Chapter 05
“Come on, it’s normal for a child to cry a little!”
At Chief Priest Teano’s firm attitude, the usually gentle Countess narrowed her eyes fiercely.
It was an expression she normally reserved only for her husband and sons.
Now that she looked at him, perhaps his appearance really was a little intimidating to a child. He had presided over countless blessing ceremonies—couldn’t he at least sew one cute little pattern onto his robe for children?
“I am afraid… the blessing does not respond to this child.”
“It doesn’t respond…?”
The Countess, who had been fuming moments ago, froze at the unexpected words.
Come to think of it, not only the chief priest, but even the apprentice priests holding the baptismal basin wore grim expressions.
How was one supposed to distinguish between the face of someone witnessing a miracle… and someone confronting something terrifying?
By then, Asiel had already stopped crying.
At Teano’s gesture, the Countess stepped toward the silver basin.
“Please look inside.”
Whenever a child received a divine blessing, the holy water in the basin revealed the symbol of the god who had bestowed it.
It was both a miracle and a revelation.
With trembling hands, the Countess looked into the basin.
The moment she saw its contents, she instinctively gripped Asiel’s right arm tightly—as if trying to hide it from the gaze of the gods.
“There have been… cases like this before,” Teano said gently, attempting to comfort her.
“Perhaps… once every hundred years.”
The basin…
…was completely dry.
Unfortunately, his words never reached her.
“A hundred years.”
“Once.”
Those two numbers together were simply too overwhelming.
The Countess bit down hard on her lower lip.
Just as the holy water had dried up…
…so too must her tears.
“Sometimes the blessing appears later,” Teano continued.
“How about trying the ceremony again in five years?”
“Will you still be here then?”
Without hesitation, the chief priest nodded.
Before leaving, he looked quietly at Asiel once more.
Then he lightly poked her chubby cheek with a finger.
Such an adorable child… why…?
But what could anyone do?
Silence, too…
…was a response from the gods.
* * *
“There are things like this.”
“Asiel was probably born already loved enough by the gods. She’s practically an angel!”
“Maybe all five gods are fighting over who gets to bless her!”
“That makes sense. Someone like Asiel is far too precious to belong to only one deity.”
The ridiculous, borderline-blasphemous comments from the men of House Windsorberry finally coaxed a smile from the troubled Countess.
She gently stroked Asiel’s back as the little girl rested in her arms.
Today marked four years…
…since she had vowed to raise Asiel as her own daughter.
“Anyway, happy birthday, Asiel!”
Gale and Quentin practically snatched Asiel away from their mother’s embrace and dragged her toward the mountain of presents waiting in the corner.
Asiel happily tore through the wrapping paper as though she had never cried at all.
Watching her, the Countess finally allowed herself to cry a little in her husband’s arms.
Unlike her, Count Windsorberry had always been skeptical about the blessing ceremony.
Divine powers generally descended upon royalty and nobles.
People of noble blood.
A child who had simply appeared one day in front of the estate…
No one knew where Asiel had come from.
He had worried that forcing such a child to undergo the ceremony might only lead to heartbreak.
The Countess had insisted.
She realized now…
…that it had partly been out of stubborn hope.
Somewhere deep inside, she had believed that if Asiel received a divine blessing…
…if the gods acknowledged her noble blood…
…then an even stronger bond would form between mother and daughter.
And that burn…
Her thoughts drifted to the scar on Asiel’s right arm.
The very mark said to have appeared on the arm of the saintess who had rejected the gods.
No.
It was only a legend.
Surely that scar was nothing more than the wound of a child caught in some tragic accident.
If Asiel’s birth parents were still alive…
If people capable of bringing such a lovely child into the world existed…
Then she prayed they were happy.
Whatever circumstances had forced them apart…
May they live peacefully under the protection of the Five Gods.
Still…
Today, she couldn’t help but resent them just a little.
If only they had left even a single note about the child…
“Asiel is a strong girl.”
As if sensing the guilt and frustration overwhelming his wife, the Count gently comforted her.
“Mom!”
Having finished opening her gifts, Asiel came running over while clutching something in both hands.
The Countess quickly wiped away her tears before catching the child in her arms.
“Yes, Asiel?”
“This is for you!”
In Asiel’s hands was a lily-shaped brooch decorated with tiny pearls.
It had been the Countess’s birthday present.
Asiel had once asked what flower she liked most, and after hearing “lily,” the family had prepared it especially for her.
Instead…
…the gift had been returned.
The Countess let out an amused laugh.
“What? Didn’t you like it?”
“No.”
“You like lilies the most, Mommy.”
