Chapter 108: Encounter (8)

The Knight of Radiance.

The words spoken by the holy knight left everyone in surprise, including the knight himself.

No one in the room seemed to be unaware of what that title meant.

The twenty knights of radiance, the highest force in the order, directly under the command of the Pope, the center of faith.

The priests, who had been stunned for a moment, regained their senses and looked at the man with uncertainty.

It was unthinkable for such a renowned figure from the order to suddenly appear in this remote monastery.

However, the man didn’t deny it and introduced himself with a charming smile.

“I am Jerel, the sixteenth knight in the Order of the Knight of Radiance.”

“Ah, Sir Jerel!”

The name of the sixteenth knight of radiance, Jerel, was well-known to anyone who had even a little interest in the prominent figures of the order.

The holy knights around him were all deeply moved.

The knight of radiance, who was the pinnacle of all warriors of the faith, was an object of admiration and awe among his fellow holy knights.

Jerel turned his gaze to one side and walked over to Erica, who had fallen to the ground. He reached out his hand.

“Are you alright, child?”

Erica, looking bewildered, took his hand and stood up.

The highest-ranking priest among those gathered asked, “It is truly an honor to meet you, Sir Jerel. But may I ask why you have come to our monastery?”

Jerel answered, “As I mentioned, it’s just a coincidence. I was passing by the area and found out that there was a monastery here, so I came to take a look.”

“I see.”

“Could you guide me to the monastery? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll leave right away. Please don’t hesitate and treat me like any other guest.”

The priest hurriedly waved his hand and said, “Of course, how could we refuse? I’ll have someone show you right away. The abbot will certainly welcome you with open arms.”

“Thank you. Then…”

Jerel turned to Erica and smiled before following the priest.

After the commotion subsided, the selection test for the remaining applicants continued.

***

Was he a radiant knight?

I watched the man disappear into the distance with my arms crossed.

As expected, he wasn’t an ordinary person, given his level.

A radiant knight, one of the elite forces in the Raelian church.

They wielded practical influence in the church, second only to the Pope and the Cardinals.

It’s a relief that he didn’t recognize me.

My appearance had already spread throughout the continent.

However, it was unimaginable for a Lord of Calderic to be at a monastery in the remote outskirts of Santea.

Even if he did think of me, he would have dismissed it as a mere misconception. I wasn’t the only one with black hair and golden eyes on this continent.

“I wondered why someone of that caliber would come to this remote monastery,” I thought to myself. He said they were just passing by, but I couldn’t be sure if they had some other motive.

Of course, unless it was related to me, there was no need for me to worry about it, so I decided to forget about it.

“I should go inside,” I said to myself, leaving the spectacle of the duel I was watching and returning to my room.

***

“I’m honored that such a distinguished guest has come to visit our monastery. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Jerel,” said the abbo,t Dehod, praising Jerel.

“No, not at all. I’m grateful for the warm welcome, even though my arrival was unexpected,” Jerel replied politely.

After some formal greetings, the abbot cautiously asked, “By the way, is there a reason why you have come to our monastery?”

“Oh, no. It really was just a coincidence, as I mentioned before. I was passing by on my way back from a mission and stopped by the nearby village. The villagers told me about this monastery, so I came here on a whim.”

“I see. If you would like, I can personally guide you around the monastery.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”

After some small talk, the conversation ended and Jerel stood up.

“Well then, please make yourself at home here as long as you’d like.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

As Jerel walked down the corridor after leaving the abbot’s room, he stopped a short distance away and turned his head to look at the closed door. Then he shook his head and muttered,

“…Is it just my imagination?”

He looked away from the door and continued walking.

***

“Wow. This is unbelievable. That legendary knight who we only heard about in stories has come to our monastery!”

Watching Tom shouting in excitement, Erica bit her tongue. She was annoyed by his ecstatic behavior, as if he had already forgotten his failure in the selection test.

“What’s so exciting about it?”

Tom responded as if he didn’t understand Erica’s blunt words.

“How can you not be excited? Who else could it be but one of the radiant knights? And he’s none other than Sir Jerel!”

“So, who is Sir Jerel?”

Unlike Tom, Erica had no interest in the famous figures of the church.

Although she knew that the radiant knights were remarkable people, she didn’t know anything about their individual stories or legends. When Tom became frustrated with her vague reaction, Heron stepped forward to explain.

