Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 44

“Now, please come this way.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Guided by Priest Robert, Rowy headed toward the inner part of the main hall. The other priests followed slowly behind. They all had their faces covered with white cloth, which they said was to ward off impurities. Though, he wasn’t quite sure how a piece of cloth was supposed to stop that.

‘…But how can they even see where they’re going?’

Rowy tilted his head, then continued to follow Priest Robert. After following for quite a while, a staircase leading underground soon appeared.

“There was an underground space here?”

The Elysion Temple was a small-scale temple, consisting of a few modest one-story buildings. Who would have guessed there was such a vast space beneath it? Rowy looked around with curious eyes.

“The stairs are steep, so please watch your step.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Having cautioned the distracted Rowy, Priest Robert walked slowly down the stairs. With every step they took, the immense underground space revealed itself to Rowy. It was a place where all sorts of sacred scriptures were densely inscribed on the walls, and a massive array was drawn on the floor.

The priests led Rowy, who was busy peering around, to the very center of the array. A stone altar stood there, and perhaps because of the ritual to come, a soft pillow had been placed on top.

“A pillow….”

…Honestly, it was a little funny. Rowy tried hard to stifle his laughter.

“You may lie down here.”

Whether he knew what Rowy was thinking or not, Priest Robert’s voice remained infinitely solemn. Rowy, feeling awkward from trying to hold back his laughter, lay straight down on the altar. Well, he supposed a pillow might be necessary. This cleansing ritual was…

“Now, are you ready to fall asleep?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Since they said it utilized dreams, after all.

“…”

Blink, blink. Rowy, lying on the altar, blinked awkwardly. He lay there for a long time, but nothing happened. Rowy lifted his head slightly.

“What am I supposed to do? Close my eyes and sleep?”

“You just have to remain still. Then God will guide you.”

…That was exactly what I was doing, and since nothing happened, that’s why I asked. Rowy grumbled to himself. Perhaps reading Rowy’s thoughts, the priests soon began to chant prayers in soft voices. Even Priest Liner, who was under a vow of silence, was making sound now.

Rowy listened to the prayers blankly. Although Rowy could read the sacred scriptures to some extent now, it was still difficult to fully understand the content just by listening like this. Still, Rowy tried hard to stumble through interpreting the prayer. So, Elion was…

.

.

.

Flash. Suddenly, his eyes opened. Rowy blinked, trying to grasp the situation in the sudden change.

‘What happened? I was clearly…’

I was clearly listening to the prayer? Rowy rubbed his eyes. Still, the scene before him did not change. So… Rowy was now in the middle of a forest. It was a place with a small footpath between dark-colored trees. For some reason, the scenery felt familiar, and Rowy tilted his head.

‘Hmm, it’s a familiar place… but I can’t quite remember exactly where it was.’

After looking around for a moment, Rowy soon began to walk along the path. He figured if he kept moving, he might find something.

‘Once the ritual begins, you will have a dream.’

‘What? I’ll fall asleep?’

‘Dreams are a gateway to God.’

‘Mm-hmm?’

…He didn’t have the slightest idea what they were talking about, but seeing as he had woken up like this inside a dream, it seemed something was indeed underway.

“Oh?”

How long had he walked? Soon, Rowy realized where this was.

‘This is… the Imperial Academy.’

To be precise, it was a small forest on the edge of the Imperial Academy. It had been several years, so it took him a while to recognize it.

‘Why would this place appear in a dream? I haven’t even been here that many times.’

This nameless forest wasn’t a restricted area, but since it bordered the Academy’s barrier, almost no one came in or out. And yet, the reason Rowy remembered this place was…

‘Come to think of it, why did I come here?’

Rowy tilted his head. However, at some point, the Rowy in the dream began to move on his own, as if he knew the path well, simply marching forward.

‘In my memory, if I go this way, I’m supposed to hit the barrier.’

