Chapter 4
The Holy Knights were hiding at every corner. They weren’t particularly strong, but there were too many of them, making them a nuisance to deal with. After kicking a knight in the chest and shoving him away, Stuart took a breath and glanced behind him.
The reason was simple—it had been eerily quiet back there for a while.
The carriage that should’ve been there—Lily’s red carriage—was gone. Stuart quickly looked around. Not only was the carriage missing, but so was the coachman who had been driving it.
Coachman Philip had worked at the Lefray estate since Stuart was barely walking. He had three sons around Stuart’s age and one daughter. Back when Stuart stayed in the North, Philip had always accompanied him. Stuart was close to Philip’s children as well, so Philip was someone he trusted deeply.
“Young master, please don’t worry. Surely nothing’s happened to Philip?”
“Philip has years of experience driving carriages, and he’s taken this route countless times. I’m sure he’s just hiding somewhere safe…”
The knights, unaware of Stuart’s growing anxiety, spoke casually. But as he ran with gritted teeth, someone suddenly let out a loud scream. It was Lily. Though her voice was a bit sharper and higher-pitched than usual, it was unmistakably hers. Only then did the knights begin running with serious expressions.
“Young Duke! You mustn’t come any closer!”
Lily’s red hair flickered into view as she screamed like a lightning strike. Stuart, stopping without realizing it, blinked several times. Men in black robes were surrounding her, their faces hidden.
One particularly tall figure was gripping Lily’s neck tightly and turned his head to Stuart.
“Tch… You arrived faster than expected…”
His voice, possibly altered with magic, was more beastly growl than human speech.
The knights behind Stuart, full of rage, shouted Philip’s name. Philip stood silently by the carriage, simply watching the scene. He had his palm clamped tightly over his mouth as if afraid any sound might escape. His eyes held fear, terror—and disturbingly, a strange flicker of ecstasy.
Stuart fought the urge to punch him and instead slashed a wave of sword energy toward the robed figures. A dark blue blade flew out and tore their robes. Lily took that chance to knee her captor’s weak spot and quickly escaped.
‘Who sent them?’
Was it the High Priest? Targeting him? But if they wanted to kill him, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to send an assassin at night rather than a whole mob?
He reasoned that since Lily had no combat ability or magic, and divine power couldn’t heal its own user, she’d never be able to resist an attack.
‘No, the High Priest isn’t that dumb… Well, he’s not exactly clever either…’
If this ambush happened right after leaving the temple, suspicion would fall on the High Priest first. Even he wouldn’t be foolish enough to invite such doubt.
So, were they after Stuart instead?
That seemed more plausible to Lily.
‘How many of these guys were hiding?’
As Stuart’s group approached, more black-robed men emerged from the surroundings.
Stuart, now beside Lily, swung his sword with one hand and pulled her behind him.
“Are you okay?”
His voice trembled with concern. Lily gave a big nod, and Stuart stared forward with a steely expression. The knights, who’d been relatively calm until now, were visibly tense.
‘What happens if the Young Duke gets hurt here?’
Lily, now behind him, couldn’t help thinking that. She had officially joined as a knight, yet here she was cowering behind him. If Duke Yvonne got word of this, would she be dismissed immediately?
Meanwhile, the man who had choked her was dueling Stuart. Unlike the pushovers before, this one was strong. And unfortunately, Stuart’s wrist was still injured. The robed attackers were both skilled and numerous.
‘Was this really the High Priest? Or did someone else join forces with him?’
The energy felt more like a dark mage’s than a priest’s. But didn’t dark mages despise the temple as much as they did the North? Why would those two factions team up… just to kill Lily?
Stuart frowned. The robed attackers were persistently aiming for his injured wrist.
Even Lily, a novice to swordsmanship, could tell his movements were slower.
When she tried to run toward him, someone grabbed her from behind—a robed man.
“Let go, you bastard! What, can’t fight one-on-one so you mob people? And you call yourselves knights?!”
Perhaps startled by such foul language from a supposed Saint Candidate, the man flinched but didn’t release her. She struggled in his grip, but he was far too strong.
As Lily screamed, Stuart was struck—his shoulder slashed, blood spraying. Seeing it unfold before her, Lily released a massive burst of divine power, despite being restrained.
