Chapter 59: Origin (3)

The day after the battle ended.

The believers sang hymns in the open square of Riot Castle.

It was only natural that the beautiful singing echoing throughout the castle would catch the eyes of the Knights.

And among them, one person stood out most of all.

“Why is the Commander…?”

It was Leon, singing powerfully from the midst of the believers.

The Commander of the Alliance was singing the hymn together, laying a foundation for missionary work.

The plan he came up with seemed quite plausible.

Even the believers were saving no effort with their voices.

At that moment, Aaron interrupted.

“Captain Leon. Among the Knights, I’ll be the first believer.”

This was what Aaron said after the song ended.

So far, nothing was wrong.

The problem came with his next statement.

“As the direct Knight under the Saint, Richard von Bartenberg, that would naturally be me, Aaron Meyer.”

His tone implied as if he was somehow more important to Richard than anyone else.

At least, that’s how it sounded to Leon.

Of course, it was none of his concern.

Why should he care whom Richard values more?

That’s what he thought in his head, but what came out of his mouth was something entirely different.

“Sorry, but as the Commander of the Alliance, the first should be me. I’m sure the Young Master thinks the same.”

“Not at all. The Young Master has tried to persuade me many times to become a believer. So it’s only right that I become the first.”

“Weren’t you the one who turned down all those chances? It doesn’t look good to whine about it now.”

“Ah, I see I was misunderstood. I wasn’t whining, I was simply notifying you.”

Crack.

Veins bulged on both their foreheads.

Aaron became wary at the emergence of an unexpected strong rival, while Leon was suddenly determined not to lose.

Their confrontation continued even as they sang.

***

“Haa…”

When Adele told me the whole story, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Seriously, why?”

Aaron I could understand, but Leon was beyond me.

The first believer was supposed to be Mary anyway, yet here they were shouting about being the first among the Knights.

Since when did that guy become so devout?

“Could it be those men have fallen in love with Daddy? Hmm.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I knocked Adele lightly on the head as she giggled.

That couldn’t possibly be the reason.

I’ll have to ask them seriously why later.

“For now, I should stop them.”

Leon’s idea was good.

But he was ruining his own good idea.

On top of that, the Commander’s dignity was about to hit rock bottom.

I was dragging my aching body to approach the two men when—

“Chwik!”

Somewhere, the piercing cry of a pig rang out.

“Chwik, Chwik! Quiet, you fools! Because of you, I can’t hear Mary’s voice at all!”

It was none other than Huger.

He huffed and snorted, stepping in between Aaron and Leon.

“Tch, even if I sing, it’d be better than your barking!”

“What did you say?”

“Ahem! Listen up! The duet of Mary and myself!”

The red pig cleared his throat and began to sing along with the believers’ hymn.

As expected, Huger was tone-deaf.

With the characteristic orc snort and his raspy voice, a truly horrific noise erupted.

“You bastards, seriously.”

I furrowed my brow.

It was fine for them to sing, but to see them making eyes at Mary while doing so was almost laughable.

Damn it, one after another—

All of them were insulting my grand and wonderful hymn.

Just as I made up my mind to go over and smack each one of them—

My eyes met Polk’s, who was watching the chaos from across the way.

Behind him, Jack and the Third Knight Division were staring at me in awe.

They grinned.

It was a mischievous, troublemaking smile.

“What now, what are you planning…”

Whether they heard my uneasy mutter or not, their smiles only grew broader.

“Lantern!”

“Lantern!”

Soon they exchanged signals and nodded at each other.

[In the darkest night]

[The One will bring glad tidings by lantern light]

[The dawn will soon break]

Meanwhile, the hymn repeated once more.

That was when the Third Knight Division began to join in.

“In the darkest night!”

“The One will bring glad tidings by lantern light!”

“The dawn will soon break!”

All their gazes fixed straight on me.

No reverent tone, no grandeur—just a procession of tone-deaf voices.

Maybe it was because they were all men used to the sword, but they were completely hopeless at singing.

“Oh, for mercy’s sake.”

I wiped my face.

The already chaotic square had grown even more unruly.

No matter what happened, the believers were still focused solely on their own song.

Aaron and Leon were screaming as if they were training their vocal cords.

And then, with Huger’s piggish noises and the addition of the tone-deaf Third Knight Division, the noise was beyond pollution.

This can’t go on.

We finally had a proper stage, and it turned into a madhouse—what’s the point of this?

With this kind of atmosphere, there was no way for me and the believers to present the song we had prepared so passionately.

“Daddy. Let’s just leave them be.”

While I was grinding my teeth, Adele tugged at my sleeve.

Just a moment ago she was giggling, but now her eyes held a soft, compassionate glow.

“Look at those kids.”

She pointed to the Alliance’s Knights with her finger.

