The sky was clear with not a single cloud, and the bright sunlight made it an unusually beautiful day that seemed to match the season. It was as if a god who knew the meaning of the day had truly bestowed a blessing.

Today was the day of the knighting ceremony for the honorable knights.

Cloé, who confessed that she was not the protagonist of the Hunt, designated Winter Freeheed as the real winner of this Hunt. On the same day, she single-handedly defeated another monster that intruded, overcome by weakness. If it weren’t for her, there would have been many casualties within the mansion.

In addition, the quantity and quality of the monster stones she acquired during the Hunt were exceptionally outstanding, making her more than qualified to ascend to the position of an honorable knight.

The final winner of this Hunt, which had many twists and turns, became Winter Freeheed.

In an attempt to make up for the previous mistake, this knighting ceremony was more grand and magnificent than usual. With the opportunity for nobles who participated in the Hunt to attend the knighting ceremony, the number of attendees was much higher.

Looking at the protagonist of the day, Winter Freeheed, walking on the red carpet scattered with fresh rose petals, Cloé smiled slightly.

Unexpectedly, she seemed nervous, which made her cute. After all, it was her first time receiving so much attention, so it was natural for her to be trembling.

She knelt in front of the Pope, waiting for the next procedure. Soon, several acolytes came with swords. The sacred sword, empowered by the Pope’s divine power, had Winter Freeheed’s name engraved on it.
Winter, expressing glory, carefully accepted the sword. Soon, another acolyte appeared from behind and crowned her.

“Winter Freeheed, blessed by the gods, you are an infinite knight with boundless potential for growth. Do not forget the sincere character and outstanding talent you showed this year, and always reflect upon yourself. May eternal blessings find their way to you…….”

After the knighting ceremony, a dinner banquet was held for the attendees.

Winter Freeheed, the star of the day, and her lord, Kun Freeheed, naturally became the protagonists of the banquet.

Kun, with a stern expression, questioned why he had to be involved in such an event, but on this joyful day, he was not a knight who would give up on the emperor’s reaction.

Even Winter handed over a glass of wine playfully, signaling the end of the game. Finally, Kun, who had reluctantly joined, began to enjoy the banquet with both hands and feet.

Watching such a happy gathering, Cloé, who had experienced the consequences of indulging in alcohol in the past, left her seat as soon as her eyes met with Winter’s.

Getting involved in such a harsh gathering could lead to a day of drinking. For Cloé, who had learned a lesson about true hangovers after foolishly drinking strong liquor in the past, it was absolutely out of the question.

As Cloé walked relatively quietly, strolling through the corridor not far from the banquet hall, someone called her.

“Lady Freeheed.”

Was it her absent-minded appearance on this joyous day that gave away her discomfort?

Tensely, Cloé turned around.

“Pope, Your Holiness.”
However, the unexpected person faced her.

There was no reason to ask why an important person who should not be absent from the banquet was here. Perhaps they needed a break from the lively atmosphere as well.

“I saw the old man over there, thought he might spoil the lively atmosphere of the young folks, so I was taking a stroll.”

“Is it because acting modest at the banquet might ruin the atmosphere, so you ran away, worried? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Haha, you’re quite witty to say you’re just a naive lady.”

Cloé’s joke seemed to be well-received as the pope chuckled warmly.

Although they hadn’t discussed moving, they naturally found themselves on the terrace.

The sky, beautiful since morning, remained so even as night fell. The brilliant stars and the gentle company of the moon seemed like a masterpiece.

The natural silence that had formed while they admired the scenery became awkward once they realized it. As Cloé glanced at the pope quietly, just when it started feeling awkward, the pope spoke first.

“By the way… it’s regrettable about the duke’s situation.”

The pope expressed condolences that he had not conveyed during the funeral.

As death was a contradiction to someone managing the blessings of life, he couldn’t participate in the funeral. The same applied to the funeral of Duke Arghen this time.

“Even though we cannot entirely deny our temple’s responsibility for his demise….”

“No, Your Holiness.”
Although positioned diametrically opposite to death, he seemed to understand the meaning better than anyone else.

Feeling a sense of guilt for the temple’s failure to properly inspect and prevent the situation from unfolding, he expressed it as a mistake.

“As Your Holiness has witnessed, it was the duke who brought this upon himself.”