## Chapter Sixty-Eight: Isaac
I’m back…
I jumped off the carriage, lugging my black suitcase, rubbed my sleepy eyes, blinked a few times, and finally felt a bit more awake. I looked around, taking in the familiar flowers and grass, the well-known dirt slopes, and the little paths winding through them.
And at the end of that path lay the village I knew all too well, but it had changed a bit—stone houses scattered about in a charmingly disorganized way.
Taking in the comforting sights before me, I couldn’t help but inhale deeply. The smell of the rural earth wafted into my nostrils, and even the air held a familiar scent.
I’m back!
Two seconds later, the realization that everything I recognized was right there stirred a gentle happiness of returning home in my heart.
“Haah~”
On the other side of the carriage, my golden-haired buddy, Angel, yawned widely, his hair a disheveled mess, arms stretching as two clerics helped him out, his lazy swagger leading him toward the waiting knight commander.
“Bravest warrior of the Holy Church, Deputy Commander of the First Knights Order, Pope Knight Isaac Hibale,” the knight commander declared as he sheathed his sword, knelt in front of Angel, head bowed and fist on his chest. “I salute you with the ‘Fist of Judgment,’ my Pope.”
As he did that, the knights behind him went “clang” and dropped down in unison, creating a scene that looked like a golden wave. I could hear cheers and gasps echoing from the village entrance.
“Oh, Isaac, stand up, stand up.” Angel was digging into his ears, his voice lazy.
He didn’t seem too concerned about the formalities, just waking up from the war chariot, not even wearing his golden crown. He casually reached out, patting the knight commander on the back like they were old pals. “Long time no see! How are you doing?”
“Hehe.”
The knight commander stood up and smiled goofily at the Pope. “Thanks to the deity’s blessing, I’m well, Your Holiness. Just tired of being cooped up in the Holy City without any fights to break. It’s driving me crazy…”
“Haha! I actually love seeing you lot with nothing to do. If you’re all twiddling your thumbs, it means the world is still somewhat peaceful…”
“Hey… Your Holiness, depending on how you see it, I can’t tell if I should express my disappointment or just throw in a ‘hope it’s as you wish’… But saying this is a bit useless—clearly, we’ll have some action soon enough.”
They started chatting away over there.
I just took a couple of glances, stopping for a moment on the knight commander’s pristine white cloak, confirming that it indeed belonged to the Pope Knight. Then I lifted my arms high, stretched my toes, and let out a big yawn.
“Uhm… mmm~”
After the stretch, I felt a lot more refreshed.
I’d been stuck in that war chariot for days, feeling all sore and tingly, hardly getting a break, and the bumpy journey made my backside feel like it was about to split in two… It still hurt a bit…
And…
The lining was pinching… super uncomfortable…
I bent down to pat my slightly wrinkled skirt, my eyes rolled around, checking the surroundings. Most people were fixated on Angel, so I thought a moment, tilted my head, narrowed my brows, and turned around to peek at the back of the group.
The knights were forming up their ranks.
The merchants from the currency exchange were also alighting from the carriage, some making their way over. I noticed Beiyard among them, and as he passed by, he winked and flashed a smile at me but didn’t stop, moving straight toward Angel and the knight commander.
Nobody noticed me anymore…
I quickly reached for my backside, pretending to casually grip the suitcase while sneakily yanking at the lining, giving it a little tug, then another, making sure it was in place before I wiggled my little backside a bit to see if it still felt uncomfortable…
Hmm, the pinching sensation was gone.
I stomped my feet, hopped up and down, and then stood on tiptoe, looking toward the village.
It seemed to be crowded with people…
The villagers were probably staring at us, very intrigued by those shiny knights… Were those all from the First Knights Order?
It felt…
Different from those knights I met before… They looked a lot tougher and more disciplined; just standing there, they radiated an air of intimidation.
And leading them was a Pope Knight…
With that thought in mind, I couldn’t help but glance at Angel again, and then froze.
Ah…
Angel was looking at me too.
Not just him; even the knight commander and Beiyard, who had already passed by, were all turning their gazes in my direction…
What do they want?
Thinking back to my earlier action, I panicked a little, my cheeks heating up.
I surely wasn’t caught, was I?
Suddenly, the knight commander broke into a goofy grin, “Hey! Are you that Silvya? The little one who took down the Abyss all by herself?”
“She even took down the Abyss in the Royal City all alone,” Angel added.
They were talking about me…
This felt so rude.
I narrowed my eyes.
