CH 85

“Kendrick, where are we going?”

I walked after Kendrick, looked up at him and asked.

“To see the Pope.”

“…Yes?” 

“Huh?”

When Kendrick answered, Arsene and I both opened our eyes wide and looked up at him at the same time. 

“W, who?”

“Because His Holiness the Pope did not keep his promise.”

“…Promise?” 

“Yeah, you will find out in a while.” 

Kendrick’s face when he said that looked pretty angry, so Arsene and I just looked at each other without saying anything.

‘Do you know what the promise is?’

Arsene looked at me and talked to me with his mouth. 

I shrugged and answered.

‘I don’t know either….’

What promises do the Pope and Sir Kendrick make? 

I rolled my eyes and thought about it, but nothing came to mind.

Three high-ranking priests led Kendrick, Arsene, and me to a certain building. 

As expected, it was where two huge stone statues of the God of Knut were erected. 

Numerous priests caught my eye as I held Kendrick’s hand tightly and moved my steps.

‘There’s a lot….’

Is it because it’s where the Pope stays?

I could feel the paladins and priests glancing at us.

Then. 

“Sir Kendrick!”

From afar, the High Priest quickly approached with a white robe fluttering. 

Arsene and I naturally turned our attention to the High Priest. 

“Kendrick! Didn’t I tell you that I’ll solve it soon? Until now, the temple has been chaotic due to the health problems of His Holiness….” 

“The last time I sent a letter to the temple, I got the same answer.” 

Kendrick said bluntly. 

“Before that, you kept telling me to wait, but I just happened to visit the temple during this festival, so you can solve it then. You told me. The High Priest told me himself.” 

“That’s… The temple is busy with festival work….” 

Kendrick sighed. A low-pitched voice reprimanded the High Priest slowly. 

“How long are you going to keep delaying it? I remember that it was the High Priest himself who permitted the arranged marriage between Linsy and Arsene.” 

Ah. 

‘It must have been a marriage problem.’

In the case of an arranged marriage between two clans, the marriage took place only when a marriage license was written at the temple. 

But. 

‘I was wondering why you didn’t write the papers….’

It’s been a while since the marriage was decided, but Kendrick hasn’t said anything, so I was curious.

However, it seems that the temple was delaying the marriage license. 

Kendrick went to see the Pope because he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

When Kendrick turned around, saying that he had to see the Pope immediately, the High Priest hurriedly stopped Kendrick.

“His Holiness is not feeling well and is resting. I’ll take care of it now, so please come this way.”

The High Priest wiped the cold sweat with a handkerchief. Kendrick took Arsene’s hand and mine and tilted his head slightly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes? yes!”

I answered quickly and hurried away, still holding Kendrick’s hand tightly. 

As expected, Arsene was the same. Arsene nodded his head a couple of times, then took Kendrick’s hand and moved on. 

The place where the High Priest took us was his own room where he usually works.

When I left the building where the Pope was staying, I walked a long way past the dining room until I found the High Priest’s office. 

The High Priest invited us to sit on the sofa and asked the probationary priest to bring some tea and refreshments.

“Sit down, Linsy. Arsene, you sit here.”

Kendrick gave me a seat facing Arsene, and he sat next to Arsene.

The High Priest left the room to wait for a while and soon returned with a document.

Soon after, the probationary priest brought out the tea. 

Kendrick was served tea with bluish petals, and we were given tea with pink petals.

When I tilted my head because it was my first time seeing it, Kendrick tapped the teacup as if to help me understand. 

“This is a tea that can only be drunk at the temple. It will be made with flowers grown under the blessing of God Knut.” 

I grabbed the cup with both hands and drank it warm when I was told to.

The delicate floral scent drifted in my mouth and then went down quickly.

“Not bad.”

“It’s bad.”

Arsene said with a frown as he sipped some flower tea with me. 

At that time, the High Priest held the documents and sat next to me.

“You can sign here.”

In the document handed over by the High Priest, it was written in neat handwriting that Linsy Raniero of the Bird Clan and Arsene Yeckhart of the Wolf Clan were to be married under the blessing of the God Knut.

Below that was a place to stamp the Pope’s seal.

On the bottom.

‘There are two spaces?’

There were two spaces for me to sign and for Arsene to sign.

“You can do just one space.”

The High Priest held out the blue ink to Arsene and said.

Arsene didn’t know what the High Priest’s words meant, so he kept his eyes wide open.

