Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 46

EP.46 God Whispered, “Do Some Exercise”

The Holy Knights of St. Elfreda. One of the three holy knight orders of the church.

Though their numbers were not large, they protected the church with exceptional swordsmanship and unwavering faith.

The Empire acknowledged the faith of such holy knight orders and recognized the church’s own knightly titles.

Compared to the other two holy knight orders, there wasn’t much difference.

The number of members and their skill levels were all quite similar.

However, most people, when asked to think of a ‘holy knight order’, would always mention the Holy Knights of St. Elfreda.

The reason was that the commander of the Holy Knights of St. Elfreda was one of the Empire’s top ten strongest individuals.

“Commander, have you heard the news?”

Priscilla Franz, the commander of the Holy Knights of St. Elfreda, was inspecting the state of her knights.

She was the youngest member of the Empire’s top ten strongest individuals, second only to the fifth princess, Yurika. Her alias was ‘Blue Moon’.

At the deputy commander’s words, she stepped back slightly, leaving the knights behind.

“Why the sudden urgency? Is something the matter?”

“Didn’t the Saintess mention she was bringing a guest?”

“His Eminence, the Cardinal, did mention that. But what about it?”

“That guest is from ‘that place.'”

“‘That place’?”

“The Jonathan barony!”

For a moment, Priscilla’s eyes sparkled with interest.

After a brief silence, she spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“Is it true? Is someone from Jonathan really coming?”

“Yes! And it’s a direct descendant. The second son of the Jonathan barony.”

Stories about the Jonathan barony was quite famous.

Even without mentioning the incident where they half-destroyed the academy, there were already tales about them.

They were known for fighting the Empire for over eight years, unmatched in battle and unparalleled by others.

Some said the stories were exaggerated, while others believed the imperial family had intentionally inflated them.

But a few knew that all those stories were indeed true.

And among those few was Priscilla.

‘The ones who handed my grandfather his first and last defeat.’

Priscilla’s grandfather was a renowned warrior during the Empire’s conquest era, known as the ‘Swift Sword’.

He had defeated numerous strong opponents, and his name always came up when listing the Empire’s strongest.

Thanks to his achievements, he had established a respectable family despite being the illegitimate son of a minor noble.

But even the ‘Swift Sword’ could not defeat the monsters of the north.

“Grandfather…”

At the time, Priscilla, who was only three years old, cried her heart out.

She was devastated and saddened that her once mighty grandfather had been defeated.

The person she had so greatly admired returned looking haggard.

It felt as if the world was ending, and Priscilla wept bitterly.

However, her grandfather merely laughed.

“It’s alright, child. Don’t cry. In fact, I feel relieved. Yes, this old man feels very relieved.”

Relieved. Priscilla thought it was just a consolation meant for her.

How could he feel relieved? For a swordsman, defeat was always a disgrace.

People were already whispering that he had been defeated by northern barbarians.

How could he possibly feel relieved? She felt so sorry for her grandfather.

But her grandfather did not see that defeat as a disgrace or a grudge.

He only felt a burning desire to fight again if given the chance.

He stood proud despite the finger-pointing and ridicule.

Later, the barony became part of the Empire and was renamed Jonathan.

Due to an illness brought on by age, her grandfather never got the chance for another duel.

Fortunately, his condition had improved recently, and he had even started wielding his sword again.

‘Why did Grandfather look so relieved? What kind of battle was it that made him so easily accept defeat and step back?’

As she grew older and became a skilled swordsman like her admired grandfather,

Priscilla constantly pondered this question.

Was it a lesson to focus on the process rather than the outcome?

Or did he gain great wisdom from the battle with Jonathan despite his defeat?

She could have asked her grandfather and resolved the question immediately, but Priscilla chose not to.

She believed that finding the answer herself was the way to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps.

With that mindset, she worked hard and eventually became the commander of the knight order.

Moreover, she achieved the title of one of the Empire’s top ten strongest, a position even her grandfather had not attained.

Though it was an incredibly honorable achievement, Priscilla still felt she was lacking.

Had she truly surpassed her grandfather? If so, what was this feeling she had?

She had held onto these questions for a year as the commander of the knight order.

Finally, Priscilla had the chance to face someone from Jonathan.

“I humbly request, Your Eminence, the Cardinal.”

“It is not a difficult request, Commander Priscilla. But it is surprising. I thought you had little interest in fighting strong opponents and were not driven by ambition.”

“It’s not that I want to defeat Jonathan. I just want to confirm something. If I can just confirm that, then… I believe I could reach an even higher level.”

Although Priscilla was one of the Empire’s top ten strongest, she belonged to the church’s holy knights.

If her martial prowess increased, it would naturally benefit the church as well.

Therefore, the mention of reaching a higher level was enticing.

