A few days after Thibault’s announcement, we were finally free to return to Lèvres. I teleported myself and my three fellow rookies to the room we shared at the barracks and informed them of my departure.
“Anyway, now that I’m done here, I’ll be leaving the Royal Knights. Thank you for everything.”
They didn’t seem surprised by my statement. Perhaps they had already guessed that I wouldn’t stay in the Royal Knights forever.
“A lot happened, and I’m still processing the shock of it all, but I’m glad that you accomplished your goal, Lam. I could tell from the first day that you didn’t want to be a knight.”
“You found me out. I initially came to Hanche to investigate the Motar Faith, but things got a bit out of hand. The members of the Faith and the government officials I teleported to the former main church must’ve witnessed for themselves that it’s gone for good. It’d be nice if that made them reconsider their schemes, but I don’t have much hope.”
A grim look appeared on Ahn’s face. “Based on the way things were all this time, I doubt that they will.” She paused then added, “So the Faith really is gone, huh? That came as a huge surprise to me.”
I had told them everything before teleporting them here. At first, they had doubted me, but Thibault’s speech and article convinced them.
We’ve done what we had to do, so I have to go home. But I’m a little sad to say goodbye to them...
These three were the first women my age with whom I’d been on good terms. In all truthfulness, I never expected us to grow as close as we had. It was my first time getting along so well with other women, and it made me very happy.
I didn’t want to be separated from them just yet, so I hesitantly offered a proposition. “Um, if it’s all right with you, would you like to come work in Lèvres?”
“Lèvres? Oh, like the seniors who left?”
“Yes. I’m originally from Tête, but I’ve recently become a countess in Lèvres.”
“Wait... Lam, you’re a noble?”
“Technically, yes. Char is an earl, so...”
“Oh, your boyfriend? Yeah, I can see it. He does have that sort of refined air about him. His table manners, for example. I was shocked by how good they were,” Ahn said.
She truly had a good sense of observation, didn’t she?
“Are we even allowed to talk to you like this? You’re a noble lady. Won’t we get arrested for lèse-majesté or something?”
“Of course not. Besides, my father was a commoner before he became a baron.”
More importantly, I didn’t want our friendship to become strained because of my title.
“A-Anyway, what jobs are available in Lèvres? Could we join a knight order there like our seniors?” one of the girls asked proactively.
“That’s one option. They have much better chivalric orders over there, although I’m sure you’ll be able to find something else if you want to change professions. Oh, I can also teach you magic, if you’d like.”
They all leaned forward in excitement.
“Wait, that sounds too good to be true. Are you sure we have all these options?”
“The king was one of my magic students, you see. If I ask, he’ll definitely help you find a suitable job,” I replied.
“Wait, the king was your disciple?! That sounds impossible...yet I believe you. We haven’t known each other long, but I trust you. You saved us countless times, after all. If it wasn’t for you, I would have quit after only a few days, but I’ve been here for two weeks already,” Ahn said.
The other two nodded in agreement.
“It’s all thanks to you that I made it out of there,” Ahn continued. “So I would love to go with you to Lèvres. Of course, I would have loved to have actually protected the royal family and guarded the palace here, but that doesn’t seem to be within the duties of female knights in Hanche. While I would like to take pride in my job here, I can’t—not with the silly things we have to do. I don’t want to stay here, especially if you leave.”
She looked at me with eyes full of determination.
“Come with me, then,” I said. “Oh, and if you can’t immediately find work at a chivalric order, you can stay at my house.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“I’d love to have you around, especially if you’re willing to chat with the children from time to time. There’s an overabundance of men at the estate; the girls don’t have anyone to talk about girly things with.”
Undoubtedly, Mine would enjoy gossiping with other women.
“I love children, so that sounds like a dream. Since there aren’t any roles like that in Hanche, I might look for a position like that in Lèvres,” Ahn replied.
The other two started fidgeting. “Um... I would also like to work in Lèvres. This time, I want to join a proper chivalric order,” one said.
“I-I’d love to move abroad too,” the other added timidly. “But I’ve realized that I’m not cut out for fighting, so I would like to find work as a maid, if the conditions are good. In Hanche, domestic laborers are treated terribly.”
