There was a sizable force at the gates. It was quite an audacious move to bring one's troops to a foreign nation's gates, but the holy knights considered it a courtesy by their standards, as they had chosen to wait outside instead of teleporting directly into Heathfenrir castle.
But of course, teleporting straight onto the streets of Feronsa would have been a foolish idea since the Duchy of Heathfenrir was defended by the Divine Emissary and the Grand Duke, who would've taken that as a signal for battle.
In truth, the so-called courtesy shown by the holy knights was nothing more than a calculated defensive strategy, even though the Holy Kingdom of Elfenheim would never admit to it.
"The Holy Kingdom of Elfenheim is home to the master of the holy sword, who is an aura master, and our very own Tier 8 Saintess. I believe we can easily match the Duchy's forces," a blond man in his thirties said, boldly displaying his thirst for war. It was Magram Weriks, an infamous fanatic who served the Holy Prosecution Ministry as the division commander of the Knights of the Spirit. He was the same man that had previously arrested Tesilid on the grounds of heresy.
The knights he led shared his extremist mindset. In fact, the Vatican specifically chose them for the task because only the truly fanatical would obey an order to kill the mighty Divine Emissary. Spurred on by his knights, Magram kept muttering his maniacal fantasies and genuinely felt angry when the guardsmen bolted the gates instead of welcoming the heroes who came to judge the heathen by the will of God.
"We have two Tier 8 champions of the faith who were anointed by God, so we will surely triumph against the evil heathen. The Duchy of Heathfenrir should be grateful for the courtesy we've shown them, even though we could've easily rammed through their gatesâ"
"Sir Magram."
The holy kingdom was not without rational minds. A young man with a well-built physique and short, dark brown hair interrupted Magram. It was Rex, the division commander of the Knights of Grace. He carefully chose his words so that the religious order couldn't twist their meaning.
"Even if Sir Tesilid could match the prowess of Grand Duke Heathfenrir, Saintess Muriel is nowhere as powerful as the Divine Emissary. And in case you have forgotten..." He continued after a short pause, "The saintess is not with us at the moment."
Rex was right. Muriel Phylise hadn't joined the knights on their mission to execute Ailette Rodeline. The official reason for her absence was that she needed ten days of prayer after receiving a prophecy from God. In truth, she was heading to a sacred place in Mount Eltio to recover from the wounds caused by the dark mage knight.
Rex pointed out an obvious truth, but Magram refused to hear reason.
"Preposterous! How dare you belittle Her Eminence's powers? And you will not call that heathen by the title of 'Divine Emissary.' She is only a heretic who will soon be executed!"
Since he couldn't refute the facts, Magram responded to his colleague's assessment by correcting the terminology he used instead. Truly, the man undermined his own dignity every time he spoke.
"Seriously, I'm beginning to question your faith, Sir Rex. Shall I report what you said to the council of cardinals?"
"Please don't. I will watch my words more carefully," his colleague answered.
"Very well. Then I shall let it slide this time."
"Sure."
"In any case, we would've matched their prowess in full if Her Eminence was with us. So, the Grand Duke ought to return the courtesy we have shown him by opening the gates of Feronsa."
But Magram's passionate speech failed to bring out any reaction from Rex. And so, he turned to someone else to see if he could draw out an affirmation this time.
"Don't you agree, Sir Tesilid Argente?"
He chose to ask the master of the holy sword, the man chosen by the Strict Order and Goodness, the lead heathen judgment officer responsible for the mission, and the commander-in-chief for the five knight divisions deployed for the mission.
Everyone's gaze turned to see the commander's reaction.
"Yes, you're right," the commander answered in the driest way possible.
The handsome man with silver hair stood in front of his troops and stared blankly at the gates. The expression he wore was almost lifeless, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking about.
"Sir Tesilid..." Rex called out to him in concern.
Here was a man who was ordered by the Vatican to kill his lover. Perhaps he hoped the gates would never open so he could wait here for his lover for all eternity and wither away with the leaves on the ground.
