An Encounter with a Female Knight

A low rumble came from the pot sitting over the roaring campfire.

The soup was boiling, its enticing aroma wafting through the cool night air and stirring the appetite.

“It’s ready,” Aliciel announced. “We can eat.”

“Thank you.”

Ren Dao-zhen eagerly ladled a bowl of hot soup and dunked a piece of bread into the steaming liquid.

Once it was thoroughly soaked, he popped it into his mouth.

The soft bread, saturated with savory broth, exploded with flavor on his tongue.

Next, he grabbed a skewer of roasted snake meat from beside the fire and tore off a large piece.

It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and tasted remarkably like chicken.

There was nothing quite like enjoying a hot, hearty meal in the dead of night after a grueling battle.

“Thank you so much, Head Maid,” he said. “I’m not your master, yet you’ve gone to all this trouble to prepare a meal for me.”

“There’s no need for thanks. Even if you are not my master now, that does not mean you won’t be in the future. If you are satisfied with Aliciel’s service, you may leave a five-star review on the café’s feedback form.”

“Of course!”

Ren Dao-zhen smiled and nodded, noticing then that Aliciel seemed to refer to herself by her own name when she was in a good mood.

It had a certain charm, a subtle and perhaps unintentional cuteness.

The two of them quietly enjoyed their late-night meal, until…

“Be careful,” Aliciel said softly, her voice low. “Nine o’clock—no, wait. A group is approaching from your right.”

“There are about five of them, all well-equipped knights. Their leader is formidable.”

Ren Dao-zhen was instantly on alert.

He turned to look where Aliciel had indicated, activating his clairvoyance and night vision.

Sure enough, there were five knights clad in silver-white armor.

Unlike the patrol knights he’d seen in the city, their armor was lighter and more form-fitting, accentuating their shapely figures.

They all appeared to be women.

Their long, shapely legs were encased in silver-gold boots, revealing an alluring sliver of thigh between the boot-top and the armor—a design straight out of an anime or mobile game!

Impractical, perhaps, but undeniably beautiful!

“Don’t think that armor is just for show,” Aliciel warned, as if reading his mind. “The runes on it are all high-level.”

The armor itself didn’t offer much physical defense; its true power lay in the magic runes engraved upon it.

These runes, personally inscribed by an S-rank magician, granted immunity to A-rank attacks and below, while also providing enhancements like poison resistance, speed, and strength.

Even the exposed areas were protected.

It was armor that only Holy Adjudicator Knights were permitted to wear.

In other words, these five women were Holy Adjudicator Knights!

“Excuse me, you two,” one of them called out. “Would you be willing to speak with us for a moment?”

Aliciel stood up, gave Ren Dao-zhen a quick nod, and then replied.

“Of course.”

Having received her consent, the five female knights approached the campfire, and the one who had spoken introduced herself.

“Greetings to you both. I am Vior. It is a pleasure to meet you. As you can see, we are Holy Adjudicator Knights. Our purpose here is to subjugate an Undead Knight hiding in the Sunset Mountains. Have you two adventurers come across any clues?”

“An Undead Knight?”

Ren Dao-zhen instinctively glanced at Aliciel. Wasn’t that one of their objectives?

“I’m sorry, we haven’t heard anything about an Undead Knight,” Aliciel replied smoothly. “My young master and I are here to clear out a goblin nest.”

“Is that so? Still, I would advise you to be careful. Goblins may be weak, but a moment of carelessness is all it takes for things to go terribly wrong. And that’s not to mention an Undead Knight lurking in the shadows. If you don’t mind, why not travel with us?”

“There’s no need to trouble yourselves, esteemed knights. Aliciel will ensure the young master’s safety.”

Aliciel offered a faint smile, declining their invitation to travel together.

“You all must be tired from your long journey. Aliciel has made some soup and grilled some skewers. If you don’t mind, please have some.”

“There’s no need, we have our own rations. As knights, how could we…”

“Grrrrowl—!”

Just as Vior was about to refuse, the stomach of a knight behind her rumbled loudly, casting a pall of awkwardness over the group.

“Thump—!”

“Ow!”

Vior couldn’t help but jab an elbow into the knight behind her, who yelped in pain.

“My apologies,” Vior said, her composure slightly ruffled. “That was rude of us.”

At this, the knights could only set aside their reserve and sit down around the campfire to rest.

They all removed their helmets, revealing their faces.

They were all young, beautiful women.

Three were human, each with long golden hair, while the other two were elves—one with green hair, and one with silver.

“Are the Royal Knights all women?” Ren Dao-zhen couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.

“Of course not. There are men in the knight orders, too. It’s just that the Tri-Phase Salvation Goddess is female, so women tend to be more receptive to her divine blessing.”

‘A familiar trope,’ he thought.

While he mused, he and Aliciel ladled bowls of hot soup and handed them to the knights.

“Aah, this is delicious!” exclaimed the human knight whose stomach had likely betrayed them. She took a large gulp and sighed in satisfaction. “After traveling so far, I finally get to have some hot soup.”

“Oh, right! Thank you for the soup, young master. My name is Surna. I’m a newly appointed Holy Adjudicator Knight. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I am Ren Dao-zhen, and this is Aliciel. The pleasure is all mine. It is an honor to meet members of the Holy Adjudicator Knights.”

“Qi Luo-meng.”

“Lia.”

“Lisa.”

The other three knights introduced themselves in turn. The two elf girls appeared to be sisters.

After tasting Aliciel’s cooking, they were all full of praise, and conversation soon began to flow.

“Mr. Ren Dao-zhen, you must be a new adventurer, yes?” Vior asked. “Why come to the Sunset Mountains? Monsters like goblins can be found almost anywhere, can’t they?”

“The goblins aren’t our main objective,” Ren Dao-zhen replied with a smile. “We’re mostly here for the experience.”

He felt a pang of embarrassment. He hadn’t even lifted a finger, yet she had pegged him as a novice. She was truly perceptive.

“Is that so? Well, I have high hopes for you. I’m sure you’ll become a first-rate adventurer in the future.”

“Esteemed knights,” Aliciel interjected, addressing the young women, “you came to subjugate the Undead Knight. Why are you not accompanied by any angels? Wouldn’t that increase your chances of success?”

Angels were better suited for dealing with creatures like Undead Knights.

The knight orders had plenty of them, so it stood to reason that one or two would be assigned to such a mission.

“Oh! Actually, our captain is a—mmph!”

Surna had just started to speak when Vior quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Ahem… We do have an angel assigned to assist us, of course,” Vior said, recovering quickly. “But it will be some time before they arrive as reinforcements.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing that the knight was intentionally concealing something, Aliciel did not press the matter further.