Hearing Hames's speculation, I reflexively blurted out,
"That setting wasn't in the original work."
“What?”
“Ah, no! I mean, I've never heard anything like that!"
My true thoughts momentarily slipped out, forcing me to quickly make an excuse, though it was also true. In the original work, it was only explained that she simply possessed divine power; the specific reason wasn't detailed. How would I know something that wasn't explained in the original?
“It's an interesting guess, but if it were true, Mother would surely know."
If it really was related to the family, there was someone right next to me who knew better than I or the 'real Ceres'. I looked at Ares, and she shook her head.
“I've never heard such a thing. And if I don't know about it, it effectively means it never happened.”
"Is that really so? Isn't there a legend that the first Whiperion, who fought the Demon King, used holy power?"
“That's just a legend. And even in the legend, it was holy power (seongnyeok), not divine power (sinnyeok).”
Ares replied coldly to the persistent Hames, then turned a worried gaze towards me.
“Why on earth did you have to gain such a troublesome ability? I'm the one who wants to know more.”
“...But those Death Knights definitely looked like they knew something?”
“It's merely the nonsense of wicked Death Knights."
Unlike us, Ares seemed completely unwilling to believe what the Death Knights had said. Telling me to forget what they'd said, she took my hand and stood up.
“I don't want to talk about such unpleasant things anymore. If you're finished eating, let's go somewhere else."
“Where?"
“I'll buy you a gift to cheer you up.”
Hearing she'd buy me a gift, I felt both curiosity and worry simultaneously. Curiosity about what she would buy, and worry about just how much money she intended to spend.
“That brooch is 100 gold."
My prediction was correct. Ares entered a fancy jewelry store, picked up something random, and the reply came back: 100 gold. It was a really small brooch, but perhaps because it was set with a red ruby, it was incredibly expensive! The shop owner, likely aware of the high price, looked at Ares with an expression that seemed to question if she could really afford it.
"You may handle it if you intend to purchase it, but if not, please leave it alone. Jewels also get smudged."
“...Do you not know who I am?"
“Who might you be?"
Unlike the restaurant manager earlier, the owner didn't recognize Ares and looked incredulous. Faced with this rudeness, Ares didn't shout but instead revealed me, who had been standing slightly behind her and less visible.
“You recognize this child, don't you?"
"Uh."
The owner looked at me and froze for a moment as if his brain had stopped.
"M-my apologies! Countess Ares, Lord Ceres, I have been terribly rude to the two esteemed members of the Whiperion family!”
He bowed his head low as if about to kowtow, completely terrified.
“Th-that brooch, please just take it. You can have it for free, please just forgive me!"
“I cannot do that. Since my hand touched it, I will purchase it.”
Ares gave the owner a single platinum coin, worth 100 gold.
And then she stomped on the brooch, crushing it!
“Ceres, the quality here is rather poor. Let's go somewhere else.”
“...Yes.”
I was so dumbfounded I could barely manage a 'yes'.
Why on earth did she buy it if she was just going to break it? This was just throwing away 100 gold to vent her anger!
Taking the bewildered me, she immediately went to another jewelry store located right across the street.
“Welcome, Lady Ares Whiperion, Lord Ceres Whiperion!"
“It is an unparalleled honor to receive such esteemed guests!”
Had they seen the absurd incident across the street? Not only the clerks but the owner too rushed out, bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle and showering them with flattery.
"If Her Majesty the Emperor is the sun of the Empire, then Lord Ceres is the moon! To behold the heavenly beauty I had only heard of in rumors, I could die now with no regrets!"
“Is that so."
The owner's wholehearted flattery seemed effective, as Ares's expression softened.
“That's right. Since that Ceres is here now, it would be good if you presented a jewel worthy of him.”
"B-but, Countess? Compared to you, our shop is utterly insignificant; we couldn't possibly find a jewel befitting Lord Ceres.”
"Ah, it's fine. I'm just looking to buy something casually, so anything reasonably suitable will do.”
"Then, this..."
The owner carefully brought out a shining necklace set with diamonds.
“It's made from melted mana-infused true silver, with high-quality diamonds added. It also has a simple enchantment that makes it glow."
"How much is it?"
“500 gold.”
“Cheap."
Cheap?! Ares declared it cheap, paid 500 gold for just one necklace, and handed it to me.
As I, dumbfounded, was about to say something, this time a brooch set with sapphires was presented to me.
It was Hames.
“Since I'm here, I'll buy you one too. Owner, how much is this?"
“120 gold.”
"It really is cheap here."
Hames also called it cheap, paid 120 gold for a single brooch, and gave it to me as a gift.
While I was too stunned to speak, the extravagant spending continued.
“How much is this outfit?"
“800 gold.”
“This is also quite cheap."
“Indeed. At this price, even I, a High Priest, could buy it without burden."
Without even being asked, they bought me clothes worth nearly 1,000 gold, telling each other how cheap the clothes were.
