Chapter 41. Holy Father

The moonlight shone unto the tip of the Church's cross.

Lucilline was mesmerized, his delicate golden eyes fully enraptured in the view of the moon. Wisps of flickering grey clouds floated near the shadowy sky, painting the blank canvas into an elegant portrait.

"Is everyone here?" A domineering voice snapped him out of stupor.

Dimitri fixed his suit and collar, and his locks of golden hair drifted through the dancing breeze. He coughed, alerting the Royal Knights who'd been standing guard.

Lucilline had brought his spear, crafted by an excellent blacksmith founded by House Rubius.

Beside him was Daphnne, who'd held onto the rose-hilted sword that she'd taken from S Academy. Azalea also had a sword of his own, while Percival held a standard bow, the ends curved slightly at the centre. The brown-haired nobleman had a bag of arrows by his side, all pointed and scraped sharp.

A skirt swished in the wind.

Willow patted down her maid dress, her silver and white-tinted hair matching the monochromatic style of her outfit. She did not carry any weapons—her brute strength was more than enough.

By her side, Augustine stood dressed in his butler suit. His taut and yet bulging muscular body seemed to stretch his outwear, tightening the fabric around his figure. He carried many daggers, the point sharpened to emit a dangerous glow. His boots were also made of leather. Every step he made was light as a feather, unable to be detected nor heard of.

"We're all ready." Lucilline confirmed to the Crown Prince.

He swept his eyes onto the Royal Knights—then noticed a familiar figure. Jacques met eyes with the black-haired nobleman.

Lucilline, "..."

Jacques, "..."

They quickly averted gazes.

Lucilline wore a deadpanned expression, nothing flickering in his eyes. Nothing seemed to change in him. But his thoughts clearly stated different. Is that really the mage who I had scolded off earlier? Nobody told me that he would be apart of the Royal Knights! What is he doing here?

Jacques also remained neutral, but his mind was a chaotic abyss. That pretty boy is the third son of Duke Rubius!?! I never knew that his position on the hierarchy would be so high!

Nobody around them noticed anything amiss.

"Then let's begin guarding." Dimitri ordered. He began splitting the teams, with Lucilline and his friends assigned to the east, a portion of the Royal Knights at the west, south, then at the north. Many were also ordered to guard inside the Church, in case of any secret infiltration. Dimitri took the lead in guarding at the north.

At first, nothing happened.

Lucilline stood guard, his spear positioned on the ground. None of them dared to let down their guards.

"...do you think the enemy will attack from north, west, south, or... east?" Daphnne felt a slimmer of stress, with the anxiety bubbling up her stomach.

She'd fought demons before—she can do it.

"It would be stupid for the demons to charge at the front of the Church—but they might use reverse psychology and aim for that area." Percival analyzed the situation. "Perhaps, they might choose to bombard the south, which is the area furthest from the Crown Prince..."

All of a sudden, a firework shot up into the air—exploding into a giant flower.

"The south is requesting for reinforcements." Azalea pursed his lips. It seemed that the demons have begun to act.

"Let's go help." Lucilline nodded.

When they arrived at the south, there was nobody there. Only the remains of a smouldering flame—from the fireworks earlier.

"...what is this." The group of teenagers pursed their lips.

Percival sighed. "I've read this in books. In the war between humans and demons, once people have died, their bodies would be eaten by the demons. It was said that the more humans that demons eat, and the more chaos they cause—the stronger they become. Some demons are strong enough to blend in the shadows, revealing nothing."

They fell solemn and alert. Could it be that some of the Royal Knights have already...

"What happened here?" The unit from the west side have also arrived to the scene. The troops examined the scene, and only saw the materials used to set off that firework.

The south side seemed to be completely obliterated.

But there was also no demon in sight. Could that mean...

"...not good!" Lucilline gritted his teeth. "What if the demons have already snuck inside the Church." He began to theorize out loud. "If they ambushed the south then blended into the shadows... they set off the fireworks to lure us to the south... then quickly snuck to the west and east... to sneak inside the Church."

Hearing this theory, it made sense to the Knights.

"I'll report this to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." A Knight had announced. They wore their fully decked armour, with the polished iron helmet covering their head.

"Understood. Hurry please." Percival ordered.

Despite not having military experience, he was still the son of a Grand Duke. He had the authority to control the Knights—or to at least give orders when the Crown Prince wasn't around.

The fully armoured Royal Knight dashed off.

