Chapter 16
“Hm, I suppose today you might meet a Temes that suits a duke’s daughter perfectly. Be sure to tell me later who you choose, all right? I’ll prepare a handkerchief as a gift in advance. Ah, I wonder if you’ll even be able to depart for the pilgrimage since you’re so late… Try not to inconvenience others. Well then, do your best.”
With that, Roa let out a short laugh, unable to hide her amusement.
It was a mean-spirited joke, reminiscent of the past when she used to make Litia cry every time they met.
She must know that Litia falling into the lake was largely her own fault, yet instead of feeling guilty, she seemed to think only about how to belittle Litia again and turn her into a laughingstock.
Fine. Let her keep doing it.
“Thank you for your concern. But what you’re worried about won’t happen. I plan to make very good use of the power I have.”
Roa’s eyes widened.
“……”
“And no matter who is chosen, everything is by Lord Athes’s will. He would know who suits the position of Tenia best. I don’t think being early or late matters that much. Don’t you agree?”
Roa’s eyes sharpened, and her face flushed slightly.
That bloodline they loved so much and talked about endlessly—if necessary, Litia was willing to use it.
“It seems you’ve had a change of heart… Well, I suppose we’ll see. I came today to personally greet the Tenias. In that case, I hope you’re assigned a good Temes. I’m already looking forward to it.”
“If you’re looking forward to it, then I’ll have to work even harder. Well then.”
As Roa fluttered her fan once more, Litia smiled softly, nodded briefly, and passed by her.
Roa didn’t doggedly follow her like she used to, nor did she press her chest with the fan as before—it was as if she had forgotten those habits.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Litia didn’t look back and quickly entered the temple.
“Show her? Who suits the Tenia position better? Ha!”
Roa, heading toward her carriage, couldn’t take her eyes off Litia as she entered the temple.
They said she had nearly died and come back, but it seemed she had lost all sense. Talking about holy power in front of her—she must be insane.
“Well, they said she fell into the water on her own. It would be stranger if she hadn’t gone mad.”
She had only played a few pranks—who would have thought Litia would do something like that?
It was a little surprising, but that was only because Litia was weak-minded. It wasn’t Roa’s fault. No one had pushed her.
Perhaps she was trying to shift the blame, but it was pointless. All the good holy knights had already been chosen by herself and the other young ladies.
What remained were knights with decent skills but of commoner origin, or those conscripted simply to fill Temes roles. They would at least meet the basics.
The real problem was that Litia Mont—the one who should be at the center—was nearly foolishly incompetent. There was no pairing more mismatched than that.
She had been slightly startled by Litia talking back for the first time just now, but she was still that Litia. Perhaps she had locked herself in her room and practiced a bit.
Roa had secured the best Temes. The Mont family may have always monopolized good things, but not this time.
‘Let’s see how you do.’
Roa fanned herself again.
“Let’s go. There’s a lot to do.”
The holy knights following behind bowed their heads in unison and followed her.
Aro stopped for a moment and glanced back. At the edge of his vision, he caught the last glimpse of the hem of Litia’s dress before it disappeared completely.
‘That woman is the Duke Mont’s daughter?’
The Mont family’s only daughter was said to be extraordinarily beautiful and born with immense holy power, but so timid that she struggled even with everyday conversation, let alone socializing.
‘That doesn’t seem true at all.’
It was true that she was beautiful enough to captivate at first glance, but she didn’t match the personality described in the rumors. Among the gathered candidates, stories about the Mont daughter had been spoken of with ridicule—if they saw her now, they would surely be surprised.
Then again, perhaps the rumors weren’t entirely distorted…
“……”
They said she possessed an overwhelming amount of holy power as a candidate blessed by the power of light. Had he known she would be like this, he would have avoided standing out at all costs.
‘Well, I’ll find out if I see more.’
“Aro, what are you doing?”
“It’s nothing.”
Colos called out to the lingering Aro. Aro withdrew his gaze and resumed walking toward Roa.
After meeting with the High Priest, Litia was guided by a priest to receive her Temes assignment.
“As you already know, these knights will remain by your side going forward, so the more you speak with them, the better you’ll be able to choose those who suit you. It’s unfortunate—you would have had more options if you had come earlier.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m more worried that I might have disrupted their training.”
“You needn’t worry about that. This way, please.”
