CH 105

Chapter 105: Initiation Ceremony (2)

Clearing out the demons wasn’t as difficult as I expected.

It was my first battle since I’ve got Ki Sense so I was pleased with the test.

I was especially pleased with the first chapter of Reverse Heaven.

Sierra, who had been watching the battle closely, commented that the elixir given to me by Hubert Graham had worked quite well.

The Knight on watch counted the number of horns I had brought with me and asked if I had killed them alone.

Ecline shrugged and said yes, and she muttered something along the lines of, “The Holy Lady’s chosen one…” or something like that.

Apparently, the Order had some information about me.

With the horns in hand, I immediately traveled with Ecline to the Order branch closest to the Academy.

I didn’t have to clean up after myself since Ecline told me that there was a separate group that was responsible for cleaning up.

All we had to do was tell them where to go and they would do the rest.

Still, she recommends not destroying too many buildings since it’s a lot of work for them to repair damaged buildings.

So Ecline and I went to the branch, which was in an obvious location.

It was well hidden, but…After all, neither the Silver Winged Knights nor the Saint are part of the Holy Land.

We found the cathedral dedicated to Lord Henerys within the city.

Once inside, Ecline and I avoided the crowded chapel and made our way through a narrow passageway to the confessional.

There were several doors lined up in a row, and Ecline’s footsteps led us to the one at the head of the row.

She opened the door and stepped into a small room. Apparently, the confessional was designed to allow only one person to enter at a time.

At the front of the room is a woman who appears to be a priest. From the layout, it looked like the door to the priest’s office was in the opposite direction, not down this aisle.

The priest hadn’t said anything to us as we entered, and there was a cloth between her and us, like a shield, so we couldn’t see each other’s faces.

“…You can show your badge here.”

Under the cloth, Ecline held out her Order badge.

I wondered if I should show mine, but then the priest handed it back to Ecline, and I heard the sound of a lever being pulled.

The next thing I know, the wall next to me creaks open.

[Ohhh…]

Sierra stares at the open wall and lets out a short exclamation.

A dark staircase leading down to the basement appeared and Sheddie, who was at my feet, jumped down the stairs in excitement, only to fall.

“Kek…! Keng…!”

Sheddie lets out a strange cry as she falls down the stairs.

Soon, Ecline takes the lead and begins to walk down the stairs.

“Is this the same for the other branches?”

I asked Ecline as we started going down the stairs.

“It depends. If you’re not sure, just show your badge to a priest at the cathedral, and if there is a branch there, they’ll give you directions, and if not, they’ll tell you where the nearest one is.”

“I see.”

“…This is the entrance, and there’s a separate exit. This place is a bit unique.”

Ecline says as she walks down the stairs and opens the door to reveal the branch.

It’s bright and spacious for a subterranean space, and like the cathedral, it had been around for a long time, so the passage of time was evident in the exterior walls.

Sierra entered the Spectral Sword, eager to meet the saint, and took Sheddie with her, just in case.

There were more people inside than they expected. It seemed that the number of people had increased because the Saint was staying at the branch.

Well, as I knew it… It was a branch of the Order of the Saint, the Knights of the Silver Wings, so all the people in the branch were women.

As I walked inside with Ecline, , I caught the attention of the other knights.

“…Who is that man next to the deputy leader?”

“He was brought here by the Saint herself.”

“Bandages…He must be a real blind man…”

“Could he possibly be a fake blind man?”

Just being a man was already strange enough, and I followed Ecline through their chatter, trying to make sense of it all.

I was worried they might be hostile, but so far they don’t seem to be.

I don’t think anyone could argue against the choice of the Saint.

Humming a tune, Ecline turns around to face me and speaks.

“You need to get ready for your initiation.”

Ecline snaps her fingers, and before I know it, the other Knights are leading me away as if I needed to prepare for the initiation ceremony.

***

“An initiation test and a solo nest raid…Indeed, there was a reason for the Lord’s revelation to the Saint.”

Ines turned her head to look at me with a satisfied smile since I had already told them about the revelation.

On the desk, the six pairs of demon horns Zetto had brought with him were laid out on a thin cloth.

He must be preparing for his initiation ceremony now.

It’s a shame we couldn’t meet right away, but it’s getting late… In many ways, it seemed better to move quickly.

“How was he, Ecline?”

Ecline snorted at my question, flicked the horns once on the desk, and then opened her mouth.

“Well, he was great. They were red horns, but he realized it was a nest before he even entered the building… And he took them all out without even setting foot in the building.”

