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Chapter : 8
The Baby Saint Wants to Destroy the World!
“I really thought he was completely insane.”
Although his talent for magic had never been outstanding, the holy magic he mastered greatly strengthened his already formidable physical abilities.
And that was the beginning of his legendary laziness.
Once he became accustomed to solving everything with magic, Georg II gradually threw diligence out the window and came to embody sloth itself, finding every little thing a bother.
“This kid must never end up like that.”
Unlike the future Georg II, whose lifeless, dead-fish eyes had long since lost all spirit, the young Georg IV still had bright, sparkling eyes filled with determination.
“Back then, whenever the adults spoke of a mission, I never understood what they meant… But now I do. The life that Saintess saved today—I will dedicate it to you without fail.”
“Seriously, everyone in this family is all talk.”
Even if he was burning with passion now, how long would it actually last?
Having already witnessed someone become so hopelessly lazy that they practically ruined themselves, Lucy wore a serious expression and flicked the boy sharply on the forehead.
Thunk.
“Saintess?”
Caught completely off guard, the boy clutched his forehead with a pitiful expression.
If he wanted to burn with enthusiasm all by himself, that was his business.
Lucy, however, didn’t have time to waste playing with children.
“Hama-ba!”
“Yes, Saintess. I’ll escort you to Archbishop Bahaman.”
Why had she died?
What exactly was the Temple planning to do with her?
If anyone held the answers, it had to be Archbishop Bahaman.
Rather than speculate endlessly, Lucy decided to uncover the Temple’s true intentions herself.
While she made up her mind, Maria had already prepared a fresh set of clothes for her.
“His Grace will soon become the new Pope.”
“Oa? (The Pope?)”
“It was the late Holy Father’s final wish. Since Archbishop Bahaman accomplished the sacred mission of finding the Saintess—the Divine Goddess’s messenger—he has been chosen to succeed as the next Pope.”
Lucy didn’t have particularly fond memories of the previous Pope.
Still, she vaguely remembered hearing that he had ascended to the papacy at around ten years old.
Back when she had lived in Lunafeld, she had repeatedly attempted to negotiate with him, offering forbidden magic in exchange.
Yet the Pope—who had been about Lucy’s age at the time—always replied with frustratingly rigid, inflexible letters that were far too mature for a child, driving her nearly insane.
Then again… everyone in the Temple was like that.
When they had been enemies, she’d often laughed at the priests’ strict adherence to rules and discipline.
Honestly, she’d always thought living that way looked exhausting.
“But things are different if I’m the one at the very top.”
Feeling rather pleased with herself, Lucy allowed Maria to cradle her lovingly.
As always, Maria chatted endlessly with the baby—who, despite pretending otherwise, understood every single word.
“Even after the Pope ascends the throne, his authority can never compare to yours, Saintess.”
In other words…
She would be the boss.
Lucy nodded enthusiastically.
Maria continued her praise.
“The Pope is merely a shepherd who represents and guides us all. But our Saintess is a radiant sun that no one can replace… and at the same time, the moon that guides us through the darkness.”
An authority before whom even the Pope would kneel.
With such absolute power practically placed into her hands…
Running away quietly would only disgrace the name of the Great Witch, Lucifella.
More than twenty thousand priests…
Countless millions across the continent who regarded the Temple as their spiritual pillar…
Even though he wore the face of a kindly old man, Bahaman had survived within the Temple’s political struggles for over fifty years.
As the future Pope, he willingly bowed before Lucy.
“I greet the Saintess.”
Not only did he kneel on one knee—
He lowered his head completely in utmost reverence.
Receiving such profound respect, Lucy reached a decision.
She had no idea how things had somehow turned out this way.
But one thing had become absolutely certain.
“From now on… this place belongs to me.”
Covering her mouth so no one could see…
Lucy smiled the most wicked smile imaginable.
✦ ✦ ✦
The magnificent Temple stood as the symbol of the religious order’s authority over the entire continent.
Beneath its soaring ceiling and brilliant stained-glass windows, an old man dressed in spotless white robes stood perfectly upright.
“Just like I remember.”
He had fought on the front lines against the mages of Lunafeld during their advance upon the Holy City of Esperia.
Bahaman, whose toughness was unmatched, had become a grandfather long ago.
Yet even now, his powerful physique and bulging muscles remained as impressive as ever.
Without magic, even Lucy would struggle to defeat him in a fistfight.
“Ba-ba. (Put me down.)”
But somehow…
She didn’t feel as though she could lose.
Leaving Maria’s arms, Lucy planted both feet on the floor and toddled toward Bahaman.
Unlike Lunafeld, where strength alone determined everything…
The Temple was a rigid hierarchy where absolute obedience to one’s superiors was law.
Just how far would Bahaman go in treating a mere child as his superior?
“Saintess.”
Standing as dignified as her tiny legs allowed, Lucy slowly extended her right hand.
The gesture carried two meanings.
One:
A sovereign graciously granting a loyal subject the honor of serving them.
The other:
A challenge to an enemy—
“Submit beneath me.”
“I am deeply honored… more than I deserve.”
Maria had been telling the truth.
