That day, Banessa was, as usual, having a very enjoyable day.
He was in the process of finishing off a corrupt priest at the request of Emperor Dana.
“Was it you who bullied Noel’s cherished siblings?”
Coincidentally, the priest in question was someone Banessa had been targeting for several days.
That man had harassed Noel’s siblings in the life before Leticia’s regression.
“No, Noel’s siblings?! Th-that can’t be true! They’re all orphans! They have no parents!”
“Do they have to be blood-related to be siblings? They’re the siblings from the orphanage that my sister sponsors! And you, you scoundrel, sold those kids as slaves!”
“I swear, I’m innocent! I’ve never done such a thing, not even in a dream!”
“Don’t make me laugh. My sister herself reported you! The cursed Josephina ignored her. Do you even realize how much my sister suffered because of you?”
“What are you talking about?! Are you saying Noel reported me to Lady Josephina, the saint? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
“Of course, you wouldn’t have. It didn’t happen in this life.”
Not in this life, but in the previous one.
“Please, stop this! I haven’t laid a hand on those children yet! I swear it! I’ll even swear it to the goddess!”
The priest, feeling wronged, was frantically protesting. Banessa didn’t bat an eye. Trash is always trash, whether they’ve committed the crime already or are planning to. There was no need to distinguish between the two.
“So, are you saying that our Lady, the saint, is lying?”
Banessa glared fiercely.
“You don’t know who our Lady is, do you? She’s the only chosen representative of the goddess! And not only that, but she’s also highly favored by Sigmund the Dragon!”
The priest shrank back, startled by Banessa’s intimidating presence.
“She knows everything! You claim you didn’t harass those orphans? That you’re innocent? Don’t make me laugh. You’ve lived your entire life like trash, haven’t you? Do you really think the Lady wouldn’t know about your sins?”
Hearing that Leticia knew everything, the priest’s eyes wavered.
“Don’t even think about trying to deceive me. Lying to me is the same as lying to the Lady! Would you like to be hung upside down from the top of the Imperial Palace for defiling the saint?”
After the barrage of fierce threats, the priest finally knelt. Banessa, pleased, spoke.
“Hmm, good choice. I’ll spare your life, so confess all the sins you’ve committed. And your accomplices. If you do, maybe your limbs will remain intact.”
He didn’t bother to add the implied “just your limbs.”
* * *
After thoroughly grilling the priest, capturing his evil associates, turning the temple, the priests’ stronghold, into a wreck, and finding out that the high priest there was the one who had mocked Leticia, Banessa went on another rampage…
He returned to the palace after a very satisfying day, leaving behind the wailing cries, only to find an urgent letter from the Principality.
It was from Julia.
Why are you still stuck in the Empire? Next month is the Lady’s due date. You haven’t forgotten, have you? Hehe, even if you do, it’s fine. I’ll be the one to teach the little ones swordsmanship.
“What? Already?”
The moment he checked the calendar, his mind went blank.
That’s right. Leticia’s due date was approaching.
He’d been so engrossed in cleansing the trash that he had forgotten something so important!
Banessa immediately dashed to the Crown Prince’s palace. He needed to meet with Callisto.
Since Dana was still unmarried, Callisto was using the Crown Prince’s palace.
“Brother!”
At Banessa’s loud call, the palace servants flinched. Callisto despised being called ‘brother.’
At first, it wasn’t like that, but Banessa, who became overly fond of Callisto, clung to him by acting out in all sorts of troublesome ways, and that’s how it happened.
Thanks to that, every time Banessa came and went, Callisto’s mood was almost guaranteed to plummet. The court attendants were the ones who suffered the most.
Not that Banessa cared at all, though.
Callisto, who had been holed up in his lab, irritably opened the door.
“Shut up!”
“Brother, I’m telling you, it’s urgent.”
“If you say that ridiculous title one more time, I swear I’ll rip out all your hair…”
“We need to return to Genos right now. We need a teleportation circle. The fastest one possible. When will it be ready? Should I come back in an hour?”
“Ha, are you losing your mind more and more? Do you think a teleportation circle is something you can just snap your fingers and make? If you needed it, you should’ve said something earlier…!”
“Julia sent a letter regarding Her Grace.”
Callisto flinched. Banessa nodded gravely. Callisto’s expression instantly grew serious. The annoyance that had filled her gray eyes disappeared, leaving only anxiety.
“Has something happened to the Saintess? Does she need my help? Do I have to go to the Principality?”
Callisto was originally supposed to have left for the magic tower already. The current tower lord was retiring and had named Callisto as his successor. The mages of the tower were eagerly awaiting Callisto’s return.
But Callisto had suddenly declared he would remain in the Empire.
