Chapter 52: The Final Test, Part 1
TODAY was the day of the final test: the interview with the current Holy Maiden.
Now that Camille and Iris were both sixteen years old, the interview would be held at the tallest tower of the royal palace: the Tower of Prayer. The ground floor was home to the Holy Maiden’s office and waiting room, right beneath the ceremony room on the second floor. The spiral staircase continued going up for a few more floors until it reached the Prayer Altar at the very top of the tower.
In Reseda’s happy-bad ending, Camille would be locked in there permanently. But in actuality, the Holy Maiden wasn’t meant to spend every waking moment there. Rather, she visited a few times a week to offer her prayers to the Cage of Light through the glass. Holy Maidens were well within their rights to have a family and a life outside of the Tower—it was just a job, after all.
Incidentally, the Cage of Light was the same magical artifact Iris was sealed inside during HanaKoro’s bad endings.
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A group of nobles sat chatting in a room in the Tower of Prayer, summoned ahead of the final interview to discuss the Holy Maiden Evaluation.
The purpose of this upcoming interview was for the current Holy Maiden to determine whether the interviewee was fit to be her successor; if the answer was no, then they would not receive the title. But that was fairly common, and as a result, no successor had been chosen over the past five years. The real problem was that this year, two candidates had made it to the interview stage—and it really wasn’t designed with multiple interviewees in mind.
“Perhaps we should make the interview more difficult.”
“They both seem like perfectly eligible candidates.”
“But what if she decides they’re both fit for the role?”
“Isn’t it possible she’ll choose both of them?”
“No, no. Surely, she’ll only choose one. More than that would invite chaos.”
There were countless things to worry about. One candidate was from a perfectly respectable marquisate, but she was a low-mana soilpox victim who had lost twice; the other was a commoner who was merely adopted by a barony but possessed great mana. Both had received the blessing of a Fairy Leader.
“To be fair, there’s never been a low-born Holy Maiden in all of history.”
“If a mere peasant were to be chosen over a member of the nobility, it would be an affront to the aristocracy!”
“I’m afraid young Miss Iris is our only option.”
As the nobles all whispered amongst themselves, the Earl of Pont smirked smugly. “We wouldn’t want to nominate a Holy Maiden who’s incapable of completing her tasks. As lovely as Miss Iris is, I’m told she has little in the way of mana.”
Though the Baron of Pont was in a less privileged position, as Camille’s legal guardian, he was allotted a seat at the table of judges. The Marquis of Chevalier looked at him and chuckled quietly, giving goosebumps to everyone else in the room.
“I…I’m told that Miss Iris assisted in the vaccine development efforts at the Temple of Magic, correct? And the commoners refer to her as the ‘Green Holy Maiden?’” one of the other nobles asked the Marquis.
“Where did you hear that? I do believe it was Prince Reseda and Royal Mage Cytisus who first conceived of the vaccine.”
At this, all eyes turned to Cytisus’s father, the Earl of Sade…but he remained silent and poker-faced.
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CAMILLE and Iris were dressed in their school uniforms, standing before the current Holy Maiden, Lyrial, in the ceremony room on the second floor of the Tower of Prayer. Lyrial had gorgeous, long blond hair, and she was wearing an ankle-length white robe, reminiscent of a Fairy Leader. Over the robe was a beige wide-sleeved smock with lilies embroidered in gold thread along the hem.
Standing behind Lyrial was the Maiden’s Aide, Pavot, wearing a matching white robe with a slightly less fancy smock. Behind her was a platform where the royal family was seated on their thrones—the king, the queen, Crown Prince Bleuet, and Second Prince Reseda. On either side of the room stood rows of audience members consisting of aristocrats such as the Grand Chancellor, the royal mages, and the academy faculty. Notable among them were Cytisus, the Earl of Sade, the Marquis of Chevalier, and the Baron of Pont.
“We will now begin the final test: the Holy Maiden Interview,” Pavot announced. “The candidates’ accomplishments will be offered up to God, and from there, a decision will be passed down. Please understand that if you are not chosen for the role, it is not a reflection of your talents and efforts—you might simply lack the right skills.”
Lyrial smiled brightly. “Now then, ladies, let’s be on our way.”
The women traveled up the dimly lit spiral stairs to the top of the tower where the Holy Maiden offered her prayers. Lyrial led the way, followed by Camille, Iris, and Pavot. Behind her, the royal family trailed after them. They would serve as witnesses for the judging process.
The higher up they went, the sicker Iris started to feel. Each stair was engraved with a word from a prayer, and the girls were instructed to read each word in order out loud as they climbed. By doing so, those with mana would cast a spell. But in Iris’s case, well…either it was the lack of mana or just the spiral motion, but she was completely dizzy.
Little did she know, Reseda was watching her with concern.
Then, at last, they reached the very top of the stairs to find…a dead end. This confused Iris. How were they supposed to get to the Cage of Light?
Lyrial moved to the center and started to recite an incantation. Golden light began to shine all around her, spinning and widening until it engulfed Iris and Camille. Iris looked up at the ceiling and spotted a gold magic circle. The girls were drawn up into it and teleported beyond the ceiling to the room just above.
The next thing Iris knew, she was standing in a bright-yellow field. Her head was still spinning, and she wanted to puke. To resist the urge, she took shallow breaths…and slowly looked around.
Where am I?
Everywhere she looked, she saw glistening metal bars the color of gold. Beyond them lay a navy blue sky, reminiscent of Cytisus’s hair… A chill ran down her spine, and, in her terror, she staggered, kicking up bright yellow pollen.
Iris was trapped inside a gilded cage.