The Imperial Family of the Caerleon Empire and the God Luce were inseparable.

As the hero Khan founded the Empire in the name of the god Luce, the official head of the temple that worshipped the god Luce was also the Emperor.

However, the imperial family focused on state affairs and running the country, and the temples and shrines spread throughout the empire were managed by the High Priest stationed in the Great Temple and the priests dispatched throughout the empire.

The Great Temple, located within the Imperial Palace, was the focal point for all Luce believers within the empire.

Dispatching or training priests, operating them to extend a helping hand to those in need, and even planning various events were the temple’s duties.

It would be safe to say that everything in the Luce Church depended on them.

That was Arthur’s explanation.

“Then what kind of person is Priest Lumiel?”

“Well…”

“She is a great person. She could have easily been appointed as the High Priest, but I heard she declined. She said that she wanted to serve the world without being tied down by her position.”

“Is the High Priest is appointed by His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes, the High Priest of the Imperial Capital becomes the head of the Luce Church. They select candidates based on recommendations from the clergy and then appoint them.”

“Hmm.”

Originally, it was a form similar to a Vatican existing within a country.

As Arendt was trying to understand and gather his thoughts, Arthur opened his mouth again, with some difficulty.

“…But why are you asking that while doing a handstand?”

“I thought it might be less difficult if I thought about something else.”

“Then just give up. Why are you holding on so hard and making a fuss?”

“There are still two minutes left.”

“You poisonous bastard.”

Arthur swore as he forcibly supported his trembling arms.

Arendt and Arthur were now doing handstands side by side in a corner of the gym, their sweat dripping down, following gravity.

“…Priest Lumiel is similar in age to the Emperor, and is one of the most respected priests in the Empire. Even the High Priest cannot treat her lightly.”

“Aha, she’s a lot more amazing than I thought.”

“But why are you asking about Priest Lumiel?”

“No, just.”

Arendt responded briefly, slowly gathering his strength.

“She said she wanted to meet me briefly today.”

“What?… Ahh!”

Thud!

Arthur lost his balance for a moment and stumbled, rolling around on the floor. Arendt, who had maintained an upright posture until the very end, lowered both legs and sat down lightly on the floor.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Then wouldn’t you be surprised, you punk! Why would the priest want to meet you?”

Immediately, a sound like a scream erupted. It was fortunate that no one was in the training ground.

“Lower your voice. Something just came up that I need to talk to her about. I didn’t know it would come to this.”

After a brief discussion that day, Cantares quickly sent a personal message to Priest Lumiel, saying that he had come into possession of a rare object, but could not identify it, and wanted to ask for advice.

But the reply that came back was unexpected.

Priest Lumiel would gladly accept the request. However, as the Crown Prince and Commander Laius would be busy, there was a request to send Sir Arendt instead.

“Have you ever been to a temple since you entered the palace?”

“No, I don’t really pray to God for anything.”

“How did a guy like this end up having a private meeting with Priest Lumiel…”

Arthur muttered in despair.

“Well, senior doesn’t seem to pray very hard either. It doesn’t seem like the other seniors come and go often either.”

“Still, I visit periodically once in a while. I think Senior Richt goes whenever he has time.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Arendt rubbed the back of his neck for no reason.

In this empire, the presence of the god Luce was like the air that existed everywhere.

Even now, if you look around a little, you can see the figures of angels decorating the pillars of the training hall, and you can easily find ornaments and icons modeled after the god Luce anywhere.

Just by looking at it, it was easy to guess how much the people of the empire loved the god Luce.

‘Priest Lumiel…’

In reality, he only saw her briefly during the meeting. However, he couldn’t say that she was unfamiliar, because he remembered her appearance as described in “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword”.

The scene where she struggled to save the wounded soldiers naturally came to mind.

The priests who had the power of the gods in their bodies could use a power called divine power.

The holy water blessed by the gods and the divine power of the priests had powerful healing abilities, and depending on the priests’ ability, it was also possible to create a defensive barrier.

It was an ability that was very useful in the rear during the civil war when all the wizards were forced into battle.

“Anyway, I’m going to go now. Don’t tell anyone else.”

“Don’t you get tired if you run around like that every single day?”

It was only recently that he was meeting and chatting with nobles every day.

Arendt shrugged as Arthur made a tired noise.

“I’m young so I’m fine, unlike my seniors.”

“What? Are you saying I’m old?”

“If you think about it, you’re still at a young age.”

Arthur frowned at the gaze that looked him up and down, trailing off.

“What the hell, you little brat.”

“Seeing as you can’t even do a handstand properly, I wonder if it’s time for you to get tired already. Please take good care of yourself.”

“Hey, that’s because you suddenly… hey, hey!”

Before he could even finish his annoyed reply, Arendt abandoned him and strolled away.

He could hear Arthur rambling behind him, but he ignored him as if he were used to it.

‘It seems like this rascal was quite far from religious life.’

Although he himself has never believed in God, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t prayed.

Arendt, recalling the fervent prayers he had recited on stage, soon shook his head.

The ‘Arendt’ he was playing now wasn’t someone who asked for something from God. He was someone who kept his mouth shut and stared at Laius until the moment he died, without even uttering a word of prayer.

So the course of action was decided.

