Washing Away Sins
Washing away sins...
The holy relic was interesting enough in its own right, but Roy could more or less see the principle behind it. The user never needed to cast a spell himself; in the end it was simply another kind of artifact, countless magic circles hidden inside the kettle and powered by mana stones. True divine grace that could wash even the blood from these hands simply did not exist.
Not that I expected it from the start.
Roy shook off the thought and gave the empty seat right beside him a couple of firm pats.
"Bella. Sit next to me. Stop avoiding it."
The moment she heard Roy's voice, Bella stole a glance at the other children. Everyone was busy gawking at the kettle; not a single eye was on her. The girl gave Roy a shy little nod, then hurried over and sat down. After that she kept sending sidelong looks toward the boy beside her—the same boy who had called her over yet now sat lost in thought, paying her no attention at all. Bella simply stared at him, drinking in the sight.
A friend... hehe.
It was a strange feeling she had never known in her life. Heat rose through her body and a soft, fluttering warmth bloomed in her chest. Deep in her heart the girl made a vow: she would never, ever tell anyone his secret.
I... think they're beautiful. Those eyes of yours.
She wanted to say those words to the boy who had claimed people would treat him like a monster if they saw his eyes. But courage refused to come to the timid girl.
Meanwhile nearly a hundred other children took their turns after Roy and Bella, performing the same rite. Water poured over every pair of hands in exactly the same way. Watching it all, Roy found himself coveting that kettle more and more.
Does the tilt of the kettle decide whether the magic activates? Someone put a little thought into this.
Once the hand-washing was finished, the morning portion of the baptism ceremony came to an end. The children were to be given roughly an hour of rest, yet no meal was provided. Instead, just as the priest had warned, the high priest delivered a sermon forbidding food until every rite was complete.
Roy could not understand what starving himself had to do with today's baptism or the worship of the Sun God. According to the high priest there were even periods when the temple fasted for more than a week.
Who the hell made that rule?
It probably had not existed at the beginning. Roy's guess was that some high-ranking figure had invented it midway simply to flaunt his power. Or perhaps it had been a convenient use of the gods whenever famine threatened to spark riots. Either way, it was pure noble logic.
While he was still grumbling inwardly he spotted the high priest trying to leave the chapel and hurried after him, catching the man by the sleeve. He had more than a few questions.
"What is it you wish to know?"
"That kettle. Was it made here at the temple?"
"No. I do not know the details myself, but it was most likely received long ago from the Grand Temple in the royal capital. We simply keep it here now."
"So the Grand Temple made it?"
"Young Master Roy. This kettle is a holy relic. It is not something that can simply be 'made' by anyone."
The high priest clearly knew nothing. Something that existed had to have been made by someone. It had not fallen out of the sky. Well, if it truly had, then it would genuinely be a holy relic.
"Then do other temples have relics like this as well? Baptisms are performed the same way in every territory, aren't they?"
"Indeed. Without holy relics we could not perform baptisms or any of the other rites at all. Of course, some especially precious relics are unique and are kept only at the Grand Temple."
"Is that so? What happens if one breaks?"
"Pardon?"
The high priest answered with a light laugh.
"Holy relics never break."
This guy's lying.
Roy had not caught him with perfect certainty, yet everything about the high priest's brief fluster and the false smile that followed reeked of deception. Of course the man had no choice but to hide the truth. If a holy relic could break, that would mean it was merely a man-made object. Once people began to suspect as much, the temple's authority could plummet overnight. Divine magic would always serve as their shield, but still...
Whether Roy's final question had made him uncomfortable or he was simply tired of the conversation, the high priest offered a hasty excuse and slipped out of the chapel. Roy watched him go with narrowed eyes, half-convinced the clergy were sneaking off to eat lunch without the children.
"Young Master Roy. Young Master Roy."
Someone called from behind him. It was one of the children from a collateral branch. When Roy turned around he froze. He had expected the kids to start chattering the moment the boring ceremony ended, yet every single one of them was staring at him in complete silence.
So this is what the priest meant.
Most of them hung back, too nervous to approach. To these children the lord's son was not someone they could casually approach simply because they were the same age. Only the collateral-branch children who had already exchanged greetings earlier came forward.
"The others all seem eager to speak with you, Young Master. If you permit it, shall I select a few and bring them over?"
The boy who spoke was named Theo. One had to wonder whether giant or ogre blood ran somewhere in the Greenhilt line. Jerry had been the same, and so had the baron's late older brother—every so often a monstrously large figure would appear among the relatives. Theo was another of them. He still lacked muscle because of his age, yet at a mere seven years old he already stood a full head taller than Roy. Roy himself was not short for his age, so the difference was startling.
"Go ahead."
