That day, all that mattered was:
1. Jack Bright.
2. Jack Bright.
3. Jack Bright.
… For it was the start of his Legend!
It was the fateful moment that all had awaited.
The Holy Theocracy was ready for Jack's arrival!
All believers kneeled on the stone pavement as they waited, their hearts thumping in unison.
Regular delivery room? Hell no! The baby would be delivered at the feet of the Holy Goddess, right in the Holy Cathedral!
Lowly Midwife? The Pope himself had volunteered for the task! Countless even felt envy, for this feat would be the highlight of his life.
Regular Spectators? Only the most trustworthy powerhouses of the Holy Theocracy were even allowed to attend.
As for safety measures? The Theocracy secret Nation-Preserving barrier was shown to the world for the first time.It enveloped the Cathedral like an invincible shield!
It was impossible for anything to go wrong, at least in theory…
"Goddess, please bless this new child! Bless his birth so that he can become your most devoted servant! Bless him so that he—?!"
Pope Francis who was clearly overqualified for the task suddenly froze after having followed all the proper ritual steps:
1. Recite the magical incantation
2. Drive the mana toward the target
3. Goddess' Blessing + Childbirth Happening
4. Profit!
But this time, something went wrong!
As he drove the mana toward the Holy Guardian's bulging belly…it all disappeared! It wasn't absorbed either, it simply didn't work. It was like an endless dark hole!
"Holy Pope, is there a problem?" The father anxiously asked.
"I-I don't know. I-It's not working…!" The Pope kept trying, to no avail.
Little did the poor man know that every of his attempt would end up as [A Certain Holy Goddess] notification, only to get angrily swatted away.
Blessing a literal turd would have been easier than this! Then again, no one could have expected a baby to reject divine providence actively.
Meanwhile, the father was going insane. The Saint of Burning Light felt fear for the first time in forever.
He whose mere mention of the name would terrify the continent, could only watch on the sidelines and pray: "Go on Jack, my son, fight!" You can do it! Please!"
To him, this wasn't the Holy Theocracy's genius…it was his son! The fruit between him and the love of his life couldn't die that easily!
So what if his marriage was one of convenience? So what if his wife cared not about emotional attachment?
Jack was his flesh and blood!
He was his heir.
"Oh Goddess!"
With one last burst of Holy Light, the Pope finally gave up. Hopelessness filled the Cathedral. They all knew what the blessing failing meant.
1) T̶h̶e̶ ̶C̶h̶i̶l̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶u̶n̶w̶o̶r̶t̶h̶y̶ ̶
2) The Child was already dead
"T-the little one's gone…."
"N-no!"
The entire room wept.
They wept for their hopes and dreams.
They wept for all the failed investments.
But the Saint of Burning Light totally crumbled.
His brown hair turned gray on the spot, a part of himself dying along with his son.
As his eyes met the mother of his child, he didn't find the cold indifference that usually inhabited them. He saw…sorrow?!
But suddenly…
— SMACK! —
A tiny fist broke free.
Soon followed by tiny arms.
Then the ugly head of a newborn baby.
Seeing as no one bothered to help him, Jack Bright delivered himself.
The room stared in complete disbelief, their mouth big enough to fit watermelons. This was the "dead" baby?! The latter was now directing the most condescending look at the Pope.
"Wahhh!" (Seriously, who said I'm dead?!)
"Wahhh!" (It's this incompetent cross-dressing Old Dude, right!)
"Wahhh!" (Geez! Blessing this, blessing that. How clueless are you?! No, I don't care about your shitty Goddess!)
There was so much Jack wanted to say, but after a few "Wahhh," he froze. He had just noticed his surroundings. Everything looked so pompous!
Wait, was this a Palace?! Hahaha, he had hit the jackpot!
He had spent the last nine months worrying, but wouldn't his life be smooth sailing from now on?! This was the BEST!
But just as he was rejoicing….
[A Certain Holy Goddess Is Wrathful!]
[You Have Rejected Her Time and Time Again!]
[A Certain Goddess Is Cursing You! You Are Marked for Death!]
It happened instantly.
The Goddess' followers all jerked up.
A second later, crazed eyes stared at the newborn.
Two seconds later, deadly blades and magic flew all over.
Three seconds later, the once peaceful scene turned Hellish.
The last thing Jack saw before losing consciousness was the bloodied face of his father, a burning Cathedral, and countless dead in their wake...