Chapter 405

The morning of the Holy Kingdom, Elpireme, begins with the sound of bells.

The low, heavy tolling of the bell echoing from the cathedral’s bell tower.

The bell towers, erected to mark the start, middle, and end of each day, awaken at the appointed time and let out a thunderous roar.

In every region where people live, whether in the city or the countryside.

When the priests ring the bell, people must immediately stop what they’re doing, bow their heads, and offer prayers until the echoes fade away.

Giving thanks to the gods for a safe day and hoping for the blessing of a better future.

That was the daily life of the Holy Kingdom.

—

“So, everyone was doing that.”

I lay half-reclined on the bed in the lodging, looking out the window and nodding slightly.

Through the cigarette smoke that whitened the window, the cityscape flickered in and out of view.

The sight of everyone kneeling and bowing their heads in prayer, regardless of the street or alley, felt more eerie than reverent.

Even the brawlers in the back alleys stopped fighting and fervently joined in prayer.

“Interesting. Even the stray cats look like they’re about to bow their heads. Is it a big deal if you don’t follow prayer time?”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, no one knows what happens to those who break prayer time.”

Leonor chuckled softly and made a slicing motion across her neck with her hand.

So, if you break it, you get ‘disappeared.’ How thrilling.

“Do I have to pray too?”

“Not really. Neither you nor I are citizens of the Holy Kingdom or members of the Church Order, so technically, we don’t need to pray. But… it’s better not to wander around during this time. Everyone’s bowing their heads, and if we walk around casually, we’ll stand out too much, and the Holy Kingdom’s people won’t take kindly to it.”

True, if there’s someone wandering around while everyone else is praying, even I’d wonder what’s up with that guy.

I clearly don’t look like a Holy Kingdom citizen, but Leonor’s race isn’t easily distinguishable, so she might get into unnecessary trouble.

By the time I finished a cigarette, the echoes of the bell had completely faded.

The people who had been praying straightened up and returned to their daily lives, and the brawlers in the back alleys got back up and resumed punching each other.

Hilarious.

The sight of someone who got up late being beaten up by someone who got up earlier was a farce beyond farce.

[How pitiful, fighting like that. Do you find that amusing?]

Hersela, seeing me snickering, made a dismissive remark.

‘Of course.’

You barbarian, you wouldn’t understand. There’s nothing more entertaining than watching pathetic people fight.

If it were a thug beating up a civilian, I’d step in, but both of them had shaved heads, tattoos, and scars, so they’re probably in the same line of work. No need to intervene.

[If it were swordplay, maybe, but finding amusement in brats punching each other? You’re not a child, what’s wrong with you…]

Ignoring Hersela’s tsk-tsking, I lit another cigarette and continued watching the fight.

The one-sided fight took a new turn when the thug being beaten pulled something from his waist and swung it.

‘Look at that guy. He pulled a knife?’

Drawing a weapon because he’s losing a fistfight? What a petty thug.

The knife he pulled out was shorter than a forearm, just a dagger… but even a short blade can’t be ignored unless you’re wearing armor.

The man who got slashed on the forearm also drew a dagger, and the fistfight turned into a bloody battle.

‘This is the swordplay you wanted. Is it more entertaining now?’

[Even a ten-year-old wouldn’t swing a dagger like that. But… well… the blood splatter does make it more interesting.]

Yeah, I knew you’d like it, you savage.

—

The outcome of the swordplay was anticlimactic.

The thug who drew the knife first stabbed his opponent in the side and laughed, thinking he had won, but the stabbed thug slashed his neck and cut his throat.

A strategy of giving flesh to take bone, I guess.

Though he collapsed soon after, probably from stabbing too deep.

After that, the people hiding in the alley, watching the fight, swarmed the corpses like crows, stripping them of their belongings.

Wallets, daggers, even the torn clothes and the underwear beneath.

Only the two bloodied corpses with their buttocks exposed remained in the back alley corner.

I laughed, feeling like I’d just watched a comedy, and brushed off the cigarette ash.

‘What a sight, truly hilarious.’

Hersela, sharing the sentiment, burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Lacey and Rana, having finished their prayers, returned with Nigel and Bels, who were escorting them, just as I was putting out my second cigarette.

