Chapter 2: Become a Holy Knight

-Thud!

“Keek!”

I took care of the last goblin cleanly.

-Crack.

“Ah, it broke.”

As if saying my role was done, the sword snapped the moment I finished off the final goblin.

Well, it was a failed piece, all bent like a hook—honestly, it lasted longer than I thought.

-Stagger.

“Ah…”

Seems like it wasn’t just the sword reaching its limit—my body gave out too, and I collapsed.

“Ace!”

Seeing the nuns rushing toward me in a panic, I felt safe enough to close my eyes.

I was sleepy, after all.

After I miraculously awakened divine power, my life changed quite a bit.

First, even though most of the holy energy had drained away, I could still use a decent amount.

“Ace, don’t push yourself too hard…”

“I told you, I’m fine! Compared to my usual workouts, this is nothing.”

The divine power boosted the effectiveness of my usual exercises, and thanks to that, my body began developing lean muscle.

Second.

“Sister Stella, I memorized all of it… Sister?”

“…Ah, yes! Then shall we recite the verses again today?”

With help from the nuns (mostly Sister Stella).

I was living a devout life.

I prayed every day, memorized the scriptures, and learned how to restrain desire.

Sometimes, Sister Stella would stare at me blankly, probably amazed at seeing someone with divine power.

After all, the child she took in had awakened holy energy.

And just like that, I lived each day in devotion, and the day I would come of age was just around the corner.

Only half a day left until I turn fifteen.

“Ace, you’ll be an adult tomorrow, huh?”

“Haha, it does feel kind of emotional.”

After all, this would be my second time becoming an adult.

Misunderstanding what I meant, Sister Stella placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a bright smile.

“It feels like just yesterday our little Ace didn’t even reach my shoulder. Boys really do grow up fast.”

“Haha, it’s all thanks to you and the other sisters, isn’t it?”

Maybe it was the mood from being just a day away from adulthood, but I lowered my head toward Sister Stella.

“A-Ace?”

“Sister Stella. Thank you for taking me in back then. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve died in the slums, or turned into some terrible villain who hurt a lot of people.”

“Ace…”

“Truly, thank you, Sister Stella. No, rather…”

Sister Stella.

“Ace!”

Overwhelmed, Sister Stella threw herself into my arms.

“You sweet thing! Feels like just yesterday you were swearing like a sailor!”

“Haha… I was still just a kid back then, right?”

For some reason, we kept bringing up old memories, and Sister Stella and I ended up chatting for a while about the past.

And so, with just 4 hours left until I became an adult.

I was helping repair a weakened part of the church.

Suddenly, I spotted three figures walking toward us from afar.

‘Who are they?’

Their clothes were completely white…

“Huh?”

For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Three people dressed in pure white.

The two on either side wore white armor, holding a solemn and dignified air,
and the woman in the center.

‘A Saintess.’

A Saintess dressed in white ceremonial robes.

The purest of women, and the most wounded of the heroines.

A kind-hearted heroine who blamed her own powerlessness as she watched villages be swept away by a sudden wave of monsters.

Ariana Astraea.

She had come… to our church.

“W-Wh-What…”

I was completely speechless, unable to say a word, and just watched as they walked toward us.

It was partly because I didn’t expect her to suddenly appear, but also because the real-life appearance of the heroine was far more beautiful than I’d imagined.

‘She really is worthy of being called the child of the stars.’

Her wavy silver hair shimmered like the aurora in the sky, and her blue eyes seemed to hold actual stars within them, glowing faintly.

But even with all that, her beautiful face was stained with tears.

“Ah…”

Now I understood why she had come.

The so-called “Wave,” where monsters appeared like a flood, hadn’t only happened here.

It was a global phenomenon.

The damage must’ve been enormous, and as the Saintess, she must’ve been traveling to each of the affected places.

If you asked why she was only arriving now, the answer was obvious.

‘She must’ve visited countless places already.’

She probably went to every single damaged site, so it would’ve taken a long time.

Only now did I realize what I had done.

In the game, of all the towns hit by the monster Wave, only one survived—the protagonist’s town.

But now, in the game world.

I had survived a monster Wave from within a church near the poorest, most dangerous slum.

That meant there were now two places that survived.

Of course, the protagonist saved an entire town, while I only saved a church,
so there’s definitely a difference.

But for someone who isn’t even the protagonist, this much is more than enough.

I quickly dropped what I was working on and rushed inside to alert everyone.

“The Saintess! The Saintess is here!”

“What?! The Saintess?!”

“Th-The Saintess, here of all places…”

They’d said she was touring areas hit by the monster Wave…

“Maybe… maybe that’s why she’s here?”

Everyone—the nuns, the children taken in by the church, even the unmotivated holy knight the Holy Kingdom sent to replace the useless fat one, moved quickly to prepare for the Saintess’s arrival.

Soon, everyone lined up in neat rows (well, except the kids) to greet her.

“W-Welcome, Saintess! It is an honor to meet the brightest child of the Goddess…”

The head nun stepped forward to greet her, but for some reason, the Saintess’s gaze wouldn’t leave me.

Of course, my eyes were fixed on her too.

‘Wow, she’s seriously beautiful.’

If I hadn’t learned how to restrain my desires.

I might’ve blurted out something embarrassingly dumb right then.

But still, with holy knights at her side and everyone in the church watching, the two of us couldn’t just keep staring at each other.

One of the knights beside her finally called out.

“Um, Saintess?”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

She shook her head slightly and finally met eyes with the head nun.