It felt like the heavens had descended to earth.
A brilliant blue light poured from Lily’s body, covering stones and grass and soaking the ground. The knights froze in awe. Stuart’s bleeding shoulder healed instantly. Even his torn clothing reformed. His numb, aching wrist also felt light again.
On the other hand, the strength of the knight dueling Stuart began to wane.
‘So it wasn’t just a hunch.’
Stuart scoffed.
“Maybe you should rename your group—‘Drug Knights’ or something…”
The knight swung again, but Stuart stabbed him deep in the shoulder and kicked the sword from his hands. It spun away and fell over a cliff.
Watching the man stumble back, clutching his shoulder, Stuart plunged the sword again into the same spot and lightly twisted it.
He cast a soundproofing spell to muffle the knight’s scream and chuckled.
“I guess in the Capital, you can buy your knighthood with cash, huh?”
“Young master! Over there!”
Just as Stuart was about to speak again, the knights shouted. He looked over—and gasped.
“What the hell?!”
The carriage was gone. In its place stood a cluster of trees.
❀ ❀ ❀
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
Lily’s hair was disheveled, and she looked ghostly as she repeatedly apologized to Stuart. While he had been distracted, the enemies had recovered thanks to Lily’s divine power and escaped. Her bow was so deep, it looked like her head would hit the ground.
Stuart helped her up.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“But… wasn’t that carriage lent by His Majesty…?”
Tears welled up in Lily’s eyes. She hadn’t used divine power in so long and lost control. Who would’ve thought the carriage would turn back into a tree?
She’d always heard divine power amplified plant life, but she’d never actually tried it.
The knights stared at the tree in amazement. Some tapped the bark or peeled it cautiously. Watching this, Stuart said:
“More importantly, are you okay? You used too much power. How’s your body?”
“It’s fine! I’ll be completely recovered after a good night’s sleep.”
Lily waved her hands. Her face was a little pale, but she seemed well.
Still, the knights looked puzzled and asked carefully:
“Isn’t divine power supposed to heal people?”
They hadn’t expected a real answer—temple folk usually clammed up when asked.
But surprisingly, Lily answered clearly.
“The research is lacking, so it’s not 100% proven, but the leading theory is that divine power restores things to their original state. That’s why it doesn’t work on all diseases.”
Everyone thought divine power was a miracle cure, but chronic or congenital conditions couldn’t be healed. The temple worked hard to hide that fact.
“So that’s why the Duke said that,” muttered the knights, nodding.
“Then why does the temple promote it like it’s a miracle?” one asked.
“Because they’ve got nothing else going for them,” Lily replied dryly.
The knights burst into laughter. Even Stuart, who had looked deeply worried, managed a faint smile.
Except for one.
Philip stood silently, his gaze fixed on Lily. His stare was so intense she thought it might burn her alive. Rage swirled violently in his eyes. Lily didn’t know where that fury came from—and didn’t want to find out.
“Philip.”
Stuart, wiping tears from laughing, called out.
“Yes, young master.”
Philip answered quietly, bowing. The knights, still by the tree, turned solemnly toward him.
“This place is way too overgrown. Perfect for an ambush, wouldn’t you say?”
Stuart’s voice was calm and crisp, his elegant tone floating in the air. His long lashes cast shadows near his eyes.
“If you were truly trying to protect Miss Lily, you shouldn’t have brought her here.”
“It was a lapse in judgment, young master.”
“It was such an uncharacteristic mistake from you, I was quite surprised.”
“…My apologies.”
Philip offered no excuse. Stuart glanced subtly at the captain, who gave a barely noticeable nod.
“Then shall we head out again? Miss Lily, come. We left the carriage on the roadside.”
As Stuart gently pulled her along, Lily belatedly realized—he had dropped the honorifics when addressing Philip.
Even though he was always polite to knights, servants, and even her.
‘Is he angry?’
Lily turned to look at the tree that used to be the imperial carriage.
‘I hope he’s not mad because of me…’
She peeked at Stuart’s back. His broad shoulders moved smoothly and confidently. The towering trees on either side of the road were green and beautiful, but Lily couldn’t take her eyes off that back.
