Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Pretending to Be at Ease and Bluffing Bravado (3)
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"Huff, huff."
I gulped in ragged breaths for a long while, making harsh noises. My constricted lungs eagerly swallowed the air in great gulps.
"Cough, hack."
Every time I exhaled, water that had backed up gushed out from my nose and mouth. When I finally managed to inhale, the half-expelled water mixed with the air and went back into my body.
"Cough, urk."
I hacked up a storm for quite some time. Sprawled on the ground, writhing and just gulping down breaths.
"Huff, heave."
At last, I flipped over and lay flat on my back.
"Haa, haa."
My chest swelled and fell in large motions, over and over. Droplets of water still trickled from my nose and mouth.
I panted like a madman for ages before finally muttering.
"Fuck."
A single word laced with deep frustration and rage burst out.
"Ugh, seriously."
I sat up from my spot.
My drenched clothes hung limply downward. The rain that had been pounding down on my back had stopped at some point.
"I thought I was done for."
It had really been close. A little later, and I would've sunk to the lake bottom and ended it all.
"This thing..."
I raised my empty right hand. The sensation of Requiem, gripped in it just moments ago, still lingered vividly.
"Did this save me?"
In the last moment when my eyes were closing, it felt like my body was being threaded with thin black threads. And my body moved like a puppet controlled by those threads.
"It couldn't just let my body die, I guess."
But the instant I sucked in that sliver of air, a flash of clarity hit me. I clawed my way up from the depths of unconsciousness and successfully reclaimed my body.
"Haa..."
After that, Requiem went eerily still. And it vanished from my sight.
"Completely absorbed?"
I tilted my head and looked around me. There was no trace of Requiem anywhere.
"Oh, that must be it."
After pondering for a bit, I yanked off my soaked upper garment. Relying on the faint moonlight, I began examining every inch of my body carefully.
"Ah."
Found it.
Below my right shoulder, there was a new pattern etched in. It depicted dried leaves wrapping around a sword—the emblem of Requiem, the Sword of Autumn.
"So it appears here after all."
In the original story, when the protagonist Cain acquired another of the Four Seasons Swords, a mark appeared in the same spot.
It signified that the person had successfully dominated the sword, meaning they could summon it freely at will.
"I really did it."
I stroked my shoulder, feeling a mix of complex emotions. Amazement and pride welled up.
"To think I conquered Requiem."
A pleasant thrill made my heart pound wildly. My lips kept twitching upward toward the sky.
"Ahem, hmm."
Suppressing my laughter with effort, I suddenly looked around.
The rain had cleared, revealing a clear autumn night. The surroundings were just dark and quiet, and I was the only one on the still lake surface.
'No one's here?'
The moment I realized that,
"Pfft!"
Laughter exploded out like a balloon popping.
"Uahaha!"
I clutched my stomach and laughed uproariously.
"Hahaha!"
Rolling on the ground, my whole body shaking, like a madman, just like that.
"Uhaha, uahaha!"
I laughed so long my stomach hurt. But it wasn't painful. It just felt good.
"Hehehe."
I finally quelled my laughter and sat up straight. I wiped the tears from my eyes and grinned.
'To possess one of the Four Seasons Swords at age twenty.'
This was truly unprecedented. Even the original protagonist Cain wouldn't become a sword's master until next year.
'And the hardest one, Requiem.'
Compared to the others, Requiem was the trickiest to handle. Because of the sword's inherent attribute of 'void.'
'This puts me ahead of all other owners.'
Once I mastered using this sword, there probably wouldn't be anyone in the empire who could surpass me.
But.
'I can't let my guard down yet.'
This was just the beginning. If I weakened even slightly or lost consciousness, Requiem could seize control again.
"Alright."
I picked up my discarded upper garment from the ground and stood.
As if nothing had happened, only the round moon and twinkling stars gazed down at me.
The fact that one of the Four Seasons Swords had just appeared, and that it had fully come under human control, was known only to them and me.
Leaving those secretive watchers behind, I headed toward Magna Morten again.
"Ah, I'm hungry."
Grumbling softly.
❖ ❖ ❖
At that moment, in the imperial capital Magiore.
Even in this city famous for its exorbitant land prices, there was one spot on the priciest golden egg of land that occupied a wider estate than any noble's mansion.
At its center stood a building wrapped in ivory marble and vibrant stained glass.
The headquarters of the Church of Serena, the empire's sole religion, and the largest temple in the empire.
Riverente Temple.
A place whose monthly donations alone surpassed the income of high nobles, and the residence of the empire's one and only 'Saintess.'
A throng of people poured into Riverente Temple. It always drew crowds for regular masses, but today the numbers were two or three times greater.
Priests in white robes greeted them with kindly smiles.
"Dio Benedica."
"Dio Benedica."
Low murmurs of greeting passed along with the sign of the cross made with their hands.
