The Child, Estelle
Once, when she was still a child, Estelle found herself surrounded by her neighbors. They had been kind enough to help her, especially one of the watchmen who had been particularly generous in his care.
“You said she’s a star, right? You can think of this place as her home. So, live bravely.”
“...Yes.”
Feeling a pang of sadness that she could no longer stay with her mother, Estelle was comforted by the warm-hearted watchman who filled the empty space in her heart.
But that kindness couldn’t last forever. The Drakan horde that had burned down the village where she lived had invaded the city, upending everything.
At the time, Estelle’s mother had warned them, but the lord had decided it was impossible to eradicate the Drakan horde with the city’s own soldiers and was waiting for the heroes of the age to arrive.
The lord’s judgment hadn’t been wrong. Among the upper-class monsters, the Drakan horde was the most dangerous, and it was foolish to think that mere city guards could defeat them.
Yet the heroes of that era arrived late because of their own duties, and in the meantime, the Drakan had launched their attack on the city.
The kind neighbors who had looked after her, the watchman who had taken her in—they had all died cruelly. The city that had felt safe because of its overwhelming strength was reduced to rubble in an instant.
“...Uncle?”
Everything was confusing for little Estelle. The peaceful city had become a sea of flames in the blink of an eye. Buildings crumbled, people screamed and fell.
And right in front of her stood the kind watchman who had cared for her, slumped over. Blood still flowed from the gash on his back.
She reached out with trembling hands and instinctively summoned her divine power.
But even divine power, which could wield absolute power to heal, could not bring back the dead.
“Kid. He’s gone.”
A voice in Estelle’s head offered practical advice. But she refused to listen.
“...Kid, it’s better to run away now.”
The sound of footsteps grew louder. Not human footsteps—much larger ones approached from all sides.
“Krrk... What’s this? A living human?”
“...Oh dear.”
The voice in her head clicked its tongue. Estelle cautiously looked up and saw the monsters she had encountered in the village—identical in form to the ones she had feared.
She didn’t know they were monsters. She simply thought they were strangely dressed humans and said with tears in her eyes.
“...Uncle isn’t getting up... Please help me....”
“What?... Krrak! Hey, look at this kid. She’s asking me to help?”
“Krrk, what kind of kid doesn’t know anything. How many times have I seen that reaction?”
A Drakan approached with heavy footsteps. Its eyes, long and slit like a cat’s, fixed on Estelle as it spoke.
“Krrk, little one. Do you want to save this uncle?”
“Yes....”
“Krruk, how about you die in his place instead?”
“...Yes?”
Estelle looked confused. The Drakan laughed boisterously.
“Krrak! You’ll die for him! In his place!”
“...Then Uncle will wake up?”
“Krrk, yes! That’s it!”
“....”
The Drakan was telling nonsense just to amuse itself. The voice in her head spoke up.
“Kid. Ignore those lies. They’re nonsense.”
“Krrk, what are you going to do, kid?”
Estelle hesitated at the Drakan’s words, but she listened to the warm voice that had always spoken to her.
“...It’s a lie.”
“Krrk, what?”
“You’re lying!”
“...Krrk, what. What a boring little brat.”
The Drakan drew its curved blade. Estelle flinched and backed away, but she couldn’t run faster than its heavy stride.
“Stop.”
“Krrk, what?”
Slash!
With a flash of blinding white light, the Drakan’s arm holding the blade was severed in an instant. The head of the second Drakan standing beside it fell with one clean stroke.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Estelle’s eyes widened in shock. The man in the pure white priestly robes glanced back.
He had noticed Estelle, approached with his sword, and stopped when he saw how frightened she was.
And a woman followed behind him.
“...You said you felt divine power, didn’t you, Reina?”
“Right. The divine power here is extraordinarily strong... Oh my, isn’t that the child?”
She wore a pure white priestly robe, with the sun emblem of the Solaria Church embroidered on it and a golden cross at the center.
