### Chapter 33: Four Pope Knights
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…
In the twisted and dark cave, flickering flames danced from afar, casting shadows on the brown stalactites that dripped water with a rhythmic plop onto the loose sandy floor below.
As I edged closer to the light source through the narrow cave, I could faintly hear the sound of a gentle stream. The sand beneath my feet grew increasingly damp, while strange black bugs popped in and out of the sand, shimmering under the glow of the underground river that flowed along the channel, pooling in a low area to form a natural reservoir.
A swaying lantern stood by the edge of the pool, where a silver-haired, blue-eyed Little Girl knelt with fervor, dipping her water bag into the river, “Glug glug,” she went, filling it up.
With a splash of water, she washed her face, wet strands of hair stuck to her forehead, droplets sliding down her cheeks as she cheerfully forgot the terrifying events of moments before: “Big Sister, I didn’t expect there to be such a bountiful underground river down here! No wonder so many Lanie Giant Lizards hang out here… After you get rid of them, the people in town can come here for water! Yay! We’ve hit the jackpot! We need to tell Grandpa right away when we get back…”
After filling the bag to the brim, she stowed it away in her backpack but then her brow furrowed, suddenly looking a bit troubled: “Ah, but getting down here ain’t exactly easy… Without you, Big Sister, I wouldn’t manage at all! The women in town couldn’t do it either, and the Beasts of Burden can’t get here. If we want to get water, it’ll be up to the men to figure it out… Hmm…”
“How odd! We’re pretty far from the Red River, so how is there drinkable water here… So amazing…”
The Little Girl chattered away, while over by the pool, the Black-Haired Girl was busy moistening her fingers, pulling her hair forward to comb through it thoughtfully.
After a moment, she stood up, patted her bulging bag at the waist, and shook it. The satisfying sound of water sloshing inside made her nod in approval. She then turned to the Little Girl and urged, “Let’s go, hurry up.”
Today, I’m feeling stuffed.
When full, one feels a bit drowsy and wants to hurry back for a quick nap… It’s already afternoon, right? In this cave, you can’t see the sun, and I reckon by the time we get back, it’ll be dark. Hmm… Another dinner and then off to sleep.
Decision made!
I strode ahead without looking back. After crossing two shallow ditches, Betty scrambled to catch up: “Big Sister, wait for me…”
“Hurry up, no dilly-dallying.”
“S-sorry…”
She fumbled behind me to adjust her pack, raised her lantern to her eyes, and pressed the wick down with a finger, the flame brightening slightly, illuminating the dark cave ahead. But beyond, it was still pitch black, echoing ominously.
Betty walked up beside me, smiled, then her face scrunched up: “Big Sister, we’re going this way, we can get out, right…?”
“Sure can,” I nodded.
“Do you know the way?”
“Nope.”
“…Ah.”
Betty’s expression shifted to one of dismay, her eyes wide as she nervously tugged at my cloak. “Are we going to get lost…?”
“Nope.”
“Are we already lost…?”
“Nope.”
Hmph.
Me? Get lost? Nonsense.
My sharp senses could feel the air currents guiding me. I might not know the exit, but following the breeze would surely lead us in the right direction… right?
It would be impossible for me to get lost.
“Big Sister…”
The dark cave was eerily quiet, with only the soft wind and our footsteps echoing. After a short moment, Little Betty hesitantly called out again, and I rolled my eyes: “What now?”
“If we’re late getting back, Grandpa will worry…”
“I know.”
“Can we get back before dark…?”
“Definitely.”
“What if you…”
“Ugh, quit jabbering. Just follow me,” I interrupted, impatience seeping in.
This little squirt just talked too much once she got comfortable…
I wasn’t mad at Betty, but her incessant chatter distracted me, making it harder to focus on the direction of the wind. This cave was a maze, and one wrong turn could really send us off the beaten path.
But Betty didn’t think so. She thought I was angry, shivering in fear, pursing her lips to keep quiet, her little head drooping like a puppy that just got scolded—yet her grip on my cloak didn’t loosen.
We walked on, navigating countless twists and turns, and gradually I felt the incline of the sandy floor shift upward. The breeze picked up, the stale, musty air seemed to lighten a bit.
I mused that the exit couldn’t be far now. Soon, after passing through a spacious cavern, the path ahead suddenly steepened, sloping almost at a forty-five-degree angle. This was no ordinary incline; normal folks wouldn’t manage it.
This was the only way forward.
I motioned for Betty to hold up the lantern high, craning my neck to peek into the dark opening. The surrounding sand was now loose and the narrow passage felt nearly unscalable without any solid footholds—and the end was nowhere in sight.
Basing my estimates on the terrain, I concluded that even regular Church Knights in armor wouldn’t fare well here. Just climbing up would be risky, let alone jumping down—tripping could mean broken legs or major bumps on the head.
Yet here, I once again spotted human footprints.
They were a bit of a mess, similar to what I found at the cave entrance, but with the dry wind of the outside world absent, these tracks were far clearer. After a moment of inspection, I confirmed they belonged to four individuals.
Three men… or maybe two?
At least one of them was a woman, her smaller prints standing out. I doubted any children had been here, so among the four, one was definitely female.
The other prints were obviously men’s—differentiation was easy based on size and depth. One seemed to have been clad in light armor… or was loaded down, judging by the deeper impressions.
But the last set? That was puzzling. The prints seemed small yet the deepest. If they were from a man, he must be quite young—perhaps younger than me. But that seemed unlikely; I was more inclined to believe it belonged to a rather rotund woman.
A robust woman, yet nimble.
All four seemed far from ordinary, having come through this steep cave without any signs of struggle. Every footprint was stable, including that of the woman—no slips, no stumbles.
As if they landed lightly and kept moving, unfazed.
They were strong…
Putting the pieces together with the slain lizards earlier, it wasn’t hard to imagine these people might be Church Knights.
All four of them.
What did that have to do with me, Peilo…?
I was just here for grub, to fill up and head back—not to stir up trouble with them.
—Best they don’t mess with me either.
