CHAPTER 1.

An eternal blessing that will never fall down

“Today, in this place, I appoint ten brothers and sisters as priests of the Kanbremes Cathedral.”

A solemn voice filled the quiet temple. As the Pope finished speaking, the overwhelming emotion that had settled over the faces of those who had been novice priests until a little while ago subsided. Kneeling reverently with one knee as they solemnly conducted the ordination ceremony, the priests began to rise one by one and walk towards the Pope to receive blessings in turn.

“Glory to God.”

During the mass, the temple, which was usually packed with people squeezing in without room to move, was surprisingly quiet. Even though a few people occupied long chairs, there was still plenty of space left. This was because not many were interested in ceremonies like the ordination of novice priests. Empty seats scattered around, sunlight pouring in through long and large windows, and even the small amount of dust floating in between the light.

However, this made the ordination ceremony even more quiet and sacred. Everyone who came to witness the ceremony held their breath and watched in awe as ten novice priests were born as official priests in a glorious scene.

It was truly…

“…….”

disgustingly boring.

Thinking this, Seiden slowly rolled his eyes. Then, in this boring and tedious landscape, something appeared that was not boring at all, something that made the blood in his whole body flow back in an instant and even made something in his mind break at the tip of his head.

Seiden’s gaze lingered on a woman with light brown hair and blue eyes. As always, the woman who captivated his gaze was Bellota Rosebeth, the saintess of the Runhardt Empire.

If you were a citizen of the Runhardt Empire, you would know about Saintess Bellota Rosebeth. She was an orphan abandoned in a rural temple, blind from birth. Yet on her seventeenth birthday, she was reborn as the Empire’s saintess, a child of God, along with immense divine power and foresight. After the war with the demons ended, for a hundred years, no divine message came down except for the one bestowing the saintess. Now, she is the sole proof of the divine and the mercy of the gods themselves, Saint Bellota Rosebeth.

Yet, on her seventeenth birthday, she was newly born as a saintess of the empire, receiving immense divine power and grace along with her divine foresight. In the hundred years after the war with demons ended, no other divine oracles have descended except for the bestowal of sainthood upon the saintess. She was the only proof of God and mercy itself.

On her birthday, along with the Pope, six priests received decrees at the same time. They immediately rushed to a rural temple 300 miles away from the capital, brought Bellota back, and announced to the entire empire that a saintess had been born.

The people of the Runhardt Empire praised and loved Bellota Rosebeth, who fulfilled her duties as a saintess from that moment until today, risking danger only for God and the empire. The filthy power of the demons seemed like it could never touch the holy and shining beautiful saintess…

Bellota.

Seiden silently rolled that distant name in his mouth. Each time he rolled out a pronunciation he had never tried before, his red pupils darkened slightly.

Standing behind the Pope on the right, Bellota watched the ordination ceremony holding ten lilies in her hands. The dazzling sunlight poured in through the long glass behind her.

Seiden quietly watched as the dazzling sunlight poured over her shining dark brown hair more brightly than that sunlight. Although the blinding sunlight also poured over his pupils, Seiden did not frown for a moment.

The appointed priests approached Bellota one by one to receive the lilies granted by the saintess. As he watched her bright blue eyes and affectionate smile filled with distant benevolence following them, Seiden thought. He’s truly cursed with madness.

Finally, as the ordination ceremony came to an end, the Pope began his speech. All eyes were on the Pope, but Seiden’s gaze remained fixed on Bellota.

Stupid bastard.

Seiden inwardly criticized himself while swallowing a sigh. Watching that figure was so painful, yet he could not bring himself to stop.

How foolish it was of him to desire what one can never have.

“…….”

How pathetic it was for him to keep clinging despite knowing it was impossible.

“…….”

Yes, I know. I know it all.

As Seiden gritted his teeth, strong muscles tightened under his jawline. Seiden was so preoccupied with fighting his ungodly emotions rising from deep within his heart that he did not notice some faithful devotees glancing at him.

Then it happened. Bellota’s head, which had been fixed on the boring speech of the Pope all along, moved slightly. As if sensing something, her gaze slowly turned towards a corner of the temple. Sensing that subtle movement. His red eyes narrowed slightly.

“…….”

And finally, Bellota’s gaze met Seiden’s as she stared fixedly at him from his spot in the corner of the temple. Her gaze paused for a moment. Bellota clearly looked at the knight with striking black hair.

