Ch 38 - The Greatest Scandal of the Century
Jester continued staring at the system notifications floating before him. The synchronization process clearly wasn't instantaneous. It seemed the Chaos Bound needed time to fully establish itself.
While waiting, there was something he needed to do first. He picked up a neatly folded set of clothes and handed them to Lucia.
She blinked in surprise before realizing what he meant. Looking down at her tattered outfit, her cheeks immediately flushed.
"T-Thank you... Sir."
Holding the clothes tightly against her chest, Lucia quietly made her way behind a cluster of dense trees, finding enough cover to change.
The moment she disappeared from sight, another notification appeared.
[Chaos Bound Analysis Complete.]
[The Contractee possesses a concealed Origin recognized among the highest-ranked bloodlines of the current era.]
[Accessing Contractee Records...]
[Target: Lucia]
[Biological Mother: Lucena Vael.]
[Status: Former Saintess of the Holy Church.]
[Revered throughout the continent as the Blessed Saintess, chosen by the Divine.]
[Biological Father: Cassian Aurell.]
[Status: First Imperial Prince of the Velmoriah Empire.]
[Supreme Commander of the Imperial Knights.]
[Youngest Sword Saint in the empire's history.]
[Relationship Classification: Forbidden Union.]
[The Holy Church prohibited the Saintess from bearing children. Simultaneously, the Crown Prince had already been promised in a political marriage by the royal family.]
[Following the birth of Lucia, both powers deemed her existence unacceptable.]
[To ensure her survival, Lucia was secretly entrusted to a remote village shortly after birth. All official records regarding her existence were erased.]
[Current Status: Sole confirmed successor to both bloodlines.]
"...Wait..." Jester's eyes slowly widened. "What...?"
He kept reading. Then kept reading. Every new notification somehow carried an even greater shock than the last.
"What the hell..."
This wasn't just hidden information. This was enough to shake an entire continent.
A Saintess. A Crown Prince. A child whose very existence had been erased from history.
Lucia… That quiet village girl.
“She was this important?”
Before he could even finish processing those thoughts, another notification immediately appeared.
[Current Synchronization Rate: 69%]
[Multiple dormant inheritances detected.]
[The target's bloodline potential has remained sealed since birth due to incomplete inheritance activation.]
[The Chaos Bound has established a stable life-link between Contractor and Contractee.]
[The Contractee's dormant bloodline restrictions have been removed.]
[Bloodline synchronization in progress...]
[First Inheritance Awakening initiated. Epic Class Unlocked: Sacred Maiden.]
[The blessings inherited from Lucena Vael have fully awakened.]
[Target Level adjusted to minimum Class Compatibility Requirement.]
[Target Level: 100.]
Jester's jaw slowly dropped.
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"...No way."
He had barely managed to mutter those words before another flood of notifications pushed the previous ones upward.
[Current Synchronization Rate: 86%]
[Second Inheritance Awakening initiated. Legendary Class Unlocked: Royal Sword Saint.]
[The swordsmanship inherited from Cassian Aurell has fully awakened.]
[Combat instincts synchronized.]
[Sword techniques synchronized.]
[Class talents synchronized.]
[Physical aptitude synchronized.]
"..."
Jester forgot to breathe as the notifications kept pouring in, one after another, without giving him even a second to process what he was seeing.
"What... what the hell is going on...?" Jester muttered in disbelief.
Was he reading this correctly? Lucia, the timid girl who had seemed so weak and helpless just moments ago, had somehow unlocked two Classes at once? Seriously?
An Epic-grade Class alone was enough to leave countless players speechless. Most people would never even have the chance to see one in their lifetime, let alone obtain it.
Yet Lucia hadn't just awakened an Epic-grade Class. She had awakened a second Class... a Legendary-grade Class.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
His thoughts were completely frozen. Just a short while ago, Lucia had been nothing more than a frightened village girl desperately fleeing from monsters.
Now, in the span of a few seconds… She had become both a Sacred Maiden. And a freaking Royal Sword Saint.
"What kind of monster did I just make...?"
[Chaos Bound synchronization complete.]
[Synchronization Rate: 100%]
[Contractee Status Updated.]
[Name: Lucia | Level: 159]
[Classes: Sacred Maiden (Epic) | Royal Sword Saint (Legendary)]
[As the Contractor, you may synchronize one Signature Skill from each of the Contractee's Classes.]
