The Magical Holy Woman Seraphina - Chapter 55

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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
Chapter 55
A farmer in a straw hat was pushing a wheelchair toward the makeshift desk set up for competition registration.
In the wheelchair sat a small child, no more than ten years old and bearing a striking resemblance to the farmer, with a puppy balanced across his lap.
‘A Pomeranian?’
No, perhaps a Shih Tzu?
It was small with short legs, and its fur stuck up in tufts as if groomed at home. Unmistakably a country dog.
The whole thing screamed rustic charm.
Its coat was mostly tan, but both ears and part of its back were a deep rust color. Each time the wheelchair moved, the puppy’s perked ears fluttered like butterfly wings.
Both the puppy and the small child had their faces barely poking out from between thick hats padded with generous cotton, and the sight was rather…
‘Adorable.’
“Who gave that one its haircut?”
I whispered to Arden.
“Perhaps the owner trimmed it?”
“No, I meant the kid.”
“Ah.”
“…….”
“Did the puppy cut it for him?”
“Are you joking?”
As we bickered, the farmer reached the desk and spoke to the Official overseeing registration.
“Um, I’d like to register for the competition.”
“What is your name, please?”
“Neoguri.”
“…Not the dog’s name—I need the registrant’s name.”
“Oh.”
The farmer scratched his head and continued.
“My name is Neotti. This is my sister Neofi. And the dog is Neoguri.”
I see.
They use the same character in their family names.
“And your family name is?”
“We don’t have one. We’re Commoners.”
Neotti and Neofi didn’t seem to notice, but I did.
The other participants around us shook their heads as if they’d expected nothing less.
The Commoners—Neotti and Neofi—who had just registered for what was (unintentionally though it may be) a Nobles’ competition drew the attention of all the other registrants.
They looked at them as one might regard uninvited guests.
I studied the puppy on Neofi’s lap.
It was well-fed and plump, its coat gleaming with a healthy shine, but it didn’t seem the ideal breed for an Agility competition.
And most critically:
‘It has no tail.’
What remained of its tail was blunt, as if severed in an accident.
Without a tail to serve as a counterbalance, it would be difficult for the dog to maintain equilibrium.
It might manage fine in everyday life, but in an Agility competition that demanded speed and sharp turns, the missing tail was an obvious handicap.
“Please show me your dog’s Pedigree Certificate. If you haven’t brought one, you may simply tell me about the breed, bloodline, breeding history, and the kennel of origin verbally.”
“Um… I’m not really sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
“No…”
“About the breed?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about its age?”
“I don’t know the age either…”
“We’ve had him for five years!”
Beside her brother Neotti, who was scratching his head, the younger sister Neofi chimed in.
The Nobles who heard Neofi’s bright words giggled among themselves.
I felt an unreasonable irritation rise in my chest.
‘What are they laughing at?’
“Our farm is next to Luare! We found this puppy—or rather, a baby raccoon—washed down the river, and we brought him home with us, my sister and me! We even helped heal his tail!”
“I see.”
The Official nodded and filled out the paperwork himself.
The registration form, marked only with the owner’s name, the dog’s name, and its color, was passed along to the next station.
The Nobles standing beside us covered their mouths with their fans and whispered among themselves.
“Bringing a mongrel whose pedigree nobody knows to compete in a tournament—how naive of you. Or should I say, admirably bold?”
“Don’t be like that. At least if we enter, we can get inside the pen. Commoners struggled just to find a dog that wouldn’t bark and dash about everywhere.”
“We’ve come all this way with so much effort. I’m just worried we’ll be humiliated if we can’t do anything.”
Though they couldn’t hear the mocking tone, the atmosphere reached them nonetheless—Neotti and Neofi shrank back slightly.
As the farmer Neotti scanned the area to avoid the imposing Border Collies that ringed the grounds, his gaze landed on us with Park Yeon in tow.
“Hello there!”
Neotti bowed politely and pushed his sister’s wheelchair toward us.
Arden, Cassian—suddenly confronted with two handsome men without warning, little Neofi’s jaw went slack.
‘How cute.’
“Are you three competing in the tournament too? What’s this white pup’s name?”
“Park Yeon.”
“Johann Mendelssohn Handel Beethoven Bach Schubert Mozart Debussy Park Yeon Strauss III, technically.”
