Chapter 15. The Feast Day of the Thirsty Land
The last day of the Feast Day of the 'Thirsty Land.'
As it was the last day of the Feast Day, it was also the most important, and the day with the most visitors.
The priests were even busier with the news that the royals would be coming this time.
Carriages of nobles arrived one after another to participate in the most lavish lunch worship service of the Feast Day. Among them was the carriage of the 7th Princess, Inette.
"Why did he go so early?"
Inette grumbled to the 3rd Imperial Consort next to her.
"The one who doesn't even have a carriage."
The 3rd Imperial Consort, Celiana, suppressed a smile.
After sending her to the Academy registration office with Radel the other day, Inette had become quite close to him and would often talk about him.
This time too, she had been stubbornly refusing to go to the Grand Temple, but as soon as she was told that Radel had already gone and was praying, she immediately followed.
Celiana was so grateful that she thought she should give Radel a generous allowance.
Inette, unaware of her mother's thoughts, barely endured the utterly boring worship service.
But no matter how much she looked around, she couldn't see Radel.
'Where did he go?'
Only Inette and Celiana were in the seats where the royals watched the worship service. Looking closely, she could also see the 2nd Prince and the 3rd Princess in the distance.
'They came too. How annoying.'
Although they were her half-sister and brother, Inette was not on good terms with them. Anyone would be like that after sending assassins to each other a few times.
Even if they didn't show it on the surface, the life of a royal was fierce behind the scenes.
Compared to them, Radel seemed like a pretty decent half-brother. At least Radel hadn't sent an assassin to Inette.
Inette was lost in thought, trying to stifle a yawn, when she doubted her ears at the somehow familiar sermon content.
“When death came upon him, he offered everything before the Supreme Deity, and felt a deep gratitude to the Supreme Deity. If not for that, how could this be?”
Listening to it, it was overly embellished, but it was the story of a prince who had died and come back to life, refusing all food and drink and only praying for three whole days.
The only prince who fit that description was Radel.
'There were a lot of rumors that he made a contract with a devil, but I guess that wasn't true.'
Inette was surprised to find herself feeling relieved.
'I'm not scared even if he's a vampire!'
Inette was needlessly feeling guilty, even though no one had said anything.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Prince, Arteo Kudent Cretian, who was far away, also spotted the 7th Princess.
It was impossible not to notice the mother and daughter with fiery red hair.
Inette's Ability was strong, but her mother, Celiana, was a much more powerful opponent than Inette.
The assassins he had sent as a test were either roasted by Inette's flames or dealt with by the private soldiers of the Dastion ducal family that Celiana had with her.
On top of that, Arteo had also had a hard time because she had hired twice as many assassins and sent them back.
He didn't know what Celiana was thinking coming here, but to Arteo, who had been trying to build a relationship with the Supreme Deity Order for several years, the sudden appearance of Inette and her mother was an eyesore.
And what was with the sermon?
The 8th Prince?
A person he hadn't even considered a rival had suddenly appeared.
“Brother, you were lost in thought during the sermon, weren't you?”
Next to him was the 3rd Princess, Shartea, whispering for him to focus on the worship service, oblivious to Arteo's inner turmoil.
Arteo looked at his sister and asked a question.
“Thea, what do you think of the sermon?”
“It seems the 8th Prince has deep faith. I suppose the rumor that he was a heretic was false.”
The situation was turning out to be worse than he thought.
* * *
What makes a good Hunter?
I knew the answer to some extent.
A good Hunter was a Hunter who knew how to concentrate.
Concentration was important to survive unexpected Gate openings, swarming monsters, and Dungeons where you didn't know what would come out.
No matter how good you were usually, if you were careless, it was the end. Carelessness meant a drop in concentration, and that led to death.
Prayer was the same. The moment my concentration dropped, I was one step closer to a Heresy Trial.
'I'm going to die.'
I muttered inwardly.
Prayer to the Supreme Deity (46/48)
Condition: Pray for 48 hours within 3 days (Time limit 7/72)
My fate would be decided in seven hours, depending on how much I concentrated from now on.
I tried to devote myself to prayer again.
It was important to clear my mind of distracting thoughts. Otherwise, my concentration would break easily.
“Your Highness, it's been over four hours since you've had anything to drink. How about a glass of water?”
The apprentice holy knight guarding my side suggested in a stiff voice.
I looked at him.
Was his name Gusto?
Without this friend, it might have been difficult to pray for three whole days.
Gusto had sprinkled holy water and offered food at just the right times whenever my concentration dropped.
He was a benefactor who had saved me several times when I had almost dozed off. Even now, didn't he offer water like a ghost as soon as my concentration dropped?
I reflected on my slackened mind and shook my head. Failure meant death, and it seemed I still hadn't come to my senses.
“Thank you, Brother. But I am still far from finished.”
It was then.
It became noisy outside.
Gusto looked at me silently for a moment before going outside the prayer room.
There was a reason for the commotion outside. In front of the prayer room, the 2nd Prince, the 3rd Princess, and the 7th Princess were in a standoff.
The priests who had brought them were flustered and relayed the message to Gusto.
“They're like this even though I said they can't. They said they must see the 8th Prince…”
Gusto looked around at the royals.
The 7th Princess with red hair was glaring at the 2nd Prince.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to encourage my half-brother who recently recovered from his illness.”
“Don't make me laugh. You expect me to believe that?”
