Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Selection (5)
The solemn and magnificent reception hall of the imperial palace. From that place, a rough noise spread out.
Slurrrp! Crunch! Crunch!
The sound of eating refreshments greedily.
'How undignified it is.'
At the opposite side of the reception hall's door, the imperial princess narrowed her eyes.
The red eyes of the imperial family, symbols of their bloodline, became thin slits, and within those narrow eyes, a crimson glow like blood wavered.
'I heard he was of lowborn status, but looking at his conduct... it was true.'
By reputation, he was a mighty Holy War Knight Commander with a grand and sacred aura, a man of radiant beauty befitting his holiness.
'Just as most rumors from commoners are exaggerated and false.'
The imperial princess flicked her fan open with a snap! and hid her lips, which were twisted in disgust.
Then she gave a glance to the elderly man before her eyes.
Click!
The old man opened the reception hall door.
Inside, a rough-haired mass was grabbing a handful of fairy wings and shoving them into his mouth.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
"Your Highness the Princess, it is an honor to meet you."
The mass hastily chewed and swallowed what was in his mouth, then stood up from his seat.
"You are smaller than I heard."
As the imperial princess delivered a perfunctory greeting with a trembling hand holding her fan, the rough-haired mass grumbled.
"Well, my height is one hundred eighty centimeters."
At this, the imperial princess dropped her fan.
'He truly is a madman.'
This was the first time she had ever received such treatment as a member of the imperial family.
Words that barely qualified as respectful speech, and comportment like a common ruffian.
Moreover,
"Grr, as my elder brother said, Your Highness the Princess's appearance is truly beautiful."
He openly appraised the imperial family's visage.
'His Majesty must have his reasons for holding such a person in high regard.'
The supreme ruler of the empire must have chosen him for good reason.
The imperial princess walked toward the opposite chair, feigning indifference and composure.
Following her movements, her silver hair swayed gently, and her tight one-piece dress accentuated her figure.
Jang Du-sik's round eyes stared fixedly at the princess.
'How brazen.'
Click! Click!
Her long, pointed heels made sharp sounds as she moved.
"Sit."
The imperial princess calmly extended her hand and pointed to the chair across from her.
"Grr, I never thought I would see such a beautiful woman again."
The mass praised the princess's appearance once more and sat down.
A crack appeared in the princess's expressionless face.
'He deliberately does things I dislike.'
He truly was a madman.
How many noble youths had their necks severed for praising the princess's beauty?
If they had eyes, they would have read the [Imperial Daily News].
Even if this commoner couldn't read due to his lowborn status, if his ears worked, he would have heard the rumors.
The imperial princess was exasperated.
"Among all the women I have seen, Your Highness the Princess is the second most beautiful."
Just as the princess was about to feel nausea at the familiar praise of her appearance, about to decide to have this man beaten and then lodge a protest with His Imperial Majesty.
'What?'
A flash and she felt something odd in his words.
"Second?"
The imperial princess tilted her head.
The eyebrows that had risen in anger flattened out.
A question settled upon her sharp features.
"Yes, that is how it is."
"I have never heard that I am second."
Snap!
When the imperial princess flicked her finger, the fan that had fallen to the floor flew back to her hand.
At that moment, Jang Du-sik
"Hnngh!"
Picked up the club beside him and aimed it at the princess.
A semi-transparent barrier appeared before the club.
But it was no ordinary barrier.
'Holy Power mixed with Mana?'
Behavior like a street thug.
A comment about being second in beauty.
The princess, whose nerves had been thoroughly irritated, came to a halt.
"It is decided."
She even silenced the guards who reacted to Jang Du-sik's club swing.
The princess was not so weak as to lose to such a ruffian.
"Huff, I was startled when the fan suddenly flew at me, so I deployed a defensive spell. I shall accept punishment for drawing a club against the imperial family."
Jang Du-sik, seeming genuinely startled, rambled excuses, and fragments of fairy wings flew from his mouth.
The princess lightly waved her fan to scatter mana, blocking the remnants coming from his mouth.
Then she said:
"You are not Erik."
"That's right. Erik is my elder brother, and I am Jang Du-sik."
Jang Du-sik felt as though his heart would burst.
'I can only trust my elder brother!'
Jang Du-sik's characteristic way of speaking.
It wasn't that he lacked intelligence, nor was he unaware that even when meeting the imperial family, he should maintain proper courtesy with standard respectful speech.
He had sufficient intellect for that much.
Rudeness toward members of the imperial household was a capital crime deserving of execution on the spot.
Jang Du-sik knew all of this.
However,
"Du-sik, when you have a conversation with the Princess, you must always speak and act exactly as you do when you are with me."
"No, you must be even more excessive. When you first met me, become like that Jang Du-sik from the back alleys!"
He trusted his elder brother's advice more than the danger of death by imperial profanity.
