“Do not lie. You are only a teenager. How can someone of your age gain an important role?” Sir Damacus insisted with his thought.
The knight at the gate approached, attempting to stop his captain. “Lord Damacus, we should not make it difficult for the Saint follower—”
“Stop talking, Knight! Go and do more rounds at night until the next morning!” the Black knight scolded.
“But, what about the God Follower—”
“Two more nights without food and sleep!” Damacus shouted. The knight was shocked, and his comrade quickly dragged him away to prevent any further actions that could worsen the situation.
“You! Kid, answer me. How did you get that insignia amulet? It should not be in the hands of a dark, dirty soul like yours. Did you steal it? That item is beyond your imagination and far surpasses your status. Don’t tarnish it. Give it back to us. The light of the holy tower will forgive your sins and purify your soul with its holy light. If not, I will kill you with blood and steel and take it back,” the black knight said.
Ah, this type of man, fanning the flames with question after question, only seeking pleasing answers or resorting to force. Either way, it leads to the same outcome. “Such a fanatic knight...” a soft voice murmured. Rain, no longer wearing his usual fair smile, stared back with dark eyes. “I don’t hate you for your stubborn knight role, but this pointless conversation is dragging on for too long. Many people will die. Do you really want to break the co-dex?” Rain’s blue irises glowed, and the air suddenly turned cold, as if it were winter.
“How dare you use that word, threatening our holy knights? We follow the codex as if it were our own life. But you, an outcast, a fake, a fraud, living in camouflage, stay in the dark, eat us from inside.” The knight’s sword emitted a bright white light, wind turbulence circle around, even heavy armor started collided together.
Rain stood firm, not backing down, ready to fight against the force in front of him. He swept his left hand forward, revealing a Saint’s follower badge on his palm. “Why are all black knights always so foolish like this?” he muttered, placing his right hand over his heart. “Under the codex of the Holy Tower, the line of twelve in the fifth depth, the light of the saint will shine upon...”
When the Black Knight heard Rain begin to preach, beads of sweat formed on his face. His instincts told him that this man in front of him did not belong to the holy order, nor did he possess any holy light power. Yet, how did he know everything about them? “You rascal! Don’t pretend to be one of us. That chant means nothing.” I have to kill him now before things spiral out of control.
Same as the Black knight, Rain Sweat bud all over his face, While preach the codex outside, In his mind get fluttered, I have to fasten, He not swayed at all.
“Holy Blade—”
“Transparent soul can reach—”
But suddenly, a soft and pure voice resonated around. “Please stop, you two bright souls. We are under the same holy tower, and your light should guide the way and bring hope to the people.”
Lord Damacus was shocked when he heard that sound. He immediately stopped the attack and put his sword back into its sheath. Thud! Then knelt down on one knee. “High Priest Lucusia, may the Holy shine upon you!”
Rain was also shocked, as he hadn’t detected Lucusia’s presence at all. When does he become at my backed?
He turned around and saw a man standing there, 180 centimeter tall and handsome, like a marble statue. The man dressed in a white priest’s robe adorned with a gold-rimmed stole. He had long hair, with a silver hairpin in the shape of a flower and butterfly at the center. Around his neck, he wore a necklace with a square-shaped silver plate rimmed with gold, with a tower-shaped reaching towards the sky, similar to Rain’s follower badge.
People started whispering to each other, “Is that High Priest Lucusia, the Father who is responsible for HopChest Town? He is so holy, I can feel his warm aura.”
“May the light shine upon you, Lord Damacus. Has something happened? Why did your light waver like that?” Lucusia smiled and looked at the knight in front of him.
Lord Damacus was taken aback for a moment, but then he answered, “I just had a problem with a fake light, Father Lucusia.” He then turned his attention to Rain.
Lucusia looked at Rain and greeted him with a smile, “Hello, I’m Father Lucusia. May the holy shine upon you. Are you from another church, priest?” pleasing voice resonance.
Rain took a step back, gathered his courage and replied, “Greetings, another holy order. I am Rain. May the holy shine upon you.” Greet him with proper.
“Oh, you are father Rain.” Lucusia nodded with a pleased expression.
Damacus tried to intervene, saying, “He’s a fake—”
But Lucusia raised his hand to stop him and said, “It’s okay, Lord Damacus. As I told you before, all children under the holy tower possess the same original light. Many lost children are here. Let us not allow the darkness to infiltrate our hearts.” He then turned his gaze back to Rain and the children and said, “I have heard that you are also a follower of the Saint.”
