Chapter 141: The Engagement Ceremony and…
After teaching Bianca-san how to remove curses from items, Bianca-san would come to the Baumgarten Residence whenever she had free time. This was because there was a large number of cursed items in the residence’s basement. I had been making those cursed items available to Bianca-san.
My Gift’s growth has already hit its cap, you see. I don’t need them anymore.
And, I’ve had Benno gather up all the cursed items circulating in the market. There are tons of cursed items, so I really want Bianca-san to evolve her Gift quickly.
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“Onii-sama…”
“Hmm?”
When I turned around, Cornelia was looking up at me with an entranced expression.
“You look so cool!”
“Mm. Cool.”
“You’ve become quite the man, Dee.”
“You think so?”
Cornelia, Lily, and Cassandra praised me one after another. I was currently wearing this country’s formal attire. It was a suit, kind of like a tuxedo.
“Dora, Ria, Lily, your dresses suit you well too. So much so that I don’t want anyone else to see you.”
“Oh my, Dee.”
Cassandra and the others were also wearing colorful dresses. My and Claudia’s engagement ceremony was about to begin.
Even though it’s called an engagement ceremony, it’s not anything complicated. We just sign a document pledging our engagement.
Normally, it would be a much smaller affair, but as expected of a princess, I suppose, my and Princess Claudia’s engagement ceremony was to be held at the Grand Cathedral, the largest church in the royal capital.
There are a lot of attendees too, so I’m pretty nervous.
“Count Baumgarten, when you are ready, please come this way.”
“Understood. Well then, I’m off.”
I parted from Cassandra and the others and moved towards a large door. Waiting in front of the door was General Altmeier. It seemed the General would be attending as my parental figure again this time.
“It’s been a while, Dietfried.”
“It has been a while, Your Excellency.”
“‘Your Excellency’ is so formal. You can call me Old Man, you know?”
“That’s a bit much…”
This old man general is really coming on strong. Well, I’ll just assume it means he’s taken a liking to me.
“You’re getting engaged to Princess Claudia this time… Take good care of Dora too, alright? If you treat her poorly, I’ll kill you, you know?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Then, all is well!”
Scary… The old man general is scary…
“Count Baumgarten, it is almost time.”
“Yeah.”
When the doors opened, there were enough people to fill the vast Grand Cathedral. Being stared at by everyone at once is startling. With this many people watching, their gazes feel heavy…
“Well then, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I steeled myself and took a step forward.
A short distance away, I caught sight of Claudia walking gracefully out of the corner of my eye. She was in a black dress. Her complexion couldn’t be seen due to a veil of the same color.
She’s beautiful…
That thought suddenly came to me.
And then, just as I reached the altar where a figure who seemed to be the Pontiff was waiting, it happened.
The magnificent stained-glass window behind the Pontiff. A laser-like, rainbow-colored light pierced through it and struck my chest.
“This is…? Could it be!?”
No way, my Gift is evolving!?
“What is this light!?”
“What’s happening!?”
“An optical illusion? No, it’s not!”
“It’s beautiful…!”
The Pontiff, along with the attendees, began to clamor about the mysterious phenomenon. However, once they realized there was no danger, it turned into a rustling murmur.
It probably lasted for about ten seconds. The line of light that had pierced the stained-glass window vanished.
At the same time, I could clearly tell that my Gift was evolving.
I’ve never heard of a two-stage Gift evolution!? What’s going on!?
“Count Baumgarten, are you alright? Are there any changes to your body?”
“…It seems my Gift has evolved.”
“”What did you say!?””
The Pontiff’s and the General’s words overlapped, striking both my ears intensely. It hurt a little.
From there, things developed at a furious pace.
First, the Pontiff had a crystal ball for Gift appraisal brought over and confirmed my Gift.
Apparently, my Gift had evolved from Sage to Great Sage. It’s a Gift I don’t know. What can it do? My gamer blood is really stirring. I have to level it up. I’ll have to work hard at dispelling curses from items again.
“How did you achieve a Gift evolution in such a short time!? You must have some secret, don’t you!? Spit it out!? Spit it out, I say!?”
Then, once it was formally confirmed that my Gift had evolved, the Pontiff pressed me.
However, I had no intention of telling him yet.
Since the Pontiff had turned into a “spit out the secret” bot, he was escorted to the back of the Grand Cathedral by his subordinate clergymen.
“My apologies, Count Baumgarten. The Pontiff is… well, he seems to be tired… From this point on, I shall serve as his representative.”
Well, even if he is the Pontiff, treating me, a Count of the Kingdom, as if interrogating a criminal is just not acceptable, right?
The engagement ceremony with Claudia was completed safely by the acting Pontiff, but the attendees were murmuring non-stop the whole time, and various things were ruined.
“Clau, I’m sorry…”
“It doesn’t matter. Dee, you are a rare person who always exceeds my expectations. That’s why you’re interesting.”
Claudia saying that and smiling at me is my only saving grace, I suppose…