I wondered if they'd lost their minds, but just then, I overheard the clerks chattering.
"Look at what Young Lord Ceres is wearing!"
“My goodness. Those are all things we could only dream of having in our shop."
“If you added it all up, it must be worth tens of thousands of gold! As expected of Whiperion!"
...The clothes I normally wear? Were my everyday outfits, of which I had several, really worth tens of thousands of gold? I knew the clothes of a Count's child would be expensive, but I hadn't realized it was to this extent. This is truly the world of the super-rich.
“Hmm, the sun is starting to set.”
While huge sums of money were changing hands and I was reeling from shock, dusk fell, and Ares led us towards a certain hotel.
“We'll stay there tonight."
“Can we get in there without a reservation too?"
The hotel looked like the largest one in the city. I asked, assuming she could get in using her authority, just like at the restaurant, even if reservations were needed.
"Why would the owner need a reservation when he's arrived? That's your hotel.”
“...Huh?"
“Your memory must still be confused. I gave it to you as a gift for your tenth birthday. Look.”
She pointed to the hotel sign, and upon looking, I saw it read:
[ Ceres Hotel ]
I learned a new fact.
Ceres was far wealthier than I had imagined, even owning his own hotel received as a birthday present.
...But well, it's not that important.
In the original work, she died miserably without ever getting to use any of it.
The truly important thing right now was something else.
“Ceres, are you going to wash first? If so, I can help you..."
"I'm fine, Mother, please wash first!"
It was the fact that I was currently sharing a room with Ares. I originally intended to get separate rooms, but Ares had booked a double. I was surprised, but thinking about it, we were parent and child. There was no justification to oppose family members sharing a room! So, I had no choice but to accept sharing the room.
"Alright, I'll wash first then.”
As Ares went into the bathroom, saying she'd wash first, the sounds drifting out kept making me feel strange.
What is this feeling?
It wasn't lust, more like... embarrassment. Ares thought of me as her son, but I wasn't her real son. Trying to endure the strange feeling, I started changing into lighter clothes before my bath...
“...Maybe I should get some air."
In the end, unable to bear the embarrassment, I escaped outside until Ares finished her bath. As I was nervously pacing the corridor...
“Ceres?"
"Hames?"
I bumped into Hames, who had just come out into the corridor.
“What are you doing?"
“Just came out to get some air. And you, Ceres?”
“I came out for some air too.”
“Then we can get some together.”
Hames opened one of the corridor windows and gestured for me to come over.
I hesitated for a moment, but since I couldn't return to the room yet, I moved towards her. Next to her opened window, I opened another one and sat on the windowsill as if it were a chair. After a moment like that, it suddenly occurred to me.
"When did you figure it out?"
I asked, remembering something.
“All the advice you gave me today in the Land of the Dead... you could only have given it if you knew I used divine power."
In other words, Hames had already noticed that I used divine power. This was unexpected. I thought for sure she would report it to the Temple if she knew I used divine power, but she had kept quiet about it.
"Well..."
Hearing my question, Hames didn't look my way, her gaze still fixed outside as she spoke.
“……And when did you figure it out? From the way you talk, it seems you also realized your power was divine power quite some time ago.”
“It's such a powerful force, I thought it might be divine power. But I don't know the details.”
I offered an excuse, and she seemed to believe it.
“Indeed, seeing you today, it did seem like you didn't know the details. You felt pity for the undead and couldn't use your power properly.”
Was she avoiding my question? Hames changed the subject and asked her own question instead.
“Ceres, why did you pity the undead? Most people feel disgust upon seeing them and try to eliminate them.”
“...They were people once, weren't they?"
Beings who were once loved by someone, now wandering around as miserable corpses... it was impossible not to feel pity.
“And thinking if I died and became undead, would I end up like that... it didn't feel like someone else's problem.”
I also felt a sense of kinship.
Honestly, how is my current situation fundamentally different from an undead? I was absurdly inhabiting someone else's body in the world of a book. Maybe my real self was already dead.
Hiding these inner thoughts, I vaguely said I pitied them because I feared becoming one myself, and Hames fell silent.
Then she said,
“Even if you were rotting away, I would still find you lovely.”
“...What?"
Still gazing outside, she uttered those strange words.
“Are you joking right now?"
It was such an absurd thing to say that I laughed despite myself. Just as I was about to press her on what she meant, Hames's expression changed.
“What is that?"
“Don't change the subject after saying something weird yourself! I already feel strange enough, don't make it weirder..."
“There's something in the sky!”
I reflexively looked up at the sky. Against the night sky, huge flying things were visible. What were they? Giant birds? Large, winged creatures were flying towards us, and on the one leading the pack, there was a person. Who was it? Trying to make out their features in the moonlight, our eyes met, and the figure grinned.
"So there you were!! Ceres, I definitely told you, didn't I? The moment my wounds healed, I would ravish you! I've come to keep that promise, so don't move a muscle and wait right there!"
“...Red?"