Chapter 143
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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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Chapter 143
It was the day to announce the winner of the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony.
Everyone gathered in the vast Central Square to conduct the ceremony.
Yet those assembled felt little curiosity about who the winner would be.
All their attention was fixed on House Basilian.
Feeling the intense gazes upon me, I glanced around.
Holy Empire flags fluttered throughout the Central Square.
Though the day was cool, the relentless sunlight beating down made standing for long somewhat unbearable.
The marble floor reflected the light, making it all the more oppressive.
"Why hold it outside when there are perfectly good buildings? It'll ruin my skin...."
Ishuel, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, voiced his complaint.
To keep my face from burning, Ishuel adjusted his parasol several times, checking meticulously.
Thanks to his care, I was able to stand in perfect shade.
While Ishuel tended to me, Karha was conversing with Theo and Moore at a distance.
Lately, the two of them seemed to be inseparable.
'Were they always that close?'
That couldn't be right.
I turned my gaze to the other side.
There, Kieran and Belzeon were speaking with serious expressions.
Sensing my attention, Belzeon glanced over at me.
I returned his faint smile with a bright one of my own.
As this was an important day, most of those belonging to the Holy Empire had taken their places in the Central Square.
The Holy Priests did not look pleased.
Remil, the prince of Hebaton, had claimed the championship just as they desired.
Thanks to Aran Skaya, the princess of Skaya, requesting her supporters to push for Remil, he had secured the victory without incident.
Though they had pushed aside Chesa Basilian, whom the Holy Knights' faction supported, the Holy Priests could not simply raise their glasses in celebration.
It was only a half victory.
Cardinal Milliod, who had been their pillar, had been shamefully expelled.
Not only branded a heretic, but also falsely accused of drawing monsters into the Holy Empire.
And the Holy King had tacitly approved of all these events.
For the Holy Priests, it must have been maddening.
'But where did Hailon go?'
Neither Hailon nor the Holy King were visible.
Not long ago, it was said that ninety-nine saints had gathered to determine the winner of the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony....
Glancing around, I noticed the Holy Knights also had their faces set in rigid expressions.
'Since his role as Heretic Inquisitor was revealed to the world, perhaps he received some punishment.'
I worried he might be undergoing further education.
I would need to find Hailon as soon as the ceremony ended.
With the most important figures absent,
the ceremony to announce the winner of the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony began.
With neither Holy King Sianor nor Cardinal Milliod present, another Cardinal took on the role of congratulating the champion.
"In the name of God, we have selected the most faithful young saint."
The elderly-looking Cardinal appeared burdened by the task, his nervousness evident on his face.
Only after clearing his throat several times did he announce the winner.
"The Pure Child of this Prayer Competition is... Remil Lu Hebaton of the Hebaton Kingdom."
Clap, clap, clap.
Halfhearted applause poured forth.
Remil walked slowly toward the platform amid the audience's perfunctory clapping.
The chosen champion showed no sign of joy whatsoever.
His face was pale as wax, his lips pressed firmly shut.
The Cardinal opened the glass case.
The white chains encircling the crown dissolved away.
The Cardinal carefully removed the crown and placed it upon Remil's head.
As Remil stood awkwardly facing forward, the crowd clapped again, this time even more perfunctorily.
"...."
I watched the scene in silence.
The crown lay far from my reach.
Too distant for my hands to touch.
Watching someone else wear the crown left me deeply unsettled.
'But it will be mine soon enough.'
To suppress my restless thoughts, I searched for Aran in the crowd.
When our eyes met, she winked at me.
Using my fairy power, I bloomed flowers to create a counterfeit crown of similar appearance.
Aran was supposed to swap it with the real crown.
Of course, the flowers I created were not eternal blooms like the Fairy Queen's crown.
But they would hold until we reached the Hebaton Kingdom.
Once we arrived at the kingdom, if the crown withered,
'they would simply assume it happened after leaving the Holy Empire.'
Since it was a fairy's creation, humans would never discover the true cause of its decay.
