Something Not Right(4)
"The children seem to have entered the Treasure Vault."
The moment those words were spoken, the banquet hall buzzed with excitement.
"Oh, finally!"
"I'm looking forward to seeing which child brings out which item."
"Haha, what does that matter? Just the fact that a Saint who will protect the Empire has appeared is reason enough to celebrate."
"Are you saying that so lightly because you think it won't be your child who obtains Lady Gamo's secret technique?"
"What nonsense! Your child is far more outstanding."
On the surface, the families who had produced Saint candidates were exchanging polite words and discussing the Empire's future, but in truth?
It was all about the adults' competitiveness. The rivalry between the noble houses.
Even nobles trying to predict future investment trends based on the candidates' achievements.
All of it combined to turn the banquet hall into more of a battlefield than ever, and there was no way Lylai wouldn't realize it.
It made sense — in the Holy Empire, a Saint was not merely an irregular occurrence.
A Saint was power itself.
Just like how the Papal House held such power now.
Moreover, once both the Papal House and the Emperor were in attendance, this wasn't just a simple ceremony of grabbing an object anymore.
"We've established a connection to the inside of the Treasure Vault!"
"Oh, at last!"
At the center of the banquet hall sat five knights in a circle, eyes closed.
They were knights of Eshua, tasked with relaying what was happening inside the Treasure Vault.
They had sent familiars inside to share their vision.
[Shared Vision (Level 3)]
As the familiars followed the candidates, the knights would narrate what they saw.
Inside the Treasure Vault, black cats — acting as their eyes — moved busily.
"The central door of Vault 1 has opened!"
"It seems the candidates have passed through the central section. I can't tell who it is yet, but there's one child moving overwhelmingly fast. Maybe the first one to enter…?"
"Ooooh!"
The nobles rushed to catch the news.
"Then they passed the trial?"
"Heavens, isn't the Treasure Vault said to be so treacherous that even top knights tread carefully?"
"And yet a child has already reached halfway. They really must be a true Saint candidate!"
The Saintess's Treasure Vault was infamous for its high level of difficulty.
Probably, the only ones who could emerge from it without injury were cardinals of the Five Great Houses or the Saintess herself.
There was a reason only child Saint candidates, blessed with natural gifts, were allowed entry.
Simon, a friend of Lylai's, swallowed hard.
'I heard even in Vault 1, the elimination rate is 50%.'
They called it a grab-the-object ceremony, but in truth, even reaching the items was extremely difficult.
And the further one went into the vaults, the higher the elimination rate became.
For a child to already be in the lead in such a notorious place…
'Who is it? Who?!'
The nobles, who had sent their children in, were burning with impatience and anxiety.
Simon even resorted to secretly mobilizing his own servants.
"Hey, hey, can you see anything inside? Can you?"
Simon's servant was using the same "Shared Vision" divine technique the knights were.
Instead of relying on Eshua's relay, he intended to connect directly to his own child's eyes to judge the situation.
"Ah, I've connected to the Youngest Master! Thankfully, he seems to be running safely!"
"Waaah, that's it, my son! Well done! Vault 3! Go to Vault 3! Run, my son! Run and crush Eshua and the Papal House's pride!"
Honestly, seeing the heir of a count's family squatting like he was relieving himself in the bushes was ridiculous.
Lylai sighed at the sight that resembled a racetrack more than a banquet hall, but frankly, he wasn't in a position to criticize.
"Elder… Seriously, even you elders shouldn't be doing this."
"Silence, boy!"
Even Eshua's elders were huddled in a corner, secretly trying to establish vision-sharing.
Their target was Isaac.
Lylai couldn't help but sigh.
Of course, the entire Elder Council were former knights who had served the Saintess. And Isaac was the Saintess's son. It was only natural their hearts were biased.
"If you truly believe in the boy, you should wait for him to return. Secretly connecting to his vision is a violation of his rights…"
"Bah! Silence, boy! And you call yourself his uncle?"
"Well, if Isaac gets hurt, I'll know immediately, so…"
"Bah! Shut your mouth!"
"..."
"Huh, I can connect to Shuri just fine, but why not Isaac? Strange."
"Maybe because he's still a nursing infant?"
