Chapter 07
During the day, I thought that he was just a person with a strong impression because I saw him from afar.
But now that Latban is in front of me, I couldn’t breathe. Would it feel like this when a strong and huge sword of steel becomes a human? I could see a wide shoulder that looked like a huge wall with a tall height that I had to look up at. He was wearing the white temple knight’s robes, but it was clear at a glance that there were extremely hardened muscles under the clothes. At the same time, I saw thick forearms and big hands. It was so big that I thought he could crush my head with just one hand if he wills himself to.
My gaze, which had been staring at him for a long time, turned back to his face. Only then that I could know. The fact that Latban’s eyes that were on me are full of deep contempt.
“Ah….”
A raw, strong emotion that he doesn’t even try to hide. At his gaze, I leaned back without even knowing. I couldn’t step back anymore because the bench was blocking my back.
He was also looking at me as I looked at him. His expression stiffened and then he turned his head. His hurried attitude was as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have seen.
‘Oh, my God.’
I could see why Latban made such an expression without even asking. Even before the man came, the hem of my pajama, which had been fully raised as I looked at the marks on my legs, was further crumpled due to the man’s attack. As a result, my legs were completely exposed under the moonlight, and the traces left on them were clearly exposed.
As I hurriedly lowered my skirt, Latban, who turned his head, opened his mouth.
“I wish I didn’t see it.”
That was what Latban said to me for the first time. The awfully low voice that came through the night air revealed the contempt that was contained in the gaze of his eyes.
He wished he didn’t see it? Does it mean that he doesn’t want to see me? Or that I should not be seen by other people? In fact, it didn’t matter either way.
As soon as I heard his voice, I realized how complacent and arrogant my idea of creating a good relationship with the male protagonists was.
In the book, Latban is a noble knight who serves God without any disruption and values honor. And Yvelina mocked him by making a dog out of him in front of everyone. Perhaps for Latban, his whole life was ridiculed. But if I try to do my best from now on, would I be able to erase it?
Latban will never forgive Yvelina.
Then the man who fell down after hitting the tree groaned. I got up from my seat, distracted by the sound. Then I bowed my head towards the Latban.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“······.”
Whatever it was, I had to say what I had to say. Of course, no answer came back from him. I didn’t even expect it. He would definitely not want to exchange more words with me.
“If it weren’t for Commander Latban, something bad….”
“…I’m glad that I’m not interrupting instead.”
He cut me off and said in a cold voice.
“Next time, please just use your holy power. Some people might think that you’ve forgotten how to use your powers.”
I was choked by his words.
I remembered the contents of the book. The moment they noticed that Yvelina’s holy power had disappeared, without any hesitation, Latban pointed his sword at her. And before burning to death, the long sword that struck on Yvelina’s back was Latban’s.
With that arm, with that hand. This man will kill me.
Someday, and in the days to come, my future has become bleak.
“Commander!”
The Knights of the Temple shouted in surprise at the sight of Latban entering the knights’ building. Without knowing what kind of wind suddenly blew, Latban went out and volunteered to be the evening guard. Then on his way back, he was dragging someone no one knew where he had picked up.
At first, everyone shouted in surprise when they saw the man in the priest’s uniform, but soon they realized that the man Latban had dragged was not a priest. At that moment, the knights’ bodies stiffened with tension. A person who is not a priest entered the temple pretending to be a priest. And he was caught by Latban. Stiff tension that felt like a sword would be drawn at once immediately filled the knight’s building.
Latban took a look at captives and the knights before he spoke briefly.
“When he wakes up in the morning, send him outside.”
“Yes? But….”
It is a felony to impersonate a priest and enter the temple. They had to arrest him immediately, check his identity, and thoroughly investigate for what purpose and how he entered the temple. But they can’t believe he’ll just be thrown away in the morning.
At that time, one of the knights looked at the man who had fallen and murmured as if he knew something.
“He has an excessively good-looking face.”
The faces of the knights hardened at those words. It wasn’t a great secret from the Knights that the Saintess enjoys playing by attracting men from the street every night. Perhaps this man was one of those men. Upon realizing that, the knights immediately knew why Latban had ordered them to just let the man go.
Anyway, if one of the Senior Priests dedicated this man to the Saintess, there was nothing that would come out of it. Rather, it was clear that they would come to the Knights to put unnecessary pressure on them so that what they did wouldn’t be found out.
One of the knights told Latban,
“Don’t you think we should interrogate him?”
Then Latban asked back,
“And why should we do that?”
Everyone here knows the identity of this man, so he asked the knight to explain why they had to do such a useless thing.
Then the knight answered, scratching his head.