Rain nodded and replied, “Yes, I am under the guidance of Saint Aria, the river spirit.”
Lucusia nodded with satisfaction and said, “That’s good. I am under the guidance of Saint Erline Lehman. Saint Aria is also the god whisperer that people have admired. So we are good together.” He looked around at the children and said, “And you show the way to these lost souls. We should welcome them all into our light. Am I correct, Lord Damacus?”
“Yes, the Holy Word is correctly,” he answered instantly.
He looked around at the people, smiled, and said, “The sun is starting to set, and we cannot let all of these souls be lost in the darkness outside.” He waved his hands in front of him and said, “Oh, Light of the tower, please accept my humble request. Give us the light that can shine even in the darkest of days. Holy Lumina”
Suddenly, a big ring of light appeared in the air out of thin air, scattering into particles with tails of light that ran into everybody. A warm sensation spread over everyone, and a golden aura shimmered on their bodies.
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“Wow, this magic is so warm,” someone exclaimed.
“Thank you, Holy, for sending us the light.”
“Thank you, Lord Lucusia,”
“Praise the Holy tower.”
One spark went into Rain, and a warm golden glow enveloped his body. Could this really be the Holy Lumina? Rain looked at Father Lucusia, and their eyes met. Lucusia smiled at Rain and performed a priest’s greeting, placing his hand on his heart. Rain nodded and mirrored his action. “May the light shine upon you,” Lucusia said.
Lucusia walked over to a Damacus Knight and touched his shoulder. “Sir, could you lend me a Holy Book, please?”
The knight responded by simultaneously giving the book to Lucusia. “This, Lord.”
“Thank you,” Lucusia replied. He then turned back to the people and said, “As a follower of the saints who protect this town, under the name of the Holy Tower, I welcome you all to be under its protection.” The holy book shone brightly with a golden light, linking and connecting all the people around. Lucusia then returned the holy book to Lord Damacus and said, “Let us proceed with the rest of the procedures. We are running late, and it is not safe outside at night. Some monsters started crawling out.”
“Yes, Lord Holy!” He looked around, ordering loudly, “Knight! Let them pass and categorize them.”
Lucusia nodded with pleasure, then moved into the city, followed by some of the knights.
A weight lifted off the people’s hearts, and they began shouting.
“Praise the Holy Lord Lucusia!”
“Praise the Holy Saint Erline!”
“We are all saved. Holy protect us.”
People walked past Rain and the children’s group, heading towards the town gate as if the previous events hadn’t happened. The sound of people talking loudly resumed.
“Let me go first.”
“No, me first! I want to be under the same light as Lord Lucasia.”
“Me too. I have a noble bloodline that can receive more holy power.”
“Get in line! Come one by one, Lord has already let all of you in,” shouted the knight at the gate.
Rain looked around at the people. “At least... they are all safe.” But when his eyes met the Black Knight’s, there was still a fire burning inside, a fire that wanted to take Rain’s life. Even at this rate, do you still want to kill me?
Rain walked over to Damacus and threw a sachet at him. Damacus instinctively grabbed it. His eyes widened when he saw what was inside. When he looked back at Rain, Rain put a finger to his lips, a sign of silence. Damacus secretly put it in his plate armor.
The children behind Rain tugged at his robe. “Brother Rain, are we safe? Are we going into town?” All the children were still waiting, not moving, following the others. They all looked at Rain, waiting for his decision.
Rain rubbed kid head and said, “Yes, we are all safe. Let’s go into town.” Let’s just do this for now. We can deal with the rest later. The people began moving into the town, going through the adjustment process. The knights organized them based on nobility and karma rate. Even though Rain had zero karma, he still had the badge of a white priest. But he insisted on going with the children, so they walked together towards the refugee green zone.
There were many people in this area, with makeshift tents constructed using tattered old fabric, connected to each other. At least they still had a water well and a campfire. Rain took a group of children to a large log that had cut in half to make a long chair next to the campfire. The warmth of the fire eased their fatigue.
People who arrived earlier noticed the group, but no one seemed interested in greeting or contacting them. They were all busy with their own tasks, some cooking food, others cutting logs for the upcoming night.
Soon, another group of people approached them. The children recognized them immediately and shouted, “Father!” “Uncle!” “Mother!” It was the same group of people that Rain had met at the Thief camp.
