The 1st Class Holy Relic
"The first round of the finals will now begin!"
The vast central plaza rang with the cry that announced the true start of the tournament.
"Waaaaah!!"
"Saintess! You've got this!"
"The Seers' Guild is going to sweep everything, so watch carefully!"
"What are you talking about? The Imperial Seers are obviously going to win!"
The enormous crowd roared and chattered without restraint. The examination grounds buzzed with an energy that felt more like a festival than a competition.
"Contestants, we will now reveal the event for the first round of the finals. Bring out the prepared items!"
A guide called out toward the throng.
Clack—!
From somewhere came the sound of firm, decisive footsteps.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
A crisp, rhythmic cadence like military boots rang out through the crowd. Moments later the sea of people parted, and armored knights appeared, each carrying a wooden crate.
Knights.
Fully plated, swords at their hips, they marched forward with the boxes in their arms.
I never expected them to bring in knights. The finals really do know how to put on a show.
In this world, the plate armor knights wore was practically a symbol of wealth. Even a basic set cost more than a commoner could ever dream of affording, and anything with magical enchantments rivaled the price of a modern supercar. If a supercar was a moving apartment, a knight was a walking one.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Ten knights, each bearing a wooden crate, made their way to the center of the examination grounds.
Clack—!
They halted in perfect unison, then set their crates down on the ground one by one. Ten boxes now sat before the contestants.
Don't tell me…
Was the event simply to pick one of these boxes?
That wouldn't be much different from a coin toss. So even the finals never rose above a luck-based test?
For something that had required knights, it was a disappointingly limp choice of event. I stood there, thoroughly unimpressed—
Creeeak—!
The knight on the far left opened his wooden crate and lifted out whatever lay inside. He closed the lid again and set the object carefully on top of the box.
…A bone?
What rested on the crate was a bone from some living creature, nestled with care atop a cushion of straw packing that looked like a bird's nest.
A finger bone, maybe?
I couldn't be certain, but it looked like a human finger bone.
"Th-they took something out?"
"Is that even allowed?"
"What are they trying to do?"
The startled spectators murmured among themselves. The guide, however, didn't so much as change expression. He remained perfectly composed. Clearly this had all been planned in advance.
Creeeak.
Sure enough, the next knight opened his crate and removed its contents.
Another bone. Can't tell which part, but… it's definitely human.
Then the third knight, the fourth. The rest followed in turn, each opening a crate and placing its contents on top. All ten boxes stood open.
The guide walked forward to stand before the opened crates. He swept his gaze across the contestants and spoke.
"This examination will test whether you, as seers, possess the ability to discern the true value of an object! Among these remains is a 1st Class Holy Relic. Contestants, you must identify which of the ten is the 1st Class Holy Relic!"
At the guide's announcement, the spectators and contestants alike erupted into whispers.
"Hah—a first-class holy relic?!"
"Th-they're using something that precious as a test item?!"
"Is this really all right?!"
Even the nobles looked shaken. A 1st Class Holy Relic was the highest grade of sacred relic managed by the Cariel Church.
No wonder the knights showed up. They came to guard the relic.
Only then did the countless other security personnel stationed around the central plaza come into focus. The site was under airtight control.
They weren't here to protect the contestants. They were here to protect the holy relic.
A host of bodyguards and ten knights stood watch over the sacred remains.
"For this examination, His Holiness the Pope of the Cariel Church has graciously agreed to temporarily lend us the holy relic. Everything has been arranged in advance, so please rest assured."
They even got the Pope's cooperation? Just what kind of tournament is this seer competition supposed to be?
I wasn't the only one thinking it. The other contestants couldn't hide their shock at a scale far larger than any of them had expected.
"Nine of these remains are ordinary bones, not holy relics. Only one is a 1st Class Holy Relic. Touching the remains is strictly forbidden. You may only observe them from a distance."
Thud, thud.
The knights stepped forward as if drawing a line. The message was clear: no one was to cross beyond that point.
