Jackpot (3)
Gasps of disbelief erupted all around.
There was no doubt that Lylai was a rare genius, even among the few remaining Eshua bloodline.
But no matter how discerning she was—the pope, seriously?
Unlike the offended concubine, however, the elders' eyes lit up.
"The Skeleton King…?"
"You're saying he can kill that damn bastard who deserves to be chewed up and spat out?"
"!"
The moment they heard the name Skeleton King, the elders' expressions changed.
Of all the things Lylai had said, that one had struck a chord.
As if they'd never been grumpy a moment ago, their gazes turned razor-sharp. Young Isaac choked on his breath.
Well, of course—they came from a warrior bloodline. If a monster-hunting campaign started, they'd all leap into battle themselves despite their age.
The problem was… the monster they were talking about was him.
"If I get found out, I'll be dissected and displayed across the continent."
Whisper, a demon, almost went wild at the intense divine power radiating from the old warriors.
[How dare these decrepit geezers—barely clinging to life—radiate divine power?! Is this a declaration of war?! Do they want to die?! Huh?!]
Calm down. You're still just First Tier.
Still, one thing was clear: their hatred for the Skeleton King was very real.
"That bastard… not even worth turning into joint supplements!"
They'd at least crush him to dust.
Especially now that Melissa was still alive too.
With all that resentment, didn't it seem like some of them had personally fought the guy before?
But the murderous intent didn't last long.
"Elders."
"Ah."
At the concubine's sharp voice, the elders cleared their throats awkwardly, clearly embarrassed at losing their cool over the Skeleton King.
"Lylai. If you acknowledge the child, then they must be skilled—but do they really have that kind of potential?"
"Yes. The child is capable of destroying the Skeleton King's very soul."
As the elders' gazes turned monstrous once again, the concubine raised an eyebrow as if to say, That's enough bait.
"Lylai."
"I am confident this child will become the next Pope."
The room instantly buzzed with unrest.
Which was to be expected.
In the Holy Empire, the Pope was the king.
And considering the papal family still existed, to the pro-papal faction this statement was outright treason.
Sure enough, the uptight noble raised his voice.
"Do you think the title 'His Holiness' is some village elder's nickname?!"
"!"
He glared at Lylai, as if to say she was insulting the very seat of the Pope.
"No matter how much you want to raise that child, you've gone too far. The Pope must have the finest lineage, true legitimacy, and divine power! Even at best, that thing won't make it past the Third Tier—"
"They've already used Totemization to defeat a demonic beast."
"Exactly! Just a—what… what did you say?"
The noble's eyes went wide, and the elders' jaws dropped in disbelief.
"Did you just say Totemization?"
"The sacred technique that only the Saintess and the Patriarch can use?"
Lylai smiled and pushed Isaac further forward.
"Yes. What's more, this child drove out a Sixth Tier demon beast inside the temple, protecting both the Emperor and His Highness."
"Exorcism Arts…!"
"A technique that normally can't even be used until adulthood!"
"That's not all. He apparently knocked a tooth out of the Berit family bishop using divine power alone."
The elders' eyes widened further, their hands trembling.
No wonder—inflicting real damage with divine power alone was no small feat.
"Are you talking about the sacred techniques lost during the Skeleton King's era?"
"The Saintess' legendary martial divine arts?!"
"Well, that depends on how you interpret it, doesn't it?"
With just that, the elders who had claimed not to need a male heir completely flipped their stance.
They started whispering among themselves.
"Totemization and martial arts… this isn't about talent anymore. This is genius."
"If it's all true, he could even take the papal seat."
"Could he take down the wretched Berit family?"
"Forget the Pope—he could annihilate the Skeleton King for eternity!"
"What if he's a Saint? He might even be able to use the lost techniques of the Saintesses. If those return, Eshua could regain its honor."
"This child will bring us fortune!"
Lylai smiled, clearly pleased that everything was going according to plan.
Of course, not everyone was convinced.
"I don't believe it. I sense no divine power from the child."
The fierce voice of the acting family head turned the elder faction's mood sour.
"Indeed. If he were that powerful, he'd have already contracted with a god. There's no way we wouldn't sense his divine power."
"This doesn't bode well. Better to sever ties now before disaster strikes."
In response to their thinly veiled threats, Lylai smirked as if daring them to go further.
"A child capable of using Totemization could easily hide his divine power."
She even exaggerated her nephew's abilities on the spot.
Meanwhile, the uptight noble gave a dry laugh.
"All the more reason to expel him. Who wants some sneaky demon-like powers around?"
But the elders only grew more intrigued.
"He can hide divine power?"
"If it's true, he could become an elite assassin capable of killing the Skeleton King!"
"Perhaps we should raise him?"
"Back off! He's ours!"
Ha! Perverted bastards—no, twisted clergy bastards.
This is why the holy faction is hopeless.
Well, the Skeleton King had seen everything from the Saintess' techniques to ancient sacred arts hundreds of years old. If Isaac could just learn them, wielding divine techniques forgotten by time and the gods would be a piece of cake.
