The Female Knight of Doom - TFKOD 15: Beginning In the Union

Judging by how Rom appeared, he should be suspicious of where Alice stole her money from.

Honestly, she would rather have him think that. However, when she peered at him, she instinctively realized that she couldn’t mislead this man.

He was nothing like Etienne, and the sense of oppression he brought was different. However, the outcome was similar. She knew that if she told a single deceit, he would undeniably see through it.

Should she tell him everything?

Rom could see that she was in an inexplicable position, so he reached out and caressed her head, “Forget it if you don’t want to. Just tell me later.”

Children have this trait more or less.

Since people don’t ask anymore, they can’t help but want to say it instead. However, Alice wasn’t completely heartless. She knew Rom wasn’t a believer and didn’t have a natural stance on the matter like most people did.

Moreover, the God of Doom had assured her that as long as she and Rom were together, they would be able to live in harmony. Now that they were master and apprentice, it probably wouldn’t signify if she confessed to him.

She concisely recounted her previous experience at the temple and Etienne’s visit to the tavern.

“So that’s what happened.” He pondered, “After all that, the money was given to you because people took pity on you. I thought I had gotten lucky and taken in a wealthy disciple who didn’t like to show his wealth. Now it seems that my luck really isn’t good enough after all.”

So what was his point!

Alice had a faint insight of her new master’s greed, and she felt stressed knowing she would have to live with him until she turned seventeen.

However, Rom didn’t realize the pressure he was putting on his new protégé.

He was still pondering what she said, muttering under his breath, “I haven’t been to the temple since I was twelve, and I don’t know the priests. What was that Lord Etienne who gave you the money like?”

“He was young, as if he had just come of age. He was exceptionally handsome and had golden hair.”

Upon hearing this, Rom’s tone faltered imperceptibly, “Golden hair? You’re not mistaken? Not some other color?”

“Bright and shiny like the sun. What’s wrong?”

Rom shook his head once, “Nothing. Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

But observing him, it was glaring that he had thought of something special.

Alice wanted to ask him about it, but he shifted the subject again, “Anyway, I pretty much know everything about you. If you’re embarrassed about taking money from someone, just give it back to him in the future. We’re mercenaries; making money isn’t difficult. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the Mercenary Union to register. You’ll have to change your name to a man’s name. Let’s call you Allen.”

She didn’t have an opinion about it.

However, she clandestinely resolved that when she could manage her life, she would switch her name back. To Alice, this name was the last memento her mother left her.

Whenever she thought of her mother, she felt a pang of agony in her heart. Her mother was dead, and no matter what she did, she would never come back.

If she were alive, though, she would be traumatised to see that her daughter was going to become a mercenary.

Alice resolved not to miss her mother anymore, sealing her memory away in her heart.

After the new master and disciple finalized discussing, it was getting late.

The two packed up and got ready to rest. The innkeeper provided a handy mattress, and Alice slept in the outer room of the suite.

Her bunk at her former home was no better than the handy mattress at the inn. Besides, so many things had happened that day that she was awfully fatigued. She lay down and fell asleep without any discomfort.

The next day, just after dawn, Rom called her up to train.

According to him, she was too thin and weak. In order to learn the abilities of being a mercenary, she had to train to be stronger, “Judging by your appearance, you probably have trouble even holding a fine sword.”

Alice glared at him, but only caused a burst of laughter, “Don’t be angry. I’m sure you can hold it, but you’ll need more strength to swing the sword in battle.”

Rom took her for a few laps around the yard, using the exercise equipment as was his usual habit.

She hadn’t done this before and found it somewhat novel. After a while, she felt that she couldn’t keep up physically.

This drew another laugh, “Don’t worry. It’ll get better. You need to eat more to grow stronger.”

After they finished working out, he took her to breakfast.

The inn provided breakfast, and a large platter of milk, eggs, buttered bread, and greasy fried bacon was set before them. It was simple yet tasty.

For Alice, who often ate oatmeal and tavern leftovers for breakfast, it was a feast.

All the breakfast portions served in the inn were the same size, and hers was no smaller than Rom’s.

He grinned at her, showing his snow-white teeth, “Finish all of this.”

Alice defiantly started devouring, proving that a teenage girl’s appetite was no worse than a forty-year-old mercenary’s. She emptied the food in front of her, let out a long burp, and wiped her mouth with her hand.

Rom still smiled at her, “Not bad. Like a mercenary now.”

She noticed that he especially loved to smile and look at her. In short, he treated her like a child.

Rom is almost thirty years older than her. Compared to him, she is indeed a child. His smile made her feel a little annoyed but also a little delighted, as if she had a father figure.

He took her to the Mercenary Union and registered her under the name Allen without a last name.

Many people were desperate to become mercenaries and would hide their original names when recording, so it was nothing new.

