As winter snowflakes drifted down, the old priest of Ipoli led his acolytes in hymns praising the Heavenly Father while polishing the church’s stained-glass windows.

Thanks to Shel and Hilna’s help, their church had been expanded and renovated this year—spacious and warm, especially the sermon hall, now able to hold many more believers.

As always, they’d prepare rituals and masses during the winter lull, collecting donations from the faithful.

But just as they settled into comfort, two uninvited guests arrived.

An acolyte heard knocking, assuming it was an eager donor. He planned to politely ask them to wait a few days—but froze upon opening the door.

A man and woman stood there. The man’s face was weathered yet his frame stood tall and sturdy; the woman’s face was scarred, her build even broader and fiercer than her companion’s.

Both wore silver-white robes embroidered with golden patterns, necklaces strung with four-colored gemstones, and lightweight regulation longswords at their waists.

This was the attire of Holy Knights.

The acolyte gaped at the door until the burly woman snapped impatiently. Only then did he jolt awake.

“Your Grace! Two Holy Knights have arrived!”

The news nearly paralyzed everyone inside.

Holy Knights were elite enforcers selected from armed knights sworn directly to the Eternal Church. Gifted with magic and armed with standardized enchanted weapons, they patrolled dioceses to monitor missionary work, hunt heretics, purge fiends, and discipline troublemakers.

If needed, they could arrest incompetent clergy—like priests—and interrogate them under torture to “correct” their ways.

The priest’s life suddenly felt very fragile.

The last time Ipoli saw a Holy Knight was eight years ago.

A demon-like creature had appeared near the royal palace, causing heavy casualties. One Holy Knight came to investigate.

Shel had slain the demon himself, burning its bones to ash and dumping them in a dung pit.

The Holy Knight, unwilling to dig through filth for proof, merely interviewed Shel, filed a report, cast cleansing spells over the city, and harshly reprimanded the priest before leaving.

One Holy Knight had been terrifying enough. Now there were two.

Without a word, the knights presented their credentials and strode straight into the church.

They frowned at the wall paintings—most depicted a blue-haired girl.

Clearly no canonized saint. They had no idea what this church was playing at.

After ushering them into the sermon hall’s lounge, the priest nervously served hot drinks, twisting his fingers as he waited for them to speak.

“Greetings, Father of Ipoli,” the male knight began. “I am Perry. This is my colleague, Talia. We’re inspecting church administration in the Great Darksend Region. Rest assured—this is routine. Not an arrest operation.”

“We’ll fully cooperate,” the priest replied.

This was odd. The Eternal Church’s HolySee sat in the City of Glory, its influence fading with distance.

Ipoli, deep in the Great Darksend Region, lay thousands of kilometers from the HolySee. Local churches here were self-funded, ignored by the central authority.

Only a dozen or so elderly, semi-retired Holy Knights were stationed across the entire region—most were lazy deadweights.

Two young, diligent Holy Knights appearing out of nowhere? Unprecedented.

“Father, a brief report on your tenure. And your church’s financial records—we’ll need to review them.”

Acolytes hauled out ledgers spanning decades. The knights scrutinized them all day, cross-examining the priest, verifying every expense. Finally, they concluded:

“Since eight years ago, your expenditures have dropped sharply—yet your congregation grew. Last year’s renovation cost almost nothing, yet donations doubled. Are these… legitimate donations? Or other income? Lawful income?”

Perry’s gaze turned suspicious.

“Absolutely!” the priest swore fervently. He recounted how Shel, as an unofficial helper, had aided the church: performing good deeds, winning hearts, repairing facilities… even training “Hilna, a devout Saintess as kind as an angel.”

“This Hilna—is she the girl in your murals?”

“Yes. Shel painted them.”

“…Are Shel and Hilna Mages?”

“Yes,” the priest nodded.

“Were their Mage statuses reported to the HolySee? Did they graduate from accredited academies? Are they officially recognized?”

The priest blinked. “Your Graces, a round trip to the HolySee takes two years. They’ve never cared—why report?”

“Eighteen months by sea. That’s how we came,” Talia snapped. “Rules are rules. You hung an unrecognized Mage’s portrait beneath the Eternal Sigil—as if she were a saint. Do you know how blasphemous that is?”

“Uh…”

“Take them down. Now.”

