesitated, their wingbeats clumsy and unsteady.
But soon they reclaimed their wild nature and beat their wings with vigor.
They sang beautiful songs, spiraling around Chesa in graceful circles alongside the butterflies.
Even the bluebird with clipped wing feathers flew safely with the butterflies' aid.
Though it was gaunt and starving, unable to produce a single sound.
The bluebird fluttered its wings with joy and happiness.
Chesa spread her hands wide.
The birds and butterflies tangled together, disappearing among the flowers blooming in the empty air.
After the flowers scattered into petals and dispersed.
Not a single bird remained in the Glass Greenhouse.
A rich floral fragrance drifted from the gently falling petals.
The scent enveloped all the plants filling the Glass Greenhouse.
"Wow..."
Lemil, who had been watching in hushed silence, let out a small gasp of wonder.
The Silver-haired Boy whispered with a flushed face.
"It's so beautiful."
An exclamation burst forth unbidden, as though I had witnessed a miracle of the divine.
Chesa withdrew her power and turned her gaze toward Sianor.
"...."
I could see Sianor's jaw trembling visibly.
His teeth were clenched tight, yet his weathered face could not fully conceal the fury roiling beneath the surface.
He was a Holy King possessed of pitiful holy power.
Before his very eyes, I had shattered the space he had so painstakingly cultivated with the vast heretical force that resurrects all things.
His pride lay in ruins.
In his bloodshot eyes burned a murderous intent—a desire to tear apart the small child before him on the spot.
Yet the aged Holy King did not allow his emotions to erupt uncontrolled.
Though trembling, he restrained his wrath and smiled toward Chesa.
Chesa returned his smile.
"Child."
Sianor spoke in a voice so unnervingly gentle it sent shivers down my spine.
"You must not use your power recklessly. It is of heretical origin—a corrupted force."
Lemil, who had been watching in a daze, belatedly realized his own blunder and covered his mouth with his hand.
Sianor exhaled a deep sigh.
As though pained by his own words, he spoke tenderly in a voice heavy with anguish.
"But the divine forgives all things."
His hand gently caressed Chesa's cheek.
The touch felt rigid and unyielding.
The sensation of the hand concealed beneath the glove did not feel like that of a living person.
"Would you not wish to use your power righteously?"
"What do you mean?"
"You met your biological father today."
Chesa hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Sianor continued gently, as though lamenting.
"Your father has committed grave sins. No matter how much he repents, he cannot enter heaven. However...."
Sianor, who had been touching her cheek, seized Chesa's hand.
It was a careless grip for one holding a child's hand.
"If you use your power in the name of the divine and repent, you could wash away even your father's sins."
"Truly?"
"Yes. I swear it by the name of Sianor Hilderd, Holy King of the Holy Empire."
Sianor asked Chesa with gleaming eyes.
"Will you try?"
Chesa pretended to deliberate.
After drawing out the silence to make Sianor anxious, I finally opened my mouth.
"But...."
"But?"
Growing increasingly impatient with the lengthening silence, Sianor eagerly pressed for an answer.
Watching Sianor lose his reason to the appetizing bait dangling before his eyes, Chesa exhaled a long sigh.
"It's because I have two fathers right now."
"...."
"If you forgive my other father too, I'll be really happy, okay?"
As Chesa demanded that Kieran be forgiven along with the fake father, Sianor's expression darkened.
He had wanted to keep Kieran locked in the Prison at least until the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony ended.
That way, he could separate Chesa from him and manipulate the situation as he pleased.
'Not a chance.'
Laughing wickedly to myself, I arranged my face into something harmless and clasped my hands together.
"I'll work really hard, I promise!"
"...Very well."
In the end, Sianor couldn't resist the bait and snapped it up eagerly.
After drool escaped his lips, he answered.
"I'll do as you wish."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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