POV: Sera
“Ringrande!” The voice of a young girl echoes in the spacious private room.
“Ringrande!” A girl is holding a cushion and slapping it against the sofa as if she is trying to get rid of the dark emotions inside her.
“Riin, Graaan, de!”
With the strength of a powerless girl, she can only make light sounds with the pillow, and the waterfowl feather don’t even fly out. She probably doesn’t normally exercise, the girl runs out of breath after only swinging the cushion for a few minutes.
The muffled laughter of a boy rang out then.
“Who?!” The girl’s anger is revived, when she managed to settle her rough breathing--that is because she had ordered the maids in this room to clear out the room before she acted violently.
“You’re in a bad mood, huh, Sera.” The one who comes out of the shadows, while smiling, is Sera’s older brother--Tisrad Oyugock.
The name of the one whom Sera was screaming about since earlier, is the older sister of the two.
“Older brother Tisrad! Entering without knocking is rude.”
“Sorry.” The boy who is smiling kindly, evades the threatening attitude of Sera, like a willow tree--he seems quite mature for his 10 years of age, “You were calling Sister Ringrande, what’s happened? Did you hear some backbiting from the gossiping maids again?”
He seems to have hit the nail on the head, Sera puffs out her reddening cheeks, and turns away--she normally doesn’t show such childish action, but it’s not that rare in front of her brother, Tisrad.
“Humph, it’s just like usual-- ‘Hey, hey, did you hear? Ringrande has restored the lost Magic they said!’, ‘You’ve just heard that old story only now? This time she led the Holy Knights and exterminated the Floor Master of the Labyrinth under Labyrinth City! The proof is that Lightning Sword she’s obtained, you know?’--they said. Furthermore, in the end, they said, ‘Compared to her, Sera is normal, isn’t she?’. Don’t you think that it’s none of their business? I know that already! Only the younger sister of a genius older sister knows the hardship of having a genius as an older sister!”
The boy smiles bitterly while listening to his little sister who mimics the maid’s voices--because he has just heard similar talks, with the position of Sera replace with himself, form the butlers and maids.
Therefore, he purposely came here to cheer his sister up, who must be in the same circumstances, “Sera, stop comparing yourself with older sister. That person is special. She’s a great woman who will stand alongside people who left their marks in history--if you compare yourself yourself to a huge tree, you’ll only lament your shortcomings.”
“Uuu, I know that, but! It’s not about the theory!” Sera understands what her brother is saying, yet she can’t admit it in her heart that it’s right.
“If you’re always angry, wrinkles will appear on your forehead, you know? Don’t complain to me if a boy you like in the future dislikes you for it.”
“H-Humph, I’ll have older brother make me your bride if that happens, so it’s fine!” Sera rubs her head even while saying strange words--although it quite cute--to her elder brother.
***
“Baptism?”
“Yeah, the Head Priestess, Yu Tenion, will do it personally.”
“Hee, that’s amazing, I’m glad for you, Sera. To be baptized by the Saintess of Salvation, isn’t it due to father’s request?”
‘The Saintess of Salvation’ is the title of the Yu Tenion, the Head Priestess of the Tenion Temple, that she gained because of being a follower of a Hero--around 160 years ago.
She rarely ever does the Baptism ritual due to her old age.
In fact, the one who baptized both the heir of this Dukedom, Tisrad, and Ringrande, wasn’t her--but the Head Priest. Although, since the Head Priest is technically higher-ranked than her, it’s unreasonable to complain about it.
Sera has a wide smile on her whole face as she is being hugged by her father and older brother--she likes being special. Since her older sister is too excellent, most things went to her sister after all.
After three weeks of preparation, Sera proceeds towards the Tenion Temple accompanied by her older brother. Normally the rite is held in the Worship Room inside the Castle, but in order to not be discourteous to the Head Priestess, the Baptism Rite is to be held in the Sanctuary inside the Tenion Temple.
“You are Sera, right?”
“Y-Yes, Head Priestess.” Sera feels ashamed for being unladylike by using a loud voice since she’s too nervous.
The Head Priestess gently brushes Sera’s head and whispers, “Raise your head, being cheerful is a wonderful thin, you know?” close to her ear--it’s impossible to imagine the gentle-looking figure fought the Demon Lord alongside together with one of the Heroes.
The Head Priestess hugs Sera on her lap, until she calms down, which gently brushing her hair. After making sure that Sera isn’t nervous anymore, she takes her hand and leads her to the Magic Circle for the Rite.
“Listen, think about your favourite person during the Rite.”
“Is it alright for me to not pray to the god?”
“Yes, calm your heart and think about your favourite person, that warm feeling will reach the god.”