The reason Jang Du-sik appeared foolish was that his profound faith in his elder brother occupied an overwhelming portion of his character.
"So, you are the younger brother of that Erik?"
The princess, who had hesitated for a long time, finally asked Jang Du-sik.
"That's correct."
"I heard Erik the Director is fifteen years old."
"That is also correct."
"Then... you are saying you are younger than fifteen?"
Jang Du-sik's face, even being generous, appeared to be in his late thirties.
Moreover, his bearing and manner of speech carried the rough sensibility of a middle-aged man, making him appear even older.
Such a Jang Du-sik as Erik's younger brother?
"I cannot believe it."
"I am not a biological brother. I resolved long ago to serve Erik as my elder brother."
"How old are you?"
"I am thirty-eight."
The imperial princess's mind went blank.
This was a type of person she had never encountered before.
A difficult type of human to deal with, but...
'The consecrated mage who appeared at the banquet must be that fellow.'
The princess had already become curious.
His intellect seemed poor, yet he used magic, and—
'A staff made from the roots of the World Tree.'
Even carrying like a club a staff that only the imperial mages or the elders of the Magic Tower would use—
'The activation of the magical formula is overwhelmingly fast.'
That absurdly quick speed of magical formula calculation was also very intriguing.
She wanted to start discussing magic immediately, but there were a few problems that needed to be resolved first.
The imperial princess asked:
"How does a thirty-eight-year-old you become the younger brother of fifteen-year-old Director Erik?"
"I resolved to serve him as my elder brother, and my elder brother will treat me as his younger brother. This is called sworn brotherhood."
The princess was once again at a loss for words.
Should she explain that the distinction between elder and younger brothers is based on age?
Should she tell him that sworn brotherhood doesn't mean serving someone more than twice as young as oneself as one's elder?
In the princess's world, at least that was the norm.
'Those fanatical eyes.'
However, the princess realized there was nothing more to discuss on this topic.
It was the same look she had when researching magic.
Therefore, the imperial princess posed her next question:
"What did you mean by saying I am the second most beautiful?"
"Well, what else? That you are the second most beautiful, right?"
The imperial princess's eyebrows shot up sharply.
"Then who is the first?"
"If I say that, my elder brother will give me a chestnut bump on the head. It's a secret."
As Jang Du-sik tapped his head while speaking, a glimmering Divine Power wavered above his head.
'Questioning will be futile.'
He was truly mad.
But it was terribly fascinating.
Upon this, the imperial princess decided to invite Jang Du-sik to the Magic Tower.
Clap! Clap!
"Sebastian!"
When the imperial princess called her butler with a sharp, clear voice, a white-haired elderly butler appeared above the reception hall's shadows.
"Go to the Magic Tower."
The butler bowed and asked:
"Shall I receive him as a guest? Or"
"A guest. For now."
***
'Du-sik must have been invited to the Magic Tower...'
From Erik's perspective, standing up the princess was unlikely to become a major problem.
According to Janson's investigation, the princess would surely hold Jang Du-sik in very high regard.
'The problem now is not Du-sik.'
He tried to redirect his thoughts away from worrying about Jang Du-sik, but the problems facing Erik did not disappear regardless.
Erik once again focused on the reality before him.
"—Father, inheriting the will of Astia... the pilgrim of the order..."
Thirty thousand believers gathered below.
Upon the platform of a vast chapel.
[The Holy Grail of Astia]
And the Pope, holding a grail before his eyes.
He placed one hand upon Erik's head and, with the other hand holding the holy grail, recited a prayer.
"Ah, as Astia desires to regard him as a child and make him his representative—"
Erik's eyes warped slightly.
Kneeling and receiving the blessing of the Pope holding the Holy grail—
'I had forgotten about that.'
Ominous thoughts kept creeping up on him.
Baptism: A sacred ceremony in which the Pope, as God's representative, personally bestows God's sanctity.
However, this baptism is accompanied by Divine Words.
Rather than coming to an individual in the form of revelation, the voice of God is heard throughout the entire temple.
Gulp!
His throat swallows.
'Once the baptism is complete, a tangible effect absolutely occurs.'
The light of sanctity shimmers.
Or the voice of the God Astia echoes through the prayer hall.
"Therefore, I present this grail to welcome the pilgrim Erik as the thirteenth child of Father Astia."
The Pope's prayer ended.
A single bead of sweat trickled down Erik's cheek.
The Holy grail is drunk, but Divine Words are not heard?
Not only the believers but the Pope before his eyes would look with suspicious eyes.
"Do not be tense."
When Erik hesitated, the Pope whispered in a kind tone, small and low.
'You are still young.'
That was the feeling.
"All things happen according to Astia's will."
Erik, following the procedures of the ceremony, respectfully received the grail with both hands.
