episode_0049

‘I’m even more nervous because I’m thinking back to three years ago.’

The day of the decisive battle came too quickly. No, it was even more so because Glenn woke up early. With his trained senses, Glenn opened his eyes as soon as the dark surroundings gradually became brighter.

When I first opened my eyes, I was a little sleepy, but soon I came to my senses as I realized that today was the day of the ‘inauguration ceremony’. My whole body was filled with tension. I remember going to a cafe with my younger sibling yesterday, then going straight back to my room and lying down. Why does time pass so quickly?

Glenn moved quickly, sighing. He quickly grabbed his glasses and left the room, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. When he came down, there was no one in the first floor guild except for a window and a bartender preparing the bar.

As for the bar, it was open for morning preparations, and the window was yawning as the night watchman worked to accommodate the adventurers who came during the night. I glanced at the bartender, and it was Johnny today.

‘Thank you for your hard work.’

After a brief glance at him as he worked hard and moved busily, Glenn left the guild.

As they headed to the cathedral, Glenn remembered what the saintess had told him yesterday. The process of the investiture ceremony was as follows. They started from the cathedral and walked in a procession to the palace. Only the saintess and Glenn were allowed to enter the palace. When they reached the audience room, Glenn knelt before the saintess in front of the king, baptized her with the staff of the cathedral she was holding, and then declared and finished.

I heard that although there may be some changes in detail, that’s how it will proceed in the big picture. And according to the guild master, many nobles will also be attending.

‘But why did Milishia tell me not to leave her side? Hmm. Well, there’s no reason to leave…’

Suddenly, he remembered what Milicia had whispered in his ear yesterday. A mixture of strong will and a little fear…anxiety, that was what had Glenn on edge. The tension of the inauguration ceremony? Could it be because such an event was almost unprecedented?

Originally, the right to knight was exclusive to the kingdom, or more precisely, the royal family. If a nobleman wanted to knight his vassal or a person who had done great deeds, he would ask for permission from the king along with a letter of recommendation containing the signatures of several recommenders, and if permission was granted, the ceremony of knighthood could be held under the king’s leadership.

However, in the past, the Church of Air Grants could appoint knights called the Knights Templar at any time according to the bishop’s judgment. It was closer to an honorary position, except for the fact that they were guarding the cathedral, but since the loyalty of those guarding the church was outstanding, they were evaluated as a considerable force.

This tradition continued until a few hundred years ago, but at the same time, there was a tense check between the royal family and the religious order. It is said that there were many clashes. It was natural that those with weapons existed, even if it was for the sake of protecting the religious order. From the royal family’s perspective, even the private soldiers and vassals of the nobles would be a headache.

Then, about a hundred years ago, Archbishop Marcelino, who came to power, brought about a great change. He broke the tradition. He firmly established the rule that the appointment of knights was a royal prerogative and that if a knight was to be appointed, the royal approval was absolutely necessary. Amid the opposition of many churchmen and the great hospitality of the royal family (of course, they were guaranteed many benefits), this rule was written into the law.

After that, the Knights Templar began to lose its significance as it could only be appointed with the king’s approval, and the number of applicants gradually decreased. Today, it has completely disappeared as monks and state-appointed guards are in charge of guarding cathedrals and important figures.

However, the tradition of appointment by the cathedral and approval by the king remained, and this was also applied to the investiture ceremony for the position of ‘Knight of the Guard’.

‘Guild Master, I was so excited when I told you that story.’

It was Guildmaster Rashford who had instilled all of this information in Glenn. Glenn could not help but suspect that the Guildmaster’s intentions were largely reflected in this knight appointment ceremony and the saint’s pilgrimage.

So I asked him a few times, but the guild master kept pretending not to know with his characteristically innocent expression. I was curious as to how he could make things like the appointment and inauguration of the escort knights, which the nobles would most likely object to, a reality. I know he is a capable man, since I have known him for a long time…

‘And…what is this? Do you think the inauguration ceremony has already started?’

As the cathedral came into view, Glenn could see a few eyes on him. This morning, even though he had come out wearing his usual clothes and big glasses just in case, someone was watching him.

Are they the people from the Leicht family that I beat up? But, they wouldn’t be trying to… interrupt the inauguration ceremony now, would they?

Common sense would have been crazy, so Glenn ruled out the possibility. It would be close to turning both the Airgrants Church and the royal family into enemies. Above all, Glenn decided to leave them alone for now, since they would only watch him. If they attacked, it wouldn’t be difficult to repel.

“Ah, monk! I see you over there. Is that you?”

“Hmm. Right. But…I expected you to wear something like that, but I never thought you’d actually come dressed like that.”

Glenn was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a voice from the front. He saw the old monk Benedict, who he had seen yesterday, and a young man wearing white priestly attire instead of monk’s. The young man had a rather cheerful expression, while Benedict’s face was filled with worry.

You were waiting for me. Oh, you’re not the saint. Who are you? While Glenn was confused, the Benedict monk approached.

“How are you, Glenn? Okay, we don’t have much time, so let’s get started quickly.”

“Oh, yes. Hello. But, is this the beginning?”

“Don’t you know? It’s a march.”

No. I know that, but Glenn couldn’t ask, “Why are you in such a hurry when it’s barely dawning?” Because the Benedictine monk and young priest grabbed him by both arms and dragged him somewhere.

What, what. Glenn was confused, but he didn’t resist. He didn’t feel the need to. His senses, sensitive to enemy intent, didn’t warn him of danger.

