Contrary to Yeosang's hopes of never coming there again, he is now ambling down the path towards the sacred premise yet again. Instead of a hurry, Seonghwa walks peacefully by his side although his back is straightened and his head high. His behavior is nothing like the knight he met at first, and Yeosang does not know if he should be thankful rather than unsettled because he seems more trustworthy. And Yeosang does not wish to trust anyone here at this place. His eyes trail up at the knight when they are almost at the church's entrance. A question has fiddled around his thoughts from when he just before realized what was so recognized about his appearance and now Yeosang wants to get an answer.

"Sir Park, may I ask you a question?"

At the mention of his formally addressed name, the knight turns his head and Yeosang sees how his eyebrows are furrowed in a way that makes it seem as if he does not believe what he has just heard. Only when the boy has eye contact with the knight, he sees the humorous glint in his eyes, and his nervous pulse drops.

He smiles amusedly and nods approvingly at Yeosang, "You may, although, please don't call me 'Sir Park' it makes me feel longevous, Seonghwa is fine."

Yeosang flushes and his body stutters the moment he is told that. He only wanted to be polite. His eyes are back down at his feet while he gathers himself again.

"I-I, actually, do you happen to know who was the one leading me to those prayers the first time?"

Seonghwa hums, surmising the question while they stop in front of the church, "It could have been my younger brother, Xalvador. People tend to say that we look a lot alike," the knight eyes up the tall built structure, but turns his courtesy at Yeosang again, almost knowingly, "Is that not what obfuscated you?"

Yeosang is surprised by how well Seonghwa catches the aim of his question and he lets seconds pass with Seonghwa holding his gaze at him while he tries to form an answer. His heart rhythm paces in his chest while he perceives the verity that someone just read his intentions so well that he could believe that they have known each other for more than half an hour. This is rather uneasy for the boy, but hesitantly, he nods his head.

"It is, I am stunned..." the boy trails off as his attention suddenly is caught by the echo of murmurs and footsteps there leave the heavy door of the church.

Contrastive attires, alike worn faces, the unfamiliar knights crowd at the entrance but are forced forward as those from behind yell at them to move away. Yeosang feels the pinch of nerves come back, especially when he remembers that Seonghwa still stands beside him, watching his every move.

"Every Sunday all knights obsecrate here in the church as part of this blest day. Perhaps you already have noticed the different clothes they wear," Seonghwa informs him as his stable voice draws Yeosang back to the face of his. The man smiles at him.

"Today, you will be creeding too. I have already made that condictum with Parochus Doyun."

The few words that root from the ancient language suddenly have Yeosang furrowing his eyebrows as he argues with himself if Seonghwa really is from those lands, or if he really is a knight and not of a different profession as a writer. Seonghwa's weapon clinks against his side when he moves forward and Yeosang shoots his orbs up to see that the gentle smile is narrowing and his light glint in his eyes is gone.

"Let us go now, peccator," he sneers and presses Yeosang forward until he walks by himself.

For a moment, the boy is caught off guard by the sudden reversal of temper and he is confused. Seonghwa does not seem to care about his questioning state of mind and forces him to the church past the crowds of Knights Templars there watch them as they cross. They hover by a lot over him with their curiousness digging him further down but he tries to keep up. Yeosang's lips quiver slightly and he looks down as he retains the pleading whimper from leaving his mouth. If just his hand wasn't this cold. The boy's steps are unstable, and he can hear his own heavy breathing touching the air. In a split second, it is not the knight who stands behind him.

"I will not repeat myself!"

Yeosang stares wide-eyed in front of him and scrambles away from the uncomfortable place until he enters the church in a run. The magnificent building has not changed since the last time he was here, omitting the more candles there are lit. He stills his pace and breathes roughly in the quiet air. As it seems, Pastor Doyun has been waiting for him and greets him with a gentle smile on his face from the altar he is now leaving. His own footsteps echo against the stone floor, but Pastor Doyun's steps are silent as he meets him in the middle of the church.

Yeosang's eyes are fastened to the ground and his left pocket feels heavy.

Pastor Doyun touches his shoulder lightly, "Child, why are you so out of breath?"

The boy squeezes his eyes as he swallows troubled by his hustle breathing. A tapping sound of heavy boots landing against the floor slowly nears them but stops behind Yeosang.

