novelraw Chapter 109 : The Saintess's Proposal (3)
Chapter 109 : The Saintess's Proposal (3)
The Saintess's Proposal (3)
The Saintess Seraphina boldly shouted.
"I propose a bet to Young Master Ian!"
"...?"
A bet?
What kind of bet?
No—wait, before that.
Does a pure and upright Saintess even do things like betting?
Is that allowed?
"Heeheehee...!"
Seraphina laughed slyly.
With a wicked shadow cast over her face as she smiled, she didn't look like a Saintess at all.
"We'll have a contest! In the final test of this training camp! Betting on Young Master Ian's allegiance and our Holy Kingdom's holy relic!"
"... What!"
A holy relic?
Ian was taken aback.
"You want to bet with me and a holy relic?"
"Yes!"
"No, how could you...?"
The holy relic was a national treasure of the Holy Kingdom.
If there were renowned swords among the blades of Hisperion, Selveris the Holy Kingdom had the holy relics of the Radiant Church.
Each one carried historical value, and among them there were even artifacts with an absolute status, not at all inferior to the Divine Sword Genesis.
They were virtually the core of the Holy Kingdom's power, and the foundation of the Radiant Church's prestige.
To so casually place something that precious as a bet?
Isn't that blasphemy?
Is it really okay for a Saintess to do that?
Is this kid acting with the Lord's permission?
No, even before the Lord, the Holy King would never approve of such a thing.
A national treasure as a bet?
"... That's quite a startling proposal. Putting myself aside—would the Holy King even allow you to bet the relic?"
"Yes, of course! This is a divine command directly from the Holy King!"
"... Excuse me?"
Directly from the Holy King?
The Holy King is the ruler of Selveris the Holy Kingdom, and leader of the sacred Radiant Church.
Naturally, Ian had no connection with him—he hadn't even seen his face in his previous life.
"How would the Holy King know of me to ask you to bring me?"
"That—I don't know either!"
... She doesn't know?
Ian felt the back of his head start to prickle.
"But the Holy King receives revelations of holy radiance directly! Perhaps that revelation told the Holy King to bring Young Master Ian!"
"A revelation, huh..."
Ian's mind grew even more tangled.
Why would such a revelation say to bring me?
Then, a thought flashed through Ian's mind.
"Ah."
If that revelation was like a message from the Radiant Church's god...
Is it perhaps related to the Goddess?
To the being who sent him back 15 years into the past?
'Hmm...'
If there's any link between Ian and the Radiant Church right now, it's clearly only that.
A contact point with a divine being.
But...
'There's some plausibility, but I'm not sure.'
The being revered by the Radiant Church in the Holy Kingdom wasn't really a Goddess but "light" itself.
They worshipped everything that gave light: the sun, stars, moon, flame, fireflies, anything that shone.
None of that was particularly close to a Goddess.
Light has neither a human form nor gender.
'Well, there's no use speculating now.'
With so little information, there's no point in theorizing—a solution won't come.
Ian stopped thinking about it.
Right now, what mattered was something else.
"Saintess. Could you please at least let go of my hand first...?"
"No! Until Young Master accepts my bet, I absolutely won't let go!"
"Ah..."
Because of the Saintess's loud voice, more and more people were staring.
"Besides, this is the first mission I've been entrusted with! I must succeed!"
"Even if you say that..."
Ian kept trying to pull his hand free.
But Seraphina showed no intention of letting go.
"Haa..."
Ian sighed softly.
"This isn't something I can decide alone. The condition you're requesting is my naturalization, isn't it?"
The Holy Kingdom wanted to bring Ian into their fold.
'I doubt I'd lose no matter the bet, but...'
If the condition was for Ian to join another nation, just agreeing to the bet in itself was a problem.
Ian was, after all, the first son of the Greysel family, a vassal household of Hisperion.
"I'm not sure? In the end, isn't Young Master's will what's most important?"
