~ Chapter : 17 ~
Litia reached out without realizing it, her face lighting up with delight.
“That person…!”
At once, all the knights’ gazes turned in the same direction.
The man Litia was pointing at looked momentarily confused, then his expression twisted into open irritation, his brows drawing sharply together. His glare carried such overwhelming force that Litia flinched and hunched her shoulders slightly.
“May I ask your name, sir?”
The man—who looked less pleased at being chosen and more annoyed that he had been singled out at all—finally parted his tightly pressed lips.
“…Gondor.”
The moment he answered, Litia’s face brightened.
She hadn’t expected to find him so easily—yet here he was, right away. He certainly stood out because of his build, but still, she hadn’t thought it would be this simple. Now all that remained was to recruit him.
Just looking at his face, she could tell this wouldn’t be easy. Still, the choice was hers. Trying to persuade him was merely a courtesy—whether he accepted or not, Litia intended to take him as her Temes.
That was why she had come all this way.
“Would it be all right if I spoke with him for a moment? I won’t take much time.”
With a noticeably more relaxed expression, Litia asked the priest Lepe standing beside her. She also glanced at Gondor, silently asking for his consent.
Lepe answered without hesitation.
“Of course. I’ll guide you to a place where you can speak comfortably.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Anywhere around here is okay.”
“Is that so? But you’ll have to speak standing.”
“That’s fine. Five minutes is enough.”
Gondor’s face creased sharply again, but his opinion didn’t seem to matter in the first place.
Priest Lepe and Sir Cadis motioned for the gathered knights to withdraw. Like a tide receding, the knights dispersed, leaving only Gondor behind.
Standing alone, he seemed even larger than he had among the others—like a towering, ancient tree.
Was everyone here tall? Come to think of it, Caliph had also been noticeably tall.
Yet when looking at Priest Lepe or the other knights who had left, it didn’t seem like people of the Empire were particularly large overall.
What worried her more was that Gondor’s expression was far more ferocious than she’d expected. She wondered if this conversation would even go well.
“Ah—um. Shall we walk a bit?”
Litia hurried her steps. Why was he walking so fast?
She’d been lucky enough to catch her first Temes candidate, but the man strode ahead without waiting for her. As she followed, lifting her dress and quickening her pace, he suddenly turned around sharply.
“You said you were looking for a Temes?”
Litia nodded at the man standing tall before her.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then why did you choose me?”
Out of all the knights, why him?
At his question, Litia smiled gently.
“I thought we’d work well together.”
“……”
Now he looked ready to curse her with his eyes alone.
She’d known he had a strong personality, but facing him directly, his sense of rejection felt even stronger than she’d anticipated.
Still, she needed this knight by her side.
After all, it was said that one couldn’t spit at a smiling face. Litia maintained her smile throughout—though it didn’t seem to be working.
“There are many better knights.”
He sounded like he was sighing, but his voice softened slightly.
“Yes, I know.”
“There are knights of noble birth, and as you know, many who were already mentioned as Temes candidates. Choose among them.”
“Mm. I know that too.”
“Then, since you seem wise, you should choose one of them. I am not of good birth, nor am I a knight worthy of your favor. If you’ll excuse me.”
Gondor bowed deeply—nearly a full ninety degrees—then tried to leave.
“No! Wait a moment!”
Litia stopped him.
Surely he knew that if a Tenia candidate chose him, he couldn’t simply refuse outright.
Then again, with this attitude, it felt like he was looking down on her…
Normally, she would have every right to be angry. But since the choice ultimately lay with her, Litia decided to be gentler instead.
“Yes, please listen.”
“First, I’m Litia. You may call me Lady Mont, or Young Lady, or whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“……”
“I understand what you meant earlier, but I’ve already made my decision.”
“…Pardon?”
“I would like you to become my Temes, Sir Gondor. Your background doesn’t matter. Even if you lack something, that doesn’t matter either—though it does sound like you’re just saying that.”
Confusion spread across Gondor’s face.
“I can also tell that you seem to dislike me quite a lot right now. Even so, I want you to be my Temes. The right to decide lies with me, doesn’t it?”
“…That is correct. But have you not seen whom the other Tenia candidates have chosen?”