“He is the one who fought alongside the hero on the battlefield in the final battle against the demon king.”

Sir Jerel Lagness, a radiant knight, was a particularly exceptional figure among the radiant knights for a reason. He survived the great battle in which the hero sealed the demon king several decades ago.

“That’s right! He’s such a remarkable person! And he’s come to our monastery?! We should shake his hand!”

Of course, Erica’s reaction didn’t change even after this explanation.

She was startled momentarily at the mention of the hero, but that was all. Heron interrupted Tom’s continued praise and asked with a sarcastic tone.

“By the way, are you okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean the test, stupid. You worked so hard, but you failed.”

Tom shrugged nonchalantly.

“What’s not okay about it? I wasn’t expecting to pass, anyway.”

“You’re laughing, but you were really hoping to pass.”

“Shut up. Well, it’s already in the past and we can’t change it. It’s not the last time, so I just have to work harder and aim for the next one.”

Erica frowned at Tom’s overly optimistic words.

“You’re an idiot. It’s not because of that, but Varian intentionally made you fail.”

“Come on, it’s just a test. There’s no way he would do that.”

“It’s because you didn’t see it. He definitely sneered at you. Anyway, this jerk…”

“Hey, hey.”

Heron looked around anxiously and stopped her.

They were at the back wall of the monastery courtyard. Even though it was unlikely that anyone would hear them, the language was quite vulgar.

Tom chuckled.

“Thanks anyway. You came out for me earlier, right?”

“What are you saying? I came out because I was annoyed, not because of you.”

Erica growled.

That was the truth, but neither Tom nor Heron insisted further.

“So, what are you going to do in the end?”

“What?”

“The holy knight. You passed the test, didn’t you?” Tom asked with a gleam in his eye.

There was a reason why he didn’t feel so bad about failing the test.

It was because Erica had applied for and passed the selection test.

He couldn’t help but be happy that his dear friend’s talents would finally shine.

But Erica betrayed his expectations and shamelessly retorted, “No, I’m not going to do it.”

“Huh?”

“I said I’m not going to do it. I thought about it and it’s too much of a hassle. I’ll just go see them later and tell them I’m not going to do it.”

Tom, who had been staring at her, let out a deep sigh.

“Hey, come on… You passed the test, and you’re not going to do it? What if the elders find out?”

“I don’t care.”

“What if I can’t pass the next selection test because of you?”

His words made Erica flinch.

It was partly forced, but it wasn’t an unreasonable thing to say. The three of them were famous as the Three Musketeers in the monastery.

As soon as her expression became serious, Tom awkwardly changed the subject.

“Ah, what I said was just a joke. Anyway, now that it’s come to this, think about it again, okay? Say something, Heron.”

“Is she the kind of person who can be persuaded by what we say? If she doesn’t want to do it, there’s nothing we can do,” Heron replied.

Erica, who had been sitting with her back against the wall, shook her head in annoyance and then collapsed onto the ground.

“Ah, yeah. What’s the point in talking about it?”

Tom and Heron slumped down beside her, gazing up at the sky for a moment. The blue sky had some peaceful white clouds floating in it.

Heron lowered her head again and suddenly noticed that there was something missing on Erica’s neck.

He asked, “Erica, where is your rosary?”

“Huh?”

Erica finally realized what had happened and reached up to touch her neck.

Her necklace, which she usually wore around her neck, was gone.

“Where could it have fallen?” she wondered aloud.

As she got up to look around, a sudden voice startled them, and they turned around to see who it was.

It was the radiant knight, Jerel, who had suddenly appeared around the corner of a building.

“Sir J-Jerel!”

Jerel gestured for Tom to calm down, holding the broken rosary in his hand.

It was a wooden necklace with the symbol of the church carved into it.

He approached Erica and handed it to her.

“Here, take this.”

After receiving her lost item, Erica looked at the rosary for a moment before belatedly thanking Jerel.

“Thank you for finding it, Sir.”

“It’s nothing. But can I ask you where you got the rosary from?”

“Huh? I just received it from the priest a long time ago.”

The children of the monastery wearing accessories that symbolize the cross were a natural thing.

Tom was wearing a bracelet, and Heron was wearing a necklace, which was different in shape but similar to Erica’s.

Jerel smiled and nodded his head.

“I see. I was curious because there is a sentence engraved in the rosary that I personally like.”