Chapter 5
At the breakfast table, my father, Finel, spoke to me, looking to be in a good mood.
“Claude, you’re already five, huh? Time sure flies. Today, we’re going to the church for your Baptism.”
“Yes, Father.”
The Prominence House, being that of a Marquis, possessed a sufficiently large mansion with a spacious garden, so I, Claude, had never been outside the estate.
We would be traveling by carriage, and I was thrilled about my first outing and finally receiving my Baptism.
I was so excited yesterday that I could barely sleep.
After breakfast, a handmaiden helped me change my clothes, and then, along with my parents, I headed to the entrance hall and boarded the prepared carriage.
The carriage left the estate and made its way through the town.
I, Claude, gazed with keen interest from the carriage window at the town I was seeing for the first time.
The town had an architectural style reminiscent of the West.
After enjoying the townscape for a while, I sat back deeply in my seat and straightened my posture.
My parents, smiling cheerfully, spoke to me in high spirits.
“I wonder what kind of talent Claude will be blessed with. I’m so looking forward to it,” my mother said.
“He’s a bright child,” my father added. “What one is gifted isn’t everything, but I can’t help but have high hopes. I suppose that’s just a doting parent for you.”
I understood from books what sorts of things could be bestowed as gifts, like being blessed with talent for magic or martial prowess.
It seems some are even granted an Item Box, receiving powerful armaments or useful tools.
Before long, the carriage came to a stop.
When I alighted from the carriage with my parents, a magnificent church came into view.
A priest-san was standing at the church entrance, and he bowed deeply to us.
“Marquis-sama. We have been expecting you. The preparations for the Baptism are complete.”
“Mm. We’re counting on you today,” Father replied.
The priest-san opened the church entrance, and I followed behind my parents as we walked in.
The room with the altar had many pews, so that numerous people could pray.
The pillars and other features were intricately decorated, and at the front, beautiful stained glass windows received the sunlight, creating a mystical scene.
Following the priest-san, as I walked to the front of the altar, I noticed a crystal orb placed there.
“Well then, we shall now commence the Baptism ceremony for Claude von Prominence.”
“Yes. Please proceed.”
It was finally time for the Baptism.
My heart started pounding with nervousness.
“You seem nervous, don’t you?” the priest-san said. “But there’s nothing difficult about it. Just close your eyes and touch the crystal orb.”
I stepped up to the crystal orb, closed my eyes, and resolutely touched it.
The moment I touched the crystal orb, all sorts of information flooded into my mind.
How to use magic, how to handle weapons.
I understood how to use the Item Box, and about the equipment and items contained within it.
It was then that I acquired the Stats and the items I possessed that the goddess had spoken of when I was reincarnated.