"The atmosphere in the Principality feels strange."
Zeke, who had joined the Black Sword Knight Order with Roban in tow, led the knights straight into the Principality of Vadoka.
The Principality of Vadoka, known as a holy land, was surrounded by sturdy walls on high ground and guarded by paladins and priests, making it an impregnable fortress that even an ork legion couldnʼt easily breach.
Upon entering such a stronghold, Zeke sensed an odd tension in the attitudes of the paladins and priests.
Even though they all belonged to the same Principality, there were subtle signs of confrontation between them.
Roban, standing beside Zeke, frowned at his murmur and said, "Sir Zeke, this is the reality of the Holy Kingdom. Even those who worship the same god divide into factions, fight among themselves, and discriminate by rank, leaving many of the faithful to suffer."
Moreover, there were no nuns or monks to be seen in the Principality of Vadoka.
Though they were fellow clergy, their lower status meant they couldnʼt walk openly in this sacred land; they had to stick to the narrow alleys behind the buildings.
Roban had been driven out of the kingdom due to the rampant political infighting. The Pope had done her best by sending him to a monastery where he could live safely.
Fortunately, that place was one where priests, paladins, nuns, and monks respected one another, strove to follow the will of god, and spread teachings.
Roban had followed those teachings and sought the true will of god.
But most monasteries in the Order were not like that.
The clergy had exploited the faithful to fill their own bellies, turning the propagation of doctrine into a means of accumulating wealth.
Though still young, Roban had witnessed and endured this reality firsthand, feeling the corruption of the Holy Kingdom with his whole body.
He burned with anger at their selfish actions, yet his shoulders trembled faintly with fear.
Zeke patted Robanʼs shoulder as he watched him.
"No need to be so tense. Iʼll get you safely to the Pope, so donʼt worry." At Zekeʼs words, Roban finally relaxed his expression.
At first, he had viewed this man who had rescued him from Bacchus as an imperial pursuer and shown hostility.
But upon hearing that he was Zeke Draker, the Knight of Salvation who had saved the ghetto region from monsters—not an imperial soldier—his gaze had completely changed.
The greatest genius knight on the continent, renowned as the curse-healer knight, bearer of the Blessing of the Fairy King, and performer of various miracles, Zeke Draker was the most celebrated figure on the continent.
Furthermore, rumors swirled that Zeke Draker could wield powerful miracles of light, akin to the incarnation of the first Holy King, Gio Rubern.
Strictly speaking, Gio Rubern was a saint of another denomination to Roban, but that didnʼt diminish the awe he inspired.
With such a Knight of Salvation protecting him, Roban could finally shake off his fear and feel at ease.
Zeke gave a small smile to the now-relaxed Roban, then led the Black Sword Knight Order toward the Papal Palace.
At that moment, a group of clergy in ornate attire appeared before the Papal Palace.
Dressed in pristine white robes adorned with gold and jewels more lavish than those of Central Continent nobles, they outshone even the aristocracy.
They were members of the Principalityʼs Central Assembly.
And at their forefront stood none other than Chairman Pierre.
For the chairman and assembly members to come out personally to greet him was a show of considerable courtesy.
Pierre, atop his mount, addressed Zeke, who sat astride Bucephalus.
"Knight of the Draker family and heir of the Agamemnon family. Zeke Draker, Knight of Salvation, we welcome you in the name of god. Faithful knight Zeke Draker, demonstrate your loyalty and devotion to god, and prove that you shall be his sword."
According to the Orderʼs rites, he was to dismount, bow before the sacred relic, and kiss the feet of the clergy to affirm his faith.
But Zeke remained mounted, gazing down at Pierre without a word.
As Zeke showed no reaction, the eyes of the cardinals and bishops behind him began to waver.
Pierre, who had maintained a solemn expression, spoke again.
"Zeke Draker, dismount at once and prove your faith..."
"Where is Her Holiness the Pope?"
Zeke cut Pierre off, mentioning the Pope directly.
Pierre furrowed his brow at Zekeʼs unexpected response.
At that time, the greatest power in the Holy Kingdom rested with Pierre himself.
He had come out in person to greet and bless him, yet Zeke sought the Pope—a mere figurehead—which Pierre couldnʼt comprehend.
As Pierre fell silent, Zeke spoke again.
"I wish to meet Her Holiness the Pope and prove my faith before her. Please guide me to her."
The expressions of Pierre and the assembly members crumpled completely.
But they had decided to allow Zeke into the Principality, leaving them no choice.
Moreover, Zekeʼs request was, in principle, quite reasonable.
Pierre ground his teeth and said with eyes blazing with anger, "...Guide Sir Zeke to Her Holiness."
Zeke proceeded toward the Papal Palace, still mounted, following the guiding clergy.
He passed Pierre and the others without so much as a glance.
Pierre watched Zeke and the Black Sword Knight Order head to the Papal Palace with displeasure, then noticed a small boy in a hood beside him.
"Hmm?"
Pierre thought the boy looked familiar but never imagined he could be the heir, Roban.
At that moment, a cardinal said to Pierre, "Chairman, are we just going to let that insolent behavior slide?"
Pierre glared at the Black Sword Knight Order with a hardened expression, then shook his head.
"Leave it be. Whether heʼs ignorant or has some ulterior motive, heʼll soon realize the truth. That the Principality operates by its own rules, unlike anywhere else."
The place with the fiercest power struggles on the continent was the imperial capital, Rom.
But the most intricate web of politics lay right here in the Principality of Vadoka.
A mere title like Knight of Salvation wouldnʼt get him far.
Some even called this place not a holy land, but a demonic realm teeming with monsters.
"Zeke Draker. Go ahead and squirm as you please."
