CHAPTER 52

Transformation (2)

The ordination of priests, said to be bestowed by the gods. The knighting ceremony, said to be appointed by the emperor.

The knighting ceremonies, symbolizing the "sun," were overseen by the emperor and held at noon on the first day of the Founding Festival, signifying a "great beginning."

The priests' ordination, symbolizing the "moon," was presided over by the pope and took place on the final night of the festival, representing "eternal glory and victory."

Both were key pillars of the Holy Empire's power. There was a reason these ceremonies were held on the most glorious days of the empire's founding.

And what did that mean?

In short: these ordinations drew huge crowds.

Sure, the ceremonies were always big news because of the ongoing conflict with the demon race. But this year, the buzz was even bigger...

"Aren't the Eshua princes Lady Lea's younger brothers? Aaack!!"

"Eughk!! Lady Kaya! I swear I'll become friends with her brothers so I can finally greet Lady Kaya in person!"

Exactly.

For the young, hot-blooded knights, Isaac and Shuri were golden opportunities— a chance to get closer to their beloved saintly sisters!

"As expected, a massive crowd of young knights has swarmed in again this year…"

"Well, the Eshua saints are quite popular…"

The servants preparing for the ordination let out deep sighs.

The Eshua family had always been famous for their stunning, heavenly looks. It wasn't for nothing that demons had been so captivated by the saints' beauty they froze mid-battle and got themselves cut down.

"They say the goddess of beauty herself tweaked their appearances just to create a weakness in the Skull King."

The problem? The target of that plan never showed any reaction whatsoever.

Worse still, the Skull King stubbornly refused to fall for them, while everyone else around him went totally crazy.

Like that bunch right there.

"Wooooah! Lady Lea!"

"Lady Kaya!!"

"Please, just let us see them once!"

On top of that, the saints weren't just pretty faces—they were geniuses in martial prowess, leading the paladins into battle. It would've been odd not to be popular.

Which meant the men of the Eshua family, who were always lined up to be ordained, inevitably had to suffer the endless attention of the knights.

"Sigh… those Eshua men really have it rough. If they don't have any talent, they get dragged off to a wedding the moment they come of age. And if they do have talent, they die young."

At this point, even the Skull King seemed almost petty.

"Nah, the one who's really cursed is Prince Isaac."

"Oh yeah, isn't he still got that totally babyish look at age ten? He's super cute toddling around, but honestly, it's kind of sad."

"Right? He's gonna get laughed at again today for sure… huh?"

But just then, the servants carrying the banquet trays froze, their eyes going wide. Two men had just walked past them.

"D-Did you see that?!"

"W-Whaaat? One of them was Lord Shuri Eshua, but who was the other?!"

"Are you kidding me? Who else in this empire has platinum-blonde hair?!"

"…Wha?"

"Whaaa?!"

The stunned servants were left speechless.

At the same time, inside the banquet hall.

The graduating class lined up in neat rows, waiting to receive their ordination this year.

Clad in the same priestly robes, they murmured among themselves, all focused on a single topic.

"Hey, where's Shuri Eshua? Off changing his baby brother's diaper?"

"Maybe the little guy thinks he's the star of the show and plans to make a grand entrance at the end?"

This year, there were 500 graduates from the Holy Law Department.

Among them, Duke Jeok's faction was practically salivating, waiting for Isaac to toddle in.

"I mean, come on, ordaining a ten-year-old? That's just too much."

"Are they trying to insult us or something?"

But none of them dared to say it out loud—because, unfortunately for them, the person Isaac had saved in the dining hall was one of Duke Jeok's own.

One wrong word, and it'd sound like they were disrespecting the Duke's benefactor.

So instead, they jabbed at others.

"You're the top of the class, but everyone's obsessed with that little baby. Must piss you off, huh, Hawk?"

Everyone turned to look at the year's top graduate.

A student with green hair—an overwhelming genius who hadn't missed a single perfect score on a written exam in seven years.

And yet, the class president? That was Shuri Eshua, who was only second-best.

And now came Isaac Eshua.

"Beaten by the Eshuas again. Doesn't that just eat you up?"