After washing thoroughly and changing out of his sweaty uniform, Arendt walked towards the temple.

Although situated on the outskirts of the capital, Arendt was able to find his way around without difficulty.

The garden at the entrance had a more simple and neat atmosphere than the other areas of the palace, which made the enormous stone statue of Luce stand out even more.

Arendt walked towards the statue, absentmindedly.

It was a huge stone statue that was as tall as a building. It showed the traces of time, but there was no sign of damage, as if the priests had been lovingly tending it.

Luce was usually depicted as an androgynous being with long, curly hair that flowed down to his toes.

The sight of the gigantic sculpture, with each and every wrinkle of the flowing clothes delicately expressed, standing majestically while holding the holy sword up, was truly spectacular.

The temple, which was as pure white as a stone statue, gave off a distinct sense of age more than the other buildings in the splendid palace.

Although it had a simple appearance for a grand temple in the imperial capital, it gave off a more solemn and reverent atmosphere.

“Are you Arendt von Eckhart?”

Arendt, who had been standing there blinking for a long time, suddenly came to his senses at the sound of someone approaching him.

As he turned his head, his eyes met with a young man dressed in pure white. He bowed politely and continued speaking.

“I am Benno, a servant of the god Luce. At the request of Priest Lumiel, I have come to serve Sir Arendt.”

“Ah… yes, Priest Benno.”

As Arendt nodded roughly, the priest who introduced himself as Benno smiled broadly.

“This is truly an honor.”

“Yes?”

“I am the first servant of the God Luce to have had a direct conversation with Lord Arendt. Lord Arendt is the most famous person in the palace, so it is an honor.”

Benno, who answered in a low voice in case someone else heard, smiled again.

“Welcome to the Great Temple of the capital, Lord Arendt. It may not look as impressive as you might think, but it is a building of great history. It was the first to be built in this empire.”

Then he started reciting a series of questions that Arendt hadn’t even asked.

“This temple was built in the middle of a ruin that had not yet been recovered after the war. At that time, everyone would have needed a place to rely on.”

“So the palace was built later?”

“Yes! And the palace was expanded after that, and some places were completely torn down and rebuilt. So it is no exaggeration to say that this is the only place that still retains its original appearance.”

As he walked behind Benno, Arendt glanced around. As the exterior was plain, the interior was also decorated in a quiet and neat atmosphere.

There was no excessive decoration, and instead, the windows were filled with colorful stained glass, adding a touch of glamour to the simple place.

It symbolized the god Luce, who is light itself.

‘It’s quiet.’

It wasn’t that there were no people, but there was hardly any noise. Benno, who had been chattering, kept his mouth shut, and the priests who passed by occasionally focused on moving their feet.

But seeing that they couldn’t hide their curious gazes toward him, it seemed that Arendt’s notoriety had spread even to this sacred place.

Thinking about it that way, he felt a little proud.

“That’s the prayer room over there.”

Benno, who had been walking forward a step ahead, knocked on the old wooden door. Then, without waiting for permission, he opened the door.

“I’ll wait here. Feel free to talk.”

“Well… thank you.”

Even though he thought it was a dull answer, Benno smiled and nodded his head as if he was happy with that.

As he entered the prayer room, Benno quietly closed the door.

Arendt frowned slightly at the sudden light before his eyes.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the high windows, filling the space. Just below the windows, a stone statue of the god Luce with outstretched arms looked down benevolently at the chairs where the believers sat and prayed.

Priest Lumiel, who had been sitting quietly across from the god, raised her head and looked at Arendt.

A warm smile appeared on her wrinkled face.

“I know it must have been a hassle, but thank you for coming all the way here, Lord Arendt.”

Bright sunlight poured down around her, who was wrapped entirely in pure white clothes. It was as if she was being loved by light.

“Please sit down, Lord Arendt. This is going to be a long story.”

Rising up, Priest Lumiel gave up the seat she had been sitting in.

Arendt, who had been dazed for a moment, suddenly came to his senses.

“I feel more comfortable standing.”

“I want to see Lord Arendt’s face. Lord Arendt is taller than me, so I don’t think we can have a comfortable conversation if he stands in front of me.”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders and looked around at the words of Priest Lumiel, who continued to speak softly.

In front of the stone statue, there was a platform with a higher floor than the rest. It seemed to be a place used for preaching or praying.

Arendt just sat down there.

“Then I will sit here.”

His eye level was much lower than that of Priest Lumiel. Priest Lumiel burst into laughter as if she had no choice but to sit down again.

“Understood. Thank you. I was a bit unreasonable towards His Highness the Crown Prince… but I am grateful that you have accepted my request. In fact, His Highness did not seem to be very pleased with it.”

“Well… I can guess why he acted like that.”

The image of Cantares trembling with fear that he might be rude to the priest was vivid.

Priest Lumiel smiled warmly and slowly brought up the main topic.

“The reason I asked Lord Arendt to come and visit is because I also have a favor to ask.”

“From the priest? Or the temple?”

“No, it is solely my personal request. Just as His Highness the Crown Prince said he would like to seek advice from this Lumiel.”

A soft but clear answer came back.

Arendt blinked blankly.

‘This is also….’

It’s an unexpected situation.

He had a gut feeling that things would turn out interesting.