Something's Not Right (2)
Shuri was embarrassed.
Not for any particular reason.
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!
"..."
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!
"..."
Slurp! Slurp slurp slurp!
Oh, this brat! Hey, will you stop stuffing your face already?!
What, was he possessed by the spirit of a starving puppy who died with regrets or something?
The louder the eating noises grew, the more Shuri's face twitched.
It was already bad enough that they had overheard, "Ugh, seriously? Even Esua guys are allowed in? Then the Saint's treasury must be easy pickings! We'll take all the treasure ourselves!"
She was already boiling with rage—and then this idiot.
As a fellow from Esua, she was dying from secondhand embarrassment.
Of course, it was shameful enough that someone from a ducal family was eating like a beggar with no class.
But that wasn't even the most embarrassing part.
"Is… is that kid okay?"
"Did someone spike his drink or something?"
Exactly.
Brat! They did spike it! Stop drinking already!!
Shuri groaned as she watched the baby glutton.
In fact, before entering the treasury, Shuri had made a promise to her Uncle Rilai.
"Shuri, keep an eye on your younger cousin, okay?"
Of course, she had no intention of doing that.
Why should I? He's a rival.
Sure, she'd watch him—but not protect him. Uncle Rilai probably didn't expect that either.
After all, the treasure hunt was a trial everyone had to face on their own.
So, while she wouldn't help, she'd at least keep an eye out… or so she thought, until the kid just downed the drugged water without hesitation?!
"A saint candidate should at least be able to tell when something's been spiked!"
It was like the other candidates thought Esua was a joke. They didn't even try to hide it—just offered him drugged water to his face.
She hadn't planned on helping, but she couldn't stand by and let a fellow Esua get played by a bunch of clowns.
"It's not an obvious poison. Probably something digestive."
The adults who could mediate had stepped away to open the treasure vault.
Eventually, Shuri couldn't take it anymore. She approached to take the bottle away from him and told him not to drink it.
WHACK!!
Instead, she got smacked by Isaac!
He even used holy power to throw the water bottle at her!
"What the hell does he think of his big sis?!"
If he drank the drugged water, he should at least feel sick!
But no—he didn't collapse. Instead, he tried to trample over her, so Shuri gave him her own water bottle.
"If you're thirsty, take mine! Just stop it!"
Hearing that, Isaac happily drank her water.
He sipped it with sparkling eyes, clearly expecting something. But then, after a few gulps—
"Tta-ya?"
He suddenly glared at her with a terrifying look.
She had no idea why he was glaring.
But she could tell he was suspicious of her. Feeling wronged, Shuri explained it was just normal, safe water—but he hit her again.
"Tta-ya-ya-ya (Why the hell is yours not drugged)?!"
The hell?! Why is this psycho pissed that the water's normal?!
And with that, Isaac started following around the kids with the drugged water instead!
He scurried around like a cockroach.
At that point, the kids who had tried to poison him were terrified.
And no wonder—Isaac had already drunk six of the spiked drinks.
"W-why is he fine? I definitely put laxatives in mine!"
"Yours was probably just water."
"No way! I used holy poison…"
"What?! Are you insane?! He could die from that!"
But seriously—why does he look more blissed out the more he drinks?!
When Isaac reached out for more, his face looking terrifying, the kids flinched and hid their water bottles.
"N-no, stop. If you drink any more… you'll really die!"
They looked genuinely scared.
But Isaac only looked more demonic, like Satan himself.
"Ttyu-tta (These wannabe priest chicks)!"
"Tta-ttaya (If you're gonna poison someone, do it properly! Enough to puke up their guts! What's with this half-assed fear)?"
He looked so disgusted you'd wonder if he was really a kid.
Of course, the other children started trembling and staring at Shuri.
"Why… why does he love laxatives so much…?"
"Are all Esua kids like this…?"
No! Just that freak!
Shuri couldn't lift her head under all the stares.
By now, even the kids who weren't guilty seemed to realize what was going on—but she refused to be lumped in with someone who got off on poisoned drinks!
What kind of weirdo did Esua send here?!
She didn't know what exactly he had consumed.
But it was meant to sabotage a saint candidate—so it definitely wasn't a supplement.
At best, it was poison.
And yet he drank six of them and looked ecstatic?!
Is he some kind of pervert?!
One thing was for sure—he was not sane.
Better stay far, far away.
