Overlimit Skill Holder
Book 2: Chapter 28

Only two days were left till the skill orb awarding ceremony, but there seems to have been no progress made in the poisoning attempt case of Prince Kluvshrat.

The nobles who gathered for the awarding ceremony are, of course, forced to stay in the Holy City for a month after the “Sprout and New Moon Banquet”. The Earl relayed to me that the award ceremony would be held as scheduled because it could not be extended any further.

Although, it started to rain from the night of the day when the young lady promised to give her skill orb to me. I hope the weather will clear up on the day of the awarding ceremony.

The awarding ceremony is different from a banquet, but it is the “noble duty” to dress up and attend with equal or greater effort. So, right from morning, the young lady, the chief maid, and a distant relative of the Earl – an auntie -, were holding a meeting on dresses, accessories, and hairstyles.

「We’ve arrived. Let’s get down.」

「Okay.」

Maxim-san and I came to the 1st Holy District to prepare the escort arrangement for the day of the awarding ceremony. This was my first time entering this area. It’s a pity that the thick rain clouds covered the skies even though it was daytime.

The 1st Holy District is the place where the central institutions of the country are gathered. The road was wide, clean, and with perfectly cut and fitted stone paving. Raindrops fell on the stone paving worn down by wheel track.

We headed to the building of the “Altar Management Bureau”. It was a three-story building made of white stones. We got off the carriage at the entrance and arrived behind the escorts of other houses who had already arrived earlier.

(Everyone is quite old…)

Even the youngest seemed to be in their late 20s. And most of them were over 40. Some seemed to be knights; wearing easy-to-move uniforms, and a sword hanging around their waist. A few were also holding short rods, so there also seemed to be mages.

Since everyone was from different races, you can see the diversity of the Kruvan Holy Kingdom.

There were few teens like me—but looks and ages are completely different depending on the race, so I couldn’t say for sure.

「–My, my, if it isn’t Viscount Guine’s house? Your house is not participating in this year’s awarding ceremony, right?」

「–Yes, but the Holy Prince will be here this year, so we’re sparing time for security.」

「–Many other houses seem to be here for the same reason. Due to the one month postponement, noble houses from all over the country were able to gather here. The number of attendees will be higher than when the First Holy Prince received his skill orb.」

「–As expected, the banquet was…」

「–Don’t speak too loudly.」

「–Oh right… Anyway, what kind of skill orb will Prince Kluvshrat get?」

The knight captains of each noble house advanced to the conference room on the first floor of the “Altar Management Bureau”.

The conference room was so large that you could even hold a banquet there. There were more than 10 round tables in the room. It seems that each of us were seated according to the noble rank. I followed Maxim-san to the table where the knights of the house Earl Sillys are to sit.

(Everyone is discussing the same topic…)

This year’s awarding ceremony is rarely seen in recent years, with nobles from all over the country gathering in the Holy City.

All the nobles already know about the attempted poisoning at the banquet – if they don’t show up at the Holy City at this time, they might seem suspicious, so they were all coming. And now, Prince Kluvshrat’s skill orb was the hot topic.

(There seems to be no information whatsoever on the skill orb… As the Earl said, it seems that only a limited number of people in the “Altar Management Bureau” know it.)

From the leaked information, it seems that the current Holy King received a skill orb called【Performance ★★★★】from his predecessor. Speaking of whether the current Holy King is using that skill orb, I’m absolutely sure he isn’t. The award ceremony is to show the nobility of the Holy King and the nobility of the nobles. It is said that the previous Holy King bestowed the skill orb with the hopes of an “art-friendly Holy King.”

It is also said that the 1st Holy Prince was given【Dual Sword Technique ★★★★】, and the 1st Holy Princess was given【Holy Magic ★★★★】. It’s clear that the current Holy King did not become an “art-friendly Holy King.”

It was peculiar that the 1st Holy Princess was given【Holy Magic】, instead of【Human Magic】—that influences the emotions of others or strengthens one’s own spirit— which could mean “One who stands above the rest”. However,【Holy Magic】is used for fighting undead monsters and purifying tainted places. It is something that the superiors of churches possess, so to speak.

In other words, everyone thinks that it is a message from the Holy King that “you will be removed from being a successor”.

…Is what I heard from the Earl.

On a side note, eight elemental magic such as【Fire Magic】and【Water Magic】belongs to the “magical characteristics” skill orbs which are blue, and the types such as【Holy Magic】,【Human Magic】, and【Healing Magic】belong to “mysterious characteristics” skill orbs which are white. Some people collectively call it “Mysterious Magic.”

(No one knows what kind of skill composition the current Holy King, Holy Prince and Holy Princess have…)

Well, since they are at the core of the country, they are not actually going to fight with swords. So, they would most likely choose skill orbs that enhance brain power or ones which keeps your body healthy.

「Eh, everyone. Thank you for joining us. Eh, thank you for waiting patiently.」

I was shocked to see the person on the stage. It was a giant white rabbit. Maybe, a rabbit beastman…? Though, it really looks like a giant rabbit wearing a ritual cap and a cloak. Also wearing shoulder straps, and tool pouch and rod holder.

He— Is it a “he”, though? — placed the stack of papers, which he carried together with his attendant (a human), on a side table.

「I am El-Gu-Larun, the high priest of the “Altar Management Bureau”. Eh, it’s been a long time. Eh, nice to meet you.」El-san said, bowing his head.

(It’s like the greeting at the beginning of a youtuber’s video.)

According to Maxim-san, he is a veteran as a priest and was already a high priest by the time of the awarding ceremony of the previous Holy King. Everyone wonders how old he is, but it’s an eternal secret.

From the thick bundle of paper, one sheet was distributed to each house, with the schedule of tomorrow’s awarding ceremony and detailed rules written on it. In this world where printing technology is not so advanced, there is a skill orb called【Writing Technique】that makes me wonder if it was deliberately made to delay technological innovation. Dozens of sheets of paper that are being distributed could probably be copied by hand in a few hours with that skill.

(If the awarding ceremony is held at the ritual site in front of the First Altar housed in the Holy Royal Palace… Only the person to be awarded, their parents, or a guardian, can enter, huh…)

The venue will be guarded only by the Holy King’s 1st Knights Order, an elite team led by the Knight Commander. As a matter of fact, the security of the Holy Royal Palace is under the jurisdiction of the 1st Knights Order, so it cannot be left to others. Well… it’s the center of the Holy Kingdom, so I can’t imagine anyone invading it.

(……Hmm)

When I looked up at the stage, I felt someone’s gaze on me from the round table nearest to the stage, that is, the spot where the knights of the highest noble family were seated.

(Is that the escort of Lord Ethan?)

The halfling escort was staring at me.

「Ah!」

She smiled and waved to me. So I bowed my head in return. If you don’t look at her as an escort, she would simply be a beautiful woman. Thus, I didn’t get any bad feelings when she waved at me.

Appearance wise, the escort seems to be in her early twenties… I’m sure she’s still young. Though, it isn’t my place to judge that, I guess…