Chapter 51
“Sir Karl! The Inquisitors are people who would sacrifice even their lives for their mission. Please watch your words.”
Even Isabel had to squeeze her eyes shut and plead with him.
“How can I watch my words after seeing that mess?”
“A man no better than a mercenary who sells his body for gold dares to speak!”
“Is your faith reverence for God, or is it worship of that glittering power?”
At Karl’s words, silence fell over the place.
“Why are you all so shaken? If the power that comes with light isn’t the object of your worship, then what exactly is the problem?”
“Watch your mouth!”
“Why is it that even a newborn who doesn’t know the name of God is born with light and power?”
“That’s because God—!”
“Did God ever say that power was His own?”
It was said that the first person to use what is now called ‘Divine Power’ was a devout Holy Knight from long ago.
In the mythical age when demons and monsters roamed freely, he had vanquished them with that sacred power and devoted all glory and sacrifice to God.
A long time had passed since then. And now, a question long buried was resurfacing.
Earth’s medieval age might have been a dark period for culture and technology, but it was an era of profound exploration in faith and theology.
There, people ceaselessly questioned the divine and spent centuries asking, pondering, and answering those questions.
But these people hadn’t needed to do any of that.
It was enough for them to believe that the radiant light was a special power granted to them—a sign of the chosen.
Everyone said so. Every book claimed it. There was no reason to doubt.
“…”
The Inquisitors fell silent.
And so did the many others in the Vatican who had been listening to Karl.
He had posed a fundamental question—one they had never dared to face.
At that moment, a clear beam of light descended from the sky and shone upon Karl.
And then, the necklace around his neck began to emit light.
But it was different from the light they had seen before.
It didn’t just illuminate their vision—it seemed to warm their very hearts.
[Quest: Illuminate the Path of the Order.]
A system window rose alongside the light.
Karl ignored it and simply looked straight ahead.
“Isn’t that the Saint’s necklace?”
“Why is that around his neck…?”
As the Inquisitors stared at the necklace around Karl’s neck, Cardinal Thomas shouted,
“His Holiness entrusted Sir Karl with the necklace! Sir Karl’s questions are not the musings of some outsider with dubious intent! Furthermore, Abbot Frederic—whom we all remember as a great teacher—also bestowed the Holy Medallion upon Sir Karl! To dodge a rightful question—is that the conduct of an Inquisitor? Is that the conduct of a priest?”
At Thomas' roaring voice, the Inquisitors and clergy solemnly bowed their heads.
And there was one person observing this scene—a man newly ordained as bishop, who had until recently assisted Abbot Frederic.
It was Meder, summoned to the Vatican not long ago.
“So this is what the Abbot meant…”
Bishop Meder finally understood why the Abbot had given him the token meant for a benefactor of the Order—despite his own opposition.
“They called him the ‘Knight of the Lighthouse,’ didn’t they?”
It was a name that suited him well. Meder folded his hands and offered a prayer to God.
“Essus, please let him shine through this chaos and guide us all to the light.”
Whether that prayer would be answered remained to be seen. But at least here and now, those who had heard Karl’s question began to think differently.
The path they should truly pursue as clergy.
They had now begun to contemplate what that path might be.
***
Cardinal Thomas, who had assigned a mission to the Inquisitors, was sharing a humble dinner that evening with Karl and Isabel.
“I suppose it’s alright to speak more casually now?” “Do as you please.”
Thomas had grown comfortable enough with Karl that he dropped formal speech.
He seemed unable to hide how fond he had grown of Karl, smiling from start to finish.
“Still, the Holy Knights are going to be a problem. If the Cardinals make their move, most of the Holy Knights will probably side with them.”
“How many Holy Knights are there?”
“There are five Holy Knight Orders, each with a hundred members. Out of those, the 4th and 5th Orders will likely side with Cardinal Richelieu.”
“And the rest?”
“If we must divide it that way, the 1st and 2nd Orders would be on our side. The key is the 3rd Order.”
“What kind of group is the 3rd Order?”
“They’re a bit… odd.”
Karl found that curious.
“It’s hard to put into words. They weren’t knights who became such out of devout belief to begin with.”
“Then what were they?”
“This was back before the continent was unified. Back then, those who knew how to fight but had nowhere to go used to knock on the Order’s doors. The Church needed more Holy Knights then, so they took in people without much discrimination. But once accepted, they clashed with the devout clergy. So they created the 3rd Order just to lump all those misfits together.”
It sounded like they had essentially created a mercenary unit within the Holy Knights.
“Since it started that way, even now, knights who cause trouble or don’t fit in elsewhere—but haven’t done anything severe enough to be excommunicated—are sent to the 3rd Order as a kind of demotion. I hear even their Commander is elected by internal ranking. If someone the members don’t recognize is made commander, they won’t follow him, so the Church just rubber-stamps whoever they choose. In short, they’re a bunch without order.”
The more he heard, the more absurd it sounded.
