The Next Day.
Before the sun had fully risen, in the early morning hours, the first to act among the three holy knights was Ophel.
“That should be enough.”
Having already greeted the morning, Ophel was diligently engaged in her morning training, dressed lightly.
Her routine began as soon as she woke up: 100 push-ups and 50 squats before breakfast.
Normally, she would also run 3 kilometers as part of her full morning exercise, but… since the surroundings of the unfamiliar cathedral still felt awkward and she might be called at any time, she had to settle for indoor exercises.
“Hoo.”
After finishing her workout, Ophel took a deep drink of water and took a moment to catch her breath.
These were things that she had asked the nuns to prepare in advance yesterday.
Beads of sweat were collecting and dripping down her well-toned muscles, thick thighs, and beautifully shaped, large chest.
‘My body is drenched in sweat. I should clean up before breakfast.’
Ophel carefully grabbed a towel and walked off.
Though Luca had told her the way, she wandered around for a while before finally finding the bath.
After her bath, she returned to her room and immediately offered a prayer.
‘Lord Igogodon, it seems that I have worried the Saint because of my shortcomings. I will diligently hone my skills as a Holy Knight and will do my best to receive your grace… Please grant me a portion of your pure… your true wisdom.’
After breakfast, she helped around the cathedral again, just like yesterday, filling in what was missing.
“This place…?”
She asked, seeing people she had not seen before in the room.
A well-dressed nun respectfully gave an explanation.
“This is the space for helping the poor.”
“I didn’t know such a large space existed.”
“Originally, this was where the chronicle of the apostles, who followed Lord Igogodon, was kept.”
“What happened to the chronicles?”
In response to Ophel’s question, the nun smiled brightly.
“We burned them all.”
“You burned them…?”
“Yes. The apostles’ travel logs were meaningless old things. What matters now is not their actions, but the fact that we practice Lord Igogodon’s teachings—sharing a portion of truth with even the unbelievers, here and now.”
As the nun spoke, she looked at the poor who were filling their empty stomachs.
“What matters is not what is written in ancient books, but the new day we embrace.”
“It’s not the record that matters, but reality… Sharing a portion of truth is related to helping the poor… Such wise words.”
Ophel nodded, pulling out her notebook to jot down everything the nun had said.
Then she asked, “So, what can I do to help?”
“If you could help us carry the supplies, that would be much appreciated. It might seem a little beneath someone of your status as a Holy Knight… but…”
“There is no such thing as beneath me. Everything is part of Lord Igogodon’s will. I will gladly help.”
Thus, Ophel helped with the menial tasks, sneaking in a bit of light exercise when she could.
The most important task of a Holy Knight was to protect Saint Erin.
For that, it was obvious that she needed to be in top physical shape.
As she worked at the cathedral, the day passed quickly, and soon it was evening.
***
“You’ve worked hard, Ophel. I didn’t expect you to stay so late…”
“It’s nothing. I’m just doing what I must. If there’s nothing else tomorrow, I’ll come back.”
After finishing her work, Ophel could have rested, but instead, she doubled the exercises she had done in the morning—200 push-ups and 100 squats.
‘To protect the Saint and understand the Lord’s will, I cannot afford to be lazy, not even for a day.’
Later, after bathing with her fellow Holy Knights, Ophel finally removed the symbol of her status as a knight—the gleaming circlet from her head.
Taking off the circlet meant the end of her day as a knight.
Of course, it was only the end of her knightly duties.
The time to explore the will of the Lord was not over yet.
The most sacred book in the world—the Bible—Ophel’s final task was to read it until midnight.
Once the time came, she would sleep to prepare for the next day.
Rather than lamenting what she hadn’t yet realized, she was thankful for all the things she would come to understand in the future.
This was the way Ophel lived: someone who excelled in swordsmanship but was somewhat lacking in intellect.
***
One evening, after dinner, Ophel was talking with her fellow Holy Knights.
“Is ‘mellow Pax’… the same as ‘plain facts’?”
“Aah, yes! Plain facts! I want to understand the Lord’s plain facts. I’m curious—what was the moment that made you truly understand the Lord’s plain facts?”
“The plain facts of Lord Igogodon, you mean?”
At those words, Luca closed her eyes and recalled the moment when she had clearly felt the Lord watching over her.
Even if there were thorny paths ahead, the resolve to not turn away from them, to move forward with courage—that, to Luca, was the plain fact of Lord Igogodon.
Even though her fate seemed much harder compared to others, it was accepting it and stepping forward into an unknown realm that no one else could reach.
Perhaps it was the emotion that overwhelmed her, but Luca barely held back her tears.
After hearing Luca’s explanation, Ophel’s eyes sparkled as she quickly wrote down her words in her notebook.
“I see. Even if you bend, you must move forward with determination. A plain fact…”
***
“…Such a profound and admirable resolution. This is truly the plain fact of the one true God, Igogodon.”
“Ophel… Did you write all this?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes.”
Seeing the notebook filled with advice from the priests Ophel had met in the cathedral, filled with the Lord’s plain facts, Linnea looked stunned, while Ophel spoke calmly.
“My learning speed is rather slow compared to others. It’s embarrassing, but even though I’ve been chosen as a Holy Knight, I still don’t truly understand what the plain facts of the Lord are. Isn’t it only natural that I work harder than others? In that sense, Linnea, I’d love to hear your thoughts.”
“If you’re asking about the plain facts…”
Honestly, Linnea didn’t have much to say.
