EIYTMA Chapter 21

[On the fourth day of their journey]

 

Ezekiel adjusted the schedule to match the marquis’s pace.  

 

Fortunately, there were a fair number of villages along the way, so aside from the first night when they camped outdoors, they were able to stay in decent inns.  

 

The high-quality meat distributed by the mage was shared all the way down to the lowest-ranking attendants. One attendant even got an upset stomach from the richness of the meat.  

 

In any case, if one wanted to win people over, a good meal was the most effective approach.  

 

At first, the holy knights were disgruntled about why they had to take care of even the menial tasks for the marquis’s entourage. However, after a few good meals, their attitude changed, and they became much friendlier toward them. The fact that the young Lady Querluxia was of a similar age to some of the holy knights also played a role.  

 

With every step, whenever the young lady nodded her head, the holy knights would smile and wave back. Milena, who was also a woman, even walked right beside her carriage and engaged in short conversations.  

 

“She seems to have quite a pleasant personality.”  

 

Milena was the first to bring it up.  

 

Ezekiel pulled on the reins of his horse and tilted his head at Milena’s remark.  

 

Vice-Commander Shanka had gone ahead of the group to scout, so at that moment, there was no one between Ezekiel and Milena, who were at the very front of the procession. A couple of holy knights followed behind them.  

 

“You two seem to get along well?”  

 

“Not quite that, but… she just seems kind, don’t you think?”  

 

Milena swished her high-tied hair.  

 

“She even tied my hair for me!”  

 

“……”  

 

“…Commander, could you please not look at me with such a pitiful expression?”  

 

Milena’s head, which was usually messy with stray curls sticking out due to her naturally curly hair, was neatly pulled back.  

 

Ezekiel simply smirked instead of answering. He knew that the High Priest constantly nagged Milena about her untidy hair. Expecting a holy knight, who struggled to even put on armor properly, to keep stray hairs in check was a bit much.  

 

She had even considered cutting it short, but that wasn’t an option either. Her stubbornly curly hair would just become an even bigger tangled mess if cut too short.  

 

“She even broke her wooden comb trying to pull my hair back but didn’t complain. I don’t know if she has a good personality or if she just has plenty of combs.”  

 

“I see.”  

 

“You wouldn’t understand, Commander, with your perfectly sleek hair!”  

 

Milena was exasperated at Ezekiel’s indifferent response. It wasn’t surprising—his jet-black, silky, and thick hair had always been a source of envy for her.  

 

Of course, it also attracted jealousy from older holy knights who were already starting to lose their hair.  

 

“Not only do you never shed, but you are also ridiculously handsome! It’s infuriating!”  

 

“……”  

 

Not knowing how to respond to that, Ezekiel simply kept his mouth shut. Indeed, Sir Ezekiel, Commander of the Holy Knights of Udahl Temple, was widely acknowledged as a handsome man.  

 

He had the kind of face one would expect to see embroidered onto a temple tapestry—a flawless visage with broad shoulders, a towering height, and strong arms.  

 

“And on top of that, even your hair is silky smooth…”  

 

Milena sighed.  

 

“Truly, the gods are unfair…”  

 

“That’s not true, Milena.”  

 

The one who countered Milena’s words was Shanka, who had just returned from scouting. As he rode up to them, he squinted his dark eyes playfully.  

 

“If the gods were truly fair, that man wouldn’t be a holy knight. Don’t you think?”  

 

“Well… I suppose you’re right.”  

 

The other holy knights who overheard chuckled. They had all thought the same thing whenever they looked at Ezekiel.  

 

That face… and he’s a holy knight?

 

Most temples imposed strict celibacy on their clergy. Priests were not allowed to marry, and both men and women were forbidden from engaging in sexual relationships.  

 

There were exceptions, of course—some temples with more lenient doctrines, like the Temple of Elixir, the god of wine and temptation, had different rules. But in temples with stricter doctrines, even holy knights were prohibited from marrying.  

 

Among them, Udahl’s temple was known to be one of the most extreme. It was no exaggeration to say it had the strictest rules regarding chastity.  

 

As a result, Ezekiel’s exceptional good looks were often seen as a tragic waste. His nickname, “Udahl’s Forbidden Fruit,” was a testament to that sentiment.  

 

There were even noblewomen who longed to break him just for the sake of it. However, the emperor’s watchful eye kept them from making any blatant moves, which was perhaps fortunate.  