And sure enough, it was just as Rowy remembered. At the end of the path, Rowy encountered the Academy’s barrier. Rowy looked at the barrier, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, with interested eyes.

With white and blue magic soaring from the ground to the sky, and another invisible layer of magic wrapping around it, this dual-structured barrier was the essence of ancient magic that had existed since before the Empire was founded.

Ancient magic was much sturdier and more intricate than modern magic, and some mages had even criticized its complex formula structure as inefficient. But Rowy loved the ancient ways. It was because those stacked, meticulous formulas contained their heartfelt wishes.

‘Seeing things like this, maybe the theory that ancient magic was a form of prayer to God is correct.’

Thud. Rowy, who had been deep in thought while approaching the barrier, stopped in his tracks. …Because someone was standing in front of the barrier. Rowy, who had encountered a living person for the first time in this strange dream, grew tense.

‘What should I do? Should I pretend I know them?’

While Rowy was agonizing over what to do, as if the person had noticed Rowy’s awareness of them, they soon turned around.

“…”

The woman, with long silver hair and wearing an antique dress, was clearly someone he was meeting for the first time. However… she was also someone Rowy knew all too well. Lady Estellia was standing there.

‘Why is Mom suddenly popping out here?’

Of course, Rowy didn’t fall into a deep emotional state just because he saw his dead mother moving and alive. Rowy was perfectly aware that all of this was happening during the cleansing ritual. Therefore, the first question that popped into his mind was this:

‘Did I miss the Academy and Mom? I don’t think so.’

Why, they say dreams are supposed to reach deep into your heart and bring out things you’ve long cherished, don’t they? Even while thinking such things, the Rowy in the dream didn’t stop walking. At some point, the two were walking along the path together.

“…”

The feeling of walking with his dead mother was truly strange. He was fully grown now, but his mother remained the young woman from the portrait.

‘Wait, I think I was smaller before.’

Before? Had he seen her before? No, that was impossible. She was a woman who died when he was born. But before he could think any deeper, Lady Estellia, who had been walking only looking forward, turned her body slowly toward Rowy.

Rowy stopped walking and lifted his head to look at his mother. Their eyes met. And at that moment, Rowy’s face hardened. Lady Estellia’s eyes—the eyes that had met his—had no whites; they were just pitch black. Just like the demon painted in the prayer room.

“Gasp!”

Rowy jumped up in shock, his body jolting.

“Hah, haa.”

“Are you alright?”

His breathing was ragged. The High Priest approached and patted Rowy’s chest. Rowy swiped the hand away in annoyance and sat up.

“What is this? Is this what you call a cleansing ritual?”

Rowy’s sharp voice filled the space.

“Sir.”

“Don’t touch me!”

The High Priest reached out his hand cautiously again toward the agitated Rowy. But Rowy couldn’t calm down easily. The priests, after exchanging glances, began to force Rowy back down onto the altar.

“Let go! Are you not going to let go?”

“The ritual is not yet finished.”

“I don’t need a ritual like this!”

Rowy shouted and thrashed about. But he couldn’t escape the firm grip of the priests. Blue flames flickered in Rowy’s eyes for an instant.

“Let go!”

Boom…! A massive surge of magic filled the room, and the priests were shoved back against the walls all at once.

“Sir!”

Rowy, who had glanced back at the priests with cold eyes for a moment, vanished into thin air in an instant.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

At the massive surge of magic that shook the entire temple, Van rushed down to the underground altar. However, by the time Van arrived, Rowy had already disappeared.

“What on earth happened here!”

“Captain.”

The priests’ expressions were grim. Seeing their faces, Van hesitated.

“…Don’t tell me, did the cleansing fail?”

“…”

The High Priest closed his eyes. Priest Alex, who was supporting the High Priest beside him, nodded with a heavy expression.

“…Yes.”

The thing he had been so worried about finally… Van clenched his fists tightly.

“Then where did my master go?”

“…He suddenly disappeared using magic.”

Hearing that much, Van turned on his heel and ran out.