On the day of the entrance exam results, my number, 37564, was on the notice board. I passed!
Even though it wasn’t exactly the luckiest number, I’m relieved to have made it. Now I don’t have to bring shame to my father.
I queued up at the lower noble registration desk to complete the enrollment process. As always, the upper and middle nobles had no waiting time.
But today, an even longer line than ours stretched out—one for commoners.
There weren’t many commoners who passed, but since only one staff member handled their registration, the line moved slowly.
I couldn’t help but wish that the idling staff at the upper noble desk would come assist with the commoners and lower nobles.
“Exam number 37564, Toma Roquefort,” I said.
“Number 37564… Congratulations on your acceptance,” replied the receptionist.
With the process complete, I received a student handbook. It detailed the items I needed to prepare—uniforms, textbooks, and various other supplies. A list of recommended stores was also included.
“Congratulations, Toma!”
“Well done, Toma!”
“Da-da!”
Father, Mother, and Siegvalt all congratulated me warmly. Grandpa and Grandma soon joined in to celebrate as well.
The next day, I visited the stores to buy everything I needed. Only the uniform would need to be picked up later; everything else was ready to go.
“Toma, will you ride on horseback? Why not join us in the carriage?”
“As the son of a knightly barony, I want to get used to riding a horse.”
“I see…”
Today, my father, mother, and Siegvalt were returning to the Ashwood territory.
They would leave by ship from the harbor, but I would remain in the capital, so I went to see them off. Grandpa seemed especially sad about Mother and Siegvalt leaving.
Father gently patted my head in farewell.
We slowly made our way out of the noble district, passing through the bustling commoners’ quarter.
“Toma, take care of yourself.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Make sure to stay healthy!”
“I will, Mother.”
“Da-da!”
“Be good, Siegvalt.”
After bidding farewell to everyone, I watched their ship until it disappeared from view.
“Well then, Grandma, I’m off too.”
“Take care, Toma.”
“I will.”
With Grandma’s blessing, I set off for the Grand Temple with Grandpa.
He insisted on accompanying me, which I found reassuring.
Grandpa’s noble carriage was escorted by a hundred knights from the Duke Bayerlein’s household. Surrounding me were Ben, Charmy, and thirty temple knights.
After leaving the capital, we picked up speed. Grandpa’s carriage moved at a steady pace, roughly ten kilometers per hour. The Grand Temple wasn’t far—less than two hours at this speed.
With so many knights and temple guards, neither bandits nor monsters dared to attack. The patrol teams on the capital-Grand Temple route were thorough, keeping the area secure.
“Master Toma, the Grand Temple is in sight.”
Following Captain Susanna’s gesture, I looked ahead to see a white spire piercing the sky.
“So that’s the Grand Temple? It looks like a giant skewer,” Ben remarked.
I nearly sighed in exasperation.
“Ben, don’t say such things about the Grand Temple.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, unapologetic.
The Grand Temple featured a central spire over 100 meters tall, with symmetrical 50-meter spires to the north, south, east, and west. Its walls gleamed white, while the cobalt-blue roof added a striking contrast. It looked like a landmark straight out of a travel brochure.
At the gate, about 200 temple knights stood in two orderly rows.
“Salute the Apostle!”
The knights raised their unsheathed swords, pointing the blades skyward—a gesture of honor reserved for dignitaries.
Led by Captain Susanna, surrounded by Ben, Charmy, and the temple knights, I advanced through the formation.
Once inside the gates, rows of priests greeted us.
“Whoa, there’s so many people,” Ben muttered.
He wasn’t wrong. Behind the priests, a crowd of worshippers—likely pilgrims—stood watching.
“I could do without all this fanfare,” I grumbled.
“They seem determined to showcase the temple’s prestige,” Charmy observed.
Charmy, who practiced light magic at the temple when she wasn’t exploring dungeons, knew a lot about its workings.
From the group of priests, Lord Dardale stepped forward, and I dismounted from my horse to meet him.
Grandpa alighted from his carriage and stood by my side.
“Welcome, Apostle Toma, and Duke Bayerlein.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I replied.
“This is quite the elaborate reception,” Grandpa noted.
“We are honored to welcome the Apostle,” Lord Dardale said firmly.
Grandpa snorted softly, surveying the scene.
The greetings began with introductions from various ranks of priests.
Priests followed a strict hierarchy: subdeacon, deacon, subpriest, priest, subbishop, bishop, archbishop, cardinal, and pope.
Twenty archbishops and fifteen cardinals were present to greet us.
In addition to rank, they also held roles like temple knights or exorcists.
Captain Susanna, who had been a priest when she visited Ashwood, was now a subbishop and had advanced to a company commander in the temple knights.
