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Erin looked down at Ophilia with a very satisfied smile and performed a simple ceremony to appoint her as a Holy Knight.

She gently touched Ophilia’s head and shoulders, then took out the Bible she always carried with her and placed it on her forehead.

“This body, solely for the sake of God Igguoqueden.”

“The will of God is my will, the path I must take.”

“The honorable position of Holy Knight Plate, even if it’s the lowest seat, I will accept it with glory.”

After that, the ceremony ended with Ophilia reading a simplified version of the “Holy Knight Oath.”

Erin said with a sun-like smile,

“Since you will likely have to leave this place, please come to the plaza in front of the Igguoqueden Cathedral as soon as you are ready.”

“I’ve seen the cathedral while passing by. It’s the building with the tallest spire, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Although now it’s in the past tense…”

“What…?”

Smiling like she could burst at any moment, she said—

“It collapsed.”

“It collapsed…?”

“Yes. By the will of God.”

As Erin said this, she lowered her head and prayed.

“Everything is by God’s will.”

A cathedral that was intact suddenly collapsing by the will of God.

Despite the perfectly reasonable doubts one could have about the situation, Ophilia respectfully bowed her head instead of expressing surprise or asking questions.

She had always lived without deeply considering “the will of God.”

If God thinks so, then so be it—that was her motto.

“I understand. I will head to meet the Saint as soon as possible. Take care.”

“Alright. Until we meet again, Ophilia. Farewell.”

After Saint Erin left,

“Miss!!”

The maids who normally accompanied Ophilia approached her.

“Ophilia! You’ve finally become the Holy Knight you’ve always dreamed of! Congratulations!”

“Um, thank you.”

“You rejected Erdulf’s family proposal not long ago. I was really worried you might have to give up being a knight.”

“This one is really something. Our lady refused the knightly proposals from the Royal Knight Order and the Knightheart family, so why would she suddenly drop her standards for Erdulf’s family?”

“I’m so glad the Saint appeared…”

After some light banter, one of the maids asked with a worried expression.

“So, you won’t be coming back to the mansion for a while, right?”

“That seems likely. A long outing… No, more like abandoning the house altogether… for service?”

“You’re talking about marriage, right?”

“Yes. Marriage. It seems it will be a long one.”

Usually, the length of marriage isn’t discussed, but the maids seemed accustomed to this conversation and didn’t raise any objections.

“It feels a bit sad. If you’re not here, I think it will be very noticeable. The empty space will stand out so much…”

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

Ophilia said this, then closed her hands and bowed her head in prayer—

“I dedicate this body to serve God for life.”

Filled with devotion, her golden eyes sparkled.

The maids viewing Ophilia in that moment felt a mix of emotions—reverence.

Ophilia Translerente.

Born as the only daughter of the prestigious Translerente family, she had shown exceptional talent as a “genius knight” since her childhood.

Even at the young age of 23, she had achieved a certain “level,” receiving numerous offers to scout from many nobles, even the Royal Knight Order.

However, Ophilia had firmly rejected all offers, including that of the royal family, saying she needed “more time.”

The reason for her refusals was simple— “I want to live a life serving God Igguoqueden.” Of course, serving God ultimately meant becoming a Holy Knight.

When one day, the Saint appeared, her desire to become a Holy Knight was revealed.

It was logical to wait for God’s word as long as she was young; her steadfast nature and faithfulness made it only natural for countless knights to admire her.

The same went for the servants.

Employers and employees. Even with some status differences, Ophilia mingled with the maids without hesitation.

They all deeply respected and followed Ophilia, who treated them with courtesy beyond class differences.

Even if there were better-paying jobs, most servants of the Translerente family had been with her for at least three years.

At least in her eyes, before God, all humans were equal.

Reputation.

Among the three “Holy Knight Plates,” Ophilia had the most reputation.

“Miss… I will miss you a lot.”

“Even while serving the Saint, there will be plenty of opportunities to visit here, so you needn’t be too sad. I will gladly make time to come see you again.”

At that moment,

One maid approached and whispered with concern.

“Miss. I’d like to express my worries, but…”

“Um?”

“I don’t really know much about a knight named Luka Hebnisian, but Princess Linea von Einsberg has a rather bad reputation. You are such a kind soul, but not everyone is as good as you, so please—”

“Beluna.”

Ophilia cut off the maid’s advice.

“Sorry for interrupting, but I don’t want to hear gossip about my soon-to-be colleague who I haven’t even met yet. How can you label someone just based on rumors?”

“…My apologies.”

Once the maids all left,

Ophilia was finally alone again and offered another prayer.

Talking to God while organizing her thoughts through prayer had been her habit since childhood.

“God Igguoqueden, thank you for the grace of appointing me as a Holy Knight. Please grant me God’s…”

God’s… what was it again?

“Deep…?”

She couldn’t recall the following word.

Despite having memorized it numerous times, it still didn’t stick in her head.

“I lack practice.”

Ophilia let out a short sigh.

However, just because she couldn’t remember doesn’t mean she could avoid God.

“I hope to receive God’s deep ‘that.’ I shall gladly accept and fill it with this body.”

With that short, heartfelt prayer, as she was about to move,

—Thud!

With the loud sound of the circlet hitting the floor, Ophilia stumbled and fell.

For a moment, her ears turned bright red, but fortunately, there was no one around.

Ophilia quickly got up and dusted herself off.

“Falling because I couldn’t pick the right path to walk. This too is a trial from God. I will surely overcome this trial.”

So what if she fell?

Dusting herself off and moving forward is what mattered.

If she thought of it as training, wouldn’t it be delightful?

With that thought… Ophilia slowly took her first steps to becoming a Holy Knight Plate.

* * *

The meaning of Holy Knight Plate—three Holy Knights.

Another female knight was listening to the message from Saint Erin.

However, this time her reaction was a bit different from Ophilia’s.

If Ophilia’s reaction could be summarized as reverence to God, this time the feeling was clearly different—bewilderment.

“Did you say Holy Knight Plate…?”

“Yes. Three Holy Knights come together to form one Holy Knight Plate… that is God’s will.”

“Then, you’re saying there are two more Holy Knights besides me?”

“That’s correct.”

With her long golden hair reminiscent of sunflowers and deep jade eyes capturing the essence of the royal family, the knight raised her brows in disbelief, then cautiously asked.

“So, all three candidates are…?”

“Yes. Based on God’s word and what is written in the Bible, we have newly selected the Holy Knight Plate.”

Linea von Einsberg, a candidate for the royal family’s Holy Knight, pondered for a moment before nodding her head.

Since there was no choice but to accept, there was no need for prolonged deliberation.

“…Understood. I will accept the position of Holy Knight Plate.”

After that, she performed a light oath with Erin and was informed that she could visit the Igguoqueden Cathedral under reconstruction when she was ready, marking the end of her audience with the Saint.

After Erin left, Linea wore a cautious expression, lost in thought.

“This… how should I accept it?”

The reason the royal family sought a position as a Holy Knight.

Creating a connection with the royal family just before the Saint appeared, strengthening the church’s influence and elevating the Pope’s authority.

However, that was only possible if there was at least one knight from the royal side involved.

With three Holy Knights, it became impossible for the royal family to use a knight as a hostage for control.

Now, they claimed to select three based on the Bible and whatever else… but if they weren’t pleased, they could easily dismiss one under the guise of God’s word, couldn’t they?

If that happened, the one with the weakest faith, Linea, would be the most at risk.

“Looks like I need to consult with my mother.”

With that thought, Linea hurriedly made her way to the Audience Room of Lord Igguoqueden’s Imperial Palace.