Chapter 28
The Rake Becomes a Holy Knight
From Alexis’s fingertips, light spilled out and spread across the cathedral ceiling. It pierced through the stained glass and shot up into the sky.
At that moment, birds flying outside flapped their wings in shock and cried out, and even people far away turned their heads toward the temple.
The priests whispered without realizing it.
“That… is holy power itself!”
“That’s not just a Holy Knight. It’s a blessing of God itself!”
All the Holy Knights and priests gathered here were among the most elite, each possessing exceptional holy power. Even the High Priest was known throughout the kingdom for having the most blessed divine energy in history.
And yet, a power that overwhelmed all of them was now manifesting from this one man.
Under that instinctive pressure, the priests and Holy Knights dropped to their knees. Even the High Priest on his throne could not deny it. Such overwhelming holy power that even he felt his breath stop.
It was a power too special to even envy.
The High Priest rose from his seat without realizing it.
Amid the surrounding shock, Alexis bit his lip tightly and closed his eyes. He never dreamed something like this would come from him.
But he could clearly feel something uncontrollable now held in his hands. It felt so powerful it seemed capable of destroying the entire kingdom at once.
After confirming it, the High Priest declared in a trembling voice:
“Awakened one of holy power, Alexis Glister. The God has called upon you!”
Meanwhile, Roan—who was resting in a separate annex just in case her body had not fully recovered—was lost in thought.
“Right…”
She slowly closed her eyes.
“It was this energy.”
Even now, a strange force was moving inside her body as if searching through her. It was the same unfamiliar energy she had felt from Alexis since the wedding.
Yet for some reason, it no longer made her dizzy. Now it felt natural, as if it had become part of her body and mind.
Perhaps the energy he had given her to save her life had now fully integrated into her.
“Lady Roan.”
Lea entered the room carrying tea meant to replenish her energy and stood beside her bed with concern.
After drinking the tea Lea handed her, Roan murmured quietly.
“The outside… it’s noisy, isn’t it?”
Lea, who usually reported the situation whenever Alexis was away, nodded.
“Yes. It’s far from normal.”
She leaned in and whispered.
“Everyone knows that Sir Alexis was summoned to the Grand Temple. People are all talking about it.”
“And the atmosphere in the main house is… very tense as well.”
Roan nodded slowly and looked out the window while holding her teacup.
“Survival on your own, huh…”
She suddenly remembered what Alexis had said on their wedding night.
“It’s time to leave.”
She closed her eyes again.
She had saved quite a bit of money by now. That was fortunate.
At the royal palace throne hall.
The golden chandelier swayed slightly, and the entire hall was filled with suffocating tension.
As the High Priest entered, followed by dozens upon dozens of nobles and officials, all eyes turned toward the man behind him.
He was Alexis Glister, second son of the Glister Count family.
Once known throughout high society as a reckless rake.
But today, he would be named something entirely different.
The High Priest stepped forward and knelt.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the one chosen by God. I personally confirmed the awakening of his holy power, and it is of a magnitude without precedent in the temple’s records.”
The hall immediately erupted into murmurs.
“That famous rake… a Holy Knight?”
“This must be a joke…”
“But it was personally confirmed by the High Priest…”
The whispers spread, but when the king raised his hand, silence fell at once.
The king slowly rose from the throne and walked forward. His red cloak swept across the floor as he stopped in front of Alexis.
He studied him for a long moment, as if trying to pierce through him.
Suppressing his discomfort, Alexis maintained proper etiquette.
Finally, the king spoke in a deep voice.
“Alexis Glister.”
His name echoed through the throne hall.
“God has chosen you. Therefore, the kingdom also recognizes you. From this day forward, you are granted the right to carry the honor of a Holy Knight.”
At that moment, the king took a sword from a servant. It was a royal symbol embedded with ornate jewels.
“This sword is the symbol of the kingdom’s vow to God. I now place it in your hands.”
The king personally placed the sword upon Alexis’s shoulder.
The entire hall held its breath.
“Furthermore, as a Holy Knight, you are granted estates within the royal capital, a separate manor, land, and a position under the High Priest. These are the rightful honors of the kingdom’s protector.”
Scribes hurriedly recorded everything. The nobles’ eyes were filled with shock, caution, envy, and resentment—but none dared to speak.
Alexis remained kneeling through all of it, waiting for the king to finish.
He still could not believe it.
The useless second son of a noble house… was being knighted as a Holy Knight in this very moment.
The king withdrew the sword and made his final declaration.
“Alexis Glister. You are now the shield and sword of this kingdom. Never forget the grace bestowed upon you by God. Live for the kingdom.”
At that moment, all officials bowed their heads.
The proclamation was complete. It could no longer be reversed.
Then, one by one, voices rose.
“All hail Holy Knight Alexis!”
“All hail! All hail!”
The cheers spread like waves.
Alexis felt as if the world had flipped upside down in an instant.
But only one thought remained clear in his heart.
Everything began from the moment he wanted to save Roan.
His whole body trembled with joy.
Now, he could do even more for her.
The king and the High Priest officially announced that Alexis Glister had been appointed as a Holy Knight of the Grand Temple.
The nobles were shocked beyond words.
Such a public proclamation by the king himself carried enormous meaning.
But the ones truly devastated were the Glister family.
On the day the announcement reached the estate, the Glister mansion was thrown into chaos.
“No way…”
The countess’s teacup slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
“That rake… a Holy Knight? Has God lost His mind?!”
Her eyes were bloodshot.
Her eldest son, whom she had raised with great effort, was overshadowed by the second son she had always considered a disgrace.
And not only that—he had received holy power strong enough to be publicly declared by the Grand Temple itself.
“Mother, please calm down.”
Francis, Alexis’s older brother, spoke through gritted teeth. But even his hands were trembling.
Count Glister said nothing, eyes closed.
Though he had never favored the second son, it was undeniable that this incident would raise the family’s standing.
Whether that was good or bad… he needed to decide.
“This must be a mistake. Holy power shows signs from birth—how could that bastard…!”
His voice cracked.
The younger brother who had always been incomparable had suddenly obtained the highest authority in the kingdom.
A Holy Knight directly under the High Priest. With his own estates and manor, completely independent.
It was no different from the birth of an independent noble house.
Unlike Francis, who only held a minor administrative position through his wife’s connections, this was an entirely different level.
“And now… directly under the High Priest…”
Veins bulged on Jared’s forehead.
This meant the Glister family could no longer interfere with him at all.
He had gained his own authority and position.
At that moment, Odri scoffed and snorted.
“Even if he’s a Holy Knight, as long as he carries the Glister name, he can’t ignore us. Right, dear?”
She twisted her handkerchief tightly.
Then she looked at Francis as if seeking agreement.
A vein pulsed on Francis’s temple.
This woman clearly didn’t understand what it meant to be a Holy Knight directly under the High Priest.
But for him—someone barely maintaining his position through his wife’s family—there was no room to correct her.
He sighed deeply, holding his head in frustration.