"I am the eldest son of Greysel, one of the Seven Clans of Heavenly Peak. Loyalty and vows to Hisperion are etched into my blood. I can't just recklessly stake my national allegiance on a bet—"
"I heard you were excommunicated, though?"
"...?"
Well. That's true.
That's... really blunt.
"You're staying here as a guest, aren't you?"
"..."
She wasn't wrong.
Hugo, the lord of the Greysel family, had excommunicated Ian to his face, so Ian could no longer truly be called part of Greysel.
He wasn't even supposed to use the Greysel name anymore, but Ian simply ignored the excommunication and kept using it, since he didn't acknowledge Hugo as his lord.
And, an official guest of Hisperion did not swear loyalty to the nation—in essence, he was merely an invited guest.
So, should Ian ever decide to leave Hisperion, nothing was stopping him.
"The Saintess is correct."
In the end, it came down to Ian's choice.
But of course, he wasn't planning on leaving.
If Ian left, the Heavenly Sword Family Lord would be greatly disappointed, who knows how Aris would react, and he'd only just started to grow closer to Yuria—it would hurt her feelings a lot.
Perhaps even Vladiark might be retrieved.
The legendary swords of the Bladelake could only be possessed if recognized by Hisperion.
And, more than anything,
There was no reason for Ian to go to the Holy Kingdom, Selveris.
What benefit would that bring him?
They'd give him a holy relic, but he'd have to win the bet to get it.
There was simply no reason to accept such a suspicious proposal.
"I will give you the Holy Sword!"
That's what Seraphina said—before Ian could finish his thought.
"What!?"
The Holy Sword.
A divine weapon, more effective than anything else at obliterating dark entities like the demons.
"The Holy Sword of the Sun!"
"Huh!?"
Among them, one of the three most exalted holy swords.
"Heliodin!"
"M-Mad!"
Ian, without even realizing, blurted out a curse of amazement.
The Holy Sword Heliodin was a superlative great sword, not inferior even to the Divine Sword Genesis or the Monstrous Sword Vladiark.
It was essentially a massive, holy power condensed into the shape of a giant sword.
When properly wielded, it could melt even mighty Great Demons like the spring snow.
During the previous life's War of Man and Demons, it had already been lost—no one could wield it.
If it had remained in humanity's hands, the outcome of the war could have been completely different.
"If you accept our bet...! Regardless of the outcome, we will hand you Heliodin! Whether you lose or win, you can get Heliodin!"
"Huhhh...!"
Ian's mouth fell open.
If Heliodin was in his hands, the wars against the demon grand dukes would be so much easier.
The Divine Sword Genesis boasted overwhelming firepower, Vladiark devoured the enemy's magic power with monstrous might, but Heliodin had divine power that automatically recharged holy strength.
The faith of the Radiant Church's believers would gather as holy power in the sword.
The more believers, the more fervent their prayers and devotion, the faster the holy sword's power would be replenished.
Moreover, as Heliodin was literally a mass of holy power, it would grant physical vitality, increased recovery, enhanced energy, sharpened senses—a whole array of powerful blessings.
Even better, these beneficial effects would extend to Ian's companions around him.
Such was the power of holy strength.
In addition, to evil demons, it would inflict debilitating effects: sapping stamina, slowing recovery, interfering with spells, lowering cognitive abilities, and other strong restrictions.
Honestly, it was a very tempting treasure.
Every night, Ian secretly racked his brain over how to handle the demon grand dukes.
If he could just get his hands on Heliodin, he'd be able to shed much of that anxiety.
*Gulp!*
He unconsciously swallowed his saliva at the thought.
"Hehehe!"
Reacting to Ian's response, Seraphina grinned slyly.
"Well? What do you think of this humble servant's proposal?"
"Hmm."
This was certainly a bet worth risking.
Win or lose, Heliodin was guaranteed.
And in any kind of contest, it was unlikely Ian would lose to the Saintess.
No matter how outstanding Selveris the Holy Kingdom's intelligence network was, it would be difficult for them to grasp Ian's true capabilities.
