~ Chapter : 16 ~
“Hm, I suppose if it’s today, you’ll be able to meet a Temes who suits a young lady perfectly. You’ll tell me later who you chose, won’t you? I’ll prepare a handkerchief as a gift in advance. Ah—though you’re already so late, will you even be able to depart on the pilgrimage? Don’t go causing trouble for others for no reason. Well then, do your best.”
With that, Roa failed to suppress a small snort of laughter.
It was a tasteless joke, clearly meant to recall the past—when she used to wring tears from Litia’s eyes every time they met.
She knew full well that the original Litia falling into the lake had largely been her own fault. Yet instead of feeling even the slightest guilt, all she seemed to think about was how she could further belittle Litia and turn her into a laughingstock.
Fine. Let her keep it up.
“Thank you for your concern. But what you’re worried about won’t happen. I intend to make very good use of the power I possess.”
Roa’s eyes widened.
“…….”
“And whoever it may be, everything is according to Ates’s will. He would know best who is most suited for the position of Tenia. I don’t think being early or late matters that much. Don’t you agree?”
At that, Roa’s sharp gaze narrowed, and a faint flush crept onto her face.
That bloodline they loved so much, the one they never stopped talking about—if they wanted it, Litia was fully prepared to use it.
“It seems you’ve had a change of heart… Well, we’ll see how it goes. I’ve already met the Tenia candidates in person today and paid my respects. I sincerely hope you’re assigned a good Temes. I’m already looking forward to it.”
“If you’re looking forward to it, then I’ll have to try even harder. Goodbye.”
As Roa resumed fanning herself, Litia gave her a gentle smile, dipped her head slightly, and passed by.
She didn’t follow her insistently the way she used to, nor did she press her fan against Litia’s chest. It was as if she’d forgotten all about that behavior.
Not wanting to waste another second, Litia didn’t look back and instead quickened her pace into the temple.
“Show her? Show who’s more suited to the Tenia position? Ha!”
On her way to the carriage, Roa couldn’t take her eyes off Litia as she disappeared into the temple.
She’d supposedly died and come back to life, and now it seemed she’d lost all sense. And to dare speak of divine power in front of her—she had to be insane.
“Well, they said she threw herself into the water. It’d be stranger if she weren’t crazy.”
She never imagined that a few harmless pranks would lead to something like that.
She’d been a bit surprised, sure, but that was only because Litia was weak-minded. It wasn’t Roa’s fault. No one had pushed her in.
Trying to pin guilt on her, was she? Too bad. All the truly outstanding holy knights had already been chosen by herself and the other young ladies.
All that remained were knights with decent skill but commoner origins—or those drafted simply to fill the role of Temes. They’d manage the basics, at least.
The real problem was Litia Mont herself—the one who was supposed to be at the center. She was practically stupid to the point of idiocy. What pairing could be worse?
Roa had been momentarily surprised when Litia talked back to her for the first time just now, but she was still that Litia. Probably locked herself away and practiced a little.
Roa, on the other hand, had secured the very best Temes.
The Mont family background may have always landed Litia something good in the past, but not this time.
‘Go on. Try it.’
Roa resumed fanning herself.
“Let’s go. We have much to do.”
The holy knights following behind bowed in unison and fell in step after her.
Aro stopped briefly and glanced back. At the end of his gaze, he caught the hem of Litia’s dress just before it vanished completely.
‘That woman is the Mont young lady?’
They said the Mont family’s only daughter was breathtakingly beautiful and possessed an extraordinary amount of innate divine power—but that she was so fragile in temperament that even ordinary conversation, let alone socializing, was difficult.
‘That’s not true at all.’
It was true that her beauty was striking enough to capture one’s attention at a glance, but her demeanor didn’t match the rumors at all. In fact, among the gathered candidates, stories about the Mont young lady had been accompanied by ridicule.
If they saw her now, they’d surely be shocked.
And yet… it didn’t seem like the rumors were entirely unfounded either.
“……”
They said she was unmatched among the candidates, blessed with the light attribute and possessing an immense amount of divine power. If he’d known she’d be like this, he would’ve done everything he could to avoid standing out.
‘Well, I’ll find out soon enough.’
“Aro, what are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
Koloss called out to the lagging Aro. Aro withdrew his gaze and stepped forward toward Roa once more.
After meeting with the High Priest, Litia was guided by a priest as she moved to be assigned her Temes.
“You likely already know this, but these knights will be at your side continuously from now on. The more you speak with them, the better you’ll be able to choose someone who suits you. It’s unfortunate—you would’ve had a wider selection if you’d arrived a bit earlier.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m more worried that I might’ve disrupted their training.”
