Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 50

EP.50 God Whispered, “Do Some Exercise”

Before Priscilla arrived, Kyle had a brief conversation with Cardinal Paul.

The main topic was, unsurprisingly, life at the academy.

Talking about exercise was pointless since Cardinal Paul was far from being an exercise enthusiast.

Conversely, discussing doctrine was too shallow for Kyle.

So, the academy became the natural topic that could make Kyle, the Saintess, and the Cardinal all smile lightly.

“Brother Kyle. Come to think of it, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Yes, Your Eminence. What is it?”

“I heard that among the new students, there’s a young lady from the Grand Duchy of Littorio.”

“Ah… if you’re referring to Lady Elga, then yes, Your Eminence, that’s correct.”

“From the way you speak, it seems you’re somewhat close.”

From Cardinal Paul’s words, Kyle realized why Elga’s name had suddenly come up.

The uncomfortable incident between the Jonathan barony and the Grand Duchy of Littorio.

One side was insulted, and the other was injured—an event still talked about.

Naturally, both sides harbored ill feelings towards each other.

And now, the children of these families had met as new students, so the Cardinal was asking if everything was alright.

“Your Eminence! Actually, because of that incident, Brother Kyle personally delivered an apology letter!”

“An apology letter? Brother Kyle, is that true?”

When Kyle nodded, Cardinal Paul tilted his head in surprise.

He had heard that the royal family had intervened, saying the Jonathan barony had a valid reason.

As a result, the young lady from Jonathan was expelled from the academy, and Littorio remained silent!

“Regardless, someone was injured. The longer a grudge festers, the deeper it becomes. I thought it best to resolve it now.”

“I see.”

“Yes. And fortunately, Lady Elga is a very good person who played the role of a mediator.”

In reality, Elga had stepped in to raise her own status, but that didn’t matter.

In any case, her involvement had expedited the delivery of the apology letter.

‘If he speaks of her like that, then this Lady Elga from the Grand Duchy of Littorio must be a decent person.’

He had heard that the succession line in the Grand Duchy of Littorio was quite chaotic.

In such times, forming a connection with a potential successor would be beneficial for the church.

Cardinal Paul thought it might be a good idea to arrange a meeting with Lady Elga.

“Your Eminence.”

At the call of the knight, Cardinal Paul turned his head.

There stood Priscilla, who had just arrived, looking puzzled as to what was going on.

“Please have a seat, Commander.”

Then, Kyle and the Cardinal relayed the conversation they had so far to Priscilla.

“So, you’re asking me to take responsibility for the priests’ health improvement activities… is that it?”

Priscilla tilted her head repeatedly, looking puzzled.

The very idea of asking her, the leader of the Holy Knights, was problematic.

Moreover, the content of the request itself was quite strange.

“Yes, Commander.”

“…Why me, Brother Kyle?”

The Holy Knight of St Elfreda didn’t just guard the church headquarters.

Whenever the church held events and needed personnel, they organized the necessary security.

They also rotated members to prevent dissatisfaction among those stationed at branches.

Additionally, they constantly managed the knights to maintain their skills.

There were numerous other responsibilities tied to her position.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t challenged Lea Jonathan, who was nearby.

She simply had too many duties and tasks to hand over.

“The Saintess stays at the academy chapel and only comes to the church headquarters on weekends.”

“That’s correct.”

“And it’s not appropriate for His Holiness the Pope or His Eminence the Cardinal to handle this directly.”

“…I agree.”

“Most importantly, knights are well-versed in physical training for health improvement.”

“Well, most of the knights are focused on combat training…”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll teach you the basics, Commander.”

Ideally, Kyle wanted to handle it himself.

An expert should oversee it from the beginning, step by step, to ensure everything was done correctly.

One small mistake could lead to serious injuries.

However, he was an academy student.

From Monday to Friday, he had to attend lectures.

Even if he didn’t care much about grades, he needed to maintain a minimum score.

Obviously, students with excessively poor grades were immediately expelled.

“This is quite troublesome. I have a mountain of tasks to handle…”

Priscilla voiced her concerns, glancing at the Cardinal and the Saintess.

She had many responsibilities, indicating she had no time to spare.

At this point, it was time to throw out the bait.

A bait so compelling that she would have no choice but to accept the proposal, even if it meant sacrificing her own time!

“Commander Priscilla. I will fulfill the request you made to me soon.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. And after that, I will fulfill your second request as well.”

