<Chapter 80>
“There’s nothing. I’ve never seen a group this clean before.”
“Usually, it’s fun to shake these guys down. Hey, grab the net. Let’s drag them to the chapel.”
“I’ll tie them up, so you pull them.”
“Still sulking? Come on, cheer up. At least it’s better than Rottivo’s lot. All they can do is cheer from the sidelines while others fight because of that flag.”
Norton nodded at Claire’s attempt at consolation, albeit not entirely convincing.
“I’m most jealous of the captain. I always wanted a cool bow like that.”
“Yeah, the captain’s bow is impressive, even to me. Must be because he was the first among us to succeed in weapon crafting.”
Claire clicked her tongue, recalling an incident on their journey from the North to the capital.
* * *
Becoming a holy knight and gaining divine power had its perks, and being able to serve the Saintess was undoubtedly one of them.
However, there was one lingering question holy knights couldn’t quite resolve: how to use that divine power.
“The Saintess used divine power to heal us, so shouldn’t we use it like that too?”
Contrary to popular belief, knights weren’t inherently ignorant just because they spent their lives wielding swords.
That said, the holy knights Temenos referred to as zealots were… simple, to put it nicely, and downright ignorant in practical terms.
Not knowing how to utilize their newly obtained divine power, they defaulted to self-healing.
On the way to the capital, the knights trained relentlessly until their divine power was entirely depleted, sparring until their bodies were battered and bruised.
Thanks to divine recovery, they healed quickly and didn’t hold back, no matter how severe their injuries.
This led to a spectacle where the knights ended up sprawled across the ground, covered in blood, which caused Inosensia to faint upon seeing them.
In his fury, Temenos issued a strict ban on sparring, prompting the knights to reflect on their actions—not because of Temenos’ anger, but because they had caused the Saintess to faint.
The repentant holy knights, as if mourning at a funeral, tearfully made a solemn vow before a recovered Inosensia:
“From now on, we will never spar to the point of drawing blood!”
This was good, for a time. But without sparring, they soon faced another conundrum: what to do with their excess divine power.
So, the knights began using their divine power as makeshift lanterns at night. They emitted a bright, steady glow without the risk of starting fires, making it surprisingly practical.
One day, Inosensia happened upon them as they competed to create the brightest divine lanterns.
“Wow, that’s beautiful. Is this made with divine power?”
Her simple remark sparked a wave of competition among the knights.
“Saintess! Mine is the largest, isn’t it?”
“I can make mine into a heart shape!”
“Then I’ll make mine look like Flurry! A lantern shaped like Flurry, coming up!”
Driven by their desire to stand out, they created bigger and more intricate divine lanterns.
“Saintess! Look, I made a lantern shaped like a mace!”
“What kind of lunatic presents something so menacing to the Saintess?!”
“Hey, it’s not like I have a choice. No matter how hard I try, it always ends up like this…”
“…Wait. Hold on. Isn’t that a sacred weapon?”
“A sacred weapon? What’s that?”
“A paladin! If you can create one, you’re considered a paladin!”
A sacred weapon was the physical manifestation of divine power shaped into a weapon.
It couldn’t be created through sheer willpower; the form was believed to be divinely appointed.
Creating a sacred weapon was so challenging that fewer than ten paladins existed among the holy knights at the Great Temple.
Yet, this group of retired knights, who only became holy knights to stay near the Saintess, had done the impossible.
“I didn’t mention it because it’s so crude, but I’ve been able to make a bow for a few days now.”
“Saintess! I can make one too! Mine’s a boomerang!”
All because they wanted to earn the Saintess’ favor.
“I’ll try making one now!”
“You think you can do it?”
“…I did it! Saintess! I made a shield! A shield to protect you! Hahaha!”
One by one, they became paladins—all twenty knights assigned to this mission to the capital.
“This is strange. I heard becoming a paladin was supposed to be incredibly difficult…”
“For the Saintess, there’s nothing we can’t do!”
“Exactly! If he can do it, why can’t I?!”
No other group in existence could match their competitive spirit and efficiency.
As Temenos solidified his perception of them as a cult, Inosensia earnestly pleaded with the knights:
“Promise me, alright? The fact that you’re paladins must remain a secret. It’s just between us.”
“Just between us… A secret only the Saintess and we know… Hehehe.”
“We swear to keep it secret! Not a word, even if someone holds a sword to our throats!”
Thus, on their journey to the capital, the holy knights discreetly trained and sparred in the chapel and its adjacent grounds.
Temenos didn’t assign them any formal guard duties; he simply hoped they would stay out of trouble.
But the knights had sworn an oath to the Saintess:
“The fact that you’re paladins must remain a secret. It’s just between us.”
They took this promise seriously. So, when intruders sneaked into the mansion one night, they assumed the worst:
“…Kill them!”
The knights patrolled nightly, their eyes blazing, ever-vigilant against those who might uncover their secret.
* * *
A week had passed since arriving in the capital.
Today, I came to a realization: “For a flower to bloom beautifully, someone must weed, water, and protect it.”
How did Alvin grow into such a pristine flower?
Standing before me was the gardener who had nurtured him.
“Ahhh, Father, Mother…!”
“Alvin, my dear boy! Where have you been all this time?!”
“Have you been eating properly? Are you hurt anywhere? Oh, look at how thin you’ve become!”
“You heartless child! How could you abandon your family and run away like that? Do you know how dangerous the world is?”
“I was wrong… I’m sorry!”
As Alvin sobbed and embraced his parents and elder sister, Fiona sniffled beside me, trying to hold back her tears.
Meanwhile, my thoughts were far less sentimental:
‘Money, land, jewels… This might actually work.’
Alvin, despite being the third son with no significant inheritance prospects, had a surprisingly strong chance at success. Why?
Because the Kotis family was immensely wealthy, owning a vast merchant guild, the Kotis Trading Company.
“Fine, you win. If you want to marry, go ahead. We’ve already spoken to Viscount Khodchen.”
“But the Viscount mentioned there was something you had to tell us first. What is it?”
Receiving an encouraging look from his parents, Alvin confidently declared, “Oh, didn’t the Viscount tell you? Fiona’s pregnant with my child.”
<To be continued>
Brought to you by Gourmet Scans
Translator: Japchae
Editor: Maize
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