But the other candidates were seeing Isaac in a totally different light.
"He must have an insane resistance to poison…!"
"Yeah, that explains it!"
"Come to think of it—I heard if you train your holy power, you can reach a state where you naturally detoxify poison!"
"Right! Like how masters can drink venom like it's water!"
"What? Then he's already at that level?"
Everyone was looking at Isaac like he was some kind of god.
Meanwhile, Isaac just burped loudly.
…What? Resistance?
No, it's not that at all.
"I just absorbed the mana, that's all?"
It seemed that this damn Holy Empire mixed mana into all poisons, not just the so-called "holy poison."
Well, it made sense.
Mana has the power to suppress divine power.
That's why priests and mages don't get along.
The more divine power is cultivated, the more versatile it becomes. One of its abilities is self-healing and detoxification.
If you're a Saintess or a 9th-tier priest, your body starts regenerating the moment a blade pierces you.
No, your regeneration could actually be faster than the blade itself.
So, to suppress that, they had to use poison infused with mana.
To suppress the divine power trying to detox and enhance the drug's effects. Training the inside of the body isn't an easy thing, after all.
That's why the laxative Isaac took—no, every drug—included a mild poison.
Of course, it's not like pouring water into a bottomless jar. Isaac's body casually converted mana into divine power. To him, even a drop or two of mana was precious—not poison, but the elixir of life!
But to think every poison in the Holy Empire was mana-infused… What kind of insane—no, exquisite gourmet dish is this?!
Well, it wasn't without its downsides.
Poison is poison, so during detoxification, you start feeling good, your senses dull a bit, your speech slurs slightly, and you get this pleasant buzz… wait, this is like being drunk.
Still, it was the first time in hundreds of years that he felt this delightful tipsiness!
"So give me more, you bastards!"
Just as Isaac tried to go for the other kids' water bottles, no longer targeting just the suspect's, Shuri grabbed him.
"Ugh, stop it already! What, are you possessed or something?!"
But the other kids looked at Isaac in shock.
"W-wait, could there be poison in your stuff too? Like, maybe someone planted it earlier when we were checking personal belongings…"
"What? No way, can he detect poison or something?"
"Ah! Then everything he ate from the others…!"
"Maybe he was trying to make sure the others wouldn't get hurt? By consuming it himself?"
The kids were stunned.
"As expected… Eshua!"
"He's a saint."
"To think he could make such a sacrifice at his age…!"
No!
That was absolutely not the case!
While Shuri held onto Isaac, who was now swimming through the air, veins bulging in her forehead—
"Really? That child made such a self-sacrifice?"
"!"
Someone appeared before them.
About five young children entered through the treasure vault's entrance.
But the one who stood out most had snow-white hair and golden eyes.
A child around four years old.
The moment that child appeared, the air changed.
Even Shuri lost the color in her face.
As silence fell over the room, Isaac tilted his head in confusion.
"Dda-ya?"
What is that?
But the kids who had just been admiring Isaac now looked on in despair.
"It's Kina Verit."
"He came here too…?!"
"There was no mention of anyone from the Pope's family coming!"
Ah.
So that's who it was.
The child who was basically already being called a Saint.
'Well, I guess he does look the part.'
In the Holy Empire, the closer something is to white, the more noble it's considered.
As priests rise in rank, their uniforms become increasingly white.
Even in the Holy Empire, such a light hair color was rare.
It's as if his very existence screamed he was a born saint.
To be honest, even Isaac had wrestled with the Holy Empire for centuries, but he had never seen such a bright aura—only the Saintess could emit something like that.
"That's strange. That's not a color that naturally occurs in Berit."
But Shuri gritted her teeth.
"…Damn. His divine power increased even more in the meantime."
Oh wow, this punk had gone so far as to develop a rivalry with the Pope's grandson.
Overflowing with ambition.
"Ugh, what's the point of this doljabi (first birthday item grab) if Kina Berit is here?"
"He's obviously going to pick the best item…"
"Why did the papal family come to the Saintess's treasure vault in the first place?"
"What's so strange about it?"
"!"
Kina Berit smiled confidently.
"Sure, it's called the Saintess's vault now, but it originally belonged to the papal family of the Holy Empire. They simply had the Saintesses guard it and granted them authority over it. So I'm just here to take back what rightfully belongs to me."
Shuri ground her teeth.
Isaac let out a sigh.
