Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 36

“Mr. Alex, you’re free today, aren’t you? I called ahead.”

“Ah, yes, believer.”

The conversation was briefly interrupted by a customer who had arrived at the ticket booth at that exact moment. There were more visitors to the temple than expected; in the short time they were talking inside the booth, several people had already made payments.

“Since the situation is like this, it will be difficult for me to guide you personally.”

Priest Robert, wearing an apologetic expression, wrapped bands around the wrists of Rowy and Van. They were admission tickets.

“You won’t need a guide, will you, Commander?”

“No.”

“Then, see you later, Commander. Everyone will be incredibly happy when they find out you’re here. And regarding the release spell… you’ll have to speak with the High Priest. He’s fully booked today, so you’ll have to wait until closing time.”

Van nodded and naturally wrapped his arm around Rowy’s shoulder. Priest Robert’s eyes narrowed as he watched them.

‘So, what is their relationship?’

It didn’t seem like they were just together because of the release spell… aren’t they a bit too close? But before he could even ask, the two were already passing through the entrance. Priest Robert watched their backs for a long time before finally turning away with a soft smile. Whatever the case, he felt relieved to see the Commander, whom he was seeing again for the first time in a long while, looking brighter and different from before.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

‘The inside of the temple looks the same as before, though….’

Van, who had led Rowy inside, looked around. What on earth was there to see in this cramped place that people would even buy tickets to enter? Van glanced at the admission band on his wrist and shook his head. However, unlike Van, Rowy was bursting with excitement as if he had come to an amusement park. Rowy’s steps were light as he peered around the unremarkable place.

“Then show me around the temple. I want to go here. The prayer room. They say there’s a painting of The Great Demon Mamon.”

Rowy pointed at the prayer room while looking at the temple guidebook—he must have picked it up somewhere.

“Is something like that written in there?”

Van was surprised and peered into the brochure. The booklet, which looked exactly like the Enns travel guide Seilan had handed them, was filled with endless information about the temple. There’s this much to see in this tiny temple? Van, having taken the brochure from Rowy, examined it closely. And the contents were….

‘A lodging filled with the spirituality of our priests! Come and receive their energy.’

…Isn’t this just a reach? Van closed the brochure with a bitter expression. Meanwhile, Rowy was excitedly skipping along ahead by himself. Other visitors kept brushing past them. Although he was still bewildered by the drastically changed atmosphere of the temple… the vibrant energy wasn’t bad. Before Van left, the temple was like….

‘It felt like a giant funeral home….’

Van shook his head quickly to clear the recurring dark thoughts. There was no need to pointlessly dwell on the past and get depressed. The Great Demon had been extinguished long ago, and now was the time for others to move on to new lives, just like himself. While he was lost in thought, Van noticed Rowy had already walked some distance ahead, and he strode forward to catch up.

“…Come this way. The prayer room is over here.”

Taking Rowy’s hand, Van finally smiled a little.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

“…”

He had clearly thought of the temple’s changes positively just a moment ago, but….

“Oh! It’s a ‘Guess the Demon’ experience! Let’s do this!”

“…Is there another experience?”

There were so many attractions along the way; Van’s expression grew ambiguous again as he looked at the endless line of game stalls stretching along the short path to the prayer room. How did they manage to pack all this into a small temple? Van sighed as he was pulled along by the excited Rowy.

The “Guess the Demon” experience was a simple game you’d find at an amusement park or night market. This activity, where you had to hit a picture of a demon painted on the wall with a dart, was surprisingly popular because if you got the highest score, they gave you a small model of The Holy Sword as a prize. Van, standing in line behind three or four people, now wore an expression of complete resignation.

“Why on earth do you need a model of The Holy Sword?”

“Are you kidding? They even wrote the holy script on it just like the real one!”

Ah, yes…. While waiting for their turn with that bitter expression, Van met another familiar face.

“Welcome. It’s ten thousand sen per try.”

“Max, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“…Oh! Commander Deor!”