Clink.
In response to the Pope's prayer, the grail became full of sacred water.
Erik held the grail and calmly looked down at the area below the platform.
"Ohhh"
"We, we actually witnessed a baptism!"
The believers were overcome with emotion, tears streaming down their faces.
To Erik, it felt like watching a crowd of fanatics.
And then
"Hmm."
A long time after holding the grail.
The Pope cleared his throat with subtle insistence.
'There is no other choice...'
Erik brought up his status window in his mind's eye.
The reason he had been earning money so desperately was to raise the tier of his Divine Power.
1 billion [4th Tier Divine Power].
And the Paladin-exclusive Skill that was unlocked while modifying the status window.
The basic unit had increased, and the elements he could use had also expanded.
However, Erik's expenditure had increased proportionally to his earnings, or even more so, his income had also grown.
'This is what I earn money for.'
Didn't the Emperor promise him 10 billion gold right now?
Moreover, the Church of Ruelle had been expanded, allowing 3,000 believers to pay their tithes.
It was as if he was guaranteed to earn as much as he spent.
Thus, Erik erased his hesitation.
Pop!
He took a one-shot of the grail.
The holy grail, which should normally be savored and emptied leisurely while appreciating the divine essence...
'He threw it all down in one gulp?'
All thirty thousand believers, the Pope, and even the elders of the order who had prepared the baptism looked on with expressions of shock.
"How irreverent."
"Not even considering tasting Astia's essence!"
Especially the elders.
As elderly people who had lived for over a century, they were particular about ceremonial procedures.
However,
"You truly resemble Riferoze's disciple."
"Tsk, tsk. Like master, like disciple."
Erik's master served once more as a convenient excuse.
Like master, like disciple.
This saying applied equally to good and bad deeds.
'This is driving me mad.'
Actually, Erik felt no emotion whatsoever at the gazes of others.
[Divine Body 51/100]
A status window appeared before his eyes.
This was a fragment of enlightenment manifested in the form of a status window, and a milestone for Erik to advance to the next stage.
The water of the Holy grail is different from ordinary holy water.
If forced to name it, it would be Divine Water.
'It's like a Level Up Elixir for me.'
This is very good.
After all, the Divine Bodystat, which had only increased by 1 when using Level Up Elixir, had risen by 50 all at once.
If he consumed all the remaining elixirs, he could raise it to 70.
However, the problem was—
"Why is there no change at all?"
"Not only are Divine Words absent, but even a small light does not appear."
Murmurs from the elders behind the platform.
And the believers below were also beginning to notice the oddness.
Divine Words were not heard.
Moreover, there was no visible effect from drinking the Holy grail.
"...Surely."
Was there no sign of anything during the baptism?
This could also be evidence of heresy.
Suspicious gazes turned toward Erik.
And Erik—
'This will have the greatest visual effect.'
He brought his hands together.
And pressed the purchase button on the shop window.
He chose the most expensive and flashy skill available for purchase at that.
[Wings of Radiance: 555,555,555 Gold]
He solved crises through extravagant spending.
It was his iron principle.
***
'He has apparently seen the Emperor...'
According to the order's records, there were some individuals in whose baptism signs of heresy had appeared.
A baptism ceremony is a glorious occasion where one receives the sanctity of God.
And it also serves the function of ferreting out heretics beforehand.
This role is to verify before a strong believer gains greater authority.
'Converting or... intending to pledge allegiance to the empire...'
Signs of this appeared in Erik.
As the Pope's unease grew increasingly.
Whooooooosh!
A tremendous Divine Power descended upon Erik from above.
From the heavens to the earth.
A brilliant golden pillar of light enveloped Erik, and the luminescence brightened all around.
'My training must have been insufficient.'
At this, the Pope brought his hands together.
The elders who had been grumbling did the same.
"Ahhh! Such mighty sanctity!"
"Holy Astia!"
Forgetting all sense of propriety, the elders of the order collapsed to the floor.
To witness such overwhelming sanctity.
Tears naturally flowed from their eyes.
"Hnngh!"
The believers below the platform gasped, their breath catching.
That mighty aura.
It felt like a transcendent being beyond humanity was touching them.
Their breath was taken away, and their bodies became difficult to control, yet paradoxically, their spirit and heart became clearer than ever before.
The believers were moved to reverence before God.
"The sanctity is taking form..."
The Pope, looking at Erik from the very front, was rendered speechless.
Dense Divine Power, the kind seen only in sanctuaries, not only enveloped Erik but was transforming into something concrete.
Whoooosh!
Light became wings.
This is the symbol of God Astia.
"The Incarnation of Astia."
Thud!
The Pope, God's representative on earth, knelt before Erik.
Above Erik's massive back, six wings shone forth with intense golden light.
In the scripture, this is called—
God has descended upon the earth.