“Your Majesties!”
Seeing an entire row of soldiers kneel before you and salute you in unison would make you feel very proud regardless. Mom walked with her face veil on. The wind buffeted her white cape. The Empress’ imposing aura perfectly fitted the scene. It was just that the backdrop should’ve been an alight battlefield instead of a church.
We were at the church at Hilles City. I smashed the place before, but it had been repaired and its former glory restored. I take that back, it was never glorious. The underground reeked of dirty money and filthy desires. Standing at the door was enough to make me want to barf. With that said, perhaps it didn’t annoy me and disgust me so much as I once smashed it.
Mom led me and Nier into the church. Everybody was down on their knees and had their heads lowered. Behind me were the Kings, Princes and whatnot of various nations. They didn’t dare to enter without Mom’s permission. We went up the steps. The pope was already kneeling at the entrance. He respectfully greeted us: “Your Majesties, I have finished the preparations. We can begin the baptism.”
“All right.” Elizabeth nodded.
The pope stood up in a flustered fashion. His robe for the baptism was different to his usual one. Maybe that one was reserved for big events. He just looked slightly comical due to the fit on his lanky physique.
The church was meant to be a department that wasn’t under the royal family’s management. But nonetheless, they behaved humbly, especially the pope. That implied the church belonged to the royal family. Initially, their right to preach and the royal family’s right were two separate entities, but Mom had gained control over both. They basically took the initiative to give their crown to the Royal Palace. Mom threw the figurative crown into her warehouse and never bothered with it.
Nier held Daisy. The blanket that Daisy was wrapped in was made from the best material. It was soft and warm. She may have been an infant, but I felt she bore a striking resemblance to Nier after she was dolled up. They most certainly were mother and daughter.
Upon hearing Mom say, “All right,” the pope nodded. He carefully took Daisy from Nier. I noticed a trace of darkness in Nier’s gaze; it must’ve been due to her reluctance to hand Daisy over. It was necessary, though.
For the next stage, we all had to follow behind the pope until we reached the spot underneath the statue of God. First, the pope would lead us through a prayer, and then he’d baptise her before wearing on the crown blessed for her.
“Mm, if he drops Daisy, can you immediately use magic to catch her?” I asked the woman in my head
“Of course I can,” she replied.
I already discussed it with the woman in my head. If Daisy met with danger, I’d immediately protect her with my mana. We maintained a distance from the people behind us; they were forbidden from coming too close.
On the church’s side, other than the choir by the side, there were only a few bishops in red robes. Standing below the pillar were the Valkyries who were ready to strike. The military’s Jäger cleared all high locations to prevent snipers targeting the church from a high point.
While the new church wasn’t forbidden from coming to spectate, I sighted their pope in the crowd. I was wary of him because I wasn’t sure if he’d try something. Nonetheless, he humbly kept his head down as he followed behind us. He didn’t wear a robe he could easily hide weapons in. The pope didn’t do anything.
Nier and I were both incredibly tense. Nier’s hand on her sword hilt gently shook. I subconsciously went to press my hand on hers, but she reacted extremely swiftly. She immediately hopped a step away and dodged my hand while nervously watching Daisy.
“Sorry, Your Majesty. I need to devote all of my concentration on Daisy for now, so please do not disturb me.”
Nier’s response hurt, but it was what a mother should rightfully do. She intently watched her daughter and made sure that she was ready to catch her at any moment. Maybe her tension affected me. Neither Mom nor I uttered a word. The only audible sound was footsteps. As a matter of fact, we all treaded cautiously. It didn’t resemble a baptism. It resembled an execution.
Daisy didn’t cry, but she seemed to be perplexed as to why her mom handed her to a young man she didn’t recognise. She didn’t know what to do when she looked at the pope, but she didn’t dare to cry because of the tense atmosphere behind her. To add to that, Elizabeth’s eyes were on her.
The pope had to be the most nervous person present. Although he looked forward to the baptism, in his hands was the lifeline of the empire. Nier only had one daughter, and Elizabeth only had one successor. Should he loosen his grip just slightly, the rage of the entire empire would immolate him. He, in fact, was afraid of Daisy crying. He didn’t know how to placate her if she cried. As a result, every step he took was stiff. He was afraid of making an error and hurting the child in his arms. He hadn’t yet married; therefore, the way he held Daisy was purely imitation based off of what he’d seen. It wasn’t a long road to the destination, but neither was it short. However, it could potentially lead to hell.
All of us intently watched Daisy. The same went for those at the rear. Everybody had their eyes on the tiny infant. That was probably Daisy’s glorious moment. All of the most powerful and richest people in the Empire were watching her and worried about her. We were all uptight the entire way to the destination but arrived safe and sound, nevertheless.
The pope stopped. We sat down in the first row of chairs. Nier, who identified as a Valkyrie, didn’t sit. She, instead, stood in the aisle. The people to the rear sat down in their seats one after another. With Daisy in his gentle hold, the Pope pivoted around to face everyone.
The pope then began to recite the prayers that he even recited in his dreams. Owing to having repeated it so many times, the sheet of paper was tattered. That wasn’t enough to stop him from becoming nervous, though. He was a little shaky, but he managed to recite it.
The choir began to sing in a holy and dignified voice. The special music instruments in the church shook souls and eardrums. The pope’s shaky voice echoed in the church. Everybody attended the baptism underneath the colourful sunlight and God’s watch.
Nothing happened throughout.
Daisy was placed into the holy water. She cheerfully splashed water onto the pope’s face while she was at it. She had her crown worn on and returned to Nier’s arms, where she then hugged her mom and laughed without a hitch.
Nothing happened…
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