Thus, Cardinal Paul promised to inform her when the guest from Jonathan arrived.

However, he firmly stated that excessive confrontation was absolutely forbidden.

If the guest were to get hurt, it would be problematic, and if Priscilla got hurt, it would be equally problematic.

As the one responsible for the internal affairs of the church headquarters, this was a natural concern for Cardinal Paul.

And finally, the day arrived.

“Commander, the Saintess has arrived.”

Upon hearing the report from a knight, Priscilla, who had been sitting in a formal posture, stood up.

She then thoroughly cleansed herself, preparing her body and mind with reverence.

She was about to meet a direct descendant of Jonathan, the one who had defeated her admired grandfather.

She couldn’t afford to approach this meeting carelessly.

That would be an insult to Jonathan and, furthermore, an insult to her grandfather.

After completing her preparations, Priscilla finally began to walk.

“Your Eminence, the Cardinal. It is Priscilla, Commander of the Holy Knights of St. Elfreda.”

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“Come in, Commander.”

The Commander of the Holy Knights of St. Elfreda? This was completely new information.

Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be an academy story? Was there also a setting for the church’s internal affairs?!

Kyle silently screamed in his mind as he tried to gauge the situation.

For now, Cardinal Paul didn’t seem surprised by the sudden visitor.

This meant that the Cardinal was aware of this visit.

If not, it could mean that the Cardinal himself had orchestrated the visit.

“Your Eminence? Why has the Commander suddenly come?”

In contrast to the Cardinal’s calm reaction, the Saintess looked puzzled.

Kyle, having observed this, nodded inwardly.

The visit of the Commander was planned without the Saintess’s knowledge.

“Your Eminence, the Cardinal. Saintess.”

The woman who entered first greeted Cardinal Paul and the Saintess.

Then, she made direct eye contact with Kyle.

‘This woman…’

‘This young man…’

The exchange of glances lasted only a few seconds.

However, in those brief few seconds, they had both assessed each other.

‘Strong.’

‘Incredibly strong.’

And at just the right moment, Cardinal Paul stepped in.

“Brother Kyle, this is Priscilla Franz, the commander of the Holy Knights of St. Elfreda, one of our church’s three swords. She is also renowned as one of the Empire’s top ten strongest.”

The Empire’s top ten strongest. No wonder she had an aura similar to Yurika, whom he had met before.

Moreover, she had well-developed, combat-ready muscles throughout her body.

At first glance, she might look like a healthy and beautiful woman, but in reality, she was a seasoned combat machine.

Anyway, now that introductions were made, it was time to exchange greetings.

“Nice to meet you, Commander Priscilla. I am Kyle Jonathan.”

“Welcome to the church, Brother Kyle.”

Their hands met in the air for a handshake.

In that moment, they both reaffirmed their assessment of each other’s strength.

“Brother Kyle.”

At the Cardinal’s call, Kyle released her hand and looked at him.

“I mentioned earlier, didn’t I? About sparing some time for one of our church members.”

“Yes, you did.”

At Kyle’s response, Cardinal Paul pointed to Priscilla.

“You can spare that time for her.”

“For the Commander…?”

“Yes. The Commander expressed a desire to spend some time with you.”

“I see…”

Surely, one of the Empire’s top ten strongest wouldn’t ask to sit and chat idly.

Especially not with someone from a renowned family like Jonathan.

This alone gave Kyle a pretty good idea of what she might want to discuss.

“Saintess, I know he is your guest, but I must ask for your understanding.”

“Understanding? Commander, what do you mean by that all of a sudden…?”

“As a swordsman, I want to understand the extent of my abilities. I ask for your understanding just this once.”

The Saintess seemed to catch on to Priscilla’s intent.

She was about to protest, ‘You can’t do that to a guest!’ but seeing the determination in Priscilla’s eyes, she bit her lip.

Having some acquaintance with the fifth princess, Yurika, she understood the mindset of strong warriors better.

When faced with a strong opponent, the desire to test oneself becomes irresistible.

“…Just don’t wear him out too much. He is my guest.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Priscilla bowed her head once more to the Saintess.

Then she turned to Kyle and spoke with a respectful demeanor.

“Brother Kyle of the Jonathan barony, if it is possible, would you spar with me?”

“Sure.”

“I know it’s rude to ask a guest, but… Pardon?”

“I said, let’s do it. As you wish, Commander, let’s have a light spar.”

Not long ago, a princess had come and thrown a punch at him without warning.

Compared to that, the church seemed quite courteous.

At least they declared their intentions before fighting. How considerate.

‘And she’s the first truly healthy person I’ve encountered at the church.’

He wondered what the combat prowess of the church’s sword would be like.

In that moment, the fighting spirit of Jonathan ignited once more.