“Hello, little one. Are you okay? Any injuries?”
“....”
Estelle was too startled to speak, but she nodded slightly. The woman named Reina smiled gently at her.
“You’re not crying, and you’re so brave. Still, it’s dangerous here, so let’s go somewhere safe with sister, okay?”
“...Uncle is....”
Reina turned around. There lay the uncle she had mentioned—the watchman, already dead.
“...He went to rest a little.”
“...Rest?”
“Yeah, he must have been really tired. So let him rest, and let’s hide for a while, okay?”
Estelle wasn’t a fool. At five years old, she had already seen the death of someone most precious to her. Yet she nodded because of the kindness that cared for her.
“Yes.”
#
The one who had saved her was the hero selected by the Holy Sword of Order in that era, Ludwig, and Reina, the saint of the Solaria Church.
Of course, Reina wasn’t the saint truly chosen by the real god, but she worked wonderfully in partnership with Ludwig and was an outstanding duo.
Reina took the rescued Estelle to the Pope’s Palace of the Solaria Church. The divine power she felt from Reina was no ordinary thing.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe, comfortable, where you can live properly.”
“Uhn....”
Where would that be? Estelle tilted her head.
“Kyaa, Lou! Look at this! Isn’t it too cute? I want a daughter like this later too.”
“Whether you have one or not is up to you.”
“Aw, so boring~!”
Estelle blinked rapidly at Ludwig. Ludwig asked with a softer tone than when speaking to Reina.
“Why is that?”
She gathered her courage and asked.
“Are you... a hero?”
“...Yeah.”
Hero. It was a name Estelle had once heard from her parents—a wonderful hero who fought monsters and saved people.
She hadn’t known about the holy sword, but she had simply asked after seeing him save her and cut down the Drakan in an instant.
“Hero....”
Estelle mulled over the name. Reina laughed, unable to resist how adorable she was, and Ludwig scolded Reina not to act spoiled.
Reina asked Estelle with a lovestruck expression.
“Oh, but what’s your name?”
“...‘Star.’”
“Star?”
Reina blinked once and looked at Ludwig. Ludwig said to her.
“That’s often the case.”
“Ah... yeah, it is.”
The two of them immediately realized Estelle wasn’t registered in the family book. Both had been commoners, so they knew such cases happened frequently.
“Um... do you like the name Star?”
“Mommy gave it to me.”
“Haha... even so, Star is a common noun, so it can’t be registered as a name.”
Estelle tilted her head at the difficult conversation. Reina thought for a moment, then patted Estelle’s cheek with a helpless smile.
“Hey, I don’t know! As long as you’re cute~!”
“Reina, stop bullying her.”
“Lou, when did I bully her!”
Looking at their playful banter, Estelle felt how close they were. After a long ride in the carriage, they arrived somewhere.
“See? We’re here, Star.”
Estelle held Reina’s hand as they stepped down and looked ahead.
“Waaaa....”
It was the Pope’s Palace—the headquarters of the Solaria Church, the largest sect on the continent.
Estelle’s eyes sparkled at the magnificent, towering white building she had never seen before. It was only natural.
Reina hugged her tightly in admiration of Estelle’s pure excitement.
“Kyaa~! She’s so cute! Why are you so pure?”
“Because I’m a little kid.”
“Lou, kids aren’t all like that these days.”
“Where are we, sister?”
Reina smiled and answered Estelle’s question.
“Yeah, this is where Star will live.”
“Yes?”
Estelle’s eyes widened at the thought of living in such a huge building.
“For real! Star will live here from now on~.”
“...Is it okay?”
“Of course! Let’s go in and check first. There’s someone I need to meet.”
“Yes.”
Reina led Estelle inside, followed by Ludwig.
“Oh, Lady Reina. What brings you here?”
A nun greeted her warmly, recognizing Reina.
“I discovered a gem. I thought I should show it to His Holiness.”
“A gem?”
