Support the translator on
“Curtis, what are you doing here?” (Man)
As we were walking
from the church entrance to the altar, a man approached us in a friendly
manner.
He was a cheetahkin with
short platinum blonde hair and a slim but well-trained body.
He must be the son of
some noble family, since he approached Curtis so casually.
Behind him was a
small female knight who looked like a Gazelle.
“Fabian, isn’t it unusual for you to come to the church?” (Curtis)
In contrast to
Curtis, who responded in a light tone, Aida and the knight of the Lagart family
knelt down and bowed.
I felt this was dangerous
and hurriedly kneeled down too.
“Oh, don’t be so reverent, I won’t be king anyway.” (Man =>
Fabian)
“Oh yes, Fabian is not good at that sort of thing, so you can just go
about your business as usual.” (Curtis)
From the
conversation, it seems that Fabian is a prince.
The fact that he is
not the king does not mean that he is not in the line of succession or that he
does not want to be the king, but he is not the type of royalty who makes a
fuss about it.
Curtis urged me to
stand up, and I did so after confirming that Aida and the knights had stood up.
The man called Fabian
seemed to have noticed me.
In his eyes as he
looked at me, there was a curiosity that he could not hide.
As I felt an
uncomfortable crawl of sweat on my back, Aida said a few words of greeting.
“It has been a long time, Your Highness Fabian. I am Aida, Curtis’s
sister.” (Aida)
“Hello, Aida. I’ve heard rumors from Curtis that he’s a very
ladylike sister…” (Fabian)
“Oh, pardon me…” (Aida)
Fabian’s meaningful
smile and Aida’s agitation suggest that the “ladylike” comment is the opposite
of ladylike.
As proof of this,
Curtis, who was glared at by Aida, averted his gaze and held back his laughter.
“Aida is also undergoing the ‘Nest Leaving Ceremony,’ right? I think my
sister Elmerine and you will be together at the academy, so will you be good
friends with her?” (Fabian)
“Yes, it is an honor…” (Aida)
Immediately after
smiling at Aida, Fabian turned his attention to me again.
At times like this, I
don’t know if I should greet them first, or if it’s rude for a commoner to
greet royalty, as I’ve never met any royalty in my previous life, let alone in
this world.
I was in a panic,
wondering whether I should greet them or not, when Fabian looked away and asked
Curtis,
“Curtis, what about him?” (Fabian)
“Nyango, huh… He’s our trump card.” (Curtis)
“Oh…” (Fabian)
Waa, what a
troublesome introduction.
“I-I’m Nyango, a B-rank adventurer from Ibuoro Guild, Your Highness.”
(Nyango)
“Really… B-rank.” (Fabian)
“Sorry, Fabian. Nyango is no good. The Lagart family has a prior contract.”
(Curtis)
“Does that mean Frederick has his eye on him?” (Fabian)
“That’s right, my father hired him to escort them during their
travel, and he did exactly what he was set to do.” (Curtis)
Perhaps he had heard
the details from the viscount, Curtis recounted the attack in the village of
Flos as if he had seen it himself, and the more he talked, the more I felt the
suspicious glint in Fabian’s eyes as he looked at me.
I mean, if you’re
going to call it a trump card, you shouldn’t be so flippant and reveal everything.
Curtis is good but a
little thoughtless, and his brother Joshua is thoughtful but a little
black-hearted.
It’s like the two
brothers added together to make one, the Viscount.
Fabian, who no longer
tries to hide his curiosity about Curtis’ story, is also troublesome, but the
pressure of the female knight behind him is frightening.
She has short silver
hair and wears a dark red knight’s coat, and she looks beautiful enough to
attract more attention, but she surprisingly has little presence.
Her eyes, which are
wide-open and dark, have the same look as Shure’s when she is ready for battle,
and I get the feeling that she is quite a skilled bodyguard.
Normally, an escort
for a dignitary should be like this female knight but having visited the
cathedral in the Royal Capital for the first time, I was in a tourist mood
before I knew it.
As an escort, I
shouldn’t be such an attention seeker and I shouldn’t be so careless about my
surroundings.
When Aida, who didn’t
seem to like the fact that all they talked about was me, successfully switched
the topic to the “Nest Leaving Ceremony,” I took a step back and
looked around the interior of the cathedral.
The cathedral seems
large from the outside, but inside it feels even taller and wider because it
has been excavated two stories underground.
The walls to the
ground level are covered with marble carvings, and the ground level is flooded
with colorful light through the stained-glass windows.
The altar is as high
as the second basement level to the ground level, and pilgrims are forced to
look up at the statue of the goddess Fatima from an angle that would surely make
their necks ache.