That decision came after he learned that Leticia was pregnant with twins. It was, without a doubt, joyous news that Leticia was expecting twins.
At the same time, it was also worrisome. Though Leticia had the blessing of transcendent beings, she still had a human body. If something—anything—were to happen to Leticia or her children, Callisto needed to be ready to leave for the Principality at a moment’s notice.
Fortunately, nothing had happened so far. Leticia was healthy, and the two babies were growing well. With her due date just around the corner, Callisto had been feeling more at ease. But then Banessa had come rushing in.
“The teleportation circle will be ready in thirty minutes. If it’s just the two of us.”
“You said it couldn’t be done so quickly.”
“I’ll have to make it.”
“As expected, nothing is impossible for you, Brother.”
“Explain the situation first. We need to prepare as much as possible before we leave the Empire. What’s happened to the Saintess that’s made Genos send an urgent message?”
“Her Grace is due next month.”
“…What?”
“We need to return to the Principality as soon as possible. You said the teleportation circle will be ready in half an hour, right? Heh.”
“…Due next, month. You came to find me at this late hour because of that?”
“What does the time matter? Are you coming with me or not? Either way is fine. Do I need to get permission from Her Majesty? It won’t take long, right? Can I go first? Should I take the gift you’ve prepared?”
Banessa spoke with brazen shamelessness.
Callisto could not understand the creature standing in front of him. He seemed perfectly fine when he was working the clergy to exhaustion, but sometimes—no, often—he had moments like this where he completely lost his mind.
It was as if he was testing the limits of Callisto’s patience.
Callisto closed his eyes. His head boiled with anger.
If it were up to him, he would have buried Banessa in the deepest part of the world.
Had it not been for the fact that Banessa was under the protection of the goddess, Callisto would have used the goddess’s power to do just that.
Unfortunately, no matter how deeply Banessa was buried, he had the strength to return.
There was only one thing left to say.
“Get lost.”
* * *
In the end, regardless of the process, Banessa succeeded in tormenting Callisto.
Using the teleportation scroll he had practically extorted, he returned to the Principality.
His hands were full of packages, which were gifts for the two royal heirs who would be born in a month.
More precisely, they were scrolls storing the gifts.
The scroll contained a storage spell, and when torn, a vast space would appear. It was, in a way, a portable warehouse.
Inside were all the baby gifts he had prepared. It was the only way to move the presents he had been preparing for months all at once.
Naturally, the scroll was made by Callisto.
Despite being badgered by Banessa, Callisto gritted his teeth and completed the spell, knowing it was for Leticia.
“Hah, there’s nothing like being home.”
Returning to his homeland after several months, Banessa couldn’t hide his overwhelming emotions at how sweet the air of his country was.
The sunlight was warm, the breeze cool. The flowers in full bloom were dazzlingly beautiful. It felt like heaven to him.
But then, a piece of news that struck him like a bolt from the blue arrived.
“Her Grace has gone into labor?”
Indeed, the day Banessa arrived happened to be Leticia’s delivery day.
The labor had begun a month earlier than expected, throwing the palace into chaos. The court attendants, who were running around in a flurry, widened their eyes when they saw Banessa.
“Sir Banessa? You’ve returned?”
“Yes. What about Her Grace…?”
“I’m sorry, I’m too busy to talk! We’ll discuss later!”
Banessa’s mouth hung open as he watched the retreating figure of the attendant.
What on earth was happening to make them so anxious? Fear quickly welled up within him.
Could something have happened to Her Grace or the babies…?
Fortunately, both children were born healthy.
Like all the other Wings, the birth of the two children brought great joy to Banessa as well.
On the other hand, it also stirred in him the dream he had long harbored.
Becoming the swordsmanship instructor for the two children. Banessa had no doubt that his path would be paved with success. After all, he was the best swordsman in the order!
But then.
“Banessa, what were you even doing in the Empire? Were you just playing around? Your sword skills have rusted.”
“…Ha.”
In his first duel after returning, Banessa was thoroughly defeated by Julia. In just a few months, Julia’s skills had improved dramatically. It was as if she had undergone intense solitary training while Banessa was busy cleaning up imperial trash and hobnobbing with the imperial royals.
“Are you really Julia?”
Julia calmly smiled as she sheathed her sword.
“Ha ha, I’ve put in some effort to win Her Grace’s favor.”
Banessa suddenly felt a wave of anxiety. From that day on, he threw himself into rigorous training. His skills improved daily as well. However, the problem was that Julia was even more relentless.
In the end, Banessa had to adjust his goal.
‘If becoming the swordsmanship instructor is too difficult, then I’ll at least become the godfather…!’
At least Julia wouldn’t aim for the position of godfather.
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