Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 39

“Then, when will the ritual be possible?”

“Hmm… it seems the preparations will take some time. After all, as things are now….”

The High Priest trailed off with a heavy voice. Since neither the number of priests to prepare the ritual nor the holy artifacts were what they used to be, it was a situation where preparations were bound to take a while. Van, having realized what the High Priest had left unsaid, nodded with a stiff expression. The High Priest patted Van’s shoulder once and turned his gaze back to Rowy.

“Young friend? Are you alright?”

“…”

“Young friend?”

“Mm…?”

Rowy’s voice dragged on as he answered. Blink, blink. His eyes opened and closed slowly. It was because he had not yet recovered from the effects of the divine power. The High Priest, who observed this carefully, smiled.

‘He has a constitution that is extremely sensitive to divine power.’

Most people cannot feel divine power at all. However, Rowy was not just aware of it—he was fully absorbing it with his entire body.

‘If I could, I would like to raise him as a priest.’

Of course, since he looks like a young nobleman, that would be impossible…. It’s quite a pity. The High Priest shook his head and looked at Van again.

“Yes. Leave the ritual preparations to me. You’ll have to stay here until everything is ready, of course…. But before that, why don’t you have a meal together? A ritual is a ritual, but it’s a fact that someone as dear as you has returned, isn’t it?”

However, even at the High Priest’s words, Van only bowed his head with his expression still tightly set. Seeing signs that Van was about to become gloomy again, the High Priest clapped his hands to lighten the mood.

“Why are you pulling such a long face, hm? Even this young friend is being so composed.”

The High Priest said, pointing at Rowy. Rather than composed… he was just being quiet because he was still intoxicated by the divine power, but regardless. Fortunately, Van gathered his wits at those words. Rowy was the one who was truly the most anxious, so shouldn’t he be the one to stand by his side firmly? Van clenched his fists.

“Don’t worry. The Lord will watch over you. Hm?”

The High Priest soothed Van repeatedly. At that kind voice, Van barely managed to lift the corners of his mouth.

“…Max did say earlier that it would be nice if we all ate together.”

“So you’ve already met Max. If the others hear that you’ve arrived, they’ll probably come running barefoot.”

Van smiled bitterly at that. Why would they welcome someone who abandoned everything and left? Still, since the High Priest had gone so far as to say this, he thought it would be best to meet them and exchange greetings at least once. Van nodded.

“Yes, then please set a time and let me know. For me, any time is fine as long as my master allows it.”

“Right! That’s a good thought! Then quickly, tell your master the time… Master?”

The High Priest, who had been chiming in quickly for fear that Van would start digging into the ground again, stopped at the unexpected word. Master? However, Van just stared at Rowy, who was sitting next to him. Consequently, the High Priest’s gaze naturally turned toward Rowy. So then….

“Master, would it be alright if we had a meal together?”

“Hm? Mm. Do as you like.”

“Thank you.”

Master…? Once again, the High Priest was plunged into confusion.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

“Having a meal? Great! Then leave Rowy to me! I’ll look after him.”

Upon hearing about the meal, Seilan was the first to suggest this. Naturally, Rowy was annoyed by that.

“Look after me, what look after me? Am I a child?”

“Then what? You don’t have anywhere to go, do you? You’re going to stay in your room all alone?”

“Why would I stay alone? I’m going, too.”

“The people of the temple are trying to catch up after a long time—are you going to butt in on that?”

“So what if I do?”

Rowy said, casting a sharp look. Seilan looked at him pitifully.

“Do you have no sense of the situation?”

“…”

Rowy’s expression turned pouting. Even so, the fact that he couldn’t say anything back meant he probably knew he shouldn’t be butting in.

“You’re not a child, so don’t be so inconsiderate. Don’t go there and ruin the atmosphere for no reason.”

“…”

However, unfortunately for Seilan, who had deliberately tried to be considerate… Van was on Rowy’s side anyway. Seeing Rowy’s eyes becoming increasingly sharp, Van quickly tucked Rowy under his arm.

“I want to go with my master. You’ll go with me, won’t you?”

See? Rowy, whose expression had instantly changed to one of triumph, clung to Van’s waist. The two of them then left the inn, stuck together. It seemed like Seilan’s swearing could be heard from behind, but as always, neither of them paid it any mind.

“Do we go this way?”

“Yes.”

The meeting place was a restaurant in the central plaza, and he remembered having meals there a few times in the past. Thinking back to that time, Van said to Rowy.

“Now that I think of it, they sell Mont Blanc here, too.”

“Really? I want some!”

“Yes.”

Although he had followed Van blindly because he didn’t want to send him off alone… Rowy, who would never enjoy a meal with strangers, smiled a little at the mention of Mont Blanc. As the two entered the shop together harmoniously, all eyes were, naturally, cast upon them.

‘Who is that next to the Captain?’

‘I don’t know.’