They headed toward the Great Hall with its expansive domed ceiling and took their seats in the available spots one by one.
When the seats were nearly filled, a cardinal in white robes entered the hall. As he took his place at the center of the podium, the people fell silent as if on cue.
"Dio Benedica."
Finishing his greeting, the cardinal made the sign of the cross. He scanned the assembly once, then spoke.
"We shall begin the mass."
At his words, eyes sparkled. Of course, these were people drilled in etiquette from childhood, so they didn't fidget unseemly.
But they couldn't hide the flush rising on their cheeks. And they kept stealing glances toward the hall's inner entrance.
After some time had passed like that. When the long mass reached its final rites.
"Next, the Saintess will bestow words of blessing."
At the cardinal's announcement, eyes blazed brightly. An almost palpable heat began to emanate, as if emitting beams of light.
All attention focused on the hall's inner entrance.
Rustle.
From within, a girl emerged wearing a white veil and flowing white robes.
"Ooh...!"
"It's the Saintess!"
No overt commotion arose, but hushed exclamations of awe rippled through.
The Saintess's face was obscured by the white veil. But beneath it, abundant light-green hair cascaded visibly.
She was petite, and her voluminous robes made one worry they might trip her feet.
Yet the Saintess stepped forward steadily without stumbling, gazing only ahead. She gracefully settled at the central podium.
"Saintess, may we begin?"
The cardinal approached her side, and the veil shifted faintly up and down. It was permission.
"Understood."
Only then did the cardinal unfold his prepared paper.
"The devotee to receive the Saintess's blessing today is..."
People swallowed hard. Some clasped their hands in desperate prayer.
"...Lady Sophia Barnes of the Barnes Family."
"Aah!"
A cry of joy erupted from a group in the front row. Those whose names weren't called swallowed sighs and bowed their heads.
"Aah, finally!"
Lady Sophia Barnes rose unsteadily from her seat.
Her wrinkled face was pale with illness, her body gaunt like a sharpened rod. Her trembling fingers seemed due to more than just joy.
"This way, please."
At the cardinal's command, Baroness Barnes, standing beside her, supported her.
"Come, dear, let's go."
"Yes, Mother."
Though mother and daughter, they didn't look that far apart in age. If you didn't know, you'd mistake them for friends.
Lady Sophia Barnes approached the Saintess step by shaky step.
"......"
The Saintess's gaze brushed over the two women. It was a cold, indifferent look, as if appraising unrelated objects.
The cardinal standing beside her intoned in a resounding voice.
"The Barnes Family has spared no expression of their devout faith in recent months. They have also shown steadfast attendance at every mass without fail."
Everyone knew that "expression of devout faith" meant donations. The Barnes Family's contributions were three times the usual noble amount.
"Aah, Saintess..."
Reaching the Saintess, Lady Sophia Barnes burst into tears.
But the Saintess offered no tender comfort. She merely called her name softly.
"Sophia Barnes."
Her voice held an uncanny magnetism that drew people in. It was clearly a girl's timbre, yet it sounded like an elder's at times.
"Calm yourself."
An overwhelming presence, radiance, and holy aura emanated from the Saintess.
"Yes, yes, Saintess."
Lady Sophia Barnes wiped her tears and replied. She couldn't even bring herself to look straight at the Saintess's face.
"Come closer."
The Saintess murmured, extending one hand.
"Ooh, finally!"
"She's about to give the blessing!"
"To witness that moment!"
The assembly whispered among themselves, eyes glued to the Saintess. Their gazes darted busily between her and Lady Sophia Barnes.
"Saintess, please..."
Lady Sophia Barnes clasped her trembling hands in prayer. She bit her lip and closed her eyes.
The Saintess's hand rested atop Lady Sophia Barnes's. And the next moment,
Flash!
White light burst from where their hands met.
"Ooh!"
The crowd couldn't contain their curiosity and rose on tiptoes. Some even edged closer unwittingly.
"That's far enough."
But stern knights blocked them.
"Ah, aah."
The white light wrapped around Lady Sophia Barnes's wrists, spreading through her body. Soon, an astonishing change overtook her.
"My goodness."
"Heavens."
The assembly gasped.
The wrinkles on Lady Sophia Barnes's face smoothed out gradually, her skin tightening. The age spots that blanketed her face faded away.
She now looked her true age of twenty-five.
At last, the Saintess withdrew her hand. Lady Sophia Barnes staggered backward.
"Dear...!"
Baroness Barnes, who had waited nearby, rushed forward.
"M-Mother."
Lady Sophia Barnes clutched her hand, voice choked.
"H-How do I look now?"
"Aah."
Baroness Barnes couldn't continue. She trembled her lips, drinking in her daughter's beautiful face.
"My, my hands..."
Lady Sophia Barnes raised her hands. Seeing her flawless, smooth skin, she burst into sobs.
"Aaah!"