'Count Basilian cannot act openly—there are far too many watching eyes.'
I had to make full use of Aran.
For that reason, I had even asked her to build some rapport with Remil beforehand.
'Besides, Kieran intends to offer the Fairy Queen's crown as a sacrifice for dark magic.'
If I won and took the crown, only to destroy it as a sacrifice, the Holy Empire would suspect me directly.
A secret swap would be far safer for protecting Count Basilian.
As I calculated various schemes in my mind, I was clapping softly with my small hands.
As the applause faded and the Central Square fell silent,
Remil opened his lips.
I waited for him to share his thoughts as the Pure Child Prayer Competition's champion.
But what came from the boy was something entirely different.
"I am not worthy of the crown."
Those who had been bored just moments before now lit up with interest at Lemil's declaration.
Lemil, who always hunched his shoulders, straightened his posture.
For the first time, I realized he was quite tall.
With the crown removed, Lemil spoke his mind clearly and without hesitation or stumbling.
"As you all know, it was Chesa of House Basilian who repelled the demonic beasts. She demonstrated greater devotion and sacrifice than anyone else who participated in the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony."
'Well, that's true enough.'
I caught myself before nodding in agreement.
"The Divine surely would not wish for me to monopolize all this glory alone...."
Lemil looked directly at me with unwavering eyes.
The moment our gazes met, anxiety seized me.
Don't do it.
Please don't.
I frantically signaled with my eyes.
But Lemil spoke anyway.
"I wish to share the crown and the Divine's glory with you, Chesa."
Silence fell over the chamber.
Ishuel, who was holding me, muttered a quiet curse.
"That damn brat...."
Then, realizing belatedly that I could hear him, he pressed his lips together.
The Holy Priests seemed greatly flustered by Lemil's unexpected action, yet they could not bring themselves to object.
There was no grounds for objection.
How the crown was disposed of was ultimately the victor's prerogative.
'I told him to do as he pleased, and this is what he does.'
He seemed to be trying to look out for me, but I felt no gratitude whatsoever.
I tapped Ishuel's forearm.
Since the situation was beyond my control, I had no choice but to step forward.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Ishuel slowly walked me to the platform and set me down.
"Chesa."
Lemil called to me softly, holding the crown in his hands.
But I examined only the crown, not Lemil.
The crown was docile.
It neither sang nor caused any disturbances.
It merely scattered a soft, gentle glow as if advertising its own harmlessness.
As if it would commit no transgression should I wear it.
Its remarkably well-mannered demeanor put me somewhat at ease.
'...Perhaps it will be alright?'
I slowly reached out my hand.
I touched the crown ever so lightly with just the tip of my finger, and it remained perfectly docile without any change.
With a relieved exhale, I looked up at Lemil.
And I nodded.
'Put it on me!'
Lemil carefully placed the crown upon my head.
The moment the floral crown settled perfectly atop my small head.
"...!"
I felt as though something was piercing straight through me.
A sensation of being skewered from the crown of my head made me gasp involuntarily.
Flowers bloomed beneath my feet.
Like an explosion of gunpowder, the flowers erupted uncontrollably and wildly, tangling with thorny brambles as they sprawled outward in all directions.
The white marble floor was instantly consumed by flowers, and screams erupted from every corner.
People who had tripped over the flower bushes struggled and writhed, desperately trying to rise, but their feet were caught too firmly to move.
I, the architect of this chaos, tried in panic to tear the crown from my head.
But it clung to my head as if fused to it, refusing to budge.
"Agh!"
The back of my hand burned with searing heat.
In my confusion, I glanced down at my hand and saw the mark the Fairy had inscribed long ago glowing brilliantly.
Along with a crystalline laugh, the crown's joyful song rang in my ears.
In that moment, I understood.
'This insane crown!'
The crown was trying to send me to the Fairy Kingdom.
Just as my vision was about to be consumed by flowers.
With a sharp crack, a pitch-black demonic sword plunged into the flower brambles.
Kieran cried out desperately.
"Chesa!!"
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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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