Chapter 10 : Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The Ceremony Begins
12:00 noon. Four hours remained before the ceremony began.
Church Outer Plaza
“Ambassador Karl!”
A short, plump man dressed like a merchant called out to a well-dressed middle-aged man. When the latter turned around, he had already put on a polite but distant smile.
“Ambassador Phil. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
They stepped closer, shook hands, and then embraced.
“I didn’t expect the Commercial Alliance’s representative this year to be you. Congratulations.”
“Oh, not at all. Sir Karl, you look just as radiant as you did three years ago.”
“That’s thanks to the magic ore trade agreement we signed with your nation,” the middle-aged man said with a laugh, lowering his voice deliberately. “By the way… are those batches of cheap labor working well for you?”
The merchant understood that the pleasantries had reached their natural end.
“Sir, what does the Kingdom think about the Church’s actions this time?”
Naturally, he was referring to the upcoming Hero Summoning Ceremony.
“Of course we support the Church’s decision,” the middle-aged man replied with a smile. “After all, it benefits us as well, doesn’t it?”
“The Central Council meeting will be held after the ceremony. I believe everyone will discuss things thoroughly.”
The merchant caught the implication behind his words and smiled as well, guiding him toward the interior hall.
“You’re absolutely right, Sir. After all…”
“Once the Hero leaves the Church, that Hero belongs to everyone.”
***
“The ritual magic circle has been fully prepared. The hall where the ceremony will be held has all entrances and exits under control. All participants have been registered and gathered together.”
“Security has been strengthened along every corridor of the inner palace and around the Saintess’s residence. The Saintess Personal Guard has already entered the venue.”
The Pontiff listened to the reports and nodded.
Then he turned to look at Fia beside him.
“Are you feeling nervous?”
Today, Fia had changed into formal ceremonial attire.
From grooming to departure, the process had taken a full two hours.
During that time she had received extremely attentive—perhaps even excessively thorough—care from the maids.
The results were remarkable.
Holy.
Pure.
To put it more bluntly—Fia now only needed to stand there to successfully preach to the masses.
Hearing the Pontiff’s question, Fia returned from her deep mental rehearsal of the plan and smiled faintly.
“I’m fine. The only problem is that the decorations on my head are a bit heavy.”
“Haha. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to wear them. His gaze does not concern itself with such things.”
Footsteps interrupted the conversation.
Lorinna entered the hall.
Her clothing style was similar to Fia’s, though intentionally toned down in detail.
Fia glanced toward her and met Lorinna’s gaze.
Lorinna immediately turned her head away and snorted before awkwardly walking to the seat opposite and sitting down.
She’s really difficult to deal with.
Fia smiled bitterly.
Ever since the incident two days ago, Lorinna had not spoken to her.
Even when Fia waited at the gathering locations, Lorinna simply canceled the events without even opening her eyes.
Outsiders naturally assumed the relationship between the two Saintesses had deteriorated.
Those who enjoyed gossip were practically hoping the two would start fighting openly.
“Lorinna, did you and Fia have a disagreement?”
The Pontiff had heard some rumors.
But he did not understand.
The combined ages of the two girls did not even reach one-fifth of his own.
He simply could not comprehend their thoughts.
He was old.
There was a generation gap.
“Not at all. Little Sister Lorinna must simply be troubled by something. You can always speak to me if you wish.”
Fia’s words interrupted whatever Lorinna had been about to say.
In return, she received a displeased glare.
This woman… Does she not trust me?
And what do you mean “little sister”?
Under the intense stare of those red eyes, Fia chose to do nothing.
Right now the ceremony is the most important matter.
Everything else could be dealt with later.
She did not want any more unexpected complications.
“…Elder Sister is correct. There is no need to worry, Your Holiness.”
Lorinna lowered her head slightly.
Embarrassment.
She understood.
This Fia was truly hopeless.
“Very well. If you need help with anything, you may also speak to me. This old man still has a bit of strength left.”
The Pontiff’s attempt at mediation went largely unnoticed.
Lorinna stared absentmindedly toward the opposite side.
Meanwhile Fia was silently thinking—A bit of strength?
What a modest way to describe it.
“Your Holiness, the ambassadors from the Central Council have all arrived. Believers from nearby regions are still continuing to gather. Would you like to take a look?”
The attendant’s question rescued the Pontiff from his awkward position.
The old man shot him an appreciative glance—Good lad, I’ll remember this when promotions come around—then stood up with a serious expression.
“Order is very important. We must ensure both the safety of the people and the smooth progress of the ceremony.”
“You two continue chatting.”
The Pontiff successfully withdrew.
Only Fia and Lorinna remained seated.
Lorinna clenched the hem of her clothes tightly beneath the table, her heart slightly unsettled.
She could feel Fia’s gaze lingering on her.
That woman…She must look beautiful in formal attire.
Why does she keep looking at me?
Is she hinting at something?
But there are so many people here.
No, no.
I must refuse her.
“Then I will—”
“Not here! Not here!”
Lorinna’s shout interrupted her.
The surrounding guards and maids immediately turned their eyes toward them.
Then they all pretended to look away as if nothing had happened.
Only their sharply attentive ears betrayed their curiosity.
Fia froze.
What exactly is going on inside this woman’s head?
This wasn’t written anywhere in the character settings.
System? Care to explain?
【Morality +1】
【Thank you for the compliment】
I was not complimenting you!
Fia stood up, walked around the table, and stopped in front of Lorinna.
The red-haired girl shrank back slightly.
Then she felt a gentle hand pat her shoulder before pulling her into an embrace.
【Title Effect Activated. Countdown begins. 10, 9…】
How dare she!
Lorinna reacted and tried to struggle.
But a soft voice like drifting cotton echoed beside her ear.
“Relax.”
“We have plenty of time.”
“And plenty of future ahead of us, don’t we?”
【3, 2, 1. Effect successfully triggered. Probability verification in progress.】
【Physique +1】
A warm current spread through Fia’s body.
She released the embrace.
After smiling politely at the surrounding people, she turned and left.
Lorinna’s face turned bright red.
She jumped up from her seat and glared fiercely toward the direction Fia had left.
But when she looked around, the guards were playing rock-paper-scissors while the maids had already begun tidying the area.
Unable to find anyone to vent her anger on, she stomped her foot and ran away.
After that day, stories about the model Saintess elder sister and the mischievous candidate younger sister spread throughout the Church.
Various versions of the tale quickly circulated far and wide.
……
The sacred bell rang.
The ceremony began.
Magical patterns covered most of the floor of the great hall on the first level.
To avoid interference, all observers had been arranged on the second floor.
As the lights of the various nodes gradually illuminated, the discussions and whispers slowly faded until silence filled the hall.
The Pontiff.
Fia.
Lorinna.
Each stood at one node, forming a triangle.
Around the magic circle, layers of transparent barriers rose one after another—waves of multiple high-level divine spells.
Fia held the yellow fragment in her hand.
Hidden in her pocket, unseen by anyone else, was the red fragment.
As the magic circle activated, she felt the mana within her body begin to flow under its guidance.
Her mind sank into concentration.
It was about to begin.