Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 28
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
(28) The Scoundrel Becomes a Holy Knight
Light poured from Alexis’s fingertips, cascading across the ceiling of the Holy Temple before piercing through the stained glass and soaring into the heavens. In that instant, birds outside fluttered their wings in unison and cried out, drawing the gaze of distant onlookers toward the temple. The Priests whispered without thinking.
“It is holy power itself!”
“This is no ordinary Holy Knight. It is the blessing of God incarnate!”
All the Holy Knights and Priests gathered here possessed the highest caliber of holy power. Even the High Priest was renowned throughout the kingdom’s history as the most blessed wielder of such power.
Yet from his body emanated a holy power that overwhelmed them all. Overcome by this instinctive dominance, the Priests and Holy Knights fell to their knees. The High Priest, seated upon his throne, could not deny it either. Such overwhelming holy power—so intense it stole the breath from his lungs.
It was an extraordinary force beyond envy. The High Priest rose from his seat without thinking.
Alexis bit his lips tightly and closed his eyes, bewildered by the astonishment surrounding him. He had never dreamed such power could emanate from within himself.
Yet he could feel an uncontrollable force now gripped in his hands. This power felt so intense it could shatter the entire kingdom in an instant. After confirming his conviction, the High Priest declared with a trembling voice.
“Awakened One of Holy Power, Alexis Adrian Glister. God has called upon you!”
***
Meanwhile, in the Annex where she convalesced despite her wounds having fully healed, Rowan fell into contemplation.
‘That’s right.’
She closed her eyes gently.
‘It was this aura.’
Even now, in this very moment, a peculiar energy moved through her body like a searching current. It was the same profoundly alien aura she had felt emanating from Alexis since their wedding night.
Yet strangely, it no longer made her dizzy. Now that aura filled her body and mind naturally, as though it had become part of her. Perhaps, since his aura had revived her, it had now truly transcended into her own essence.
“Lady Rowan.”
Lea entered with tea to replenish her energy, standing anxiously beside her bed. After drinking the tea Lea offered, Rowan murmured softly.
“Is it… chaotic outside right now?”
Though she dared not speak to Alexis directly, Lea would report to Rowan about the current situation whenever he left.
“Yes, it’s quite extraordinary.”
Lea said.
“Everyone knows that Alexis was summoned to the Grand Cathedral. People are all whispering about nothing else.”
And she leaned in close, whispering.
“The atmosphere in the Main Residence is also very grave right now.”
Rowan nodded. Then she quietly held her teacup and gazed out the window.
‘Each for their own survival.’
Suddenly, the words Alexis had spoken on their wedding night came to mind.
‘It’s truly time to leave now.’
At least she had managed to save a considerable amount of money by now, which was fortunate. Rowan closed her eyes quietly.
***
Meanwhile.
The Royal Palace Throne Hall.
The golden chandeliers suspended from the ceiling swayed gently, and the throne hall thrummed with a palpable tension held in collective breath. As the High Priest led the procession forward, nearly two hundred nobles and officials turned their gaze in unison toward the man who followed in his wake.
He was Alexis Adrian Glister, the second son of the Glister Earl Family.
Once, his name had circulated through high society as that of a dissolute wastrel. Yet today, his name was about to be spoken in an entirely different light.
The High Priest advanced and knelt before the throne.
“Your Majesty, I present to you the one chosen by the Divine. I have personally confirmed the manifestation of Holy Power, and its magnitude is so extraordinary that the Temple’s records contain no precedent for such strength.”
In that instant, the throne hall erupted in whispers.
“That Alexis, famous for his debauchery, is a Holy Knight…?”
“Surely this is some jest.”
“And yet the High Priest himself has confirmed it.”
Murmurs burst forth from every corner, but the moment the King raised his hand, silence descended like a veil.
The King rose slowly from his throne and stepped forward until he stood before Alexis Adrian Glister. His crimson mantle swept across the floor in a graceful arc. His gaze pierced through me with an intensity that seemed to strip away all pretense. I held my composure, maintaining proper decorum despite the discomfort. Then the King’s voice—low and resonant—filled the throne hall.
“Alexis Adrian Glister.”
The name echoed against the vaulted ceiling.
