The all-time record for the Sacred Flame hunt is forty-five.
The one who set that record is Archbishop Nagrim Hilloriven, called the genius of the age.
The record right behind it was the forty-three set by Lian's father, Leilaik Ludersk.
Which meant Lian's current tally effectively matched a Cardinal-class record. On the assumption that all of them were real Sacred Flames.
“Young Lian! In sheer count, he is overwhelmingly in first place!”
““Whoaaaa—!!””
Almost nobody, however, believed that every Sacred Flame Lian had gathered was genuine.
“Hey, isn't forty-five the same as the record Archbishop Nagrim Hilloriven set?”
“Wow, that's incredible.”
“Incredible how. It's only incredible if they're all real.”
“He's a Ludersk, so aren't the odds good that most of them are real?”
Even those who rated the possibility highly did not think every last one would be genuine.
“The way I see it, it's a complete bust. He's just shoving them in at random.”
“He does seem to be checking before he puts them in, though?”
“Can't you tell at a glance? He's pretending to check. Tsk tsk, so crafty for a child...”
Some people went so far as to disparage Lian for using a crafty strategy.
Reactions were split, but the general mood was negative.
The same was true of the children carrying out the Sacred Flame hunt alongside him.
That was because the broadcast screen hung where the children could see it too.
'I thought he was collecting fast, but forty-five already?'
'Surely they can't all be real...'
'Ha, maybe I should have just crammed in a pile at random too.'
'So that's how you get attention.'
More than anything, the children envied how often Lian's face appeared on the panel.
“Now, now! Young Lian may be overwhelming, but second-place young Lionel Rondoa has a considerable count as well!”
Indeed. Even though the gap between first and second was a full twenty.
Lionel Rondoa's record of twenty-five was an absurdly high one.
“This is only the mid-point check, remember! Right now young Lionel and young Lian are moving at almoost the same speed!”
Lionel had spent the beginning working out what a real Sacred Flame looked like, then caught on and immediately raised his pace.
His eyes checked the panel, and he grew faster still.
“Ahh! Exactly! Because the real Sacred Flames are limited in number!”
Real Sacred Flames were not infinite.
Once everyone had the feel of it to some degree, from there it was a race of speed.
“Young Lionel! He has begun to run!”
'Is this about enough.'
Enough or not. The cage was packed full now, with no room to put in more.
-Aww, there are still moooore!
-There are, there are!
The spirits could be as disappointed as they liked, there was nothing for it. I could hardly hold them in my hands and submit those too.
'We should leave some for the other kids.'
My eyes went to the blue head darting between the children, plucking out nothing but real Sacred Flames.
'Wow, that one is genuinely something.'
I have it easy thanks to my spirit-sight and the spirits, but that child was a true natural.
'Lionel Rondoa, definitely.'
House Rondoa I have heard of. The head of House Rondoa is the Supreme Commander of the Paladin Order, if I remember right.
-Kyaa!
Just then a shrill scream drove into my ear.
-A future ice-prince!
It was Elly.
I wondered what had gotten into her, and found that Lionel Rondoa had stopped running at some point and was staring straight over here.
'...? What?'
His black eyes swept the surroundings a few times, then he whipped his head away.
-Huh?
'What is it?'
-I think he saw me.
'Huh. You said there's no spirit-sight here.'
-Mm, that's true, but. It's ambiguous. Our eyes didn't fully meet. His gaze went vaguely toward the area where me and the spirits are.
She said he hadn't been looking fully this way.
'His instincts must be good. That's all.'
-You think? Anyway, Lian! Go get friendly with him. That one is a winning lottery ticket you don't even have to scratch!
Good grief.
Shaking my head, I headed for the place where cages were submitted.
Even after I told them no, the spirits kept doggedly bringing Sacred Flames, so I had crammed in another two on the way.
“Are you submitting?”
“Yes.”
“You're the first to submit!”
As it turns out, I'm first at submitting the cage too.
Good. I've decided on a concept.
'Today, I only do first place.'
“Hey! Did you really submit everything?”
A brown curly head. It was Lumiel.
“Yeah. Did it first, though?”
At which his face went scarlet and he started fuming.
“Damn it... beaten at submitting too.”
“Did you come to submit as well?”
“Yeah!”
