A silver cup filled with holy water was set down on a marble pedestal. I stood determined before it, pushing the sleeve of my new robe up my arm.
“Guardian of the world, ruler of reason. Your servant Aronda Lizea offers a report. The new power of this brave individual”
The holy water began giving off a white glow as Aronda-san completed the chant for her ritual prayer.
“……..”
I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. I haven’t received a baptismal rite in years–not since my very first one. Back then the water retained its white color, and after a single white flower bloomed, a fairy appeared to whisper to me my future.
A long time has passed since then, and as hard as it is to remember something that long ago, how nervous I was back then makes it even harder to recall that memory.
But right now, standing before this silver cup once again, the memories of that day flooded back as clear as if it had only happened yesterday. I remember just how nervous I was and how sweat was oozing from my palm. I wonder what the fairy who whispered my future to me from back then is doing now. Will they appear before me once again? Would they remember me if they did?
I dipped my fingers into the holy water as everyone watched with such random thoughts as that passing through my mind.
Several ripples radiated from around my fingers when they first entered, but after a second, the water’s surface settled once again. The holy water remained white…….
No, the color has started to change. From pure white……to green.
“Oh, it……it changed? S-Sarah-chan, do you see what’s happening around Iris’s hand!?”
“Y-Yes….it’s gradually, turning green……ah, but……”
From an emerald green to amber yellow.
“No way……look, she……the color of the holy water……it keeps changing…….”
From a brilliant yellow…….to a vivid orange.
“A-Ah……I see it. But, what does it mean…….. Iris is……..an orange rank….no, it…..even more…….”
Finally it changed from its bright orange to a fiery red. At that moment, the entire church stirred. The astonishment on Aronda-san’s face reflected on the water’s calm surface was the perfect symbol for the surrounding commotion.
But in the midst of all that noise, I was as calm as the water’s surface. At least, I wasn’t as excited as I had been when I watched Toslin and the others’ ritual.
“…..red…..color….. Iris is…….a red corundum rank?”
I could hear Dad’s trembling voice behind me as I watched the changes happen.
The holy water spread out before me in a ruby red color. This red color is the residue of my power. And from the condensed power, tikarodekas began to spread out and grow. The flowers budded and opened, giving me a full bouquet of ruby tikarodekas in full bloom. 25 of them in total.
But this time……no, this time as well, the ceremony did not end there.
“L-Look Peachseed! A fairy is……”
At the very end, as the last, tallest tikarodeka went into bloom, a fairy appeared from within the opened bulb.
“Ah, y-yeah…..I see it….this, what the hell, is going on……. I don’t think, something like this, is normal…….”
Unlike your first baptismal rite, a fairy appearing during your second rite or any of them further down the line is exceptionally rare. To be precise, it’s completely unheard of outside of an oracle. It is said that the Goddess Illya’s pet cat Gustav will manifest itself whenever the Goddess delivers an oracle, but the truth is that such an event would only ever happen if the fate of the world itself was on the line. Apparently most of the time it is just a fairy playing the role of communicator.
The fairy danced about throughout the spacious church. Light particles scattered from her airborne dance reflected off the church’s stained glass windows creating a mystical scene dyed in all seven colors of the rainbow.
“…..Iris Calvafon. On behalf of the Goddess Illya, I come to bestow upon you the word of the Goddess.”
The fairy who had flown around the room until now slowly descended before me, stopping mid-air in a spot a little above my head. Aronda-san knelt down once again at the fairy’s words followed by the rest of the sisters and finally everyone else in the church. A fairy has descended as a representative of the Goddess in order to bestow upon the people the Goddess’s word. In other words, this was just like receiving an oracle from the Goddess, so everybody’s reaction was normal. But my hand was still dipped in the silver cup, and for one other reason, my body had frozen making it impossible to move.
(Huh?)
My mind had gone completely blank seeing the fairy.
Green hair and light brown skin. And the frilly green dress she was wearing certainly looked familiar. Incidentally, she also had thin, sharp eyes, a perfect symbol for her confident personality.
{Iris Calvafon. I pray that you may become our hope.}
……hope? Me? The Goddess’s?
“Thus ends the Goddess’s words.”
My head was filled with question marks, but according to the fairy, that was all there was to the oracle.
“The Goddess’s words, I shall surely engrave them in my heart.”
I’m not sure what’s going on exactly, but it is true that the Goddess has given me hope. If the Goddess hadn’t given me that grimoire back then, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.
I’m not sure what it is the Goddess is asking of me exactly, but whatever it is, I’ll give my best in doing it.
“Ah, Iris Calvafon. Priestess of Illya Aronda Lizea…..recognizes you as a level 25 red corundum. And as such, the ceremony is complete.”
Standing there silently until now, Aronda-san broke her silence in order to announce the end of my baptismal rites.
Me being given a red rank was certainly unexpected, but with this, I’m finally ready.
I can take my first step towards them.
