The Baby Fairy Is A Villain [EN]: Chapter 105

Chesha stared at the girl, utterly bewildered.

The girl, who resembled a feline predator, grinned, revealing pointed fangs.

“I am Aran Skaya. You are Chesha Basilian, yes?”

Seeing Aran’s fangs, Chesha momentarily thought of Karha before belatedly answering,

“Y-Yes…”

“You’re so cute. Let’s be friends.”

Her manner, befitting a princess, seemed arrogant at first glance.

However, the way she grabbed Chesha’s hands and shook them up and down was unmistakably childlike.

Judging by how she seemed to be suppressing the urge to jump up and down, her true personality was likely that of a tomboyish young lady.

‘But why is she acting like this?’

She couldn’t understand why Aran was so friendly after she had sent Itar to the Inquisitorial Chamber [a prison and interrogation center of the Holy Empire].

Chesha, swaying back and forth as Aran shook her, glanced up at Belzeon.

‘Do you know something?’

But there was no way Belzeon would know anything either.

He was trying his best not to show it, but he seemed quite taken aback as well.

Frustrated, Chesha decided to ask directly.

“You aren’t angry…?”

As she mumbled the ambiguous question, Aran understood perfectly.

Aran raised her eyebrows sharply and said,

“That guy needs to come to his senses.”

“……”

Chesha agreed with that.

That bastard deserved to suffer a bit.

“You have no idea how much trouble he’s caused me! I wish he could be reborn as a new person in the Inquisitorial Chamber.”

Aran, who had been chattering away, suddenly stopped and stared intently at Chesha.

Aran muttered with a regretful tone,

“I wish I had a younger sibling like you instead of my brother…”

She lamented that if she did, she would hold them every day and cherish them dearly.

The woman who came as Aran’s guardian, likely a maid, looked troubled.

“Your Highness.”

Aran burst into laughter at her cautious words.

“Alright, I’ll stop.”

Chesha, who had been quietly observing the situation, abruptly asked Aran,

“Why do you need the crown, Princess?”

“Why do I need the crown?”

Aran seemed hesitant for a moment but then shrugged.

“Well, it’s not like it’s a secret. Everyone who needs to know already does.”

And the words Chesha had expected fell from Aran’s lips.

“It’s because of the witch.”

The fact that Aran’s brother, the Crown Prince of Skaya, Itar, was obsessed with the witch Richessia was a widely known secret.

The reason he participated in this Minor Saint Prayer Meeting was also because of Itar’s grand goal to receive the Fairy Queen’s Crown and properly propose to the witch Richessia.

From Aran’s perspective, her brother was annoying and bothersome, but Itar was still the Crown Prince who would lead the Skaya Kingdom in the future.

No matter how precious Aran was as a princess, she couldn’t ignore what the Crown Prince wanted.

Chesha quickly racked her brain.

Judging from the atmosphere when she entered the hall, the factions were already divided.

The adults who came as guardians were naturally forming groups.

Even the children were swept up in the adults’ momentum, unable to laugh freely and only looking at each other cautiously.

Unfortunately, the Basilian family was seen as a common enemy.

It was all thanks to the Saint King.

‘If the Saint King hadn’t come to greet me yesterday, it would have been better than this.’

Becoming too strong of a candidate had put her at a disadvantage.

No matter how much Chesha excelled, she couldn’t legally obtain the Queen’s Crown alone.

She needed a faction within the participants to support her.

‘I need to have someone on my side here.’

In that sense, Aran Skaya was the perfect person to make an ally.

The wealthy Skaya Kingdom had likely already spread money everywhere.

It was also highly likely that they had secured the support of the cardinals, which the Basilian family lacked.

After finishing these calculations, Chesha came to a conclusion.

“Princess.”

And she hugged Aran tightly.

Aran’s eyes widened as she was suddenly embraced by Chesha.

Aran belatedly reacted.

“…U-Uh?”