A quick look showed well over twenty.
'Oh. Not bad?'
As expected. His ability is decent.
“You, you! Just you wait! Once we're in the academy I'll be first!”
“Sure, sure.”
Why is this kid burning with rivalry like this.
I turned to leave and he kept following, rattling off things that sounded like nagging.
-Oh! It's that kid from before!
-Should we open his cage again?
Oh no. At this rate there'll be an accident where he loses his Sacred Flames right before submitting.
“Hey, hey, go and submit already. You'll lose second place too, you know?”
“Ah!”
Lumiel scurried off to submit and I took the chance to put some distance between us.
-I don't like that one.
'On what grounds?'
-His face doesn't go with yours, Lian. Go talk to the blue-haired ice-prince from earlier.
'......'
I thought it was going to be something profound.
Time passed. By the time everyone had finished submitting their cages.
“Everyone! Are you all enjoying yourselves?”
““Yeeeees!””
“Hahaha, an expectant roar. Isn't it wonderful?”
MC Bishop kept the mood up so it wouldn't sag, and went on.
Ah. It clicked immediately.
'This Baptism Rite is going to end insanely late, isn't it?'
And a bad feeling has never once been wrong.
“Now then! All our candidates have finished submitting! While the tallying is completed, I thought we might have a short talk session.”
There it is. Not the faintest sign of starting the baptism.
“You all have plenty you're curious about, don't you!”
““Yeeeees!””
“Wahaha! Then let us conduct interviews in the order they placed in the mid-point standings!”
Huh?
-Lian, interview, let's gooo!
Beaming a radiant smile, MC Bishop walks over this way.
I have no idea where they're filming from, but my face was up on the aerial panel in close-up, enormous.
Snap— I change my expression in an instant.
'Capitalist smile, on!'
-Kyaaa!
Judging by Elly's reaction, it had landed just right.
'For a former star shaman, an easy interview like this is a piece of cake.'
To make the most of a pretty boy's face, I gathered loveliness from the tips of my toes upward.
The corners of my eyes curved into perfect half-moons.
There, behold! This is the capitalist smile that survived Korean variety television!
-Kyaaa!
““Kyaaaaa—!””
Elly's and the crowd's screams rang out in surround sound from every direction.
“My word! The interest is tremendous, young Lian. I hear you submitted first as well! Is that correct?”
As MC Bishop finished his question, a round orb floated over and was delivered in front of my mouth.
'A microphone, apparently.'
So this is a fantasy-world microphone.
“Yes, that's right.”
I answered deliberately, like a bashful small child.
A five-year-old boy smiling with his eyes, cheeks flushed pink as though embarrassed. And a cute, lovable one at that; there are few adults who would find that off-putting.
“You took first in the mid-point standings. How does that feel?”
“Um... it feels good, obviously! I think it's the result of working hard. Mother always tells me to do my very best.”
“As a senior who has been through a Baptism Rite myself, I know very well that distinguishing real Sacred Flames at the age of five is no easy thing. How were you able to tell them apart so quickly?”
“Ahh, it's nothing special...”
I cut myself off for a moment. This was the timing.
“Actually, the Sacred Flames came to me.”
What timing, you ask. Appeal timing, obviously.
“Strictly speaking, I didn't choose them. The Sacred Flames chose me.”
I smile with a face of pure innocence. For a moment, silence fell over the arena and the crowd.
“Wo-wow! Everyone, did you hear that just now! Young Lian has tremendous nerve!”
““Whoaaaa!””
“Wheeew—!”
Saying the Sacred Flames chose me is, in other words, saying Elysian chose me.
'That makes the interview first place too.'
There may be a current of opinion that I'm arrogant, but what are they going to do. I'm five.
“Amazing! Lian Ludersk!!”
Far off, a man with a full beard whistled and shouted.
“Hahahaha! Overflowing with popularity. Right then, on to the next interview—”
I have definitely pulled aggro.
When my eyes met Lumiel's in the distance, blazing with envy, I gave him a smirk.
His face reddened all over like a tomato.
'Lumiel was seventh at the mid-point check, wasn't he?'
They probably won't get all the way down to Lumiel for interviews, will they?
Before long.
“Everyone! The scores are finally in! Please give the screen your full attention!”
