Pegasus’ Child Will Live in Peace!
Chapter 73
Everyone heard the wizard’s scream, piercing like a scream of terror.
Shock swept through the crowd.
Even the knights, who had been slashing at the writhing mass near the monster core trying to regenerate, looked up with utterly bewildered expressions.
“Shall we at least put it in a magic containment pouch for now?”
“Hmm… Since it’s temporarily suppressed, that should do for now. We can handle it this way until we bring a new sealing device from the lord’s castle—”
“Ahem!”
Feonal approached those discussing countermeasures, cleared his throat, and fidgeted with his mustache before speaking.
“I told you before, we shouldn’t rely on unnatural objects that go against the will of the gods… right?”
“That’s right, that’s right. We’ve always followed the priest’s guidance. To completely eliminate monsters, one must receive divine grace. Using just the power of mere beasts like us isn’t enough.”
“Feonal the Elder is absolutely correct.”
Once the monsters were dealt with, the elder council members who had subtly stepped forward to back up Feonal chimed in one by one.
“…Since we are busy at the moment, could you submit any proposals in writing?”
Miarc cut them off with a look that seemed to say, ‘That’s more of a complaint than a proposal,’ and tried to send them back to their places.
But for these stubborn elders, that only backfired.
Feonal’s face flushed an even deeper red, and he snorted loudly, raising his voice.
“Am I saying something unreasonable? Even if that sealing device looks useful now, it’s barely twenty years old! A human-made tool can never compare to the holy rituals that have eradicated monsters for ages.”
“Ah, I didn’t realize Your Grace was such a strict fundamentalist. Since you reject all artificial magical tools, I assume you’ve removed all of them from your estate as well?”
The priests’ notion of “sacred fundamentalism”—living according to one’s natural instincts and avoiding artificial powers—was so extreme that using any magical tools installed for convenience would also be forbidden.
Of course, living that way would be impossible in reality, and Miarc was subtly highlighting this hypocrisy.
Feonal’s anger flared, his mustache trembling as he exhaled forcefully.
“Wha… are you just nitpicking the words? Hmph, as expected from someone without subordinates.”
“Didn’t hear me correctly?”
“Ahem! Did I say something wrong?”
Miarc raised his eyes at Feonal, who was subtly trying to target Theodor, and Feonal turned toward his own companions.
“All the hunting festivals held by the Pegasus clan so far have never had any problems. For generations… for all those long years!”
“Ah, yes. Indeed. There have never been any incidents like this.”
“So can we really say that this sudden problem in this year’s hunting festival is unrelated?”
“Now—!”
Heavy footsteps interrupted Miarc, who was about to raise his voice.
Theodor, signaling Miarc to step back with his eyes, strode forward with long steps and stopped in front of Feonal.
“So.”
“…”
“What is it that you want to say?”
Feonal felt the gaze of someone looking down at him, as if daring him to speak.
The instinctive sense of intimidation from facing such a massive figure made Feonal step back without realizing it.
The elder council, whom he thought were backing him up, now blocked his retreat like a solid wall.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Swallowing hard and bracing himself, Feonal closed his eyes tightly and shouted.
“I mean that the founder is angry because someone not of the Pegasus bloodline is conducting the clan event!”
“!”
Theodor was a direct descendant of the Pegasus family, formally registered as such.
Not only was he the son personally guaranteed by the mercenary king Feonal, head of the family, but he was also officially appointed as the acting clan head.
There was no distant or inconvenient relation—Theodor’s authority could not be questioned.
Yet Feonal, the very one challenging this bloodline, had crossed a line, and the Pegasus clan members who were standing at a distance widened their eyes.
The members of the clan who had instinctively stepped back from the elders noticed an unusual figure among them.
“Huh? That outfit…”
The figure, who had been wearing a common robe, removed the hood to reveal a distinctive headpiece.
A long hair circlet bearing a holy emblem—it was the attire of a priest dispatched by the Holy Empire.
“Ah… it seems the dispute among the devotees has become too heated.”
Feonal’s words had angered Miarc and the knights, their eyes blazing.
Before they could protest, the priest intervened, spreading his arms with a calm expression as if to stop the conflict.
Miarc’s veins bulged at the sight of the priest’s neutral stance right after Feonal’s extreme remarks.
“Why would someone who calls for the clan like an ancient person bring a beast, not even part of the clan or the territory, to the clan festival?”
“Please calm yourself, devotee.”
“Why am I your devotee?”
“Now, now, not to a priest!”
The elder council tried to murmur objections, but the priest silenced them with ease.
Looking pityingly at the flustered Miarc, the priest clasped his hands as if in prayer and slightly nodded.
“It is alright. The gracious Holy King forgives even the impious.”
“Impious? I can see a whole crowd of impious ones right now!”
The elders, understanding they were being referred to, blushed like red dates.
“Do you realize the significance of the priest being here? Instead of the imperfect sealing device, the priest can perform the sacred ritual to eliminate the monsters directly!”
Feonal, regaining his confidence, lifted his chin with a disdainful expression.
“We brought him here carefully to prevent any accidents, as you see! That is the wisdom of experience. Though I have no intention of showing off at such an unfortunate time when the hunting festival was sullied, I shudder to imagine what would have happened if I had not requested the priest’s assistance!”
Feonal turned to look around, taking credit for everything, and coughed repeatedly.
The priest, smiling faintly in agreement, stepped forward, raising the ceremonial staff for all to see, and approached the pile of monster cores gathered by the knights.
“My presence here must also be the will of the gods. Moreover, the sacred hall granted by the Holy King is in my hands, so this seems to be a divine fate.”
The priest extended the silvery staff, emanating a sacred aura, toward the monster cores and recited a sacred incantation.
It resembled the sight of wizards chanting activation words.
The priest’s chanting, rhythmic and melodic, looked like a scene from a devout religious painting, evoking a strong sense of sanctity.
After a considerable time, smoke began to emerge from the silver staff.
Unlike the black smoke resembling monsters, the smoke moving toward the monster cores shimmered with a gentle silver light.
“Gasp…!”
“The monster cores… are melting?”
The moment the smoke touched the cores, holes appeared as if exposed to acid, and the cores burned and melted into the floor.
At some point, the towering piles of monster cores vanished, revealing the empty floor.
“By the gods…! To purify that many monster cores in an instant!”
“Truly divine. No wonder it’s called a sacred beast.”
Witnessing this with their own eyes, people around expressed admiration.
The priest accepted their praise with a calm, humble nod.
The holy emblem on his circlet shone brightly at the perfect moment.
“Indeed. What a solemn sight this is!”
“Let us give thanks for the grace of the Holy King who sent the priest!”
“Ahem. Bringing the priest here was truly the right decision.”
The elder council, encouraged by the clan’s approval, raised their voices again.