"He ran off," the deep soothing voice tells the pastor.

Yeosang looks up while he turns around to face Seonghwa who stares down at him with a nonreadable facial expression. He does not want to be here, but the pastor's hand on his shoulder lets him only stay where he is standing. Pastor Doyun hums softly and removes his hand from Yeosang again. Another time, Yeosang feels how eyes examine him.

"Where is your cross, child?"

If he could just close his eyes and have this world disappear, everything would be easier for him. The heavy burning sensation from his pocket suddenly has his fingers searching for the item that he has taken off his neck. There, the cross with the blue stone is lifted up from its hide and Yeosang looks down bashful when he shows Pastor Doyun how he is not even wearing the saving sacrificed item.

"From now on, you will not be taking it off. It will help you, my dear."

_____

Yeosang laps down the stairs from the church, having Seonghwa following him out. His throat is dry from the many prayers he was coerced to do and now his stomach starts to grumble in discomfitingly hunger. If Seonghwa had not told him it before they left the path from the church, Yeosang would have found the courage to ask the knight when he was offered a meal.

Even though he had not even known the man a day, he is confused as to why Seonghwa is this quiet now. Since they left the church, he has not been saying anything, reminding Yeosang a lot of Seonghwa's brother who had followed him around the first day. The mood that surrounds them is odd and uncomfortable and Yeosang does feel restless to the core.

"This way," the knight tells him when the path ends at the empty courtyard.

In silence, Yeosang scoots his arms around his body and eventually follows the man across the cobblestones to the huge wooden door that is standing gaping open. First, when his eyes catch sight of the many chatters and peals of laughter inside the huge feast hall, he realizes where he is.

Seonghwa turns around to him and faces his nervous silent exclamations, "This is where you will be eating all your meals from now on. Go find a seat."

It is no secret that Yeosang is scared to death by all those unfamiliar men. If choosing between them and Seonghwa, he would choose the latter. Yeosang directs his head up at the knight beside him as his expression pleads him to not have to do this. This can only be a jest the knight is telling him.

But Seonghwa is not making fun, instead, he shakes his head and enters to find a place for himself to sit. Without thinking, Yeosang steers after the knight, but almost immediately comes to regret his action. A loud gasp flees his lips when a sword is swung at him, rapidly colliding against another blade before it has a chance of hitting him. Yeosang is clasping around his heart, feeling as if it is about to pound out throughout his ribcage. When his blurred eyes find the reality again, he sees that Seonghwa has turned around, his sword found in his hands, but he was not the one drawing it against him. A fiery gaze is drawn at him from an unknown man who had been swinging his weapon out against him but was blocked by another one's sword.

"You have no right to touch him. He is not your trainee."

Yeosang blinks with his eyes as he wants to believe that the one speaking is not someone he has met before. But, it is. The knight who has saved him from the charge is the one he has met by the appletree earlier this day. He remembers the name too clearly to notice how Seonghwa drags him away from the drawn weapons.

"But this novel was ambushing Commander Park! I was ju-"

"He has no weapons."

The unfamiliar knight turns his head in confusion at Seonghwa and shoots his eyes over at Yeosang for finding the truth of Yeosang with nothing but his hands still holding around his shirt.

"But-" the man continues, a fear suddenly appearing around his whole being and his weapon is left to encounter the floor when Seonghwa raises his voice at him.

"Now, leave this instantly! If you have this little fidem in me and who I trust to turn my back to, I do not wish to look at your deformis faciem the rest of this day. Do you understand, asinus?"

The man does not delay his nod on his head as he ensures Seonghwa how well he understands the order and leaves the feast hall immediately. Still dazed by the scene, Yeosang turns his head at the remaining knights who sit and view everything that happens in silence. The boy wants to thank Choi Jongho for his bravery, but the knight has already turned his attention away from them again, pretending as if nothing has happened. Slowly, the chattering is brought up again as quickly as it disappeared.

"This, Yeosang, is what will be part of your daily day as a knight, Sunday or not. There will always be disagreements between the men, but don't worry, as long you follow my simple rules, you will be out of trouble," Seonghwa says and gently pats him on the shoulder as they finally find a table to sit down by.

Chivalry may be even harder than it sounded like before. But a Knights Templar is a hundred percent harder.

⚔︎