[Brian PoV]
Several months have passed since Ariel was officially ordained as a Saint...
Although we frequently encounter each other in the Holy City of Notredame because I must undergo my training here as the Hero of humanity, Ariel and I still haven't spoken directly at all.
This is because of my wager with that man. It seems it was indeed true; Princess Elena was the one who informed Ariel of our whereabouts back then, leading her to witness my defeat at his hands.
This all happened because I am still weak...
—Baammm!
My face suddenly erupted in pain as Lady Lunaria's wooden sword struck my right cheek with force.
That's right; currently, I am training with her so that I can be more prepared when I carry out my missions as the Hero of humanity later on.
"Ugh... That really hurt, Lady Lunaria," I protested as I pushed myself up.
"That was your fault, Brian," Lady Lunaria said, staring at me with a flat expression. "Listen to me: no matter what you are thinking about, no matter your mood, never lose focus in battle. Do you understand?"
I only nodded in response to her words.
My gaze fell upon the yellow sword gripped in my hand. The blade of heroes—Excalibur. A weapon that can only be wielded by the Hero of humanity. Seeing my current weak state, for some reason, I constantly feel as though I am unworthy of wielding this holy sword.
"Look at yourself, Brian. You look pathetic, insecure, and weak."
Lady Lunaria's words snapped me out of my daydream. Somehow, her words were incredibly painful, like a knife piercing my chest.
"It seems you truly are unworthy of swinging that sword, Brian. You are disappointing everyone who placed high hopes in you."
No, I am not a loser. I don't want the people who know me to look down on me!
I don't want to feel this humiliated ever again! I will prove that I am worthy of wielding the holy sword and make Ariel admire me again, just like she used to!
Activating Accel magic, I lunged toward Lady Lunaria and unleashed a combo attack. However, she easily evaded every slash and thrust of my sword with minimal movement.
—Thud!
My body tumbled; Lady Lunaria had kicked my heel hard.
I lay sprawled on the ground again as the blue sky entered my field of vision. The sound of footsteps approached, and Lady Lunaria's face moved to obscure the view of the sky I was enjoying. Her gaze was entirely flat, devoid of any emotion.
"Didn't I tell you? Do not lose focus in a fight," Lady Lunaria remarked. "You let your emotions control you, making your movements and attacks incredibly easy to read."
Is that so? So, did she insult me just to provoke my emotions? I truly still have much to learn.
"Never give the enemy any information regarding your true condition, Brian," Lady Lunaria said. "They will always exploit any information—be it emotions, weaknesses, or our way of thinking—to gain an advantage in a fight. Do you understand now?"
"I understand this time, Lady Lunaria," I replied firmly.
"Good. We will end the training here," Lady Lunaria said, setting aside the wooden sword she held. "Shortly, there will be a meeting to discuss issues occurring in various parts of the world. Brian, come with me."
I stood up and followed Lady Lunaria, walking by her side.
Even though she is only three to four years older than me, Lady Lunaria's swordsmanship skills are, in my opinion, near perfection. I say "near perfection" because I have never seen her fight with the full extent of her power.
Thinking about this, for some reason, I am reminded of that black-haired man. I figured this was the right time to ask Lady Lunaria, whom I view as having a profound understanding of the path of a Knight.
"Lady Lunaria, in carrying out our duty to maintain world peace, must we always do so through honorable means?" I asked her. "We know that a Knight must maintain their honor in the eyes of society so as not to lose their trust, right?"
Hearing my question, Lady Lunaria went silent for a moment. "What you say is true, Brian. A Knight must maintain their honor whenever and wherever. However, a Knight's oath remains attached even if they no longer possess honor of a knight. Our top priority is the oath we swore when we became Knights; honor is simply the way we show that the path we take is the correct one to the subjects of the oath we pledged."
Although I didn't yet understand every single word Lady Lunaria spoke, I felt I grasped the point she wanted to convey with her answer.
Not long after, we entered the meeting room where all the high-ranking officials of the Temple Authority discuss matters together. Inside, all the cardinals and several Priests serving in important departments were already present. Not only that, but several Holy Knights who were not currently on assignment were also seen attending.
Lady Lunaria took a seat while I remained standing beside her, waiting for the meeting to begin.
Soon, the doors opened again, and Vicar Lorentius appeared accompanying Ariel—the Saint—as they walked into the room. Everyone present stood to pay their respects to Ariel until she sat in her chair. Ariel then signaled for everyone to sit and immediately commenced the meeting.
Since she became a Saint, the charisma and charm Ariel possesses shine more brightly than when she was just an ordinary woman following the teachings of the Goddess; now, she is the leader of the most influential organization on the continent.
"Let us begin our meeting," Ariel said, looking toward the Vicar. "Lord Lorentius, what is the first issue we shall discuss?"
