I gave them a big smile. “Thank you. I’m really glad.”
Knowing that some people were willing to accept me for who I was left me unable to contain my joy, and I was pretty sure it was impossible to not notice my reaction.
Feeling a little embarrassed, I purposefully made my tone chipper as I declared, “Well then, we have guests to entertain. Let me know if they do anything inappropriate to you, all right?”
“Yeees!”
“We’re counting on you, Lam. Although, the guests are clergymen. I’m sure they must all be good people.”
That wasn’t the case at all. I’d run into my fair share of unhinged bishops and priests since my reincarnation. I wouldn’t label any member of the Faith as a holy man, beginning with the Holy Father and that one cardinal.
I won’t say anything, though...
The girls were believers of the Faith. I didn’t want to crush their dreams if I could help it.
The four of us followed the squad leader’s quick march, and we eventually reached the fancy tents in which the priests and bishops were relaxing.
The squad leader began doling out orders to the senior knights. “I’ll leave that tent to you. Who knows? If you play your cards right, a high-ranking member of the Faith might take you as his mistress. You’d live a far more lavish life than if you married a knight.”
For reasons that I definitely could not understand, the other knights seemed happy with her words.
But the Faith doesn’t exist anymore... I thought, watching them with mixed feelings.
I didn’t know who these men were and what they were doing in Hanche yet, but one thing was for sure: They were all jobless former clergymen clinging to the remnants of a dissolved Faith and its past glory. Some might be nobles, but the fact that they had traveled to Hanche made me believe they were all desperate. I wouldn’t advise anyone to get involved with them.
I get it now...
Based on what Ahn and the squad leader had said, I finally understood why the female knights were acting the way they were. Everything clicked into place. The Royal Knights had a notoriously low employee retention rate, and the women were viewed as the bottom of the barrel. No one wanted to remain in such an environment if they could help it. Most would give up within months to go find a new job. But perhaps the female knights were purposefully staying in the hopes of securing a marriage to a well-paid knight. I didn’t know why—maybe they were doing it for their family or had circumstances that had brought them. Maybe this had been their goal from the start.
Some might be aiming even higher, seeking unions with nobles or clergymen from the Faith. And all the knights—both the men and the women—are aware of this.
Female knights were never assigned any proper jobs; instead, we were relegated to pointless tasks like chores, cheering for the men, and entertaining the guests. I had found it strange at first, but now that I understood the female knights weren’t actually expected to work, it made sense. The male knights didn’t see the women as colleagues but as potential marriage candidates, and the female knights did everything they could to meet those expectations.
Perhaps this was why they relentlessly bullied new recruits—to eliminate anyone who might pose the threat of competition. Opportunities to entertain important guests, like today, were rare chances for these women. If things went well, they might secure a position far better than just being a knight’s wife and truly turn their lives around.
But is that really what they want? Will they be able to live the rest of their days buttering these men up and pretending to be someone they’re not?
I had a feeling that Ahn and the other two hadn’t been aware of this before joining the knights. Had there been others like them? They weren’t like the women who had their eyes set on marrying the captain or another noble. Yet, the kingdom’s higher-ups were using them like pawns.
If the female knights truly want that sort of life, I won’t judge them for it, nor will I try to stop them. But if they’re simply doing all this out of desperation, thinking that it’s their only option, I refuse to stay silent. Besides, today’s guests are jobless former clergymen. I can’t encourage the other women to curry their favors. Of course, that doesn’t excuse the terrible way they treated the four of us. I still plan on taking my revenge for that.
“Come on, Green Hair! Come with me! And the other rookies too!” the squad leader barked as I stood there, glancing around.
“Yes, yes,” I replied breezily.
She seemed not to have liked my response; a deep crease formed between her eyebrows. “Watch your tone!”
We stepped into the largest tent and were welcomed by men whom I assumed were former big shots of the Faith. As clergymen, they were expected to uphold good morals and adhere to their religion’s teachings. But that wasn’t what they were doing right now.
“Ooh, young women.”
“I wanna touch them...”
All of them were leering at us, save for one—an overweight middle-aged man decked in showy, sparkly clothes, sitting back with an air of superiority.
“Ah...”
My eyes met his.
It was Avare, the former bishop of the Cerveau Cathedral, whom I had spotted before.
His eyes widened in shock.
“Y-You! Y-Y-You heinous witch! What are you doing in Hanche?!”
“Long time no see, former bishop of the Cerveau Cathedral,” I said.
“Wh-What are you doing here?! You plan to thwart our efforts to reach our goal, don’t you?!” Avare exclaimed so loudly that the people nearby all spun to look at us.
Well, he seemed to remember me, at least.
“Your goal? How convenient for you to bring that up. I was actually curious as to what it was. Could you tell me more?” I asked.
“Throw her out! She’s a witch! And a terrifying one at that!”
The people around us were perplexed by his statement. No wonder. Right now, I simply appeared to be a female knight from Hanche—not the dreadful being Avare was claiming I was.
“Um, Mr. Avare? That girl is just a knight. She doesn’t look ‘terrifying’ in the slightest. If anything, I’d say she’s rather adorable...”
“Don’t be fooled! She’s a monster playing the part of a weak human girl!”
The people of the Faith started arguing, but I couldn’t have cared less. I took advantage of their distraction to survey the resting area, and my eyes landed on a certain something.
Th-That’s...!
Enthroned upon the central table was an enormous fruit with a thorny rind, surrounded by cut pieces that were arranged neatly on fancy plates, their distinct aroma wafting into the air.
A durian!!!
I dashed toward the table at full speed and grabbed a plate of my favorite fruit.
“Oh! This is it! I’ve been dreaming of this for days!”
I never expected to be reunited with my beloved durian on the day of the hunting tournament, especially since we hadn’t been served any at the mess hall. Overjoyed, I began stuffing my face with pieces of the fruit.
So rich and creamy! We should stock this delicacy at the Mercure estate!
The matter of the weapons had been weighing heavily on me these past few days, but I suddenly felt that weight lift from my shoulders.