Volume 3 Chapter 26 ACT.61 Holy Knight and the Military Guard (I)
Two distinct sounds occupied the cramped room, somehow coexisting without clashing.
One was the scratch of Rai's pen, as he sat uncomfortably at the desk, diligently filling out the paperwork needed to release Leone.
The other was the nervous tapping of a man's fingers against the tabletop, seated directly across from Rai.
"Lord Purge Knight, do you know why we, the Military Guard, are in this...arrangement with you?"
The man wore the crimson uniform of the Military Guard.
He had a long, pale face and looked to be in his forties.
His narrow, fox-like eyes, impossible to read, flickered with a calculating gaze, sizing Rai up.
"Our allegiances and the ones we serve are different, after all."
"Indeed. We serve the Kingdom, and you, the Church. But our roles are..."
He crossed his index fingers in front of his face as he spoke.
The man whispered in a grating, sticky voice.
"They're all mixed up, aren't they?"
"It can't be helped, I suppose."
Rai replied without even glancing at the man.
The Military Guard belonged to the Kingdom of Saint Ruvous, serving under the King to maintain order within the nation.
On the other hand, the Purge Knights, or Holy Knights, were the Holy Church's own personal military force, used to combat *its* enemies.
When dealing with Reincarnators or heretics, they were essentially exempt from the Kingdom's laws, a special exception.
──But even so...
"It's just not fun, is it?"
"No, it isn't."
From the Military Guard's perspective, the ones in charge of maintaining order, the Holy Knights were a massive pain.
Their mission was to capture criminals and bring them to justice, but if those criminals were enemies of the Holy Church, they were outside the Military Guard's jurisdiction.
And whatever the Holy Knights did under their jurisdiction, they were never held accountable.
The Military Guard and the Holy Knights, the Kingdom and the Holy Church.
Their relationship...was *not* equal.
This was entirely due to the unequal power balance between the current king and Saint Stella, but Rai was fully aware that speaking out about it would be troublesome, so he made sure to tread carefully, avoiding any careless remarks.
Despite occasional exceptions where they joined forces, their relationship was fundamentally one of bitter rivalry, and it was hard to blame them for it given their organizational ties.
"Thanks for coming early; we really can't stand leaving that disgusting creature locked away any longer, you know?"
A man exaggeratedly pinched his nose and waved his hand in front of his face.
Even Rai couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort at the sight.
Such blatant provocation was rare in this day and age.
A thought flickered through Rai's mind: was there some ulterior motive behind this?
"True, she's terrible, but wouldn't it be wise to avoid using such strong language, Captain Bailey?"
With that, Rai finally turned to face the man before him──Jackson Bailey, the commander of the Proxima Garrison.
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