At night when everyone was asleep, I always hid in the secret passage.
I had to deal with the problem of obtaining Sepia, the magic tool needed to draw the magic circle. I opened the book ambitiously.
‘Let’s look at the spellbook from the beginning.’
There wasn’t much said about sepia in my mom’s book.
[The ink of the giant squid living in the North Sea has the property of concentrated magic. This ink can be used to make sepia, which is an ink that is used to draw magic circles, and is used to make magic tools. For example, it’s used as raw materials for making magic stones. It is useful for making deadly poisons or weapons, so it is traded at a high price on the black market.]
I sat down on the passage’s floor and read the book seriously.
“Huum.”
‘Agglomerate nature, is that important?’
After quietly having a staring contest with the book for a while, I buried my head in the book.
“Ueu⋯⋯.”
‘I can’t concentrate.’
I couldn’t find any clues, and I was distracted because of my meeting with my aunt during the day.
‘It’s not like the kid got excited after going on a picnic.’
(TL/N: She’s comparing her reaction to meeting her aunt to an excited kid after a picnic by saying her reaction wasn’t childish/excited)
Seeing my aunt put my heart at ease, and I really felt like everything had returned. ‘So cute.’ Her youthful voice that was so loud, rang in my ears. You’re so much cuter.
‘I was very surprised because of Fariel.’
Moreover, I thought with my eyes drooping,
‘I’ll apologize in your place to the servants soon. I’m a little anxious right now, but I’m not a bad kid. But the reason he why he stayed at the Sun Palace⋯⋯.’
I sighed deeply while thinking of my aunt’s words. Oh, just a few hours ago, I promised not to sympathize with Fariel, who was in my past situation.
‘I’m very concerned ⋯⋯.’
The Sun Palace, where the next Pope stays, along with several precious holy relics, is perhaps the most sacred place in the Imperial family. Thanks to this, it was easy for me to restore my divinity.
It is said that Fariel often stayed at the Sun Palace by earnestly asking my dad and the chief attendant.
‘There is a record that says stigma was formed while training in a place full of divinity.’
So, Fariel believed that if he practiced here, his stigma would also appear. There was a precedent or something⋯⋯.
That’s why people seem to have believed that Fariel secretly approached my room at night. It is said that good things will happen if you are blessed by a saint. That’s just a superstition.
‘No, it wasn’t superstition in Sophia’s case.’
Innocent Sophia, a miraculous saint, brings the dead back to life. There was nothing she couldn’t do. Even baptizing people over 2 years old.
Sophia’s Priests.
There was an incident in which commoners, children of fallen aristocrats, or people who were too weak to be baptized as a child were baptized by her and became priests. Those who got stigma became complete followers by trusting and following Sophia more than God.
‘How was ⋯⋯ Sophia baptized?’
Originally, infant baptism was not done by humans. If a baby, who is under two years old, is laid on the holy relic, held in Daishinjeon Hall, the Holy God baptizes the baby. As if answering my question, Sophia’s way of speaking rang in her ears.
‘Because Sophie is the baby of God!’
(TL/N: The translation is ‘Sophie’ and not ‘Sophia’, like how she was mentioned in previous statements, so the way Sophia is talking is in a mocking tone, like talking to a child)
Oh, well. It’s not strange that the child of God can use their divinity.
I turned to the book again, convinced. Seeing that I kept thinking about something else, I don’t think I’ll get any information today either.
***
For a day, while I spent time without any new information, I only recovered my divinity and mana.
I pulled my face out of my tightly wrapped clothes and checked the scenery.
The white temple with snow crystal patterns engraved here and there was shining divinely in the sunlight. Even those who had no idea of the Tehera Orthodox Church’s sophistication seemed to know at a glance that this building was a temple. The Temple Hall of the capital was huge because it was attached to the Vatican, so a more magnificent feeling was added.
“Oh, my.”
The nanny, who was holding me, looked down at me with a worried expression.
“The baby is trembling. She must be cold.”
“Is it cold?”
Dad looked at me with a puzzled face.
Exposed to the bright sunlight, my pink hair shimmered like jewels.
In addition, the holy relic, my dad hung on my neck to go out, protected my body. The clothes wrapped around me were tight, but it seems strange that it’s not hot but cold.
Actually, it wasn’t cold, but something else was the problem.
Dad, nanny, me, and the Holy Knights were wearing white. The Holy Knights were behind and on our sides. From the entrance to the temple, the eyes of the believers and priests naturally drew attention to us.
Their eyes are terrifying.
Bad things happen when you get a lot of attention. Especially if it’s from the people of the temple. I have no good memories of this place. Shaking my body, I suddenly heard a clicking sound.