Bahaman willingly knelt before the baby Saintess.
Then he bowed his head completely before her.
The sight resembled a sacred baptism itself.
Everyone watching held their breath.
The Goddess’s messenger…
The holy infant surrounded by radiant light…
Lucy gently placed her tiny hand atop Bahaman’s snow-white hair.
“Awu!”
Gracefully…
Magnificently…
Just as she was about to firmly establish her position as the Temple’s supreme authority—
Her footing slipped.
Lucy lurched forward.
In desperation, she grabbed onto Bahaman’s hair.
“Saintess!”
She managed to catch herself with both hands…
But when she finally regained her balance…
Something drifted gently through the air from between her fingers.
Hair.
The elderly Bahaman’s already fragile hair had been completely torn out by her tiny grip.
Everyone stared silently…
At the two unmistakable bald patches now sitting atop his head.
No one spoke.
Not a single word.
“……I’m doomed.”
How was she supposed to fix this?
Trying to salvage the situation somehow, Lucy awkwardly reached out with her little maple-leaf-shaped hands and gently smoothed the remaining hair.
“It’s not like I can stick it back on…”
Then—
A brilliant white light burst forth from her fingertips.
“That is…”
“Good heavens…”
It was a power completely unlike magic.
A warm, gentle force lingered beneath her hand.
For the first time…
Lucy became aware of the holy power dwelling within her body.
Unlike magic, which required conscious control over mana…
Holy power flowed as naturally as the very air surrounding her.
Even if divine power was miraculous…
Surely it couldn’t restore hair that had already been ripped out.
“A miracle!”
The priests watching behind them cried out in astonishment.
As warm light descended upon his head, Bahaman instantly realized…
The baby Saintess had bestowed her blessing upon him.
Seeing everyone else’s shocked expressions, he instinctively reached up and touched his hair.
“This…”
Though he had never gone completely bald…
His once-luxurious hair had long since thinned to less than half of what it had been in his youth.
Like Archbishop Omar before him, Bahaman had long accepted that one day he too would shine with a bald head.
And yet…
The hair beneath his fingertips felt just as thick and full as it had in his younger days.
“To think the Saintess would grant me such overwhelming grace…”
He had thought that, even if he had lost a few strands of hair, it was a worthy sacrifice so long as the baby Saintess hadn’t been injured.
Yet this supremely holy child…
Had pitied even his lost hair…
And willingly used her divine authority to perform a miracle.
“We offer our reverence to the Saintess’s miracle!”
“We offer our reverence!”
Overcome with emotion, Bahaman burst into tears.
Large drops rolled down his cheeks as he repeatedly lowered his head before Lucy.
Maria followed.
Then the priests.
Then the Holy Knights.
Even the royal guards.
Praise echoed one after another like falling dominoes.
Ironically…
The one most stunned by the entire situation was Lucy herself.
“I can do something like this?”
In surprise, she placed her own hand atop her head.
Nothing happened.
Completely bewildered, she took a step backward—
Only for her feet to tangle again.
Thump.
This time she landed squarely on her bottom.
“Ow!”
It wasn’t a serious fall.
Yet to her tiny body, the impact felt enormous.
Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
Seeing this, Archbishop Bahaman turned pale and rushed over, gently lifting Lucy into his arms with the utmost care.
“Are you alright?”
“Mm.”
Crying over something like this would be embarrassing.
Holding back her tears, Lucy nodded.
Maria hurried over from behind and quickly placed something into Lucy’s mouth.
A sweet flavor spread across her tongue.
It was a pacifier.
The moment she began sucking on the sweet pacifier…
Her tears disappeared as though they had never existed.
“Everyone, please leave us for a while.”
“Lord Bahaman…”
“There are matters I must discuss with the Saintess.”
Having witnessed the miracle with their own eyes, the priests obediently withdrew.
Maria, the last to leave, gave Lucy one final respectful glance before quietly stepping outside and closing the enormous doors.
With a solemn expression, Bahaman remained silent for quite some time, simply gazing at the child in his arms.
“Did he figure something out?”
“No… that’s impossible.”
There was no way anyone could uncover her true identity simply by looking at divine power untouched by mana.
“Then why is he staring at me like this?”
Lucy swallowed nervously while desperately darting her eyes around.
After what felt like an eternity…
Bahaman finally spoke.
“Five hundred years ago, Pope Agradium, the founder of the Temple as we know it today, left behind a prophecy for his descendants.”
Lucy naturally recognized the name Agradium.
It was said that five centuries ago, the Pope had laid the foundations that transformed what had once been a weak religious order into the mighty force that now spanned the entire continent.
“In those days, the Goddess’s blessings were bestowed freely upon all people. There was no distinction between mana and holy power.”
But after an age of great upheaval…
Both magic and divine power gradually became extraordinary gifts granted only to the chosen few.
Only elders like Bahaman still remembered such ancient history.
Filled with quiet nostalgia, he gently touched Lucy’s chubby cheek.
“They say that was the last time the Goddess ever delivered a divine revelation.”
“Eh?”
“The truth is… since that day, no one has ever again received the Goddess’s revelation.”
