“Waaah! It’s a sword, a sword!”
“There are real knights, too! Look over there!”
“Everyone, be quiet. We mustn’t disturb the knights during their training.”
Shhh.
The priest in charge put a finger to her lips to quiet the children. But if these were the kind of kids who’d listen just because of that, they wouldn’t have come this far in the first place.
“Why? Why can’t we?”
“Why aren’t we allowed to watch? Whyyy?”
“These little rascals, tsk tsk.”
The priest scratched her head as the children launched their strongest weapon—an all-out barrage of “Why?” attacks. She looked embarrassed, probably because of Adelle standing beside her.
“Well, if you distract the knights, it could compromise the temple’s safety, and possibly provoke the wrath of the Sun God…”
“Whaaat? But he’s a god! Would a god really get mad about something like that?”
“No way. What kind of god is like that?”
The kids swarmed in like they’d caught onto something.
As the priest awkwardly rubbed her dry lips, the children’s curiosity blazed even hotter. Before things spiraled out of control, Adelle stepped forward.
“Um, Priestess. Would it be alright if I talked to them for a bit?”
“Oh, of course. If you would… I’ll go greet the captain. I thought he wouldn’t come out because of the kids, but strangely enough, here he is.”
Her face was filled with relief, as if to say, “Saved.”
Adelle turned her head to follow the priest rushing off toward Killian, who was tending to his sword at the entrance.
“……”
Killian’s eyes once again met hers—his expression unexpectedly unreadable.
What is it with that look?
She wanted to ask what his deal was, but there were too many little interrupters in the way.
“Noona! Why aren’t you answering? You said you’d explain!”
“Would a god really get mad about that? Why? Why?”
“…Well, you see.”
Pulled back by the children tugging at her skirt, Adelle finally turned her eyes away from Killian. Compared to the man she’d just been looking at, these kids were just yapping puppies—even if they stood on tiptoe and whined.
“Aww, why!”
“Come on, hurry!”
Yes—noisy puppies, the kind that never listen.
“Would a god really get angry over that? Just because we’re talking during knight training?”
“That’s ridiculous! My mom always said Enes is a kind and forgiving god! Would that kind of god really get mad because we made some noise?”
“Of course not. The great god Enes wouldn’t be angry over something like this.”
“Right? So we don’t have to be—”
“But your mother might get angry.”
Now, come here.
Adelle placed her hands gently on the children’s shoulders, her smile full of sweet benevolence.
But her grip tightened just enough to make sure no one ran away.
“Noona will explain why you need to be quiet here.”
“N-Noona…”
“The god might not care whether you’re noisy or not. From his perspective, unless you’re someone like that man over there, all humans are pretty much the same.”
Adelle pointed at Killian, and all the kids turned to look in unison.
Their pale faces made them look deeply moved—like they were in awe of the paladin commander.
“But your mothers are different. If you make a scene here and offend the knights, what do you think the priest will write on your evaluation?”
“I-I thought the scores were just…”
“Your parents spent a fortune to send you here, and the report says, ‘Disturbed the knights with loud behavior.’ I’m sure they’ll be thrilled, right?”
She tousled the hair of the boy who had pulled on her skirt earlier.
As the startled kid hiccuped, she even gave his cheek a playful tap, as if he were adorable.
“And maybe it won’t stop there. Word spreads. Your whole family might hear that you flunked out of here because you were loud. You know how it is—everyone has at least one talkative aunt or uncle.”
“S-Stop…”
“No, no. This is only the beginning. Once your reputation spreads through your entire family—immediate and extended—how sad your mother will be. And it’s not even her fault. She just went through hell to give birth to you and raised you with love, and this is what she gets?”
Tsk tsk.
Adelle grabbed the hand of the boy trying to sneak away. Her arm, hardened by days of hard work, showed no mercy.
“Now, let’s all think together. While you’re out here breaking every rule and having the time of your life, what kind of prayers do you think your mother is saying at home?”
“…Ugh.”
