Chapter 35

“Sir Knight, Sir Knight.”

Gabriel let out a small groan at the soft touch that was waking him up. He felt hot water dripping down his face.

“Ugh…”

He fluttered his eyelids. He struggled with the bitterness to open his eyes, and his bruised, swollen eyes covered half of his vision.

Through the gap in his vision, watery golden eyes were visible.

‘Golden eyes.’

A symbol of divine power.

Gabriel stared blankly into the eyes, and jumped to his feet in embarrassment.

No, he was trying to get up.

But a great pain in his stomach struck him, and he couldn’t help but groan while raising his body vaguely.

“Keugh!”

“Stay still. You are seriously injured.”

A small hand pressed on his shoulder.

Gabriel looked down at the hand for a moment, then raised his head to check the other person.

“Saintess…”

The little girl had a determined expression on her face as tears were dripping down.

It was Veronica.

Gabriel lay quietly, feeling the strength draining from his body.

“Why are you crying?”

“You’ve been hurt so much…”

Gabriel, who had been bullied by several rogues, could not open his eyes and look at her.

Veronica said, wiping tears from her sleeve as if she was the one hurt.

“Sir Knight was lying down, so I moved you to the nearest infirmary.”

“Oh, did you?”

“I’m sorry for forcibly waking you up. You didn’t even move, so I got scared so I didn’t know…”

She smiled shyly, scratching her cheek, perhaps embarrassed for fussing.

Saintess, Veronica.

She was quite famous in the papal palace.

Although she lacks innate divine power, she is a warm-hearted person who embraces everyone with her natural character.

‘Because you are kind to even a humble apprentice knight like me who might be kicked out at any time.’

First of all, it was Garcia of the Holy Empire that enjoyed absolute power from those who were born with divine power.

But even between them, there was a class. The more shiny and vivid the golden eyes they have as melted gold, the higher their position was. Because it was evidence of high divine power.

Veronica’s eyes were so dark golden that they looked almost brown at first glance.

But she had a fairly high position in the papal palace.

Everyone loved her, Veronica. As a sign of respect and friendship.

Gabriel was no exception.

“You don’t have to cry for something like me.”

“Where are those words!”

At Gabriel’s words, she burst into anger.

“God is the one who embraces even a single strand of grass that has bloomed by the roadside. Don’t humble yourself by saying you’re unlike me. Are you going to ignore His love?”

“I mean, what I meant…”

As the boy stuttered in embarrassment, Veronica let out a hardened face and sighed.

“What happened?”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and traced his memory. The little child was surrounded by several men, and he was almost beaten up, so he approached without thinking.

‘I must have been beaten and passed out.”

He had a dream to change the world.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter if it’s very small, so at least he wanted the world to be a better place than it is now.

‘I can’t even stop a rogue.’

He was weak. So much that he can’t help but laugh.

‘What happened to that child?’

He passed out, so there was no way the child could be fine.

“It must have been sold as a slave.”

There was a moment of despair in the boy’s water-colored eyes.

His chest has been stuffy. He lowered his head and grabbed his messy silver hair.

He was ashamed of himself, but most of all, he was very worried about the child he could not protect.

“I went to my hometown and found a child in danger.”

“I see.”

“But I couldn’t save him in the end.”

Although he was from the lowest places, he was given the opportunity to become a knight with the Pope’s grace. He was also given the name Gabriel.

But even though he had the same class as everyone else, he was always behind and the weakest.

‘It’s a miracle that I haven’t been left behind.’

Although he somehow withstood the evil. Although today, he felt unfamiliar with the white uniform he was wearing.

“I don’t know where I am standing. Maybe I was still just an orphan from the lowest places.”

Is his capabilities just here?

Is his dream beyond it?

“Sir Knight.”

That was then.

A small, white hand came down like salvation and wrapped around his hand.

“Don’t blame yourself.”

The young girl who had shed tears because Gabriel had been hurt too much had a determined look for this moment.

Without wavering. With eyes full of confidence.

“The knight is not wrong, absolutely.”

She said what he wanted to hear the most.

“So, don’t doubt the path the knight is walking.”