The 2nd Prince twisted the corner of his mouth.
“Inette, what are you doing here? Surely you haven't suddenly found faith, so did you come to see the 8th Prince?”
“Why would I come to see a guy like that!”
Inette flared up and shouted.
The 3rd Princess watched the two quarrel as if she were used to it.
In Gusto's eyes, they all looked the same.
Their behavior of shouting and raising their voices in front of the prayer room, which should be a place of solemnity, was exactly like the royals Gusto knew.
In any case, since the royals had personally come to the prayer room, he had to inform me.
Gusto entered the prayer room and relayed the situation to me, but I shook my head firmly without even listening to all of it.
What do royals matter when the quest is urgent?
“No one, not even a royal, can disturb my prayer.”
It was an attitude that didn't even require a second thought.
Gusto was surprised by his firmness.
He could feel his determination that nothing could shake him before his prayer.
Hadn't Gusto tested him several times already? Radel was different from the royals causing a commotion outside.
It was the moment when the thought that there might be a royal worthy of the name first raised its head in Gusto's mind.
This incident would later be widely used in sermons among the priests as a deeply faithful anecdote of the 8th Prince who overcame the disturbance of the royals and devoted himself to prayer.
I, at this moment, had no way of knowing that I would acquire an adapted famous line like, ‘The only one in the world who can raise me up is the Supreme Deity!’
* * *
“It’s been a while. Lord Arteo, Lady Shartea.”
“It is an honor to be invited.”
The 2nd Prince, Arteo, was chatting with the Archbishop along with his sister, the 3rd Princess, Shartea.
He had been delayed by encountering Inette on his way to the prayer room, so he hadn't been able to observe the rumored 8th Prince, and his meeting with the Archbishop had been delayed.
Arteo felt that things weren't going well today.
“Lady Celiana was just here.”
The Archbishop spoke, lifting his tea.
Arteo's cheek twitched.
He had thought it was strange that only Inette was in front of the prayer room, but the 3rd Imperial Consort had been meeting with the Archbishop at that time.
“So the 3rd Imperial Consort visited first. What was the occasion…?”
“Ho ho, she made a donation, hoping it would be used for the new temple to be built.”
Arteo could bet 100 gold coins that the Archbishop had intentionally brought up Celiana's story.
He had donated a considerable amount to the Supreme Deity Order, hoping it would be used for good deeds.
But this cunning Archbishop had always just said thank you and never gave Arteo what he wanted.
Arteo needed the official support of the Supreme Deity Order.
Or at least unofficial support.
If the Order of the Nameless God, which had the largest religious influence, supported him and his sister, it would be a great force in the upcoming succession war.
Of course, the Supreme Deity Order had never officially supported any royal before. But Arteo believed that with constant sincerity and money, their hearts would be swayed.
He knew the Archbishop was not an easy person to deal with, but Arteo also had something to rely on.
It was the current Emperor's attitude towards the Supreme Deity Order.
It wasn't that there had been no emperors who tried to suppress the influence of the Supreme Deity Order for political reasons.
But since the Nameless God was a symbolic deity who had bestowed the blessing of Ability upon the royals, no emperor had openly ostracized the order.
But this Emperor was different.
He had made excuses not to attend the Grand Feast Day of the Supreme Deity Order, which emperors had attended every year, and had subtly removed the Archbishop from the invitation list for Imperial events.
It was a move that anyone could see was intended to reduce the influence of the Supreme Deity Order.
With the Emperor acting like that, the number of royals visiting the Supreme Deity Order naturally decreased.
Arteo intended to use this.
If the Archbishop chose him and his sister, he could give a lot of power to the Supreme Deity Order after Shartea became the Emperor.
He believed that siding with them, the leading candidates for the throne, would not be a bad deal for the Supreme Deity Order either.
Until now.
“As expected, the 3rd Imperial Consort is very interested in good deeds. The Supreme Deity will be pleased.”
Arteo managed his expression while saying flattering words.
Seeing that the Archbishop had intentionally brought up Celiana's story, he felt like the Archbishop was saying that although the money he gave seemed like a lot, others also had a lot of money, which made his stomach churn.
“Yes, that’s right. There are many joyous occasions on this year’s Feast Day of the ‘Thirsty Land.’”
“I see.”
“I am especially pleased that the Supreme Deity seems to have sent us someone we desperately need. Ho ho.”
Arteo was not swayed by the Archbishop's words.
That statement was not referring to Celiana. Nor was it referring to Arteo or Shartea.
He couldn't understand it himself, but at that moment, the person who came to Arteo's mind was the 8th Prince.
Shartea, who was drinking tea with them, suddenly raised her head and looked out the window.
“Huh? Why is it suddenly raining…?”
Come to think of it, the sky, which had been clear just two hours ago, was now covered with unseasonal dark clouds.
The Archbishop stroked his beard and looked at the sky meaningfully.
“A saint suddenly appeared in the thirsty land and prayed for three days…”
As far as he knew, it had never rained on the Feast Day of the 'Thirsty Land' which was held every year.
“And it is said that it rained on the last day.”
Coincidentally, today was the last day of the Feast Day.
It was also the day someone had been praying for the third day.
The Archbishop's eyes followed the rain that had begun to fall.
Was it a coincidence?
But he was the first servant of the Nameless God.
In the world his God created, there were no coincidences.
Only fate flowed silently.
The Archbishop did not yet know how to refuse that flow.