“Your Majesties!”

Seeing an entire row of soldiers kneel before you and salute you in unison would make you feel very proud regardless . Mom walked with her face veil on . The wind buffeted her white cape . The Empress’ imposing aura perfectly fitted the scene . It was just that the backdrop should’ve been an alight battlefield instead of a church .

We were at the church at Hilles City . I smashed the place before, but it had been repaired and its former glory restored . I take that back, it was never glorious . The underground reeked of dirty money and filthy desires . Standing at the door was enough to make me want to barf . With that said, perhaps it didn’t annoy me and disgust me so much as I once smashed it .

Mom led me and Nier into the church . Everybody was down on their knees and had their heads lowered . Behind me were the Kings, Princes and whatnot of various nations . They didn’t dare to enter without Mom’s permission . We went up the steps . The pope was already kneeling at the entrance . He respectfully greeted us: “Your Majesties, I have finished the preparations . We can begin the baptism . ”

“All right . ” Elizabeth nodded .

The pope stood up in a fl.u.s.tered fas.h.i.+on . His robe for the baptism was different to his usual one . Maybe that one was reserved for big events . He just looked slightly comical due to the fit on his lanky physique .

The church was meant to be a department that wasn’t under the royal family’s management . But nonetheless, they behaved humbly, especially the pope . That implied the church belonged to the royal family . Initially, their right to preach and the royal family’s right were two separate ent.i.ties, but Mom had gained control over both . They basically took the initiative to give their crown to the Royal Palace . Mom threw the figurative crown into her warehouse and never bothered with it .

Nier held Daisy . The blanket that Daisy was wrapped in was made from the best material . It was soft and warm . She may have been an infant, but I felt she bore a striking resemblance to Nier after she was dolled up . They most certainly were mother and daughter .

Upon hearing Mom say, “All right,” the pope nodded . He carefully took Daisy from Nier . I noticed a trace of darkness in Nier’s gaze; it must’ve been due to her reluctance to hand Daisy over . It was necessary, though .

For the next stage, we all had to follow behind the pope until we reached the spot underneath the statue of G.o.d . First, the pope would lead us through a prayer, and then he’d baptise her before wearing on the crown blessed for her .

“Mm, if he drops Daisy, can you immediately use magic to catch her?” I asked the woman in my head

“Of course I can,” she replied .

I already discussed it with the woman in my head . If Daisy met with danger, I’d immediately protect her with my mana . We maintained a distance from the people behind us; they were forbidden from coming too close .

On the church’s side, other than the choir by the side, there were only a few bishops in red robes . Standing below the pillar were the Valkyries who were ready to strike . The military’s Jäger cleared all high locations to prevent snipers targeting the church from a high point .

While the new church wasn’t forbidden from coming to spectate, I sighted their pope in the crowd . I was wary of him because I wasn’t sure if he’d try something . Nonetheless, he humbly kept his head down as he followed behind us . He didn’t wear a robe he could easily hide weapons in . The pope didn’t do anything .

Nier and I were both incredibly tense . Nier’s hand on her sword hilt gently shook . I subconsciously went to press my hand on hers, but she reacted extremely swiftly . She immediately hopped a step away and dodged my hand while nervously watching Daisy .

“Sorry, Your Majesty . I need to devote all of my concentration on Daisy for now, so please do not disturb me . ”

Nier’s response hurt, but it was what a mother should rightfully do . She intently watched her daughter and made sure that she was ready to catch her at any moment . Maybe her tension affected me . Neither Mom nor I uttered a word . The only audible sound was footsteps . As a matter of fact, we all treaded cautiously . It didn’t resemble a baptism . It resembled an execution .

Daisy didn’t cry, but she seemed to be perplexed as to why her mom handed her to a young man she didn’t recognise . She didn’t know what to do when she looked at the pope, but she didn’t dare to cry because of the tense atmosphere behind her . To add to that, Elizabeth’s eyes were on her .

The pope had to be the most nervous person present . Although he looked forward to the baptism, in his hands was the lifeline of the empire . Nier only had one daughter, and Elizabeth only had one successor . Should he loosen his grip just slightly, the rage of the entire empire would immolate him . He, in fact, was afraid of Daisy crying . He didn’t know how to placate her if she cried . As a result, every step he took was stiff . He was afraid of making an error and hurting the child in his arms . He hadn’t yet married; therefore, the way he held Daisy was purely imitation based off of what he’d seen . It wasn’t a long road to the destination, but neither was it short . However, it could potentially lead to h.e.l.l .

All of us intently watched Daisy . The same went for those at the rear . Everybody had their eyes on the tiny infant . That was probably Daisy’s glorious moment . All of the most powerful and richest people in the Empire were watching her and worried about her . We were all uptight the entire way to the destination but arrived safe and sound, nevertheless .

The pope stopped . We sat down in the first row of chairs . Nier, who identified as a Valkyrie, didn’t sit . She, instead, stood in the aisle . The people to the rear sat down in their seats one after another . With Daisy in his gentle hold, the Pope pivoted around to face everyone .

The pope then began to recite the prayers that he even recited in his dreams . Owing to having repeated it so many times, the sheet of paper was tattered . That wasn’t enough to stop him from becoming nervous, though . He was a little shaky, but he managed to recite it .

The choir began to sing in a holy and dignified voice . The special music instruments in the church shook souls and eardrums . The pope’s shaky voice echoed in the church . Everybody attended the baptism underneath the colourful sunlight and G.o.d’s watch .

Nothing happened throughout .

Daisy was placed into the holy water . She cheerfully splashed water onto the pope’s face while she was at it . She had her crown worn on and returned to Nier’s arms, where she then hugged her mom and laughed without a hitch .

Nothing happened…