Since they were
looking up from the dark underground section, the statue of Fatima was
illuminated by a brighter light, creating a divine atmosphere.
It was a perfect
presentation for the faithful.
The statue of Fatima
is slightly looking upward with her arms outstretched in front of her.
The statue is placed
facing the east, which probably makes it even more divine in the morning sun.
The altar on which
the statue of Fatima is placed is made of wood and marble and is also
beautifully decorated.
As I gazed at the
altar and the statue of Fatima, I suddenly felt a sense of discomfort and
turned my gaze back to look twice.
The statue of Fatima
is all flowing curves and curved surfaces, but I could see what looked like
horns on the back of its neck.
Looking at the other
sculptures, there are some straight lines on the pedestal, but the sculptures
themselves are all smooth curved surfaces.
“What’s wrong, Nyango? Let’s go.” (Knight)
I was so distracted
by the Fatima statue that I didn’t notice that Curtis and the others had moved
on and were rushed by the escort knight.
“Um, over there…” (Nyango)
“What is wrong with the Fatima statue?” (Knight)
“Well, do you see something on the back of the neck?” (Nyango)
“The back of the neck… Huh, what is that…?” (Knight)
Apparently, the
knight of the Lagart family also felt something strange, and he looked up at
the Fatima statue and squinted.
The light from behind
makes it hard to see, but it looks like something angular has been placed on
the statue.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?” (Curtis)
“Master Curtis, it looks like something has been placed on the nape of the
Statue of Lady Fatima.” (Knight)
Curtis returned and
looked up at the Fatima statue after hearing what the knight had to say, and
Fabian and the others returned after looking at us.
The knights of the
Lagart family called out to the church officials, who in turn called in the
knights of the kingdom who were guarding outside, and suddenly the atmosphere
inside the cathedral became tense.
The pilgrims were
escorted out of the cathedral, and we were forced to stand back near the
entrance, the furthest away from the altar, to watch.
A knight in full
plate armor, accompanied by a church official, ascended the altar.
Although it was not
an option in terms of personal safety, the area where the knight could climb up
to the altar was narrow enough for a single person to pass through, so it
seemed difficult for him to climb up in his heavy armor with poor visibility.
In the quiet interior
of the cathedral, there is only the sound of the staff instructing the visitors
where to place their feet and the sound of armor parts rubbing against each
other.
The knight advanced
with careful steps so as not to break the sculptures and decorations, and it
took him about 15 minutes just to reach the statue of Fatima.
Looking up from
below, the statue did not seem so big, but when the knights lined up next to
it, it was bigger than what I had expected.
When the knight went
behind the statue, they were completely hidden.
The knight’s figure
was not visible at all from this side, but it seemed that a church official was
directing the position of the scaffolding to the top.
In addition to the
sound of armor parts rubbing against each other, I also hear the sound of
something being moved, but I cannot see anything from here.
The knight disappeared
behind a large statue of Fatima and took about 10 minutes to reappear.
Then, the knight
appeared with careful steps and held up a plank about 50 cm square in his right
hand.
Moreover, he seemed
to be holding several other planks in his left hand.
“Pulverization Magic Circle.” (Nyango)
“Nyango, was that the one used in the attack?” (Curtis)
“It’s probably the same thing… Wait, it has something attached to it.”
(Nyango)
Something like a
string was hanging from the plank held up by the knight.
The knight holding up
the magic circle seemed to be gesturing something to the knight under the
altar.
“That must be a conduit for magic power. Search the church
immediately!
Don’t miss even the
slightest anomaly!” (Fabian)
Up until now, Fabian
had seemed a little relaxed, but after giving instructions to the knight in a
stern tone, he folded his arms and was deep in thought.
Fabian turned his
eyes away from the altar and looked back at me.
“Good work, Nyango. Curtis, I’m sorry, but I need you to accompany
me to the castle.” (Fabian)
“I understand. Nyango, please come with me.” (Curtis)
“Eh, me too… But I’m dressed like this.” (Nyango)
“Hehe, I doubt they’ll mind… Hey, Fabian.” (Curtis)
“Ah, of course, I’ll have you come with me. I’d also like to hear
about the time of the attack.” (Fabian)
I was looking forward
to coming to Royal Capital, but I didn’t expect to be taken inside the castle.
I’m sure I will be fine if I
am with Curtis. …But will I be able to return home safely?
T/N: If you like the series rate, review it, and add it to your reading list on Novel Updates. You can also donate through Paypal or Ko-fi or subscribe to Lazy Translations. Thank you!
Support the translator on lazytranslations.com