Chapter 8 – Preparing for the Grand Festival
"What? The High Pope?"
Grandpa: "Yes. Tomorrow, for the first time, he'll be coming here for the Wall Festival. Now hurry—go help Sister Patolina. Quickly!"
Me: "On it!"
Could something like this really happen without being written in the book?
Maybe the story started from the hero's youth, not his childhood.
But even in the flashbacks, there was no mention of this event.
Does this mean I'll meet the hero and the other main characters?
This festival commemorates the death of Flor.
Back when the walls were first built, a man led the Breach rebellion.
Flor crushed the uprising, and now they celebrate that victory.
The Pope Isn't just anyone In this world.
He's chosen by the Goddess of Light and the Council of *ians—not by any mortal.
He can even influence the selection of the next king, dethrone rulers, and interfere in imperial matters.
He's backed by the people, nobles, and *ians.
In the history of the Walls, many kings were imprisoned and executed by the Pope.
The most famous case was King Edward III, executed by Pope Jonathan.
Although the Church has been at its weakest for the past century, the tide has turned recently.
Thanks to the current Pope, the Church has regained some power.
Note: Among the four great houses, only House Hyper is loyal to the Church.
Flor and Hyra support the royal court.
Melodia remains neutral.
Whatever the case, the prince and princess will likely attend the festival.
By that, I mean the hero and his cousin Adriana.
Just imagine—meeting Henry, the main character, known for his beauty, strength, honor, and noble blood.
I can't even describe how surreal that feels.
Anyway, I rushed to Sister Patolina.
Me: "Sister, what should I do?"
Sister Patolina: "Quick! Go get a thousand sheets of paper."
She handed me a few gold coins.
Me: "What's it for?"
Sister Patolina: "For the fireworks at the end of the festival."
Me: "Ah!"
Sister Patolina explained that "Patolina" means lighting up the sky with fire.
You could do it without paper, but you'd need a third-tier fire mage.
Unfortunately, we don't have any here.
Most mages are level one—or even zero.
So we need paper to make It work.
I rushed to the Grand Market and bought thousands of sheets.
Suddenly, the alarm rang again.
But who would've believed it?
Everyone was fleeing.
For the first time since I arrived in this world, a mutated monster breached the wall.
Boom!
I turned in fear and saw a flying three-headed wolf—class three.
A blue sapphire glowed beneath its neck, marking Its high rank.
I was terrified.
To avoid being spotted, I hid behind an empty wooden stall.
The beast looked around.
Then it spotted a man running.
I peeked out, trying to see what was happening.
The man screamed and ran.
The wolf lunged, tore him apart.
I felt sick.
I couldn't hold back—I vomited.
The wolf's ear twitched.
It leapt toward me and smashed the stall with Its claw.
"Grrrr…"
I raised my hands, eyes shut, collapsed on the ground.
I waited for death—my second death.
"Grrrr…"
But nothing happened.
I opened my eyes.
The wolf's eyes sparkled strangely.
It stood still.
Then I heard horses—knights were arriving.
"Attack! Attack!"
"Kill the beast!"
The wolf's ears twitched.
Its eyes changed.
It spread Its wings and flew away.
I ran.
Fast.
"Hah… breath…"
I leaned against a wall, hand pressed to the stone, thinking about what had just happened.
Could it have bitten me easily—but didn't?
Does that mean I have magic?
No… Impossible.
I learned that long ago when street kids mocked me.
Grandpa said our family had no magic.
All my ancestors were Breach-born.
Yes, I'm Tom Breach.
There's no way I have dark magic.
(Dark magic allows you to control mutated monsters. It's forbidden—and punishable by death.)
Until the Church arrived, I kept thinking.
I ran through every possible theory.
That day, I finished the festival preparations.
Everyone asked why I looked so pale.
But I didn't tell them.
I didn't want to remember that cursed scene.
End of Chapter 8