Chapter 80
＊ Eva Slyries ＊
Beyond the forest path stood a gigantic, roofless temple—
Eva was among the group of boys and girls being led by the rabbit. There were about five steps directly ahead, and stone pillars stood in rows extending into the distance across an area roughly twenty meters wide. There was no roof for the pillars to support; above them stretched a vast blue sky.
The ground beneath their feet changed from earth to stone. A path of huge paving stones, each cut from a gigantic boulder, continued ahead. Between the pillars stood stone statues of successive Holy Kings, beginning with the first.
Scattered applause came from beyond the pillars. Chairs had been set up there, with the nobles sitting in rows. The parents of the boys and girls were among them, but they were dressed like nobles as usual.
There were too many nobles for Eva to see Count Slyries, but he had to be somewhere among them.
(This all feels unreal...)
The smooth surface beneath her feet reflected the blue sky. She almost felt as though she were walking through the air.
There was another flight of stairs ahead, and a chair for the Holy King stood at the landing.
And at the very top, where she looked up, stood—an altar, gray and dulled.
(That is the One Heaven Altar...!)
It looked like nothing more than an ordinary stone platform. However, rods set with gems that seemed to have magic infused in them were driven into the floor at regular intervals around it, while blue magic like smoke encircled the altar. Every so often, a tiny spark flickered on the altar. That was the very light by which Talent Gems were born, but from below, looking up at it, she could not make it out clearly.
"Er, everyone, please stop here."
At El's instruction, Eva and the others stopped.
With the Holy King looking down at them and countless nobles watching, everyone looked uncomfortable.
After bowing once, El and the priests left the area.
"Since ancient times, it has been decreed that the day on which God bestows Talent Gems upon subjects who have come of age shall be 'clear.'"
The Holy King rose from his chair, wearing the same holy-water-blue cloak as El and holding a golden staff as tall as he was.
"In accordance with ancient rites, I shall grant you God's blessing."
With a jingle, the Holy King swung his staff.
"First, I shall determine whether you are among the 'Pure Ones' with room to accept a Talent Gem."
Eva noticed a faint light beneath her feet—and then—
"Huh? Huh? What's happening!?"
The ground beneath a beastfolk girl's feet had turned red as though drenched in blood. With a small scream, the space around her suddenly opened up. Priests rushed over at once, took the girl, and led her away.
"N-no! What's happening!?"
"Your Majesty! My daughter contracted a serious illness shortly after she was born, and we only temporarily gave her the 【Immunity Enhancement】 Talent! We removed it as soon as she recovered!"
The girl's father must have been the one shouting. He and his wife had both gone pale.
"Silence."
But the Holy King's glare silenced him, and a priest came over as well, leading the two of them out of the temple.
Eva had not known that the examination would be so strict. Her father had only told her, "Talent Gems are awarded after the ceremony. That is absolute."
The beastfolk girl's footprints remained as though stained with blood, and everyone stared at them uneasily.
"...A Talent can normally be granted to a person only once. Never, ever forget that."
The Holy King's voice sounded as if it were being squeezed out from the depths of his heart. Several pale boys and girls nodded vigorously.
(That can't be right.)
Yet what Eva felt was doubt.
Only once to a person?
Then why was a rare Talent like 【Holy Sword】 passed down from one captain of the Holy King's Knights to the next? And why did five of the six great ducal houses treasure theirs like family heirlooms?
(It's merely a pretext. But... for some reason, it also feels as though the Holy King is speaking his true feelings...)
As the Holy King had said, there had to be a way to confirm whether someone was a "Pure One"—someone who had never used a Talent Gem even once.
(Does it mean something? Does it matter that one has to be a "Pure One"—that one absolutely must be one? But I was never told anything about this part of today's religious rite.)
When she glanced to the side, she saw that Mira was frowning as well. Mira obviously had not known this would happen. It seemed she had not been told either.
(Father...)
She searched the crowd for her father, but still couldn't find him. Perhaps he wasn't here at all—
(...Reiji)
Wanting to dispel the unease that had crossed her heart, she called out in her mind for the name of her reliable, slightly odd guard.
Without thinking, she reached for the bracelet on her left wrist—
(—Huh?)
There, she noticed that one of the gems that should have been present was missing.
(Why...!?)
Looking closer, all five gems had turned blue—which meant the bracelet could no longer absorb any more magic power.
Her heart began to pound faster. She had been mistaken to think that her condition had recovered after a short nap in the gazebo—the bracelet had broken after exceeding its limit, and the magic power within her body had merely begun to recover.
"What's wrong, Miss Eva?"
"!"
Louis, who had leaned in to peer at her face with concern, ended up staring directly into Eva's eyes.
Her special, uncontrolled eyes.
Just then, a great wave of applause broke out. It was probably because the Holy King had announced that the bestowal of Talent Gems was about to begin.
"L-Louis-sama..."
"—Miss Eva, there's nothing to worry about."
The Holy King stood in the direction of his gaze.
"First, I bestow a Talent Gem upon you, Holy Prince Kurvshrat."
"Yes."
He answered in a clear voice. He had not even undergone his voice change yet. His adorable, almost girlish appearance made not only the girls but many of the boys blush.
However, only the Holy King wore a grim expression. When no further words followed, the nobles began to murmur, but—
"...What has been bestowed upon Holy Prince Kurvshrat this time is this year's eight-star Talent Gem."
The shocking statement turned the murmurs into an uproar, and some nobles even blurted out, "What?"
Eight-star Talent Gems were unprecedented. The nobles knew that Talent Gems of nine stars or more could not be used by anyone in this world, but no one had ever heard of anything above seven stars. Moreover, that seven-star Talent Gem had been lost in a war, so the highest existing Talent Gem should have been six stars.
"..."
The Holy King simply stared at Kurvshrat with a stern expression, without even telling the nobles to quiet down. Kurvshrat himself had not expected to be given such a Talent Gem, and he looked back at his father, the Holy King, in confusion.
"Wait, Holy King."
But then, someone raised a hand.
"How can it be right to grant an eight-star Talent Gem of such extraordinary rarity solely on the basis of bloodline? If we consider the nature of the Talent Gem and find someone whose talent matches it, shouldn't others have a chance to obtain it as well?"
With his eyes blazing as though his fighting spirit had been stirred up, Louis was the one who called out, "Wait!"