“…You mean you used his swordsmanship?”

Inés interrupted Ecline’s explanation.

“I wouldn’t call it swordsmanship… It was very different…”

Ecline’s words trailed off, and she and Inés began discussing Zetto’s swordsmanship so I left them alone, and quietly recalled my encounter with Zetto at the Academy.

‘The saint is…very beautiful.’

I could still hear his voice echoing in my ears.

It wasn’t the first time I’d been complimented on my appearance, but it meant a lot to me because he was a blind man…or simply because he was blind.

But there was something I didn’t like about him.

I tried to deduce what it could be, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

‘If it’s a curse, I’ll just have to break it…’

While I was waiting for Zetto, I asked the Lord a question.

What the hell was in that man’s body…

…I didn’t do it because I thought the answer would come back to me.  It was more of a lament.

But just yesterday God answered my question and he said,

‘Its identity is a destiny of its own making. My beloved child, do not tamper with it or you will incur great wrath. It would be neither good for you nor good for me…’

The Lord told me not to intervene.

He didn’t tell me the exact nature of the energy. No, it would be more accurate to say that He couldn’t.

Rather, He said it was something Zetto earned.

What does that mean?

Fate is a meaningful word.

The sound of Ecline’s voice shattered the thoughts in my head.

“Anyway……I’ve been looking into the honorary knight, Zetto, and I think he’d be a great addition to our Order…maybe even to the Saint…? Hmph…”

Ecline, who was talking to Ines, flashed me a wry smile.

“Ecline…”

Ines lowered her voice as if to warn me to be careful so I gave her a wry smile and replied.

“…I hope so.”

***

Initiation into the Order of the Silver Wing was a process similar to taking a vow or oath of sorts, where the Saint would ask a candidate a set of questions and the candidate would answer them.

Up until this point, it was just a formality steeped in history and tradition but that changed when Bernice became the Saint.

Bernice, Saint of Innocence, with her power to distinguish between truth and falsehood made the initiation ceremony more meaningful.

My initiation was not a formal initiation, so there weren’t many onlookers. The minimum number of people required to perform an initiation ceremony was sufficient.

Inés, the leader of the Order, Ecline, the deputy leader, and Bernice, the Saint were the only ones present.

In the silence of the room Zetto’s right knee was on the floor, his hands on his chest, and his head bowed.

His dark hair matched the pure white robes of the Holy Land.

Surely it could have ended there but Bernice had sensed the negative energy that had been lurking in Zetto’s body for some time now.

It was ominous and off-putting, and it had grown stronger in the days since she’d seen him.

It seemed to have gone beyond his heart and now permeated his entire body so Bernice took a moment to examine Zetto’s body, and she could tell that his life force had dwindled slightly.

At this, Bernice started to feel dizzy.

What was his fate that the Lord had told her about? Was she not to intervene in any way? And why would it be bad for her?

Bernice was confused and despite her dizziness, she could barely find her voice to continue the initiation ceremony.

“…Do you swear that you will be the sword of me, Saint Bernice the Innocent, to destroy all evil in this world?”

“I swear.”

Zetto answered Bernice’s question and of course, it was the truth.

“…”

Now it was time to ask the next question, but Bernice hesitated and the silence that followed Zetto’s answer must have been puzzling to everyone except Bernice. However, no one was urging her on.

Closing her eyes tightly and gathering her thoughts, Bernice opened them. Then she asked her next question.

“Will you keep your oath… even if it means giving up your life…?”

Her lips parted, but before they could close, Zetto spoke up with a nonchalant answer.

“I will gladly honor my oath, even if it costs me my life.”

Zetto’s voice echoed through the hall.

In truth, it’s not often that even this statement is true.

To be willing to give up one’s life is something no human can do easily and even if the answer was a lie, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t accept the new member.

Bernice gritted her teeth.

But why was this true?

Why couldn’t she interpret Zetto’s oath as simple loyalty?

‘What is his fate…?’

Why did he choose to carry such a dark aura in his body, when his life force was so obviously drained?

For the first time, Bernice resented her power.

For the first time, she resented her power, something she must repent of to the Lord, but Zetto initiation was over.

Now it was time for the final blessing,

“I am so happy to have you as my sword, and may God’s blessings be upon you.”

The ceremony was complete and Bernice’s mouth opened.

“Thank you for being my sword…”

“…”

“…so……”

Bernice could not open her mouth since her power stopped her from lying. She was not pleased but she could not continue.