The first round of the finals was about to begin. Tension began to thicken among the contestants gathered on the grounds.
And then—
"Excuse me!"
A bright, cheerful voice cut cleanly through the tension. Saintess Angelica had her hand raised high.
"Lady Angelica Evangeline. What is the matter?"
"I already know the answer! If we go ahead like this, the match won't be fair!"
Angelica had just made a confession of conscience.
Ah. Of course.
A 1st Class Holy Relic. Ordinary people—even most nobles—would never lay eyes on one. But a Saintess was a different story entirely. Angelica already knew which of the ten remains was the 1st Class Holy Relic. She already had the answer.
"W-well… you do have a point. We never anticipated that the Saintess would be participating, so this problem seems to have arisen."
"Hehe. I never imagined a holy relic would show up here either!"
…Wait. Even the Saintess didn't know a holy relic would be used?
The guide had clearly said they'd received the relic with the Pope's cooperation. And yet the Saintess herself knew nothing about it.
"L-Lady Evangeline. Might it be that His Holiness the Pope did not grant permission for your participation in this tournament?"
The guide asked, flustered. The fact that Angelica hadn't known a holy relic would be used in the examination meant the Pope and the Saintess weren't communicating with each other.
"Huh? Did I need His Holiness's permission to enter the tournament?"
"Th-that isn't exactly the case, but…"
"Then there's no problem! His Holiness already knows I entered the tournament. …Probably."
She tacked that last word on at the end with a little shrug. Having delivered that thoroughly irresponsible statement, Angelica beamed with a gentle, benevolent smile. Only that face of hers looked anything like a Saintess.
She's a total tomboy. I never expected a Saintess to have a personality like this.
The guide conferred with the other tournament organizers. When the discussion ended, he turned back to the contestants.
"It has been decided that the tournament will continue without changing the event. A true seer, after all, should be able to adapt flexibly even to unexpected situations such as this. If any contestant wishes to raise an objection, please do so now."
No one raised a hand. The issue had only come to light because the Saintess herself had confessed it. Objecting now would be no different from demanding she be disqualified.
"I'll take that as no objections. The tournament will proceed!"
The guide's voice rang out with renewed vigor.
"Allow me to explain the format. Contestants will observe the ten remains from here, then inform the judges which one you believe to be the holy relic."
Which remains each contestant chose would be kept secret. Once every contestant had made their selection, the correct answer would be announced, and only those who had chosen correctly would advance to the second round of the finals.
I listened quietly as the guide finished his explanation.
"You have three hours. We begin now!"
The first round of the finals was underway.
The moment the match started, Angelica strode straight over to the judges. She disappeared behind the privacy screen—and reemerged in less than ten seconds. A sea of envious eyes followed her from among the other contestants.
Enough sightseeing. Time I got to work myself.
I'd entered this tournament, and I had no intention of washing out helplessly. Shamanism was the calling I'd devoted my entire life to.
If I can, I might as well go for the win.
I hadn't written anything in the prize field, so there was nothing that could cause trouble. This was a matter of pride.
I studied the remains, tracing the echoes of their pasts. From someone who had died a natural death, happy among family, to someone claimed by illness in the prime of youth—lives of every kind unfolded in my mind.
And then my gaze stopped on one of them.
I saw a young, valiant woman. A country girl who one day received a calling from the divine, and who fought alongside the man who would become the empire's first emperor during the wars of unification. She had always charged at the vanguard, banner raised high. The very person who had inspired the empire to create the office of Saintess.
I was looking at the past of the first Saintess.
Found it.
I was about to submit my answer when, without warning, the relic's memories seized me by the ankle.
"The first-round examination is about identifying this holy relic."
"Much obliged. Here—part of the payment we agreed on. You'll get the rest once I pass the finals."
"Understood. You'll make it through for certain, so just wait easy."
I glimpsed a past in which two men stood before the remains, conversing.
I'd been wondering how people with no prophetic ability made it all the way to the finals…
So they'd been pulling strings behind the scenes.
Time to catch some match-fixers.