As some of the elders' opinions began to shift—people who should've been allies—Uptight Noble's eyes flared open.
He knew what Lylai would say next.
"Now that I think about it, didn't Brother Goel say never to forget that we have a candidate for Sainthood in our family?"
Everyone froze.
"A Saint candidate? Goel, what's the meaning of this?"
At the sharp voice, Uptight Noble bit his lip and glared at Lylai and Isaac.
His face said, Why the hell would you bring that up here?
But then he smirked confidently.
"I hadn't planned to mention this until it was officially recognized by His Holiness, but… a stigmata has appeared on my child's body."
"What?!"
"A stigmata?"
A stigmata—proof of divine blessing from the gods.
It was the defining mark of a Saint.
"So the recent absence was…"
"Yes. While the matriarch was away, we visited the Vatican. The stigmata is undeniable proof of sainthood. But that child? Does he have one?"
"Lylai."
"No. He doesn't."
"See? If you're going to claim he's a Saint, you need evidence. He doesn't even meet the basic qualifications. Our child is clearly the true genius here."
And that's when Isaac finally realized why Uptight Noble had been so determined to cast him aside.
"That rude bastard was trying to push his own kid as a Saint candidate."
By that point, the mood among the elders had changed.
They looked at Lielai with skepticism.
"And you're saying you think a kid without a stigmata is a Saint?"
"Yes. I'm sure she'll be recognized by the Lady."
"!"
Be recognized by her? The greatest Saint in history?
Even the Emperor and Cardinals get treated like rookies by her!
Everyone looked shocked—everyone except Isaac, who looked bored.
Melissa is Gamo, right?
What good is it to be recognized by someone who's trying to kill me?
Besides, if I see her, I'm dead. Why would I be dumb enough to show my face?
But that rude uncle of his just burst into loud laughter, as if it were all ridiculous.
"If you're that confident, then maybe we should give it a try."
"Sorry? Try what?"
"The ."
Everyone flinched at that.
It was a special treasure vault of Eshua, desired even by other nations.
It held thousands of years' worth of relics and holy artifacts, and traditionally, girls born in Eshua would perform their doljabi (first birthday fortune ritual) there.
Only children could enter. And based on what they brought out, their abilities could be foretold.
And as a bonus, they got to keep the item they brought out.
"If you're making this big of a fuss just to get that kid recognized, then why not let her take the test there?"
"Goel, stop talking nonsense. It's dangerous for anyone who isn't a Saint. There were casualties last time—it's been shut down for a reason."
But the rude uncle just grinned smugly.
"Well, if she's that amazing, she'll overcome the trials and maybe even retrieve the item that the great Saint Melissa once brought out."
"Then you'll acknowledge her?"
No, I don't need your acknowledgment! Just send me to the annex already!
"Why? Got a problem with that?"
"Nope. Sounds doable. The kid can even use high-level holy spells."
As his confident uncle spoke, Isaac began to sweat.
It's nice you believe in me, but come on, uncle…
I still can't use divine power, you idiot!
Not to mention I've been alive for centuries.
You think a doljabi makes sense at my age?
This is beyond annoying.
Besides, holy relics imbued with divine power? Isaac had zero interest in that kind of thing.
"Forget doljabi and whatever else—just send me to the annex…"
"But isn't it dangerous? That place has the Skeleton King's remains, doesn't it?"
Isaac's eyes flipped open.
Please let me do the doljabi, you bastards!!
***
In the northwestern part of the Holy Empire Hella lies a forest where no human can survive.
That place marked the beginning of the no-man's-land bordering the demon realm.
The Black Forest.
Black plants, black soil—an untamed zone crawling with demonic beasts.
Sometimes, humans would throw convicts or unwanted people into the forest to get rid of them.
Anyone thrown in was reduced to bones in moments.
Ordinarily, not even a drunkard would dare go near it. But there was something strange there now.
"Kiiiek!"
"Kyaaaagh!"
A middle-aged man in black priest robes, with a special blue sash across his shoulders.
Surrounding him were the corpses of demonic beasts.
The demons had charged in without fear, hoping to devour the man who had dared to intrude upon their domain. But the dark blue aura around him sliced through them instantly.
Even in the midst of this carnage, not a strand of his silver hair was out of place.
He wouldn't even allow a drop of demonic blood to touch him—right now, he had one of the monsters by the throat.
"Speak. Where is the Skeleton King?"
The monster groaned like it was staring at a madman.
"So this is a Cardinal…"
One of the highest-ranking priests, second only to the Pope.
There had been rumors, but the difference between them and regular priests was truly overwhelming.
If the Pope was the king of the holy realm, the Cardinals were the queens.
Without a Saint, any of them could be the next Pope.
And the head of the Eshua family, Elai Eshua, narrowed his eyes.
"I asked you where he is."
[It's no use. Our great king resides in a place your kind could never even imagine—]
Splat!!
The monster's face exploded in an instant.
"Another dead end."