“Ivara! are you alright?” the woman named Iva rushed forward and hugged the girl.
“I’m okay, mother. Brother Rain do keep promised, he protect all the children,” the girl smiled.
Iva looked at Rain, “Thank you.”
Nodded and said, “It’s okay. I didn’t do much work. These kids also de well, even in such a harsh environment. They still keep calmly.”
The head chief also approached Rain and said, “Thank you, Rockman, or should I call you Father Rain?”
Rain waved his hand dismissively and replied, “Nah, call me whatever you like. I just do what I can, and things have turned out differently than I planned.... Huh~ It should have been an easy walk in the flower field.”
The big guy crossed his arms and said, “At first, I thought you were just a liar who couldn’t complete this task with your shameful priest disguise, but in the end, you proved me wrong. Are you really a man of the holy tower, a Saint’s follower?”
“Radnor, don’t be rude!” Iva gave the chief a sharp look and scolded him, but he didn’t seem to care.
Everyone gathered around, curious about Rain’s identity. They knew that because of him and his performance at the gate. They were able to enter safely.
“Please calm down, Mr. Radnor,” huh~ I’m so tired. Can I get some rest? Rain gathered his remaining senses and responded, “It’s okay, Madam Iva, please don’t argue with each other. Everyone will know sooner or later. Technically, yes, I’m a Saint’s follower, but I am not that fanatic type. I don’t possess any holy powers or receive any blessings. You can call me that I’m just a luggage servant and a running man.”
The chief relaxed his crossed arms and said, “Ah, I see. That’s why you look like a bag carrier and yet aged like a teenager.” Radnor said. “By the way, do you know about all the holy things? The codex and spell preach?” Radnor Asked.
“I know a little. I’ve read some books.” Rain replied.
Radnor shrugged his shoulders, fulfilled his curiosity and then looked at his teammates, saying, “Alright, let’s get to work. We need to set up camp before sunset. The knight said we can find the resources we need at the warehouse near the church in the center area,” then walked away.
A red-haired man approached Rain, smiled widely, and grabbed his shoulder. “Thank you, Rockman. Don’t be angry with the chief. He’s always like that... a former one.”
“I know, Red Thug.” Rain said with a wry smile.
“Rave! Come with me,” Radnor shouted loudly. Then, he looked at the tall and short men who often stuck together. They all put their hands together at the campfire. “Twain and Throy, you both also follow me. We need your help.”
All the men went to the warehouse, leaving only the elderly, women, and children behind.
Iva, still hugged by Ivara as they approached Rain. “I’m sorry for that stubborn guy... and thank you so much. We have to make you to do something that beyond reach,” Iva said, bowing her head slightly.
“It’s okay,” Rain replied, reaching into his sachet and giving something to Ivara.
Ivara instinctively grabbed it, tilting her head slightly, confused about what is this ball shape on her hand?
Rain opened his mouth and pinched his thumb and index finger, simulating how to put it in his mouth. “It’s candy made with ChupaChupa, a reward for a strong and good lady.”
Ivara put it into her mouth. Her hair skin rose up, her eyes became stars! A syrupy sensation ran all over her mouth. Rich of sweet aroma gathered in her lungs. “Sa—Weet. Bro—ther Rain this is so sweet.”
When the other children heard Ivara’s words, they came closer to Rain. “Brother Rain, I want one too,” they said. “Rockman, please give me one,” another child requested.
“Okay, okay, one by one, please line up,” Rain replied.
Madam Iva smiled at Rain as he gave candy to the children one by one and then asked, “What do you want to do next? Help more people or settle here?”
While giving candy to the kids, Rain answered, “Um, yes, I have something to do in this town. There’s a lot of work to be done, but first, I will go look for their lost parents.”
“Isn’t that hard? Many children and men lost. Are you doing this alone?” Madam Iva asked.
“Don’t worry too much, Madam Iva. This is an easy one,” Rain reassured her, turning his head back towards the gate. “It’s nothing compared to the event at the gate. The lives of many people are at stake at the peak of the mountain. If we make even a small mistake, everything could end in darkness.”
Iva noticed Rain looking at the gate and gave him a wry smile before saying, “That right.”
Rain stood up from the log chair and looked at the boys and girls. “Rosa, Ken, and Warner followed me, another stayed with madam Iva,” he said.
The boys and girls looked at Rain curiously and asked, “yes? brother, where are we going?”
Rain smiled at them. “Good news. I found your parents.”