I gave them a big nod. “That sounds like a great idea! If you can’t find a satisfying offer in Lèvres, we’ll hire you to work at our mansion. Some houses treat their domestic workers well while others, not so much, but I can guarantee you that the conditions at both the royal palace and the Mercure estate are perfectly fine.”
It was a bit of a relief that they were all thinking of changing jobs. In all truthfulness, I’d had my fair share of concerns about them staying in the Royal Knights. It was evident that this wasn’t a good workplace for them, so I was glad that they would come with us to Lèvres.
“Well then, would you like to go to Lèvres now? I’m going to write a letter to my son to explain the situation, and he’ll let you stay at the estate until you find a job.”
“Huh...? Now? Hold on...”
They stiffened.
“Lam, you have a son?!” they all exclaimed at the same time.
“Yup, I do. Well, he’s my adopted son, but still. His name is Canon.”
“Ooh, your adopted son,” they said, all nodding in relief.
“I was confused about how you could have a son old enough to understand the situation,” Ahn said.
That made sense; if I had given birth to Canon, it would imply that I had him when I was only five!
“He’s fifteen and a very dependable boy,” I explained.
Then, I quickly penned a letter for Canon with my magic and handed it to Ahn.
“I’ll see you three at the estate, then. Oh, and I’ll teleport your luggage with you, don’t worry. When you get to the estate, give that letter to Canon, will you?”
“Wait, Lam! Isn’t it all too sudden?!” one of them exclaimed.
“We’re going...now? I’m not mentally prepared yet!” another added.
“We’re still wearing our uniforms!”
They’d started panicking, but I decided to teleport them to the Mercure estate regardless. We could iron out the details when they got there.
“Phew, that’s a relief! Now all I need to do is check in with the female knights who told me they wanted new jobs, then regroup with Char and the others.”
As I had promised the other women that I would help them with their career change, I decided to tackle that first. To my surprise, I discovered that many more of them were interested in moving to Lèvres than I had initially thought. Even the squad leader, who had called the others “traitors” for wanting to quit, told me that she wanted to take the entrance exam to become a knight in Lèvres.
I was so surprised by her about-face that my curiosity got the better of me.
“You’re going too?” I asked her.
“Sh-Shut up! You made such a mess here that I don’t have anywhere left to go in Hanche! My family kicked me out, so you’d better take responsibility and find me a job!”
“I don’t mind, but I’d like to ask why you have to sound so harsh every time you speak. I understand that you have your own issues to deal with, but if you keep lashing out, you’re going to push everyone away and end up all alone,” I said.
She snapped her mouth shut. As it turned out, she was worried about being isolated.
“Well then, I’m going to teleport you all to the Mercure estate now. I’ve already informed the people there of our arrival, so follow my son’s instructions when you get there, will you?”
“Wai— Your son?! You’re marri—” one of the senior knights started, but I whisked them all away to the Mercure estate before she could finish.
The rest was up to them—but I would teleport them back if they didn’t like Lèvres.
With my business done and dusted, I headed down to the second floor of the barracks.
I gave a passing thought to the king and the ministers I had sent to the Faith’s main church, then shrugged it off. There were still other government officials, so things in Hanche should still run smoothly. Probably.
As for the Royal Knights, now that Gahariet’s and his goons’ offenses had come to light, they would likely be fired from the organization. I made a mental note to cast a little spell on the Royal Knights’ higher-ups to make them dance for three hours every day at noon if they attempted to conceal Gahariet’s crimes.
It would be nice if the working conditions at the Royal Knights improved in the future.
They would likely face a sudden loss of personnel, but I truly hoped that the bullying and irrational demands would gradually come to an end.
Feeling refreshed, I made my way down the second floor’s sunlit hallway when I spotted Char standing in the middle of the corridor, alone.
“Sorry for the wait, Char. Where are the others?” I asked.
“They’ve gathered their things already. They’re waiting for us on the first floor.”
“I’m really sorry it took me so long. Let’s go join them, then, shall we?”
I was about to turn on my heels when Char stopped me.
“Wait. There’s something I want to tell you,” he said, his head hanging down slightly.
He was struggling to find the right words, which was rare for him, considering how straightforward he typically was.
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
Averting his crimson eyes, he mumbled, “I know it’s a little late for this, but I realized something when we got here. This place reminds me so much of the schoolhouse that it made me reflect on a lot of things.”
“O...kay?”
I still had no idea what he was trying to get at.