“It might not hit you now. You’ll only understand a parent’s heart once you become one. But let’s be honest—no girl in her right mind would want to marry you, so I don’t see you becoming a parent anytime soon.”
Lucky for the world, right?
With a wide smile, Adelle gathered all the children’s hands together.
She skipped Nero—he’d need a separate lesson later anyway.
Meeting each child’s gaze, she nodded firmly.
“It feels great now, doesn’t it? You can ignore all the adults and wear whatever your mom gives you, eat whatever she cooks. Isn’t life sweet?”
“……”
“Of course, Noona gets how you feel.”
“But how long do you think this will last? Ten years? Twenty? Will your mom still find you adorable then? If you’re curious, let me know. I’ll bring you a mirror.”
“……”
“There’s a saying: God couldn’t be everywhere, so he created mothers. So instead of looking for some far-off god, maybe you should try not making your mother cry blood.”
Let us pray.
As Adelle closed her eyes, the kids bowed their heads—like they wanted to disappear from the world.
It was a scene so reverent, you could’ve painted it.
Moved, the priest returned and crossed herself. Adelle straightened her knees.
“What a beautiful sight. I had no idea you were so good with children.”
“Not at all. The children are the future of the Empire. The great god Enes never gives up on any child.”
“May the blessings of the divine be upon you, Lady Agnes.”
Adelle clasped her hands and graciously accepted the priest’s blessing. She didn’t really need it, but there was no reason to reject it either.
As the priest’s hand brushed her shoulder, Killian’s sword—mid-swing—sliced the air even sharper.
“…By the way, what did you say to them to make them so quiet? They seem far more mature now.”
“We just reflected on a mother’s love, that’s all.”
“Oh? I see. Lady Agnes, you truly take good care of the children.”
“Not really. I just happen to have two younger siblings myself. One of them is a little brother…”
“Then I’m sure he grew up well, having a sister like you.”
“Oh, of course.”
He grew up to be a notorious serial killer who terrorizes the South.
Adelle quietly redirected the glory of that blessing to Kaiden.
He was probably writhing right about now, but she had bigger problems at the moment. All she could do was hope he stayed away a little longer.
Just thinking of Kaiden suddenly made her chest heavy, and Adelle shoved the kids toward the training area.
No need to yell—just a glare from her did the job.
“You said you wanted to see the knights train, right? What are you doing standing around?”
“U-Us?”
“Yes. If you want to make your mother proud in five or ten years…”
“Waaaah!”
The children scattered like a herd of cattle into the training grounds, and the priest followed after them.
Good kids.
Looking pleased, Adelle then turned her awareness toward Killian. But the gaze stabbing into her back was far too sharp to ignore.
Persistent, aren’t you?
Without even turning around, she opened her mouth.
“Nero, sounds like you’ve got something to say to me.”
“…Who are you?”
Nero glared at Adelle with clenched teeth.
She smiled and turned to face him.
She was sorry to look away from Killian, but this little colt needed a firmer hand than the rest.
“Who are you!?”
“So that’s what you were so curious about. No wonder you’re still here.”
“Tell me—who are you?”
“I’m warning you. If you call me ‘you’ one more time…”
“Oh yeah? What’ll you do?”
“I’ll pray with you. Right here. With the knights and all your friends watching. Maybe they’ll even carve a statue of your repenting face.”
Adelle whispered a punishment tailored to strike fear into a boy his age. Nero wiped his forehead, already sweating at the thought.
“W-Who… who are you, Noona?”
“Me?”
That’s more like it.
Adelle smirked slightly.
Though honestly, describing herself was tricky. If she told him she was just a volunteer that bratty kids wouldn’t listen to, he’d never take her seriously.
And she couldn’t tell a lie that’d get exposed soon anyway.
So, sticking to her specialty—sounding impressive—she chose the most ‘official-sounding’ words she could find.
“Noona is just… a humble servant of God.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Nero frowned. This time, he didn’t ask “Why?” like before. He truly didn’t understand.
To match the child’s eye level, Adelle slowly lowered herself to her knees.
