***
“What do you mean?”
“How can you not know that you are strong? I couldn’t keep up. It’s like watching the Grand Duke.”
Amarion suddenly became embarrassed and lowered her eyes.
“I… I know I’m stronger than the average person.”
She mumbled.
Indeed, she knew that she was stronger than most knights. It was the same in Amari.
The Empire was wide, so she expected them to be more skilled than the knights of Amari. After meeting the Knights of Morte and travelling around the Empire with them, the impression she got was that the swordsmen here were all quite weak.
But…
“There are other people stronger than me, like Victor. I’m not that strong.”
“Well, I don’t think there is anyone like you two, but…”
Sir Raoul let out a deep sigh.
“I don’t even know if Madame is weaker than his highness in the first place. Wasn’t the duel in the Capital a draw?”
“Since the tip of my sword broke, I was defeated. If that happened in battle, I would be dead.”
Raoul’s sigh deepened at her resolute words.
“You’re too hard on yourself.”
He opened his mouth as if trying to say something when suddenly, Fidelburg Castle came into view.
＊ ＊ ＊
By the time they passed through the gate, the sun was already setting.
She wondered if the knights who went to fight the Drakada were okay, so she headed towards the castle’s treatment center. Someone hurriedly approached her as she looked around.
“Madame! That blood…!”
It was Lady Julianna, wearing a messy apron.
Why was this precious lady here?
Amarion swallowed her surprise and tried to calm Julianna down.
“Don’t worry, I’m not hurt.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. I kept hearing Griffins screaming, but you didn’t come back… I was thinking about sending a rescue team.”
“Oh no, I should hurry up and tell them about our return.”
Raoul and the accompanying knights rushed to the guard post.
Amarion decided to stay and look around. At first glance, it seemed that the knights were hardly injured. She asked anxiously.
“Is the subjugation of Drakadas over?”
“Yeah. It ended successfully. There were hardly any injuries, so they have already been treated and sent back.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Yeah, I’m just overprotective. They had enough troops to kill those Drakadas.’
Amarion asked, scratching her cheek.
“By the way, what are you doing here, my Lady? Are you a healer?”
“No, I didn’t learn such skills due to lack of talent. But I am the hostess of this estate.”
Julianna clasped her hands together. Perhaps because she had worked for quite a long time, her beautiful hands had scars here and there.
“I was helping my workers. It’s also my job to check the soldiers’ meals and equipment and order necessary items.”
‘So this is what hostesses do during war.’
Amarion stared at her in wonder.
“Amazing. You must have a lot of work to do.”
“I am blown away, your highness. Still, thanks to the healer you brought, my work was reduced a lot.”
Julianna smiled softly.
Amarion watched Mary from afar, who was taking care of patients. She was rolling up her sleeves and carefully applying ointment to a burnt patient.
“When I asked her, she said she was from a family of pharmacists. Considering that, she has excellent treatment skills. Do you know what family she’s from?”
“No, I don’t…”
Amarion mumbled.
In fact, she didn’t know much about Mary. Before the subjugation, Mary was just a cute maid, almost like a sister. She was equipped with rich knowledge and manners like a great nobleman, but she was not good at telling her own story. So, Amarion never dared to ask.
Even when she said she could heal, Amarion was just amazed that this girl had another talent.
But was she actually from a family of pharmacists?
Seeing that Amarion was perplexed, Julianna gently changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, I’ve been keeping you for too long. I will send a message to the castle, so please go and get some rest.”
“Thank you, my Lady.”
“This is what I wanted to tell you. Thank you for fighting for us.”
Julianna gently lifted the hem of her skirt.
Amarion suddenly realized that Julianna had a very similar atmosphere to Sir Leonard.
They say that when you’re in love, you act alike. Maybe that’s why?
She went back to the castle, pondering to herself.