“That’s… difficult. Shel and Hilna rebuilt this entire church. I can’t just—”

“They’re truly pious believers!” the priest pleaded.

Talia’s face darkened, but Perry stopped her. “Enough. That’s not why we’re here.” He turned to the priest. “Where is Shel now? If he’s faithful, he’ll understand the impropriety. I wish to speak with him.”

“He’s home for winter. Not far.” Relieved by Perry’s civility, the priest added, “I’ll take you.”

“Good.” Perry closed the ledger. “Now—to business. Ipoli’s church holds ample funds and lies in eastern Great Darksend. You’ll immediately allocate funds to collaborate with local rulers. Confiscate and burn all furs imported from the east. Reject outside merchants. And forbid Ipoli’s residents from traveling west.”

“Why? This will disrupt lives!”

“Just follow orders. The HolySee issued an emergency decree—directly from His Holiness the Pope.” Perry lowered his voice. “They may excommunicate those western duchies soon. This is economic blockade prep.”

The priest knew of the rebellious duchies west of Great Darksend.

“A Papal decree?” He stood abruptly. “I’ll ensure it’s done.”

“May the Eternal Father bless you, my friend.” Perry stood. “Now—take us to Shel.”

***

Shel was in high spirits today.

Winter provisions were plentiful. Local lords had gifted him seven or eight barrels of beer. Vegetables and frozen meat filled his yard, buried in snowdrifts for natural refrigeration—no need to shop.

In the kitchen, he stewed a mixed vegetable and rib soup, adding extra meat.

Lofna’s appetite had surged lately, eating like her childhood self again.

Probably from increased training. Since receiving Shel’s alchemical weapon, she’d found purpose: endless push-ups, sit-ups, weighted runs.

Her spirit had brightened, shedding years of gloom. She no longer lingered silently beside Shel and Hilna.

Whenever they went out, she marched behind them, proudly displaying her waist-sheathed blade to every passerby.

Even when Shel napped in the yard, she’d patrol like a guard, marching stiffly with her sword raised.

Her enthusiasm had rubbed off on Hilna, who’d hinted shyly: “Teacher Shel… Lofna’s short sword is so beautiful on her. I… rather envy it.”

But Shel hadn’t commissioned one for her.

The weapon was meant to comfort the girl—to satisfy a fleeting vanity.

In his view, a future sovereign wielding high-tier magic shouldn’t crave battlefield glory or childish trinkets.

As he peeled potatoes, Lofna burst into the kitchen after her workout.

She panted heavily, sweat soaking her cotton undershirt. Stripping off her wool coat, steam rose from her skin, carrying the sharp tang of exertion.

She darted to Shel’s side. “Teacher! One hundred push-ups! Done—huff!”

“Go bathe. You’ll catch a chill.”

“…I’m hungry. Feed me?” She refused to leave.

“The soup’s not ready. Here—potato chunks.”

When Shel offered a piece, she didn’t take it. She bit down—leaving a pair of faint tooth marks on his finger.

“Tasty…” She chewed, swallowed, then licked her lips. “More?”

Before Shel could reply, a soft cough came from the doorway.

Hilna stood there, expressionless.

“Sister Lofna, stop bothering him,” she said flatly. “Don’t disrupt Teacher while he cooks. We don’t want your germs in our food.” She turned to Shel, voice softening. “Teacher, the priest is here—with two strangers. Their accents are odd. They dress like high-ranking clergy… but refuse to enter. They insist on seeing you—and their tone isn’t friendly.”

Shel understood immediately.

He slipped on a sable fur coat—a gift from Hilna and Lofna—and hid a potato-peeling knife in his sleeve.

“Wait for me!” Lofna scrambled into her clothes, grabbed her sword, and followed as his self-appointed guard.

Outside, the priest stood awkwardly beside two Holy Knights—their silver-white robes whiter than the surrounding snow.

“You are Shel?” Perry’s first impression was favorable. His bearing suggested an educated gentleman.

“Holy Knights? Two of you…”

Shel recognized their uniforms. Knew their purpose.

A primal unease coiled in his gut—the instinctive dread of Soviet citizens spotting the KGB.

