Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Holy Knight Brother, I Came to Find You!
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I came here today to recruit a strong and steadfast holy knight who swore loyalty to Melodia.
He’ll join our villain family and protect me and Dad.
Just like how Melodia won his heart in the original story.
With my knowledge of the original plot, it shouldn’t be hard to charm him.
‘He’ll definitely end up standing against me someday, but he’ll be a big help in stopping Axel.’
His powerful, destructive holy power was the perfect counter to Axel’s black magic. It was sure to be a huge asset in stopping him.
‘Right now, without meeting Melodia, he hasn’t found a lord to swear loyalty to, so he’s hiding his abilities.’
I decided to cautiously approach the place where he was.
***
Getting into the temple would take forever with my little legs.
But the maids with their wide strides scooped me up and set me down in the center of the temple in less than a minute.
“Thank you, Sien happy!”
“It’s the honor of a lifetime!”
“You’re so soft and squishy, sniff. You need to build some muscle.”
The maids were being way too dramatic! For a four- or five-year-old kid, I was pretty cool-looking.
“We have to go now.”
“Huh?”
“The sacred temple…… is the natural enemy of the Mirmod family, so we can’t stay long in a group.”
“But we’ll find a way, so go on in for now!”
The maids’ eyes sparkled.
As expected of a villain family. Enemies of the temple.
I sighed inwardly and nodded. One maid dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve and whispered.
“……I’m worried, even if just for a bit! Whether our baby can hold up here.”
Objectively, it wasn’t that big a deal. I just needed to find one holy knight. They were so overprotective.
I shooed the maids outside with a wave. Then I started carefully scanning the temple interior, waddling along on my short, chubby legs—but soon ran into a big problem.
‘I barged in blind, so how do I find Holy Knight Ted? I don’t even know what he looks like.’
The Senoa Temple wasn’t that big, so maybe I’d find him quick. I toddled around energetically.
The temple corridors were wide but silent, with no worshippers coming to pray.
It was weird there weren’t any adult priests around to ask for directions.
‘Oh, people over there!’
I’d figured there’d always be baby priests and shrine maidens inside the temple.
My guess was spot on.
As soon as I passed the corridor and reached the landing near the stairs, I spotted a group of young priests.
“What’s this?”
“Hello! Um, excuse me…….”
I was about to say the name of the holy knight I was looking for. Or ask about the nightly holy knight succession ceremony.
Until they bristled at the sight of me. Up until then, I’d been full of hope.
“You here to donate holy offerings? Give it to us first.”
I tilted my head.
I wasn’t here to donate offerings. Also, what were these kids trying to pull on a baby?
I was flustered as four young priests…… no, little thugs surrounded me tightly.
‘Am I getting shaken down right now?’
I came to the temple to meet a holy knight?
It was bewildering. I looked around, but they blocked my view.
“Look at her clothes. A noble? But she’s alone, so probably abandoned.”
“Gasp, looks like it. No maids either.”
“What, she’s a beggar then.”
“No money to squeeze outta her, huh?”
I froze stiff.
The word “abandoned” was a huge trauma trigger for me. Hearing it always left me dazed for a few seconds.
‘I wasn’t abandoned. Dad said Sien is the most precious thing in the world.’
I wanted to snap back at them so hard their ears rang.
But the trauma made it hard to respond right away to their malice. As I stood there rigid, they unleashed a barrage of vicious words.
“Is she an idiot or something? Didn’t answer even after hearing us.”
“Look how fat and flabby she is!”
“Gabrielle’s gonna chew her out!”
Snapping out of my trauma, I finally got a grip and thought.
‘It’s not flabby, it’s chubby! You idiots!’
Flabby was for baby pigs. I scowled and clenched my plump fist tight.
‘I can’t let those mean words slide!’
I’d thought about ignoring them, but no way.
Personal attacks too? These were rotten kids—they needed a little lesson.
I opened my mouth in a grim tone, like a detective from a scary mystery novel.
“Kids.”
“What?”
The kids glared at me with narrowed eyes.
Kids aren’t always pure and innocent. That’s a lesson I’d learned about the world.
I spread my legs in a tough stance, widened my eyes, and spat on the floor.
Then I started to spit out the curse I’d heard from Dad—but paused.
‘No need for curses.’
I folded my innocent eyes into a half-crescent smile like a cracked sun.
“Shut up.”
“W-What?”
“I’m not a beggar. I’m looking for someone. So move!”
The kids looked momentarily speechless, exchanged glances, then glared at me again. Probably bonding over their little gang.
They wore pristine priest robes but were plenty vicious and knew all about bullying.
“Who you looking for?”
“Whatever, get outta our temple!”
One kid even grabbed my hair and messed it up.
“Eek! Stop! Get off!”
