The Amber Sword

Back on the alley, there was a row of golden-red pillars, the carvings on it like flames. As Magadal walked past them, she felt uneasy and held up the lower part of her dress to walk faster, and she looked like an innocent princess. She walked past the inner passages of the Anderla Cathedral and came to a small hall to see Sir Benninger waiting for her.

She may not admit it, but she had some interest in the young man. As someone who was willing to give up his noble inheritance for love and justice, he could easily garner the favor of anyone. Plus Benninger fitted her image of someone who would fight against their fate.

She saw the young man, and could not help but feel nervous, so she shyly spoke, “Sir Benninger, may I know why you’re here to see me?”

“Princess Gryphine desires to know the situation in the Holy Cathedral.”

She had foreseen the outcome, but she still could not help but feel slightly dejected. “It’s the same. Archbishop Wood wishes the Holy Cathedral to take a neutral stance. Deacon Icahn may like you all, but there’s no doubt he’ll support the Archbishop’s decision.”

“It’s already good news that the Holy Cathedral is not our enemy,” Benninger answered. Only in front of the Nun Princess could he reveal his meek side. To others, he was the same elite noble that they respected.

“What’s up?”

“There were some disturbances happening with the Lion Beastmen, and the princess is worried that the Holy Cathedral may want to end the war before it began.”

Magadal arched her eyebrows, and answered softly, “I don’t think Archbishop Wood will support that idea. But…  I just received news that there were some happenings in the main Holy Cathedral of Fire.”

“Oh?”

“Archbishop Wood’s time as Archbishop is ending soon, and the main Cathedral had already sent a successor, along with another messenger, to take up his mantle. And those people gave me a bad feeling.”

“What’s the name of the successor?” Benninger asked. He did not look happy or worried and just spoke out a question.

“I don’t know, Sir Benninger. That’s the most confidential information of the Holy Cathedral, and to be honest, I should not be telling you this,” She eyed him with worry and said.

“Princess Gryphine and you are outstanding people in this world. But this world is an unfair place, and I’m sorry I could not be of help.” The Nun Princess who had been running all this while to get here was slightly red from exhaustion, and looked so cute that even Benninger wanted to take one more look at her.

He smiled and shook his head, “It’s fine. I still have to thank you, Princess Magadal. You seem to be coming here in a rush, did something happen?”

He meant the inner workings of the Cathedral, where only the higher-ups could access. He may have come from a noble family, but, with his identity as the messenger of Princess Gryphine, he could not access the place.

Magadal heard him, and nodded with a flushed face, “There’s a noble kid who came to be promoted to Holy Knight. And as a priestess of the inner workings, it’s obvious that I should oversee the ceremony.”

“Ohh.” Benninger raised his eyebrows. He realized that the Nun Princess had violated the laws of the Holy Cathedral just for him. And to the quiet and innocent girl, it must have been a great ordeal to do so. He may have been elated, but he just kept his calm and asked, “At such a time? Who’s this trash?”

“I am not clear of his origins, but I heard that he was someone powerful and even wanted the Archbishop to hold the ceremony!”

“The Archbishop?!” His expression changed, and continued, “But did he do it?”

“Nope, he was not around. But this young man was impressive, he did not accept Bishop Zoya’s suggestion to wait for him. He really did not seem to care about the prestige of being blessed by the Archbishop. Only a few nobles would do that, and there would be even lesser in Aouine!”

Or he may not realize that he lost the chance to gain that much of fame. Benninger told himself. He was jealous. After all, how many people were capable of doing such a thing?

He must have been a country bumpkin, and did not understand just how much of an importance it would be to be blessed by the Archbishop.

He breathed out, realizing that he lost control of his emotions, and shook his head, “So I’ll take my leave, Princess.”

Magadal did not take it as a bad impression even if he lost control of his emotion. He did seem composed. Plus she liked the man, and could only see his perfections and not his flaws.

Before he left, she was reminded of something, “Sir Benninger, I heard that you came here with the others?”