“I’m Saintess Ariana Astraea. The reason I’ve come today is…”

Her expression darkened in an instant.

“…To pray for the souls of those who perished in the monster Wave two years ago.”

“Ah…”

The head nun’s face also grew solemn at those words.

“As expected of the Saintess… we are truly grateful for your grace.”

Naturally, the two of them stepped aside to talk, leaving just the rest of us and the two holy knights behind.

While the Saintess and the head nun quietly conversed, one of the knights turned to us and asked.

“It’s truly fortunate that there seem to be so many survivors here. If it’s not too much trouble, could you explain what exactly happened?”

“Oh, about that…”

Sister Stella immediately began explaining everything to the holy knights, from beginning to end, every last detail.

Once she finished her explanation, she folded her hands to pray for the fallen, worthless holy knight who died back then.

But one of the knights quickly stopped her and asked in a flustered tone.

“W-Wait a moment. Are you saying the number of casualties in this church was… just one?”

“Sir Jenkins may have been weak, but he still ran out willingly to protect us…”

Seems like Sister Stella thinks that holy knight guy sacrificed himself…

But for the record, that bastard got caught and killed by goblins while trying to run away alone.

I haven’t told anyone else, though.

After listening to Sister Stella, the holy knights exchanged meaningful glances, then approached me and asked.

“You’re Ace, correct?”

“Yes, I’m Ace.”

“Is what the Sister said true? About… the divine power, I mean.”

“Ah… Since that day, it’s gotten a lot weaker, but I can still use it, yes.”

To satisfy their curiosity.

I held out my hand and summoned a golden light of holy energy.

The holy knights flinched and stepped back in surprise, then quickly grew excited and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Ace—no, Mr. Ace. Have you ever considered becoming a holy knight?”

“Huh?”

A sudden recruitment.

Still a bit stunned, I just looked at them, and right then, pushing past the knights, the Saintess stood before me.

“Ace?”

“Ah, yes.”

Hearing my name from her lips gave me a strange lump in my throat, but I didn’t let it show.

“You… you protected everyone here, didn’t you?”

The Saintess looked up at me, eyes shimmering with tears.

She was probably already an adult, but since I was just about to become one too, I was taller.

‘Wow… she’s drop-dead gorgeous.’

Even when looking down at her, she was beautiful.

Another life lesson learned.

I listened carefully to her words, not wanting to miss a single syllable.

“First of all… thank you. You protected the people I couldn’t save because of my own shortcomings.”

To her words of gratitude, I quickly waved my hand and shook my head.

“No, not at all. This, too, must be the Goddess’s grace.”

Honestly, I only survived because the Goddess responded to my voice.

If things had gone the way they were supposed to, our church would’ve ended up crushed by monsters like everywhere else.

At my words, the Saintess paused for a moment, then looked at me with eyes suddenly filled with seriousness.

“Ace, would you consider becoming a holy knight?”

“…Huh?”

Being asked to become a holy knight twice in a row caught me off guard.

But the Saintess, looking completely sincere, took my hand and continued.

“There are two requirements to become a holy knight: faith and a strong body. And from what I see, you… you have both.”

“A faith strong enough to be blessed by the Goddess, and a body that has grown even stronger through battle and training against the goblins.”

Her grip on my hand tightened.

“Please, become a holy knight. And…”

Become my personal holy knight.

That last part alone… was more than enough to move my heart.

After praying for the soul of the fallen, worthless knight, the Saintess and the holy knights gave me something called a token and then left.

Once they were gone, everyone congratulated me on becoming an adult soon.

Time passed, and eventually, everyone went to bed.

Lying in my bed.

I found myself caught in a whirlwind of thoughts.

The fate of the church, changed because of me.

The attention I was now receiving.

The knights’ interest in me.

And… me, who would become an adult tomorrow.

And most of all… the Saintess’s offer.

Her request for me to become a holy knight.

Her words kept echoing over and over in my mind.

A holy knight is trained in the Holy Kingdom, a sword and shield of the Goddess who pursues virtue and strikes down evil.

Becoming a holy knight sounds like a dream come true, but there were reasons why I hesitated.

First, my past—when I mocked the divine.

And second, the fact that I’d have to leave this church for quite a long time.

Because of that, I ended up stepping outside the church and gazing up at the night sky, my mind tangled in thoughts.

When someone quietly approached me.

“…Sister Stella?”

She linked her arm with mine, smiling warmly.

“Ace, you look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

“…Yeah. I guess I do.”

“Ace, are you going to become a holy knight?”

“…I’m not sure. Honestly, I really don’t know. I mean, I am becoming an adult now, so maybe it’s time I found my own path and became independent. And becoming a holy knight… sounds pretty great.”

But then I fell silent.

“You don’t want to be away from us, do you?”

“…Yeah. It probably sounds childish, huh.”

I covered my face with my left hand, embarrassed.

But Sister Stella gently shook her head.

“That’s not childish at all. It’s something natural—something human. Even me… I don’t want to be apart from you, Ace.”

“…Sister Stella.”

Moved, I looked at her with tearful eyes, but she shyly turned her head away.

“Ahem… Ace. You’ve spent so much time here at our church now. You used to be just a little kid who didn’t even reach my shoulder, now you’re tall enough to look down at me.”

“Those tiny hands of yours, they’ve grown strong and dependable. And now… you’re becoming an adult.”

Her words nearly brought tears to my eyes.

But when she said that last line.

I couldn’t hold them back anymore.

“I’ll let you go now, my dear Ace.”

Smooch.