Since she was Rom’s apprentice, she skipped the initial process and was registered directly as a second-level mercenary.

“Junior mercenaries are generally cannon fodder, going into battle with a rusty sword,” Rom mentioned. “Anyone who can survive their first battle as a junior mercenary isn’t simple. But since you’re with me, you won’t start at this rank.”

He didn’t say more; he had many acquaintances in the Mercenary Union who kept interrupting him.

He greeted them before he introduced Alice, “This is Allen, who followed me to learn swordsmanship.”

Rom’s acquaintances looked bizarre. If these people showed up at the tavern, Lina would have to spend extra time keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn’t cause any trouble.

Alice followed Rom, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword firmly. She didn’t smile or acknowledge. She was in fact tense, but the mercenaries didn’t seem to notice, so no one bothered her.

Rom led her around the Mercenary Union. She saw a room that looked exactly like the prayer chamber in the temple.

“That’s Bertucci’s prayer chamber, the God of Valor.” Rom explained, “If someone who believes in another god becomes a mercenary, they can hold a proselytizing ceremony there and pray for Bertucci’s blessing.”

She was intrigued by this and, had she not once sought a blessing from the God of Doom, she might have become a follower of Bertucci’s.

She asked Rom, “You’re a mercenary too. Why don’t you believe in him?”

“The reason isn’t too far from you. When I was young and stupid, I once mouthed off to the God of Light. After that, I failed to gain acceptance from Bertucci. This is probably a punishment they sent down to me. When I first became a mercenary, I prayed for his forgiveness in the Mercenary Union’s prayer chamber, but it didn’t help. Anyway, I’m not the only mercenary who became one for this reason. I got used to it after a while.”

They stayed at the Mercenary Union for quite some time, as Rom wanted to see if he could find a suitable private commission there.

However, suitable private commissions weren’t easy to come by. After looking around for a while, he gave up and requested the people in the Mercenary Union to notify him of any suitable commissions.

Then he took Alice and left the union.

“Where are we going next?”

“To the tavern.”

Taverns were said to not allow children, but since Alice had worked there as a waitress for quite some time, such a rule didn’t seem to apply to her.

Besides, in people’s minds, mercenaries always seemed to stray from the general rules. Their profession brought them too close to death, making them apathetic in following the rules of the mundane world.

In any case, she was a mercenary now and was going to act like one.

This was Alice’s second time walking through the front her of the tavern. The last time she came in, she was trying to get a job there. To think that, after only a year, the tavern would close down and she would already be a mercenary.

It was incredible how things worked in this world.

Alice strode into the tavern with Rom.

Lina greeted them, her eyes lighting up, “Immortal Rom! There you are.”

Her eyes turned to Alice, who was wearing a valiant male garment.

She smiled, “This one is—”

Rom smiled as well, “My apprentice, Allen.”

“That’s fabulous! With a teacher like you, he’ll undeniably become an impressive mercenary.” Lina beamed delightfully; she was absolutely ecstatic for Alice.

Alice smiled back, but at the same time, she was struggling to hold herself from sobbing.

As a mercenary, she couldn’t cry easily. She knew that when she departed in a few days, she and Lina would never see each other again.

During her time in the tavern, Lina had taken extra care of her. When they first met, she was like a motherless fledgling, and Lina regarded her like a mother.

Now, with her fledgling wings ready to fly, Alice stared at her, who brushed the corners of her eyes, “Becoming a mercenary is something to be congratulated on. I have a gift for you.”

Lina turned and went back to the kitchen, soon returning with a box in her hand.

Alice freed the box and found a strikingly exquisite steel dagger inside.

The blade glittered with an eerie blue light, and a dull-colored jewel was embedded in the hilt. It was evident that the dagger had once been enchanted, but its enchantment force had now been exhausted and it had become an ordinary dagger.

Nonetheless, it was still rare and valuable.

“Someone gave it to me a long time ago,” Lina said simply. “The tavern is going to close, and I’m moving, so I don’t need it. It just takes up space in my luggage, so I might as well give it to someone who needs it.”

It seemed as if she was saying more than she meant to, and Alice could tell that the dagger was supposed to be a cherished keepsake.

She wasn’t confident if she should take it, but it would be hypocritical to refuse, so she graciously accepted the item.

As night fell, the tavern filled with people. Lina was swamped serving the other customers.

Alice sat at a table and observed the tavern from an entirely different perspective.

This was her first home after her mother’s death, but she was leaving it now.

Rom watched her from the sidelines, silent and useless.

He just handed her a glass of wine, “Drink this.”

It wasn’t light ale or the new wine she had last time; it was actual alcohol. Alice downed it, choking back tears.

Her nose was sore, her eyes were damp, and she wasn’t positive whether it was because of the wine or something else.

She only heard Rom whisper in her ear, “Cry if you want to.”