Desire

Gratia holds the Creator Gladiolus as the Lord's Faith, and there are many faiths besides him. Criosell, the capital of Gracia, is the same place as Mecca of such a Gracian faith. Along with the imperial palace where the Emperor lives, there are several of Gracia's greatest temples.

Adim is the God of knights. All the knights of Gracia were the followers of Adim who had entrusted the heart to the spear of Adim before being the deceased, emperor's sword. They are both knights and paladins at the same time, dealing with error and divine power at the same time.

There are no quarrels of faith in Gracia. The creator Gladiolus is more powerful than any god, and the emperor of Gratia plays the role of his successor. The other gods are made by Gladiolus to rule the world, and the Knights of Adim are also loyal to the Emperor of Gratia.

This world made sense of it.

No special procedure was required to obtain an ordinary identity card. Money. That's all I needed. Azin purchased his Raw Snow scent, Persian and ID card. I got my ID as soon as I paid the money. With this, he was recognized as a citizen of Gracia. It is not that ordinary people do not have a last name, but immigrants in Jinsun are not given a last name.

From this, he felt distant. Even if it is acknowledged as an identity, it remains as a cheat, unless we have the last name. The only way a true immigrant can marry a nobleman, enter into the adoption of a nobleman, or become a nobleman is to receive the holy seed.

‘I see what Gold meant. ’

Ever since I entered Criocell, I have felt a clear line of sight. Contempt. Hizen, who was right next to the Bull 's-eye Desert, had quite a lot of yellow race that had crossed over from the front line, and he didn't feel much hostility towards the residents.

However, in the center of Gracia, the capital, Criocel, felt completely different. The palace is the largest and most opulent city in Gracia, and anywhere on the street you can easily find knights bearing noble symbols and swords. Azin ignores the glances and low ridicule. You think you did well to ask Persian for some Raw Snow because Persian spices are strange. If it had been out there, she wouldn't have taken this gaze so quietly with her pride.

"I feel like a zoo monkey. ’

I walked the path while swallowing unpleasantness. At present, the place where Azin was headed was the temple of Adim in the outskirts of Criosell. Criocell places an Imperial Palace in the center and a Temple on the interior exterior of the Wall, instead of serving the ten earliest shrines made by Gladiolus.

Thanks to you, I have to use the Warp Gate again. After paying the price, you come out of the Warp Gate, where buildings lower than the Central District greet you. Near the Imperial Palace in the heart of Criosell is the mansion of the nobles and royals. However, the outskirts of this area are inferior to those of the commoners and nobles.

The temple of Adim was easy to find. I could tell from afar. A statue of a man with a giant spear. That is the image of Ahdim, the God of Knights. Azin slowly approaches you.

I felt it as I approached. In the temple of Adim, there were quite a lot of people. I wonder what's going on. Azin tilts his head. The closer the distance, the louder the noise. They line up from the entrance to the temple.

“Wait!”

Ignoring and trying to get inside, someone grabs Azin by the wrist. When I looked at you, I saw a boy with a look on his face. Azin looks down at the hand of the man holding his wrist. In the palm of my hand touching my wrist, I felt a stiff flesh.

“What is it?”

“Why half? ”

His eyebrows twitch as he tilts his head. Azin wags his head with a hollow smile. “Someone grabbed the big hand.” That's how he answered and sprayed the boy's hands. The boy frowns and spits out Azin's crookedness.

“You tried to get in there first without even keeping the order! ”

“Sequence?”

Azin mutters with a curious face. The muttering made the boy nod loudly. But soon, the boy looked at Azin's clothes and tucked his chin. The clothes that Ajin wore were so luxurious that they were no different from the clothes of a boy.

“... are you related to the temple? Or a knight?”

The boy asked with an anxious face. The question shook his head. “I am not an official of the temple, nor a knight. I'm here to be a knight, though.” The boy swallowed a gulp. As if to check, the boy asked.

“Then... are you a nobleman? ”

“No, a commoner. ”

“Shit, don't confuse people. ”

The boy turned his head and spit. Although the attitude of the chief boy changed, Ajin did not care much. Azin looked up and looked straight at the people standing in front of him. It was not difficult to find common ground. Most people dressed up in nothing.

“... what line? ”

“Are you asking because you don't know? ”

The boy is dying. He nods his head, snorts and looks at his clothes.

“Hmph. You've empowered your clothing, but you can't deceive the eyes of the fair Adim in what you're wearing. ”

“Just answer the question. ”

Azin frowns and spits. The boy's face was pale with a slight thrashing. He takes a step back, sweating coldly. What? The boy looks around, holding his sweaty hands. I feel like I met a beast for the first time in my hometown. But there were no predators around.

