5. Holy Knight Commander Delrin
“Unfortunately, it’s not the reward you wanted.”
“Ugh, then what is the reward?”
Lete asked with a face full of regret. Ethan swiped his hand through the air, floating a screen.
“You will receive a 1-time meeting ticket.”
“Meeting ticket?”
Lete’s gaze locked onto the screen.
First. Debutante completed!
Please receive the 1-time meeting ticket from your mailbox.
Tip! The meeting ticket can only be used on capture targets.
Lete’s mouth stretched nearly to her ears. It was a reward that rivaled goods.
“Yes. You can summon the desired capture target anytime for one meeting.”
“Thank you for telling me, Ethan.”
“This is my job.”
Ethan replied businesslike, as if deliberately drawing a line, and stood from his seat.
As he rose, the teacups naturally slid away and vanished.
“Still. Not everyone takes responsibility even for the same task. You could’ve brushed it off, but you’re deliberately giving me time right now.”
“I don’t understand.”
Ethan frowned faintly. His face truly showed he didn’t comprehend Lete’s words.
“Talking with you, Ethan, has restored my sanity. You spoke as if waiting for me to calmly manage my emotions.”
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“Intended or not, you helped me, and I’m saying thank you.”
At Lete’s words, Ethan turned coldly.
“Guidance is complete, so I’ll take my leave. Press the question mark at the bottom of the screen when you need me, and I’ll come.”
“Bye, Ethan.”
He’s shy.
Lete grinned bashfully as she watched Ethan leave.
Unlike the tutorial-like debutante episode, the temple episode was the true start of the game.
Recalling the game content, Lete frowned lightly.
“The temple episode feels a bit off.”
This game was definitely closer to healing. Just the absence of tentacles or monsters was enough.
But villains undeniably existed. Temple Pope Alexandre.
Because of him, the capture targets—including Lete—face threats. Of course, he’s just story seasoning, not a major role.
“Hmm. It’ll be fine, I guess.”
Divine power can’t kill people, and black magic or anything like that doesn’t appear in the story.
The only misfortunes are Lete’s father’s death and the later confrontation with the temple?
“Let’s start.”
Lete took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Once again, the surrounding sounds grew distant, and unfamiliar noises began.
“Lady Étoile.”
At the voice calling her, Lete opened her eyes.
She hadn’t meant to certify as a core fan this way, but she could tell who it was just from the voice with her eyes closed.
“Ah. Hello. Delrin-nim.”
Lete greeted first with leisurely grace, mimicking etiquette fairly well.
Delrin was exactly as he appeared on screen.
Delicate light green hair and transparent sky-blue eyes. A look that suited the word ‘beautiful’ perfectly.
“May I ask how you remember my name, my lady?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know Delrin-nim? The whole country was buzzing that you possess the greatest divine power among all knight commanders in history.”
As she said ‘buzzing,’ Lete shrugged her shoulders, reenacting the atmosphere of the time.
Lete’s words weren’t exaggerated. The character description in the game stated that the entire country buzzed when the one with the greatest divine power in history became Holy Knight Commander.
In a setting where the temple’s power is relatively weak, for the Holy Knight Commander to be a protagonist candidate, that level of ability was natural.
But Delrin seemed to think differently. His lips stiffened.
“Please call me just Delrin. No matter that I’m the knight commander, I come from commoners.”
“…Yes?”
Lete’s expression turned peculiar at his words.
The line Delrin was supposed to say now was ‘Is that so. I suppose I should call it an honor.’
But the dialogue had changed.
Lete had clearly recited the exact line from the game. Yet the dialogue changing was enough to instill a strange unease.
‘Did the freedom increase because of my possession?’
For now, judging that the degree of freedom had changed was the most rational.
Finishing her thoughts, Lete looked up to see Delrin’s darkened face.
“My inauguration was buzzing for other reasons as well, so you must already know, my lady. My origins.”
He already looked delicate, so that expression just made one want to meddle unnecessarily.
“Delrin-nim. Achievements earned through one’s own efforts deserve more recognition than a birth one didn’t earn.”
“That’s—”
The moment Lete spoke a line deviating from the story, a strange static noise mixed in her ears.
At the same time, someone slipped between Lete and Delrin without a sound and spoke.
“Countess Étoile, welcome.”
Lete’s expression soured instantly upon confirming the stranger’s face.
She was in the middle of eye-cleansing—why suddenly appear with such a realistic face?
Still, Lete, who hadn’t thrown away her social skills, bowed her head politely.
“Hello. I came to donate and pray a bit.”
At the mention of donation, his eyes gleamed slickly, gleamed. Lete clicked her tongue inwardly.
The high priest’s mouth stretched ear-to-ear upon glimpsing the luggage cart behind Lete.
“I’ll guide you. This way.”
“Ah, no. I’ve already asked this gentleman for directions. Thank you for the offer, but he’s agreed to guide me.”
‘Damn suspicious humans.’
Lete brazenly grabbed Delrin’s armor. A flash of bewilderment crossed Delrin’s face, but fortunately, he seemed to let it pass without comment.
The high priest had no choice but to release Lete with a face full of regret.
Delrin, guiding Lete to the prayer room, stopped when all signs of people around had vanished.
“Is there something you wish to say to me?”
“Hm? Ah, no. I just trust Delrin-nim far more than the high priest.”
Really, she just hated the high priest. Delrin was a capture male lead candidate either way. In short, guaranteed.
But the high priest was not.
Because the temple is rotten!
Very realistically, at that!
“No matter that I’m the Holy Knight Commander, a knight is a knight. The high priest would know the temple far better than I.”
“It seems the temple treats knights quite poorly?”
“That’s absolutely not true!”
At Delrin’s protest, Lete snorted inwardly. Not true, my foot.
Among the temple’s deeds, bribery was the cute level.
They illegally sold orphans to slave auctions, sold divine power to nobles for money.
They even killed four officials investigating an incident to cover it up.
“You’re not just any holy knight but the commander—why do you keep lowering yourself? I don’t understand.”
“…That’s.”
“Shouldn’t you be the proudest?”
“…….”
Those with good birth and divine power become official priests, rising to high priest and eating their fill.
Conversely, those with poor birth but great skill and divine power are raised as knights and enter the Holy Knights.
Knights’ working hours: 12 hours a day. Monthly salary.
“With the Holy Knights’ treatment needing improvement, you should be fighting everywhere, yet the commander himself is cowering—what are we to do?”
“Our mission is to protect the temple according to God’s will and punish those who tarnish God’s name. Treatment is absurd.”
Argh! Lete let out a silent scream, clutching her head.
‘What is he saying! Accepting passion pay? Insane? The temple you protect is tarnishing God’s name! Aaaah!’
Words she couldn’t spit out rose to the tip of her throat.
Just watching Lete, who seemed more frustrated and annoyed than he was, Delrin felt a strange sense of relief.
“Ha. Let’s end the conversation here, Delrin-nim. Unless you want to see me collapse clutching the back of my neck by that vase.”
“If my words discomforted you, my lady, I apologize.”
Unable to bear it, Lete grabbed both of Delrin’s arms and shouted firmly.
“No apologies! No talking about origins!”
“……Yes?”
Startled, Delrin blinked his delicate eyes. His eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
But right now, Lete’s eyes registered none of his gorgeous appearance. Only a sense of mission to fix that damn cowering state.
Today, as a player, I will definitely raise your self-esteem and leave.
