Angelic Knight

[IV] - Pure White

Archbishop Michalis was shaken by the fact that he called a mere servant, his master. This was uncalled-for and humiliating in the spheres of the nobility, which he obviously belonged to. Yet, after being pulled out from the grasp of the evil claws, he was forced to forget his obscene procedure, and continued to exchange some words with the two young knights, standing relieved beside the small stream.

— Your excellence, why on Earth did you choose the most dangerous path to go through? Haven't you heard about the infamous stories, warning everyone to keep away from this shortcut? — Chêne asked curiously, leaning against his horse.

The archbishop frowned his eyebrows, and it was obvious that he was thinking of what to say, trying to cover his true explanation. He tried to look away from the interested gaze of Chêne's amber eyes. But when he ran away from then, he landed exactly on the stare of Luca, who definitely knew that something fishy was going on. Why the hell would a prestigious archbishop decide to become a snack for evil monsters? Was there any rational reason?

There was no purpose to lie, an archbishop was supposed to be a "son of God" after all. But it appears, that the Decalogue's eight commandment is just a sentence without any meaning to this servant of the Lord. That's why Luca despised the church's officials. For him, they were only wearing a disguise of the righteous leaders, but inside, corrupted souls were residing. Only bearing this position for the privileges, high-standings and of course, the wealth that was given by the faithful followers of the church donations.

Luca's clear, blue eyes scared the stare of the archbishop right away. A sudden shock shook his whole body lightly, he decided there's no purpose to hold this off any longer.

The old man scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

— Aaaaah... I played cards with the bishop of the Saint Jeane Church in Lavare... And he lost his emerald signet to me. Then, he won it back, but... I didn't return it. I was afraid that going through the right way, crossing the city of Lavare, would definitely attract the attention of his, and then I would have to return the ring... Aghhh!!!

Out of nowhere, the archbishop, covered his mouth with his old hands. His face looked heavily terrified, as if the words that just came out from his mouth were supposed to never be heard. The shameful blush appeared on his face, making him look like a ripe tomato. In his head, a storm of unpleasant inquiries was taking a place. Why on Earth did he say the truth? What forces tempted him to let out his secret?

Chêne's face also turned red, not from shame, but rather the hilarity this situation had. He hardly attempted not to let out any giggle, covering his mouth and holding his stomach. But the knight couldn't hold it in, when with the corners of his eyes, he noticed a smirk behind the white strands of Luca's hair, who was cleaning his sword in the shallow waters of the stream. A muffled laugh was let off his lungs.

It seemed that the other knights heard it too, and now the whole forest was filled with a clamor of the warriors laughing, patting each other on the backs.

— Your excellency, it seems that your debt could make you owe something more than a ring. Your life and the ones of your escorts. — Luka walked away from the stream, and went near Chêne, appearing to be interested in the conversation that is taking the place.

The archbishop's face has gotten even more mixed. The further the humiliation was, the more he just wanted to fall on his knees again and just cry before the God's image in his head. But he thought of himself as a man of dignity, and after calming down, replied.

— Dear knights, you appeared in time to safe us, and that's the most important thing, which I will be grateful for. — He tried to move away from the topic of risking his life to avoid paying his debt.