Chapter 58: Off to the Holy See!

The day of the entrance exam results had arrived.

I spotted the number 37564 on the bulletin board—it meant I passed! Despite the poor luck associated with the number, I was relieved. At least I wouldn’t disgrace my father.

I lined up at the lower noble reception desk to complete the enrollment procedures. As usual, upper and middle nobles had no wait times.

However, there was an even longer line today than ours: the reception for commoners.

Though there weren’t many commoner applicants who passed, there was only one clerk handling them, making the process slow. I couldn’t help but think they should assign the idle clerk from the upper nobles’ desk to help out.

“Applicant number 37564, Toma Roxfall.”
“37564... Congratulations on passing!”

After successfully completing the procedure, I received an enrollment guide. It listed all the necessary items I’d need to gather, including uniforms, textbooks, and various other supplies, along with the recommended stores for purchasing them.

“Toma, congratulations!”
“Congratulations, Toma!”
“Dada!”

Father, Mother, and Siegvalt congratulated me enthusiastically. Grandfather and Grandmother also arrived to celebrate.

The following day, we visited stores to gather all the required items. While I’d need to pick up my uniform later, everything else was secured without issue.

“Why not ride in the carriage with us, Toma?”
“I want to grow accustomed to riding a horse as a man of a knightly barony.”
“I see…”

Today, Father, Mother, and Siegvalt were returning to Ashud. They’d take a ship from the harbor, while I stayed in the capital. I accompanied them to see them off.

Grandfather seemed disappointed to see Mother and Siegvalt leaving, while Father gently patted my head.

We moved at a leisurely pace, passing through the noble district into the commoners' quarter. The royal capital was bustling as always.

“Toma, take care of yourself,” Father said.
“Yes, Father.”
“Stay safe and look after your health,” Mother added.
“Of course, Mother.”
“Dada!” Siegvalt chimed in.
“Be good, Siegvalt.”

After saying my goodbyes, I watched their ship depart.

“Well then, Grandmother, I’ll be off.”
“Take care, Toma.”
“I will.”

With Grandmother seeing me off, Grandfather and I set out for the Holy See. He insisted on accompanying me, and I couldn’t deny that having him along was reassuring.

Grandfather’s noble carriage was protected by a hundred knights from the Bayerlein ducal house. Additionally, Ben, Shamy, and thirty temple knights surrounded me for my personal protection.

Once outside the capital, we picked up speed, matching the pace of Grandfather’s carriage at roughly 10 kilometers per hour. The Holy See wasn’t far from the capital, and at this rate, it wouldn’t take more than two hours to reach it.

With so many knights and temple knights guarding us, no bandits or monsters dared attack. Besides, the area between the capital and the Holy See was well-patrolled, keeping bandits and monsters at bay.

“Toma-sama, the Holy See is in sight.”

Looking where Captain Suzanna pointed, I saw a white spire in the distance.

“So that’s the Holy See,” Ben remarked. “It looks like a skewer.”

I almost sighed at his observation. Why does he relate everything to food?

“Ben, you shouldn’t say such things about the Holy See,” Shamy chided.
“Yeah, yeah.”

The Holy See featured a central spire over 100 meters tall, flanked by four symmetrical spires, each 50 meters high, positioned to the north, south, east, and west. The walls were entirely white, and the cobalt-blue roofs gave it an appearance fit for a tourist attraction.

At the main gate, around two hundred temple knights stood in two rows on either side.

“Salute the Apostle!”

The temple knights raised their unsheathed swords, pointing their blades skyward—a ceremonial gesture reserved for welcoming dignitaries.

I advanced through the aisle formed by the knights, flanked by Captain Suzanna, Ben, Shamy, and the temple knights.

Upon passing through the gate, I saw rows of priests awaiting us.

“Wow, so many people,” Ben muttered.

As he said, behind the rows of priests were throngs of worshippers, likely pilgrims visiting the Holy See.

“This feels a bit over the top…”
“It seems they’re pulling out all the stops to honor the temple’s prestige,” Shamy observed.

She had a sharp eye for these things. As a user of light magic, she often practiced at the temple when not exploring dungeons and had also treated the sick and injured there. Her familiarity with the temple’s workings was evident.

From among the priests, Lord Dardale stepped forward, prompting me to dismount. Grandfather also exited his carriage and joined me.

“Apostle Toma-sama, Duke Bayerlein, welcome to the Holy See.”
“Thank you for having us.”
“Quite a grand reception.”
“It’s only fitting to greet the Apostle with such honors.”

Grandfather snorted, glancing around.

Then began the formal greetings from the priests.

The hierarchy of the clergy included subdeacons, deacons, subpriests, priests, subbishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and finally, the Pope. Among those greeting us were twenty archbishops and fifteen cardinals.

In addition to their ranks, many held specific roles such as temple knights or exorcists.

When Captain Suzanna had first come to Ashud, she’d been a priest. Now, she’d been promoted to subbishop and had also risen from squad leader to platoon leader within the temple knights.