The three passed through the main gate and arrived at a building. Oh, here. Glenn remembered the part he had skimmed over when he had been given the geography of the cathedral yesterday. This building was clearly a bathhouse for monks who washed away impurities.

Without even being able to ask why he came in here, Glenn was forced into the bathroom. And then, right away, his clothes were taken off. Glenn was terrified.

“Wow, wow!”

“Why are you screaming? If you know what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t know. I never told you! What are you doing all of a sudden?”

“Huh? What are you talking about… Didn’t the saint tell you that you have to prepare thoroughly before the inauguration ceremony? The clothes are ready. However, the person who will wear them must be completely prepared before you can put them on.”

The Benedictine monk answered with a strange look.

Oh, is that so? Well, I wondered why she suddenly dragged me to the bathhouse. But, the saintess didn’t tell me such detailed information!

Glenn was dissatisfied, but he didn’t say anything out loud. They were the experts. He had to follow them first.

“Now, go into the bathroom. The monks and I will clean every nook and cranny.”

“Okay, okay, wait a minute! I’ll do it alone, alone!”

“Don’t worry, trust our strength. Let’s go!”

“Ah, no. Nooo!!”

After being toyed with by the monks for quite some time, Glenn was able to leave the bathhouse, holding his messy hair. For now, he was only wearing a white T-shirt and brown pants, and he was dragged away again by the monks without even touching the ground.

It was the building right next to the bathhouse. As soon as he opened the door and went in, Glenn gasped. A familiar person was looking at him.

“Ah, Benedict. Aaron. Welcome. And…P, how are you? Glen.”

The first thing that caught my eye was the splendid white crown. After that, I could see the sacred priest’s robe, shining white and silver, covering his entire body. The symbol of the Airgrants Church was splendidly engraved on the robe. In his hand, he held a sacred staff handed down from the Airgrants Church.

Saint Milicia Airgrants, who looked much more beautiful than yesterday, blushed slightly and greeted Glenn. But why was she blushing?

“Uh, yeah…ah, no. Hello. Your Majesty…ah…”

After barely holding onto my senses and greeting them, I realized my own condition. I wasn’t wearing any shoes, my clothes were too light, and my body was being held by the monks. I was wiped here and there, but it was quite embarrassing.

Ugh, how embarrassing. Glenn felt the blood rushing to his face. However, ignoring Glenn’s situation, the monks took something out of a large closet inside the building and handed it to Glenn.

“Mr. Glenn? This is what you should wear to the knighthood ceremony.”

As expected, it was a suit with the Air Grants school emblem engraved on it. It was very flashy, and closer to a soldier’s uniform that one would wear to a party than armor.

Oh. Is this the attire of a knight? Glenn remembered the armor worn by warriors belonging to the Royal Guard. It didn’t look even a little like that armor, with its shoulder guards and chest guards engraved with patterns, and its neck guard being particularly impressive.

Noticing Glenn’s question, the Benedict monk answered.

“Because it’s an inauguration ceremony outfit. And there won’t be any armor in the future.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. Okay, then. Would you like to try it on?”

“Right, right?”

“Yes. I have already measured all the measurements and found the most suitable size for you, so you can wear it right away.”

“Glen, I’ll help you put it on.”

Saint Milicia, already dressed in splendid attire, approached Glenn with her attire. A, something ominous seemed to be rising from behind the saintess.

Why, why. The saintess is just trying to dress me up. I get the feeling she’s having a blast? Glenn hesitated a little, but didn’t run away. The saintess began to explain as she dressed Glenn one by one.

“Let’s put on all the clothes and go right away. Everything is ready for the parade outside. We will go first, follow the road and reach the royal palace. After that, as I said before…”

“Ah, yes. First, bow to His Majesty, recite the oath, then turn to the saint, bow, and receive baptism, right? ”

“That’s correct. Yes. That’s all for Glenn. After that, you can leave it to me.”

Glenn felt an inexplicable sense of emotion as he watched the saintess gently smile and tidy up her clothes one last time. Oh, perhaps… isn’t this the kind of appearance a wife would have while tidying up her husband’s clothes? To be able to enjoy such a privilege. I may have done something good in my past life.

The saintess whispered one more word to Glenn, who was barely able to control his lips from moving in happiness.

“I’ll say it again…even after the inauguration ceremony, please don’t leave my side.”

“Ah…”

That’s right. That was what I said yesterday. That was the request that bothered me.

Today, Milishia repeated her request. However, there was no hesitation. Glenn nodded immediately.

“Yes. Absolutely not.”

“Thanks, Glenn. Okay, that’s it.”

After saying goodbye and concluding, the saintess left Glenn’s side. Her slightly red face was so lovely.

Oops, glasses. Where should I put my glasses? Glenn folded his glasses and hesitated for a moment. The saintess smiled and pointed to a part of Glenn’s clothes, and Glenn found a pocket inside his clothes and put his glasses in it.

Thank goodness, there was no sign of it. The Benedictine monk looked at Glenn for a moment, then said to the young priest.

“Aaron, go out and declare.”

“Yes!”

The young priest nodded immediately, opened the door, and went out.

Oh. Weren’t we going out right away? When Glenn asked with his eyes, the Benedict monk answered. He looked like a monk with a lot of experience.

“Please wait a moment. When you hear a signal outside, you can go out then.”

“Signal, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Dang!” a huge sound rang out.

“This is the signal.”

After saying that, Benedict bowed and stepped back. What, what? And then, the saint approached Glenn.

With a bright smile on his face, he extended his right hand to Glenn.

“Okay, sir. Lead me.”

“Ah, yes…Saint.”