Chapter 57: Status (4)
The paladin’s tone was quite polite.
“Uh……”
Jerit trailed off, glancing at me. Considering his personality, it was a response that could be seen as practically affirmative.
I had already anticipated that he was from a good family when he mentioned receiving a rather precious holy relic as a gift.
However, the slightly surprising fact was that the paladin here in Delphaud recognized Jerit.
The grand city of Delphaud, surrounding the holy land of Del, belonged not to an empire or kingdom, but to the Papal States. Simply put, it wasn’t a city of nobles or royalty, but a city of clergymen.
“Are you not Brother Jerit Frinagen-nim?”
The paladin, clad in gleaming, spotless armor, asked once more, and Jerit answered with a slightly embarrassed face.
“That is correct.”
The knight’s face brightened at his answer. He nodded, looking relieved, and said,
“I was informed that you would be arriving soon. It’s fortunate that I could greet you before you entered the city.”
It seemed the Inquisition had informed them in advance of our arrival. Well, the reason we left the monastery in the first place was to receive recognition from the Holy See for my achievements.
“Why are you standing in line here? Please come this way.”
Words spoken casually.
It seemed he didn’t particularly care about the unspoken rule that everyone, regardless of status, had to wait in line to enter the city surrounding the holy land.
The paladin seemed completely unconcerned with the reactions of the people glancing at us from nearby. He stood in place, looking at the hesitant Jerit with a somewhat puzzled expression, then turned as if he had just noticed me.
“Ah, then the person next to you is……”
The knight trailed off with a somewhat ambiguous expression. His attitude was a bit different from when he was speaking to Jerit.
With a somewhat exaggerated gesture, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and, glancing at me, said,
“Inquisitor Luciel Lumineger. Is that correct?”
“That’s right. Your memory isn’t that good.”
The knight’s expression stiffened slightly at my somewhat sharp tone. He continued, trying to hide his feelings.
“……I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re younger than I expected.”
A slightly provocative statement.
I didn’t react to his words and asked as if it didn’t matter,
“What is your name and position?”
“I am Nelson Hopel, of the Iron Cross Knights.”
“Hmm.”
Judging from the fact that he didn’t mention a separate position, he seemed to be an ordinary knight, not a commander like a Centurion or Millenary.
I looked at the knight without any further response.
“……”
All Inquisitors operating outside of Hesterica for the convenience of carrying out their duties are granted authority equivalent to that of a Junior Bishop. Even in the Papal States, there aren’t many clergymen with authority higher than a Bishop.
Let alone an ordinary knight.
The hierarchy between members of ordinary knightly orders and Inquisitors was very clear, unless they were Holy Templar Knights, specially selected and treated with special consideration.
The knight, who had been meeting my gaze with a forced composure, cleared his throat after a while and turned his head.
I looked at him and said calmly,
“Let’s wait in line and enter like everyone else.”
“……Understood.”
The knight, suppressing the displeasure remaining on his face, bowed his head to me and Jerit.
Whoosh. He quickly turned and rode his horse into the city, seemingly with wounded pride. After watching the knight’s retreating figure for a moment, I spoke to Jerit, who was standing awkwardly beside me.
“Put on another cloak if you’re cold. It looks like it will take some time for the line to shorten.”
Jerit, who had been looking somewhat restless, brightened up and replied energetically,
“Ah, I’m fine!”
As dawn broke, the walls of Delphaud, made of pure white stone imbued with holy power, shone brightly in the morning sunlight.
The light reflecting off the walls tickled my eyes. I raised my hand to shade my eyes and looked at the brilliantly shining walls of the Papal States.
🔹🔹🔹
The Frinagen family, to which Jerit belonged, seemed to be quite renowned within Delphaud.
Of course, they weren’t a typical noble family. In the first place, there were hardly any nobles from empires or kingdoms residing in the Papal States.
According to Jerit, who chattered beside me while we waited in line, his family was a long-established family of clergymen.
Well, considering a knight had come out in advance to offer us a favor……
I recalled the first time I met Jerit.
I think I understood why the Esquire named Proudt, whom I encountered in the village where I dealt with the Mongma, had handed him over to me as if he were a burden.
It must have been a bit awkward for him to keep him under his wing and treat him carelessly.
“Young Master!”
We were greeted by a loud voice as soon as we passed through the city gates. Judging from the way he addressed Jerit and his attire, he seemed to be someone working for his family.
He must have come to escort Jerit upon hearing of his return to the city.
The hulking figure was approaching us with heavy footsteps. He looked more like a bandit than someone from a respected clergyman family in the holy city.
The large man’s face held a hint of faint anger. It was a somewhat awkward demeanor for someone greeting a young master who had been away for a long time and endured hardships.
“Ugh.”
Jerit made a disgusted face upon seeing him. It seemed he had done something wrong.
“Jerit, did you cause any trouble before leaving?”
“Th-that was a minor incident. It was all for the mission……”
So you did commit some wrongdoing. Judging from his naive and blundering personality, it’s probably nothing too surprising.
“Young Master Jerit! What were you thinking, secretly taking the family’s belongings─”
The man approaching us with heavy footsteps looked as if he were about to say,’Young Master, do you want a beating?’
Swish. Jerit quickly moved and hid behind me. The man, who only then noticed me, hesitated and stopped in his tracks.
He also seemed to know about my status, presumably having been informed beforehand. The words that eventually came out of his mouth were a bit unexpected.
“Ah, you must be the Inquisitor-nim from Hesterica. It’s an honor to meet you.”
It was a bit unsettling to see the fierce-looking man suddenly put on a gentle smile. He bowed to me and continued,
“I always hold deep respect for those who stand at the forefront of the war against heresy and fight with their lives on the line.”