Clearly, not worth listening to. Elai turned away.
He had journeyed into this perilous land to investigate the swelling demon forces and had now reached deep into their territory.
At the same time, he was searching for the Skeleton King—who had vanished 150 years ago after losing to the gods.
But even after coming all this way, he had found no solid leads.
And yet, there was no sign of a new Demon King being crowned either.
That was only natural—after all, the Skull King was known as the greatest of all Demon Kings in history. There was no way someone to succeed him would appear so quickly.
But there was definitely someone among the demons impersonating the Skull King, and those individuals were indeed moving with the power of the Skull King.
No—
It might even be that this entire situation was a scheme orchestrated by the Skull King himself. It wasn't for nothing that he had once toyed with the Saintess and taken over the human world.
That's exactly why the Skull King had to be found and eliminated.
And then, it happened.
"…I-I greet the Lord!"
A knight cloaked in blue knelt before the head of the Elai family.
He was a direct knight, one who served as a bridge between the family and its lord.
But he looked like he might collapse from exhaustion at any moment.
"What's the matter?"
"T-The thing is…!"
The gasping knight looked upon the family head—his clothes spotless, not even stained with blood—and couldn't believe he was human.
Even for himself, a high-ranking knight, just passing through this place had nearly broken him.
"The thing is…! I've come to request permission to use one of the family relics. The Sacred Vault."
The head of the family casually began dismantling a magical beast with his bare hands, as though uninterested.
Crunch.
Magical beasts who mentioned the Skull King's name were, for some reason, dismantled even more grotesquely.
"The Sacred Vault, huh. There shouldn't be anyone who can use it right now."
"Well…"
BOOM!
"I told you, didn't I? The Vault can only be accessed once by a single person. Even if the item inside is disappointing, there's no second chance."
"That's the thing! The person who wants to use it isn't the Saintess!"
The family head's brow furrowed further.
That place kills anyone who isn't born with innate divine power—only candidates for sainthood survive there.
If not the Saintess, then who?
"The young masters… they said they wanted to find out which of the children might be a Saint."
A Saint?
Only then did the family head finally turn his head.
"What are you talking about? Why would there be a Saint in my house?"
"That's… exactly what I thought too."
The head narrowed his eyes.
Could it be that the impossible being the Pope had spoken of had really appeared?
And in the Saintess's lineage, no less?
Well, he now understood the reason for wanting to use the Vault…
"Permission denied. That place is deadly for anyone who isn't a Saintess candidate. Tell the boys of Eshua not to play stupid power games."
"Yes, sir."
But right then—
BOOM!!
Enormous magical beasts, as big as houses, came flying in like cannonballs from somewhere.
Impossible to dodge for most, but the family head twisted slightly and easily evaded them.
THUD!!
The knight barely maintained his footing and nearly passed out.
These were beasts of such a size that no human could possibly have taken them down.
Only the family head knew who had caught them bare-handed.
"Melissa. You're back already."
"They were small fry. Anyway, I hear the boys want to use the Vault?"
A silver-haired woman in her late twenties walked over, dusting off her hands.
An otherworldly beauty, so stunning it was hard to believe she was human—this was Melissa, the matriarch of Eshua.
"Let them. It's not like we have a reason to stop them."
The family head looked surprised.
"The access rights to the Vault do belong to the matriarch, so if you're fine with it, I have no objections… But since when did you indulge them like this?"
"That boy—Isaac, was it? They say he turned a magical beast into a totem at his age. Promising, isn't he? I can't take away that opportunity."
"!"
"But there's a condition. Since we're opening the Vault anyway, let's throw all the Saint candidates in there."
The family head winced like he'd just heard something from the Demon King himself.
"Why do you want to kill all those innocent children?"
"They won't die. They're supposedly Saint candidates, aren't they? I heard they even have the sacred mark."
"…The Pope won't be happy."
"Why? Wasn't he the one ranting about how his grandson was a Saint? That brat can't even fetch an item from a regular storage room, apparently."
"…"
A place where people die isn't exactly a regular storage room.
The family head let out a sigh.
"They might end up bringing out that thing inside. Are you okay with losing something so valuable?"
"I don't know. Honestly, at this point, I kind of want someone to bring it out."
"!"
A deep shadow fell beneath the matriarch's long lashes.
"Not a single Saintess in our proud history—no matter how gifted—has managed to retrieve it."
"Melissa…"
The matriarch's eyes, tinged with melancholy, suddenly gleamed like a predator's.
"If we had that, maybe we could track down and kill the Skull King in one stroke."
"!"
"So if we want someone to bring it out, we need to offer a reward."
The knight's eyes widened.
"Y-You don't mean—!"
"Spread the word. Whoever brings it out will receive a reward even the Pope himself can't offer."
"!"
"And the heirloom of the Saintess passed down through Eshua."
"And I, personally, will teach them our family's secret techniques."
"Matriarch!"
"Tell them I'll give them everything. Without holding back."
At that moment, Isaac sneezed like crazy.
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