Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Sudden Guest
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Fireworks were still beautifully adorning the night sky.
But Jane was nowhere to be seen beneath that night sky.
"……"
After gazing at the spot where she had been with bitter eyes for a while, he turned to head back to the mansion.
Even so, hoping against hope, he spread out his senses more thoroughly than ever before, but her presence was still undetectable.
Upon returning home, he spotted a small wolf bounding toward him from afar. The little wolf, tongue lolling out as it ran, soon leaped into Yujin's arms.
And transformed into the form of a small girl.
He caught Yuseol's body, which naturally clung tightly to him, and stroked her head and ears.
'…At least she's wearing clothes.'
Fortunately, she was.
Still, it was fascinating. In wolf form, she was just her natural self—no puppy clothes or anything. But when she shifted to her humanoid form, she was dressed…
'…Is she storing them somewhere and summoning them?'
It was curiously intriguing.
I wonder if a mage could explain it. Of course, he could just ask Yuseol directly without bothering…
'I've already tried that.'
She'd just said something like, Just do it like this! and it works. What was the difference from saying geniuses could do it effortlessly?
'…Maybe there's a slight difference.'
For her, it probably wasn't about talent—it was as natural as breathing for a human.
In the meantime, Yuseol buried her face in Yujin's chest and rubbed her head against him.
"Hehe…"
"…Yuseol, does it feel good?"
"Yeah…"
"What does?"
"Master's scent is nice…"
Yujin froze.
"Why'd you stop petting me, Master…?"
"…No, it's nothing."
As he resumed stroking her, Yuseol let out a pleased laugh.
…Somehow, it made him feel like a criminal. A child predator, even.
…Just to clarify, he absolutely did not have any perverse tastes. Even though Yuseol showered him with this kind of affection(?), his preferences were perfectly normal.
He liked women with voluptuous figures—like Lucia or Irene, or even Jane—where there was plenty in the right places and none where there shouldn't be.
"…I'd prefer you not say things like that in front of others."
"Why… ? Your scent is nice, though…"
…At the very least, shouldn't she grow bigger in appearance first? If this were Earth, this situation alone would land him in chains.
Of course, it felt cute, like raising a much younger sister or daughter.
"Yuseol. Will your appearance stay the same from now on?"
"Appearance…?"
"Yeah… like your face or body. For example, will you grow taller or get longer legs?"
"Hmm… I dunno! But it feels like I'm growing a little every day!"
With that, Yuseol buried her face in Yujin's chest again. She sniffed around, then suddenly flinched as if sensing something.
Yuseol slowly looked up at Yujin.
"Master."
"Hm?"
"I smell another female…"
In an instant, Yuseol's eyes went dead.
"It's not the purple-head or yellow-head who were with Master…"
Purple-head and yellow-head…
So that's how Yuseol remembered Irene and Lucia?
"Purple-head and yellow-head are Irene and Lucia."
"Yeah. It's not Irene or Lucia's scent."
Thump—Yuseol bonked her head against Yujin's shoulder.
"Who is it?"
"…I met someone I know."
"Who?"
"You wouldn't know her."
"Tch…"
She pouted, then hopped down from Yujin's arms and toddled off toward the mansion.
Afterward, to soothe the inexplicably sulky baby wolf Yuseol, he spent quite some time petting her lavishly.
The festival finally concluded peacefully, without a single incident.
Of course, there was the fact that one of Pandemonium's Seven Deadly Sins Seats had entered the imperial palace and even enjoyed the festival… but that was still a secret known only to Yujin and the Emperor, so it effectively hadn't happened.
And so, the empire's clock began ticking forward at its usual rapid pace once more.
And—
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."
In the imperial palace's audience chamber, a man in pristine white priestly robes bowed toward the Emperor seated on his throne.
Flanking the Emperor were Yujin, who had recently been elevated to duke, and Russel, who was awaiting only the crown prince's replacement.
"I am Heinkel Ludwig, a humble servant of Solara and the special envoy from the Holy Kingdom."
"We are equally pleased to meet you, Cardinal Ludwig."
Heinkel Ludwig was a cardinal of the Holy Kingdom.
