Don't Underestimate Blue (3)
Silence fell in an instant.
At Kina's words, the attendants and maids looked as if their eyeballs were about to rattle loose.
…Did I just hear that right?
A priest of Blue?
So Isaac was telling him—the heir of the Gold Faith, no, the Pope's own grandson—to become a priest of Blue?!
Shuri and the rest of Blue's team were already cursing him out with their eyes alone.
Is this little bastard out of his mind?
For the record, changing one's sworn faith once it was set simply did not happen.
Well, not never. There had been cases—internal feuds, personal circumstances—with the scrutiny growing harsher the higher one climbed, but it was at least a thing that could occur.
The problem was the Five Great Ducal Houses, the guardians of the faiths themselves.
They never abandoned their mother faiths.
A guardian of the faith committing apostasy? That shook the very foundation of belief itself.
Occasionally someone awakens to their true identity and switches faiths, but…
That meant abandoning one's house—becoming a traitor. Every privilege was stripped away, and they were expelled from their family, forced to change even their saintly mantle. In a word: excommunication.
And now what? He told Kina Berith to become a priest of Blue?
The one who said it isn't exactly sane either, is he?
As if on cue, the eyes of the Gold contingent glittered dangerously.
Is he provoking us?
Wasn't humiliating our house enough for him?
But Isaac just looked exasperated.
"Why are you making things up? I only told him to do it for the Red Pentagon. Who said anything about actually converting?"
Ah. Well, that makes more sense.
Everyone relaxed, nodding along. The only problem was that the person in question was doing no such nodding.
"I don't care about any of that. What I agreed to was your words: 'become a priest of Blue.' There's no time limit on it. So I'll be serving my apprenticeship alongside you."
"Y-Young Lord?!"
Kina sprawled himself right across the floor, the very picture of so what?
"Tell my father I have no intention of returning home for the foreseeable future."
"Young Lord!!"
But Kina only stared holes through Isaac.
It was definitely him who cast that holy art for Shuri.
There was no way Shuri had gotten that strong on his own. It had to have been Isaac's power.
What power is it?
Could it truly be the power of the Pope?
If he stayed at Isaac's side, maybe he'd learn the secret of wielding the Pope's strength himself.
And that wasn't all.
I'm sorry—what? The Crown Prince gifted something to Blue?
Unbelievable.
Just as the Crown Prince looked askance at Kina, another prince in his own right, the truth was that Kina found the Crown Prince equally grating.
What nonsense is this about a nation where sun and moon coexist?
As the old saying went, two kings could never share one throne. The Imperial Family and the Papacy were currently locked in a bloodshot-eyed struggle to drive each other out of the Empire.
And now the Crown Prince had given Blue a gift?
He had priestly garments tailored for them, no less??
Did he have any idea what that meant?
Commissioning uniforms for a group signaled recognition and respect—but clothing also carried the meaning of ownership.
The Imperial Family, daring to covet what belongs to the Pope.
There was a reason the cardinals, heads of the Five Faiths, all wore black vestments.
The black priest's robes bore the meaning of a death shroud—I will kill my old self and live on as God's seedling—but for the Five Faiths, it signified something more: killing oneself as a faction's head and swearing fealty to the Pope.
In other words, all five faiths belonged to the Pope. Isaac, as a member of Blue, was the Pope's property as well.
And yet the Crown Prince dared reach for what he had claimed first? Did anyone think he'd sit quietly and watch that happen?
"Anyway, I intend to collect payment for the help I gave during the Red Pentagon."
At those words, the faces of the maids and attendants brightened.
So that's why he was being stubborn. Now I see—he's planning to protect Blue's interests!
As expected of our Young Lord…
"But since you seem busy, I'll consider us even if you stay here and work with me instead."
Young Lord?!!!
"If you want, I'll clear the Gold Pentagon for you, and Blue, and the Black Pentagon too. I'll crush the Gold priests and slot Blue's entire team into the Execution Rite of the Fourteen Six Demons."
Young Lorrrrd!!!
"That settles it, yes?"
It does not settle anything!!! Not even a little!!!
The people of Gold plunged into despair.
Oh no. Oh no, he's actually trying to benefit Blue…
If His Grace and His Holiness find out about this, we're all dead.
They would most certainly be killed.
And that wicked Isaac Eshua was about to devour the Young Lord's goodwill whole—
"Ah, no thanks. Get lost."
