She silently bobbed her head instead of voicing her concerns. The cleric promptly led her to a clean and spacious room on the second floor.
“This is your room, my lady.”
The bedchamber was not excessively opulent, but nonetheless lavish for a monastery. There was an expansive window and a large bed laid with thick sheets. A mahogany table and a large chest sat on one side of the room.
“Your meals will be brought to you by the maidservants at the times of your choosing. If you wish, you may also come downstairs to dine with the nuns,” the cleric said. “You may freely move about the basilica, but please refrain from going near the male clerics’ quarters in the northern annex. If you wish to go outside the basilica, you must first inform the cleric in charge of the monastery. We ask that you refrain from leaving the grounds without a guard. Do you have any questions, my lady?”
Maxi had been struggling to keep up with the deluge of information. She simply shook her head, unable to muster any words. The stern-looking cleric had an air of aloofnessabout him. He regarded her for a moment before turning away.
“If you ever do have any, please do not hesitate to ask,” he said. “Well, then, I shall go and send for a maidservant for you right away.”
When he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, Maxi slumped down onto the bed in exhaustion. She stared up at the ceiling with empty eyes.
Her life at the monastery had now begun.
Like the other noblewomen residents, Maxi spent most of her time cooped up in her room. Though she took short strolls in the garden in the afternoon, she never left the basilica grounds, and she rarely conversed with others.
Perhaps it was a regulation within the facility, but the clerics very seldom spoke to her first, and the Livadonian noblewomen she encountered from time to time in the corridors only gave her polite nods. It was not that they were being ungracious to a foreign guest. After all, Maxi had not been expecting to spend merry days within a monastery, where people were meant to practice an ascetic life.
Moreover, Livadon was currently at war with the monsters. The clerics prepared religious ceremonies and funerals every day for the fallen soldiers. Their faces were always haggard, as were those of the noblewomen who had sent family members to war.
It occurred to Maxi that her face must be equally gloomy. Whenever she caught a glimpse of her reflection, a pale-faced woman with dark circles bruising her eyes stared despondently back at her.
At night, she tossed and turned as her worry for Riftan kept her awake. From the moment she opened her wearyeyes each morning, she was filled with longing to be back at Calypse Castle. All she wanted was to return to Anatol with Riftan, Ruth, and the Remdragon Knights as soon as possible.
She joined the prayers dedicated to them every morning and eagerly awaited news of a victory at Louivell. However, the messengers always brought the same news. Both armies were at a standstill because the troll army’s barrier was proving difficult to breach, impeding an all-out battle. Even the newsmongers who frequented the basilica swapped speculations that the war would stretch on into the new year if the situation continued.
Such talk made Maxi sick with worry. The other noblewomen seemed to share her reaction; their faces were always clouded in anxiety.
Curiosity eventually got the better of her. One day she mustered up her courage and turned to the noblewoman seated next to her at the prayer service. “P-Pardon me, has there been…any more n-news from Louivell?” she cautiously asked.
The young woman appeared to be around Maxi’s age. She regarded Maxi for a moment before whispering, “It seems that the Temple Knights from the Great Church of Osiriya have arrived. They will apparently hold worship in the basilica in the afternoon and depart for Louivell right afterward.”
Curious, Maxi craned her neck to peer through the entrance. Although it was unlikely for her to catch a glimpse of the inner sanctuary, she found herself unable to resist.
Similar to the Remdragon Knights, the Temple Knights of Osiriya were renowned throughout the WesternContinent, but for a different reason. The Remdragon Knights’ miraculous exploits in battle over the past few years had earned them the mantle of the greatest knightly order. The Temple Knights, on the other hand, were a time-honored institution that had firmly established themselves as the guardians of the west since the time of the Roem Empire.
Each of the Temple Knights was a paladin knighted by the pope himself, as well as an expert swordsman and hierarch who had undergone rigorous training since the age of twelve. It was understandable that the devotees were excited at the prospect of holding worship alongside such a distinguished group of men.
The Livadonian noblewoman who had answered Maxi blushed with unconcealed admiration. “With the Temple Knights here to help us, the situation in Louivell is sure to improve.”
“Indeed! Three of Rosem Wigrew’s incarnations have gathered!” a friendly-looking girl sitting next to the noblewoman chimed in enthusiastically. “With Sir Kuahel Leon of Osiriya joining Sir Sejuleu Aren and Sir Riftan Calypse, the monsters will flee as fast as their grubby legs will take them! Those vile trolls will all look like crushed frogs once the knights are done with them.”
The girl’s aggressive attitude flustered Maxi, and the noblewoman chided her.
“Idsilla, a lady must not speak so morbidly.”
The girl named Idsilla pouted and grumbled, “What’s wrong with that? When the brave knights cut off the monsters’ heads and chop them into bits—”
“Idsilla!” The noblewoman shot her a stern glare.
“All right, all right. I shall speak with decorum for mylofty cousin,” the girl said primly. She then turned to Maxi with a sweet smile. “My name is Idsilla Calima. We’ve crossed paths in the basilica, have we not? It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Heavens, where are my manners? I have yet to introduce myself. I am Alyssa Salmon,” said the noblewoman beside her.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Maxi introduced herself, enunciating each word the best she could. “N-Nice to meet you. I am…Maximilian Calypse.”
The two women grew wide-eyed.
