PASP Chapter 2

However, Egru couldn’t even get close to the central door.

“Are you affiliated with the Order?”

“…Pardon?”

Suddenly blocked, Egru was momentarily flustered. The Holy Knights had naturally crossed their silver spears to block his path. They were the ones guarding the passage connecting to the cloister next to the courtyard.

“If you’re visiting as an outsider, please show your invitation.”

“Ah, no. That’s not it. I came to meet someone separately…”

So not just anyone can enter. As it was his first official visit, even simple procedures were unfamiliar. Would it be better to ask them to call D’Élysée? What if he accidentally disturbed the protagonist of the reception?

‘No, more than that…’

Would he tarnish his brother’s reputation? He might be ashamed of his incompetent brother. If he thoughtlessly exposed a secret that should be hidden…

“If you’re a gypsy here to beg, it’d be better for your well-being to disappear right now.”

His brief deliberation couldn’t last long. One of the Holy Knights who had been looking Egru up and down stepped forward.

“Do you think you’re the only one trying to mooch off sympathy?”

Egru immediately looked up at the Holy Knight with frightened eyes. His pea-green pointed ears folded back completely. As the robe hood caught on his ear tips slipped down slightly, the Holy Knight’s frown deepened.

“A goblin?”

“No, no! I’m an orc half-breed, but that’s…!”

Egru pulled his hood down low again. His amber eyes rolled urgently. His trembling lips dried up at the unexpected hostility.

“I, I came to give a flower!”

“A flower?”

It was then that the flower he was preciously holding caught their eye.

“I’ve received kindness from the newly appointed Commander, so…”

“Huh.”

The Holy Knights sneered at each other as if it were absurd. They seemed to think there was no need to maintain even minimal etiquette given Egru’s shabby appearance.

“We can’t even meet him casually. Do you think someone like you can come and go as you please?”

Though called a reception, the party in the courtyard was essentially no different from a social gathering. Countless important figures attended, including heirs from various countries, high-ranking nobles, and diplomatic ministers. It was that significant an occasion. The birth of a new Holy Knight Commander who would protect the doctrine spanning the Eastern Continent.

There was no way they would let in a dwarf who looked like a beggar at first glance. To make matters worse, there was one more fact that Egru was ignorant of.

“This is why mixed-breed magical races are… These gloomy creatures don’t know their place and run amok.”

An army composed solely of alpha-trait humans.

The Holy Knight Order was more human-centric than anywhere else.

One of the Holy Knights readjusted his grip on his silver spear. The blunt end of the long shaft pushed against Egru’s shoulder.

“You should consider yourself lucky. Just 400 years ago, we were killing your kind in wars.”

“If we had met you elsewhere, we’d have beaten you to a pulp.”

Egru staggered but didn’t fall.

‘Stay, stay calm. It’s not like this is the first or second time.’

He had always faced inexplicable threats. He was just grateful he wasn’t stabbed with the sharp end. But despite his efforts to maintain composure, his fear wasn’t well hidden. His skinny knees trembled uncontrollably.

‘If, if it were usual, I would have quickly fled…’

They were twice his size, and fully armed at that. Egru clutched at the hem of his robe with trembling hands. Still, he was glad he hadn’t mentioned his brother’s name. It would have unintentionally embroiled him in gossip.

The long-standing war between humans and other races had ended long ago. They say a peace treaty was signed between the monarchs of both sides. But it was only superficial coexistence. It was impossible for a relationship like oil and water to be reversed by a mere piece of paper.

‘But surely…’

He never expected such a conflict to occur in an Order that professed infinite benevolence. Egru stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Sharp gazes pierced him again.

“Either you’re gutsy or just stupid. You should have scurried away by now.”

“You heretics are a plague on the Empire.”

Even without past grudges, magical races were particularly thorny existences to the Holy Knight Order. Not only did they worship the Supreme God instead of the Lord God, but they even looked similar to dungeon monsters, their main enemies.

“Still haven’t understood that you should leave on your own?”

The Holy Knight’s gauntlet firmly tapped Egru’s cheek. His small head drooped helplessly. It was treatment devoid of even a shred of respect.

“……”

A red alarm bell rang in Egru’s head. His stomach tightened at the continued threats. It was a signal born from numerous experiences. He needed to run away at full speed right away.

“But, but still…”

Yet Egru, despite his pale complexion, opened his mouth again.

“Isn’t there any way I could meet the Commander?”