Lord Isaac Eshua! Banzai!
The servants looked ready to prostrate themselves before him.
And now—surely, having been brushed off this thoroughly, Young Lord Kina would retreat out of sheer pride—
"Why not?! You said you'd study with me and teach me! I'm not leaving until you do! Just try dragging me out of here!"
"?!"
Young Lorrrrd?!
When Kina flopped flat on his back like an actual toddler, the room erupted in eyeball-quakes yet again.
The team members, too, seemed to short-circuit at the sight.
This was Kina Berith, the man they called the greatest genius on the continent. And that… that Kina Berith was begging Isaac for lessons?
"Ugh, you oblivious brat. I never said 'whenever.' Figure out you're being used and go home already!"
"……?!"
And on top of that, this guy just kicks him while he's down?!
But Kina was no pushover either.
"The contract has already been fulfilled. If you fail to provide compensation, I will formally pursue damages."
"And I said I'd pay you back later. Keep nagging me and I'll cancel the whole thing!"
…You can CANCEL compensation?!
Still, Kina's brow furrowed.
Well, he could overturn all of Blue if he truly wished—but right now, he was the one who wanted something. And he could roughly understand why Isaac was acting like this, too.
Right. Of course someone who can wield the Pope's techniques would be different.
He was protective of his own training. He clearly hated being interrupted. No one understood that feeling better than Kina did.
Fine. I'll respect it.
Kina rose with a put-upon sigh, brushing off his clothes. He gestured to his attendants that it was time to go, then left one last word behind.
"Understood. Then I'll wait as long as it takes, so once your training is finished—"
"Don't bother. I'm busy raising an excellent student who's far better at taking a hint than you are."
Kina froze mid-step.
…An excellent student? Better than me?
Kina's head snapped around.
"Who?"
His gaze was terrifying—the look of a man demanding to know whether some student could truly be superior to him.
Especially when he himself wasn't even being taught yet. What did you just say?
Shuri flinched hard.
Dammit, I don't know what it is, but I have a bad feeling. My instincts—ten years in the making, all thanks to Isaac—are telling me to run.
Sure enough, Isaac's pupils began to shift.
…No. Isaac. Don't. Don't look over here. I said DON'T LOOK OVER HERE!!!
At the same moment, under Kina's glare, Isaac stretched out his hand with an expression of utter distaste.
"Who is it? You're actually asking me that?"
No, I'm not asking!!
"Obviously it's our KinsShuri."
SHIIIIIIT! Those instincts never miss, do they!
And then:
"Shuri?"
"Yeah."
"Shuriii?"
"Yeah."
"Shuri of House Eshuaaaaa????"
"YEAH!"
Kina's face was pure shock.
"That? Better than me?"
The eyes of the boy who had been about to go home mere moments ago were now spinning in circles.
"Ah, fine. Then if I prove I'm superior to that, you'll give those lessons to me instead?"
Shuri pressed a hand to his dampening eyes.
Haaah… dammit. Somebody swap places with me. Please.
"Whoa, what is going on with them?!"
The Papal Banquet Hall.
The assembled apprentices were in an uproar. Normally a banquet and evaluation were held once a month, but today felt like something more.
"…Unbelievable. What IS that spread at Blue's table?!"
"Their banquet food is completely different from ours!"
"I passed by on the way in—their dormitories are being upgraded too…"
"What?!"
Apprentices were typically fed nothing but beans and scraps thanks to their brutal training regimens. Even the banquets were relatively austere.
But the food laid out before Blue's team defied imagination.
A c-course meal?
That's a full luxury spread…!
So this is what it means to take first place in a Pentagon. The treatment really is different.
During the Harmony trials, no scores had been assigned, so it had all slid by—but from the Red Pentagon onward, rewards were granted to the top teams.
For the Red Pentagon, that reward was food. And not ordinary cuisine—dishes infused with blessings that aided physical growth and enhanced one's abilities.
Which was why Rillai, attending the banquet, couldn't help feeling inwardly flustered.
I never imagined… they'd actually award first place to Isaac's team.
Yes, they'd beaten Red—but through those antics. Frankly, given the suspicion surrounding their true identity, it was a miracle he hadn't been hauled off to a cell.
And yet they somehow produced a King…
The Papal Court… what on earth were they thinking? Did the judges all get struck by lightning at once mid-evaluation?
Bewildering.
But even more bewildering was the seat beside Isaac.