Vicar Lorentius bowed to Ariel and produced a piece of paper. "Very well, Saint Ariel. We are gathered here to discuss the problems occurring in our beloved world. Some of these issues require swift action from us to ensure the stability of the lands of the Goddess's followers is not destroyed."
It was true; lately, many major conflicts have erupted in various nations. One of them is the war between the Empire and the Venetian Republic Alliance, involving four countries.
"The first concerns the war between the Empire and the Venetian Republic Alliance," the Vicar stated. "The Temple Authority has sworn to remain neutral in conflicts occurring between the nations of the Goddess's followers on this continent. That is why we forbid Priests from participating in this current war. However, not a few Priests are ignoring this prohibition due to their love for their homeland or for the loved ones who have gone to the battlefield."
I... still do not understand why the Temple Authority forbids their Priests from saving people on the battlefield. If we do not help them, won't the loss of life from this conflict be far greater?
"We must decide what punishment awaits the Priests who ignore the Temple Authority's prohibition," the Vicar said, looking at everyone in attendance.
"We must revoke the licenses of those who ignore the ban and label them as Wicked Priests," Cardinal Zeno said firmly. "In maintaining our influence on this continent, we must remain as impartial as possible in the conflict occurring between those four nations. If they see even the slightest sign that we cannot manage our own people, then these nations may become even more reluctant to follow our requests in the future."
So that is the reason the higher-ups made a rule forbidding Priests registered in this organization from participating in the war? However, isn't it their duty to heal everyone? It feels like a Knight's oath for the Priests, and an honor if they can carry out their oath in accordance with the teachings of the Temple Authority as the representation of the Goddess in upholding her teachings in this world.
"We cannot label them as Wicked Priests as the Magic Council does to Warlocks who pursue black magic by performing taboo acts," Cardinal Markus said. "This is because what the Priests who ignore the ban are doing is purely based on their concern for the deaths occurring from this war, and not based on anything malicious."
Cardinal Markus's argument has merit, I think... We cannot label someone as evil for intending to do good, even if their actions do not align with the Temple's policies, right?
"Saint Ariel, what is your opinion on this matter?" Cardinal Nicholas asked.
Everyone present then turned their attention to the platinum-haired woman.
"We cannot punish people who uphold their oath to the Goddess even if they violate our policies," Ariel said in a soft voice.
"But, Great Saint—"
"Silence, Cardinal Zeno! Saint Ariel has not finished speaking!" Vicar Lorentius said, cutting off Cardinal Zeno.
"Forgive my insolence, Great Saint," Cardinal Zeno said while bowing his head.
"Cardinal Zeno. I understand you only want this matter to be truly resolved without harming the Temple Authority, correct?" Ariel said with a smile.
"Th-that is exactly right, Great Saint. Thank you for your understanding."
Everyone here respects Ariel, from the greatest Knights to the most pious Priests. In their eyes, she is the holy woman chosen by the Goddess to lead them on the path the Goddess desires.
"Returning to the topic, I say that we will not punish the priests who ignore our prohibition. However, I want the Temple Authority to create a new policy for those who plunge into war," Ariel said casually.
"What kind of policy do you desire, Great Saint?" Vicar Lorentius asked.
"We will create a new unit called the Hospitaller," Ariel said, looking at the five Cardinals present. "This unit is only commissioned when a war conflict occurs between nations following the Temple's teachings."
Hmm... a new unit? Why is Ariel thinking about this? Isn't this no different from allowing the priests to defy the Temple Authority's policy?
"Once this unit is created, the Hospitallers will be deployed to each conflicting nation in numbers agreed upon by the nations on this continent," Ariel explained her proposal further. "However, for the priests who join the Hospitaller unit, they are not permitted to hold any position in the Temple Authority organization, and they will remain in that unit for the rest of their lives. They will also take a new oath: that they will never marry anyone nor become a father or mother to any child in this world."
Hearing the last sentence Ariel uttered, the faces of the Cardinals, Holy Knights, and all the important officials present in the room looked shocked.
"By forbidding the Hospitallers from marrying and having families, I believe this is Saint Ariel's effort to protect the credibility of the Hospitaller units. Is that your intention, Great Saint?" Vicar Lorentius asked.
"Exactly. Thank you for understanding my intention, Vicar Lorentius," Ariel said. "What do you all think of my proposal?"
Everyone went silent hearing Ariel's question. It seemed there was nothing they wanted to add regarding the proposal, which I felt was very good.
"I believe your proposal is perfectly fine, Saint Ariel," Vicar Lorentius said after seeing that no one wished to add anything to Ariel's suggestion.
"Very well then, I leave it to you regarding the details and the creation of agreements with the envoys of all the nations present in this city."
"As you wish, Great Saint."
Everyone bowed, agreeing to the task Ariel had assigned them.
"Alright, moving on to another issue regarding the Nordica nation's attack on the Kingdom of Britonia and the Novragad Federation."
The meeting then continued; they all discussed other issues occurring on the continent until late at night.