"Just now..."
I couldn't call that sensation a delusion.
I looked down at the chimney bird that was seated at the center of the circle tilting its body side to side.
The Holy Domain was in the shape of a full circle as if it never shook.
However, I was certain that I saw it.
The golden circle shook like a broken TV screen as soon as the bird sat on it.
"Little kid. Are you really a divine beast?"
– Pipipipi
The little bird nonchalantly chirped.
The three red pandas had rushed over and were hiding behind my legs.
'Are they scared? Or are they still just shy around the bird?'
– Screeeeech
Demy bravely stepped forward and stood in front of me.
He then opened and closed his small mouth while trying to look threatening.
He was the smallest of the trio but he seemed to be acting like the leader I claimed him to be.
I couldn't help but laugh because I was proud of him and because he looked cute.
"Demy, it's okay."
I calmed him down.
I had no proof but I had an odd feeling that this chimney bird was not trying to harm me.
I was sure that it was no ordinary animal.
I felt more curiosity than uncertainty in my mind.
[Should I give you some ether?]
My voice sounded as if I was speaking into a microphone. The bird was not shocked at all.
Demy made a palm leaf the size of my body appear at the tip of his foot.
I guess he was planning on using it as a shield if necessary.
I quietly took a deep breath before slowly releasing some ether to deliver to the chimney bird.
I was able to control the amount leaving my body while imagining myself giving it a half spoon of cough syrup.
However…
"...It's not eating it."
To be more specific, my ether was not being absorbed into the bird's body at all.
I became a bit flustered and pushed even more ether toward the chimney bird.
However, the ether simply came back to me.
"It shouldn't be like this."
This bird had caused a disturbance on the Holy Domain even if it was only for a moment. However, it was not reacting to the ether as if it was a regular person or animal.
I sat down cross-legged on top of the circle and reached out my hand.
"Come to big bro, good job."
– Piruuuuu, pipi
The chimney bird jumped about two times toward me and tilted its head side to side before flapping its wings a few times.
It looked extremely relaxed getting onto my palm and situating itself. 'Are you moving in or something?'
Demy, Rhea, and Perry finally seemed relieved as they crawled through my legs and sprawled out.
A handful of chimney bird and a bucketful of red pandas.
"You don't like ttukbaegi or ttukttak either, right?"
– Pipi! Pipipi!
It responded quite loudly. It must loathe the names that Christelle suggested.
The bird surprisingly understood what I was saying and seemed to enjoy being in my hand unlike normal birds.
I even wondered if it was the baby of a divine beast.
That might explain why it was bad at absorbing ether.
Of course, I didn't know whether divine beasts could reproduce or if the Almighty God sent this one in this not fully grown state.
Unlike the red pandas who usually stayed with me in my room, the chimney bird flew around quite a lot of places the last three days.
It was sitting on Christelle's shoulder two days ago and I thought it was gone all day yesterday and it seemed to have spent the day in the Imperial Prince's room.
It was a free spirit.
It didn't seem interested when I offered it some food and water too.
I thought that it must have been eating some bugs outside, but…
"Christelle seems focused on having 'gul' or 'ttuk' in your name." (TL: Chimney bird is gulttuksae in Korean)
– Piiiii
The bird seemed sad.
Christelle even came up with names like gulbi when I saw her at the dining room this morning. (TL: Gulbi is Korean for yellow corvina)
She might even come up with something like guldari tomorrow if we couldn't settle it for something with ttuk. (TL: guldari is underpass in Korean)
[What about ttukshim?] (TL: Ttukshim is perseverance in Korean. Henceforth the bird's name will be Percy as a short for perseverance and to go with the rest of the Greek names.)
I cautiously asked in a Divine Oracle.
This seemed to be the best name I could come up with that had ttuk in it.
I thought that Sylphie might be decent because we met this little kid at the windy cliff and I even considered calling it 'Nan' so that it would become a great bird, but… (TL: Nan or Luan in Chinese is a mythological bird in East Asian mythology)
Christelle was trying hard at it so I couldn't ignore her efforts.
[It's not bad, right? Your name is Percy so that you live with perseverance wherever you go.]
The bird's black eyes blinked rapidly. 'Sorry, I know that this isn't the best.'