"It's nothing. We're just here to talk." After brief introductions and greetings, Holy Knight Perry explained his purpose and added:

"We've inquired thoroughly. Mr. Shel, you are indeed a devout and kind believer. Your student, Miss Hilna, is a truly respectable angel. However, hanging portraits of unauthorized figures in the sacred church is overstepping—please remove those improper items."

"You mean—take down Hilna's portraits?"

"Yes. Not only remove them, but destroy them too."

Perry nodded: "Even if locals unanimously wanted them hung, it's still wrong. Mortals are forbidden from idol worship—it's sacred doctrine. As a pious believer, you should understand. Nothing deserves mortal worship except the holy emblem of the Heavenly Father."

Shel was deeply annoyed. He almost laughed at their lecture on doctrine.

Those portraits were his hard work. He'd promoted Hilna tirelessly in Ipoli for a whole year. He'd even helped repair most of the church. That earned him the right to hang them in the preaching hall.

Yet barely months later, two Holy Knights arrived. They represented the HolySee headquarters—which had never done any good in Ipoli—and demanded he take the portraits down.

They were here to sabotage him.

"Gentlemen, can we make an exception?" he tried politely. "Even if they can't stay in the preaching hall, could they go in the lounge? It's Ipoli residents' goodwill. It shows their love for Hilna. This year, she's helped so many in need. To them, she's an angel. We can't let them down."

Holy Knight Perry was growing impatient but held his courtesy. The hot-tempered Talia couldn't.

"Fix your attitude, sir! Doctrine is doctrine!" Her voice was sharp. "In the City of Glory, anyone hanging a living person's portrait in church gets arrested on the spot. I can even judge and execute them directly—we're polite only because of your reputation. Don't delay our duty! Do it now!"

Her robust, towering frame gesticulated wildly. She looked ready to punch Shel any second.

"Hey!" Lofna rushed in front of Shel, gripping her waist knife's hilt. "Stay away from my teacher!"

"Get lost!"

Hot-tempered Talia slapped her casually. Shel saw it coming and tried to block—but too late. The slap cracked against the girl's face.

Trained Holy Knights had terrifying strength. The blow was swift and heavy. An untrained girl like Lofna couldn't withstand it.

Lofna reeled, dazed and nearly collapsing. Shel caught her just in time, stopping her from face-planting into the cabin's snowy yard.

"Wait, Talia, don't act rashly!"

"Lady Talia, no violence!"

The priest and Perry realized trouble was brewing.

After the slap, Shel's expression hardened instantly. Talia didn't back down: "This brat started it!"

Hilna snapped to attention. Things were about to explode.

Time to show weakness and defuse the tension.

Teacher Charles had taught her: when unnecessary conflicts escalate and neither side can save face, a mediator must act as peacemaker first. Negotiate later.

"Your honors, it's my fault..." Tears welled in her eyes as she stepped before Teacher Charles. She faced Talia, voice trembling: "I was immature. After helping others, everyone praised me—I got carried away. I begged my teacher to hang my portrait. I'm truly sorry..."

Her tearful tone hid subtle high-level magic spells. They covertly infected everyone's emotions.

The Holy Knights were trained to resist such spells. But Hilna's mastery was profound. It actually influenced them.

Talia stared at the tearful blue-haired girl. Even her strict heart softened: "...Rules are rules, but... sigh..."

"We'll remove the portraits," Hilna promised again. "Now, please let me take my sister inside to rest?"

"Alright..." Talia felt she'd gone too far. She backed down.

"Like hell."

A curse cut her off.

Shel's eyes had turned icy. Supporting the dizzy Lofna, he rose slowly and glared at the visitors: "I won't remove Hilna's portraits. And you—son of a bitch—you hurt my student, then dare boss me around? What monster raised such a reckless bastard!"

Hilna froze. She'd never seen Teacher Charles lose his temper like this.

"Hilna, help your sister up. Take her inside."

"Teacher Charles... didn't you say endure when necessary..."

"Inside! Now. Don't make me repeat myself." He glanced at her. "Lock the door."

"Yes..."

Hilna lifted her groggy sister and retreated indoors, locking the door. Lofna was still dazed, clutching her head and moaning.

"I recall Holy Knights settle disputes with duels, right?" Shel picked up Lofna's dropped short sword. He drew the blade, pointing it at the equally furious Talia. "Mr. Perry and Father, kindly witness this. Today, I'm smashing your teeth in."