Just then, another dry leaf dropped near Tesilid's foot, but its sad little tumble wasn't enough to distract the man's ocean-colored gaze from the gate. The situation only changed when the guardsmen relayed the words they received by shouting them out.
"Her Eminence the Divine Emissary has given permission for the holy knights of Elfenheim to enter the gates!"
The gates rumbled and parted, leaving the holy knights in shock. Subconsciously, they knew there was nothing benevolent about their visit, so none of them expected the Grand Duke to willingly open his gates so soon.
Perhaps the heathen decided to surrender and receive her punishment. Or maybe this was a trap. The knights wondered if a battle would break out the moment they passed through the gates, and whether they stood a chance against the Divine Emissary at all. Only then did the knights understand the true perils of the mission they had been assigned. The holy knights gulped in anxiety as the massive gates opened.
Meanwhile, someone decided it was a good time to hold a tactical meeting on the spot.
"Sir Tesilid, there's something I've been thinking about."
Instead of answering, Tesilid rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to Magram.
"Sir Tesilid, I was told you were rather close with the heathen, so I'm assuming she wouldn't be hostile toward you." Magram continued, "I'm sure you realize we are currently at a disadvantage since Saintess Muriel is not with us to face the heathen and Grand Duke Heathfenrir. So, we will need to be strategic to even the odds."
Tesilid didn't say anything back.
The fanatic interpreted the silence as he pleased and rambled on. "Why don't you approach the heathen to catch her off guard while sending us a secret signal to start the battle?" Magram backed up his suggestion with a reference. "You know the story in the scriptures, the one about a good man who reported fraud to the authorities. The man kissed the cheek of the sinner to catch him off guard while letting the soldiers know who the sinner was. How smart was that?"
But of course, the supposed sinner in the reference was the one being persecuted, and the man who had kissed him was the one who betrayed the faith.
Oblivious to the shocked looks on the faces of the knights, Magram continued with a serious tone, "I have full confidence in you, Sir Tesilid. Please send us the signal whenever you're ready."
Tesilid didn't answer him.
Meanwhile, the gates fully opened with a loud thud, revealing the glorious city of merchants and artisans. Tesilid stepped through the gates, and the holy knights followed at some distance behind him.
The sound of the footsteps shook the ground menacingly as the knights marched in line. The threatening behavior made the residents on the outskirts of the city throw dirty looks at their unwelcome guests. The wide road of cobblestones led to a plaza in the city.
Tesilid came to a halt upon reaching the clearing because he could see a pink-haired woman standing in front of the fountain at the center of the plaza. It was his Divine Emissary. His Ailette Rodeline. Tesilid stopped breathing for a second.
He stared at her in complete stillness, as if all his bodily functions had ceased. She was wearing a white uniform he had never seen before as she stood before a spray of glittering water drops. But he didn't care what she was wearing. He could hardly believe she was finally awake after what felt like an eternity and was staring back at him.
He gazed at her for some time before snapping out of his trance. He then raised his right hand over his shoulder to signal the holy knights to stand down. It was a reasonable order. The knight divisions of the Duchy of Heathfenrir and the Silver Citadel were standing in formation at the plaza. But they were standing quite far behind the Divine Emissary, so much so that one could say she was practically waiting all alone for Tesilid Argente.
In response, Tesilid decided to leave his group as well.
"I will approach her alone," he muttered to the knights.
"Yes, Sir Tesilid. But don't forget to give us the signal to attack," Magram whispered.
Tesilid moved away without giving him an answer. Every step he took brought him closer to her, the reflection of her becoming clearer as he marched forward. Seeing her rosy cheeks, pink lips, and green eyes made his heart beat faster.
Just then, he noticed the knights of Heathfenrir growing tense behind her. They saw Tesilid as a threat since he was now a part of an invading force. Tesilid wondered if she might feel the same way.
With a heavy heart, he decided not to get too greedy. So he stopped in his tracks. The blue and green eyes met with about five steps between them. They were finally seeing each other for the first time in two weeks, but their blissful moment of reunion didn't last for too long. The spectators standing behind Tesilid were all waiting for their fool to do his trick.
So, Tesilid decided to speak first.