The Seed Thief

‘How on earth did this happen?’

Ervandas couldn’t believe his current situation.

Ervandas Richard Arsipen. After hearing it, Lulu briefly thought the name was too long. Most people would have been awestruck upon hearing his name.

Arsipen. A surname reserved only for royalty. And Ervandas was no mere royal but the king’s only brother. He was also the youngest-ever leader of the Temple Knights in history.

***

It was uncommon for direct royal descendants to live in the temple. However, when Ervandas grew beyond childhood, he fell seriously ill. The king, the queen, and Ervandas’s elder brother, Kalendas, visited the temple to pray for his recovery.

“I entrust Ervandas to your care. Please save the child.”

Shortly thereafter, Ervandas recovered his health. Although he had suffered greatly from his illness, the disease was not fatal. With the constant care of royal physicians and priests, it would have been strange if he hadn’t recovered.

The royal family prayed and cried so much that even the priests had to reassure them, “Please don’t cry. Your child will soon be well. Calm down, please.”

In any case, Ervandas recovered. But a problem arose afterward. Ervandas calmly shook his head in response to his family’s urging him to return to the palace.

“I’ve made a promise to God, so I will stay here.”

“What do you mean? You want to stay here? And what promise?”

“Didn’t you promise to entrust me to God?”

The king and queen were caught off guard by his words.

“I said it because that’s the prescribed form of prayer!”

“Even so, a promise is a promise. This life that God has spared, I believe it’s right to dedicate it to God.”

His words were not wrong, which upset the king even more. In that moment, Kalendas narrowed his eyes, glancing at Ervandas.

“Is it because the temple is quieter and cleaner than the palace? Plus, lovely maidens can’t enter here to dote on you.”

Ervandas flinched at Kalendas’s words. Seeing his reaction, Kalendas clicked his tongue as if he knew this would happen.

Even as a child, Ervandas had been obsessed with hygiene and cleanliness, displaying a compulsive tendency for organization.

He would furrow his brows if anything was out of place in his room. He insisted on bathing twice a day and washed every worn garment, no matter what. For him, who had few possessions, the impeccably clean temple seemed like a cozy refuge rather than an ascetic abode.

Furthermore, Ervandas wanted to remain in the temple because it was where noble ladies who frequently approached him couldn’t enter at will.

Originally, the king and queen were a famously beautiful couple. So it was only natural that their two sons, born from them, were handsome.

Kalendas, the firstborn, liked women from a young age. It was said he followed the prettiest maidservant around when he first started walking. As a result, noble ladies surrounded Kalendas. Of course, the king and queen had taught him firmly from a young age not to indulge recklessly, so he always kept the line.

Then, as soon as Kalendas turned 18, he got married. His marriage wasn’t surprising, but his choice of spouse was. She was a lovely daughter of an earl, with whom he used to quarrel every time they met.

On the other hand, while Kalendas liked women so much, his younger brother Ervandas seemed to have given all his interest in the opposite sex to his brother. No, it was more accurate to say that Ervandas avoided the opposite sex.

Initially, Ervandas did not avoid women.

But as he grew older, things changed.

“Of course, Prince Kalendas is great but…honestly, I prefer Prince Ervandas.”

“You too? Me too!”

In every gathering of noble ladies, talks about the two princes were inevitable. Naturally, Kalendas, who frequented social events and had wider networks, was more favored. But as time passed, the number of women who whispered their liking for Ervandas subtly increased.

“Prince Kalendas is kind to everyone. That’s not a bad thing…But when someone stern like Prince Ervandas smiles, it pierces my heart ten times more.”

“Exactly! When Prince Ervandas received that famous sword as a gift the other day, my heart skipped a beat when I saw his smile. It’s just that when someone rarely smiles, it feels even more significant when he does.”

“That’s true. And… for some reason, someone like that…”

The excited noblewoman glanced around before whispering to her friend.

“Don’t you think it would be fun to take him down?”

“You think so? If I can unbutton all the way up to his neck…”

“Oh my, you have such a mischievous idea.”

A deep blush rose on the cheeks of the two excited women. Other noblewomen standing nearby coughed at the sight of them, but in reality, they all agreed in their hearts.

As Ervandas grew older, his youthful vigor became more apparent, and he was openly approached with seductive gestures. Eventually, it happened. On the day of the hunting competition, someone with ambitions to possess him dragged Ervandas aside and physically attacked him.

Of course, the attempt was in vain. No matter how hard she tried, Ervandas, a boy undergoing knight training, could not be defeated by a girl of the same age using brute force.

Sexual assault, especially against royalty, was an act that warranted the death penalty according to the law. However, the incident was quickly hushed up, and the noblewoman in question was sent to a far-off region, never to return to the capital.

“Why should I forgive her!”

The king, who had no choice but to quietly bury the matter at his son’s request, exploded in anger.

