🌹💘🌹
ONCE all the formalities had been observed, I was awarded a meager settlement by the royal family, who then allowed me to return to the front line by way of a relocation device.
Thus transported, I found myself standing in front of the familiar shape of the royal fortress which had been erected at the forefront of Mayga Cieux. The fortress was managed by the chivalric order, which was responsible for ruling over the westernmost portion of the monarchy, and contained a small town within its walls that was well-known for both its status as an outpost and for its close placement to the front line.
It was not long before the townspeople noticed my return, and soon they came piling out in droves to greet me. There’s the elderly man that runs that tobacco shop, and that old woman who works as a fortune teller, I thought, eyes tracing over the crowd. But though I recognized some faces, most were mere pinpricks scattered among a throng of barmaids, sex workers, and even retired knights.
They were a rather outrageous lot, so it only took me a few moments to glean that they had somehow managed to learn of my predicament.
“I heard tell what happened to ya, little saint,” one of the townspeople called over to me. “Some blasted talk of ya bein’ a lascivious priestess or such?”
Dismay flickered through me. “How is that so widely known already?!”
“Well, ever since that newspaper sprung up in the royal capital, information spreads like wildfire, ya know,” the man replied gently.
The tobacconist kindly proved the townsmen right by proudly brandishing a newspaper toward me. “Massive Revelations Come to Light!” proclaimed the title. “His Royal Highness Dissolves His Betrothal to the Lascivious Priestess!!!”
I sighed. “How absolutely horrendous…”
The elderly tobacconist let out a chuckle. “Now, now, don’t get too worked up. We’ve got everything ready so you can drown your sorrows in drink for the day. Think of it as a consolation party.”
As I blinked, processing that statement, one of the sex workers reached out to give my shoulder a sympathetic pat.
Before I knew it, a giggle had escaped me, and I started to laugh.
✦ ✦ ✦
🌹💘🌹
THE little town within the fortress outside Mayga Cieux had long been a place where society’s outcasts eked out a living by joining together. Its proximity to the front line meant we often got folks whose villages had been destroyed by monsters running rampant, but many others found their way to our base as well. Some folks were suffering from the malingering effects of disease and injury, or had been maimed in a way that prevented them from finding further work. Others had had their jobs or even their land stolen from them by the bourgeoisie. Widows, orphans, and the elderly could also often be found among the newcomers, having been left bereft of support after their family members had died or deserted them.
The Kingdom of Kophe had no established social welfare system in place to ameliorate these people’s lives, so it was left to the little town inside of the fortress to embrace them. And eventually, through the combined efforts of all those who lived there, the town had managed to develop into a thriving pleasure quarter of sorts.
The chivalric order that battled against the monsters was not so different from the townspeople in composition—they were comprised of a variety of men from different walks of life. Third and fourth sons of the aristocracy—or, more crudely, spares who would never be heirs—fought alongside talented mercenaries with commoner backgrounds.
Those knights who received hazard pay from the kingdom’s chivalric order spent their money much more lavishly than the commoners were able to, and the town’s economy functioned quite well as a result. Even my saintly powers played a part, as the knights often rid themselves of the ardor my healing forced upon them by pouring money into the coffers of the town’s pleasure quarter.
I had once heard it said that if people were able to lead fulfilling lives by having both their physical and emotional needs met, then a spirit of cooperation would arise from that satisfaction. The truth of that statement was evident in our little town and the solidarity that had grown amongst its residents.
I had been to several other settlements during my time serving as a holy woman, but none of them had had an aura like the cozy, lively one that exuded from this town. Life here was difficult, yes, and sometimes even gruesome. But nevertheless, knowing that my skills as a holy woman could help the townspeople here filled me with joy.