A week had passed since the toilet cleaning incident, and the day of the hunting tournament was upon us. We knights were grouped together at the hunting grounds and tasked with patrolling the area to ensure it was safe. However, I was unable to focus on the task at hand.
I need to destroy those weapons.
Ever since we’d overheard the conversation between the members of the Faith, that was all I’d had on my mind.
Standing nearby, Char seemed to notice me fidgeting, and he whispered, “Calm down, Lam. They won’t run away. With your abilities, you can destroy the weapons no matter where they’ve stashed them, right? Although, I am still concerned about your stamina. I don’t want you to expend too much mana at once.”
I felt bad for making him worry about me, and I made a conscious effort to recenter myself. “You’re right. It’s just that I can’t help but panic when I think about those items...”
“Well, they killed you in your past life. It’s understandable. If you don’t want to deal with them yourself, I’ll take them somewhere no one can see and destroy them for you,” he offered.
“No. These weapons are my prey. I want to do it myself.”
Char paused before saying, “Got it. Then I’m leaving that matter in your hands.”
He had agreed to let me handle the weapons myself. I truly felt like he was looking after me.
“Thank you, Char. I may be strong, but I have a tendency to lose sight of the things around me. I need to work on that.”
In fact, I had noticed and learned many things since my reincarnation, but I still had a long way to go as a witch.
Gahariet rounded up all the male knights, and I was left to return to the other female recruits. The hunting ground for the tournament was located in a forest not too far away from the royal palace, and it was brimming with all sorts of creatures.
We’re in the middle of an important mission: We need to expose the Faith’s lies. I will destroy the weapons, but I must see our initial goal through. I made a promise to Thibault.
From what I’d heard, this tournament was being held for the kingdom’s important guests. In other words, the organizers’ goal was to entertain them.
The Faith’s big shots should arrive soon.
I would be able to see them face-to-face.
Still, I’m confused about Hanche’s concept of entertainment. I know it used to be a nation of hunters, but...
I didn’t think the bishops and priests of the Faith could hunt game. Then again, the only bishop I knew was the overweight, ill-mannered one from the Cerveau Cathedral, who was always adorned in shiny accessories. As for the priest I had turned into a hair ball, he was the exact opposite: skinny and weak.
I’m pretty sure neither of them can hunt.
Perhaps we would have to adapt the tournament to their abilities and make it easier for them.
It seemed to have been a while since the Royal Knights were assigned to such a large-scale activity, and Gahariet was in high spirits.
“I feel like his legs look even shorter than before...” Ahn pointed out.
Our other two fellow rookies nodded.
“Isn’t his torso longer too? His height definitely shot up since we joined...and so did the pitch of his voice.”
“Oh, I thought I was going crazy, but you noticed too!”
Everyone in the Royal Knights was baffled by the changes in Gahariet’s appearance; they just weren’t voicing their surprise. But other than Ahn, no one knew that Char and I were the ones behind his transformation.
Ves must’ve connected the dots too, but as long as he doesn’t say anything out loud, we should be fine.
Speaking of, Ves was currently with Char, Thibault, and the twins. Thibault truly wasn’t cut out to be a knight—he kept attracting Gahariet’s ire with everything he did. In the end, none of us managed to achieve our initial objective of staying inconspicuous.
As we stood there, awaiting orders, a lavish carriage carrying the kingdom’s guests of honor—the priests and bishops of the Faith—arrived in the forest.
Finally. Now, I just need to keep my cool.
I braced myself as I watched the members of the Faith climb out of the carriage. But then, I spotted a familiar figure wearing way too many glitzy accessories.
Hmm? Isn’t that Avare, the bishop of the Cerveau Cathedral? I didn’t know he’d made the journey to Hanche.
During our investigation in the royal palace, we hadn’t looked into the room we’d been eavesdropping on, so I hadn’t realized he was part of the group. If I had, I would’ve lost it; I couldn’t imagine what I would have done. In the end, Char’s suggestion to leave the members of the Faith alone until the day of the hunting contest had proven wise. I didn’t know exactly why Avare was here, but I imagined he would have a lot to reveal once we confronted him.
We haven’t made much progress in our investigation yet, but I have a good feeling we’ll secure some concrete proof of the Faith’s intentions here.
Gahariet’s voice boomed, pulling me out of my thoughts. Standing a short distance away from the members of the Faith, he barked his orders.
“Men, patrol the area, and put some back into it! You’re here to ensure the safety of our guests from the Faith!” His voice really had gotten high-pitched. “Women! You know what your duties are, right? That’s what y’all are here for.”
The squad leader nodded, a tense look on her face.
“I won’t tolerate failure, you hear? You’d better make our guests happy,” Gahariet added.
“Yes, captain...”
I stared at them, failing to understand what Gahariet meant.
That’s what we’re here for? What is he talking about?
We hadn’t been told anything beforehand.
Ahn and the other two appeared just as puzzled as I was.
The squad leader eventually gathered us together to give us our orders. It seemed we would each be assigned different tasks.
Scanning our group, she began speaking, her expression even sterner than usual. “Our duty is to entertain the guests. Focus on the task at hand, and whatever you do, do not disrespect them!”
“Yes, ma’am!” the senior female knights replied enthusiastically.
Huh? Entertain the guests? That’s our job?
The thought made me panic a little. We were knights, not professional entertainers. The members of the Faith were state guests; surely, people whose actual job was to entertain should have been hired for that purpose. I knew the profession still existed, just like it did five hundred years ago. For instance, I’d heard that the Tête Kingdom hired prostitutes from high-end brothels to entertain the Faith’s big shots.
Char had told me he had witnessed such a thing several times. Those prostitutes knew how to treat guests well to ensure banquets and other events proceeded smoothly. While I did find it questionable that the government had hired courtesans to entertain the members of the Faith—a sacred entity, albeit only on paper—the royal family and the nobles, all devout believers, didn’t seem to have an issue with it. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Do they not have prostitutes in Hanche? I wondered.
“Um, why is it our duty to entertain the guests?” I asked the squad leader. “Aren’t there people more qualified for the job?”
Her response was instant. “To cut costs, of course! Don’t you even understand something so basic? Sure, prostitutes would do a better job, but they’re expensive! We, on the other hand, will do it for free.”
“I-It’s just to save money?!”