He had agonized over it many times, but he couldn’t bring himself to back down. Anything was vastly preferable to being sold off.

‘If, if I end up being sold like this…’

He might really never see his brother again.

Occasionally, the Holy Knight Order would pass through the square in groups. It was usually a procession returning from battle. Though the cheering crowds would gather and Egru, shorter than others, couldn’t even see the hair on the Holy Knights’ heads, he felt reassured thinking his brother was somewhere among them.

He just wanted to remain in a system where he could at least catch a glimpse like this.

“I have something I must tell him today…”

He awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth without sincerity. If he had a tail like the beastkin, it would have already curled between his legs.

“When, when might the reception end? Or if I write a note right now, could you please deliver it with the flower? I’ll surely repay you later. Please believe me.”

“……”

“If you tell the new Commander that a green dwarf came looking for him, he’ll understand. I don’t know if it’ll be enough, but I’ll definitely prepare money to show my sincerity. I beg you, for the Lord God’s mercy…”

There were no more provocative responses. One of the Holy Knights who had been exchanging glances with the others reached out his hand.

“Ah, wait…!”

Egru suddenly sensed danger. The other Holy Knights looked around and then surrounded him on all sides. As if trying to shield him from people’s eyes. Before Egru could step back, someone snatched his nape. With a choked sound, Egru’s toes left the ground.

“Finally, it’s quiet.”

It was the Holy Knight’s voice, mixed with mockery. Egru flailed in the air like a drying frog. Blood began to rush to his eyes. His collar, gripped tightly, constricted his neck like a noose. So much that not even a breath could escape to others. Along with the sensation of his eyes about to pop out, he faintly heard the Holy Knights’ laughter.

“Return to where you belong, goblin.”

“……”

“The Lord God has no mercy for magical races.”

“Is that so? Since when?”

The last words were not Egru’s. Simultaneously with the mysterious voice, his blocked airway cleared.

The pressure crushing his Adam’s apple vanished without a trace. The Holy Knight’s fingers had loosened.

“Huk…!”

Egru, having fallen ungracefully, gasped for breath while squirming. His shrunken lungs hastily gorged on oxygen. Moisture seeped from his eyes where pressure had built up.

‘It’s, it’s okay…’

Even while coughing dryly, he habitually checked his body condition. It was actually luckier than usual. Except for some bruising on his neck, no bones were broken. After catching his breath for a moment, he could not only stand on his own two feet but also go to work tomorrow without any problems.

Once, he had been hit with a cheese wheel, and that time it had hurt like a nightmare.

It was winter when he was twelve, wasn’t it? For a moment, he had mistaken the cheese for a brick. Even the strongest endurance was useless against blunt objects. Both eyelids had swollen up like plums, and he couldn’t see properly for three days.

Three days’ wages had flown away like that. It was too much to pay for saying he wanted to buy half a piece of Emmental cheese. He did get the crumbs that fell on the ground for free, but after that, he never went near the cheese shop again. The previous owner, an old lady, had been kind, but her grandson who inherited the shop was a different story.

“Let me see your wound…”

Tap.

Egru reflexively swatted away the approaching hand. His heart fluttered inside his worn shirt. He thought he was about to be grabbed by the nape again from behind.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“?”

But something was strange. An unfamiliar voice suddenly reached his ears. Egru rubbed his blurry vision vigorously.

An unknown man was looking down at him with surprised eyes. A beauty that would draw everyone’s admiration. His appearance reminiscent of a fairy from some mythical lake. Overall, his coloring was pale, but his harmonious features were distinct.

“I was trying to pat your back, but I unintentionally startled you.”

Even the man’s voice was as benevolent as silk. But Egru couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

‘No, no…!’

The real problem was elsewhere. He felt like he might stop breathing again. The man was wearing clearly luxurious clothing, but it was on a different level from typical noble attire. A silk cassock intricately decorated with gold thread, with more diamonds than stars strung in a row. That wasn’t all. His skin was like white jade, and there wasn’t a single callus on his knuckles.

He had struck down a man of such noble status with his own hand. The alarm bell ringing in his head now seemed to shatter with a crash. He had violated a lifelong rule. The lower class must never touch a noble’s body without permission.

Egru’s teeth chattered. But he wasn’t the only one panic-stricken.

“Your, Your Holiness…!”

“What brings you to a place like this?”

The flustered Holy Knights scrambled back to their own ranks. The sound of silver armor clashing echoed.

It was none other than a visit from His Holiness the Pope.