At MC Bishop's words, every gaze turned to the aerial panel.
Ba-dum—!
A cute sound effect rang out and the screen changed.
'Wow! First place!'
First, as expected. The Sacred Flames packed in without a gap were all genuine.
When the scores were announced there was an instant of silence, and then a roar poured out.
““Whoaaaaaa!!””
“Wo-wow...”
“Is that for real?”
“Whoaaaa! Lian! Lian! Lian!”
“Lian! I believed in you!!”
“That's a lie!!”
The crowd's roar covered the entire arena.
And no wonder.
1st 52 points Lian Ludersk
2nd 40 points Lionel Rondoa
3rd 39 points Viera Tribel
4th 35 points Hoshana Rinu
.
.
.
8th 27 points Lumiel Ludersk
.
.
.
Because my score had gone past the forty-five from the mid-point check!
'Ohh. The cage was small so I couldn't fit more, but even so, this much...'
My thought didn't get to continue.
“Whoaaaaa!!!”
Because of the shriek MC Bishop let out.
“A-a re-re-re-record! A new recooooord!!”
Huh?
“E-everyone!! The record score for the Sacred Flame hunt has just been broken!!”
““Whoaaaaaa!!””
“Wow, seriously?”
“That's insaaaane!!”
Whoaaaaaaaa—!!
'Huh.'
Apparently I broke the record.
-Wow wow wow! Congratulations, Lian!
-Congratulations! Congratulaaations!
-Congwatulations!
Seems I worked a little too hard?
“I have never seen a score above fifty in the Baptism Rite Sacred Flame hunt! Everyone, can you see my hands shaking!”
“Candidate Lian Ludersk! I am very much looking forward to the next mission as well!”
Amazing.
'Does this mean I can aim for rookie too?'
I had known before coming that a rookie is chosen from among the promising candidates at the Baptism Rite.
I just hadn't known the Baptism Rite worked like this.
My eyes went to second place. Lionel Rondoa, forty points.
Whether he gathered forty or gathered more and took a penalty I don't know. Either way, he's no ordinary kid.
'Get past him and I think I take first and the rookie spot.'
A calculator started clacking away inside my head.
“Nooooo! How am I in last plaaaace!!!”
Just then another shriek came, one that outdid MC Bishop's.
'Wh-what was that?'
What a fright.
Naturally, we were not the only ones who heard it.
Unfortunately, it went out through the microphone and reached the citizens of the Empire.
“Last place?”
“It must be Corin Dalopes!”
“Dalopes, so is that Cardinal Dalopes's son?”
Since the results were up on the screen, he was identified immediately.
“Ha-haaaaa...”
He must have realized it too, because he covered his face and bowed his head deeply.
'62nd... minus 80 points?'
A negative score.
More than that, minus eighty means he put in at least forty and every one of them was a dud, doesn't it?
Or perhaps he put in even more than that.
'Wow...?'
-Ah! I know that one!
The spirits piped up.
'Hm? How do you know him?'
-He's the one who took only the ones we put our spit on!
...Put your spit on?
'The ones you put spit on? What is that?'
-A while back, before we met you, Lian, we smeared spirit power on some of the flames for a prank!
-But only a teeny tiny bit!
'I didn't feel anything?'
-It's so little that you don't notice unless you're paying attention!
-Huh? I didn't know either.
Wait, even Elly didn't know?
However nerfed she is right now, Elly is god-class.
-We only put on a teeeeeny bit!
So. He noticed spirit power so faint that neither I, with spirit-sight, nor Elly could detect it, and collected every one of them?
'That seems more impressive than me?'
He barked entirely up the wrong tree, mind you.
Purely in terms of sensing, he pulled off something greater than either me or Lionel, who took first and second.
'That one is also a person of interest.'
Another candidate had been added to the list.
The commotion lasted only a moment.
MC Bishop skillfully turned the subject.
“Now! Shall we move on to the next event? The Sacred Flame hunt was the appetizer. This is the true main course of the Baptism Rite!”
'Isn't the main course of the Baptism Rite the baptism.'
Not knowing my heart, MC Bishop went on.
“It is the Sacred Flame Carry through the Labyrinth!”
““Whoaaaa!””
Huh? A labyrinth?
Why is a labyrinth turning up here?