Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Ten years ago, in the Kingdom of Thetor, a grand religious monastery dedicated to the goddess Hestalia hosted a gathering of twelve-year-old noble children on a bright morning. They came to undergo the divine blessing ritual to receive the class that would dictate the rest of their lives.

Dion, a young black-haired boy with bright green eyes, marched inside alongside the crowd of children. Step by step, he entered the grand hall, staring up at a tall, majestic statue of a winged goddess opening her arms to the sky.

Dion stood spellbound, craning his neck to admire the gigantic monument. Beneath the statue stood the high priest next to a tall black stone tablet that functioned like a viewing display. The boy sat down on the floor with the rest of the children.

”We shall now begin the divine blessing ritual of our revered goddess, Hestalia. Let us pray together for her grace,” the high priest announced, raising his staff high.

The prayer began, led by the priest and repeated in unison by every child present. Suddenly, a sun-like orb of yellow light materialized at the ceiling, casting down meteor-like rays of light that seeped straight into the heads of the praying children. The goddess had bestowed her grace, unlocking their innate classes. Shortly after, the priest stepped forward holding a scroll containing the roster of children.

”Rene von Orstrich... please step forward and touch the stone display,” the priest called out, pointing toward the colossal black tablet in front of the statue.

A handsome, arrogant-looking boy with bright blonde hair stepped up onto the dais and pressed his palm against the black stone. Golden magical text flared across the tablet’s surface.

”Rene von Orstrich! Class: Sword Saint! Rank: SS!” the high priest shouted.

The entire hall erupted into wild applause. A hero-tier class appeared only once every thousand years, a legendary class prophesied to save the world from the evil black dragon set to awaken in the future. Next, the priest called another child, who unlocked the Healer class at B-rank, earning only lukewarm applause and quiet hushes of disappointment. The ritual carried on down the line.

Watching candidate after candidate go up, young Dion began to worry, praying he wouldn’t share the same embarrassing fate as the B-rank boy. After a agonizingly long wait, his name was finally called.

”Dion von Oswald, please step forward.”

The small boy stood up and walked down the aisle. His heart pounded against his ribs with every step, praying desperately for an ordinary, unremarkable class that wouldn’t draw public attention. He glanced over at his parents sitting in the noble section. His father offered a nervous nod and an anxious smile. Shaking at the knees, Dion stepped onto the platform and faced the stone.

”Go ahead, place your hand on the stone. Don’t be afraid,” the high priest coaxed gently.

”Phew...” Dion took a deep breath, raised his hand, and pressed his palm flat against the surface.

Without warning, the stone flashed a blinding crimson light, completely unlike any of the previous candidates. Dion blocked his face with his free arm to shield his eyes from the glare, though his other palm remained stuck to the surface.

Panic broke out instantly. The priests around the altar fell to their knees in prayer, assuming their divine goddess was furious. Dion’s father bolted up so fast he knocked his chair over, his face pale with dread over his son’s fate. Beside him, his wife covered her mouth with both hands, looking equally terrified.

The blinding glare eventually softened, slowly dimming until it vanished completely. The priests gasped and dropped into a full prostration when they saw the towering black stone tablet, it was covered in fractures, with a sinister red glow pulsing from deep within the cracks.

Suddenly, bright red lettering burst across the cracked display. Dion, still holding the tablet, tilted his head up to read the text alongside the high priest, who hadn’t moved an inch from his side.

”Class: World Keeper... What kind of class is this?” the priest asked, his voice trembling.

Dead silence fell over the hall. Perplexed and watching the priests look at him as if he were a ghost, Dion nervously addressed the high priest, fearing he had just drawn the bottom tier.

”Um... What is a World Keeper? What rank is it?” Dion asked softly, his voice shaking.

None of the priests could offer an answer. Finally, the kindly high priest stepped up and placed both hands on Dion’s shoulders.

”We must investigate this class further, child. We will conduct special prayers to Goddess Hestalia to find out. Please be patient while we seek an answer,” the high priest said with a reassuring smile.

”Um... okay,” Dion replied.

”For now, return to your seat.”

”Alright,” Dion murmured gloomily.

With heavy steps, Dion trudged back to his spot and sat motionless. Suddenly,

Tap, tap.

Someone tapped Dion’s shoulder. He turned around to find a cute girl his age sitting directly behind him. Her name was Luna von Arthera, and she had just unlocked the Holy Saint class at SS-rank. Luna offered him a warm smile as soon as he looked back.

”Are you doing okay?” Luna asked softly.

”Yeah, I’m fine,” Dion replied with a gentle smile.

”Oh, good. You were just sitting there so quiet, I started to worry,” Luna said, visibly relieved.

”Thanks... I’m Dion.”

”I know! Um... I’m Luna von Arthera. But honestly, I’m just a commoner who got adopted by Baron Arthera,” Luna explained.

”I see... You really didn’t have to explain all that,” Dion smiled back, mostly because he truly didn’t care about nobility details.

Suddenly, Dion felt a sharp, glaring gaze locked onto him. He glanced toward the front of the hall and saw Rene glaring back furiously, likely because he was chatting with Luna. Dion blinked, looking back at Luna, then back at Rene up front.

”Hmm... Why is he looking at me like he wants to kill me?” Dion wondered to himself.

Once the blessing ceremony wrapped up, the children who unlocked S and SS-rank classes, a total of three candidates, were assigned to live and train at a specialized monastery located within the academy city of Phobos in the Kingdom of Lutherias. They were to be trained as future pillars of the realm against incoming threats.

Dion slumped in disappointment upon learning he was included, not because he was chosen for greatness, but because the priests had no clue what a World Keeper was and wanted to study him under quarantine. After saying goodbye to their parents, the three were loaded into a carriage bound for Phobos. Luna, thrilled by the journey, turned to Dion sitting right next to her.

”Dion! We’re gonna be together from now on! Let’s get along, okay?” Luna cheered, happily grabbing Dion’s hand.

”U-uh, sure,” Dion stuttered nervously.

”Hey! I’m in this carriage too, you know! Don’t ignore me!”

Both of them turned to face Rene, who sat across from them with his arms crossed, pouting aggressively. Trying to be polite, Dion leaned forward and extended a hand.

”Nice to meet you, Rene. Let’s work well together,” Dion offered.

”Hmph... Fine,” Rene muttered rudely, giving Dion’s hand a brief, half-hearted shake.

Rene then extended his hand toward Luna, who shook it with blatant reluctance. The carriage rolled past the city gates and embarked onto the open grassland trail, heading straight toward the dense forest guarding the road to Phobos.