After passing through several corridors and turning in the indicated direction, they arrived at the area where the knight orders trained. It was a separate building altogether, equipped with a massive training ground.
In the distance, holy knights could be seen training, glowing faintly blue.
Litia, who hadn’t been nervous even in front of Roa, looked around with a slightly tense expression.
“The regular holy knights are here as well, right?”
“Yes. Ah, that’s correct. They’re knights who were excluded from the selection, so you don’t need to greet them. The Temes candidates’ lounge is on the right—shall we head there?”
Instead of answering, Litia stopped walking.
‘Two will be enough.’
Before coming, Litia had already decided who she wanted to choose. They weren’t officially selected as Temes candidates, but among the holy knights who joined as backup, there were two who performed so exceptionally in the original story that their names were mentioned.
Since she had to choose without knowing anyone anyway, she decided she would choose those two.
The problem was that there were no descriptions—only names. She had to find them using just their names and the fact that they were regular holy knights.
“Priest.”
“Yes?”
“If I were to ask those knights over there, what would happen?”
“Pardon? But…”
“Is there a rule that says I absolutely cannot?”
“There’s no such rule, but since these knights will serve you, there’s no need to avoid those already selected through achievements and duels.”
“Then that means I can ask them.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I think choosing just two would be enough…”
“…Only two?”
“Ah, they’ll need to rotate, right? Then three?”
The priest wiped sweat from his brow.
His reaction was understandable. Other candidates always brought the maximum number because even the best Temes never felt like enough. Some even asked if they could bring more.
Some families even made discreet deals behind the scenes.
All such requests were rejected according to regulations, but this was the first time someone wanted fewer.
And not only was she choosing from regular holy knights, she wanted only two.
While other holy knights and priests would accompany the pilgrimage, nobles valued appearances. Once Temes were assigned, they liked dressing them in uniform and showing them off.
It was proof that they were protected by the god, accompanied by his servants.
But she said she didn’t need that many?
The priest had intended to take special care of her, as someone His Holiness cherished like a niece, but things were unfolding completely opposite to his expectations, making him sweat.
He even worried whether His Holiness would be displeased if he failed to provide enough support.
‘Still, he told me to grant her wishes…’
The priest smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“Very well. If that is what you wish, you may do so.”
Litia’s face brightened.
“Then, Priest, I’d like to greet the holy knights over there.”
The priest nodded with an awkward smile. She might still change her mind before departure; he could advise her again later.
“Sir Cadis. Could you gather the knights for a moment?”
The priest called out to the nearest holy knight.
A knight in armor with closely cropped hair approached briskly.
“Sir Refe. All of them?”
“Ah, just those over there should be enough.”
“The Lady wishes to choose her Temes here.”
The priest added after Litia spoke.
“Yes, tha—…Pardon?”
The knight, who had answered readily and turned to gather them, snapped back around, his voice rising half an octave.
“You wish to choose your Temes here?”
“Yes. Of course, I plan to ask for the knights’ opinions as well.”
Cadis looked even more astonished.
Originally, becoming Temes was not a mutual agreement.
Consideration could be given, but the right to choose lay solely with the noble Tenia candidate.
It was merely consideration—there was no right of refusal. Noble pride could not be damaged.
Choosing from regular knights instead of Temes candidates was already unprecedented, and her approach was even more unusual.
Cadis glanced at the priest again. Only after the priest nodded did Cadis regain his composure.
“Ah, I see. Please wait a moment.”
As Cadis loudly gathered the knights, Litia soon found herself facing about twenty holy knights who had finished training.
They exchanged glances, seemingly trying to understand what was going on.
“We greet the future Tenia.”
“May Athes’s light dwell with you.”
The holy knights knelt on one knee in unison to greet her.
“May Lord Athes’s blessing always be with you. Thank you for taking the time to meet me.”
Litia returned the greeting and examined the knights. Calling them by name right away would clearly be strange, so she hurriedly searched for those matching the descriptions.
‘At the very least, one was said to be as big as a shield… They’re all big, though. The other had a short but playful way of speaking, so I might be able to identify him by listening.’
All of them had solid builds and wore armor. Unless someone stood out, the only visible difference was height. Trying to see further back, she stood on her toes. As she hopped slightly, one exceptionally tall knight caught her eye.
‘So big!’