 

“Enough talk. Give me the scouting report.”  

 

“Oh, right. About that…”  

 

Shanka scratched his head. Sensing that something troublesome had occurred, Ezekiel raised an eyebrow.  

 

Shanka’s explanation was straightforward.  

 

“A monster drowned in the village’s only well.”  

 

Shanka and two holy knights had originally gone ahead to scout the village where they planned to stay the night.  

 

It was a peaceful village, and while the inn was small, it was sufficient for their needs. However, there was a problem.  

 

By sheer misfortune, a young monster had fallen into the well. It wasn’t an especially dangerous creature—considering it was near a human settlement—but the issue was that it was a venomous one.  

 

“The villagers are asking if we can purify the well in exchange for a free stay at the inn.”  

 

Since the village was close by, their group hadn’t stocked up on water. Whether they stayed the night or not, they would still need to replenish their water supply. Even without the villagers’ request, purification was necessary. However, they didn’t have a priest among them.  

 

After some thought, Ezekiel decided to speak with the marquis.  

 

“Can’t the holy knights handle it?”  

 

The marquis stroked his beard. Ezekiel answered briefly.  

 

“Holy knights lack the divine power of priests. Our divine energy is primarily for combat, and given that we must focus on guarding you, we would like to request your assistance instead.”  

 

“Hmm.”  

 

“If it were an ordinary monster, the holy knights would have handled it. However, since you are a water mage, wouldn’t it be possible for you to purify the well?”  

 

“…Very well.”  

 

Magic was expensive, and many mages disliked working for free. Ezekiel had expected at least some resistance, but the marquis agreed more easily than anticipated.  

 

However, he made a request in return.  

 

“In exchange, I would like Lady Querluxia and her brother to spend some time with the younger holy knights of similar age.”  

 

Ezekiel was momentarily taken aback.

 

“Ahem. It just seemed that she was feeling rather lonely.”

 

However, upon hearing it, the Marquis’ request did seem reasonable.

 

Iris Querluxia had remained inside the carriage for three consecutive days since the first day. There was no sign of her conversing with the Marquis.

 

Her younger brother, Henri, was often seen cheerfully mingling with the paladins, but even that did not last long, as Iris Querluxia would always reprimand him, insisting on proper decorum.

 

“I heard that my future wife originally had a bright personality, but it seems she is having trouble adjusting to the long journey. As her elder and her husband, should I not be considerate?”

 

It seemed that rather than appearing as a greedy middle-aged man eager for a young bride, the Marquis wished to act as a broad-minded older husband.

 

He had been captivated by that portrait and prepared a luxurious carriage, but now, faced with his sullen-looking fiancée, he sought to appease her.

 

“It would be good for her to have someone to talk to, even just a little.”

 

“…I have no objections.”

 

Ezekiel’s usual expressionless demeanor faltering seemed amusing to the Marquis, who let out a hearty laugh.

 

“Haha. The people of the world seem to think of me as quite the brute. They assume that since I am marrying someone so much younger, I would keep my wife locked away, hidden from prying eyes.”

 

“That is not what I meant.”

 

“No, no. I understand why you’re taken aback.”

 

The face that broke into laughter bore no small number of wrinkles. Though only forty, the mage, whose hair had already turned white, grinned slyly.

 

“I, too, am a man who understands a woman’s loneliness. What joy is there in being shaken inside a carriage all day long? Besides, I am still busy studying, even within the carriage.”

 

“…It is well known that the Great Beings of Nature are ever striving to become one with the grand design of the world.”

 

‘The Great Beings of Nature’ was a term mages mockingly used to refer to themselves. Those who, while wielding the forces of nature, were ensnared by its allure and could never break free.

 

In their pursuit of even the slightest increase in magical power, they devoted every moment to study, offering their hearts to nature. It seemed the Marquis, even in his forties, was no exception.

 

“And besides, you are paladins, are you not? Paladins of the strict Udahl order, at that. Thus, I have no concerns about entrusting my future wife to you.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“If I were being guarded by the young knights of His Majesty the Emperor instead, I would not have made such a request.”

 

The Marquis let out a bold, hearty laugh. His words implied that since the paladins had taken a vow of chastity, there was no need to worry about entrusting his wife to them.

 

A young bride of twenty.

 

Ezekiel mentally went through a list of paladins around her age. Meanwhile, he cast a glance at the six-horse carriage she was riding in…

 

…And then stopped himself.