A cardinal was the highest-ranking cleric in the Holy Kingdom, excluding only the Pope, Saintess, and Saint. Moreover, given the church's current 'unique' circumstances, the cardinals were practically the true powers moving the Holy Kingdom.
And the reason such a cardinal had come personally as a special envoy, rather than sending a subordinate…
"Saintess."
Saintess?
At that word, everyone's gazes turned to Heinkel.
"A divine oracle has decreed that the Saintess shall be born in the Empire."
"……"
Saintess.
That single word left everyone in the audience chamber stunned.
What kind of being was a Saintess?
She was the one who could hear the oracles of the Sun Goddess Solara before anyone else—a being closer to the divine than even the Pope.
Throughout continental history, every Saintess had performed miracles befitting her status.
Reviving the dead with a single touch, purifying a plague that ravaged an entire kingdom in an instant, or enveloping the land in purifying flames.
Though the scale varied by Saintess, she was a being who wrought miracles of a different nature from those of archmages or Sword Masters.
And such a being was to be born in the Empire?
"…Cardinal Ludwig, is that true?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is the absolute truth, without a shred of fabrication. It is an oracle received directly by His Holiness the Pope."
The Pope had received the oracle directly from the Sun Goddess Solara.
That meant it was confirmed truth, unless the Holy Kingdom had falsified it—and clerics would never lie in the name of their goddess.
"…Summon the others."
The Emperor immediately called for people.
All the nobles in the audience chamber were dismissed, as were the maids and imperial knights. Now, only the Emperor, the cardinal, Russel, Yujin, and a few key ministers remained.
They moved to a private chamber.
"Cardinal. In what manner will this Saintess 'be born,' and when?"
Yujin glanced at the Emperor as he pondered.
The birth of the Saintess…
He was likely asking whether the Saintess had already been born, or if she was still in someone's womb, literally awaiting birth.
"The Saintess has already been born, Your Majesty. She simply remains unaware for now. But with even a single trigger, she will awaken and reveal her true nature to the world."
"So you only know that a Saintess will appear—nothing about when, where, or who."
That was the crux of what the cardinal was saying.
An adult woman, whose time, place, and identity are unknown even to us.
"Is the oracle limited only to her birth within the Empire?"
"Hm…? Ah, Duke Banus, Your Excellency."
Heinkel knew of Yujin.
He was the swordsman hailed as possessing the greatest talent in imperial—no, continental—history, and he had just been elevated to duke.
Considering that a duke in the Empire was equivalent to a king in another land, Yujin had risen from the bottom to become a king in his own right.
Heinkel looked at Yujin with a serious gaze, then shook his head.
"No. There is more to Solara's oracle."
Of course there is.
"……!!"
"What is the oracle, Cardinal?"
"From the bloodline blessed by the sun, a child loved by all shall emerge."
From the bloodline blessed by the sun, a child loved by all shall emerge…?
Everyone fell deep into thought at those words.
Soon, one of the ministers spoke up.
"…Might it refer to Her Highness the Princess?"
Lucia…
"No, I don't believe so."
"Your Excellency?"
Puzzled looks turned toward Yujin.
"In our Empire, the 'bloodline blessed by the sun' refers to the supreme imperial lineage passed down for centuries. However, the term 'sun's blessing' originally applied to nobles as well. Moreover, this oracle might not be metaphorical—it could literally mean certain blessed individuals exist. There's much room for interpretation."
"Hmm…"
Russel then supported Yujin.
"As the Duke says, there's considerable room for interpretation, Your Majesty."
"Indeed."
The Emperor nodded.
"Cardinal Ludwig. Is there nothing more to the oracle?"
"Regrettably, no, Your Majesty."
"What does the Holy Kingdom speculate about the Saintess's identity?"
"After discussion, we concluded that Solara, being a supreme being, perceives time differently from humans. Thus, it's unclear whether the 'sun's blessing' refers to current conventions or those of the distant past. Our judgment is to expand the search to the nobility."
"So it aligns with Duke Banus's assessment."
After stroking his chin in thought for a moment, the Emperor regarded the cardinal.
"If the Saintess is found, what will the Holy Kingdom do?"
A subtle tension hung over everyone present.
Asking what the Holy Kingdom would do if the Saintess were found was a highly sensitive matter.
And finally, Heinkel spoke.