There was a small commotion among the people, whispering to one another. However, Rowy, whose mind had been completely captured by the Mont Blanc, didn’t care who was looking and ordered it before even sitting down.

“Mont Blanc!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to have a meal first?”

“No.”

And Van was the same in that he didn’t care about his surroundings. Van, who exchanged brief greetings with those he recognized with a slight bow, stuck back to Rowy’s side. It was because he had to feed Rowy dinner.

It’s cute that his expression brightened up so much over just one Mont Blanc, but he still needs to eat dinner. Van subtly slid the appetizer bread toward Rowy. Rowy and Van, who had fallen into their own world without even exchanging proper greetings as soon as they arrived….

“…”

“…”

Everyone was holding their breath, watching with intrigued eyes.

‘Does anyone know who that person is?’

‘No idea.’

‘What on earth are those two?’

Countless glances were exchanged among the people in an instant. However, even in that chaotic atmosphere, the two were still completely preoccupied only with the Mont Blanc.

“Here you go. Let me cut it for you.”

“Mm.”

Van, who took the plate of Mont Blanc that came out quickly, carefully sliced it up. Then, he put a piece on a fork and held it gently to Rowy’s lips.

“…”

“…”

The people of the temple, who had been watching even that, eventually couldn’t hold it in and began to whisper out loud one by one.

“What’s going on? Who is that for the Captain to be like that?”

“Someone who came from the trade guild said they’re lovers.”

“What? Lovers?”

Seilan’s unnecessarily loose tongue fueled the strange atmosphere. Murmurs and a small commotion broke out among the people at the unexpected word.

“Come to think of it, Max, didn’t you say you exchanged greetings with that person?”

At someone’s remark, all eyes turned to Max. Under the sudden intense gaze, Max scratched his cheek and spoke up.

“W-well, I don’t know for sure, either…. But I think they are lovers. The Captain was completely smitten. He was even using pet names….”

“Pet names?”

“Yes, it was a bit strange, though….”

What’s so strange about pet names? Doubt filled everyone’s faces. And just then, Van opened his mouth.

“Eat this first. Master.”

…Master? Is that, by any chance, the pet name?

“Ugh.”

“That’s a bit…”

The eyes of the people looking at the two sitting stuck together changed ambiguously. Even amidst the stares pouring in from all sides, Van was still sitting right next to Rowy, busily tending to him.

“Eat slowly. Have some tea, too.”

“Mm.”

“Careful, careful. Is it too hot?”

…It was quite the spectacle for them to be eating just one Mont Blanc. The people’s gazes grew a little colder.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

“High Priest, is that person truly the Captain’s lover?”

Sitting next to the High Priest, Priest Robert, who had been observing the two with interest like the others, asked in a low voice. The High Priest smiled and asked back.

“How do they look to you?”

“They certainly do look incredibly close. …Are they truly in such a relationship?”

“Well….”

As for what kind of relationship those two have…. The High Priest, having taken a sip of the tea in front of him, recalled a past conversation.

‘Master? What is this nonsense?’

The High Priest, having seen Van call Rowy “Master,” had asked with a bewildered face.

‘Ah….’

Van, who had been calling Rowy “Master” without a second thought, finally scratched his cheek with a troubled expression. Where and how was he supposed to start explaining this? It didn’t seem like a story to be told in minute detail…. Seeing Van uncharacteristically hesitant and unable to speak, the High Priest gave a silent urging for him to go ahead and tell him. With that, Van let out a sigh and opened his mouth again.

‘Well, after I first left the temple…’

Thus, Van began to slowly retrace the past.

‘I was introduced to a job and went there…. But it turned out to be a scam.’

Van said with a grave expression.

And… the story that followed was predictable.

Before starting the job, the scammers demanded a deposit, claiming identity verification was necessary. However, there was no way Van had any money. When he said he didn’t have any money, they pushed loan documents at him, saying they would lend it to him for now and he could pay it back later. That was the beginning.

The naive holy knight, who couldn’t have imagined that a person would deceive another, let alone a demon, signed the papers without any suspicion… and the debt that had started before he even began working kept growing for one reason or another. In the end, he was squeezed this way and that until he was eventually sold off completely—it was a story that could not be listened to without tears.

‘Oh, Deor. You’ve gone through severe hardships.’

In reality, the High Priest who had heard that story had wiped away tears….

‘…He was deceived by that?’

Rowy, who had been bewitched by the divine power, snapped to his senses. It was because he felt that if he were to live with this naive human, he would have to be the one to stay sharp. In any case, the conclusion was that Rowy had purchased Van, who was about to be sold into slavery.

So, if one were to ask what their relationship was… it would be correct to call them master and slave. However… what kind of slave looks at their master with such affectionate eyes? The High Priest, who had been watching with a satisfied heart as the two continued the “feeding and not feeding” spectacle over a single Mont Blanc, opened his mouth.

“It’s my first time officiating a wedding, so I’m nervous.”

…It seemed like their marriage was increasingly becoming a foregone conclusion.