The Vatican held the authority to appoint commanders, yet this group demanded their own to be officially recognized.
“The only Order stationed within the Vatican is the 1st. The rest are stationed to the north and south. The 3rd is in the north.”
“Then I’ll visit this 3rd Order. Cardinal Thomas, prepare the 1st and 2nd Orders. Select trustworthy Inquisitors as well, and it would be best if you led them personally.”
“Will do. But are you sure about this? The 3rd Order isn’t exactly what people picture when they think of knights.”
“I specialize in people like that.”
Compared to what he’d endured on the East Continent, this was nothing.
As the evening meal wrapped up, Karl mounted his beloved horse, Silver, and immediately set out for the north without rest.
The two watched Karl ride off. Watching his lone back, they felt an unexplainable sense of reassurance.
“Cardinal Thomas, will Sir Karl be alright on his own?”
“Well, he has more than enough proof of identity—and didn’t he say he specializes in this?”
Even Isabel felt a strange confidence as she watched Karl disappear into the distance.
“I believe he’ll be fine.”
They smiled at each other.
“Then we must do what we can on our end.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Sir Isabel, sort through the Inquisitors again and compile a list of the most trustworthy. Meanwhile, I’ll meet with the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Orders.”
***
The chaos within the Vatican had already reached all nearby, connected organizations. They were all closely watching the situation within the Church.
Among them was the 3rd Order of the Holy Knights that Thomas had mentioned.
Commander Daniel Lugetti of the 3rd Order was gathered with his ten squad leaders.
“Seems like there’s going to be conflict within the Order soon. What do you all think?”
“Just as you say, I believe a fight is brewing.”
“They say the Saintess tore out a child’s heart and drank the blood.”
“That’s just rumor.”
“But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, isn’t there?”
They hardly acted like sacred knights of the Church.
Their way of speaking was more like that of a gang and its boss.
“So, what should we do?”
“…When in doubt, best to do nothing.”
A man in particularly clean armor calmly replied, and everyone nodded.
He served as the Order’s deputy commander and strategic mind.
“Just as Georges says, is there any need for us to take sides without knowing the full picture? It’s not like we’re looking to cozy up for some favor.”
Truth be told, they hadn’t received much support from the Church, and were treated more like hired mercenaries than true Holy Knights.
Their background and status were ambiguous, but even so, if they were called Holy Knights, they should’ve at least been provided decent armor or weapons.
“The Deputy Commander’s right. The only thing they gave us was the name. Sure, they feed us, but that’s just enough for us to protect our own homes.”
As one squad leader said that, the others nodded.
“That’s right. Let’s wait and see.”
Just then, a knight burst into the meeting hall.
“What is it?”
“Commander, a Free Knight named Karl has come to see you.”
“Karl?”
“Is Karl really here!?”
They first questioned the name, then remembered the rumors—that the Knight of the Lighthouse was named Karl. One of them reacted especially strongly.
“You know him?”
“Yes. I was once deployed at the request of Inquisitor Isabel. That man is… hmm.”
Daniel smirked as he watched Kelvin unable to finish his sentence.
“You must’ve really been humiliated, huh? I can guess, thinking back to when you first got here.”
At his words, Kelvin Manov’s face flushed red.
Once a squad leader of the 5th Order on the elite path, he had been demoted to a mere knight in the 3rd Order after an incident involving Karl.
It had taken him quite a journey to climb back to squad leader again.
“If even Kelvin says that, then he must be strong.”
Daniel’s comment made the room erupt with laughter.
“Anyway, if this is the Karl summoned by Cardinal Thomas, he must be on the Vatican’s side.”
“…What shall we do? Turn him away? Or hear him out?”
Daniel looked to Georges, who frowned. Why now of all times?
“Let’s at least hear him out. If we slam the door in his face, it’ll look like we’re siding with Richelieu.”
“The Deputy Commander is right. Let him in.”
Moments later, Karl appeared in the meeting hall.
Everyone but Daniel froze the moment they saw him.
‘Ugh…!’
Daniel swallowed dryly as he watched Karl praying without shame right before them.
‘How… how does someone his age pray like that…!’
Karl, who looked no older than his mid-twenties at best, was already overwhelming the spiritual presence of everyone there.
Even if the 3rd Order had been formed from drifters, they were still officially Holy Knights of the Order.
They may have had a few screws loose, but they had ability.
“Pleasure to meet you. I am Daniel Lugetti, Commander of the 3rd Holy Knight Order.”
“Karl. Free Knight.”
Karl responded with a brief nod and an equally short introduction.
“I heard you’re assisting Cardinal Thomas. What brings you all the way out here?”
Daniel and the rest disliked wasting time. He cut straight to the point. And Karl answered just as directly.
“Join us.”
“…We plan to remain neutral. The two factions are evenly matched. We’ve no interest in joining a war with no clear victor.”
“Then you must be fond of being chained up like a dog in the yard.”
“….”
Even as the air grew cold in an instant, Karl’s expression remained unchanged as he stared at Daniel.