“Mm, I have. They filled their numbers completely—with very impressive people.”
“And yet you still wish to choose me? Why?”
Gondor asked in a tone that sounded genuinely puzzled.
Normally, candidates agonized over selecting from the Temes pool, even asking if there were anyone more exceptional. Yet here she was, insisting that a single holy knight become her Temes—it made no sense.
Typically, Tenia candidates were noble young ladies who favored those who treated them warmly and humbled themselves.
Above all, Gondor disliked nobles.
He knew that as a holy knight, much of his duty involved protecting both the temple’s people and the nobility. But regardless, he hated bowing his head.
That was why he openly displayed his displeasure.
Frankly, if she became angry and demanded he be punished for insulting a noble lady, he thought punishment would be preferable to becoming her Temes. That was why he’d deliberately acted this way.
He’d heard the rumors—how fragile she was, overly cautious, how easily she cried when frightened. Gondor knew them well.
In fact, everyone in the Empire probably did.
Anyone who lived within the Empire knew the Mont ducal house.
During holy knight training, they even learned noble genealogies in detail—there was no way he wouldn’t recognize the Mont family.
And yet, the woman who introduced herself as the Mont Duke’s daughter smiled brightly, saying she knew all of that—and still asked him to be her Temes.
It was absurd.
Who was this woman, really? Was she truly the Mont young lady he’d heard so much about?
She said she’d already seen all the candidates who had chosen their Temes.
What made Gondor resist even more fiercely was the fact that she was considered the strongest Tenia candidate.
The holy power he could sense up close, her innate bloodline—aside from her supposedly weak temperament, she lacked nothing. The outcome was practically predetermined.
If she were just a candidate destined to fail, that would be one thing. But if she became Tenia, her Temes would be bound to her even afterward—and Gondor had no desire for that.
He hadn’t become a holy knight out of deep devotion. He’d done it solely to support his family—no other reason.
Thanks to his natural physique and skill, he’d been selected as a holy knight, and making a living wasn’t an issue. But becoming a Temes—even if it brought recognition—would disrupt his life entirely.
He would have to live solely for Tenia, and that would interfere with caring for his younger siblings.
“I think we’ll suit each other!”
“……”
Litia smiled brightly, as if reflecting his displeasure right back at him.
For a moment, Gondor wondered if something was wrong with her head.
She flinched occasionally, yes—but she didn’t seem frightened at all.
“I have many shortcomings.”
“I know.”
“As I said, my birth is low.”
“I told you, I know.”
“I lack loyalty.”
“Mm, I didn’t know that—but now I do.”
At last, Gondor was left speechless.
“Still, I need you, Sir Gondor. In exchange, I’ll set a condition.”
“…A condition?”
“Please serve as my Temes only while I remain a candidate. After that, I’ll give you full freedom of choice.”
“…What are you saying?”
“If I fail as a candidate, then what I’ve said won’t matter. But even if I succeed and become Tenia, the decision of whether to remain my Temes will be yours.”
“That makes no sense—”
“In return, while the candidates are on the pilgrimage, you must protect and support me properly. And while you serve as my Temes, I won’t spare any support for you. The same will apply to the other Temes I choose.”
At Litia’s calm words, Gondor furrowed his brow and fell into thought.
Among all the activities Tenia candidates undertook, the pilgrimage was the most grueling.
They would leave the capital, possibly face magical beasts, and live a life completely opposite to the sheltered existence they’d known.
She seemed to understand that perfectly.
It was the first time he’d seen a Tenia candidate make such an offer.
He couldn’t tell what she was plotting.
“Then wouldn’t it be even more unnecessary for it to be me?”
“No. It has to be you, Sir Gondor.”
“I truly cannot understand.”
No matter how he looked at it, the decision rested with the Tenia candidate. He’d tried to intimidate her, yet she was now asking him to consider it—with conditions attached. It only made him more suspicious.
Unless… she had feelings for him?
Occasionally, noble ladies approached him to confess. It wasn’t impossible.
“Have you been watching me for a long time?”
He voiced the thought that had just crossed his mind.
“Nope! Today’s the first time I’ve ever seen you!”
Litia answered brightly.
Gondor had nothing left to say.
