Chapter 14
“Guild Master! Castle! Knights! Now! The main gate!!”
“-What is it?”
“Knights! The main gate! There are so many!!”
“What do you mean, knights? Of course the guild has plenty of knights.”
He grabbed Sol’s arm without catching his breath, panting out nonsensical words in broken bursts. But neither Sol nor the other knights could understand what the gatekeeper was saying.
“What did you say?! Are you saying paladins have stormed the main gate?!”
The only one who could perfectly understand that garbled statement was Yurian, who had spent the past three years making a living listening to children’s babble. Nodding vigorously at her transcendent translation, the gatekeeper froze in place, as did everyone else. Paladins… here? Why? How?!
While everyone else was thrown into panic, Sol’s eyes gleamed with a deadly light as he grabbed Lucas by the collar. No one in the knight guild would dare betray the guild master. Therefore, there was only one conclusion.
“Coward! Was this your doing?!”
“Do not insult me! No matter how rotten, I would never side with the paladins!”
—Shouldn’t you side with them only if they weren’t rotten? They’re paladins, after all. That holy-whatever thing…
Yurian wanted to say that, but the tension between the two men was too fierce to insert nonsense. Instead, she clapped twice, drawing everyone’s attention to herself. Now wasn’t the time to argue who was at fault—it was time to handle the situation.
“Sol, let’s deal with the aftermath later and move first. Everyone, help out.”
Dealing with the Tower Master could be done safely elsewhere. She instructed the knights to hide the mage cloaks where they wouldn’t be seen, the gatekeeper to return to the gate and follow the manual, and herself, Sol, and Lucas—the ones who absolutely could not be seen—to hide in the guild’s residential quarters.
‘Ah, my lord—.’
Sol looked at her with a mix of admiration and respect. Her charisma allowed no room for dissent, and the way she commanded subordinates with just a tilt of her chin radiated the noble dignity only those born noble could possess.
It was a nobility he could never hope to have, no matter how hard he struggled. Once again, Sol felt his own limitations as well as a surge of emotion, and he swallowed his complex feelings.
“Lady Yurian, your place is certainly above ours.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Ordering knights we’ve never met before and getting them to act in perfect unison—only someone born to be a leader could do that. Even if you are called by a commoner’s name, your soul is that of a noble.”
Yurian stopped in her tracks, blinking several times at Sol. Her expression mixed disbelief and amusement. She clicked her tongue lightly and shook her head.
“Sol, that’s what you call a teacher, not a noble. Try teaching a dozen crazy seven-year-olds for three weeks, and everyone ends up like this.”
“Ah.”
“Hey, you there! Stop slacking! Come on, children—uh, adults! Move quickly!”
As she clapped rhythmically and urged the adults forward, she looked every bit like a veteran childcare teacher. Lucas laughed loudly at Sol, who stood frozen and embarrassed. The others watching were impressed by the Tower Master’s audacity, dangling next to Sol yet refusing to stop provoking him. Some would call it bravado.
Soon, Lucas fell to the floor, rolling and screaming in frustration. All bark, no bite, yet so cheeky.
“That one really does seem stupid.”
As always, Rocsita’s sharp words perfectly wrapped up the situation.
‘Our operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please use operating hours to sign up as a new member.’
Following Yurian’s instructions, the gatekeeper returned to the main gate and recited the usual welcoming phrases. Despite waiting for a long time in front of the gate, the representative of the paladins politely stated his purpose with a gentle smile.
‘We are a paladin group dispatched from the Holy Kingdom. We have matters to discuss with someone inside.’
‘Someone inside? Who are you looking for? If you provide a name, we can let you know if they are on the premises.’
‘They will know best whom we have come to see.’
Still, the gatekeeper felt a chill from the man’s smile. The paladin wasn’t threatening or hostile; it was the deep, unfathomable transparency of his eyes, as if they knew everything, that made the gatekeeper uneasy.
‘T-The guild residence is off-limits to non-members. If you are not here to join the guild, please leave.’
Even so, the gatekeeper straightened his back and spoke. Though the aura of the paladins behind the man was intimidating, he had to perform his role.
All of this was for the guild master! The pitiful gatekeeper clenched his eyes and summoned his courage.
‘Very well. If that is the rule, there’s nothing I can do.’
Perhaps his courage reached the heavens. The paladin leader surprisingly accepted his words without issue. The gatekeeper, heart racing, let out a relieved sigh.
Suddenly, the paladin knelt on the dirt ground. One by one, the others followed suit, kneeling, clasping their hands, and bowing their heads.
‘W-What…?’
‘Everyone, let us pray together. May we grasp the helping hand extended by our brothers and sisters wandering in the secular world and guide them to the light.’
About a dozen paladins began praying. They remained kneeling all day, through sunset and sunrise, without even going to the restroom.
“Relentless fools.”
Yurian looked down at the praying paladins from the window of the royal suite on the fourth floor of the guild residence. Seeing their attire, she realized she had stepped into a very serious mess.
The paladin she met yesterday—that explains the overly white robes. They followed me, apparently.
“Attention is starting to focus on them. If rumors spread, it’ll be over in an instant. Shouldn’t we just handle this by force?”
“No, that would just make things more complicated.”
Seeing Yurian’s uneasy expression, Sol subtly placed his hand on his sword. She immediately shook her head. This was the knight guild’s territory; while Sol could easily expel the paladins, it would be troublesome if they caused complications.
Having a guild master declared a criminal would be awkward even for the guild. And there was no guarantee that the con artists they met in the square yesterday weren’t thinking the same way.
It would help if the Tower Master, in the same predicament, cooperated.
“Uh, guild master, the Tower Master and mages in the underground prison are complaining that the bread is too salty and the soup too bland, throwing absurd fits.”
“See? Handling it by force might be better…”
Yurian was growing tired of even saying no. If the mages hadn’t picked fights with innocent people, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. Sighing deeply, she rubbed her temples.
“Why in the world was the Tower Master wandering around there? With that mark on his face, boldly roaming the streets…”
Indeed, he was ridiculous. With a mark right in the middle of his face, he should’ve quietly stayed in the Tower, observing the situation. Instead, he walked around the streets wearing just a robe. Yurian’s irritated question made Sol pause before giving a subtle response.
“He said he was looking for his wallet.”