Seiden’s startled heart fluctuated amusingly at the unexpected situation before settling down again. Bellota’s blue eyes seemed to become like the eternal demonic flames that never go out, igniting his foolish heart. However, the momentary excessive joy quickly ended as Bellota’s gaze returned to the Pope.

“…….”

Seiden continued to look at Bellota. She had a calm and serene face as if nothing had happened. As if nothing had happened…

Only then did Seiden’s intense gaze slowly waver away. His heart, which had seemed ready to burst until his throat swelled up, quickly regained its normal size as if all the air had been let out. Seiden casually glanced at Philip’s faded blonde hair bobbing up and down as he dozed off in front of him.

Yes, I know it all. That God’s gaze, which is reflected in Bellota’s eyes, will never be granted to me.

* * *

“Have you seen your Commander? Why is his aura so cold again?”

The first person to notice that something was amiss with Seiden upon his return from the ordination ceremony was his subordinate and the Deputy Commander of the Holy Knights, Kabillon.

Kabillon had been with Seiden since he chose the path of the Holy Knights at the age of eighteen, spending nearly 7 years together. Having trudged through the mud together during that time, Kabillon was more confident than anyone else in reading Seiden’s mood just by looking at his expression. The knights who had been resting in the courtyard were immediately uneasy at Kabillon’s ominous tone.

“What? Why? Does the Commander seem upset? Oh, darn it, it’s only been three days since he returned!”

“Ah, I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“I knew this would happen, that’s why I didn’t say anything. Learn from me.”

As the knights began to feel anxious, Kabillon, who had been nonchalantly scratching his chin, called out to Philip.

“Hey, Philip. Didn’t you go out with the Commander this morning?”

“Yes? Where to?”

“To the ordination ceremony for the priests.”

Upon hearing this, Philip’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The Commander went there?”

How foolish. As Kabillon narrowed his eyes, expressing his disdain, Philip quickly avoided his gaze.

“He must have gone and dozed off again.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“What do you mean no. Just admit it.”

“I really didn’t…”

Although Philip muttered indignantly, Kabillon had already lost interest in him and furrowed his brow seriously as he fell into contemplation. Seeing Seiden’s eyes, which seemed carefree until last night, clearly darkened, it was evident that something had happened during the ordination ceremony.

“What’s going on.”

Understanding Seiden Blackwood’s mood was crucial for the Holy Knights of the Kanbremes Cathedral, especially since he was both their Commander, and was also known as the ‘Mad Dog of Kanbremes’. Because if his mood hits rock bottom…

“He couldn’t possibly be going out on another expedition after just a few days of returning, could he?”

He would have to leave immediately to slay demons. Kabillon shuddered at the thought of Seiden, with his mood plummeting, relentlessly cutting down demons without a moment’s rest like a madman with red eyes.

Seiden Blackwood. The legendary figure who, as the eldest son of the renowned Marquis of Blackwood, participated in a large-scale punitive war at the age of seventeen, spent two years fighting, and finally rose to the rank of the youngest Swordmaster at the age of nineteen by defeating the ferocious Deckdragon. He already unfairly possessed a breathtaking appearance as well, he was a callous man who made the countless maidens of the capital suffer every night.

And a man who rejected all the glory offered by the Empire and chose to become a Holy Knight himself, dedicating himself to God. While all the narratives surrounding Seiden were astonishing, what stood out the most was his unwavering commitment to maintain a demeanor completely opposite to that of a lion chosen by a god.

From the very beginning, even the nickname people used to refer to Seiden was telling. The Mad Dog of Kanbremes. Wasn’t it a title that didn’t suit a holy Commander of the cathedral? But it was a name that suited Seiden perfectly. A man who, regardless of permission or consent from the Pope, went out to exterminate demons every time he felt compelled to do so.

Watching demons being effortlessly defeated by Seiden alone made one wonder if perhaps the structure of good and evil was fundamentally flawed. Did God really command him to go that far…

So, what Kabillon and the Holy Knights were curious about was exactly that. Why did Seiden Blackwood’s mood suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorate to a point where they couldn’t even enjoy their days off?

“Deputy Commander, please try to calm him down a bit. It’s his younger brother’s wedding in three days!”

“Calm down. It doesn’t seem that bad yet.”

Recalling Seiden’s expression from earlier, Kabillon reassessed the level of discomfort he saw in his eyes. It was definitely tinged with anger, but at the same time, there seemed to be a strange sense of exhilaration… Geez, is he crazy or what?

While scratching his head, Kabillon suddenly turned to Philip.

“Hey, Philip! Did nothing really happen during the ordination ceremony?”