He was about to leave, but when he heard her say that, she hesitated, “Yep, I came with Marquis Yoakam. I met him by coincidence when I came here, and he unexpectedly recognized me. Plus he was the brother of the late king, so it’s kind of inappropriate for me to reject him.”

“I see,” Magadal nodded and warned him. “Yoakam does not have a good reputation. Plus he has close ties with Prince Luke… So if it’s possible, stay away from him. Or else you will be mocked by the others.”

Marquis Yoakam was the brother of the last king Oberg, and the illegitimate son of the king before him. He never had a good reputation since birth, and was jeered even amongst the nobles. Plus he did not even let his niece away from his perverted grasp. As of recently, he meddled with Prince Luke, the brother of Princess Gryphine and had unspeakable ties with the women of the Seifer family.

Magadal may be soft and innocent, but she disliked these people the most. It was because she heard Benninger walking together with him that she would even mention his despicable name.

“I understand,” the young man smiled, “Thank you, Princess.”

“No need.”

She shook her head and watch him go back from where he came from. As his shadows faded away, she sighed. She left her post without telling anyone, and she may be scolded for that. After all, she was the meek time who would not do such a thing.

She was disappointed and slightly excited as well. It was her first time going against her responsibilities, and it was exciting, even if it was just a small step.

She turned, and walked towards the other end with dignity as if she was facing a trial.

Benninger’s POV

On the other side, Benninger could not help but ask his aide, “Where’s Marquis Yoakam?”

They just whispered, “I dunno sir. Marquis Yoakam was saying how he never came here before and decided to go take a stroll.”

“That bastard!” Benninger’s face darkened as he gritted his teeth.

“Sir, do you still want to wait for him?” They carefully asked.

“Wait for him for what?” He rebutted, “Let him do as he wishes. We can only hope that he does not stir too much of a trouble. We have to return now. Princess still awaits us.”

“Yes Sir!” They bowed down to answer.

Brendel’s POV

Anderla’s blessing ceremony was hosted in a place more plain than other’s imaginations. The Four Great Cathedral’s inherited the designs of the Flame King Gilt’s taste, plain but aesthetic.

Normally, the priest would ask the target some questions, such as asking for his reasons for joining, or some related subjects. Brendel had long prepared for them, and had memorized the information of Aouine up to level ten. Which explained why he could answer the questions of the Bishop by heart.

The Bishop was getting more and more pleased. Since the end of the first Holy War, the nobles became less religious. They may respect the religion, but the ancient admiration for it was gone. They valued power and riches more than going for their belief. That was why it was rare to see such a dedicated young man in Aouine, or even in all of Kirrlutz.

He nodded, “If it was not because of your reluctance, I really do wish for you to join the Holy Cathedral. But I do believe you’ll be a perfect Holy Knight. I had traveled to many places, but it’s the first time I met a young yet outstanding talent like you.”

Brendel flushed. He did not expect to be viewed that highly by the Bishop. In the Cathedral, the Holy Knights were almost equal in power as an Archbishop. I just need to nod my head, and I will enjoy the privilege of being someone of equal standing with the kings, and even Archbishop Wood himself?! How many ever dreamt of that?

Brendel did not dare say that he was not a little be convinced by the offer. But he had other concerns. If he were to join the Holy Cathedral, he would have to obey the wishes of the main Holy Cathedral, and he would not have the freedom to interfere with Aouine’s politics. In addition, the organization was not as clean as it looked. And Brendel knew this more than anyone else. Thus, he declined the offer.

“That’s unfortunate.” The old Bishop sighed. But he was already glad to meet such a fine young man. He held up the pebble rinsed with holy water and placed in on Brendel’s shoulders. He pressed his other hand on the doctrine and was about to begin the ceremony.

But at the moment, another person appeared. He opened his mouth to stop the old Bishop, “Wait a minute.”

Brendel and the Bishop looked back, and the person who looked back-

Was Archbishop Wood.