Episode 109. This is fun, keep going.
The grand ceremony is just around the corner.
When the baptism begins, everything stops for a moment. The food that was whetting your appetite, the singing that could be heard, the conversation that was punctuated with a tongue that was silent.
Above all, this space that was once a party venue was instantly transformed into a chapel where the gospel was preached to God.
At that moment, the Chain Silver Guardian appears on the high platform leading up to the stairs.
At his sudden appearance, the audience turned their attention to the stage. In the place where the chandelier’s light was closest, stood Gerard Chainsilver and two girls in priestly attire.
The room became quiet in an instant just by them standing there.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who accepted my invitation. I am Gerard Chainsilver, the lord of this village and the head of the Chainsilver family.”
A representative of the venue personally steps forward and personally receives the attention of the invited guests.
And the security of the banquet hall felt more intense, with the knights of the Chainsilver family surrounding it on the left and the knights of the sect surrounding it on the right.
“30 years ago, during the Demon War, we had to walk a path of thorns. With the resurrection of the absolute evil known as the Demon King, countless people lost their lives and innocent people shed blood. There must be quite a few of you standing here now.”
“The aftermath of the bloody war meant that we had to survive by holding a sword rather than a farm tool, a cane rather than a pen. Even at the top educational institution of the time, Alighieri, they abused all of their students with the intention of turning them into soldiers.”
It was the same back then that the aesthetics of learning were more important than the nobility and baseness of one’s social status. The only difference was that learning was not about understanding life, but about practicing bloody slaughter.
The student who deeply practiced this idea was Talema, who later became King of Papyrus.
“We, who were terrified of the fall of the empire, also made a mistake due to our hasty actions. That… led to the loss of our one and only saintess.”
With monsters going berserk and the sudden invasion of demons, and humans becoming followers of the Demon King, we have entered an era where people cannot die.
The one who helped me overcome my pessimism, even if only for a moment, that it might not be my turn this time, was the saint who was born at that time.
The blessing that came with the fluttering red hair was the only light itself.
“I also watched closely with my comrades who were fighting the war. People were indiscriminately obsessed with the light that purified their rotten and stained hearts. It was like moths flocking to a flame to monopolize the light.”
“But the saintess didn’t care at all. She knew the situation all too well, and she didn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself, believing that only she could heal that corrupted heart.”
Because of such kindness, he was able to cherish the people around him. However, most of them actually started a civil war in order to monopolize the saint’s blessings.
Even the fact that there are many people who sell their children just to look after themselves… It was obvious how the people involved would react when they heard this.
“Because she was the kindest saint ever… she could become more angry than anyone else. Those who were blinded by the saint’s power to instantly quell the plague spread by the demons began to gradually reveal their true nature.”
“In the end, the saint turned her back on people for a while. She temporarily left the church to clear her head of complicated thoughts. Yes, it was only ‘for a while’. However, those who overinterpreted that… thought the saint had abandoned them.”
Even within the religious order, there were more than a few high-ranking believers who forced her to work hard.
Her absence ultimately resulted in her being branded as a saint of unbelief and being hunted by people.
Rumors that she was siding with the Demon King like the Helheim gang drove people mad, and even insane opinions were circulating that the saintess should be captured and stuffed immediately.
“Bad news travels fast. Ironically, the saint who had been smiling for the people… ended up being murdered by the people. Because of that incident… many of the alien races that had been cooperating with the people turned away.”
And… that’s also the reason why ‘hyung’ left us.
… Gerard meditated silently, adding another monologue in his head.
Since it was Gerard who witnessed the scene firsthand, his sincere emotions were conveyed throughout the event.
Even the sight of the black hair of the ‘brother’ gradually losing its color as he hugged the saint who had grown cold on a rainy day and cried.
It’s so vivid that I still have dreams about it.
“We must not forget the tragedy of that day. After that, the saint has not appeared for 30 years, perhaps due to the will of the gods who have fallen out of favor with humanity. This is the last chance given to us. A nation that forgets its history has no future!”