“The Divine has chosen you. Therefore, the Kingdom acknowledges you as well. From this day forward, you are granted the right to inherit the sacred duty of the Holy Knight Order.”
In that moment, the King received a sword from an attendant at his side—a magnificent blade adorned with jewels, bearing the royal insignia.
“This sword is the symbol of the Kingdom’s covenant with the Divine. I now entrust it to your hands.”
The King himself laid the blade upon my shoulders. Every person in the throne hall held their breath.
“Furthermore, to enable you to fulfill the duties of a Holy Knight, I grant you a principal residence and an auxiliary palace within the Royal Capital, along with lands and the rank of Holy Knight under the High Priest’s authority. These are the rightful honors that the Kingdom’s protector must possess.”
The scribes busied themselves recording the proclamation. The nobles’ eyes glimmered with astonishment and wariness, or perhaps with anger and envy, yet none dared speak.
Amidst all this commotion, I remained on my knees, waiting for the King’s words to conclude. I still could not believe it.
That I, who had been nothing but a burden to my family, was now being invested as a Holy Knight in this very moment.
The King withdrew the sword and made his final declaration.
“Alexis Adrian Glister. You are now the Kingdom’s shield and sword. Never forget the grace bestowed upon you by the Divine, and live your life in service to the Kingdom.”
In that instant, every subject in the throne hall bowed their head in unison. The King’s proclamation was complete. This could never be undone. They raised their voices as one.
“Long live Holy Knight Alexis!”
“Long live! Long live!”
The cry rippled outward like waves across water, and I was seized by a dizzying sensation, as though the world had inverted in a single moment.
In this moment, only one thought crystallized within my heart with perfect clarity: that all of this had begun from that instant when I wished to save Rowan. My entire body trembled with exultation. Now I could do so much more for her.
***
The King and High Priest themselves proclaimed that Alexis Adrian Glister had become a Holy Knight of the Grand Cathedral. Many nobles could not hide their shock and astonishment. The fact that the Kingdom had made such a proclamation directly carried immense significance. Yet those truly horrified by this announcement were none other than the Glister Earl Family.
On the day news of the Holy Knight proclamation from the Grand Cathedral reached them, the Glister Estate was thrown into absolute chaos.
“This is absurd….”
The teacup slipped from the Countess’s hand and shattered against the floor.
“That reckless fool… a Holy Knight? Has God Himself taken to jest!”
Her eyes were bloodshot with fury. Not her eldest son, whom she had painstakingly cultivated her entire life, but her second son—the thorn in her side, the troublemaker she despised most—had been blessed with divine power. And such tremendous divine power that the Grand Cathedral itself had proclaimed it.
“Mother, please calm yourself.”
Alexis’s older brother, Francis, spoke through gritted teeth. Yet his hands trembled visibly. In this moment, Count Glister simply closed his eyes in silence, saying nothing. Though he had never favored his second son, it was undeniable that the Glister Earl Family had risen to prominence because of this. He needed to discern whether this was fortune or calamity for him.
“This must be some terrible mistake. Divine power always shows signs from birth—so why would that wretch possess it…!”
His voice cracked. His younger brother, whom he had never once compared himself to, had overnight seized the highest authority in the Kingdom. Moreover, he had been granted the title of Holy Knight under the Grand Cathedral, along with a separate surname, a separate palace, and lands. This was tantamount to the birth of an independent noble house—a realm entirely different from his own position, working as a mere subordinate in the Royal Administration through his wife Audrey’s connections.
“And worse still… now he serves directly under the High Priest.”
Veins bulged across Jared’s forehead. This meant nothing less than that even the Glister Family could no longer interfere with him. He had acquired independent power and standing.
At that moment, Audrey let out a derisive snort.
“Holy Knight or not, as long as he bears the Glister name, he cannot ignore us. Isn’t that right, dear?”
She twisted the handkerchief in her raised hand obsessively, then turned to Francis seeking his agreement.
In that instant, the tendons in Francis’s forehead became pronounced. This woman had no comprehension of what authority a Holy Knight—especially one serving directly under the High Priest—truly wielded.
Yet he had no grounds to rebuke her, barely managing his position through the influence of his wife’s family. Francis pressed his head in his hands as if tormented by a headache.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————