Chapter 219
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219
Corico nodded, her face pale. The High Priest carefully opened the box and revealed its contents to the people below the dais.
“……!”
I nearly threw all my composure to the wind and bolted upright from my seat.
‘Kim Ddong-byul? What are you doing there?’
There, sealed elegantly inside the sacred box, was Kim Ddong-byul.
Reflexively, I looked up, but my star was still hovering above my head.
‘Then what is that?’
“This is the beginning of all divine power in this world, the one and only Sacred Relic bestowed upon us by God. With this, I shall verify the Saintess.”
There had been no verification process in Corico’s Saintess ending in the game.
‘Scenes I’ve never even seen in the game are popping up one after another….’
Before I could examine it more closely, Corico reached her hand out over the Sacred Relic. And then—
“Ooh…!”
“My goodness…!”
“The relic—the relic is floating!”
“Oh, heavens!”
The crowd marveled in unison, gazing up at the air. The Sacred Relic had risen and was hovering above Corico’s head.
The faint divine power I felt in that moment was definitely the real deal.
The divine power spread like the scent of flowers, filling the massive hall to the point where everyone seated clasped their hands in sincere prayer as if they were facing God Himself.
I furrowed my brow as hard as I could, observing the star circling Corico’s head.
‘It’s black.’
Furthermore, it was an early version of Kim Ddong-byul. It was so small it couldn't even be compared to the Kim Ddong-byul currently roaming above my head.
‘What on earth is it? Is it a fake?’
Kim Ddong-byul, you aren't a fake, are you? I’d be so sad if you were.
The High Priest spoke with a benevolent smile.
“You may put the Sacred Relic down now, Saintess.”
“Yes….”
Corico was breaking out in a cold sweat, as if even lifting that Fake Ddong-byul for a moment had been an immense struggle.
“With this, I hereby proclaim that Hyacinthia Frezier is the Saintess verified by the Sacred Relic, ‘Han Ina’….”
Cough.
Cough, cough, cough!
Leon Frezier pounded on my back.
“Hey, why are you suddenly coughing like that? Did something go down the wrong pipe?”
“Tulia, what is the matter? Are you alright?”
“Quick, get… some… water….”
Water? I didn't need water.
I blinked blankly, simply asking Leon and Lisian in return.
“B-brothers. What did he say the name of the Sacred Relic was just now?”
“Huh?”
While Leon Frezier made a confused face, Lisian calmly handed me water and answered.
“Han Ina.”
“…….”
“He said… the name of the Sacred Relic… was Han Ina.”
* * *
Ferdinand stared at Tulia’s face, which had turned beyond pale to a ghostly white.
They were on opposite sides, and the distance was quite far, but his eyesight was exceptionally keen.
Why did she look like she was about to collapse?
Had that Crown Prince, Benjamin Fluers, appeared somewhere here again?
Ferdinand realized a beat late that he was scanning the crowd.
It was ridiculous, irritating, and he even felt a sense of self-contempt.
It was the first time.
A woman he had proposed to purely of his own volition.
Yet that noble woman loved another man so much she had sobbed until her eyes were as swollen as walnuts.
And then, she had smiled brightly while telling him she didn't love him, driving a dagger into his chest.
Yes, it was a dagger.
Because Ferdinand had certainly been wounded by Tulia.
That was how things had ended between them.
No, had they even begun?
Why on earth was he still so concerned about Tulia Frezier?
Why did thinking of her make him feel infinitely lonely and miserable, yet lead him to look at her like this again?
If it weren't for Emperor Alexander.
If it weren't for Empress Carmi.
If it weren't for those two—if only it weren't for those two.
He wouldn't have been a hideous monster, a defective product, or a flawed piece of goods.
He could have grown up normally and proposed to the Young Lady of Frezier with a normal appearance….
He could have promised her the seat of the Empress and asked her to accept him.
It was laughable.
Everything felt tedious.
Ferdinand suddenly felt the urge to upend this entire stage.
“High Priest.”
Standing up from his seat, Ferdinand glanced at the girl—the so-called Saintess—who was trembling piteously, and spoke.
“Why was no such verification conducted for the late Empress?”
“……!”
“My mother might have been a Saintess as well, considering the divine power she displayed.”
* * *
‘What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?’
Because of Ferdinand’s sudden bombshell, a new wave of commotion was rising among the distinguished guests.
The High Priest, who had been looking at Ferdinand with a complex expression, opened his mouth.
“We intended to nominate the former Empress Olivia as a Saintess as well, but she refused.”
“……!”
Emperor Alexander bolted upright from his seat.
“Are you saying she was a Saintess?!”
“It is possible. The divine power the former Empress Olivia possessed certainly met the criteria for a Saintess. It was simply that Her Majesty the Empress did not acknowledge it.”
The High Priest looked at Ferdinand with a face tinged with sadness.
“To her, Prince Ferdinand, you were her everything.”
“…….”
“However, for two individuals with such magnificent divine power to be born in succession like this….”
The High Priest looked at Corico with wistful eyes.
“It is possible that a portion of the divine power or the soul of the late Empress Olivia flowed into a new body.”
“……!”
In an instant, the Emperor’s eyes shook violently as he looked at Corico. The nobles were no different.
‘So, he’s saying Corico might be something like the reincarnation of Empress Olivia? But as a hardcore fan of <The Milk Bread>, I know the doctrines of this world are clearly….’
“A portion of the soul flowed into a new body? High Priest.”
Ferdinand spoke in a chilling voice.
“The doctrine of the Holy Scriptures states that the deceased find eternal rest in God’s embrace. Why are you spouting such nonsensical delusions?”
The High Priest, who had been dropping significant hints, was momentarily startled.
He, too, had realized his own slip of the tongue.
“I made a mistake, as His Majesty the Emperor’s grief seemed so profound. Thank you for reminding me, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
It was a problem for someone like the High Priest to say something contrary to the scriptures in such an official setting, but…
‘I have a feeling….’
It felt as though the High Priest didn't want to be disliked by Ferdinand in the slightest. It almost felt like he was acting like a servant.
I wondered if he really had to go that far, but then again, it was somewhat understandable.
If there were two people the Temple loved, one was the Crown Prince, who was born embracing all the divine power in the world.
And the other was said to be Lisian Frezier, who possessed an Archangel-like beauty as if he had stepped out of a sacred painting.
‘And today, another person has been added.’
Corico.
* * *
Carmi bit her lip hard as she watched Emperor Alexander, who had been tapping his right finger the entire time.
That was a habit the Emperor displayed whenever he was anxious.
And what would be the reason for the Emperor’s anxiety right now?
‘Empress Olivia, Empress Olivia!’
Just when would that woman disappear from above her head?
Carmi’s face was as white as a sheet as she caught a glimpse of the Emperor’s expression, where longing and agony coexisted.
The Head Maid quietly leaned toward Carmi.
“Your Majesty the Empress. Do not be hasty.”
“…….”
“The Saintess is a direct descendant of Frezier anyway. The more grand her status becomes, the more the Emperor will not dare to even call her to his bedchamber. Therefore, Your Majesty should step forward yourself to raise that woman’s status even higher….”