CHAPTER 51

Transformation (1)

"Get lost. I refuse."

Duchy of Eshua.

The Duke barked a curse straight into the communicator. On the other end, the red-haired interlocutor, undeterred by the sudden outburst, just laughed.

[Why refuse even when we're offering? Wouldn't it be good if your youngest grandson received ordination?]

Damn it, why do you think?

Of course I refuse, the kid's a walking disaster!

"If Isaac gets ordained, he'll be closer to the Holy See."

And then they'll find out what his faith is really like!

Normally, the Duke would have smashed the talkative communicator by now, but his opponent was none other than the Holy See.

There was always a chance his grandson could be dragged off by the Inquisition one day, so he restrained himself and only said:

"I already informed you—we've decided to educate my grandson at home until he comes of age."

[If you keep a child locked up like that, it'll mess up his character.]

Too late for that.

[Well, fine. But even if the child's out of the question, Your Grace must attend. How can a cardinal be absent from one of the seven most important ceremonies—the ordination?]

"I told you I'd be sending a representative due to family matters."

[His Holiness will be furious, you know.]

The Duke raised an eyebrow.

And I'm supposed to care?

We're busy finding the kid right now!

No matter how thoroughly they searched the entire duchy, no one could figure out where or how he was hiding.

"Anyway, I won't be—"

[Oh, right. There's a rumor going around here at the Academy. Someone saw a kid with platinum-blonde hair.]

Click.

The connection was cut off, mercilessly. Watching this, Rilai, who was standing nearby, broke into a nervous sweat.

"That was the Cardinal of Red, wasn't it? Do you think Isaac's really at the Academy?"

"He's just spouting nonsense. Why would Isaac be there?"

Though, to be honest, even if he was, that would be a problem.

"The Inquisitor is there."

Isaac's answers on the personality test had included responses about the Pope.

[Q: As a new priest, what would you like to say to His Holiness the Pope?]

[A: Keep your neck clean and kneel down so your head comes off easy.]

…Lord have mercy.

Is this the answer sheet of a priest, or a heretic?

Honestly, was this kid switched at birth?

Blasphemy, treason—you name it, he's done it.

The Duke's head started to spin.

And that's not even the worst part.

"Her Highness the Imperial Princess is at that Academy."

And imagining Isaac meeting royalty and not causing trouble? Yeah, not happening.

Inquisitor or Princess—either way, the odds of him ending up in a prison cell were sky-high. The only difference was whether he'd be dragged away for blasphemy or for insulting the royal family.

The blue-armored knights who had been searching for Isaac approached them.

"My Lord. As expected, no sign of him."

"We checked every nook and cranny a child might squeeze into, even the rat holes, but…"

The Duke sighed.

"No helping it. You all stay and keep searching for Isaac. It's about time for me to leave."

He'd said he'd send a representative, but skipping the ordination outright wasn't an option.

Not far away, knights led over blue horses, fully prepped for a long journey.

"How much time do we have until the ordination?"

Rilai, holding the Duke's luggage, stretched and checked his pocket watch.

"Exactly 23 hours and 48 minutes, sir."

The knights stepped forward, offering to accompany him.

"My Lord, please mount up. These are the fastest of the divine beasts—"

"No good. They're too slow. We won't make it in time."

"E-excuse me? But—!"

"You all follow me at your own pace. I'm going ahead."

"G-going ahead—whoa!"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, a thunderous boom rocked the ground.

Thud!

The Duke and Rilai had leaped forward, feet slamming into the earth.

In a gust of wind, they were gone—moving faster than the eye could follow. The Duke led, and Rilai trailed just behind.

In an instant, they sliced across the plains, their figures vanishing in a blink. The knights were left speechless.

"H-high-speed sprint…"

They were already out of sight.

"W-what kind of speed is that…"

"And they're seriously going to make it to the capital in 23 hours? On foot?"

Even the fastest divine beasts took at least a week to cover that distance!

But… with the Duke and Rilai, it actually seemed possible.

Sure, divine beasts needed rest and were affected by the terrain. In theory, humans should never be faster… right?

"They're not human."

But the truly terrifying part was…

"Hey… Lady Gamo is even stronger than them, right?"

"Uh… well, it's a different field of strength, but purely physically? About a hundred times stronger?"

"…"

Then just how powerful is the Skeleton King, the one even Lady Gamo couldn't catch?

I don't know where that skeleton's hiding right now…

But just thinking that monster is out there, trying to destroy the Holy Empire, is terrifying.

***

And right now, that skeleton set to bring down the empire?

He was inside the Holy Empire itself.

Right in the middle of the Academy.

"W-what the…"

The dining hall was in an uproar.

Because of none other than… a baby.

There weren't that many people around, but the Academy's minimum admission age was ten. A toddler clearly didn't belong here, and was bound to attract attention.

"Wh-who's that kid?"

"Did Shuri bring him? Must be someone from Eshua, right?"