As soon as that final shout came, the entire hall was filled with applause from all the attendees.
Gerard’s heartfelt speech had already captured the mood of the chairman. Even if he wasn’t impressed, he would be swept up in the mood and clap his hands without realizing it.
“I will now perform the baptism ceremony.”
With those last words, Gerard steps down from the podium.
Before the long-awaited ceremony finally begins, a change occurs in the structure placed in the hall.
Tables and chairs with food on them disappear with the quick movements of the attendants. And on the empty wall behind the stage, the symbol of the Order of the Holy Cross is engraved.
The space that had been a party venue was transformed into a chapel in an instant. Except for the absence of pews and the fact that knights were watching, it had a church-like feel to it.
“Phew… Thank goodness it was just right.”
“Radon! Why are you so late?”
“That happened a lot.”
I was able to enter the venue just in time for the ceremony to begin.
When Jenny nagged me in a low voice, I mumbled as if it would be too long to explain.
Ruska and Mary also seemed worried about why I was late.
“I just came out to confront some random guy outside who started picking a fight with me.”
“Did you cause trouble?”
“Of course I didn’t smoke. I just made a promise to meet after the baptism. There’s a limit to how much you can climb.”
“You want to see me after it’s over? No way…”
“Jenny, can I borrow the training ground for a bit?”
Jenny smiles silently. She knew that these events usually resulted in arguments between children. She had seen it many times before.
He was overwhelmed with bewilderment because it happened to be his friend.
“Who is the opponent?”
“Marqueray Layert. He is a descendant of a family that was once our branch.”
“If it’s Layered, then it’s your relative.”
“Yes… but they are relatives, but when our family was in dire straits, instead of helping us, they kicked us out and took all the positions. They are openly malicious towards us, and it was obvious what they were going to do as soon as they saw me.”
It was he who first started a fight, saying he didn’t like it.
If it was real radon, I would have been upset, but knowing nothing about the guy, I said, “Who is it?”
Then he got really angry and took out his staff and started threatening me. It was so funny to see him yelling at me to die that I felt even more embarrassed watching him.
At that moment, the guy put his staff away at the urging of his followers who were telling him that the ritual was about to begin. What did he say then?
`You know you’re lucky when it comes to trash topics.`
“Isn’t that ridiculous? You think you’re lucky? Phew!”
“….”
After hearing that, I couldn’t just let it go. I grabbed the guy in a provocative tone and demanded a duel, but the guy smiled and accepted.
The reason he’s so simple-minded is probably because he thinks our family is a bunch of bastards who cling to the Chainsilver family.
He must be so arrogant because he looks like an underdog with nothing to boast about.
But he must also know that I am a cadet of the Alighieri Combat Academy. Even if he doesn’t know which class I belong to, he must know the gap between us, who haven’t even entered yet.
So that’s why he did this trick.
[Status abnormality occurs – Poisoned by the upper magic `Paralysis Poison`. (*Appears after 30 minutes)]
A little while ago, when I caught the guy, someone passed by behind me. If it weren’t for the notification, I would have just ignored it.
I was wondering why I didn’t feel any symptoms, but then I saw the ’30 minutes’ in parentheses and understood.
`The person who passed by me a little while ago must have been a vassal of Layert. If I had fought without knowing this fact, I might have been at a disadvantage.`
Unless you are a fighting race like the Ruska, it is difficult to even show your tenacity while in a poisoned state.
Of course, paralyzing poison could be cured with just one drop of rain. And just one drop at that.
‘Radon Crowler, how dare you ignore me?
Marclay Layatt, who barely managed to return to the banquet hall following everyone else, was also scolded by his parents for being late.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Back when I was young, before the guys were excommunicated, I had to endure comparisons between families.
Not only that, whenever there was a gathering like a bloodline ceremony, he would always get more attention. But after hearing what his parents said, he became convinced. Those guys always looked down on him and looked down on him.