Cassian’s words, sounding like he was reciting an incantation, went ignored.
“Our dog is Neoguri! I’m Neotti, and that’s my younger sister Neofi!”
Unaware that people had been looking only at his family all along, Neotti introduced himself with a grin.
“When we heard the Amusement Park was opening, Neofi wanted to go so badly. So I took a day off from farm work to be here.”
“I’ve been training for five months just for today’s tournament!”
Neofi cut in after meeting Arden’s eyes and quickly looking down.
“Every single day!”
“Every day?”
Park Yeon hadn’t trained for even five minutes.
Surprised, I asked, and Neotti scratched his head.
“Neofi’s legs are weak, so I thought that once the Amusement Park opens, there’d be a lot of restrictions if she tried to go with others. The ticket prices are a burden too. So I told Neofi—let’s practice hard and win a Golden Ticket.”
But now that we’re here, there are so many talented-looking people…. Neotti looked around and hunched his shoulders.
It wasn’t just that they were formidable—we were the shrimp caught in the whale’s fight.
Rather than tell him the truth, I changed the subject.
“What’s wrong with Neofi?”
“Oh!”
Neotti patted his sister’s head once as she stole glances between Arden and Cassian, then spoke.
“One of her legs has been thinner than the other since birth. It was fine when she was young, but as she grew, walking became harder and harder.”
“…I see.”
“It’s all right! The doctor said it’s not a life-threatening condition.”
“That’s right! And Grandmother said that while her legs hurt now, when she goes to Heaven later, she’ll be able to run on both legs!”
Though I’m not planning to go to Heaven right now, Neofi added.
“There’s sparkly light and cotton candy and a carousel in Heaven, and when I saw the Amusement Park in the newspaper, I thought—is this Heaven? That’s why I was curious.”
“…I see.”
“But I guess it’s not Heaven. My legs still feel weak.”
“…….”
“Sister. I think Neoguri needs to use the bathroom.”
“Oh!”
Neotti jumped in alarm and quickly grabbed the handles of Neofi’s wheelchair.
“Well, we’ll get going then! See you at the Competition Arena later!”
“Bye!”
The siblings waved and departed.
I didn’t know what to say. For a moment, there was silence.
“What a fuss over nothing. It’s not even a fatal disease.”
What the hell? I turned around.
A man in his mid-forties, dressed in a bowler hat and formal suit, with a gold-trimmed cord running through his pocket.
He tugged at the glove on his hand and smirked.
“Trying to get sympathy votes with such a cheap sob story. Did you really think we’d say, ‘Oh, what a pitiful commoner. Here, have a Golden Ticket as a gift’?”
The woman beside him quickly chimed in.
“Exactly. Where in the world can you find someone without a story like that?”
“Why would they even tell us something like that? It’s unpleasant to hear.”
“You have to abandon this way of thinking—that sympathy can solve everything.”
“That’s why they’re still commoners without even a family name.”
“…….”
What are you even saying?
You had family names from birth.
Did you have the correct way of living and rational ways of thinking when you were just a soul, so you were born under noble parents as your reward?
It’s dangerous to mistake good fortune for ability.
Whether or not I found it absurd, the conversation continued.
The man who had spoken first said again.
“Well, at least it’s not a fatal disease—though I’m sorry to hear it. With legs like that, it’d be kinder to go quickly. No sense wasting the family fortune on prolonging things.”
“My goodness! She’s a commoner—where would there be any family fortune?”
“Exactly. What little they have will just drain away, won’t it?”
This sister who’s a farmer—she’s tender now, but once the parents pass and she has to support a disabled sibling, her tune will change soon enough, the man added.
“You were talking about Heaven earlier. Going to Heaven and running freely there—wouldn’t that be better for her anyway?”
“By that logic, it makes more sense to grant our child’s wishes than hers. She’ll die either way, but our child has a whole life ahead.”
His wife chimed in from beside him.
Listening quietly, the cruelty in their words deepened with each exchange.
They knew no bounds.
The husband, who had patted the small child’s head once, spoke again.
“Children and dogs are the same. Both lacking something somewhere. What could a defective dog possibly do——?”
…….
That was when it happened.
“Grrrr…….”
“Johann?”
“Arf! Arf!”
Johann, who had been cradled in Arden’s arms until that moment, suddenly leaped free and bit the crude husband on the calf.

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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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