It wasn’t just Ophel who didn’t understand the plain facts of Lord Igogodon.
The difference, however, was that while Ophel desperately tried to understand, Linnea hadn’t made any attempts to do so herself.
Still, she had witnessed the Lord’s plain facts more closely than anyone else.
‘If I try to infer from what Mother showed me…’
***
After meeting with the Saint, Eirene had become a devout follower of the Igogodon religion, and had explained to Linnea, who had been chosen as a Holy Knight, about the ‘plain facts of Lord Igogodon’ many times.
For Eirene, the plain facts of the Lord were about ‘having a heart capable of trusting someone.
The fact that she could trust the Lord—and even more so, people—was the plain fact she had experienced, something she had never been able to do before.
Linnea, though, still felt uneasy about her mother’s sudden change.
Still, seeing Ophel trying so hard made her want to help in any way she could, so she explained her own experience.
“Is that so? A heart that can truly trust someone… I see. Now that you mention it, I feel like there’s a common thread in what the two of you are saying, but I just can’t figure out how to explain it…”
“Now that you mention a common thread… Could it be that Lord Igogodon’s ‘plain facts’ refer to the virtues humans are meant to uphold, and that these virtues are a ‘plate of facts’?”
“An unyielding will. A heart that wishes to trust. Both are very important values.”
At Luca’s explanation, Ophel vigorously nodded her head.
“Exactly! The plain facts of the Lord are virtues that humans must uphold… I’ve been struggling to express this in one word, but I’m so glad you’re here to help, Luca!”
“If virtue is the answer, then it makes more sense why they would be described as a ‘plate of facts.’ Virtues can’t just be defined by a single value.”
Embarrassed by Linnea’s support, Luca fiddled with his ribbon.
“…Still, it’s only been a short time since I was appointed as a Holy Knight. Since I’m still learning, I hope you’ll find your own revelation, Ophel.”
“Mm! Leave it to me!”
That day, Ophel and her fellow Holy Knights spent time studying the Lord’s words until late into the night.
She viewed it all as part of her training, and so she willingly spent her time.
To not disappoint Saint Erin or Lord Igogodon, who had appointed her as a Holy Knight, and to understand the Lord’s will through her own abilities—this was her only purpose.
***
On the sixth night.
After finishing her daily tasks, Ophel closed her eyes and once again slowly offered a prayer.
‘Lord Igogodon, today I have prepared both body and mind to study your words. Please, allow me to feel the subtle truth of your teachings.’
Only when she felt that her mind and body were sufficiently prepared did she carefully begin reading the Bible, the sacred words of the Lord.
‘Let me see… According to the bookmark, today I’m supposed to read Chapter 3 of the Sacred Power Scripture.’
A small issue she had was that, after waking up, she couldn’t quite remember which part of the Bible she had read the night before.
But it didn’t matter.
If she couldn’t remember, she could just read it again.
‘Right. The plain facts… I forgot again. My poor memory must be another trial from the Lord. If I can’t remember, I’ll just read it again.’
After quickly skimming through Genesis, she finally turned her attention to the Sacred Power Scripture.
‘The Holy Power pocket… I know it’s important because I’ve heard about it many times, but it seems like it’s even more crucial than I imagined.’
Ophel slowly ran her hand over her chest.
The soft, malleable texture of her large chest, shaped firm from her workouts, was conveyed through her fingertips.
‘Would this size be okay?’ No matter how she thought about it, it still seemed slightly lacking compared to Saint Erin…
‘No, I can’t stop trying just because I feel lacking. That would surely go against the will of the Lord. The fact that my Holy Power pocket may be lacking means I just need to train even harder.’
Thus, she spent her time studying the Lord’s words until bedtime, living with a strict routine, waking up and going to bed at exact times.
It was almost like living as a machine, but Ophel managed to maintain this lifestyle perfectly for an entire week.
***
The next morning.
‘Alright.’
Ophel had been desperately studying about the Igogodon religion and the teachings of Lord Igogodon during her spare moments at the church.
She had also spent time with her fellow Holy Knights and never slacked off in her training.
She had worked this hard, so perhaps the Lord would grant her the deep… that.
With that hope in her heart, she cautiously approached Saint Erin.
“…You’ve come.”
For some reason, Erin’s expression was quite somber, but Ophel didn’t pry into it and immediately bowed in respect.
“Yes, Saint. I have diligently studied the words of Lord Igogodon. Now, I believe I can receive His slippery—”
“Plain facts, not slippery.”
“Ah, my apologies. I keep forgetting. But now, I truly believe I can accept the plain facts of Lord Igogodon. Please, grant me one more chance, won’t you?”
At Ophel’ swords, Erin fell into deep thought once again.
She knew that Ophel still wouldn’t be able to accept the plain facts of the Lord.
The words written in the Bible were absolute after all.
But even so, ‘was it right to tell her the truth?’
After an entire week of thinking it over…
‘Ophel is a person chosen by the Lord. There must be a reason for it. To lie to someone chosen by the Lord would be the same as lying to the Lord Himself.’
Naturally, Erin couldn’t lie to the Lord, so she had no choice but to speak the truth.
“Well…”
“Unfortunately, Ophel, it seems… you’re still unable to accept the plain facts of the Lord.”
“Unable to accept?”
“…I’m afraid it would be impossible for you, given your fundamental lack of understanding.”
This was a harsh truth, one that might sound unbearably cruel from the perspective of a humble monk who was still struggling to reach a place others had already attained.