– Pipipiruuuuuuut!
The bird opened its yellow beak to energetically respond.
It seemed to not hate it since it wasn't pecking at my palm.
Was it saying something like, 'I will accept it because your efforts were praiseworthy?'
– Flutter
Percy's short wings flapped as he flew down.
He then buried his body in the three red pandas' chubby tails as if it was a nest.
Demy, who was getting sleepy, grumbled at that moment.
"Go night night first. Big bro is going to sleep after running my ether for 50 rounds."
I whispered to him.
I knew that my legs would go numb soon because of the divine beasts but I decided to treat this as a form of training as well.
Taking care of myself was part of it, but it was only right to become a strong priest in order to take care of these little kiddos.
My gold ether spread to the corners of the Holy Domain with a paaat noise.
*
May 31st was a day with a nice breeze and bright sunshine.
"Happy birthday, Prince Jesse!"
"Thank you very much."
"Happy birthday, your highness. May the glory of the Almighty God be with you always."
"Thank you very much. Please have a nice day."
No matter where I went in the Summer Palace, attendants and royal servants rushed over to greet me.
I received each and every one of their birthday greetings with a bright expression on my face.
Everybody I met today was saying such nice things that I felt bad and sorry that the real Prince Jesse could not hear any of this.
The busy Empress sent a card and a bouquet through the Chief of Staff.
Cardinal Boutier came to my room on her way to work and gave me a kiss on my cheeks and left.
"Your highness, these are some canelés we personally baked early this morning. We made about 100 of them because we heard that you like them."
"Oh my, that's so many.... I will enjoy them very much. Thank you very much."
"Yes, your highness! We will deliver them to your room soon."
Some of the kitchen royal servants lowered their heads so far that it almost reached the floor and walked away.
Everybody was so generous that I wondered if people in the north were all this generous.
I received a birthday breakfast so vast that the dining table legs looked as if they would break and it took close to two and a half hours to eat it all even with Benjamin and Ganael's help.
"Your highness, I think you have received enough food today to eat for a year."
Ganael laughed in awe while following behind me.
I nodded my head and received another attendant's greeting.
Although I didn't have a bad relationship with Empress Frédérique, I couldn't have an official birthday party because I was a Diplomatic hostage.
And as usual, gifts of value were not possible either.
I didn't like anything flashy or burdensome anyway so I thought that was good.
But then it ended up like this.
People I didn't know gave me a ton of food they personally made wherever I went and I tried every bread and dessert I received as I was taught that you don't reject sincerity.
Everything was delicious but I probably won't even be able to have a late lunch because I'll be so full.
'How wildly did the incident at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts get exaggerated?'
"Happy birthday, your highness! You're wearing some fancy clothes to match the occasion."
I heard a familiar voice at that moment.
I could see Christelle quickly approaching from the other side of the corridor.
Her hair was up as usual but it was rare to see her wearing a dress.
She smiled like an angel and handed me a small package.
"It's a book. To be honest with you, I had prepared a pirate ship to give to you, your highness, but...."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm just joking! Anyway, I'm sure that you will like this book because I heard that it is the best selling book in the Imperial Capital right now. I asked her Eminence and she said that books were always allowed as presents."
Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling cheerfully. I smiled and thanked her.
I ended up receiving a present from Christelle in the end.
"Thank you very much, young lady Sarnez. I will have fun reading it."
"It was nothing, your highness. Did you receive a gift from the esteemed Duke as well?"
"No."
Forget a present, I had not even run into him today.
It must not be easy to pay no attention to the birthday of someone living in the same house.
Well, I wasn't upset since there wasn't anything I was looking forward to getting from that Imperial Prince bastard anyway.
Christelle's eyes opened wide in shock.
"That's weird. I thought that he would prepare an amazing gift that met the standards of an Imperial family member."
"It's not like we are very close, young lady Sarnez."
"Oh come on, your highness. You know everything you need to know about him."
Christelle winked with her left eye and then her right eye.
'This is amazing every time I see it, but wait a minute. Why are you phrasing it like that?'
"That's something you know as well, young lady Sarnez. To be more specific, that is a secret between you and me."
"That is true, your highness. Where are you headed?"
Christelle laughed as if she couldn't win against me and changed the topic.