*****

After a while, the Royal Knight arrived at the empty west side. They paused, as if alerted by something. Twisted in the shadows, clumpy black figures began to rise, taking form of asymmetrical shapes.

As if shocked, the Royal Knight stood there, paralyzed before the demons.

However, the demons did not move.

Some seconds passed before the Royal Knight took a brief breath. In a swift motion, they pulled off their iron helmet—revealing long locks of blonde hair. Miss A. flashed a small smile, her eyes plummeting into a spine-chilling colour of crimson red. "Get to work."

The demons bowed down before her presence.

*****

Dimitri held his breath.

The north side never left their positions, despite the signal requesting for reinforcements. He had a feeling that the west or east side had left to reinforce the south.

But until now, there was no other sign of battle.

It was too suspicious.

Dimitri furrowed his brows, rubbing his temples in a disorderly manner. Should he take the risk to leave the guarding duty and check the other sides... or to stay in his position...? He's a Crown Prince, so he should be able to take control of the situation...

"Something's wrong." All of a sudden, a Royal Knight stood out.

Jacques' face was pale. His teal blue hair fell behind his iron armour, as he explained, "I can sense a magic array... a barrier created around the Church. It seems that something is preventing us from entering the Holy Church..."

Dimitri understood. "The demons are already acting."

He remembered this individual Royal Knight. Seeing that the other was a gifted mage, Dimitri did not hesitate to hire him.

"Could you disable the barrier." Dimitri asked.

Jacques nodded. "I can, but..." He was hesitant. "But it will cost me a lot of stamina..."

"That's fine." Dimitri stated. "Hurry up."

The barrier around the Church was disabled—but Jacques' face had gone paler. At some point, he almost collapsed, but other Royal Knights had propped him back on his feet. Dimitri and his troops had entered the Church, storming inside.

Inside was empty—serene but at the same time... ominous.

The floor was made of wood, coated in resin to give it a metallic standing. The sound of the Royal Knights' footsteps had clacked against the flooring, with the sound echoing against the glass-pane ceiling. A ray of moonlight had shone unto the church, providing minimum lighting.

"Separate and try to find demonic activity as soon as possible." Dimitri commanded.

His domineering aura gave his troops courage.

In the end, Dimitri was left with only five Royal Knights by his side. As they ventured even further into the priest, the sound of a cry and scream had roared in the distance—

Dimitri gave his knights a glance.

The six of them hurried forwards.

A battle was happening. A priestess dressed in light white robes had swung her sword before the demon. The demon easily dodged, avoiding a shallow cut to its throat.

Behind the priestess was an old man... he also wore the same light white robes, but with a horned crown placed on his head. His hair had dwindled to grey and white, signifying of his old age. In his old wrinkly hands was a golden staff.

Dimitri understood.

Without a doubt, that old man was the Head Priest.

"Protect the Head Priest!" He ordered. The Royal Knights crowded around the Head Priest, blocking him from any attack of the demon. In the end, they had slain the demon, with it disintegrating into ashes.

The battle finally ended, but the tension still remained.

"What is happening?" The Head Priest growled.

"Holy Father," the priestess looked at him worriedly. "It seems that the Holy Church is under attack by the demons. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here to help us escape."

The Head Priest looked mad.

He was about to scold the priestess, but then noticed the Crown Prince's gaze. It was a burning sight—as if his hazel eyes could drill a hole into the Head Priests' skull.

The Head Priest lost all of his courage. He coughed, "Then get us out of here! Without the Holy Church, who else is able to fend the demons from entering Lydia Kingdom?"

It was said that the Holy Church Organization is blessed by the Gods. As long as they continue to believe in their holy powers, they are able to stop the demons. They are blessed with holy powers, and have kept the demons out of Lydia Kingdom for a century.

Naturally, the public believed in the Holy Church.

But Dimitri had his suspicions.

"There is no rush, Head Priest." He deadpanned. "With me—the Crown Prince—here, what is there for you to fear of?"

The Head Priest's lips were cracked.

"Of course..." He muttered. A vein popped out from his forehead. The Head Priest rambled on in his thoughts in irritation, You are just a dumb Crown Prince. Just because you have royal blood, you think that you are superior. I am a fucking Head Priest! I am the true protector of Lydia Kingdom! You are just a hypocritical little bug trying to steal credit!

In the end, he and the Head Priestess was led around the Church.

"Where are the rest of the priests and priestesses?" Dimitri asked. His tone made it seem like he wasn't questioning, but rather ordering.

Upon hearing his order, the priestess couldn't help but clench her robe. A bead of sweat dropped from her forehead, as her face became pale.