＊ ＊ ＊
Amarion changed into a comfortable shirt and pants and headed to the dining hall. She went because she heard the chefs had made a hearty soup for the knights. The kitchen maids panicked and offered to cook her a proper meal, but this was more than enough for her. It was a delicious soup filled with large pieces of meat and potatoes.
Amarion was eating soup like crazy when suddenly, people flooded in.
“Madame!”
Sir Ulan cried and sat down in front of her.
‘What?’
Leonard asked her with a strangely excited voice.
“Is it true that you slew over two hundred Griffins?”
Amarion opened her eyes wide and looked at Raoul. Raoul smiled and informed them.
“To be precise, two hundred and fourteen. Rangers just left to check it out.”
“Is that so? I’m going out of my mind…”
She usually counted expensive monsters to collect their by-products, but these days, she didn’t have time. It had been a while since she hadn’t counted. In Amari, a Griffin could catch quite the price, but compared to the treasury of Morte, it would only be a drop in the bucket.
Still, if something like a Nightmare Orc came out again, she’d be able to make some pocket money. Wouldn’t it be nice to buy Diederick an expensive monocle like the one used by Count Fidelburg?
Ulan’s voice woke her from her daydream.
“Thank you very much, your highness! You don’t know how tormented we were by them every night! I thought it would be a relief if the number of Drakadas decreased, but I can’t believe you did this on your first day.”
“I didn’t even kill them all. We will have to patrol and destroy nests for a while.”
“Before, we could never even reach the mountain! The Second Young Master couldn’t even do this, really…!”
The Second Young Master, Victor?
Amarion listened intently to see if she could hear a new story about Victor, but the old captain shook his head in excitement.
“I’ve seen knights fight for decades, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone like Madame. You cut the Griffin’s number in half in one day.”
“Didn’t I tell you? Madame is a swordsman on the same level as his highness.”
“How could I believe that if I didn’t see it?”
Leonard smiled faintly.
“Actually, I can’t believe it even though I watch it every day. Two hundred Griffins…”
Ulan looked off into the distance and said seriously.
“I am glad you came.”
Amarion smiled vaguely and nodded her head.
She still thought it was an exaggerated compliment for what she did, but it was good that everyone was happy.
The joy of others had always been her driving force, just as Victor’s sweet affection became the driving force for raising her sword every night.
She finished her soup, erasing him from her mind.
Her first day in Fidelburg was coming to an end.
＊ ＊ ＊
Subjugation went smoothly for several days after that. The main unit of the Knights Templar was sent to the battlefield when they could definitely win, and Amarion, along with Raoul and a few other knights, went to places that rangers reported were difficult to access.
Today’s report was a mine. She glared at the Emerald Mine, where a horde of Kobolds had settled.
“Kobolds have tough skin. It will be very dangerous because they are smart and can see in the dark.”
“Shall we go in together, Madame?”
“No, I’ll take care of it myself, so go back.”
“What? Why?”
Raoul frowned.
“I know how tough a herd of Kobolds is. We cannot leave Madame alone in such a dangerous and dark place.”
“That’s why I’m telling you.”
Amarion hesitated, hoping that the knights would not be offended.
“I don’t think I can fight while protecting the weak…”
Raoul’s expression suddenly became sour. Amarion looked up at the knight, restless.
‘Would I feel bad too? But really, it’s dangerous for them.’
But Raoul nodded his head quickly.
“If that is the case, then we must obey you. May we give you the swords we brought?”
“Yes, please.”
Each knight threw their weapon from their horse. In an instant, ten swords piled up in front of her.
Carrying so many swords like this was something she had only ever done in her hometown, so she felt strangely nostalgic.
She nodded to the knights firmly.
“Go back and help the main unit.”
“Okay, Madame. Please come back safely!”
With Raoul’s blessing, she entered the abandoned mine.
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The stench inside the mine stung her nose. It was a rotten oil-like smell peculiar to Kobolds, completely different from the usual odor of dust and stale soil from mines.
She followed the stench inside. Before long, the sound of hissing Kobolds could be heard.
Amarion drew her sword at high speed.