“Anyway, I’m sure this guy will tell you everything in less than ten minutes. Who is he, the name of the priest who helped him, and what for what purpose. So, after the interrogation is over, let’s tie him to the front of the temple with the record, and everyone passing by will know what happened last night.”
The face of the knight who said so was full of ridicule. It was a mockery on the Saintess who would have attracted this man.
“…So what do we get if we do that?”
“Yes?”
“I asked, what could we get if we do that? Once we look it up, this man probably has a temporary pass to the Great Temple. They would just say that the priest’s uniform was worn for a while due to some nonsense and unavoidable circumstances. Then the priests who let this man in will desperately cover it. Saying that there was nothing lost, nor no one was hurt….”
When Latban paused for a moment, the knights looked at him as if they were wondering why.
“…Anyway, after that, they will just ask for a very light punishment. Then what will be left? Isn’t it ridicule towards the Temple?”
At Latban’s words, the knight who told him to catch the man and tie him up outside replied with a stiff face.
“…At least there’ll be a reason to laugh.”
“······.”
“Once the people realized what that woman was doing….”
“Sidel.”
At Latban’s cold voice, the knight called Sidel shut his mouth.
“Watch your mouth. When you entered the Knights of the Temple, you swore an oath.”
“······.”
The words distorted Sidel’s face. Then Latban called him one more time.
“Sidel.”
It was a voice prompting him to answer quickly.
“…I understand. I will be more careful about what I say and do to the Saintess.”
Sidel said so as he bowed his head to Latban and immediately went out. The other knights standing next to them shook their heads while looking at the door where Sidel went out.
“Commander, please understand. Sidel is just….”
Sidel was a knight who admired Latban more than anyone else in the Knights of the Temple. And the knights will always jokingly say that Sidel came here just to serve Latban. Therefore, the moment Sidel heard the news that Latban had crawled like a dog in front of the Saintess, he seemed to want to kill the Saintess immediately.
But now, when the one who was insulted told Sidel himself to keep his courtesy toward the Saintess, it felt extremely ridiculous.
“I’ll ask you to take care of that man.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll wake him up as soon as it gets bright and let him go.”
When he heard the answer, Latban turned away.
He walked down the hall for a long time and headed for his office at the far end of the hall. As he opened the door to the luxurious office, the ceiling and walls with ornate carvings the same as the door could be seen immediately. But those were the only spectacular sights in the room. Only a desk and a chair could be seen inside the office. There was also only one bookshelf and one drawer. The small room next to it also has only a few low tables and chairs for occasional guests.
It was so desolate enough that anyone would think it was just an empty room.
Even if the knights or priests who visited this place asked Latban to decorate his office a little more, Latban refused. To him, things that are not necessary were just luxury that the Temple’s knights should stay away from.
Latban took off his robe, hung it on the hanger, and sat on a chair in front of the table. Unusually, he buried himself deep in the chair. Then he swept his face with his hands.
‘What was it?’
The face of the Saintess that she saw at the Temple’s back garden continued to disturb his mind.
And after meeting eyes with the Saintess during the afternoon in Central Square, he couldn’t calm down all day.
He thought he had to keep his composure, but he kept thinking of what happened that day. The day when the Saintess deliberately insulted him.
Eventually, he told the knight who was assigned to do the night watch that he would guard around instead. He was thinking that maybe if he walked alone even a little, he would calm down.
As he walked inside the Great Temple by himself, he headed to the back garden that he would not usually enter. This is because he wanted to walk in a quiet place rather than a place where people roam. But the moment he heard the voices of the Saintess and a man, he regretted his choice.
It seemed that the most disgusting aspect of the person he doesn’t want to witness the most is unfolding.
If he hadn’t heard the voice of the Saintess calling for someone as he was about to turn around right away, he would have immediately left the garden.
After throwing the man away who was on top of her, the Saintess looked at him for a long time. Latban felt strange about the gaze. The Saintess was looking at him as if she had never seen him before. From the gaze of such a Saintess, he did not see the ridicule that was always there every time she looked at him. Because of that, Latban also looked straight at her without avoiding her.
Is the person in front of him Yvelina?
“Phew….”
Latban sighed and shook his head. These days, his heart seems to be distracted. He can’t believe he’s thinking about this kind of crap.
Latban got up from his seat and went to his desk. Some of the documents he had to deal with were waiting for him. Then Latban’s eyes narrowed while looking at the documents at the top.
“Prayer Meeting Escort….”
Naturally, the Knight’s Commander is in charge of the Saintess’ security right next to her. But at this year’s prayer meeting, he was almost certain to take on a different job. And as expected, the document was asking him to manage the entire prayer hall, not the protection of the Saintess.
‘What should I do?’
Latban looked at the document for a long time. And until the morning sun rose, Latban couldn’t leave his desk.