“I don’t want to be remembered by such a record. I’m not hurt, so please calm your anger.”

Ervandas replied with a heavy sigh. After that fateful event, he moved his residence to a secluded palace with a few male servants, refusing to attend any social gatherings. Soon after, he fell seriously ill and was taken to the temple.

Nevertheless, Ervandas insisted on remaining at the temple.

“People’s hearts can change at times. Who knows, you might someday meet a woman who touches your heart.”

At the king’s words, Ervandas shuddered as if the mere thought horrified him and said.

“I will keep my body chaste all my life, die with a pure soul and stand before God without shame.”

Seeing his son answer firmly, the king pressed his forehead.

“Don’t answer so easily. Life is unpredictable. Look at your brother. He talked big about enjoying everything up to 40, but what happened? As soon as he came of age, he prostrated himself at his wife’s feet, saying he couldn’t live without her.”

“I didn’t live a promiscuous life like my older brother.”

“Who dares say I was promiscuous! My wife is my first and last!”

Kalendas, who had been listening to his father and brother’s conversation from a distance, bellowed. But the king and Ervandas completely ignored him and continued speaking.

“Either way, you don’t have to give up so much by avoiding the bad. But I suspect my words sound troublesome to you now.”

Seeing the distaste and contempt for the world frozen in his son’s eyes, the king sighed.

“I can’t bear to hand over my son, who is also the heir, to the temple. However, I can understand your current state of mind…”

The king said in a distressed voice.

“10 years. I will allow you to stay in the temple for 10 years.”

“But……!”

“Now that I think about it, 10 years seems like a long time…”

“Thank you for granting me 10 years in God’s embrace.”

Realizing that further talk would only shorten the time, Ervandas quickly withdrew.

And so, Ervandas remained in the temple. Once the king left, Ervandas spoke to the high priest.

“I want to join the Temple Knights.”

Temple Knights, also called Holy Knights. They were people who resided in the Temple Knights Order, which was the most secluded place in the Great Temple. The swords of God only appeared when monsters emerged.

Living the same life as the priests from dusk to dawn, along with extreme training that was life-threatening. Ervandas was satisfied as no women made noise around him. It was even more austere than the temple.

Having seamlessly adapted to the Temple Knights Order, Ervandas grew up becoming a perfect knight. He even rose to the position of the youngest-ever leader of the Temple Knights Order.

On the rare occasions when monsters appeared in the kingdom, people would catch a glimpse of him.

His shining silver hair and cool blue eyes became the subject of the people’s praise and sheer terror for the monsters. Moreover, his stunning appearance inherited from the king and queen, combined with his well-trained body, was truly like the sword of God mentioned in the scriptures.

Time passed like that. And in the year that marked the tenth year, Ervandas made up his mind.

‘As expected, I should stay here forever.’

He had once thought his mind might change as his father had said. But instead of changing, Ervandas still found the life of simplicity and devotion at the temple, based on austerity and faithfulness, appealing.

Yet, not all unfolded according to plan. Just as he had resolved to inform his father and the high priest of his decision, the king suddenly collapsed. At the same time, his brother was ambushed, and a rebellion broke out.

Kalendas, who barely escaped the fatal injury, sent a letter to Ervandas.

[We need you now. Remember whose son you are, whose brother you are, and what your name is.]

The urgent and solemn tone of the message, lacking the playful nature of past letters, tore at Ervandas’s emotions.

As a member of the royal family, his immediate duty was to go to the palace and assist his family. However, a temple knight must never be driven by worldly ties. If he went to help the royal family, he would have to leave the Temple Knights. And the temple did not welcome those who once left.

Ervandas pondered. Then he decided.

The next day, Ervandas left the Temple Knights and headed straight for the palace.

Kalendas welcomed his younger brother, a reunion after a decade. After a brief exchange with his elder brother, Ervandas hurried to his father’s side. There lay his father, eyes closed in rest, appearing much older than in memory.

Seeing the fear in the faces of his weeping mother and bewildered nephews, Ervandas immediately led the royal knights to confront the forces behind the rebellion.

Strangely enough, the mere mention of rebellion felt out of place. The king was capable and benevolent, while Kalendas was a worthy heir to the throne.

Ironically, the one who plotted the rebellion was a local lord obsessed with a suspicious religion. When his ambush failed, he locked the gates and resisted. However, since the locals had no complaints against the kingdom, they were uncooperative with the lord’s rebellion, ultimately weakening its forces. On top of that, with the support of the public, Ervandas defeated the rebel army in no time.

Fortunately, the fallen king regained consciousness, and Kalendas recovered his health. The king abdicated the throne in favor of Kalendas. Though Kalendas had seemed a bit frivolous during his time as crown prince, he adapted perfectly as the new king. The kingdom became peaceful again, but not so for Ervandas.

Thank you for positive ratings and comments on NU, it means a lot.