The elders of Eshua were famed 9th-tier Holy Knights — people whose names were known across the continent.
It was odd to see such figures struggling against a child, but they had been retired from active duty for a long time.
'Maybe I hyped him up too much.'
No doubt they were acting like this because he had declared Isaac to be a special child.
He had mixed in quite a bit of exaggeration to bring him into the family, after all.
Of course, Isaac seemed talented, but he was still far too young. Honestly, if he came back from the Treasury without getting hurt, that would already be enough.
Thinking about how disappointed they might be made me feel a little guilty.
It was at that moment.
"Isaac, was it? You must have quite high hopes for your nephew, huh?"
"!!"
Rilai was startled.
The one who spoke was Cardinal Berit.
When he approached Rilai, all the nobles stiffened with tension.
The golden stole over his shoulders.
Pale skin, and the sharp, pointed features characteristic of the Papal House.
An overbearing man whose expression always looked displeased.
Cardinal Berit, who had long since inherited the family head position, openly mocked the Saintess' House.
"The former Saintess was far too greedy. She should have been satisfied with being Saintess, but blinded by ambition for the Saint's title, she gathered candidates into that dangerous Treasury.
Even going so far as to offer the Skeleton King's corpse as a prize. Surely she wasn't senile yet?"
At the cardinal's words, the nobles nearly spat out their drinks.
Only the Papal House could dare to attack and belittle the Saintess so openly.
Well, the Pope and the Saintess had always had a dog-and-cat relationship, but still.
Whenever an opportunity arose, they'd seize it to tear down the Saintess' reputation.
Anyway, getting involved would just bring unnecessary trouble, so it was better to stay quiet here…
"Well, the parents who eagerly threw their kids into the slaughterhouse, falling for such words, are just as ridiculous, though."
"?!"
Wait, why was this bastard suddenly throwing shade at everyone?
Simon and all the parents stared at Cardinal Berit.
But none dared to speak out loud.
After all, Berit was a cardinal from the Papal House — virtually a stand-in for the Pope himself.
How could anyone pick a fight with someone like that, practically a king of the Holy Empire?
Knowing that perfectly well, Cardinal Berit sneered.
"The Skeleton King's corpse is a cursed item even past saints failed to retrieve.
The Saintess and the parents asking for it? Neither seem to be in their right minds."
He was basically saying they were irresponsible as parents.
The nobles swallowed their anger and stayed silent…
"Geez, that damn Papal brat…"
…Or at least tried to.
The Eshua Elders glared sharply.
They looked about ready to draw their swords for the insult to the Saintess, but Rilai quickly held them back.
Still, he seemed to have something to say to the cardinal himself.
"And what about Your Eminence? Didn't you throw your own child into the dangerous Treasury, tempted by greed for treasure?
You don't seem to be in a position to criticize others."
At those words, the cardinal chuckled coldly.
"Ha! The same?"
His golden eyes glinted as if offended at being compared.
"Don't be mistaken.
Whether it's the Skeleton King's body or any so-called treasure in the Saintess' Treasury, it means nothing to the Papal House.
For that child, the Treasury is nothing more than a playground.
He'll retrieve both the Skeleton King's body and the greatest treasure there with ease."
"!"
The nobles buzzed.
"Understand this.
The Papal House sent that child for one reason: to make it crystal clear to the petty opportunists scrambling for power through prophecy, what a true Saint really is.
And how utterly different he is from the so-called Saint candidates."
In short, he intended to crush them all completely, right in front of everyone.
By proving that Kina Berit was the true Saint, he would obliterate the very concept of "Saint candidates."
He would make even mentioning them seem laughable.
"Retrieving the Skeleton King's body and the greatest treasure — it'll be our Kina who does it.
And then you'll understand why the Papal House has ruled unchallenged for thousands of years."
Everyone swallowed hard.
Cardinal Berit's son, Kina Berit, was indeed known as a genius.
Acknowledged by the Pope himself, a child who had already defeated one of the Skeleton King's minions at the age of three…
It was then.
"Oh! It's connected!"
"!"
One of the Eshua Elders shouted.
Rilai immediately rushed over, as if the cardinal were no longer important.
"Have you connected with Isaac?!"