“Sister! We’re done with prayers!”

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s morning, so shall we go for breakfast?”

“Yeah. We should wake Damien and Milia soon. Let’s go, Leonor.”

I placed the extinguished cigarette in the ashtray and got up, putting on my coat.

Though it’s more of a short armor covering the shoulders.

“The two of them are already up. They were talking in the hallway.”

Nigel pointed down the hallway with his thumb.

Already up? That’s surprisingly early for them.

“Oh? They must have gone to bed early last night.”

Damien and Milia were still sharing the same room.

Since entering the Holy Kingdom, they’ve been a bit more restrained about their passionate nights.

Being in enemy territory, they’ve put aside their travel mood and focused on their duties, reminding me that they are indeed knight trainees.

As we stepped out of the bedroom, Lacey and Rana naturally flanked me, walking side by side.

Leonor, Nigel, and Bels, true to their roles as escort knights, followed behind.

“Were you watching outside?”

“Yeah, it was more interesting than I thought. There are differences and similarities with other countries. Quite entertaining.”

“What aspects do you mean?”

Whenever the topic of the Holy Kingdom came up, Lacey would persistently ask for my impressions.

As if she wanted me to take an interest in the Holy Kingdom.

Perhaps she even hoped I’d convert to the Holy Kingdom.

Though, of course, it would be ‘Lacey’s Holy Kingdom,’ not the current one.

But, unfortunately for her… I didn’t see much merit.

This place isn’t some earthly paradise, and aside from the religious aspects, there’s not much difference from other countries.

“The upper echelons might have issues, but the ordinary city… I expected something orderly and heavenly, but seeing it in person, it’s not much different from other cities. The back alleys are full of the poor and thugs.”

The capital might be different, but this city is essentially no different from the Empire’s cities.

The only unique things are religious events like prayer time and the colorful roofs painted according to each person’s religion.

The social structure of a glamorous upper class, a peaceful middle class, and a miserable lower class is the same here.

“…It wasn’t like this before.”

A shadow crossed Lacey’s face.

She said that even when she was very young, numerous priests led efforts to aid the poor and maintain order, so slums like these didn’t exist.

There were poor and delinquents, but the recent surge happened only in the last few years.

It’s said to be the fallout of the Church Order shifting its focus from realizing an ideal society to competing for supremacy among orders… but from what I saw, such people have probably existed all along.

The surprisingly large number of the poor, and the way they stripped the corpses so naturally.

—

After meeting Milia at the end of the hallway and chatting, we all went down to the dining hall.

True to a high-class lodging in the Holy Kingdom, the dining hall was not extravagant but neat and quaint. The food was quite tasty too.

Well, given the lodging fee we paid, it should be.

Originally, as a saint candidate, Lacey could have gotten free lodging, but since she’s been temporarily demoted to a regular priest, that benefit was lost, and we had to pay.

If we chose another lodging, it would be too crowded, making it hard to keep an eye on our surroundings, and meeting with the Special Operations Unit would be more troublesome.

I thought they’d all be gathered in the capital, but apparently not.

They’re spread across major cities in the Holy Kingdom, gathering local information.

There are a couple in this city, but I haven’t seen them, so I don’t know who they are.

They said they’d come tonight, so I’ll meet them soon.

“So, do we just rest here today?”

“For now. It’ll take about three days to reach Alhebron, so it’s best to gather as much information as possible before then. I’ve been away from the Holy Kingdom for a while, so I need time to understand its current state.”

Indeed, gathering information was necessary.

We didn’t even know about the important fact that Lacey’s saint candidacy had been suspended until we arrived in the Holy Kingdom.

“Then, can Damien and I go out for a bit? Since we’re here, we’d like to look around.”

“Do as you please. Just don’t get lost.”

Milia and Damien aren’t the type to cause trouble, and it’s unlikely that two skilled fighters would get into trouble in broad daylight in the city.

Lacey’s escort is covered by me, Leonor, Nigel, and Bels.

Milia, smiling, finished her meal and left the lodging with Damien.

Bels went off somewhere on Lacey’s orders, and the rest of us went back upstairs.

Honestly, I’d like to wander around too… but since I’m tasked with Lacey’s escort, if she doesn’t go out, I have to stay here, which is a bit frustrating.