I responded that I was going to receive some confessions and she said that she would escort me. 'It's a service to the main character for today!' She sounded happy as she said that.
I slowly started walking with her and Benjamin and Ganael seemed oddly happy.
"By the way, I gave the chimney bird a name. It's name is Percy."
"Oh my, that's totally my style! That is a great name."
It was pretty nice seeing other people happier than me on my birthday.
*
[Please relax and confess once you are ready.]
"Yes, yes, your highness..."
The man standing outside the Confessional took some short breaths with a shaky voice.
I quietly waited for the penitent to start speaking.
In my hand was the travel book Christell gifted me, < A Total Guide: Conquer the Imperial Capital in a Week (Map included) >.
It was a new book released in April so it was full of the newest information.
I even wondered why I had not even thought about opening a travel brochure until now.
I didn't even though there were books like this.
The book was overflowing with fresh information that was difficult to find in history books.
Although it had no immediate use to me, it felt as refreshing as the first time I read the < Biweekly Riester >.
I seemed to have received a much better present than I had expected.
"That… I'm scared that the person behind me might hear..."
The man finally quietly whispered.
I realized that the man outside the wooden window was pushing his body up against the Confessional.
I didn't expect that temporarily using a small prayer room because there were no Confessionals at the Summer Palace would lead to such results.
I couldn't help but bitterly smile.
There was a temple next to the Bell Tower with the Ark of the Wind Deity, however, the whole cliff prohibited outsiders from entering.
I had debated where to take confessions before finding this wooden prayer room with the help of the Summer Palace's Chief of Staff.
I thought that it would be fine if I went and sat inside and the penitents stood in line outside to confess one at a time.
[Please don't worry too much. The people behind you are all believers as well. They will pretend not to hear even if they hear your confessions as the Almighty God is watching.]
I did what I could to console the man.
The man struggled for a bit before slowly opening his mouth as if he had firmed his resolve.
I suddenly wondered if this was the person who had supposedly waited in line since early in the morning to be the first to confess.
"I, I am a priest from the Vatican. That... I am responsible for supplementing Duke Yvelines and young lady Sarnez's ether."
[Ah, you are the priest-nim. Nice to meet you.]
I quietly greeted him back after hearing his whisper.
I knew that Holy Knight Sir Johann Geens and Clergy level priest Sand had come from the Vatican.
I had only seen him a few times in passing, but I remembered how he looked because Sand always seemed unsure of what to do whenever I passed by and bowed toward me.
I didn't expect him to come to confess.
"But... It is so difficult that I wanted to give up. I know that it is an honor to be dispatched to the Empire, but..."
Sand sounded as if he was crying. I became a bit flustered and moved my face close to the wooden window.
[It must have been hard on you. Is the work very difficult?]
"Sooob, difficult isn't enough to describe it. Your highness, sob..."
I could see the big round young man on the other side of the window crying.
I quickly opened the Confessional door and handed him a handkerchief.
The penitents standing in line peeked their heads in shock.
[It's okay. Please slowly explain.]
I commented. He held my handkerchief as if it was something precious and twitched his hand quite a bit.
It reminded me of the twenty year old new soldier who came in during my last year in the Army.
"The young lady and his Royal Highness... They treat me terribly..."
[Excuse me?]
My voice cracked because I gasped. 'Is it bullying at work?'
"I swear to the Almighty God that I am not simply just trying to tattle on them. It's the truth. I... I know that I am a big guy but I am still just at the Clergy level... The two of them suck out so much of my ether... Sooob."
His eyes that were as innocent as the eyes of a lamb were filling up with tears again.
[Are you saying that it is too difficult for you to handle both of them alone?]
"That is true too, but... They seriously are too much, your highness. I fainted three times the first week I was here..."
'Wait, what is he talking about?'
[Are you saying that you fainted from ether depletion?]
"Whenever the young lady-nim takes some ether from me, his Royal Highness pulls out ether from me as well without giving me any time to rest. Both of them are too different from regular Holy Knights. The Holy Knights of the Vatican... None of them pig out like, sob. Ugh."
I looked at Sand's face in a daze.
'I've never let them starve so why am I the one who needs to deal with the shame?'
—
Translator's Comments
THOSE BIG BULLIES!