"Meh, even if I had a grudge, what's a petty baron's kid supposed to do against high-ranking nobles?"

As they were about to stir things up even more, Naizer Sephet cut in sharply.

"Shut up and get ready."

"Naizer…!"

Niger Sephet curled his lips into a sneer.

"So, it looks like little Eshua can use divine arts now, huh? Still just a suckling babe, though."

"Yeah, can you imagine that toddler waddling up when his name's called? What a sight that'll be."

"Honestly, it's a self-own. Everyone's gonna curse when they see that wretched brat."

In short, they were planning to laugh at Isaac when he toddled in after being called.

That alone made this ordination ceremony worthwhile. Niger Sephet had never harbored any goodwill toward Isaac to begin with.

The Order of Blue already had the worst reputation, and now Isaac Eshua?

Did they think anyone would forget what that little bastard did in the Saintess's treasury? The mess he caused for their family ten years ago still stung.

"No idea what possessed my father to accept a recommendation letter from the likes of the Blue…"

Just then—

BANG!

"!"

The massive doors swung open, and the noisy banquet hall instantly fell silent as if it had never been loud.

Every student who'd been joking around, every person deep in conversation—everyone froze and straightened up.

The ones who entered were the heads of the Five Great Orders.

In gold, blue, red, white, and black robes, the five cardinals swept through the hall with confident strides, heading straight for the seats of honor.

Everyone bowed their heads in reverence.

The swish of their black clerical robes, the fierce yet perfectly restrained footsteps—

The sheer presence alone was overwhelming, compelling everyone to lower their gaze.

Those are the cardinals…!

The leaders of the Five Great Orders!

They had defeated countless Demon Kings in the past, and now they were the only ones said to have the power to take down the Skeleton King.

To the young clerics, they were living idols—though, admittedly, not all of them looked thrilled.

"Well, well, Blue actually bothered to show up late."

The head of the Red Order chuckled, glancing at the disheveled head of the Eshua family.

"We thought you weren't coming since you weren't here even a minute ago."

"Shut it."

Eli, the head of the Blue Order, cursed under his breath as he straightened his slightly askew ceremonial sash.

Dammit, all this because of that damn grandson of his. What the hell was he doing at his age, rushing like this?

Yeah, that 23-hour sprint had been a bit much.

And with all the unexpected mishaps along the way, taking the long route… damn kid!

He was definitely going to rip every single hair out of that boy's head when he found him.

Even Lilai, who'd come along, was just now sitting down, his usually pristine uniform looking unusually rumpled.

The junior clerics who recognized him looked shocked, and Goel, who'd arrived earlier, recoiled at the smell of sweat.

"What the hell is this? You're from a duke's house—have some dignity. You're not a commoner."

"S-sorry. I ditched the divine beast and ran the whole way here… didn't want to be late…"

"You maniac! You ran that whole distance?!"

Goel, stunned, hurriedly handed him some water, but Lilai looked utterly dejected. Being exhausted was the least of his concerns right now.

Isaac, where the hell are you…?!

He'd asked around as they came into the hall if anyone had seen a baby, but no one had.

"Brother, have you seen Isaac?"

"Why would I look for him here? Didn't you say he was at Eshua?"

Lilai groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Isaac!

Did he not come here?!

"But hey, have you seen Shuri?"

"Shuri??"

"She was supposed to be up next. Where'd she disappear to?"

Meanwhile, seated now, the head of the Blue Order seemed to sense something off among the students.

"The mood feels strange."

The Red Order's head chuckled beside him.

"Well, that's to be expected. This year's got the youngest ordination candidate ever, after all."

"Ah, Shuri?"

Snort.

When the Red Order's head laughed, the Blue Order's head shot him a look of pure disgust.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. You'll see soon enough."

"?"

Right then, the atmosphere in the banquet hall shifted again.

"His Holiness the Pope arrives."

"!"

At those words, the doors opened, and a man robed head to toe in pure white entered. At a glance, he looked about the same age as the head of the Blue Order.

Immediately behind him was Kina Verit, the Pope's grandson, followed by a long procession of clerics.

It was the very definition of a royal entrance.