“Come here, Arsene.”

Kendrick carefully rolled up Arsene’s sleeves and smeared blue ink on his little thumb. 

And. 

“Whoa…” 

When Arsene put his finger in the document to sign it, the document lit up with a blue light right away. 

‘This is Knut’s oath.’

I had heard of it before.

It is said that borrowing the protection of the God Knut through the temple and signing a contract is called the God Knut’s oath. 

And—.

‘I said that it could never be broken until the effect expires without a special reason.’ 

However, since we were a marriage of convenience and married at a young age, the period was specified in the documents. 

This means that the contract will remain in effect until they reach the age of majority, after which the parties decide on the maintenance of the contract. 

Kendrick held out the blue ink to me as well.

“I will help you.”

The High Priest sat the whole time with an uncomfortable expression somewhere and then held my hand lightly.

With help from the High Priest, I put a lot of blue ink on my finger and made a thumbprint on the paper. 

Good.

“….!”

The papers once again flared up in blue.

“I heard that Lady Linsy can transform into your bird form, is that true?”

The high priest looked at the documents blankly, then asked me.

I nodded.

“Yes, transforming is possible.” 

“Then you have to take it in your bird form. Young Master Arsene, you can take it when transforming is possible.”

I nodded at the High Priest’s words and immediately stamped my feet lightly.

Then.

Pong–! 

The vision of the High Priest, Arsene, and Kendrick was covered by a light green smoke that rose up from the ground.

I quickly turned into a small bird and landed on the sofa.

“Chirp!”

After shouting out loud once, I flew up and landed on the desk.

But—.

“…Chirp.” 

How do I take it if I don’t have a finger?

Should I stamp on the wing feathers?

I folded my wings with a serious expression for a moment and pondered.

Then. 

“You can take it with your feet. I’ll help you.”

Kendrick lifted me carefully.

“Chirp!” 

I shouted once in gratitude, then stretched out my legs and toes.

Kendrick grabbed my body and pressed my feet firmly to the ink.

‘Ugh, I feel bad.’

When I did it with my fingers, I didn’t feel much, but the crisp feeling of touching the soles of my feet was worse than I thought.

Still, it’s a relief. 

I don’t know what this ink used in the temple was made of, but it disappeared quickly and left no trace.

When the blue ink smeared evenly on the soles of my feet, Kendrick lifted me and brought me to the papers.

And.

“Chirp?” 

“Okay, take it.” 

He waited until I spread my legs before putting the ink on the paper.

I pressed the soles of my feet against the papers, holding Kendrick’s hand.

Then.

“….!!!” 

The papers flared up once more. This time it was red.

The High Priest and Kendrick opened their eyes wide at the same time.

“…What’s going on? This has never happened before.” 

The High Priest took out a monocle from his pocket and put it on, examining the papers carefully again.

Kendrick put me down on the desk.

‘It was blue before….’

Why does it suddenly burn red when I take it in bird form? 

I wondered if it was originally like that, so I looked at the faces of the high priest and Kendrick. The faces of the two men were very hard.

“Linsy, come here.” 

Arsene naturally opened his arms to me. When I was about to release my bird form, I ran to Arsene and sat on Arsene’s lap.

Before I knew it, the ink on the bottoms of my feet was gone, so I didn’t need to stain Arsene’s clothes.

“It’s strange— I’ll look into it again. This has never happened before.”

“Just finish signing it and find out.”

Kendrick looked puzzled when the document first burned red and soon pointed to it and said.

“How do I know if you won’t give me the documents right away after taking them because something is wrong with them?”

“But Sir Kendrick…!” 

However, Kendrick signed the document as if he couldn’t hear the High Priest.

Then, a black flame burned for the last time.

What was left was Raniero’s seat, which was signed by the High Priest himself. 

It was because, as a result of the previous coordination at the temple, Raniero’s authority was transferred to the temple.

“Isn’t it just a matter of getting His Holiness’s seal?”

“…Yes. However, His Holiness is not feeling well right now…”

“Then I will meet him personally and receive His Holiness’s seal.”

At Kendrick’s words, the high priest’s face turned white.

He eventually went into the pope’s chambers alone and took the seal and stamped it.

Then the papers turned to a soft golden color.

It meant that the contract made by the oath of the God Knut had been concluded.

At the same time, it also meant that I finally had Yeckhart’s last name.