Max, who had been mechanically collecting money from customers, jumped up in surprise when he saw Van. Max was a member of the holy knights that Deor had led, and one of the few who had survived the bloody battle with Mamon. Max had lost one of his legs that day. Van’s face stiffened at the prosthetic leg visible beneath his trousers, but he quickly forced a smile.

“Wow! How long has it been! Have you been doing well?”

“Yes. So you’re working here now.”

“Yes. There are more customers than you’d think. …So the priests secretly give us extra pay.”

His whispering voice was bright. Van’s heart felt a little lighter.

“I’ll take this.”

While the two were exchanging greetings, Rowy, who had paid, picked up the darts. To get the prize, you had to aim for the demon’s forehead or heart painted on the wall. Rowy ran to the target and threw the darts in one go. The darts, thrown without any technique, fell straight to the floor without even coming close.

“…”

Rowy stared blankly at the darts that had fallen powerlessly.

‘Oh, man.’

Fearing Rowy would be upset, Van quickly stepped to his side. Rowy whispered quietly to Van, who had come close.

“…If I use magic, will the gods get angry?”

“You want the model that badly?”

“Yeah.”

Van, with a wry expression, nodded.

“I don’t think it will matter. Isn’t that your ability, Master?”

“Right?”

Rowy, immediately re-energized, floated the darts in the air. Seeing the darts stick directly into the dead center, Rowy smiled brightly.

“Give me the prize.”

“You have extinguished the demon. Congratulations, customer.”

Max, wearing a kind smile, recited his lines according to the work manual and handed the prize to Rowy.

“Wow.”

Rowy, holding The Holy Sword, examined its shape from all angles. They said it was made by a famous craftsman, and indeed, the quality was excellent. While Rowy was distracted by his prize, Van greeted Max again.

“So, are the others still working here too? The priests as well—I heard everyone was leaving, but it seems you’ve all stayed.”

“That’s true. Where would we go? Even among those who left, many have returned. And… did you hear? The trade guild is managing the temple now. That’s why Sir Shane and Sir Turner are mainly doing escort duties for the trade guild.”

“I see.”

Shane and Turner were the knights who had stayed by Van’s side until the very end. Van’s eyes dimmed again at the thought of them.

“…I should have visited sooner.”

“You’re still the same, Commander. All your worries are written all over your face. Don’t worry. We’ve been doing well. We’ve even made a lot of money.”

Just then, Rowy, having finished admiring the model of The Holy Sword, approached and pressed money into Max’s hand. It was a tip.

“This is really well made! Here.”

“Thank you!”

Max bowed his head and looked at Van with a smirk.

“See? We made a lot of money.”

Max’s expression as he said that looked genuinely excited. In fact, it wouldn’t be easy not to be excited with the amount Rowy had handed him…. Rowy was always generous.

“I’m really glad you’re doing well.”

“…Yeah. I’m relieved to see that.”

Van smiled back with a much lighter face.

“How long do you plan on staying in Marzen?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I’ll probably be here for a while.”

“Then, would there be time for us to have a meal together?”

“Of course. I’m scheduled to see the High Priest today, so I’ll ask about my schedule then.”

“It’s a promise!”

“Sure.”

Yay! Seeing him shout in excitement, Van caught a glimpse of the youthful child he had first met and, without realizing it, reached out and ruffled Max’s hair. And just then, Rowy, who had been sneakily listening to their conversation while pretending to inspect The Holy Sword, cut in quickly.

“Can I come along, too?”

“Of course. Ah, I haven’t introduced you. This is Max. He’s a child I’ve looked after since he was very young. He was in the same holy knight order.”

“Hello!”

“Hi.”

Max greeted him affably. Rowy also waved his hand gently, accepting the greeting.

‘…So, who is this person?’

Max had been incredibly curious about who this beautiful person, who looked like a noble, was for a while now. Max, an excellent employee who had been well-trained not to say useless things to customers, had kept his mouth shut until Van spoke first, but his face was filled with unmistakable curiosity. Seeing his youngest member looking the same even after all this time, Van smiled and introduced Rowy.

“This here is my Master.”

“…Pardon?”

Whether they knew they had left Max in deep confusion or not, Rowy and Van left to head toward the next experience stall.