When I looked up, my dad was looking at me with eyes that seemed to be looking at otherworldly creatures.
“It’s ridiculous.”
His eyes were on the clothes and holy relics on me like a ball. He dressed me like this, but he thought I was cold. He was asking what else he could do⋯⋯. That’s possible. I’m a baby right now.
‘It’s definitely different.’
In my memory, my dad was always ill. His clothes that would’ve been customized grew bigger day by day, and his fluttering limbs had no strength. The impression of me trying to smile when our eyes used to meet, lingered in my head vaguely.
But originally, my dad was a strong man. After he defeated his teacher at the age of 15, he won battles against anyone. Dad, who has never been weak in his life, will find it difficult to be weak.
I even got worried that if I kept going like this, later on, even if I said I was his daughter, he wouldn’t believe me. I know I have inherited the bloodline, but why would he believe me⋯?
“Woo?”
My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden feeling of floating. When I looked up, my dad, who held me tightly, said something.
“Hurry up, we don’t have time.”
“Yes!”
The knights who followed responded with an intense voice.
When I blinked in my dad’s arms, I realized that the trembling disappeared a moment later. Where the cold fear disappeared, a firm embrace remained.
‘It’s warm⋯⋯.’
I buried my head deep. There was nothing to be afraid of while I was in his arms.
When the fear disappeared, I could see what was in front of me. The members of the temple were talking to each other or doing their own thing, but as we passed, they stopped and turned their heads once in a while. They tried to bow their heads in awe when they saw Dad, but whenever they saw me in his arms, they were confused or bewildered. Among them, there were people who forgot to say hello and looked at me blankly, then apologized and stepped back.
It was embarrassing to see the surprised-faced believers, but it was fun.
As we walked among the people, they split like the Red Sea, and we soon reached our destination.
The tallest floor of Temple Hall, the innermost room.
When the priest, who found us from a distance, opened the door wide and went inside without any obstruction, I saw a person sitting in the middle of the white room waiting for us.
“Welcome.”
He was an old gentleman with a gentle face, with his gray hair hanging down.
A white uniform that reached the ankles unique to Tehera’s sophistication. A horse with white snowflakes, a symbol of the Holy God. There was only one old gentleman in the temple who carried such a fancy cane.
‘The previous Pope, Celadion Tannin.’
In this era, he would be the current Pope. I knew about him only by memorizing history books before the time leap, but I had never met him. When I was born, he was already a person who died, since he was over 90 years old, so he must have enjoyed a thousand lives.
(TL/N: Because of how old he is, Eve is joking about how he must’ve enjoyed a lot of moments that equaled to a thousand lives)
Strangely, high priests often died young, and there was even a myth that God was taking away the ones he loved to keep them. Tannin was a rare priest that lived a long life by avoiding such myths.
Dad, my nanny, and the Holy Knights put their hands on their hearts and bowed their heads. After the polite greeting to the head of temple, Dad said in his characteristically heavy voice,
“I see you often.”
“So you’re complaining?”
“Not at all.”
⋯⋯ I think there were complaints. I heard a lot of complaints that the temple won’t grant permission for guardianship.
Perhaps my dad’s reaction was funny, the Pope chuckled. Then, suddenly, the Pope caught my eye when I stuck my head out of my dad’s arms.
“Child of God.”
When the Pope reached out to me, my dad hesitated a little and handed me over. The Pope’s arms were unexpectedly comfortable. It felt like he was used to handling babies.
“Now I’ve finally met you.”
Dad looked down at me, who had been handed over to the Pope, and as the distance stretched, he went to the other side and sat down.
“Now that I have met you like this, you’ll give your approval now.”
At Dad’s words, I pricked up my ears and looked up at the Pope.
“People would think that I didn’t give permission to be a guardian because I wanted to meet a baby.”
“That’s right.”
“Uh-huh, I’m the Pope, do you think I’m that narrow-minded?”
“Yes.”
“Huh, really.”
The Pope laughed happily again. The two seemed to get along well. Through that conversation, I realized that the condition the pope offered to recognize dad as my guardian was to let him meet me.
It was a fairly simple condition for not giving permission for a long time. If you want to see me get permission, you have to show her to me.
“Kkya.”
I looked at the Pope and laughed like a baby. The pope, who unintentionally lowered his gaze, looked at my face and was stunned.
“I don’t think this child is a child of God.”
I was horrified.
‘Uh, how⋯⋯.’
As expected, does the Pope see something? In my frozen gaze, not knowing what to do, he opened his mouth.
“She’s a fairy.”
“⋯⋯.”
“I’m sure.”
Then my father, who was sitting on the other side, nodded.
“Yes.”
I just closed my eyes because I was embarrassed.
My aunt said that everything will be over when I close and open my eyes.