Chapter 68
Chesha dashed like an arrow to the mirror and let out a scream.
“Kwaaang!”
Seeing the tiny baby reflected in the mirror made her vision go dark.
In denial of reality, she grabbed her hair with both hands and yanked as hard as she could.
But nothing changed.
Chesha was a baby.
“Wa, this is crazy… I’m going insane…!”
Chesha burst into hiccuping sobs.
“What is this!”
Hata fidgeted anxiously beside her, groaning in distress.
“This can’t be, Hata made it perfectly, why, how…”
Hata rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a few more potion bottles.
Then she drank the potion herself.
Right before Chesha’s eyes, Hata transformed into a cute little baby with a pop.
“I can become a baby too.”
She gulped down another potion.
“And return to normal just fine.”
With another pop, she reverted to her original form.
Hata, clutching the empty potion bottle, muttered in bewilderment.
“Why doesn’t the effect work only on Lady Lichesia?!”
Hata joined in with a “Kwaaa” scream of her own.
Chesha plopped down on the floor.
“I’m doomed…”
She truly wanted to cry her heart out.
But with the baby’s short limbs, she couldn’t even properly express her despair.
Clutching her dizzy head, she barely managed to piece together her thoughts.
“It’s not Hata’s fault.”
There was no way Hata had made a mistake in brewing the potion.
Her puppy was incredibly talented, after all.
And indeed, it had worked perfectly on Hata just now.
“My body must be the weird one…”
For some unknown reason, the potion didn’t work only on Chesha.
Would she be stuck like this forever, unable to return to her adult form?
Would she have to live out her days pretending to be a helpless child?
The thought of the witch Lichesia turning into a frail little kid made her envision hordes of enemies foaming at the mouth in glee as they swarmed her.
No matter how formidable a witch Chesha was.
In a baby’s body, there were limits to wielding her power.
A weakened witch would become delectable prey, torn to shreds.
‘And protecting Hata would be hard too.’
Hata, who had been shielded by the witch’s infamous reputation, would naturally meet the same fate.
She could use illusions to mimic an adult appearance, but she couldn’t live in an illusion all day long.
Unfolding an illusion consumed an enormous amount of power, making it impossible to maintain indefinitely.
Thoughts raced through her mind.
After hypothesizing and deducing dozens of scenarios repeatedly.
Chesha was left with only one viable option.
A way to continue gathering information on the fairy experiments.
While legally infiltrating the Holy Empire.
And being protected by the most powerful ally imaginable.
That was none other than…
Living as Chesha Basilian.
The old priest was ordinary.
He smiled warmly at the children playing in the street.
The kids, kicking a small ball back and forth with glee, suddenly cried out “Ah!”
The ball rolled right to the priest’s feet.
“Priest! Throw the ball back, please!”
The old priest bent down with a “Heave-ho.”
He picked up the ball and tossed it with a whoosh.
The ball flew with surprising vigor for an old man’s throw.
“Wow!”
The children cheered in delight as they caught the incoming ball.
“Thank you!”
The kids who received the ball shouted excitedly and ran off into the distance.
Then they resumed their lively ball game.
The old priest, who had been smiling, clucked his tongue at the sight of his sleeve, which had ridden up from throwing the ball.
It was because of the prosthetic arm glimpsed between his glove and sleeve.
The prosthetic, made of white mineral, faintly emanated a holy aura.
Much like the holy swords of the divine knights.
The old priest pulled his sleeve back down and gazed at the distant sky, murmuring.
“What a fine day.”
It sounded like a casual mutter to himself.
But after his words ended.
Not long after, a man emerged from the shadows of the alley.
The man with dazzling silver hair was dressed in the uniform of a divine knight.
He knelt on one knee before the old priest.
A cool voice offered greetings.
“First Heretic Inquisitor Hailon. I greet His Majesty the Holy King under the name of God.”
The old priest was Sianor Hilderd, the Holy King of the Holy Empire.
Hailon gazed impassively at the Holy King’s face.
No one would ever suspect this elderly priest of being the Holy King.
Those with immense power were exempt from aging, after all.
No one could imagine that the Holy King, who should possess the greatest divine power in the Holy Empire, would look like this decrepit old grandfather.
In truth, the Holy King had once maintained a youthfulness unbecoming his age.
But due to the incident on that day.
Holy King Sianor had lost most of his divine power and both arms.
He now wore prosthetics made from consecrated mineral.
The prosthetics allowed him to exert abnormal strength, but that was all.
He could no longer perform miracles with the boundless divine power he once wielded.
Nevertheless, he remained the Holy King of the Holy Empire.
“And it’s a fine day to meet my knight.”
The owner who possessed Hailon.
“It’s been a while, Hailon.”
Sianor looked down at Hailon.
His wrinkled eyes were, as always, crinkled in a smiling squint.
Hailon asked him quietly.
“Did you come to ‘educate’ me?”
Sianor regarded Hailon with a look of mild surprise.
“Since when do you care about such things?”
“I requested a week’s rest. Please grant me peace for now.”
“…”
At the firm response, Sianor paused for a moment.
His eyebrows twitched.
But soon, Sianor regained his benevolent expression.
“Educate? Nonsense. A child who’s never asked for such a thing suddenly takes leave… I came because I was worried.”
Worried.
He must have been worried, indeed.
Not for Hailon, but for his own safety.
“The temple matter was resolved well. Duke Ivroiel and Count Basilian sent letters personally.”
They apologized politely, saying it was due to a misunderstanding, and even donated funds for the temple’s reconstruction.
“I heard the report from Daren. You used the child as bait for the investigation, but there’s still no solid proof she’s a heretic. Let the child return to her family’s embrace.”
Hailon did not reply.
Then Sianor let out a hearty chuckle.
Hailon maintained his icy silence with a cold expression.
It was rude behavior, but the Holy King did not reprimand Hailon.
He paid no mind to Hailon’s silence and instead reminisced about the past with a pleased smile.
“You were like that back then too. Whenever something displeased you, you’d clamp your mouth shut. You’d rather take punishment than speak honestly—oh, how stubborn you were.”
It was a past that only Sianor regarded as fond memories.
Memories of being educated and punished by him flared red in Hailon’s mind.
Hailon slowly lowered his gaze.
To avoid revealing his rebellious feelings toward the Holy King.
“You are the finest sword I ever forged, Hailon.”
His hand touched Hailon’s head.
Hailon, who despised physical contact from others, endured the sensation like wriggling insects with sheer patience.
The prosthetic hidden beneath the glove reacted to Hailon, scattering a soft glow.
Sianor rolled up his sleeve to confirm the divine light and spoke in a voice filled with emotion.
“Since I poured everything I had into creating you…”
After stroking for a while, Sianor’s hand withdrew.
He looked at the prosthetic, now devoid of light, with lingering regret and let out a faint sigh.
Pulling down his sleeve to conceal the prosthetic once more, he said.
“I trust you, Hailon. Do as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
“Is the child attending the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly?”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll have to keep an eye on her.”
The Holy King, offering these affectionate words, seemed in good spirits.
Thanks to confirming that Hailon was still firmly in his grasp.
A happiness he could savor only because he remained ignorant of the truth.
The truth that the Holy King’s own sword was poised to cut down its master.
