“I will. I'll definitely work hard,” the frail girl murmured softly.
Flora couldn't bear to look at her little companion anymore. Inez was practically brainwashed—if His Holiness were to tell her to kill herself on the spot, she probably wouldn't even hesitate.
Yet, was she herself any different?
Even now, that gentle voice seemed to echo in her ears.
“Stop staring, he's already gone,” Flora sighed and said.
Only then did Inez seem to snap out of it. She turned to her companion and said in a serious tone, “Flora, starting today, I'm going to train hard.”
“What? Didn't you want to become a priest before? Did you change your mind?” Flora asked.
Inez nodded. “That's right! Now, I want to become a knight!”
Flora knew it. Looking up and down at Inez's twig-like frame, she shook her head with a bitter smile.
After a moment, she let out a soft sigh and apologized sincerely, “I'm sorry, Inez. I shouldn't have pushed you.”
“It was all my fault that you almost died.”
Even though the headmistress had already scolded her severely, she still felt guilty in her heart. She had almost killed her only friend.
Inez didn't seem to take it to heart, however. Looking at Flora, she said:
“Then as compensation, teach me how to become a real knight!”
To become a real knight...
Flora fell silent.
Her mother had sacrificed her life on the battlefield of Northland, but the pension was delayed indefinitely. In order to demand that money, her father had gone to city hall himself, only to be mugged on his way back.
By the time Flora received the news, her father's body had already been taken away, and she hadn't even gotten to see him one last time.
If becoming a knight was useful...
“Is it because of what His Holiness said when he left?” Flora asked quietly, lowering her gaze.
“Yes, yes! His Holiness believes we'll meet again!” Inez said.
Seeing how genuinely expectant she was, Flora couldn't help facepalming, though she couldn't bring herself to tell this silly girl that His Holiness had probably just been offering a casual word of comfort.
“Inez.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think of His Holiness?”
“He's very kind and gentle, just like a big brother.”
Flora fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, before asking again after a long pause:
“Then what if—I mean what if—what if he's actually a bad person?”
“Flora! Duel me!”
The moment her words fell, Inez turned to her with a face full of anger, her fist raised high, her voice filled with disappointment toward her friend. “I won't let you slander His Holiness!”
“I... I said what if,” Flora offered a sheepish smile.
“Not even a what-if!”
“...Alright, alright. I promise to teach you how to train, okay?”
Flora didn't know whether her decision was right or wrong, but everyone deserved the right to chase hope.
Perhaps she would be disappointed one day, but... she probably wouldn't regret it.
That day, Fiona came to the convent as usual. After distributing the fruit she brought to the children, she realized there were two portions left over.
“Where are Flora and Inez?” she asked.
“In the courtyard!” one of the children shouted.
Though called a courtyard, it was actually just a small yard planted with wild flowers and weeds, where the headmistress occasionally played games with the children.
Fiona patted the child's head and stood up to head toward the small yard.
Fiona was the first to notice that Flora was different from the other children. At first, she had paid extra attention to her only because Flora resembled her deceased younger sister, but she hadn't expected the child to actually possess the talent to become a knight.
Her courage and willpower were remarkably outstanding; she was merely lacking a bit of conviction.
To become a truly exceptional knight, courage and willpower alone were not enough.
Courage, willpower, conviction—all three were indispensable.
The first Grand Commander of the Templar Knights and leader of the Twelve Sacred Knights, Saint Euphemia Burns, once said:
“To become a Sacred Knight, one must first possess fearless courage, steadfast willpower, and an indelible conviction.”
For knights, most of them possessed that kind of courage and willpower, but conviction alone was a long journey with no visible end. Keeping conviction from fading was far more difficult than the first two combined.
When Fiona found Flora and Inez, the two were standing against the wall, holding stone bricks in their hands with their arms raised high, parallel to the ground.
“What are you two doing?” she asked.
“Execution Knight Fiona, we are... training.” Sweat rolled continuously down Inez's forehead as she gritted her teeth and answered.
The sore ache in her muscles constantly tested her resolve. Several times she nearly gave up, but at the thought of His Holiness waiting for her, she forced herself to persevere.
“I told you, just call me Fiona.”
Fiona observed the two of them. Although Flora was also drenched in sweat, her expression looked much more relaxed than Inez's; clearly, this wasn't her first time training like this.
As for Inez, though she clearly had just started training, her tenacious willpower surprised Fiona.
“Not bad. Hold on—this really is a good way to forge willpower.”
Although it was just an elementary training method, it was sufficient for becoming a Low Knight.
What truly made Fiona view her in a new light was that the child's conviction was already taking shape. Even if it was currently as faint as a tiny flicker of flame, she already possessed the basic prerequisite to become a knight.
What disappointed her somewhat was that Flora, whom she held higher expectations for, had yet to demonstrate anything like this.
Flora was still the same. Though her willpower was tenacious, there was still no sign of conviction taking root.
After the two children finished their training, Fiona produced the wild strawberries she had saved for them. Though small, they exhaled a sweet, delicate fragrance and looked delicious.
“Are these strawberries?” The two children were amazed.
Even Flora had never tasted such expensive fruit, let alone Inez, who had been a stray since childhood.
“When I was visiting the Vistari residence, I picked some from their garden,” Fiona said with a shrug.
She had accepted a mission from the Bureau of Heresy Inquisition to investigate the Vistari family out in the open.
Simply put, it meant visiting every day and chatting with the patriarch of the Vistari family.
Compared to running all over the streets catching kids, it was ridiculously easy.
“Vistari...” Hearing the familiar name, Flora couldn't help but look up, staring blankly at Fiona.
The Vistari family held immense influence in the Outer City. It was said that their power not only infiltrated the city hall, but even within the Holy Court, they had their people.
But if it was Execution Knight Fiona, if it was the Bureau of Heresy Inquisition, everything would surely be fine, right?
Surely it would?
Rate on N.U.
