Something Not Right (3)
There are a few things Isaac hates most in the world.
First is God (the Divine Faction), second is those who follow God, and third is anyone who disturbs him while he's drinking.
Basically, he just hates arrogant, self-righteous people who get in the way of his fun — and this guy hits all three points.
Especially when it comes to drinking!
Even though he couldn't eat, drink, or feel anything with his body, pouring alcohol over his head to vicariously enjoy it had been the only pleasure for the Skeleton King.
Honestly, at that point, it was more like sterilizing a corpse than drinking, but Isaac was happy with just that.
But in this life, finally! He was about to experience something like a buzz for the first time!
And now, when he wasn't even allowed near alcohol because he was just a baby, this bastard was trying to ruin it?
'You damn Pope's dog.'
Isaac's tiny fist clenched tightly.
To make it worse, this guy — how typical of a priest — was sneakily trying to use the "Disarm" Holy Technique.
"Disarm" was a technique that infused divine power into the target, forcing them to eject all their weapons, buffs, and even status effects, treating them all as armaments.
While the technique was active, the target would not only be unarmed but completely cleansed of any enhancements.
And this guy dared to use that here?
Damn it, then even the poison I secretly hid to sneak a drink would be neutralized!
Forget getting drunk — I wouldn't even get a buzz!
Isaac's eyes blazed as he gripped his tiny fist.
Cross the line and see what happens.
I'll forget about family feuds — I'll just wreck you.
When Shuri saw Isaac's fiery glare, he freaked out and hurriedly grabbed Isaac.
"No! Don't do it!"
To the other kids, it looked like Shuri was trying to protect Isaac.
The children smirked.
"Wow, looking out for family, huh?"
"You really think a guy from Eshua can stand up to the Pope's family? You think you can protect him?"
"...!"
You crazy bastards!
I'm not protecting him — I'm trying to save YOU!
Shuri was practically being dragged to the annex every day like a donkey.
You guys have no idea how foul-tempered this brat is!
If you resisted even a little, he would immediately retaliate — with threats, too!
Not to mention his abilities!
The only thing Shuri had over Isaac was the number of Holy Techniques he had learned. So he tried to use all his techniques to teach Isaac proper manners — but!
-Tyaaayaa (Who do you think you are, trying to teach me, you puffball)?!
Already, Isaac had stolen over twenty Holy Techniques from him. And he only used them to threaten Shuri.
At this point, it felt like a cranky demon king had possessed a baby's body.
That's why Shuri whispered to Isaac,
"If you behave, I'll give you something good."
Yeah, sure, Bumble. No matter what you give me, I'm not falling for it.
Even if you offer me gold, I'm not budging.
After all, the opponent was the Pope's grandson — the very sight of him was infuriating.
The Pope's lackeys were picking a fight first — and a demon king wasn't the kind to just sit and watch…
"I'll sneak you some chocolate without Uncle noticing."
Alright, fine, for that, I'll let it slide.
Isaac, banned from all snacks because he was a baby, immediately lowered his fist.
Shuri let out a sigh of relief…
Thud!
"!!?"
…only to be punched in the stomach and sent flying forward.
Ugh… you little brat!
He thought Isaac was putting his fist down, not throwing it at him!
Damn it, it hurts. It hurts like hell, but weirdly, he also felt his body getting stronger.
Meanwhile, the demon king, who had casually infused him with some leftover divine power, dusted off his hands.
Yeah, yeah. Better to upgrade Bumble than waste energy on old enemies.
This way, Bumble could carry him faster through the treasure vault later.
Satisfied, Isaac spat toward Kina Berit and the others.
"Bba. Ddudaya (Tch, consider yourself lucky)."
"?"
Then, with a cold turn, he crawled away.
"Ddyuddadada (If you looked more like your nasty grandpas, it wouldn't have ended here)."
"???"
Kina Berit could only stare in dumbfounded disbelief.
What the hell is with that kid?
Soon, Isaac even spat toward the henchmen as he passed them, prompting them to grab him by the collar.
"How does Eshua teach manners, huh!"
"Hey! Tie him up here! Don't let him into the treasure vault!"
But it was at that moment.
"Stop!"
"!"
The children jumped in surprise at the thunderous shout.
At the entrance to the treasure vault, where only the children had been, adults appeared.
They were elders and senior figures from Eshua.
They raised their eyebrows fiercely.
"Why are the candidates gathered together? Did you fight?"
The henchmen hurriedly pretended to hug Isaac.
"Of course not! W-we were just greeting each other…!"
"The child was just so adorable…"
Their opponents were the elders and seniors of Eshua. If it was revealed that they had tried to harm someone from the same Eshua, who knew what sort of disadvantage might befall them.
Though the elder from Eshua could see at a glance what had happened, he chose not to make an issue of it.
After all, a Saint is meant to become a holy figure alongside a Saintess.
No one should help them, nor should they expect help.
Of course, if it had been something involving Shuri, he might have stepped in.
'Though I bear no grudge against Isaac, it's better for Shuri, who has more potential, to rise to the top than powerless Isaac.'
Besides, as a mere infant, would Isaac even have a chance of retrieving a treasure?
If he got hurt in the treasure vault for no reason, it would only tarnish Eshua's reputation.
'A burden, truly.'
Maybe it would be better to find an excuse to keep Isaac out even now.
However, the elder who had come along seemed to think differently.
"Hrrk."
He glared at the other elder, as if asking, "Are you not going to do this properly?" while gathering phlegm in his throat.
"..."
Receiving the look, the elder twitched his eyebrows.
These old men. For some reason, they seemed to have great expectations for Isaac.
'Maybe because he was once supposed to be one of the Saintess' greatest guardian knights.'