*
Zeke had the Black Sword Knight Order wait outside, then entered with only Captain Decker, Felix—who had ties to the Holy Kingdom—and Roban.
As Zeke stepped into the Papal Palace, he frowned while surveying the surroundings.
"Itʼs not being maintained at all."
The Papal Palace was where the Pope resided, making it the most important building in the Principality.
Yet it showed signs of needed repairs, with neglect bordering on abandonment.
This was proof that the Popeʼs authority was utterly disregarded in the Holy Kingdom.
Even after entering the Papal Palace, no one came to guide them except the clergy Pierre had assigned.
Zekeʼs group walked the dimly lit corridors—lamps barely illuminated—to an inner chamber.
"She is here. Thatʼs all."
The guiding clergy simply pointed out the location and left immediately.
Zeke realized the Holy Kingdomʼs situation was even graver than he had thought, then slowly opened the door.
Creeeak—
The door emitted a shrill sound, likely from lack of oiling.
Zekeʼs group entered.
The interior was so humble it was hard to believe it housed the Pope.
A small space for prayer was set aside, and inside stood a simple desk.
At that moment— "Who goes there!"
A young knight in faded armor stepped forward warily toward Zekeʼs group.
Zeke recognized the orange cape draped over the knightʼs shoulders as marking him a member of the Popeʼs guard.
The guard knight, sensing the extraordinary presence of Zeke, Decker, and Felix, hesitated and gripped his sword.
Then, Roban, who had been hiding behind, spotted the knight and cried out joyfully.
"Sir Anthony!"
Recognizing the familiar knight, Roban called his name and ran toward him.
The knight called Anthony, surprised, scooped up the rushing Roban in his arms.
"Roban! My goodness! What on earth happened!"
Anthony then turned to look at Zekeʼs group again.
Roban said to Anthony, "Itʼs Sir Zeke Draker! He brought me here!" Anthony was startled by Robanʼs words.
"Sir Zeke Draker... the Knight of Salvation?"
He set Roban down and bowed courteously to Zeke.
"Sir Zeke, forgive my rudeness. I am Anthony Solma, tasked with guarding Her Holiness the Pope."
Zeke returned the greeting to Anthony.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir Anthony. Itʼs an honor to see the renowned Vadoka Royal Guard in person."
The Vadoka Royal Guard, protectors of the Pope, had a unique tradition.
Unlike typical paladin units, they were recruited and selected from the most devout followers of the Sun Order in the Kingdom of Thebea, one of the former Central Kingdoms.
During the Holy Empire era, Thebea had served as the imperial capital, and the Popeʼs guard had been composed of the kingdomʼs most honorable and strongest warriors—a tradition that persisted.
Zeke, hearing Anthonyʼs surname was Solma, asked, "If youʼre of the Solma family, then you must know Sir Aslan Solma of the Cross-Sword and Sir Jeffric Solma." Anthony nodded.
"Of course. Jeffric is my cousin, and Sir Aslan is my great-uncle."
Aslan Solma, who had been confined for thirty years in the cursed mansion and freed thanks to Zeke, had returned to the Solma family and reclaimed his knightly position.
Anthony looked at Zeke and said, "As a devoted servant of the Principality, I havenʼt seen Sir Aslan in person, but I heard through the family that he returned safely. The Solma family owes you a great debt, Sir Zeke, so you are like a benefactor to me as well."
Zeke nodded at Anthonyʼs words.
"Thank you. More importantly, where is Her Holiness the Pope? Iʼd like to pay my respects first."
Anthony nodded.
"Her Holiness will finish her prayers soon and come out, so please wait comfortably here. Roban, come with me. Itʼs been a while since youʼve seen her, so letʼs get you properly attired."
Zekeʼs group nodded and sat at the desk Anthony indicated.
As Zeke took his seat and looked at Felix opposite him, he noticed the unusual tension— Felix was trembling slightly with a stiff expression. "Felix."
When Zeke called, Felix startled and looked up.
"Yes? My lord."
"You seem unusually tense, not like yourself."
"Haha, did it show that much?"
Felix had received the power of the Arch Paladin Pab and learned swordsmanship from him.
Though he was now inheriting the Agamemnon familyʼs golden swordsmanship and on the verge of reaching blue knight realm, Pab had undoubtedly shaped his identity as a knight the most.
Coming to the Principality, where his grandfather had fought a lonely battle after abandoning the title of Arch Paladin due to power struggles, naturally stirred complex emotions in him.
Felix exhaled and said, "Being here, I think I understand why Grandfather abandoned the name Arch Paladin to save the children of Rubern. He couldnʼt tolerate the clergyʼs selfish pursuits any longer."
Zeke nodded at Felixʼs words.
His mother, Laura Agamemnon, had formed the Dawn Society with Sir Pab to rescue Rubernʼs children and continued fighting the Narak faction from the shadows, unknown to all.
Sacrificing without honor or gain for others was no easy feat.
Zeke looked at Felix and said, "Sir Pabʼs will will revive the Holy Kingdom. The one to plant that will here is none other than you, Felix."
At Zekeʼs words, Felix nodded with a resolute expression.
Compared to when they first met, Felix then truly looked like a knight.
At that moment, a door opened from the back, and footsteps entered.
"Sir Zeke Draker."
A clear, resonant voice echoed.
She wore simple, modest vestments with a white veil over her head. Beneath the veil, mysterious pale purple hair swayed.
From the woman, who exuded a sense of divinity, a halo seemed to shine.
Zeke and his companions rose from their seats and bowed to her.
The ruler of the Principality of Vadoka and the most revered figure in the Sun Order, the Pope, had appeared.