After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 198
Chapter 198: The Subtle Baptism
One week later, all the important members of the royal family gathered at the Central Church. Of course, this was to witness the baptism of Beatrice’s child, the future queen, who had been named Franziska.
So far, all the children born from my seed had a higher level of magic than their mothers. And while still in the womb, they had also trained their mother’s magic to the same level. Following this trend, Beatrice’s child, who was already at an S-class level, was expected to be a guaranteed SS-class—based on the high magical potential of the royal bloodline. The queen had already shown excitement at the appearance of an SS-class royal after four generations, and outside the church, the citizens were already in a festive mood.
“I don’t know… we can already see the result, so there’s no need to get so excited,” I muttered.
“That’s not how aristocracy works,” Beatrice responded, cutting me off as usual. “Form is important.”
I see, so that’s how it is. If showing that Franziska is SS-class will solidify the loyalty of the nobles, then that’s a good thing.
The familiar Cardinal, the elderly woman, smiled gently and carefully took Franziska from Beatrice’s hands, lowering her slowly into the holy water. Just as expected, my child’s body began to glow bright green, and it radiated beams of light like a laser—wait, what? The expected bright green light didn’t appear.
At first, Franziska’s body did indeed glow very brightly green. It seemed fitting for an SS-class, but that light quickly faded as if it was being extinguished by something, leaving her with a glow that was no stronger than a common child’s. Her body still had a faint glow, but it wasn’t emitting outward.
“What… what does this mean?”
“Could it be that the royal family has no magic?”
“That can’t be true. I saw it. She glowed green at first!”
The nobles who had gathered for the queen’s excitement began to chatter with confusion. It made sense, though. Franziska was the next queen. If her magical abilities were weaker than those of foreign monarchs or nobles, it could endanger the kingdom’s future.
“Could it be… even though Beatrice is SS-class, the ‘Divine Seed’ has failed?”
Even the queen, who would usually silence the nobles, was stunned. Since Beatrice’s pregnancy had been such a big event, this was quite a disappointment.
Seeing the queen’s agitation, the nobles grew even more anxious and began expressing their concerns. This was clearly not good.
“Everyone, calm down!”
Her voice was low for a girl, but powerful enough to silence the entire church. The nobles all immediately fell quiet.
“I understand your concerns. The king of Berzenbrück, who has been overpowering other countries both in magical ability and mass, must be a powerful magician,” Beatrice said, her words leaving a few nobles swallowing nervously. The future of Berzenbrück was about to be decided by what Beatrice said.
“As the future queen, I understand that. I don’t yet know what the results of this baptism mean, but if my daughter Franziska is unable to use magic well, I will not name her my successor,” she declared.
A wave of shock spread through the nobles. Bloodline was the most important thing in this world—there was no way a monarch would refuse to give their crown to their own child.
“There’s no need to be so shocked,” Beatrice continued. “A king is someone who should be the best for that time. I don’t intend to let anyone else inherit the throne, but if my daughter Franziska does not show magical talent as she grows, I will name my niece Luise as my successor. The future of Berzenbrück will remain secure.”
“Ah!” “That’s a relief…” “Maybe Franziska will awaken her talent as she matures…” “Yes, there’s no use worrying now.”
Beatrice, who had never shown such an extravagant display, firmly expressed her will, and the nobles’ anxiety quickly subsided. After all, the future queen was still years away—by then, many of the current nobles would likely be retired and wouldn’t need to worry so much about it.
Thus, the results of Princess Franziska’s baptism were left unresolved. The commoners, who only wanted to celebrate the birth of the princess, were caught up in the festive excitement of the day, filling the streets with unprecedented noise and celebration.
For us, it left a heavy task to carry forward.