A silver cup filled with holy water was set down on a marble pedestal. I stood determined before it, pushing the sleeve of my new robe up my arm.
“Guardian of the world, ruler of reason. Your servant Aronda Lizea offers a report. The new power of this brave individual”
The holy water began giving off a white glow as Aronda-san completed the chant for her ritual prayer.
“……..”
I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. I haven’t received a baptismal rite in years–not since my very first one. Back then the water retained its white color, and after a single white flower bloomed, a fairy appeared to whisper to me my future.
A long time has passed since then, and as hard as it is to remember something that long ago, how nervous I was back then makes it even harder to recall that memory.
But right now, standing before this silver cup once again, the memories of that day flooded back as clear as if it had only happened yesterday. I remember just how nervous I was and how sweat was oozing from my palm. I wonder what the fairy who whispered my future to me from back then is doing now. Will they appear before me once again? Would they remember me if they did?
I dipped my fingers into the holy water as everyone watched with such random thoughts as that passing through my mind.
Several ripples radiated from around my fingers when they first entered, but after a second, the water’s surface settled once again. The holy water remained white…….
No, the color has started to change. From pure white……to green.
“Oh, it……it changed? S-Sarah-chan, do you see what’s happening around Iris’s hand!?”
“Y-Yes….it’s gradually, turning green……ah, but……”
From an emerald green to amber yellow.
“No way……look, she……the color of the holy water……it keeps changing…….”
From a brilliant yellow…….to a vivid orange.
“A-Ah……I see it. But, what does it mean…….. Iris is……..an orange rank….no, it…..even more…….”
Finally it changed from its bright orange to a fiery red. At that moment, the entire church stirred. The astonishment on Aronda-san’s face reflected on the water’s calm surface was the perfect symbol for the surrounding commotion.
But in the midst of all that noise, I was as calm as the water’s surface. At least, I wasn’t as excited as I had been when I watched Toslin and the others’ ritual.
“…..red…..color….. Iris is…….a red corundum rank?”
I could hear Dad’s trembling voice behind me as I watched the changes happen.
The holy water spread out before me in a ruby red color. This red color is the residue of my power. And from the condensed power, tikarodekas began to spread out and grow. The flowers budded and opened, giving me a full bouquet of ruby tikarodekas in full bloom. 25 of them in total.
But this time……no, this time as well, the ceremony did not end there.
“L-Look Peachseed! A fairy is……”
At the very end, as the last, tallest tikarodeka went into bloom, a fairy appeared from within the opened bulb.
“Ah, y-yeah…..I see it….this, what the hell, is going on……. I don’t think, something like this, is normal…….”
Unlike your first baptismal rite, a fairy appearing during your second rite or any of them further down the line is exceptionally rare. To be precise, it’s completely unheard of outside of an oracle. It is said that the Goddess Illya’s pet cat Gustav will manifest itself whenever the Goddess delivers an oracle, but the truth is that such an event would only ever happen if the fate of the world itself was on the line. Apparently most of the time it is just a fairy playing the role of communicator.
The fairy danced about throughout the spacious church. Light particles scattered from her airborne dance reflected off the church’s stained glass windows creating a mystical scene dyed in all seven colors of the rainbow.
“…..Iris Calvafon. On behalf of the Goddess Illya, I come to bestow upon you the word of the Goddess.”
The fairy who had flown around the room until now slowly descended before me, stopping mid-air in a spot a little above my head. Aronda-san knelt down once again at the fairy’s words followed by the rest of the sisters and finally everyone else in the church. A fairy has descended as a representative of the Goddess in order to bestow upon the people the Goddess’s word. In other words, this was just like receiving an oracle from the Goddess, so everybody’s reaction was normal. But my hand was still dipped in the silver cup, and for one other reason, my body had frozen making it impossible to move.
(Huh?)
My mind had gone completely blank seeing the fairy.
Green hair and light brown skin. And the frilly green dress she was wearing certainly looked familiar. Incidentally, she also had thin, sharp eyes, a perfect symbol for her confident personality.
{Iris Calvafon. I pray that you may become our hope.}
……hope? Me? The Goddess’s?
“Thus ends the Goddess’s words.”
My head was filled with question marks, but according to the fairy, that was all there was to the oracle.
“The Goddess’s words, I shall surely engrave them in my heart.”
I’m not sure what’s going on exactly, but it is true that the Goddess has given me hope. If the Goddess hadn’t given me that grimoire back then, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.
I’m not sure what it is the Goddess is asking of me exactly, but whatever it is, I’ll give my best in doing it.
“Ah, Iris Calvafon. Priestess of Illya Aronda Lizea…..recognizes you as a level 25 red corundum. And as such, the ceremony is complete.”
Standing there silently until now, Aronda-san broke her silence in order to announce the end of my baptismal rites.
Me being given a red rank was certainly unexpected, but with this, I’m finally ready.
I can take my first step towards them.