At Kyle’s words, Priscilla’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you truly going to fulfill both of my requests?”

“I swear on my honor.”

“Oh… Thank you. Thank you, Brother Kyle!”

All her previous worries and conflicts seemed to vanish.

With a bright face, Priscilla grabbed Kyle’s hand.

As a result, the Cardinal and the Saintess looked curious, wondering, ‘Request? What request?’

‘A request? What did they discuss… could it be about training the knights?!’

This was the thought of Cardinal Paul, who wanted to see the church grow.

‘Uh… why do they suddenly look so close…?’

This was the thought of the Saintess, feeling a slight sting in her heart.

“I will do it.”

Meanwhile, Priscilla nodded without further thought.

The reward Kyle offered was too tempting to refuse.

“Your Eminence.”

Kyle then addressed Cardinal Paul.

In fact, the most crucial person in this plan was the Cardinal.

There’s a saying that starting is half the battle, and the Cardinal was the one who could initiate it.

“This is for the priests. It is to serve God’s will more faithfully. Will you help us?”

Who could refuse such a request at this point?

Especially when the Cardinal was considering the possibility of bringing Kyle into the church!

“If it does not go against God’s will, I will do it. Brother Kyle.”

With the higher-ups’ permission, the decisions regarding the subordinates were also made.

As of now, the project to improve the health of the church’s priests had begun.

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***

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Evening prayer time approached.

The priests staying at the church headquarters gathered one by one to give thanks for the peaceful day.

They also prayed for everyone to be as peaceful tomorrow as they were today.

“Brothers and sisters.”

Suddenly, Cardinal Paul appeared before the gathered priests.

“Your Eminence.”

The priests bowed lightly, and the Cardinal also nodded his head.

Then he stepped forward and slowly began to speak.

“While offering prayers today, I had a small realization. I would like to share this small realization with all of you here.”

At Cardinal Paul’s words, the priests gently clasped their hands.

It was rare for the Cardinal to speak like this.

If they took his words to heart, it would surely become another guiding light for them.

“The world we live in now is very peaceful and calm. However, it is natural for storms and blizzards to come. We cannot always pray to God under the sunlight. Yet, we have foolishly spent too much time under the sun.”

“We are ashamed, Your Eminence.”

“There is no need to be ashamed. It was inevitable. The weather was always good, so there was nothing we could do. But how about practicing enduring harsh storms under the sunlight? With that small realization, I stand before you today.”

Cardinal Paul then delivered his prepared speech.

No matter how difficult the circumstances, we must fulfill our duties.

We must pray on behalf of the people of the world, even in the face of harsh storms.

These were words fitting the doctrine of the church.

Do not become arrogant or overconfident, live humbly.

Sacrifice yourselves to atone for the sinners.

Therefore, it was natural for almost all the priests to listen attentively to the Cardinal’s words.

“We must endure the temptations of the mind and the sufferings of the body. Strengthen your hearts on your own. However, there is someone who will help you with your bodies.”

With those words, Cardinal Paul stepped back slightly.

The next person to step forward was Priscilla, the Commander of the Holy Knight of St Elfreda.

“Brothers and sisters.”

“Greetings, Commander.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Priscilla spoke.

“As His Eminence said, I will help you. Morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. While offering prayers, we will take a moment to reflect on ourselves. Have we become too accustomed to the sunlight? What about the shade, the wind, and other things?”

The Holy Knight of St Elfreda are one of the three swords that protect the church.

Naturally, the relationship between the knights and the priests was very close.

Therefore, the priests nodded at Priscilla’s words without any doubt.

“Let me tell you in advance. It may be hard. It may be painful. It is not mandatory. You can continue to pray under the sunlight as you have been. No one will say anything. However, once you start, you cannot leave. I see this as our path of penance dedicated to God. I hope you understand.”

Upon hearing the words “path of penance dedicated to God,” the priests made the sign of the cross.

Bearing the sins of others and atoning for them is the destiny of the faithful.

If they could achieve even a little of that, it would be a worthwhile time of endurance.

The priests standing before Priscilla nodded in agreement with this thought.

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***

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As time passed, one building within the church headquarters was vacated.

Inside, it began to fill with equipment the priests had never seen before.

“Oh, God…”

And the posture of the priests’ prayers changed from the reverent kneeling position

to the trembling plank position.