Gabriel opened his eyes wide in shock and clenched his teeth.

That one word that he was right.

How long has he been waiting for that word?

“……Yes.”

The boy barely answered in a watery voice.

‘Oh, I see.”

This is what he desperately wanted.

Perhaps, in order to hear these words, he stood there and endured to the end even though he kept circling around the same place.

“Sir Knight.”

Veronica grabbed Gabriel’s chin and lifted it up.

The boy was crying with his water-colored eyes fluttering. Tears were dripping down.

“Don’t be shaken, trust me.”

Veronica smiled benevolently and wiped his tears with her fingers.

At that moment, his eyes twinkled strangely.

She had found traces of gold that spread like the sunset on the edge of Gabriel’s pale sky blue eyes.

A more vivid golden color than that of the Pope.

“After all, I wasn’t mistaken about what I saw last time.”

It was rare, but certainly was, when the divine power was manifested late.

Who would have known?

This little, fragile-looking boy, in fact, had the potential to surpass the next pope.

She found it first.

‘Me!’

Veronica was overjoyed.

Her dark tan eyes gleamed and she rubbed under the boy’s eyes as if rubbing it with her fingernails.

“…Ugh, Saintess?”

The boy let out a small groan and asked curiously.

Veronica smiled like the sun and said,

“I trust Sir Knight. So, can we walk the road Sir Knight is taking together?”

She didn’t even need to ask.

Everyone laughed at the lowly born that was dreaming and fooling around. But how can he dare to reject the only existence that believes in him?

“Didn’t you notice that I was right?”

He cried and swore.

“If the saint will be with me, even if I sacrifice my life, I’m willing.”

Gabriel kissed the back of her hand as a sign of submission.

A satiated smile appeared on Veronica’s lips, and then disappeared in an instant.

“Oh, look at your wounds. I’ll treat you right away.”

She placed her hand on Gabriel’s forehead and let her divine power flow. Because of the original innate divine power, the boy’s recovery was very fast with just a little divine power.

Even that was satisfactory.

“Then, take a rest.”

She exited the infirmary.

And she warmly smiled at the priests she encountered one by one.

“Ah, Sister Veronica.”

That was then.

Among the priests who showed affection and interest in her, there was a person approaching with a peculiar fishy smile. Veronica answered slowly, desperately blooming her face that kept trying to crumple.

“… Brother Barom.”

She didn’t know how many times she had suppressed her urge to just ignore him.

However, that should not be the case.

It was an act that deviated far from the character of the saintess that she had set. Barom glanced around and confirmed that no one was listening.

“I heard that you didn’t miss the plague of appreciation this time too.”

“I did the right thing.”

“How merciful Sister Veronica is. You always reach out to those in need…”

As he continued her words, he lowered his head and whispered into Veronica’s ear.

“She has so much divine power that I don’t know how she became a member of the Holy Empire.”

“…”

“If you accumulate good deeds and collect the plague of appreciation one by one, you will not be demoted.”

The corners of Veronica’s lips, who struggled to keep her smile, trembled.

Barom looked at her and said as he passed behind her, shedding scorn, and smirked.

“Oh, you must be tired.”

Veronica was left alone, and she stood there stunned.

After a while, she casually walked through the hallway and returned to her own room, when she had lost her composure.

However, when she returned to her room, her face, which had been smiling like a painting, became cold.

“Annoying bastard.”

She knew that no matter how openly he insulted Veronica, she knew that only she would be blamed for it, so he only touched her nerves without anyone else’s knowledge.

“I have to take care of that….”

Veronica murmured softly, rummaging through her sleeves.

Then, when she picked up Gabriel, the card she had found with him came out. She thought she had thrown it long ago, but she seemed to have forgotten.

“Home.”

Veronica read the card again.

[You are right. Don’t doubt the path you walk.]

She couldn’t come up with a line that would impress Gabriel.

Did God help her?

It’s like the card was sitting right there begging to be read.

“Were you right? You ****.”

The girl smirked as she spat out a bitter profanity. Then she tore the card to pieces and threw it in the trash can.

“It’s too childish.”