Markray had grown up hearing such things since he was young. It was all Crawler’s fault that he was not doing well, and that they were bullying him. Even his loyal vassals were all in on it, so that one thought was fixed in his head.
`It’s all because of Crowler.`
This is a chance to embarrass Radon. He’s going to be entering school soon, but by beating him, he’ll make his name known to the onlookers and spread the word that he lost to a junior who’s also going to be entering school.
Of course, the guy’s skills will be higher by one year, but the numbers are already written. It’s a poison that can paralyze even active knights, so there’s no way a cadet can move properly.
“Mother, Father, please wait for the ceremony to end. I have prepared the best scenario I can dedicate to you both.”
“That goes for us too.”
“You look forward to it too, Markray.”
The ceremony begins with the guests coming up to the two saints one by one, kneeling on one knee, and receiving baptism from the water saint who controls strength and the body, and the green-haired saint who controls speech and chanting for five minutes.
But before we begin, there were some words from the saints.
“Although we were born… in different times, in different places…”
“A sister who has inherited the light from heaven and shouldered its responsibility.”
“Even if one day the light is transferred to the surviving side…”
“Never turn your back on…”
-I won’t let go of that hand.
As they concluded their words at the same time, a light in the shape of a cross burst out from the hands of the two saints who were holding hands. Its ability to purify all the air, engraved across the entire floor, was proof that they had received power from God.
`Great. My little brother…!`
Among them, Ruska was secretly shedding tears of joy.
“Before we begin, if you still have an unhealthy mind, I recommend that you do not come out.”
“Blessings bring misfortune to those with corrupted souls.”
“And the power of body and mind is only allowed to those who are noble. Only those who know how to distinguish between time and place can receive blessings.”
“If you have anything to say about it, I’d be happy to listen.”
No one suspected his own flaws, but… someone’s hand rose among the attendees.
Even if they don’t know it themselves, their specialty is pointing out other people’s flaws like a knife.
“Please speak.”
“As you just heard, baptism is a ceremony that is only given to the noble ones. But what would you two do if there were someone here who had no such thing?”
The saintess and everyone in the audience tilted their heads in confusion at Atheist Layth’s strong opinion.
“For example… what if someone was hiding among you, abusing their position to invade the kitchen and ruin the party’s meal?”
“….”
“Even those people who have already lost their honor and dignity shamelessly attended this event. They are shameless people who remained in this place even though other nobles were glaring at them, as if they were desperate for the saint’s blessing.”
A strangely shaped ball of rice is on the menu at the party. It’s like cheap hardware being placed in a jewelry store.
A person of noble birth would never have ordered something like that to be made.
“Besides, I knew in advance that the event just now was a sort of test of the attendees’ character. So those people I just mentioned have already failed the test. That’s right, the Crowler family.”
The attention is focused on those with the surname Crowler, including Radon.
Then, Athes delivered a direct hit with a smile of satisfaction on his face.
“I don’t think that family, which has prepared such a garbage diet without anyone’s permission, deserves to be blessed.”
Rather than reprimanding anyone, no one seemed to agree. Even the two saints froze with the aforementioned expressions on their faces.
Although they are young, they have received thorough adult education in the church. Knowing that they are not naive enough to make wrong decisions, I felt an ominous aura from them.
“That garbage diet… what the hell is that?”
“It was a… strangely shaped lump of rice.”
“Make some rice… hehe.”
The white-haired saintess with the beast’s ears burst into laughter. The sense of rage in that hollow laugh was unmistakable.
It must be anger towards those who do not keep their dignity without any sense.
“What is your name?”
“I am Ates Layart, the head of the Layart family.”
“Layered… hahahaha.”
The laughter that had burst out gradually subsided and the atmosphere became cold. The saintess glared at her. Only Layer, not Crowler, was visible.
The light that soon rose from her body did not feel affectionate.
“You are such an interesting person.”
The nine tails of the saint who spoke softly… spread out like peacock wings.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
