"Welcome, O Chosen One of the Cathedral," Otsman Barqowi greeted warmly, though his gaze was filled with scrutiny.

  "We'd like to give you a tour. Would you mind?"

  "No, I don't mind," I replied briefly.

  "Good."

  We walked through the magnificent castle corridors.

  The stone walls were neatly arranged with intricate carvings, far more refined than ordinary fortresses.

  "You must be curious why the buildings here are constructed so grandly and solidly, aren't you?" Otsman asked, breaking the silence of our footsteps.

  "Yes, it seems somewhat excessive for a peaceful city."

  "There are two reasons. First, of course, it's promotion—demonstrating that our city's architecture is the finest. Second, because the capital's forest and the forests around here used to be extremely dangerous places."

  I furrowed my brow. "But why were there never any records of that when I studied at the academy?"

  "Hahaha! Of course not. For them, it wasn't something... particularly magnificent enough."

  "But that's important information," I countered.

  Otsman smiled knowingly. "Yes, but I suppose the Palace doesn't want the public to favor 'that man' any more than they already do."

  "'That man'?" I asked curiously.

  "Yes. Grandmaster Tristan."

  "Oh... The People's Hero."

  "Precisely. You know yourself how the Palace feels about Grandmaster Tristan, don't you?"

  "But... isn't the Palace's attitude like that because of Tristan's vow, which makes him difficult to control?"

  "I don't know much about those details," Otsman replied diplomatically, cutting off that sensitive topic. "So, why do you call me 'Cathedral Envoy'?"

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  Otsman pointed to the equipment I carried. "Oh, that's because you're carrying many rare artifacts, plus the emblem you showed the gate guards earlier, and the slaves you brought. Only high-ranking envoys carry such things."

  I paused for a moment, feeling something was off.

  "Oh... Has the announcement that I'm the Lesser Vow Knight not reached here yet?" I asked carefully.

  Otsman stared at me in confusion. "Huh? What announcement?"

  My heart raced. I was utterly shocked. How could this be? That announcement was made in the capital's square with thunderous magical amplification.

  News that significant should have spread quickly to major cities like Lahyana. Why doesn't even a city ruler know anything?

  Just as my unanswered questions lingered, we arrived at our final destination: The Dining Hall.

  Meanwhile, in another region of the kingdom.

  Grandmaster Tristan's Point of View

  ———

  I went to Iona's residence out of frustration.

  I didn't go to the Nargar family because I felt guilty toward them.

  I entered his residence; many of his subordinates were startled. But I kept walking until I reached his chamber.

  CRASH!

  "Tristan! Why do you come bursting in and destroy my door?! What's the meaning of this?!"

  He put down his quill irritably.

  "The Palace and those ruling rats... they've done something absurd again!"

  I grabbed the drink set before Iona and downed it.

  "What is it?"

  "Hah? You don't know? Even an idiot like me knows!"

  "I'm serious, you fool. What is it?"

  "Anyway... they're playing around with Vow Knights. I'm afraid that boy is just being used by the Palace, and his soul might erode and mutate."

  "You fool, Tristan! Mutate?! Not all Entities cause mutation like vows to Gabriel."

  "Does the vow to Yardorh not do that?"

  I genuinely didn't know—all I knew about were bandits and syndicates exploiting Gabriel's name and mutating.

  "Of course not, idiot. The effects are different. Enough—get out of here, I'm busy handling my territory's tax reports!" Iona dismissed me, returning to his papers.

  "Hey, hey, hey—don't you care about such an atrocity?"

  "Tristan, I'm busy, understand? NOW LEAVE!!"

  Aister's Point of View

  ———

  Dinner was served lavishly. Yet, my mind remained on our earlier conversation. My talk with Otsman Barqowi made me realize just how narrow my knowledge had been.

  Otsman explained that the monsters which once ruled the forests near this city were Balrog Hounds. They were neither mammalian nor reptilian, but belonged to the Titan family.

  According to knowledge I'd briefly skimmed at the academy, Titans were a family of creatures adapted to convert mana (magical energy) into their primary sustenance. However, their bodily systems had a fatal flaw: excessively high mana levels within their bodies damaged their reproductive systems, making it difficult for them to produce offspring.

  But they had a unique way to overcome this.

  One month before mating season arrived, these Titans would "fast." They would completely stop consuming mana to lower the energy levels in their bodies.

  In compensation, they would shift their diet to pure carnivory—meat-eaters.

  During this transitional period, they became extremely aggressive due to physical hunger. Males were only aggressive during mating season, while females would remain ferocious hunting meat until they gave birth (except for egg-laying Titan species).

  Otsman added that outside mating season, Titans were highly territorial creatures that rarely moved from their locations, which explained why they were once a constant threat to this region.

  And Lahyana's high walls... were built to withstand their onslaughts during mating season in the past.

  "How's the food? To your taste, Church Envoy?" Otsman asked, breaking my reverie about those monsters.

  "Yes, it's delicious," I replied politely, trying to hide my unease.

  "I thought the flavors might not suit someone from the Capital."

  "Not really. Actually, I'm from the Taiser region."

  Otsman's eyes lit up at the recognition. "Ohh... that remote southern region famous for its wine? Are you Baron Fondal's son?"

  "Yes, Lord Otsman."

  Our conversation flowed on, discussing my hometown until dinner ended.

  Throughout that evening, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I dared not tell Otsman about my true identity as the Lesser Vow Knight.

  His ignorance about the square announcement made me suspicious—either of Otsman, or of something larger unfolding.

  Besides, he respected me only because he thought I was a high-ranking Church official, not because of who I really was. Better to let that stand for now.