<Chapter 70>

“Ma… Madam.”

Kei, still dazed, his face lit by the golden radiance surrounding him, bowed respectfully to me.

Is this really the time for such formalities? Waving it off casually, I asked him instead, “What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be in training right now?”

“Well… I’m ashamed to say I failed the test for your escort unit.”

What? Not the knight test, but the escort unit test?

I tilted my head in confusion. “What’s that? Never heard of it.”

“You didn’t know, Madam? There were so many people vying to become your escort that His Grace organized a special unit for you. After all, you’re not just the duchess—you’re also the Saintess.”

Kei explained further. Normally, only one or two knights would suffice to escort the duchess within the ducal residence. If an external activity were planned, around ten knights would accompany her. But in the quiet northern region, unlike the bustling social circles of the capital, external activities for the duchess were rare. Hence, it was customary for the knightly orders to rotate members in and out of the escort duties as needed.

Initially, Temenos had no plans to recruit additional permanent escorts for me, apart from Ferry. However, our sudden trip to the capital had changed things drastically.

“Now that you mention it, my husband did say he was reorganizing the escort team and would let me know once it was finalized…”

Kei nodded solemnly. “The unit will consist of 30 members, split into two shifts of 15. Unfortunately, I didn’t even make it past the preliminary round.”

“Really? What happened? I thought you were one of the stronger knights.”

Kei clenched his fists in frustration. “It’s because I ended up matched against Cesare in the duel! That scoundrel! He agreed not to use magic but then had the nerve to use hidden weapons!”

Ah, hidden weapons… That doesn’t sound like Cesare’s style. What kind of hellish training had the retired knights been putting the participants through over the past month?

“Is there no second-chance round?”

“None. Once you lose, you’re out. His Grace was firm about it. He didn’t want the retired knights pestering anyone for rematches.”

Kei shuddered, clearly recalling their relentless persistence. Stories about those retired knights’ eccentric antics had even reached my ears.

‘Honestly, I’ve been pretending not to hear about it just to avoid getting dragged in…’

I glanced at Kei sympathetically, imagining what he must have endured during his brief stint as my temporary escort. But the shimmering golden particles floating around him snapped me back to reality.

“So why are you at the chapel? Were you looking for me?”

“No, Madam. I couldn’t possibly face you after losing the test. I simply came here, as usual, to pray…” Kei trailed off, staring blankly at the golden glow surrounding him.

Quickly, I opened the divine oracle interface.

‘The subquest hasn’t cleared yet.’

Kei hadn’t been made a priest. That left only one possibility.

“Kei… Could it be that you’ve become a Holy Knight?”

“M-me? A Holy Knight?”

“Of course! Your dedication to serving me must have pleased God. Draw your sword—quickly!”

“Y-yes, Madam!”

Kei unsheathed his sword, and I urged him to offer a prayer in that state.

“Dear God… Please grant me the strength to protect the Madam.”

In that instant, a blinding white light erupted from his sword.

No one could deny it. The divine power was unmistakable.

“Goodness, it’s real! Kei, you’ve truly become a Holy Knight!”

“I… I really did? A Holy Knight… me…”

Kei stared at the sword in his hand, glowing with divine power, his expression a mixture of disbelief and awe.

Meanwhile, the onlookers standing at a distance erupted into a commotion.

“A knight from the duke’s household has become a Holy Knight!”

“Is that even possible?”

“Does this mean that even we Northerners can become priests or Holy Knights?”

My ears perked up at their murmurs. Turning toward them, I raised my voice, “Of course! It doesn’t matter whether you’re from the North or the capital. What’s important is faith—the belief that God will answer your prayers!”

“Do you really think God will respond to my prayers too?”

“Absolutely! You all just witnessed it, didn’t you? God responded to this knight’s prayer and made him a Holy Knight. Surely, He will answer yours as well!”

Kei’s sudden elevation to Holy Knight presented the perfect opportunity. I rallied the crowd.

“Now, everyone, let us pray! God will surely respond to your prayers!”

Kei, now glowing like a beacon of divine power, moved through the crowd, his shining sword serving as an inspiration. The spectacle worked wonders, clearing my subquest objectives.

Achievement Unlocked! <The First Priest in 300 Years>

A true priest has been born for the first time in 300 years. As a reward, you have received 1 Divine Oracle Token.

Thanks to this, I now had two additional divine oracle tokens!

*  *  *

That day, rumors spread like wildfire throughout Winstein Duchy.

“Did you hear? Camilla, the girl who sold bread on the west side of the central square, became a priest thanks to the Saintess’s blessing!”

“And Logue, the carpenter who lost a finger in an accident? After the Saintess healed him, he started carving statues for the chapel every week—and now he’s a priest too!”

“Unbelievable! I thought priests and Holy Knights only came from the capital’s Great Temple!”

“Well, our duchess is the Saintess. If anyone can appoint priests and Holy Knights, it’s her!”

“But I thought only the Pope could ordain priests and knights because he’s God’s representative…”

“Ah, stop overthinking! If you don’t believe it, just go to the chapel tomorrow and see for yourself.”

“They say the new priests will lead the prayer ceremony, and the Holy Knight will demonstrate his divine power publicly!”

“Let’s go!”

By dawn the next day, a crowd of people swarmed the chapel. The line stretched all the way to the ducal residence gates.

The sheer number of attendees overwhelmed the guards, prompting them to report to Temenos.

“Your Grace, the chapel is overflowing with people. It’s becoming impossible to manage the crowd. Should we cancel the ceremony?”

“Turn away people who’ve come to pray? Are you trying to invite accusations of sacrilege?”

“But…”

“Enough. Send in the retired knights from training. If it’s for the Saintess, they’ll gladly handle the situation.”

The retired knights, initially skeptical, sprang into action as soon as they learned it was for my sake.

“What’s with all these people? What’s going on?”

“They say they’ve come to see our saintess!”

“Hey, Mister! No cutting in line! I’ve got my eyes on you!”

Whether they would join the duchess’ escort unit for the journey to the capital or not—this was a critical turning point for the retired knights. Because of this, they were unaware of the news everyone else already knew.

What had happened yesterday, and what was about to happen today…

They only learned the full story when Inosensia stepped onto the platform set up in the central garden, not at the chapel.

More precisely, they realized it when they saw Kei escorting Inosensia. At that moment, their eyes widened in shock.

<To be continued>

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