"What?! Someone from the Duke's house is digging through the trash?"

"And throwing eggs at His Holiness's portrait…"

"Aaaah!"

"Ah—Shuri caught him."

Barely managing to snatch up the eggs, Shuri's vision went blurry.

This voice, this scene, this situation…

Is this… déjà vu?

He could swear something like this happened ten years ago, damn it!

Of course, some things were different this time—this was a society of noble children, he himself was a respected class representative, and this dining hall was a place frequented by professors directly appointed by the Pope.

If something goes wrong here…!

Who knew what those Holy See faction bastards might do?

No, if this even catches the eye of an Inquisitor, someone who can literally see faith…!

For the first time in his life, Shuri felt the real possibility of being dragged off to prison—and shuddered.

No, wait, that's not even the biggest problem right now…

"Are you the one who bullied Shuri?"

"W-what?"

Yeah.

That's the problem, damn it.

Shuri pressed her fingers to her forehead and looked at the kids standing off with Isaac.

The one Isaac was picking a fight with was a red-haired boy—the younger brother of Niger Sepet from the Red Duke's household.

"I didn't bully Shuri Eshua! It was Niger who did it!"

Wow, he's even fully aware of what he did.

I guess that means Eshua comes off as easy prey, even to punks like this… but it can't be helped.

Second only to the Golds in power among the Five Great Houses.

Red.

Otherwise known as the faith of punishment and torture.

Not as old-guard or traditional as Gold or White, but they've been expanding their power aggressively in recent years, swallowing up new political factions and growing their influence.

And, like all faiths, the Reds are the ones pushing hardest to kick Eshua out of the Five Great Faiths.

More than anything, they produce 70% of the inquisitors.

In other words, these are exactly the last people Isaac should be messing with! Shuri sighed and reached to pull Isaac away.

But Isaac just stared curiously at the red-haired boy.

Same vibe as the guy who picked a fight with Shuri before. Why's that?

The one he sensed through the Shadow Lich.

It couldn't just be a blood relation, could it?

And almost as if answering his question, the red-haired kid scowled at Isaac.

"So it's true, huh? That Isaac Eshua's the kid who got cursed and thrown away by the Skeleton King?"

…What did you just say?

Isaac glared, but the kid smirked pityingly.

"I mean, if that weren't true, there's no way a direct heir wouldn't have made a contract with the High God by now."

"!"

Isaac instantly realized something.

So that's why the vibe felt familiar.

[Oh yeah, clerics make contracts with their gods, right?]

Exactly.

With those damn gods that had worked him like a slave!

And out of all the faiths, the Five Great Faiths served the five strongest High Gods. No question.

Any direct heir of the Five Great Houses would've entered a contract—or well, more like received a baptism—while still a kid.

Basically, a blessing.

And both Niger Sepet, who had hassled Shuri before, and this punk here… they had the same vibe.

Feels familiar, for sure.

He could picture the god in his head.

Not that humans can perfectly carry a god's energy, even if they're blessed.

Ten years ago, before he'd made any contracts, Isaac was sure he didn't have any of that divine aura.

So what did this mean? Of course Eshua had its own High God.

But none of the direct heirs showed any trace of their god's power?

Why?

Well, works out for me—I get to sleep easy.

"That girl Shuri Eshua's from the Pope's family, so they're probably saving her contract for later."

Nope. Not even close.

Reading Shuri's expression, one of the red-haired kid's friends gasped.

"Oh… so it's true? Eshua really is cursed—"

"Argh!!"

The scream came from the Red Duke's boy.

Isaac had smacked him on the forehead with his little rattle.

"Watch your mouth, punk."

The kid looked totally outraged.

"Hey! I wasn't even the one talking—he was! Why hit me?!"

"'Cause your vibe pisses me off."

Isaac wasn't sure how heavy that divine blessing was, but it was like the kid had bathed in a gallon of perfume—absolutely over the top.

The onlookers started whispering.

"Is he really from Eshua?"

"Wait… an Eshua heir hit someone?"

Shuri covered her face.

Yep. His personality test results are showing loud and clear.

Now she understood why Grandpa had tried to lock this kid up in the estate!

He just couldn't sit still for two seconds!

And once he got ordained, how much bigger would the headache get?

Apparently thinking the same thing, the Red Duke's boy shouted:

"There's no way Isaac Eshua got his ordination recommendation because he saved someone! It's just nepotism because of his family name! No way a violent little brat like that is qualified!"

"Lord Sepet, should we call the Inquisitors?"

Shuri silently screamed inside.

No, no, no! Not the Inquisitors!

And then—

"Rrrgh!"

"!?"

The cafeteria wall warped as a black shadow burst through.

The students froze in terror.

"A demon beast!"

How a demon showed up here—in the Holy Empire's capital, at a school with top-tier security filled with high-born kids—didn't matter right now.

"Watch out!"

The shadow made a beeline for the Red Duke's boy.