The kid was clearly famous.
Well, aside from Isaac himself, he looked like the youngest here—but in terms of divine power, he stood above them all.
Of course, everyone here was exceptional—there was a reason they were all candidates to be Saints. Even though none of them looked over seven years old, they were all at least on the level of junior priests.
They'd definitely be considered prodigies.
And to be among the 25 candidates recognized by the Papacy… Some of the powers here were at levels normally reached only after the age of fifteen.
Shuri included—if it weren't for being beaten, she'd be in that category too.
But that kid?
As if mocking all those other geniuses, he was in a league of his own.
"He's probably already surpassed a bishop."
And clearly aware of his own prowess, Kina Berit looked down at the kids with the water bottles with contempt.
It seemed he had figured out what they'd put in them.
"To try and humiliate the host with such a low trick… and you call yourselves Saint candidates?"
"...!!"
The ones who had tried to poison Isaac hurriedly hid their bottles.
Kina Berit approached Isaac.
"Pathetic. What do you gain from bullying a child this young?"
The kids bit their lips, unable to lift their heads.
Yeah, they were probably ashamed and angry.
It was obvious they had been trying to win favor with the papal family—but instead, they got scolded by the very person they were trying to impress.
Kina Berit looked at the Saint candidates with pity.
"There's no way such a young child could have developed poison resistance. It must've been the power of a Saintess protecting him."
"!"
At that, not only the other kids but even Shuri furrowed her brow.
Something came to mind.
Back when they fought, Isaac had used divine techniques that didn't match his age—maybe it hadn't been his own power at all, but his mother's?
It was possible she had cast a protective divine spell before her death.
The kids clicked their tongues in agreement.
"Well yeah, there's no way a baby like that could handle divine power like a high monk."
"Antidote, my foot…"
"Figures—it's the Ashua boys, after all."
Kina Berit looked at Isaac with pity.
"That erratic movement earlier wasn't him trying to find the poison—it was a side effect of being poisoned. Probably a reaction to a stimulant."
He reached out to stroke Isaac's head, locking eyes with him.
"Poor thing. Let me purify you."
Divine power radiated from his hand.
Everyone was shocked by the strength of that light.
"Wait, he can already use purification techniques?"
Their expressions were stunned—no wonder he was recognized as a Saint.
"Look at the size of that divine aura! That's at least fifth tier…"
But in that very moment—
SMACK!!
"?!"
Kina Berit's cheek snapped to the side.
Isaac had slapped him.
And pretty hard, too.
Shuri and the other children recoiled in horror, staring at Isaac.
But that wasn't even the most surprising part.
"Th-the divine power… it disappeared!"
Everyone stared at Kina Berit's hand.
That overwhelming divine aura, which had just subdued everyone moments ago, vanished in an instant.
As if Isaac had nullified it.
"...!"
And for that to be possible, one had to be at least the same level—or higher.
Kina Berit could only stare at his own hand in disbelief.
"He nullified my power?"
The slap was shocking enough, but this little kid erased his divine technique?
But the kids who came with Kina Berit started yelling at Isaac.
"Does Ashua not teach manners?"
"You slapped the person who was trying to help you?!"
Shuri could tell—they were trying to pick a fight and create leverage over Ashua.
But Isaac just raised an eyebrow in disdain.
"You can't even control your own power and you're acting all high and mighty?"
Kina Berit.
Sure, he was a once-in-a-millennium genius—but to a Demon King, he was still just a laughable brat.
If you want to show off, at least learn control first.
Trying to unleash raw, unrefined power on a toddler?
Doesn't he realize he could seriously hurt someone without meaning to?
But honestly, that's not even why Isaac was mad.
"What? Puuurification?!"
This clueless little chick was begging for it!
"Ttaya-yaya! (Don't mess with my buzz! I don't need your help!)"
"Ahh!"
"Ttaya! (It's the first buzz I've felt in centuries, and you want to purify it? Hell no!)"
Isaac imbued his divine power into the water bottles and hurled them at the goons.
"Ahhh! Stop!"
The goons cried for help, but Kina Berit just glared at Isaac in displeasure.
Sure, he could still use divine power—but a kid like that nullifying his own? Unbelievable.
"!"
Isaac clicked his tongue as Kina Berit reached toward him again.
Ugh. This brat doesn't understand words, huh?
"Ttaya."
Isaac clenched his fist.
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