Even if favoritism is natural, there should be a limit. No matter how much they wanted to protect him…
"HRRRK-KUHURRRRKK!"
"..."
In the end, the elder twitched the muscles of his face and looked at the henchmen.
"Good-natured competition between candidates is fine, but violence will not be tolerated. If there is any more disturbance, you will be immediately expelled."
The henchmen forced a smile.
"Yes, we will be more careful, since the elders of Eshua have been generous to us."
"I never said I was being generous."
"Pardon?"
The elder frowned in rebuke.
"You will enter last. If you understand, go to the back."
"What?!"
"Grabbing the weak by the collar, as a candidate for Saint? Reflect on your behavior."
"!"
The henchmen, looking wronged, turned to their leader for help, but Kina Berit ignored them and kept glaring at Isaac.
She was bothered by Isaac, who seemed to neutralize her power.
But that was only for a moment.
"That's where you will enter."
Clank!
"!"
With a thunderous roar, the children screamed.
An anomaly was occurring at what they thought was just a wall.
The tall wall, reaching to the sky, began to split apart like a living puzzle piece, moving and shifting.
It split into a circular opening before their trembling eyes.
Beyond that opening lay a mountain of treasures.
The children's eyes immediately changed.
'Inside there must be the Saintess' treasure.'
Even Kina Berit tore her gaze away from Isaac.
Yes, it must have just been a coincidence that he neutralized her power.
It was surely the Saintess' protective blessing.
In the end, what mattered was the treasure inside the vault.
"Go now, pick out the item that seems the best. We will judge your discernment as a Saint."
At their words, the candidates' eyes sharpened with competitive fire.
Even though it was said to be about discernment, the item they were aiming for was already predetermined.
"If you retrieve that treasure, the matron of Eshua said she would grant you a special vision."
"Yes. A reward even the Holy Pope himself cannot bestow!"
All the children's faces grew serious.
But Isaac sneered at their expressions.
'So Melissa put something on the line.'
Whatever it was, it seemed they were all aiming for the same treasure.
It now made sense why they had suddenly gathered the Saint candidates. They must have had a specific item they wanted retrieved.
But honestly, Isaac couldn't care less.
The best treasure?
Some reward Melissa offered?
Why should he care?
'The only thing that matters is my body.'
Wasn't that the whole reason he deigned to participate in this wretched contest in the first place?
And inside the treasure vault, he could already sense a familiar aura.
'Sigh. These little chicks. Let them scramble for their prizes — this old man will be off to find his body.'
Let the hatchlings play amongst themselves.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to say."
"The Skeleton King's body is in the final room, the third hall."
Oh, how kind of those Eshua bastards. They're even telling us exactly where it is so we can fetch it.
"The Lady ordered us to retrieve it, but be careful — the Skeleton King's body is dangerous."
Yeah, yeah, the Skeleton King's body the Lady wants is in the third hall…
Wait, what…?
"The third hall! It's in the third hall!"
"Run as soon as we enter!"
"If we bring back the Skeleton King's body, the Lady promised us a reward!"
"?!"
No, no, wait, no, what the hell!
The body Melissa told me to bring back… was mine?!
Isaac clutched the back of his neck.
'These damn clergy bastards!'
They'd suck a flea dry!
What the hell were they thinking sending kids after something like that!
"Even if the Lady of Eshua herself gave the order, there's always a reason for such a large reward. You could die — I don't recommend it."
"Treat retrieving the Skeleton King's body as a secondary objective. Prioritize recovering intact relics."
Yes! Exactly! Go get something else! Something better!
It's just bones anyway!
But whether they knew Isaac's feelings or not, the kids whispered among themselves.
"Are you going to go after the Skeleton King's body too?"
"Yeah. They said it's in the third hall. Aren't the best treasures usually in the third hall?"
"Hmm, then maybe I'll aim for that too?"
"Yeah, even my family told me to definitely bring that back."
You filthy little clerics!
Just go after your dirty old relics and leave me alone!
Hah, at this rate, I've got no choice.
Isaac let out a long sigh.
And just as the elder was starting to gather the children's attention to explain precautions—
"Hey!"
Everyone's heads turned at the sound of a child crying out.
The elder and senior priest glared fiercely toward the noise.
"What now!"
Isaac was crying next to the thugs, as if he had been beaten up.
The thugs actually looked pretty angry at him.
The elder and senior priest's eyebrows twitched in suspicion.
"You again?! Didn't we tell you not to fight among candidates! You couldn't even hold back for a moment and bullied the younger ones? And you still dare to call yourselves candidates for sainthood?!"
All eyes focused on them. Especially since the accused kids belonged to the family serving the Pope — of course it would draw attention.
There was a chance a strong rival could be eliminated, after all.
Meanwhile, the thugs protested, looking wronged.
"No, we didn't do anything! We were just listening to the elder's instructions, and then this little brat suddenly attacked my leg… Huh? Where did he go?"
Isaac, who had been crying right next to them, had vanished.
"Over there!"
Isaac was already slipping into the open treasure vault.
"Ta-ta-ta-ta (I'll just go in first)."
That was no speed for a crawling child.
[High-Speed Stride (Level 1)]
Shuri quickly realized it was the booster martial art technique that had been stolen from her.
Although somehow, it seemed way faster than the technique she knew.
"Um, Elder?"
The saint candidates pointed at Isaac, who had rushed ahead, and looked at the elder and senior priest.
Their eyes seemed to ask, isn't that cheating? Can a candidate really do that? Some were shocked to see a toddler using martial arts.
The elder and senior priest were also speechless.
They had expressions like they couldn't believe what they had just seen.
It wasn't for no reason.
"Isaac! That area is restricted!!"
"If you go there, it'll trigger all the traps in the treasure vault!!!"
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