Chapter 495: The Destructive Power of Blessing

The day of the Blessing Ceremony in the capital of the Halagoura Marquisate finally arrived.

Matilda entered in luxurious ceremonial clothing, her face covered by a lace veil. Two women followed behind her, lightly holding the long train of her gown so that it wouldn’t drag across the floor.

Those two women were Maria and Aeris.

Both had veiled their faces and followed quietly in the guise of attendants, trying not to draw attention.

Yet to anyone who knew the truth, the sight was absurdly extravagant.

After all, the public believed no Saint had appeared in more than a hundred years, while three women capable of saintly power now stood together in the same ceremony.

One of them was even a [True Saint].

Maria’s class was so legendary that only dragonfolk and a handful of people such as Tauro even knew of its existence. If her identity became public, it could cause an uproar across nations.

For that reason, Tauro and his companions, attending as honored guests of the Kingdom of Luwan, watched the ceremony with tense anticipation.

The ceremony began.

This time the Luwan delegation spared no effort in making it as solemn and magnificent as possible.

Flowers and offerings were presented at the altar, formal prayers of gratitude were recited, and every ritual was performed with deliberate grandeur.

Marquis Halagoura sat among the attendees with a smirk, apparently amused by all the pomp and ceremony.

Nearby, the Crown Prince whispered with the marquis and his aides, looking thoroughly bored.

At last, Matilda gestured for the two veiled women behind her to step forward.

She was calling Maria and Aeris.

As Matilda began the motions for [Blessing], the other two imitated her posture and joined her in prayer.

The unexpected change in the ritual caused a slight stir among the Kingdom of Sart attendees, but the Crown Prince and those closest to him showed little interest.

“Blessings and glory upon the domain of Marquis Halagoura!”

Matilda proclaimed, her voice trembling slightly with tension behind the veil.

After a brief pause, the three women invoked the spell together.

“[Blessing]!”

Matilda, Aeris – who had recently acquired [Saint] – and Maria all invoked [Blessing] at the same moment.

Radiant light burst forth around them.

It was a genuinely holy light, illuminating the entire hall as though purging every trace of evil.

No – it didn’t stop at the ceremonial hall.

The light spread over the entire castle and then expanded across the whole capital.

A low rumble followed.

The light quickly faded, but the ground continued trembling for several seconds.

The attendees looked around in alarm.

Then, one after another, explosions thundered in the distance.

Even Marquis Halagoura was caught completely off guard. He turned sharply toward Alexa and demanded an explanation.

The Crown Prince also began questioning his own aides, but before anyone could answer, the rumbling finally subsided.

“W-What on earth was that…?”

The Crown Prince muttered, visibly shaken by the unfamiliar phenomenon.

At that moment, the doors to the hall flew open.

A servant rushed inside, hurried to Alexa, and whispered an urgent report in his ear.

Alexa’s expression changed at once, and he immediately questioned the servant to confirm what he had heard.

Seeing that reaction, Marquis Halagoura realized something serious must have happened and demanded an explanation.

“M-My lord… this isn’t something we should discuss here. Please, let us speak outside-“

Alexa tried to usher him away, but the marquis waved him off.

“Just say it. What happened? Did one of the vases break because of the tremor?”

“…The underground facility appears to have been destroyed.”

Alexa avoided naming the facility in detail, but the meaning of his report was unmistakable.

“What facility?”

The Crown Prince, who had no idea what they were talking about, naturally demanded an explanation.

Marquis Halagoura’s face twisted in shock.

“What’s the extent of the damage?!”

Ignoring the Crown Prince completely, he turned back to Alexa.

“The tremors appear to have been caused by the destruction of the underground facility. We’re currently checking whether any of the workers survived.”

“I don’t care about the workers! Investigate the damage to the facility itself, in detail!”

Alexa nodded and immediately issued orders to the servant.

Then he looked toward Matilda.

It was only natural to suspect a connection. The destruction had occurred at precisely the same moment as the [Blessing].

Matilda, however, maintained a composed expression.

In truth, Maria, standing beside her, had invoked a genuine [True Blessing].

The holy power nullified the curses incorporated into the system and returned the accumulated cursed energy toward the underground sorcery facility a thousandfold, purifying it completely.

The enormous cursed magic stone at the core couldn’t endure the backlash and exploded, reducing the underground complex to rubble.

The same phenomenon struck the facilities positioned around the capital. They exploded one after another, creating the enormous commotion outside.

“Marquis Halagoura, has something serious happened? If there’s any danger, may we move Saint Matilda somewhere safer? The atmosphere outside seems rather tense.”

Marquis Donaissun calmly addressed Halagoura on behalf of the Kingdom of Luwan.

“M-My apologies for causing concern. It appears an unexpected incident has occurred. The Blessing Ceremony itself has concluded safely, so… may we end the proceedings here?”

Marquis Halagoura took a breath and struggled to regain his composure.

“Of course. In that case, we’ll escort the Saint back to her quarters.”

“Please do. Alexa, assess the damage immediately!”

The marquis’s composure finally cracked. He barked the order and hurried out of the hall, his face pale.

The Crown Prince and his aides rushed after him.

“Then we should leave as well, for the Saint’s safety.”

With the faintest smile, Marquis Donaissun said nothing further and led Matilda and the others back to the rooms prepared for them.