“That’s nothing to worry about. This way, please.”
After passing through several corridors and turning where the priest indicated, they arrived at the area where the knight orders trained and stayed.
It was practically a separate building, complete with a massive training ground.
In the distance, knights could be seen training amid a faint blue glow.
Litia, who hadn’t shown any nervousness even in front of Roa, now looked around with a slightly tense expression.
“The regular holy knights are here as well, correct?”
“Yes? Ah, that’s right. They’re knights who were excluded from the selection, so you don’t need to greet them. The Temes candidates’ lounge is to the right—shall we go there?”
Instead of answering, Litia stopped walking.
‘Two will be enough.’
She’d already decided who she would choose before coming here.
They weren’t officially selected as Temes, but among the holy knights who had joined separately as a precaution, there were two who would later display such outstanding performance that they were named in the original story.
If she had to choose without knowing anyone anyway, she might as well choose them.
The problem was that they were never physically described—only their names were mentioned.
She would have to find them using just two clues: their names, and the fact that they were regular holy knights, not candidates.
“Priest.”
“Yes?”
“If I were to ask the knights over there directly, what would happen?”
“Yes? But…”
“Is there a regulation that explicitly forbids it?”
“There’s no regulation, but since these are knights who will support you, there’s no need to overlook those already selected through accomplishments and duels.”
“Then that means I can ask them.”
“…Yes.”
“I think two will be enough.”
“…Only two?”
“Oh, right—you’ll need to rotate shifts. Then three?”
The priest began to sweat.
His reaction was only natural.
Other candidates took the maximum number allowed, fearing even the best Temes wouldn’t be enough. Some young ladies even asked if they could take more.
Some families had gone so far as to make secret deals.
All such requests were rejected according to regulations—but a case like this was unprecedented.
Choosing from regular holy knights. Saying only two were needed.
Of course, other holy knights and priests would still be part of the pilgrimage party, but nobles cared about appearances. They liked to dress their Temes in uniform immediately and keep them close—to show that they were protected by the servants of the god.
And yet she said she didn’t need that many?
The High Priest cherished her like a niece, and the priest had intended to look after her as best he could—but everything she did went completely against his expectations, leaving him drenched in sweat.
What if the High Priest thought she wasn’t being properly cared for and became angry?
‘Still… he told me to grant her every request.’
The priest gave an awkward smile and nodded.
“Very well. If that is what you wish, my lady.”
Litia’s face lit up.
“Then, Priest, I’d like to greet the holy knights over there.”
The priest nodded again with a stiff smile. She might change her mind before departure—he could advise her again later.
“Sir Cadis. Could you gather the knights for a moment?”
The priest called out to the nearest holy knight.
Wearing armor and sporting hair cut nearly to a shave, the knight strode over.
“Refe-nim. All of the knights?”
“Ah, just those over there should be fine for now.”
“The young lady wishes to choose her Temes here.”
At Litia’s words, the priest added an explanation.
“Yes, that is—wait, what?”
The knight, who had answered readily and turned to gather the others, spun back around sharply, his voice rising half an octave.
“You said you would choose your Temes here?”
“Yes. Of course, I intend to ask for the knights’ opinions.”
Cadis stared at her in even greater shock.
To begin with, becoming a Temes did not require mutual consent.
Consideration could be given, but the right of choice belonged solely to the noble candidate for Tenia.
It was consideration in name only—there was no right to refuse. A noble’s pride could not be damaged.
Choosing regular knights rather than those drafted to become Temes was already unconventional. Asking for their opinions was downright radical.
Cadis glanced at the priest once more. Only after the priest nodded did Cadis come back to his senses.
“I see. Please wait a moment.”
When Cadis called out loudly, gathering the knights, Litia soon found herself facing about twenty holy knights who had emerged from training.
They exchanged glances with one another, clearly trying to figure out what was going on.
“We greet the future Tenia.”
“May the light of Ates dwell within you.”
All of the holy knights knelt on one knee in unison before Litia.
“May Ates’s blessing always be with you. Thank you for taking the time to be here.”
Litia returned the greeting and looked over the knights.
If she searched for them by name right away, it would look strange to anyone. So she busied her eyes, trying first to find those who matched the descriptions.
‘One of them was said to be as big as a shield, if nothing else. They’re all large, though… The other had a short but playful way of speaking, so I might be able to infer him through conversation.’
They were all well-built, and with their armor on, aside from differences in height, none stood out particularly. Trying to see those in the back, she even rose onto her tiptoes.
The moment she lifted her heels and hopped slightly, one exceptionally tall knight caught her eye.
‘Big.’