The nun looked puzzled, but Reina said she would explain later and left.
“Lou, wait here~!”
“Okay.”
Estelle turned her head and looked at Ludwig. She waved her little hand. Ludwig’s eyes widened, then he smiled gently and waved back.
“...Come back soon.”
#
Estelle reached the highest, most sacred place in the Pope’s Palace with Reina. The only resident of that sacred height was an old man with a long white beard.
The kind old man wore white robes—the attire symbolizing the Pope, though little Estelle wouldn’t have known that.
“Your Holiness, it’s been a long time.”
“Reina, what brings you here? But....”
The old man’s gaze turned to Estelle. She bowed her head in greeting.
“Hello.”
“...A well-mannered child.”
“This is the child rescued from the Romanov region. I brought her to His Holiness for....”
Reina stroked Estelle’s hair.
“This child seems to have been born with incredibly strong divine power.”
“...Indeed. I saw it at a glance.”
“Oh, as expected of His Holiness.”
“If you descend from the saint’s position, the next saint will be this child.”
Pope Pabiano looked at Estelle gently.
“Child, what is your name?”
Estelle tensed slightly under Pabiano’s gaze but couldn’t answer right away. A voice in her head spoke.
“Kid, it’s okay. He serves me, so he’ll take good care of you.”
Feeling a little reassured by the voice, Estelle answered hesitantly.
“‘Star.’”
“Star?”
Pabiano looked at Reina.
Reina explained.
“There are cases like this, Your Holiness. Because of taxes, she wasn’t registered on purpose....”
“Mm, I understand.”
Pabiano gazed at Estelle quietly, then walked closer with a slight smile.
“Child, I am Pabiano.”
“...Pabiano Grandpa.”
When Estelle called him Grandpa, Reina let out a soft laugh. Pabiano gave her a knowing look and turned back to Estelle.
“Yes, call me that. From today, you will live here with us.”
“Yes.”
Estelle blinked. Pabiano smiled and stroked her hair.
“From now on, your name will be Estelle. A name that means star.”
“...Estelle?”
“Yes, Estelle.”
Pabiano continued to stroke her hair affectionately.
“You are now part of our family.”
Estelle
Thus was her name born.
#
Estelle, who had once been called Star, came to live in the Pope’s Palace. Reina and Ludwig, who had brought her, regretted not being able to stay, but they promised to visit once or twice a year and left.
Estelle lived in the Pope’s Palace in constant wonder. The way of life in the Church, the people of the Church, and even Pabiano’s beard—all of it was fascinating.
“Estelle.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Stop playing with the beard. Today there is someone I want to introduce.”
“Yes?”
Estelle, who had been pulling on Pabiano’s long beard, tilted her head. Pabiano set her down and stroked her hair.
“From today, two teachers will come to teach you. Ah, there they come.”
Pabiano pointed to the distant place. Estelle followed his finger and saw a man and a woman approaching.
“We’re here.”
“Peace be with you, Your Holiness.”
“It has been a while, Your Holiness.”
Both greeted Pabiano. Then they asked upon seeing the child he was stroking.
“This child you mentioned....”
“Yes, a child born with extraordinarily strong divine power.”
“...This cute little one?”
The woman pinched Estelle’s cheek. The soft, plump cheek flesh sank in, and the woman giggled happily.
“Oh my, she’s so adorable. So well-behaved?”
“She’s like that. Sometimes she’s too mature for her age, so treat her like a little kid, okay?”
“Hmm, okay?”
Estelle glanced back and forth between the man and the woman. The man introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you, Estelle. I’m Antonio. I work in the Holy Office here at the Pope’s Palace. From today, I’ll handle your education.”
“Hello.”
She bowed her head. The woman giggled.
“Oh, she’s so cute.”
“Introduce yourself too.”
“Yes~.”
The woman wore a nun’s habit. With her black habit, she smiled at Estelle.
“Hello, Estelle. I’m Katarina.”