The Head Priest rambled, "They sacrificed themselves for the greater good." He gave an apologetic sigh, "To protect me, they threw themselves before me and fought against the demons. It is too bad that their will in God was not great enough. They couldn't make it out alive."

As he explained, the priestess behind him wobbled. Her face was as pale as a sickly ghost.

Jacques heard this, and his face also paled. "...what about the children? The priests had adopted children and taken care of them before. What about them?"

The Head Priest just gave a look of dismay. "They are young souls, but often tempted by the devil. Despite our countless times at baptism, they still do not listen. They have committed sins, so what happened to them is merely a... conviction of God."

A fist swung at the old man, but another Royal Knight caught it before it hit the latter in time.

The Head Priest shrank back, "What are doing!" He shrieked at Jacques, whose body was trembling from anger. "I am the Head Priest—the Holy Father! You are merely a knight—a servant! What do you think you're doing, trying to assault me in broad daylight! Remember that the Crown Prince himself is here! Don't you dare become violent on me, an innocent soul!"

He turned to look at Dimitri. "Bah! Is this really how you train your Royal Knights, Crown Prince? They're such a bunch of incompetent fools. No wonder the demons have infiltrated into my highly esteemed Holy Church."

"Do not worry, Head Priest." Dimitri's eyes had no light. "I trained my Royal Knights with beyond-the-standards education... which is unaffordable of the majority of masses in Lydia Kingdom."

He took a deep breath.

"Rest assured that they are actually competent. It is only you who are too incompetent to see that." If one were to take a closer look, they would realize that the Crown Prince's once gentlemanly hazel eyes had held no more compassion.

The Head Priest flinched. "You...!"

He gritted his old teeth, then whipped his head at the priestess. "You! Bring me out! This old man may be old, but he can tell that this generation of royalty are only degenerates! I refuse to trust in them!"

The priestess shrank back. "...of course, Holy Father."

She took a step forward, but a sword was placed before her neck. "Do not move." Dimitri did not spare anyone. "Do as I tell you to do."

"Don't order my subordinate around!" The Head Priest yelled.

Dimitri did not care. "Are you really in the position to argue with me?"

The Head Priest fell silent. He was surrounded by five Royal Knights—all highly trained, and one is a mage. Their swords were all pointed at him, the deadly edge of the blade appearing rather sharp, bathed in the moonlight's solemn gaze.

"Hmph. Just escort me out of here already." He almost tripped on his words.

Dimitri opened up. He was about to retort, but suddenly tensed up.

The air wasn't right.

In an instant, the glass ceiling crashed. The divine image of an angel, dressed in white robes, with a golden halo hovering above their head... shattered into a thousand fragments. Instead, a murky black shadow fell inside the Church, landing on the ground without any damage taken.

Two scary bloody red eyes stared at the Head Priest.

"...a demon!" He cried.

Dimitri shook his head. "It's..."

The demon did not spare any moment for the Royal Knights to breathe. It instantly ran forwards, accelerating with every fleeting step.

Jacques quickly muttered an incantation.

He threw fireball spells at the demon, each spell roaring with heat. The demon merely dodged it. Four Royal Knights raced up ahead, swinging their swords at the demon. A sword was swung down, but the demon avoided it accurately. It seemed to smile, with the shadow on its face curving upwards.

It flicked the sword—a light tap, almost.

In an instant, the sword was swung back at the Royal Knight, piercing straight into the latter's right eye. A scream howled in the Holy Church.

The demon's smile widened.

Its figure seemed to flicker like a dying candle, constantly swimming past each attack and strike. The other Royal Knights had no way of capturing this demon...! An ice spike swished past the demon's cheek—cutting a shallow wound. Shadows had formed onto the demon's cheek, regenerating it instantly.

The demon faced Jacques, who had casted the ice spell.

It leaped across the Church, crossing 20 metres in merely a second. The demon threw its claws at Jacques' face, who was too stunned to react—

A spear stabbed into the demon's shoulder.

"Ahhhhh!" A familiar scream broke out into the Church. The demon almost collapsed from the pain, as it struggled. At last, it pulled out the spear from its shoulder, with the weapon falling onto the ground.

Lucilline had an ugly expression.

Jacques was stunned. "You...!"

Lucilline just stared at the demon. The demon stared back. "November."

Author's Note:

Things are getting exciting! Another battle awaits this story!

Any predictions on what might happen? Any theories on the lore of Lydia Kingdom?