Every single team—and even the priests—were sweating bullets, staring in Isaac's direction.
Right. So, you see…
Why is Kina sitting THERE…?
Wasn't he supposed to be at an important ceremony with the Pope today?
Why was he parked at that table, ostentatiously picking out the choicest cuts of meat for Isaac?
Granted, Isaac was treating Kina like dirt and eating the meat Shuri piled onto his plate instead… and for some reason Kina was glaring daggers at Shuri while Shuri clawed at his own hair… but still.
All the same—wasn't Isaac taking first place a good thing?
Yes. At this rate, our Blue might climb back up after all…
But then it happened.
"Someone seems beside himself with joy over Blue's victory."
"!"
Someone had drawn near to Rillai.
Long crimson hair, black vestments, a red stole across the shoulders. The Cardinal of Red.
Rillai bowed his head swiftly.
"Your Grace."
The Cardinal of Red chuckled through his trademark narrowed eyes.
He looked young for his years—thirties at a glance, though he was probably around forty. The same age Isaac's father would have been, Rillai's eldest brother, had he still lived.
Perhaps sensing exactly that, the Cardinal of Red tapped Rillai on the shoulder.
"I heard the news. They say you'll soon reach the 9th Tier. Remarkable, at your age."
The 9th Tier was the prerequisite for becoming a Cardinal or a Saintess. Which meant Rillai reaching the 9th Tier meant he could claim the seat of family head.
But perhaps the Cardinal of Red had been displeased by Blue's victory after all.
"The head of Blue must be sorely troubled, though. Your one heir-worthy knight, Sir Rillai, a man living on 'borrowed time.'"
"……!"
Rillai flinched and whirled toward him. But the Cardinal of Red only laughed, as if he'd misspoken.
"Ahaha. No, wait. Even setting the matter of your life aside, the family headship was never yours anyway, was it? You're incapable of fathering children."
"……!"
Rillai glared at him.
"But with such delightful nephews about, I imagine the head of Blue can rest a little easier. You, after all, were never destined to see past thirty-five—bound to pass on young. And I know you wished to raise Isaac properly before you went."
"Your Grace…"
"Well, the Red heir may be a third son, but he did shatter himself so spectacularly in front of the Imperial Family and all those dignitaries. I'll overlook a little mischief on your part. Hahahaha!"
The Cardinal of Red turned away with a roguish laugh. Rillai watched his retreating back and let out a long breath.
The faith of reading people, indeed.
Had the man also uncovered the truth of the Eshua Curse?
But so what? It wasn't as though he'd lied—and he had no intention of becoming family head regardless, so it hardly mattered.
Well, as long as he doesn't harm Isaac— he gasped?!
Watching the children, Rillai felt his blood run cold. The Cardinal of Red was heading straight for Isaac.
That man! What filth is he about to spew at a child this time?!
Rillai could stomach whatever was said to him, but not to the boy.
He moved to hurry after the Cardinal, but the nobles held him fast.
Soon the Cardinal of Red stood behind Isaac.
"Young Lord Eshua?"
At his arrival, Blue's team—who had been devouring the food like starved beasts—froze solid.
These were the ones who'd trampled Red to seize first place. And now the boss of those hateful bastards had come calling. As long as nobody lost their meal, it would be a mercy.
They abandoned their plates mid-bite and ducked their heads in a scramble of bows.
But the Cardinal of Red only smiled like a fox, his gaze fixed solely on Isaac.
Isaac remained seated, still eating. Shuri poked him repeatedly in the side, but Isaac didn't so much as glance over, too busy with his meat.
"Isaac?"
"Hey. When someone calls you—"
"Ah, damn it, why do you have to run your mouth while you eat? (Ugh, for crying out loud, why are you talking with food in your mouth?)"
Isaac finally set down his meat, turned in his seat, and gave a shallow bow.
"Yessir. Your Grace."
"I felt I hadn't had a proper look at you yet. So then, Isaac—whatever happened to that amusing thing you promised to show me if you got through the Red Pentagon early?"
"Ah, you didn't get to see it? It was your son getting his teeth kicked in."
ISAAAAAC!!!
Everyone present nearly brought their food back up.
Oblivious or indifferent, Isaac beamed.
"So? Did you at least enjoy it?"
The children stared at the Cardinal of Red in terror. Behind his back, it seemed as though dark magical energy was billowing upward.
Why, you little…?!