There was no need for Roy to undercut Theo. The boy was already treating the lord's son with meticulous respect; handing him this small task cost nothing. Had Roy not been present, Theo would almost certainly have seized the leadership of the group. Even now he had been the first to speak, and he had even asked for the authority to choose who would be introduced. Whether the move was calculated or simply his nature, either way it seemed worth befriending him.
The first child Theo brought was a merchant's son—specifically the son of a merchant who dealt mainly in wheat and barley. In the Greenhilt Barony, which produced the second-largest grain harvest in the entire kingdom, handling grain carried special weight.
As I thought...
Theo's father was one of the lesser lords within Greenhilt territory. He oversaw several villages in the northern part of the barony along with the entire network of wheat fields surrounding them. Roy had already learned this from their conversation that morning. And the very first child Theo chose to introduce was the grain merchant's son. A rough outline of the picture Theo—or his father—had painted formed clearly in Roy's mind.
Interesting.
But that was simply how the world worked. Roy had no intention of calling it out or making things awkward here. Used properly, such mutual interests could prove profitable later. The problem was that almost every child Theo introduced was connected to his own household—merchants and administrators. The ones Roy actually wanted never seemed to appear.
This is taking too long...
Roy preferred swift action. So he acted decisively. Gathering the children who still hovered at a distance, too shy to approach the lord's son, he spoke clearly.
"Anyone whose family runs a blacksmith, an armory, a general store—raise your hand. Mercenaries, hunters, monster-butchering households, jewelers, anything like that. Even if you just want to do that kind of work someday, raise your hand."
The children looked at one another, puzzled by what on earth the lord's son was talking about. Fortunately two of them raised their hands: one the son of an armory family, the other the daughter of a general store that sold everything from books and jewels to potions.
"Our family has run an armory right in front of the Karl Mercenary Group guild for generations. My grandfather is the current owner."
"We sell all kinds of weird stuff. Like... frog legs and things."
The girl's remark set the surrounding children off into peals of laughter. Roy felt a tiny flicker of being left out of the joke, though he could not quite see what was so funny. Sadly, no children from blacksmith or monster-butchering families had attended today. Money aside, those households saw no advantage in letting their children grow close to the lord's son. Roy realized it a beat too late and felt a brief pang of regret. Still, it did not matter. The two children he wanted most were standing right in front of him. Both of their shops had been among the places Marek had visited earlier. What an improbable coincidence—until one remembered that families routinely produced anywhere from five to nearly ten children. Hardly a year went by without some household holding a baptism.
Roy talked with the two for quite a while. The difficulty was that seven-year-olds could supply only the most limited information. Connections, however, could be forged in many ways.
"You two. I'm inviting you to my next birthday party, so make sure you bring your parents. Armory boy, your grandfather is fine too."
"Really? We just go to the manor that day?"
"Yes. No need for gifts, but you must bring a guardian. The world is too rough for little kids like you to come alone. Don't bring just anyone—only someone connected to the shop your family runs. The person in charge. Understood?"
"Yes! We'll tell them for sure."
"Me too! They're going to be so happy when I pass this on!"
With that, Roy—whose freedom of movement was still restricted—had secured a direct channel to merchants. For now a middleman would still be required, but he had Marek. After two years of observation Roy was certain the servant prioritized his orders over the baron's. Had it been otherwise, rumors of the magic dagger would already have spread everywhere.
The other children looked on with open envy at the two who had received invitations. Left with little choice, Roy extended the invitation to the collateral-branch children as well. Seeing their delighted faces left him in a surprisingly good mood. He could not invite all hundred of them, of course, so he settled for shaking every remaining child's hand, clapping shoulders, and even ruffling a few heads. Most of them wore expressions of pure honor.
No loss here. I'll meet these kids again at the coming-of-age ceremony. By then I'll need to launch the party properly—though I have no intention of waiting that long.
Looking ahead and moving early, this much effort was hardly a burden.
"Hm? What about you?"
At the very end of the line stood Bella. The other collateral children were already gathered on the far side; Roy could not understand why this commoner girl had placed herself last. Bella, timid by nature, had remained completely silent the entire time.
"I also..."
"You come too. No invitation card needed."
"That's not it. I also want the handshake and..."
She had been waiting for Roy to ruffle her hair the way he had the others. Roy stood before the girl and studied her face.
"All right. It's not hard."
When his hand stroked her hair, Bella quietly closed her eyes.
"But Bella, are you feeling all right? Do you have a fever? Your ears are bright red."
The hand that had been ruffling her hair moved to her forehead. Instantly her face flushed the same scarlet as her ears.
Greeting a full hundred children made the rest period vanish in a blink. Preparations for the next rite began at once. Roy noticed the priests carrying something new, carefully wrapped in fine cloth. Another holy relic, no doubt.
Is that the one Anna mentioned?
It seemed they were about to perform the very ritual she had described on the carriage ride to the temple.