“What line is this? ”

“.. you really don't know? ”

The boy swallowed a saliva and asked. He nodded slowly. The boy's eyebrows twitched. The boy said as he looked at his clothes, his face, and his skin tone.

“.. waiting to be tested by Adim. ”

“Test?”

Azin bites. The boy nods and opens his mouth.

“This is the temple of Adim. It is the only place in the new world where Adim is directly in control and has direct contact with Adim. Everyone in Gracia who dreams of knights comes here and gets their knights proven by Adim, who waits in line to receive Adim. ”

In saying that, he saw people standing in front of him with their heads held up. Shabby outfits. Look poor. It was hard to tell. These hillbillies came up from the countryside with the heart of becoming knights. Most of them looked young, but sometimes they looked more middle-aged.

Of course. Becoming a knight is one of the easiest ways to become a nobleman in Gracia. There is no way those rural peasants in the commons can get a letter of recommendation from a nobleman higher than an Earl.

So we try to walk on a little hope. The children of the common people dream of becoming knights. A man without accomplishments dreams of becoming a knight. That's what they're all about. Azin glanced at the boy.

“.. When I meet Adim, does he make me a knight? ”

“You don't know anything, do you? ”

The boy asked as if it was ridiculous. Asin nods his head with a bloody smile. “Yes, I don't know anything. Whatever came to Gracia.” The bold words made the boy's eyes wide open.

“Yes?”

“Haven't you heard? I arrived in Gracia yesterday. Thanks to you, I know very little about Gracia. ”

“Brother, aren't you from Jinjin? ”

The boy asked as if he couldn't understand. As Ajin nods his head, the boy shakes his head with a smile.

“What lies? It'll take us a year to get across the desert and from the Hizen lands to the capital. It'll take half a year to change horses. But what? Arrived in Gracia yesterday, huh? Where did you lie?”

“Is Warp Gate a foam? ”

Azin asks. The question leaves the boy's face blank. “Warp Gate?” The boy mutters. He shakes his head as if he couldn't believe it.

“... is a lie. It's a long way from Hizen... but if you use the Warp Gate, the money...”

“Believe it or not, it's your freedom. Aren't you going to answer my question? ”

Azin frowns and urges you to speak. At that point, the boy hesitated and looked at Ajin's clothes. I told him I was lying, but it didn't seem like a lie. I don't think I'm dressed like that. After guessing, the boy finally opened his mouth while sighing.

“.. Adim doesn't make you a knight. I don't know because I haven't tried it, but if I meet Adim... I talk to Adim... And then he says it's a knight. That's it. There's nothing special about it. ”

I met Adim. I thought that was a metaphor, but it seems to be true. Azin turns his head to look at the statue of Ahdim erected at the entrance to the temple.

"Meet God"? ’

In this world, the Creator is Gladiolus. Adim is set up as a god made by Gladiolus himself. Then, is Adim the transcendent? Or Gladiolus himself. Ajin grimaces and grabs his chin.

“What if it doesn't qualify as a story? ”

Azin asked.

“If Adim doesn't acknowledge me as a knight, What if you told me you couldn't be a knight? ”

“Then that's it. ”

He said as if the boy was a natural.

“If once denied by Adim, that is the end. There are no more opportunities. If I meet Adim and he doesn't acknowledge me as a knight... I'll never be a knight again. ”

The boy said so, and looked at the people standing in front of him.

“They all know that. I came to the temple of Adim in case you didn't know it, but more than half of me will not be a knight, and I will return home again. Or you can stay in the capital and work as a laborer. Of course I'll be a knight. ”

The boy said with a confident face. Azin nodded his head while smiling at the boy like that. “Of course.” Azin looks at the boy, saying that. I don't care if the boy becomes a knight or not.

‘But this is a little awkward. ’

I thought you said it was a knight's proof.I thought you were fighting another knight. Talking to God in person is all. If you were confident in the power side, but you saw it as a conversation side, to be honest, you weren't confident. God is their opponent. Humans will respond in any way, but what should we do about God?

I waited for my turn thinking about my own course of action. The line decreases slowly, very slowly. Most of the people who entered the temple came out dumbfounded, and someone sat on the ground and cried. No one came out smiling.

Of course you do. This many people come here every day to meet Adim as a knight, and if most of them become knights, there would be many knights in Gracia.

Soon, the boy in front of Ajin entered the temple. Turning around, I saw a good number of people standing in line in between. Ajin folds his arms and waits for the boy to come out without saying a word. I think he came to the line before lunch, but the sun was setting one day.

Soon after, the boy came out. The boy was staggering with a pale face. I could tell without asking. Azin glanced at the boy in tears and walked forward past him.

“113 times.”

I heard that as I walked into the temple. Azin raises his head. A weary-looking man lies in the air.

“You are the 113th one today. ”

It was the God of knights, Adim.