[Available Selections: Sacred Maiden (1 Skill) | Royal Sword Saint (1 Skill)]
[The selected skills may be used by the Contractor while the Chaos Bound remains active.]
"Alright..." Jester muttered, his hands still trembling slightly.
Everything had happened too fast. Just moments ago, Lucia had been nothing more than an ordinary village girl. Now she was somehow Level 159. Just like that.
Who in their right mind would believe something so ridiculous?
Well... at least now that Lucia was stronger, he could use her for his own benefit.
No. Not that kind of use. He wasn't thinking anything perverted.
...Okay, maybe the thought had crossed his mind for half a second. But that wasn't what he meant. He meant using her to help carry out his plans.
Until now, with his identity as Jester, the only reliable ally he had was Fang. But now... he had a Sacred Maiden and a Royal Sword Saint on his side. For a brief moment, he imagined himself standing on a mountain of defeated enemies while an imaginary version of himself laughed like the final boss of the game.
"...No." He shook his head. "I'm not that evil."
[You have uncovered one of the greatest hidden scandals of the century. The existence of the daughter born to the former Saintess of the Holy Church and the First Imperial Prince of the Velmoriah Empire has been revealed.]
[Chaos +55]
Jester swallowed hard as the system notifications finally stopped appearing in front of him. At least that was over. He genuinely could not take another flood of endless information being shoved into his face.
A moment later, someone stepped out from behind a tree and came to a stop in front of him. Jester looked at Lucia, who was now wearing her new clothes.
"Sir, please forgive me. I'm not used to wearing clothes like these. Do they suit me?"
"Yes... you look incredibly sexy." The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Wait... did that sound way too perverted?
"I'm glad you like them," she said with a gentle smile. "Uhm... while I was changing, something strange happened to me."
Jester reached into his inventory and pulled out a sword. Without another word, he casually tossed it toward Lucia.
The girl's eyes instantly sharpened, and a powerful wave of energy exploded in every direction.
What the hell?!
Jester jumped backward several times as it all happened in an instant. Lucia had already caught the sword, standing in a perfect battle stance with a cold, focused gaze that made her look like someone completely possessed.
This was incredible. She had truly transformed into the Royal Sword Saint.
A second later, the light returned to her eyes, and her expression became gentle again. She lowered the sword slightly and held the blade naturally with her left hand.
"Sir... forgive me. I... uhm... it just felt so familiar in my hands. I don't know why."
"No, it's okay. That's actually a good sign," he said. "It's the only sword I have, so you can use it. Starting today, you're my very first personal guard. You'll stay by my side and accompany me wherever I go from now on."
The girl smiled and nodded firmly.
""And... may I..." she said. “I mean... call you something like... My Lord... perhaps... or something else?"
"Call me whatever feels right to you. I'm sure you'd be shocked if you knew how many different titles people are supposed to use when referring to you."
The girl tilted her head, looking completely confused.
Jester should really get this girl some better equipment. A proper weapon and armor worthy of a Royal Sword Saint, along with gear that complemented her role as the Sacred Maiden. She really was an absurd combination.
Not only was she an unmatched swordswoman, but she also possessed extraordinary holy powers that made her an incredible support and healer.
He also decided to postpone choosing an ability to borrow from Lucia.
The Sacred Maiden had plenty of amazing skills, but none of them matched what he needed at the moment. Besides, if the situation ever demanded it, he could simply have Lucia cast those abilities herself.
The Royal Sword Saint's abilities, on the other hand, were much more practical for him to borrow. Something like Flash Step, for example, would greatly improve his mobility during combat.
Although, even that wasn't particularly necessary for him.
He already had Curtain Call, which worked perfectly as an escape tool, and Pocket Form gave him excellent mobility whenever he needed it.
It wasn't that Lucia's abilities weren't valuable. He simply preferred to wait until the right situation arose before deciding which one to borrow.
Once everything had been settled, Jester turned his attention to the young woman once more.
"Now then, let's keep moving. There are still a few wild beastkin waiting for good news from the people they sent. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear what happened."
The girl smiled and gave a firm nod before accepting his hand.
Jester climbed onto Fang's back, then reached out to help Lucia up the same way he had before.
Instead, the girl lightly stepped forward, her body floating effortlessly into the air before she landed gracefully behind him on Fang's back, as though she weighed nothing at all.
...That still felt strange.
“Okay. I just need to get used to seeing ridiculous things like this happen around me.”