At best, they'd estimate him as an Expert rank.
So—
"I'll hear more details."
"Hehehe! I knew it!"
Seraphina waved his hand excitedly, chattering with delight.
"You know this training camp exam? The last test at the beginning of next year. If we win in the mock battle, Young Master Ian has to naturalize in our Holy Kingdom and become a holy knight!"
Holy knight.
The highest-ranking holy knights of Selveris, usually protecting the Saintess or the Holy King, or punishing evil heretics—the top fighting force of the nation.
"If we win, since I brought you, you must become my holy knight!"
"Hm. Then if our Sword Dragon Hall wins, what happens?"
"In that case... This humble servant will be very sad, but as promised, we'll give you our national treasure, the Holy Sword Heliodin, right then."
"Oh..."
Not even a delay—given to him on the spot.
That's refreshingly straightforward.
"Under those conditions..."
It's almost too good.
Just as Ian nodded, about to accept the bet.
"Wait! Who said you could decide that by yourself!?"
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Charlotte appeared and cut in.
Her face was flushed with anger, her brows fierce.
"Let go of that hand right now! Can't you see Ian is uncomfortable?"
"No! Not until Young Master accepts my proposal! For a thousand—ten thousand years!"
"What! What nonsense!? And saying you'll just take Ian away!?"
Charlotte stomped up to Seraphina.
"First, let go of that hand!"
"Kya, kya!?"
Just as Charlotte tried to forcibly peel the Saintess's grip away...
"Refrain from being disrespectful to Saintess Seraphina."
A slender young female knight, who looked about seventeen, blocked Charlotte's way.
Glancing at her chest badge, she was a holy knight cadet.
"Wha-what...!"
Charlotte's face turned scarlet.
"How could you behave so rudely after we invited you here as guests...!"
Charlotte was about to push past the knight by force.
― Swish!-
A massive shadow loomed over them.
"H-huh?!"
The young knight looked up and suddenly turned pale.
Charlotte turned as well—to see Barbarian Kuga standing there, his bulging muscles rippling.
Kuga seemed to have grown another handspan taller in just a few weeks.
He was closing in on three meters now.
"You say you'll take away our War Chief? That's nonsense."
"...?"
War Chief? When did I become your War Chief?
"Ian cannot be taken. Kuga will stop you."
― Tremble, tremble...
― Shiver, shiver...
The aura Kuga gave off was so overwhelming that the Saintess and the knight clung to each other, trembling like frightened chicks.
"What is this, a beast?"
A blond youth, looking like a handsome playboy, stepped between them and Kuga.
"My ladies are frightened. Cease your approach, giant."
"What?"
He was handsome, but with an over-sweet, oily expression. Glancing at his badge, he too was a holy knight candidate.
"It's becoming noisy."
At that moment, Kargon appeared behind Kuga.
"And I think I just heard something ridiculous,"
Kargon said, his eyes—rare for him—carrying genuine hostility.
"You're going to take Ian away? My friend who is as good as a brother? On whose authority? You're betting my friend himself as if he were some object? Does the Holy Kingdom have no manners?"
He looked truly angered.
It was the first time Ian had seen Kargon so incensed.
"This is truly offensive. Saintess Seraphina. Makes me want to end this banquet right now."
"... Ugh!"
The Saintess broke out in a cold sweat.
But her spirit didn't falter.
"I—I just wanted to give Young Master Ian more choices, that's all!"
"I don't know what trick you're up to, but enough. If you're trying to use Ian, I won't forgive it."
"Well? The choice is Young Master Ian's. Isn't it? Young Master?"
"...."
At her question, everyone's eyes naturally turned to Ian.
At that moment—
― Smack!-
"Ah, ouch!"
A white flash came down on Seraphina's hand.
Clutching her stinging hand, Seraphina took several steps back.
Turning with teary eyes, she saw Yuria standing there.
"Don't touch Ian."
Yuria's eyes were colder than ever.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Yes! Yuria, save Ian!
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】