“So I like them the most too.”
Hearing those innocent words, the Countess hugged her daughter tightly.
In that instant…
…all of her previous worries became meaningless.
We’re already connected.
Not by blood…
But by family.
She silently resolved to pray even harder.
If the Five Gods would not answer…
Then she would pray to another deity.
Even if such an act branded her a heretic.
Suddenly…
A name surfaced in her memory.
A name she herself had long forgotten.
Ancient Mother Goddess Hegesis…
Please…
If no other god will watch over this child…
At least you… have mercy on her and grant her your blessing.
* * *
Etuar Academy was the pride of the Kingdom of Wensley.
It was the only theological academy of the Church of Etuar.
Every divine power holder on the continent of Padeo dreamed of studying there.
Graduating from the academy was considered an immense honor.
Those who did not attend had no choice but to hire a chief priest for private instruction.
The academy’s curriculum consisted of two divisions: Junior and Senior.
Students entered the Junior Division at the age of eight and completed ten years of compulsory education.
Asiel had now turned eight.
Children her age had begun attending the academy a month earlier.
“I’m not going to the academy!”
…Well, you can’t exactly go anyway.
The Count chose not to crush his spirited daughter’s declaration.
If anything…
Perhaps it was for the best.
“I see. But why doesn’t my little peach want to go?”
“Because I’d have to study.”
“Eww. I hate studying.”
Even if you didn’t attend the academy…
…you’d still have to study.
If the Countess heard that, she’d probably faint.
After all, she had spent the last four years carefully selecting tutors for Asiel.
Then again…
None of Asiel’s older brothers had ever disliked studying.
They had wanted to skip the academy only because they wanted to keep playing with her.
Allen had only been attending for a month, so it wasn’t as if he had already overwhelmed her with homework.
So where exactly had she learned this attitude?
Feeling oddly guilty, Count Windsorberry quietly closed the book he had been reading aloud.
She had been listening with sparkling eyes…
Apparently she hadn’t been interested after all.
“Fine!”
“Then Father will just earn even more money!”
“You can spend all of Father’s fortune!”
Recently, Gale had spoken with complete seriousness.
He possessed the Power of Protection.
Quentin possessed the Power of Art.
Therefore, he believed the family’s wealth should eventually belong mostly to Asiel.
Since all the brothers agreed…
Then Asiel could simply stay home, live happily, spend money, and grow up healthy.
“Yay!”
Cheering excitedly, Asiel suddenly remembered her promise to play with Allen after he returned from the academy.
She dashed out of the room.
The Count smiled at the warmth that had suddenly disappeared from his arms.
Just grow up healthy, Asiel.
Looking through the window at his wife and daughter preparing to leave, he began selecting another book to read her later.
Academy or not…
There were still many things she needed to learn.
House Windsorberry and House Chaim had always been especially close.
Both families valued integrity and had little interest in political struggles at court.
As Allen and Asiel grew closer, the two households visited one another even more frequently.
As the Countess took the eager Asiel to the Chaim estate, she repeated her warning yet again.
“Absolutely do not fight with Allen!”
The reasons Asiel and Allen fought were endless.
She stole his wooden practice sword because she wanted it.
She spat on cookies so she wouldn’t have to share them.
She insisted on taking Allen’s younger brother, Rogers, back to the Windsorberry estate.
Really…
As long as Asiel didn’t start trouble first…
Everything stayed perfectly peaceful.
The last time they’d visited, Allen had been enduring everything in silence.
When asked why, he’d replied,
“Father said that if a man makes a girl cry, he has to take responsibility.”
Hearing that, the Countess had felt incredibly conflicted.
Allen…
I’m so sorry.
Ever since then, she had constantly reminded Asiel to be nice to him.
To give in whenever possible.
Otherwise…
Allen might decide to play with other friends instead.
Asiel obediently nodded each time.
After all…
Allen was an excellent subordinate.
Besides, these days she didn’t really have any reason to fight with him.
“He’s here again?”
The moment she spotted Bernard clinging to Allen’s side, Asiel’s bright green eyes burst into metaphorical flames.
If only that guy wasn’t here!
“Oh my, Lady Ray, you’ve come as well.”
“Yes. This little one kept begging to play with Allen.”
“Hello, Asiel.”
Bernard Ray was a friend Allen had recently made at the academy.
As a result, House Ray had gradually begun visiting House Chaim more often.
The ladies of the two families got along remarkably well, and what began as casual visits had turned into a pleasant social gathering.
Everything was wonderful.
Everything…
…except for the relationship between Asiel and Bernard.