Only then did I really see their faces.

Honestly, I was surprised.

Just two days ago, there was a massive battle, and many lives were lost.

It was only natural that the Knights’ spirits would be cracked and shaken.

Yet they were all smiling as they watched the chaos.

At least for this moment, their faces were filled with pure enjoyment, free of any worries.

“I’ve never seen them look like that before.”

“Right? Exactly.”

Seeing it like this, the mess unfolding before my eyes looked different.

What had been noise pollution now felt like a carefree, joyous feast.

“There’s no rule that a hymn has to be solemn and reverent, is there?”

“…That’s true, I suppose.”

Adele wasn’t wrong.

It was just my own greed.

A dignified, solemn hall. A prayer song sung in that place.

It’s too late for that now, but so what.

“Hey! You lot, sing along too!”

“Don’t be shy like some noble!”

With Polk and Jack hyping everyone up, a few of the hesitant Knights began to join in, shyly humming a verse.

[Savior of those plagued by nightmares]

[The suffering people of this dark world now sleep in peace]

“Lantern light shining on tear-stained cheeks.”

“The One’s breath soothes us all…!”

One voice became ten, ten became a hundred, a hundred became a thousand.

The song now echoed beyond the square, resounding in every corner of Riot Castle.

For some reason, my heart pounded in my chest.

There was a deep, earnest longing in the lyrics sung by the Knights.

That no more precious comrades would die.

That they could fulfill their duty as Knights.

That they could stand proud against the tightening Demonic Energy.

Whoooong—

The Demonic Energy shrouding the castle recoiled, startled.

From the Knights’ voices, a faint but holy aura began to emerge.

Must a prayer only count as a prayer if it’s offered with the proper form and supplication?

Weren’t the songs ringing through Riot Castle right now also prayers?

Only now did I realize this.

How foolish I’d been.

“…The song I worked so hard on is useless now.”

“Daddy, honestly, that song was terrible. Hor! Hor! Please make us happy, Hor! What was that, anyway?”

“Shut up.”

I pushed Adele away as she laughed and turned inward.

A sense of fulfillment welled up in my body.

No, it felt as though it might overflow.

The desperate prayers of seventeen hundred Knights.

The Faith within them stacked up in my soul, bit by bit.

In an instant, the amount swelled to the point of overflowing.

If all of these became believers, just how much more Faith could I gain?

“Well done, Daddy!”

“Yeah. At last, the fruit has blossomed.”

I remembered the days of scraping together every last bit of Faith.

In truth, I could have increased the believers as much as I wanted.

But I gritted my teeth and endured.

All for the sake of those now before me.

“Will a second Temple Knights be born?”

I nodded at Adele’s words.

That’s exactly what I’d been aiming for.

Temple Knights.

A powerful order of Knights that had once gathered under my faith a thousand years ago.

Together with the Hero, they were one of the main forces that repelled the Demon Realm’s invasion during the Grand War of Saints and Demons.

“If we start from the bottom, it’ll take too long.”

Already, the Demon King was rolling his eyes and filthy Demonic Energy had settled over the land.

In such times, there was no time to travel the continent and slowly build up strength.

In the end, I chose to strike at the head first.

If I could gain the head, and then grow it, the rest would follow easily.

That’s when a system window appeared before my eyes.

『Believer of Fraya-Hor Church: Lowest-Ranked Evangelist qualification satisfied.』

『Believer of Roman-Hor Church: Lowest-Ranked Evangelist qualification satisfied.』

『Believer of Aylan-Hor Church: Lowest-Ranked Evangelist qualification satisfied.』

『Believer of Charles-Hor Church: Lowest-Ranked Evangelist qualification satisfied.』

『Special: Aura (6) acquired』

『Lowest-Ranked Evangelist 5/5』

Isn’t this what they call a double blessing?

Four among the believers, whose Faith stood out the most, were chosen.

If there hadn’t been a limit, every believer of Snowfall might have been promoted to Evangelist.

That’s how monumental this achievement was.

“Ah… ayayay…”

The four newly born believers marveled at the auras radiating from them.

Their eyes wet with emotion, they burst into joyful song.

“Well, then…”

I looked over the crowd.

Today, who would be the victor between Aaron and Leon?

Or perhaps, the first believer among the Knights might be someone still singing.

“Let’s start with Aaron.”

『The subject’s Faith is insufficient.』

He made all that fuss, only to not even have the qualification yet.

Then next is Leon.

『The subject’s Faith is insufficient.』

No surprise—he’s not cut out for this.

No one who tries to become a believer through threats or bribery would ever succeed.

“Hm, maybe it’s too much to expect them to become believers this quickly.”

I nodded and tried to calm myself.

At that moment—

“Daddy. Give that guy a chance.”

Adele pointed at the red pig.