This is the Head Priestess’s method, it’s not the official teaching of Tenion Temple. Normally, you only have to make her stand on the Magic Circle, chant the Baptism Spell, and it’s over.
“Have you imagined your favourite person?”
“Yes, Head Priestess.”
“Fufufu, I wonder who’s on your mind--is it your future husband?”
“I-It’s not. Sera won’t be getting married.”
“Oh my, do you want to become a Priestess?”
“Yup, Sera, will become a Priestess!”
Sera speaks like a child as the Head Priestess teases her to lure it out--of course, she doesn’t notice it herself. It’s as if memories of her playing around with her older sister, when they were children, caused her mind to drift.
“Fufufu, ** **** **, Baptism!”
As if responding to the Head Priestess’s Spell, the Magic Circle releases warm blue light--little blue lights rise from the Magic Circle and happily dance around Sera as if blessing her.
One light among them disappears as if inhaled to Sera’s chest, and the Rite is over.
“Open your eyes. Priestess of Oracles, Sera.”
“Yes.”
The Head Priestess voice suddenly changes to a dignified tone, unlike the kind old woman before, and Sera replies to that with a slightly transparent voice.
The Head Priestess can see the Oracle Gift, and the Tenion Priestess title on her. People who receive a Gift from the Baptism Rite are extremely rare, but they exist--however, there is no precedent of someone receiving Oracle even in the long history of the Tenion Temple at the Duchy Capital.
Everyone in the surroundings besides the Head Priestess and Sera are frozen in their initial postures from when the Rite began, as if they can’t follow the situation.
They need quite a bit of time before they can move again.
***
“Sera Oyugock, will you leave the House of Oyugock, and serve at Tenion’s side?”
“Yes, Head Priestess.”
“Then, from now on, you are just Sera. Now, stand up Sera--Tenion Temple welcomes you.”
After this formality is over--the girl throws away the wealth and social position of the daughter of House Oyugock, and enters into Tenion Temple as an Apprentice Priestess.
There is no one who objected, including the girl herself.
Among the people in this Duchy Capital--the 200,000 of them, there are only 7; and among the more-than 700,000 people in the whole Duchy, there are only 9 people who have the Oracle Gift, and in order for that Gift to be nurtured with the techniques owned by the Temples, there is no choice but for them to live in the Temples.
Although it has some limit, this Gift has power to ask a question directly to the god. This is the only means to receive Divination about great disasters from god.
Therefore, the training of Oracle Priestesses is fierce.
***
“Sera, Relena, Rouza, line up here. Listen, you’re safe as long as you are inside that Magic Circle--do not lose your composure.”
The three girls are clad in different kinds of Priestess clothes. Each have the symbols that signify Tenion, Parion, and Garleon in that order sewed on their clothing.
Relena, and Rouza 9 years old, one year younger than Sera. They’re girls who became Priestesses one years after Sera. The two are Sera’s blood relatives, they’re Special girls who have the Oracle Gift since birth.
This place is a secret graveyard that’s shared by the joint of the seven temples in the Duchy Capital. It’s a secret place that only extremely few people know, even among the temples.
“Kyaa.”
“Oh, god.”
“Kuh.”
On the other side of the Magic Circle, there are several Undead creeping out from the darkness of a wide passage that has been blocked by iron bars.
It’s a nightmarish scene, as if the door to the afterlife has opened.
“Calm down, Priestess Apprentices.”
“Now the, put these vengeful ghosts to sleep peacefully.”
“Chant it, the edict of blessing!”
The girls straighten their backs, and erase their fear because of the words of the Priests guarding them.
“***, Bless!”
“**^, Bless!”
“*^*, Bless!”
Beside Sera, the two failed their impatient chanting--they fail the most basic Magic due to their extreme mental strain.
“Calm down. Relena, and Rouza, you two chant again. Sera, stand by.”
After several times failing, and rebukes from the Priest instructing them, they finally succeed in the chanting. As if ridiculing the now-relieved girls, the Undead from the other side of the iron bars are throwing their detached arms noisily--Bless only gives minimal damage to the undead.
However, that’s quite enough.
“**, Purification!” After several casts of Purification by the High Priest, who is just nearby, the Undead finally stop moving and go back to just being corpses.
Enormous amounts of Experience from defeating countless Undead flow into the three girls and the High Priest. The pain from the rapid growth assaults their bodies, as though tearing into them. The girls wrap their arms around themselves and writhe in agony on the floor--that pain is the proof of growth, they can’t use Healing Magic as it will disturb the growth.
The Priests have used a Forbidden Spell to mass produce these Undead in order to quicken their growth. From now on, they have to undergo this secret Ritual many times--and then, once they have grown up receive the Oracles about the Demon Lords.
The future is harsh.
