Chapter 154: The Inquisitor of the Sun God and the Mage from the Mage Tower (1)
“A pleasure to meet you.” A holy knight stepped forward, greeting the newcomers with a warm smile. “You’re visitors, yes? What brings you to our sanctuary?”
His voice sounded so cheerful that Aquaz hesitated a bit.
“We... we were dispatched as reinforcements,” she replied, forcing confidence into her tone. “This is Kalosia’s holy land, isn’t it?”
She knew this was a stupid question. Of course, she knew the answer—she had marched here on purpose—but the scene before her looked so peaceful that the question slipped out.
“Yes, this is our holy land. So you’re the reinforcements...,” the holy knight confirmed, though a shadow of awkwardness crossed his face. It was not the relieved, jubilant expression one might expect from a defender awaiting aid.
After a short, embarrassed pause, the holy knight bowed his head. “I’m sorry our message never reached you in time. The battle is already over.”
“Over...?” Aquaz repeated.
“Please, follow me. I will escort you to our senior knight.”
He rapped on the massive gate. With a low groan, the doors swung inward, revealing the inner court of the sanctuary. Aquaz and the mage trailed after him, still trying to make sense of the guard’s words.
Inside, followers of Kalosia hurried about, patching stonework and collecting broken debris. Yet, their faces shone brighter than the midday sun; not a trace of gloom lingered in their eyes.
Aquaz lowered her voice and asked the holy knight carefully. “Did you actually defeat the forces of evil?”
“Yes, we did!” The holy knight’s helmet clinked as he nodded vigorously.