I responded awkwardly to his somewhat overwhelming praise.
“……You’re too kind.”
He was from the same Papal States, but his attitude was completely different from the knight earlier. Well, Delphaud is a vast city.
“But it seems Jerit has done something wrong.”
He paused for a moment at my question, after continuing to shower me with respectful compliments.
“Well, that is……”
The man hesitated. Regardless of whether the matter was minor or serious, it seemed he felt a bit uncomfortable discussing the wrongdoing of someone he served with a stranger.
He had a more knightly attitude than that Nelson Hopel fellow earlier.
“Inquisitor-nim, the truth is……”
Jerit opened his mouth in place of the hesitant man. He scratched his head awkwardly and rummaged through his belongings.
What emerged in his hand was none other than Rokellan’s Requiem Rod.
While not very effective in direct combat, it was a holy relic with excellent capabilities for consoling or exorcising the souls of the deceased.
Of course, since Jerit’s ability to handle it wasn’t that great, it hadn’t shown any significant effects apart from detecting the witch’s magic in Sitdria and emitting a warning light.
I looked at Jerit intently and spoke,
“Didn’t you say it was a gift?”
“Huh.”
Jerit averted his gaze and turned his head at my words, and the man let out a single exclamation of disbelief. I looked at the two of them and simply said,
“It seems you stole it before leaving home.”
“Precisely!”
“W-well, it’s more like borrowing than stealing……”
It was nothing significant. It wasn’t a serious crime like stealing from a temple or parish, but rather a family matter.
It would probably be settled with an appropriate level of reprimand within the family. It wasn’t something I needed to worry about. I looked at Jerit and continued casually,
“Then I’ll head straight to the Holy See.”
“Inquisitor-nim, I also─”
“It would be better for you to stop by your home first.”
I lightly cut off Jerit, who seemed eager to follow me, and his face fell. In the first place, I was the only one summoned by the Holy See. He wouldn’t be able to follow me inside anyway.
“Let’s go, Young Master. Archbishop Frinagen-nim is waiting for you.”
“G-grandfather is?”
An Archbishop. They were a more influential family than I thought.
“Yes. He instructed us to bring you to him immediately upon your arrival in the city.”
“Ugh.”
The man finished speaking with a firm expression and turned to me, speaking politely once more.
“Please stop by after you’ve finished your business at the Holy See. Archbishop Frinagen-nim wishes to express his gratitude to you personally.”
It wouldn’t hurt. I readily nodded at the man’s words.
“Very well.”
After confirming that Jerit, with a mixed expression of relief and joy at returning home after a long journey and fear of being scolded, was being dragged away by the hulking man, I turned towards the inner city.
It was an unfamiliar city, almost as if I were visiting for the first time due to the drastic changes, but finding the Holy See wasn’t difficult.
The towering spire and shining obelisk in the distance were gleaming brilliantly in the winter morning sunlight.
The faint sound of bells, imbued with holiness, could be heard from afar.
I slowly made my way towards the gentle yet authoritative sound.
🔹🔹🔹
Unlike when I first entered the city, there was no delay in entering the Holy See.
“Inquisitor Luciel Lumineger of Hesterica. Confirmed.”
The soldier guarding the entrance of the Holy See saluted respectfully and stepped aside.
The gate, adorned with elaborate carvings of the sun and griffin, symbols of the main deity, Herentica, slowly moved. As befitting the wealthiest place in the religious order, the gate, seemingly made of a combination of black steel and holy silver, was quite large.
The well-maintained iron gate, lubricated with high-quality oil, opened smoothly.
As the gate opened, a large garden, larger than the royal palaces of most countries, came into view.
Located at the innermost part of the city, the Holy See felt like a separate space, completely different from Delphaud.
As if a massive magic circle was installed, a relatively warm atmosphere enveloped the garden despite it being winter. I looked around at the clear streams flowing here and there and the well-maintained green trees and thought,
‘They poured money into this place.’
That was the extent of my impression. I didn’t feel any divine grace or holiness.
Despite being a vast garden that felt like a well-maintained forest, finding my way wasn’t difficult at all. In the first place, it wasn’t designed to be complex, and the towering spire served as a clear landmark.
Perhaps that’s why the guards didn’t offer any separate guidance.
As the trees gradually disappeared and the well-paved marble path came into view, I stopped and looked to the side.
“……”
What caught my eye was a young girl.
To be precise, it was a young girl lying collapsed on the ground, not dressed as a priest or apprentice.
She wasn’t dead or unconscious. In the first place, it was unlikely that anyone would die within the Holy See.
I stared intently at the girl, sleeping soundly with the exposed tree roots as her pillow. Sleeping on the ground in the middle of winter was closer to suicide than an accident, but fortunately, this place, where the temperature was maintained by magic, was relatively warmer than outside.
Of course, it was still cold enough to make your mouth freeze, even if you wouldn’t freeze to death.
However, this was the heart of the Holy See, teeming with priests. Even if your mouth froze twice over, you could be treated immediately.
Therefore, the sight of an unfamiliar girl lying collapsed and sleeping on the cold ground wasn’t something that surprised or intrigued me.
What caught my attention was the strange aura emanating from her, a rather powerful one at that.
I remembered encountering someone with a similar aura a long time ago─
“Oh?”
A sound interrupted my thoughts.
Rustle. As if she had sensed my presence, the girl had woken up and was rubbing her eyes, looking at me.
She stared at me blankly for a moment, and then her eyes widened. And then……
“Eek!”
The girl backed away with a pale, terrified face, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have. It was a rather refreshing reaction.
I stared intently at the nameless girl with the powerful aura, who was stumbling and staggering as she backed away with a flustered expression.
What a strange one.
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