Isaac, grinning like he'd been waiting for this, let out a small laugh.

Finally.

Did they really think he'd been wandering around the cafeteria for no reason?

He'd come here partly because he was tailing the Red Duke's kid, sure—but also because he'd sensed demonic energy in this school!

Judging by the aura, it had probably been captured by some clerics or something.

Isaac was a Demon King.

He could tell where demon beasts were, what type they were, and even lure them in—easy work.

And now? A demon attack right in the middle of school, with everyone watching?

And the "hero" who saved the day just happened to be a flashy kid from one of the Five Great Houses?

Where were they gonna find a better… er, VIP?

This was his plan from the start, targeting the Red Duke's boy.

(Not that other guy who messed with Shuri—the demon he had was way too weak.)

Sorry, kid, but I'm using your whole family for this!

At that moment, Isaac unleashed a burst of holy power.

Bang!

"Grrrk!"

Yeah, that's it! One good hit should…

"Grrruagh!!"

…This thing's tougher than I thought.

The beast roared, bristling with defiance against the flash of holy power.

"Yelp!"

[It says it can't back down because of its loyalty to the Demon King.]

Enough for now—keep it bottled up.

I could burn more holy power to wound and subdue it, but ugh… such a pain.

Isaac shot the struggling beast a lazy glare.

Craack!

'!'

Sensing the threat of a superior, the beast froze in terror and bolted.

"Yipe!"

"The beast…!"

And just then—

"Are you all right?!"

The students came running, bringing someone who looked like a staff member.

From the red on his robes, he seemed to be a follower of the Red Church, but Shuri's expression instantly tensed.

"A… an Inquisitor!"

Ah. Yeah, that would explain the vibe.

The students rushed to apologize.

"We're so sorry! The cage for the beast we were using in the exam suddenly opened somehow!"

"R-right. We'll, uh, just be going now…"

Shuri tried to quietly slip away with Isaac in her arms, but the Inquisitor blocked their path.

"Hey, you there! I need to question you."

"U-us? Why?"

"There's no way a captured beast would come all the way here just to target a specific student. Especially one blessed by the Lord Himself…"

Shuri flinched and glanced at Isaac.

No way… Did this brat summon the beast somehow, like with that Shadow Lich?

Damn, this could get messy if we're dragged off.

The Red Church had been itching for an excuse to interrogate Blue Church followers.

And their torture and interrogations were infamous—so brutal even hardened imperial spies cracked.

This guy looks low-ranking, but if a senior Inquisitor gets involved…

They'd definitely learn about the Shadow Lich too.

But then, someone unexpected stepped in—it was a noble kid from the Red Duke's family.

"Back off, Tehor. Don't do anything stupid. That kid saved me."

"!"

"And… let's just say that punch earlier makes us even."

Once they left, Shuri stared in shock. Wait, why did that nasty noble just let them go? It made no sense no matter how she thought about it.

All she could do was stare at Isaac, dumbfounded.

"Hah, really living up to that Saintess bloodline, huh? You already seducing people with that face?"

…What's she even talking about?

"Ugh, whatever. Annoying as you are, it works. Your face is Eshua's weapon—so keep reeling them in. Hell, we even got a Red noble owing us now. Total win."

…Seriously, what is she saying?

The students who'd witnessed everything started murmuring excitedly as they looked at Isaac.

"He really did save someone and get a recommendation letter."

"Guess the rumors about his skills are true…!"

And watching the whole scene quietly from the side was someone unexpected. A girl who, recognizing Isaac, looked startled.

Could that be the person my brother mentioned…?

It was the princess.

***

Morning came, and dusk settled in.

In the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, priests and graduating students gathered for the ordination ceremony.

But the graduates, waiting their turn to be ordained, were all murmuring in disbelief.

"Is it true? The youngest priest ever?"

"Ten years old?"

"Wow, and I heard he even saved the Red Duke's fourth child yesterday?"

Everyone there was eagerly waiting to see Isaac.

Well… except for Nizer Sephet and a few others, who scowled.

Originally, they'd planned to push back—claim the recommendation letter was ridiculous, that an untested kid had no place here. But after that incident in the dining hall, what could they say?

Even though the top student was present, all the attention was on that boy.

But honestly? They were kind of glad.

Why?

Let's see how ridiculous he looks waddling up in his priest's robes. He'll be the laughingstock of the Empire.

People will curse him as cursed or unworthy.

Shuri was thinking the same thing.

She ground her teeth in frustration outside the hall's restroom.

"Seriously, everyone's already gone in, you little brat! A snot-nosed kid like you, dressing up in priest's robes like you're something special? The clothes don't even fit right—are you really gonna waddle in like that? Just hurry up and—"

Clack!

The door swung open, and Shuri pressed her hand to her forehead.

"What the hell are you thinking? Everyone's waiting to laugh at you. If Eshua's reputation takes any more hits—"

But the moment Isaac stepped out, Shuri's eyes went wide in shock.

[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]