blueteamnovel Chapter 135
Chapter 135
“You lucky bastard...!”
“...What?”
“Cardinal Raphael! Do you have any idea how many believers would give anything just to speak with him? There are people who’d spend fortunes for a chance to share a meal with him! And here you are, someone who doesn’t even care about religion, casually spending time with him...!!”
“Really?”
When Jake, who had come to relay news from the tunnels, heard about Ihan’s recent interactions, he reacted explosively, leaving Ihan to blink in surprise.
Ihan had already heard that Raphael was impressive, but he hadn’t realized just how high his standing was.
To Ihan, Jake’s outburst seemed excessive.
“But why do they still call him a cardinal? Didn’t he retire ages ago?”
It seemed strange to make such a fuss over someone who was already well past retirement age.
“...That’s a statement that would turn believers’ worlds upside down if they heard it.”
Jake pressed his fingers to his temples, as though trying to suppress a headache from Ihan’s outrageous remark.
“He only stepped down because he chose to decline the position. His potential rank is still far beyond that of a cardinal. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange if he became Pope, and if he wanted to, over forty percent of the temple clergy would back him.”
“...So he’s not an ordinary guy.”
“......It’s baffling that someone in this kingdom doesn’t know who he is.”
Jake’s incredulous reaction was akin to someone hearing a fellow citizen admit they didn’t recognize a national hero.
“I’m not some temple fanatic like you.”
“...Fanatic? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means someone like you.”
“...Why does that sound like an insult?”
“It’s not. Now hurry up and dig. The day’s wasting away.”
“Hmm...”
Jake was helping to create a garden around Ihan’s yard.
They were clearing out weeds, removing rocks and debris, overturning the soil, and mixing in fertilizer before watering the ground—all to make the land viable for planting.
Though this process would normally take days, Ihan, in less than half a day, had singlehandedly cultivated over 80 pyeong (about 265 square meters) of land.@@@@
“Phew, finally done.”
“...Did we really need to go this far?”
“It’s self-sufficiency. Over there, I’ll plant radishes. Next to that, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and peanuts. That section will be for lettuce and cabbage.”
“...Quite serious about this, aren’t you? What’s that big empty section for?”
“For peppers.”
“Peppers? You mean the spicy ones recently brought in from the west? The ones they say are used for torture...?”
“...They’re spicy, yes, but what’s this about torture?”
Ihan was genuinely confused. He had simply bought some seeds being sold locally, and now this bizarre misunderstanding had cropped up.
But Jake, apparently convinced, continued:
“You cruel man. Who are you planning to torture by growing those?”
“...I’m growing them to eat, you medieval simpleton.”
Ihan felt unfairly accused.
If only these people could witness the stress-relieving effects of capsaicin in countries where spicy food was a staple.
However, to the medieval knight who thought eating something spicy equated to death:
“You’re going to eat them? ...Are you trying to build pain tolerance? Huh, now that you mention it, it does sound like a decent training method...”
“......”
It seemed he’d misunderstood in a completely different direction now.
“Let’s just go with that...”
Deciding it was easier to let the misconception stand, Ihan shook his head. There was no point in arguing further.
For a while, the two continued working on the garden, planting various crops.
The sight of knights—one a commoner and the other a destitute noble—engaging in farming instead of honorable combat was a rare spectacle indeed.
It was enough to make more traditional knights faint from shock if they saw it.
But for Ihan and Jake, there was no sense of shame in the task.
“While I’m away for the prayer gathering, that young one—and perhaps some of the other brothers—might cause you some trouble.”
“......”
It was an ominous prediction.
“They’re devout but somewhat overzealous, so I’m worried they might bother you.”
“...If you know that, can’t you stop them?”
“I’d like to, but many of them don’t listen to the words of an old man like me.”
“...Even if you’re a cardinal?”
“Ha ha, aside from the Almighty Light of Radiance, what use are ranks in the temple? We’re all equals.”
“...That’s a very long-winded way of saying you can’t stop them.”
“Ha ha, my apologies. So, please...”
Swish.
“If they trouble you too much, feel free to reprimand them. You have my permission—it’s entirely fine.”
“...Now that’s a permission I like.”
Ihan’s lips curled into a smirk at the sight of the superior-grade holy water Raphael handed him, along with his meaningful words.
“You know, I’ve always thought you were a true adult.”
“That’s a delightful compliment.”
Getting permission from an unofficially acknowledged elder of the temple to scold others brought Ihan some satisfaction.
And, as always, Ihan felt anew:
‘This old man is genuinely likable.’
“You’re a delightful brother.”
Raphael politely declined the offer to be escorted back, choosing instead to walk the dirt road himself.
Though he could barely walk without leaning heavily on his cane, he had not yet received the call of the Light.
Until that time came, he intended to walk on his own strength.
“Ha ha, this wasn’t here yesterday.”
Even so, the care shown by his new brother was quite heartwarming.
The newly cleared path was a joy to walk on.
There were no stones to trip on, and there were shaded benches beneath trees at regular intervals, as if to invite him to rest whenever he felt tired.
Raphael’s smile grew as he realized how thoughtful the knight truly was.
And as he walked, he murmured:
“As the senior priest said, he’s a remarkable motivator.”
He thought of the senior priest who had introduced him to his new brother.
A man who, in the past, had been just as devout but had since retired.
“...A bit eccentric, though.”
The senior priest had taken on the [Butler] profession after rejuvenating through Sacred Law.
Even so, he wasn’t one to exaggerate.
“Sometimes, other brothers need to be disciplined too.”
In the past...
“Get down, you insolent brat!”
Young Raphael himself had been “disciplined”—no, reprimanded—by that very senior, who corrected his misguided faith.
“Ha ha, in hindsight, those were fond memories.”
Wishing that this would one day become a fond memory for the other brothers, Raphael continued walking diligently.
Humming a cheerful tune all the while.