“How’s it taste? Up to your standards?” Angel patted the knight commander’s shoulder. They shared a laugh—one goofy grin and one mischievous look followed by the knight frowning and stroking his chin.
“Hmm… but she looks too small. Short arms and thin legs, probably won’t be much fun to play with.”
“Cough! Cough!”
Beiyard couldn’t hold back and coughed twice, as if he’d swallowed water the wrong way. He turned his head to the side, shoulders shaking slightly.
“Eh…”
Angel seemed surprised but quickly grinned even wider. “How would you know unless you try?”
“……”
Wait, what?!
I was first stunned, but once I comprehended what they were saying, anger surged through me, heating me up from the inside out.
…Short arms and thin legs? Not fun to play with?
What the—
“Baldy, what did you say?!”
I gaped, storming over with quick little steps and planted myself in front of the knight commander, tilting my head up to unleash a roar at him, but suddenly realized…
He was really huge.
That hulking figure before me reminded me of Uncle Pagos back in Winter City… I had a similar feeling standing in front of him.
If I didn’t look up, all I could see was his waist.
And this knight commander looked even scarier than Uncle Pagos.
Somehow, he had taken off his helmet, revealing a shiny bald head, bending down to look at me, with sunlight glinting off his head like a blazing sunset—quite blinding, actually. Coupled with his fierce appearance and the weird flame-like tattoo on half his face, I had to admit, it was imposing.
Especially for me…
I’d have to jump pretty high just to hit his nose!
Now that fierce face was staring at me, looking bewildered, then confused, before unexpectedly turning quite innocent.
“What…?” the knight commander scratched his bald head, gazing at Angel with pure confusion. “Did I say something? I didn’t say anything… why is she mad?”
“Maybe she doesn’t want you playing with her.” Angel shrugged.
“You don’t want to play with me?” The knight commander looked back at me with even more innocence.
“……”
Is this guy…
Really dumb or just pretending?
I felt a bit speechless, wanting to point out the ambiguity in his previous statement, but it was tricky to do so. Yet, saying nothing was equally infuriating, so I glared at him for a moment before turning my head, “You just insulted me.”
“Insulted you? How did I insult you?”
“You… called me small.”
The look on the knight commander’s face was one of shock. “Is that wrong? How can that be an insult?”
“……”
I was totally speechless by his words, my emotions flipping around. My mouth opened and closed several times trying to find a rebuttal, yet I couldn’t think of a thing.
…This is so annoying.
“Ah hahahahaha—”
Angel burst out laughing unabashedly.
“Alright, Isaac, if you keep talking like that, you might just end up as a popsicle… hmm, right at the village entrance, as a statue for everyone to worship… but honestly, I don’t think anyone would worship you.”
“Is it that brutal?” the knight commander scratched his bald head.
“Of course! Let me tell you, even I’ve been beaten up pretty badly a few times on this journey! If I hadn’t used divine healing, you might have met a nose-bloody Pope by now… oh, and she holds grudges—better watch your nose these days—”
“Angel,” I interrupted.
The Pope’s smile instantly faded as he took a step back, his expression turning serious, and his voice dropped significantly. “Don’t start anything here! Too many eyes are on us, let’s talk at home.”
…Who the heck is going to talk at home?
Seriously, I’d had enough of this shameless behavior.
Throughout this long journey, I figured out his personality pretty quickly— the more you reason with him, the more stubborn he got. When you ignore him, he pulls even more stunts until you finally smack him once, and that only keeps him in check for a short time before he gets cocky again. You just can’t engage with this guy; otherwise, he’ll drive you nuts.
“I think I’ll go to the village first.”
You guys chat slowly…
“Hmm? Oh, go ahead, just don’t run around, stay in the village.”
Angel cautioned, but I ignored him, instead nodding at Beiyard on the other side, putting on a thunderous expression, and brushing past the knight commander… still fuming, I decided to bump his arm with my shoulder.
Bam!
Ouch…
It hit his gauntlet! That hurt…
But I had to hold it in; no showing weakness.
I pretended nothing happened, quickening my steps toward the village, but my ears perked up as I heard the knight commander booming with excitement behind me: “Little one, you’re packing a punch!”
…Little one?
I paused momentarily.
Grinding my teeth, I pushed forward.
“Hey—”
“Let’s find a chance to fight sometime! Let’s duke it out!”
…Fight my—!
Isaac, I’ve got your number.
Once I see Grandma Claire, we’ll settle this later.
While seething, I rubbed my sore shoulder and hurried toward the village.