"No, I couldn't get through… so I sent a Holy Spirit!"
"!"
A Holy Spirit? That precious being?
It was a divine spirit only summoned once or twice in times of city-wide catastrophe.
To use something that valuable here…
But no, that wasn't the point right now.
"Is Isaac safe?!"
"Yes.
The 1st and 2nd place contestants have already passed through the center…
Everyone else is way behind.
They're chasing, but the gap is overwhelming."
The nobles swallowed hard again.
First place was surely Kina Berit, but who on earth was second?
"Third place is Simon's son…"
"My booooy!"
"And second… seems to be Shuri."
"What?!"
Not far away, Goel's excited shout rang out.
"That's my son, alright!"
Simon slumped, looking miserable.
It seemed everyone else had received similar updates.
Meaning, this was confirmed information.
"So the first is naturally Young Lord Kina, and Shuri is right behind?"
The cardinal couldn't help but sneer.
"If it's Shuri, he's talented enough to trail behind Kina."
At his smile, Simon ground his teeth and muttered to Rilai.
"Wow, look at that!
Just because Shuri's from the maternal side, he's all proud of him."
Rilai felt a bit bitter.
Of course, Isaac was probably still at the starting point.
The cardinal laughed as he looked at Rilai.
"Well, if he's at the start, at least he won't be in danger.
No need to worry too much.
Once Kina grabs the treasure, he'll probably go pick up your nephew.
After all, rescuing the weak is a Saint's duty…"
However, the Cardinal couldn't continue speaking.
"First place is… Isaac… huh? Wait, why is a baby… no, no! Anyway! First place is Isaac Eshua!"
"...?"
What? Who?
The Cardinal's face stiffened for a moment.
The nobles also stirred noisily.
"Hold on, does that mean both first and second place are those Eshuas?"
"How could the weakest ones… No, how are those two even there!"
"Strange. God's Treasury isn't a place where tricks can work."
"What do you mean, the others aren't even able to keep up!"
"What about Kina Berit? Is she not even ranked?"
Everyone looked visibly flustered by the unexpected situation.
The Cardinal was no exception.
The situation was soon explained.
"It seems the trial of the First Vault has been activated, and everyone is struggling with the trial."
But that wasn't a satisfying answer at all.
In fact, it made things even more confusing.
If the trial had been activated, how could a baby be in first place?!
At that moment, an elder poked Lylai in the waist.
"You wicked girl. Helping your nephew by casting a useful holy spell. Is that really befitting someone from a Saint's family?"
The words were scolding, but the elder couldn't hide the twitching smile at the corners of his mouth.
However, Lylai was only confused.
It wasn't me.
I never cast anything like that.
Sweating under the elder's persistent pokes, Lylai could only break out into a cold sweat.
***
Bang! Bang!
First Vault of the Treasury.
The First Vault was already in chaos, filled with explosions.
"Argh! The treasures are exploding!"
"Waaah! Hands coming up from the floor!"
Traps that were never supposed to be activated were now triggered.
Originally, the elders had deactivated all the traps.
They were meant for theft prevention, and the trials alone were supposed to be enough for the Saint candidates.
However, because Isaac had accidentally wandered into a restricted zone, all the traps across the entire treasury had been reactivated.
Moreover, once one person entered, the traps couldn't be stopped until everyone exited.
-Isaac! You can't go there!
In the end, the elders and seniors had to chase after Isaac. Kina Berit, acting on her own, followed them, and eventually, everyone ended up inside the treasury, starting the chaotic "treasure grab."
And amidst all this, the Saint candidates were enduring the First Vault's trial.
[Trial of Choice]
"Damn it, how are we supposed to know which path is right?"
"They all look the same!"
The trial of the First Vault was a pathfinding challenge.
There were various pathways—stepping stones, vines, bridges—but only one safe route among them.
One had to find the correct path using the insight of a Saint.
The only person who truly knew the safe path was the head of the Eshua family.
If you stepped on the wrong path, you'd immediately be hit with poison, explosions, or gas.
In short, it was hell.
And the one calmly breaking through this hell—something even elders and seniors couldn't manage—was…
"Dada-da-da-da-da~"
Isaac, who had somehow already opened the central gate and was dashing alone toward the Second Vault.
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