The Magical Holy Woman Seraphina - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Magic Saint Seraphina
54
‘How did this happen?’
Wasn’t this supposed to be a competition where people brought dogs they’d raised at home and trained hard to show off?
Win a Golden Ticket if you’re good, make memories with your dog if you’re not—either way, it’s a happy event.
Win or lose, everyone leaves with something.
I watched the dignified Border Collies, each one trailed by trainers and groomers, and the clusters of their owners.
From what I understood, Border Collies were among the most advantaged breeds in Agility competitions.
…so these crowds of people had all been raising Border Collies all along? Really?
“Did you wash the puppy thoroughly?”
“Arden.”
I looked up at Arden, who had come to stand beside me.
Instead of his usual crisp royal knight’s uniform, he wore a relaxed shirt and coat today.
Arden, dressed in a white shirt so impossibly pristine I wondered how he managed it, gazed down with clear disapproval at Tofu, who spun in circles and barked—woof!—at him.
“When did you last bathe this dog?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Mmm.”
“Say hello. His name is Tofu.”
I held Tofu up and shook his front paws. Tofu’s eyes met Arden’s, and he panted eagerly.
Somehow his front paws were already smudged with dirt.
Arden glanced at those muddy paws, then quietly averted his gaze and changed the subject.
“There are quite a few people here.”
“Tell me about it.”
It felt like every child in the Empire had shown up.
Children who weren’t competing—those with no chance of winning a Golden Ticket—had swarmed here to at least catch a glimpse of the Amusement Park from a distance.
Right now they lined the fence encircling the Lake, watching from beyond.
The competition participants and the dogs we’d brought. And far off, the Amusement Park in daylight, not yet open.
“But Arden, I’m curious about something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Does our country normally raise a lot of Border Collies?”
I’d thought Malteses and Pomeranians were the most common breeds.
“Why did everyone who showed up bring Border Collies?”
“Perhaps people with other breeds didn’t come because they assumed they’d lose anyway?”
Still, if you competed in the event, you’d get a close view of the Amusement Park. Wouldn’t families with children want to come?
Because.
“Even people without dogs came to watch from a distance, look at them out there.”
I pointed to the people outside the fence.
Arden’s head tilted as he looked between the father outside the fence giving his daughter a shoulder ride to see better, and the family inside directing instructions to their trainer.
“This is strange. Those families should have dog hair allergies.”
“Do you know them?”
“From what I hear, ninety-nine percent of the competition participants are Nobility.”
Just then, Cassian returned after submitting the Entry Form and joined in.
“Ninety-nine percent?”
That’s basically everyone, isn’t it? My eyes widened.
“Why? The Golden Ticket is something everyone wants, Nobility and Commoners alike. So why only Nobility…?”
And then it hit me.
“Ah. Right.”
Commoner children wouldn’t be raising dogs suited for competition in the first place.
They couldn’t afford to.
Pepper’s Collie was about the only exception.
Even if they did raise such a dog, they’d lack the time to train it properly—it would be pie in the sky.
How could they compete against Border Collies with professional trainers attached to every one of them?
‘Meanwhile, the Nobility had the resources to make their children the first and only guest of the Amusement Park.’
Families with dog hair allergies had even adopted Border Collies just for this event.
The competition rules didn’t explicitly state that only Nobility could participate, but to actually win required bringing a properly trained dog—something only Nobility could manage.
“Wow, even in something like this…”
Class made all the difference.
Packed tightly outside the fence were little children dressed adorably for their Amusement Park visit.
“My dog’s going to win!”
“No way! My dog’s going to win! Dad brought it all the way from the Northern Region!”
She glanced around the fenced area, watching small children boasting about their dogs’ prestigious bloodlines.
Something sat wrong with her.
‘It feels like they’re teaching discrimination right here in the Land of Dreams and Hope, the Amusement Park.’
Of course, the kids outside the fence could come back after opening, she knew that.
‘But the chance to become the star of the Golden Ticket—that’s only today.’
It felt like children of Commoners were stripped of their chance to be the protagonist before they even started.
She wasn’t the only one who felt it.
Arden muttered beside her.
“…It was a mistake. I didn’t anticipate this would happen.”
Cassian said something too.
“Exactly. Why didn’t you see it coming?”
…….
“You can’t afford to miss things like that.”
Why was he talking to Arden like that?
Was Arden the crown prince or something?
She looked between a dejected Arden and Cassian, who was clicking his tongue disapprovingly, then changed the subject.
“But how do you two actually know each other? You seem really close, from what I can see.”
Cassian smirked, watching as she started to speak casually before catching herself and switching gears.
“Curious, are you?”
No.
“Yes.”
“Well, actually, Arden’s parents….”
“Arden’s parents?”
Arden had parents? She tilted her head.
Of course Arden had parents. But Arden rarely talked about such things.
“Yes. When Arden was young, he was a difficult child who didn’t get along easily with others, so his parents entrusted him to me.”
Cassian let out a sigh after saying that much.
“He was really cute back then.”
“Brother!”
Ignoring Arden’s protest, Cassian bowed his head toward her. He raised a hand to cover his mouth and spoke in a whisper.
Of course, everyone around them could hear it.
“If Arden ever asks you to come meet his parents later, please don’t. They’re frightening people—you mustn’t raise your head in front of them.”
“Oh….”
Can’t even raise my head?
“Are they the type to splash mineral water from a glass and throw money pouches around, saying ‘Here, take this and break up with our son’?”
“It’s not quite like that.”
Though depending on circumstances, they might be even scarier. Cassian’s lips curved upward.
“Anyway, you really cannot raise your head.”
A stung Arden struck back.
“To interpret my inability to raise my head in front of my parents in such a way—it’s true what they say about older men being adept at calumny.”
This time, it was Cassian who felt the sting.
“You won’t age?”
“Even if I do, I’ll still be younger than you.”
…….
Why were they suddenly fighting?
“One year of age means dying thirty years sooner.”
“Who says that? Believing such nonsense—this is what younger men are like.”
They were bickering away when suddenly they both looked at her.
“Seraphina, do you know about this?”
“Know about what….”
“Younger men, when you keep them nearby, are so childish they drive you mad. They shorten a woman’s lifespan but live long themselves.”
“Older men are something you can’t even keep nearby. Because they die.”
“So it’s all complete nonsense….”
“Haven’t I died yet, brother?”
…….
Pfft.
She shook her head at Park Yeon, making a face.
“Stop spouting nonsense and just pet the dog.”
She handed Park Yeon, who was going “Mong,” to Arden.
Arden, accepting Park Yeon on the spur of the moment, looked flustered. He held the creature like an infant, supporting its back and hindquarters, completely at a loss.
After slipping a few times, Johann Mendelssohn Handel Beethoven Bach Schubert Mozart Debussy Park Yeon Strauss III steadied himself by planting both hind legs on Arden’s shoulders.
Three jelly-like paw prints marked Arden’s white shirt.
“But here’s the thing.”
He glanced around before asking.
“You said 99% of the competition participants are Nobility, right?”
I’m fine with it since I came here to spy on the Nobility anyway.
“So where’s the other 1%?”
That’s when it happened.
“Woof!”
A dog’s bark came from somewhere.
That thin, pathetic voice was…
A small dog?
He turned his head.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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