As the supreme leader of the Holy Empire stepped in, everyone in the hall rose to their feet, and even the cardinals stood, bowing low with one knee down and their heads bent deeply.

"May the glorious blessing of God be with Hella."

With that, the honored guests took their seats.

"We shall now begin the ordination. When your name is called, step forward."

The students began moving at the signal.

The head of the Blue Order finally felt like he could breathe, lifting his water glass to take a sip.

"Isaac Eshua."

At the familiar name, the Blue Order's head paused mid-sip, frowning deeply.

Seriously? The Pope was here, and they were messing up like this? Why hadn't they taken his name off the list if he wasn't even here?

Damn it, let's just get this over with and go home.

He had to hurry back and find that kid before he caused any more trouble…

"Isaac Eshua, are you not present?"

He's not here, you idiot!

The Blue Order's head gestured impatiently, urging them to move on already.

But the students' reactions were different. Their faces clearly showed they had already confirmed who had arrived.

"I saw Shuri take that baby to the bathroom."

"Oh, so he's hiding there right now?"

Just then, the door creaked open and Shuri quietly slipped back into the banquet hall.

In Shuri's arms was the baby's clothing, and the kids who noticed it snickered.

"Looks like she finally dressed him in that oversized cleric robe."

The head of the Cheong family and the people from Eshua looked baffled, blinking in disbelief.

'…Baby clothes?'

What?

Why is she carrying that?!

At last, the Eshua family realized something and shot to their feet.

'No way!'

Meanwhile, Shuri's classmates, seeing her return, snorted with laughter.

"So, where'd you ditch your little brother?"

"…Shut up."

I didn't ditch him, okay?

Damn it, even if I wanted to ditch him now, I couldn't. This is insane.

Shuri glanced warily at the door.

"Isaac Eshua."

"Yes."

At the reply, the head of the Cheong family nearly spat out the water he was drinking.

Wait a minute—did someone actually answer just now? Did he really answer?!

Is he seriously here?!

Soon, the door opened, and a flash of platinum-blonde hair appeared. The guests and students all turned eagerly to look. The students especially were ready to pounce with teasing remarks.

Creak—

Yeah, of course.

Here we go, opening the door, toddling in like—

'…Huh?'

…Why isn't he toddling?

Wait a second.

"Isaac Eshua, reporting in."

Who the hell is that?!

The students gaped in shock at the sight of the boy who suddenly appeared.

A perfectly tailored robe in white and gray, the uniform of an unaffiliated cleric.

Standing there was a boy who looked about twelve years old. It was impossible to believe this was the same baby from just an hour ago.

And yet, his distinctive features—those striking eyes and that platinum hair—were exactly the same as before.

It was like someone had just fast-forwarded time by more than a decade while leaving everything else untouched… What the hell?

"Who is that?! Don't tell me that baby grew up that fast?"

"Isaac?!"

The hair color of the most revered ancestor in history.

That unmistakable platinum-blonde hair shimmered lightly as he moved, and though his face was still boyish, his long, straight limbs hinted at the impressive figure he'd have in a few years.

Just by making his entrance and walking in with confidence, Isaac sent a different kind of ripple through the banquet hall.

Goel looked horrified, and Lila shot up to her feet, eyes wide with shock.

The head of the Cheong family stood frozen, unaware that the water in his cup was spilling out.

Even the people from the Papal family stared at Isaac, unable to believe their eyes.

'This can't be. His appearance…'

They had been told—right up until today—that he still looked like that cursed, ominous infant. Even Cardinal Berit and Kina Berit, rarely caught off guard, stared at him in stunned silence.

The guests whispered anxiously.

"Wasn't the youngest of the Eshua family cursed by the Skeleton King so he couldn't grow? That's why he disappeared for ten years…"

"What do you mean? He's grown just fine."

Nigel Sepet and the students, who had been gearing up to mock Isaac, now looked like they were on the verge of mental collapse.

'What the hell! What's going on?!'

'How is a cursed kid like him…!'

Did he really break the Skeleton King's curse?!

And just as the room buzzed with tension, the Pope's gaze locked onto Isaac.

Isaac met his eyes—and smirked.

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