Aran’s face was red as she awkwardly hugged Chesha back.

Hugging the shy girl tightly, Chesha stretched up on her tiptoes.

She raised her small feet as much as she could and brought her lips to Aran’s ear.

“Let’s make a deal.”

Aran’s hazy gaze immediately sharpened at the word ‘deal’.

Chesha whispered her proposal.

“I’ll let you meet the witch.”

“…!”

“Give me the crown in return.”

Before the surprised Aran could ask what she meant,

The noisy hall fell silent.

A high-ranking priest appeared.

The man in the pure white priestly robes strode forward and took his place on the platform.

As soon as the middle-aged man appeared, the holy priests and knights in the hall all bowed in unison.

Seeing even the high-ranking priests showing respect, Chesha guessed the man’s identity.

‘A cardinal.’

Indeed, the man’s priestly robes bore the insignia indicating he was a cardinal [a high-ranking official in the Holy Empire’s church hierarchy].

The holy knights were gathering support for the Basilian family under Hylon’s direction.

However, she had heard that the holy priests were supporting a different child.

They were also in the process of unifying their opinions, and she was curious to know which child the cardinals had chosen.

Since she was short and couldn’t see well, she quickly asked Belzeon to pick her up.

Chesha carefully watched where the cardinal’s gaze was directed.

There were so many children in the hall that it was hard to be certain, but.

It seemed to be directed towards a small, frail-looking boy in the front row.

Chesha snorted inwardly.

He looked very, very easy to deal with.

He looked like someone who would be finished with just one punch.

‘I can beat that level even with this baby body.’

It didn’t seem like she would even need to take out her axe.

Having identified her rival, Chesha proudly raised her head.

At that moment, the cardinal’s gaze met Chesha’s.

He was also looking at Chesha.

Under the gaze that was calmly observing her, Chesha flashed a pure and innocent baby smile.

“……”

The cardinal, who received the smile attack, flinched in surprise and quickly turned his head away.

While Chesha was thinking that he must have been surprised by her cuteness, the cardinal cleared his throat awkwardly and began to speak.

He droned on with obvious stories.

He praised the greatness of the Holy Empire and explained the purpose of the Minor Saint Prayer Meeting.

As the babies began to nod off during the tedious story,

The main point finally came.

“Before we officially begin the Minor Saint Prayer Meeting, I will first give you your first task.”

Everyone perked up at the word ‘task’.

“It is to contemplate what you can offer to God.”

The cardinal continued slowly.

“However, it must be something unique in the world.”

The adults’ expressions darkened at the condition he presented.

Chesha also had to try to hide her rising anger.

‘Isn’t this just openly asking to be fleeced?’

It meant that since they didn’t want to just give away the Fairy Crown, which was a holy relic, they would fleece them of the most valuable and precious thing.

It was a secular and petty task that made the purpose of bestowing it upon the most faithful child embarrassing.

Having said his piece, the cardinal concluded the meeting with a rather benevolent and generous expression.

“I will see you again at the Minor Saint Prayer Meeting.”

At the words announcing the dismissal, the children and guardians left the hall one by one.

Many were moving somewhat hastily.

The start of the Minor Saint Prayer Meeting was just around the corner.

They had no time to lose if they wanted to quickly discuss what to offer.

“Haa……”

Belzeon was about to let out a soft, hollow laugh.

The cardinal, who they thought would leave as is, approached them with his priests.

The small, timid boy Chesha had seen earlier was also with them.

The cardinal approached, looking directly at Chesha, and stopped right in front of them.

His arrogant gaze looked down at Chesha and Belzeon.

“Basilian?”

At the curt question, Belzeon bowed.

“From the Basilian family of the Palen Empire.”

“Ah.”

The cardinal briefly scanned Chesha and Belzeon’s faces.

“Would you spare me a moment?”

A suggestion that pretended to be an invitation but was no different from coercion fell.

“Let’s have a little chat.”