Grandma’s “safety device” was useless against a kid’s minor malice. It only activated for real threats to my life, and kids didn’t count. Totally expected.
“No way!”
“I’ll grab too, you dummy!”
As they yanked my hair for a while.
Thankfully, my relief pitcher showed up.
“What’s going on here.”
Quick footsteps approaching.
“Baby priests, you can’t bully your friends!”
The kids scattered noisily at the deep, gruff voice.
I grabbed my tousled hair and whipped my head around fast.
“Thank you—.”
Uh, that helpful mister. His face looked…… familiar!
Kinda like I’d seen him before!
‘Could he be…… Ted?’
A holy knight in white with blond hair and blue eyes.
Tall, always carries a sword on his left side, faint scar on his left cheek.
Even keeps his white uniform spotless thanks to his perfectionism.
I stared at him, comparing to the info in my head.
‘Found him right away, my guy.’
But before I could celebrate, the baby priests butted in nastily.
“We weren’t bullying!”
The young priests started throwing a fit. No reason to, which was weird.
But the subtle unease shattered the moment they opened their mouths again.
“You gotta believe us, right, if you’re a holy knight?”
“She started it, going wild on us.”
“She was rolling on the floor, messing up her own hair! Look at that mess!”
They did it themselves!
I was getting pushed into a corner.
But luckily, the holy knight didn’t seem to buy their story.
“……You mustn’t lie. Even to the maids until now—.”
“It’s not a lie! Got proof?”
“Keep it up and Gabrielle might chew you out!”
“Gabrielle?”
“Yeah! She’s got the highest holy power in our temple! Could be a saintess someday!”
‘Why does that name feel so familiar?’
It gave me a strong sense of déjà vu.
But no time to dwell on Gabrielle.
The kids looked scared, glanced at each other, then turned on me.
“Get rid of her quick!”
“Kick out the outsider with no donation!”
I took in their shocked faces one by one.
“Ted, you’re seriously taking that idiot’s side right now?”
The holy knight looked down at me awkwardly.
Even as a baby, priests and shrine maidens were under his protection. So he couldn’t just scold them outright.
Time for me to help.
“They really didn’t bully me?”
I grinned confidently at them.
I’d totally regained my confidence.
Whether they admitted or denied bullying me, in a few seconds, they’d be the ones getting chewed out—not me.
“Know what this is, you punks?”
I grinned and shook the watch on my wrist.
‘This is the gift from Grandma that I gave Dad!’
It perfectly recreated voices and faces, and could detect people even in blurry footage—an image orb artifact.
Mostly used to protect kids or track crimes, worth a whole mansion.
The kids, seeing such an expensive artifact for the first time, stared at confident me in bewilderment.
“Ta-da.”
I tapped the screen of the watch-disguised image orb, and a huge projection appeared in the air.
Then it started replaying what happened earlier.
‘Idiot or what?’
‘Look how fat and flabby she is!’
‘Send her to Gabrielle to deal with!’
Grandma’s watch artifact to protect me.
Its key feature? If something big happens to me, it instantly sends footage of the situation to Grandma.
‘Grandma loves me tons!’
……Well, I wasn’t totally sure, but I’d think that. It made my heart feel better.
I stuck out my round belly shamelessly and thought.
And actually, this artifact had another function.
It recorded my vision perfectly. Grandma added it in case I got unfair treatment from high temple priests.
‘Who knew an image orb could be this useful.’
I beamed and tapped the watch to turn off the projection. Then I said to them, like I’d prepped an amazing event.
“Ta-da.”
Luckily, no lispy pronunciation! Buoyed, I pursed my lips and added primly.
“It’s an image orb!”
My speech was a bit off, but fine.
I lifted my chin shamelessly. Of course—I had the upper hand!
The kids looked super flustered, contrasting my smile. Their front teeth chattered as they asked.
“S-So what’re you gonna do about it?”
Knew it.
All within my expectations. People always get indignant or shameless when caught off guard.
‘You’re going shameless now, huh?’
I flashed my pearly white front teeth like fresh corn and grinned wide at them.
“I’m telling my grandma everything.”
“Some beggar grandma who’s gonna……!”
“My grandma’s Duchess Lukella Mirmod!”
I chuckled and watched their reactions.
The Mirmod family.
To kids, it was like “bogeyman grandpa” or “tiger.”
Especially to priests, it’d feel like the root of all evil.
Sure enough.
“M-Mirmod?”
“It’s a lie!”
To the denying idiots, I carefully enunciated.
“Dummies, Mirmod’s coming to get you!”
The kids burst into wails at “Mirmod.”
I shook my head, watching the kids who’d been so vicious moments ago now sobbing.
Kids were kids, after all.
If you’re gonna crumble that easy, why mess with people?