After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - Chapter 250: Tina's Baptism
Chapter 250: Tina’s Baptism
While I was busy impregnating a woman from the Dark Clan, the important day of the ceremony arrived. Of course, the child of Liese, my sister, and me was about to undergo the baptism ceremony.
Naturally, it was just an event for a marquis military family, so unlike Beato’s or Clara’s ceremonies, many nobles did not gather. Except for Beato representing the royal family, it was a ceremony kept as private as possible… yet, why was it held at the central church of the capital, and why was the familiar Cardinal Elise personally overseeing it?
“Bring forth the one who inherits the legitimate line of the Freudenstadt family, the strong shield protecting Berzenbrück!” Cardinal Elise called.
“Yes!” Liese responded.
Liese, my sister, answered energetically, seemingly fully recovered. After all, she returned to desk work the day after giving birth. She even said something workaholic-like, “It’s convenient to have healing magic at times like this, isn’t it?” Even such a work-loving sister attended her daughter’s baptism properly.
“Now, Albertina, what result will you show us…?” Liese whispered.
Liese spoke softly to the baby while carefully handing her daughter, named Albertina, to Cardinal Elise. The baby, possibly due to parental bias, was quite beautiful with the same light blue hair and brown eyes as Liese, a child with a promising future.
“O Goddess who governs the eight attributes, reveal this infant’s power and bless her future!” Cardinal Elise prayed.
Cardinal Elise’s voice echoed through the silent cathedral. She gently submerged the baby in the holy water basin, and I thought a blue light representing the water attribute would surely appear… but for some reason, it never did.
“What is this…?” someone murmured.
“Could it be the same as with Princess Franziska?” another speculated.
The onlookers, meaning the noble relatives, began to make a fuss. However, it was different from Fanny’s case, and Beato noticed it too.
“Fanny didn’t emit light either, but her body glowed green. But Albertina isn’t glowing at all,” Beato observed.
“But she can’t be without magic power, right?” I questioned.
That’s right, after Albertina was conceived, Liese’s magic power clearly increased, reaching the equivalent of SS-class. It was natural to think the child in her womb had the same class of magic power.
“I think Lutz is right, but… huh, what’s that ‘mist’?” Beato wondered.
“Huh? Oh, that’s…” I stammered.
Beato pointed it out, and I finally noticed. I could see it too… from the basin where Albertina was submerged, a haze-like mist emanated, growing stronger and stronger.
“What’s that?!” a noble exclaimed.
“I’ve never seen it before!” another shouted.
“Be quiet, this is a cathedral!” Cardinal Elise commanded.
When Cardinal Elise shouted, the nobles, who had started chattering noisily, finally fell silent.
“There’s no need to be surprised. This baby simply possesses ‘non-attributed’ magic power. It’s rare in Berzenbrück, but in the Eastern Kingdom, it occasionally appears. It’s not something to make a fuss about,” Cardinal Elise explained.
Cardinal Elise explained calmly with overwhelming persuasiveness. The relatives, either reassured or disappointed, began to head home one by one.
“You all stay. I need to explain something,” Cardinal Elise instructed.
Cardinal Elise called our family to stay with a serious look.
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“O Supreme God, I have spoken falsehoods to your believers. Please forgive my sin…” Cardinal Elise prayed.
The usually cheerful Cardinal Grandma was confessing to God with a tragic expression. We, who were asked to stay, just stared at her back for a while. When she finally turned around, deep wrinkles marked her brow.
“What I said earlier was true up to a point. Liese’s child, Albertina, possesses ‘non-attributed’ magic power that doesn’t fit within the eight attributes. That mist-like magic power is exactly as recorded in ancient texts,” Cardinal Elise clarified.
“Hmm. If you’re telling the truth, isn’t that fine? Why confess?” I questioned.
But Cardinal Elise’s words felt slightly off. She said it was an attribute that appeared occasionally in the Eastern Kingdom, so why mention “recorded in ancient texts”?
“Oh, that studhorse over there noticed, didn’t he? My lie was saying ‘it appears occasionally,’” Cardinal Elise admitted.
“Elise Grandma, what do you mean?” Beato asked.
“To my knowledge, ‘non-attributed’ hasn’t appeared on this continent for centuries. This child’s attribute is a mythical magic power, now only recorded in ancient texts,” Cardinal Elise answered.
Cardinal Elise responded to Beato’s question with a pained expression.
“Then, Your Eminence, can this child use magic…?” Liese inquired.
“Liese, I’m sorry. I don’t know any more than that. The ancient texts only record that such an attribute exists and describe it as colorless, misty magic power. There’s no information on what kind of magic its possessor can use,” Cardinal Elise explained.
A heavy silence dominated the scene. This child, Albertina, was the future marquis, bearing the expectations of being the successor to Hilda, the fire hero, and Liese, the pinnacle of the national army’s mages. Yet, we didn’t know what kind of magic she could use or if she could use any magic at all.
“It’s okay. I’ll raise this child splendidly. I plan to teach her magic myself… and if she can’t use magic, I’ll educate her to serve Her Majesty the Queen as a bureaucrat. If she says being a marquis is too much, Matilda can take over. No matter what, I’ll make this child happy… because she’s the child of the man I love,” Liese declared.
Liese, who must have been the most worried about her daughter’s future, gazed at Albertina and declared firmly with a dignified air… but upon hearing her last phrase, Cardinal Elise shot me a sidelong glance.
Yeah, she definitely knows.
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