The Female Knight of Doom - TFKOD 32: On-board Agreement

Alice felt lightheaded after speaking with the Great Mother.

She was a mercenary and struggled with thinking about metaphysical things. She made one clarification in her discussion with the Great Mother, though.

Alice will be the key to rousing Cecilion and bringing an end to the God of the Light.

This, in her opinion, was a far too high estimate of her. She had no idea what qualities and skills inspired this ancient god to have such high expectations of her. But this didn’t make her feel under any pressure. After all, this issue had already gone beyond what the average person could comprehend.

Naturally, she felt no pressure because she had no strong feelings about this.

If anything pressed against her, it was the box she was holding, which held the crown.

She had to carry it to the west intact now that she had it in her possession, and she could not harm it in any way. Since it was intended to be worn on the head, it couldn’t be overly delicate.

She dared not take the chance, however, after glancing at the thin gold wire.

The earl did not appear to intend to put Alice in this prison.

Following her departure from the Great Mother and Olivia’s meeting room, a servant arrived to inform her that she would be allowed to leave once a carriage returned to the front of the Rachel mansion.

But before she could enter the carriage, she had to put on a blindfold so as not to give away the location of this place.

The earl, she reasoned, probably wouldn’t make things difficult for her now, since he had brought her here without taking away her weapons, and had even allowed her to take Olivia’s crown.

So she did as she was told, blindfolded herself, and entered the carriage.

After settling herself into the carriage, Alice took off the blindfold and realized she was not alone.

Sitting across from her, Earl Rachel nodded to her.

This degree of embarrassment is truly unmatched.

She had barely processed the plethora of horrific tales about the earl of early years, and it had only been a few days since she had attempted to woo him with her awkward abilities and had almost cut his throat with a knife.

Now, she was sitting in the same carriage as him.

She didn’t want to interact with the man in front of her in any way. She wanted to avoid him as much as possible, so she walked outside, near the carriage’s wall.

Since he was a teenager, the Earl had been the target of sexual advances.

Not offended, he found it fascinating that Alice treated him like a snake or scorpion and purposefully started a conversation, “You and my master have finished talking. Now, it’s just between you and me.”

“I don’t think I have anything to say to you.”

“How can there be no words? You remain a Special Grade Mercenary, at least for now. Additionally, you previously abducted me; I’m not sure if you recall. The laws of Bowen stipulate that a commoner who kidnaps a nobleman must serve at least 30 years in prison. No one will find it odd even if you are given a hanging sentence because it is the only appropriate punishment.”

Alright, that’s awful.

The earl had the authority to impose laws in Bowen, and since Alice had actually abducted him, he could have put her in a cell and left her there to decay until she was just bones.

As the Mercenary Union’s master, he could make her life extremely difficult with a single flick of his fingers, even if he were to be kind and forgive her.

In any event, she should not offend this zealous earl who was not quite right in the head, at least not until she had reached the west safely, the duchess had kept her word, and she had received a formal knighthood.

Better yet, she should figure out how to win him over a little.

She was once patiently taught by Rom that mercenaries don’t have to be morally upright. Everything is predicated on the immediate advantages.

Rom would undoubtedly kneel down and apologize to the earl in the most heartfelt way imaginable if he were faced with such a problem, she could imagine. Then he would repeat all the corny phrases in the world until the earl agreed to overlook it.

However, merely contemplating the pervert concealed behind the earl’s apparently moral facade… Alice thought it was really hard to try to please him. She was still too young; her basic sense of justice had not yet entirely left her heart, regardless of what her master said.

Turning her into a sleek mercenary like Rom—who was ruthless, thick-skinned, and sly—was, in fact, very difficult.

She was forced to play dumb because she didn’t want to flatter the earl or offend him again.

She made a ridiculous, repulsive smile at the corners of her lips, “Hehe.”

The earl covered his eyes in mild pain, having never in his life seen anyone smile so broadly in front of him, “All right. Perhaps you want to quit the union straight away; I’m not sure what the duchess promised you. However, I can make it very clear that I will not allow you to depart in this manner.”

Alice was also aware of the Mercenary Union’s current shortage of elite mercenaries. She wouldn’t have been able to become an elite mercenary so quickly if it weren’t for this. Now, it would probably do no good to pretend to know nothing.

She debated whether to talk to the earl or jump out of the carriage to get away, but she ultimately chose not to do either, “What does the earl want me to do?”

Earl Rachel put his hand on the window and tapped his fingernails lightly, “I was informed by my master that you are a believer of the God of Doom. You do have a part to play, given that the God of Doom might awaken at any moment.”

“Hmm?”

Although Alice didn’t think the God of Doom would awaken anytime soon, it seemed very close after hearing the Great Mother mention it.

When it was said by the earl, it seemed as though it would occur tomorrow.

“Do you also believe that the God of Doom will awaken soon?”

According to the earl, “I can’t say for sure what the God of the Future will be like. However, I am aware that the God of Light’s rule is not unassailable and will ultimately end. I can feel the storm building already. I’m not in a position to say this, though. Eventually, the belief in the Great Mother will wane, and individuals such as myself will perish on the eve of the new world’s birth. One could argue that it was a fitting conclusion.”

A faint smile of bitterness appeared on his lips now, as though he had fully accepted such a conclusion.

Alice was somewhat surprised by this, “I thought you were a fanatic, someone who would want to try to turn the tide.”

“Of course, I am a fanatic.” There was no concealing his passion for the Great Mother, “A fanatic is primarily concerned with complete obedience to the god, aside from preserving a strong religious conviction. The believer should acknowledge the truth and become a martyr when the god has already accepted its own destruction. Just fervent believers, in my opinion, are not deserving.”

His eyes were shining with insanity as he gave a grand speech about fanatics.

He recovered his composure and returned the conversation to its original topic just as Alice was debating whether or not to continue, “Returning to the main topic, you need to be aware of the date of the God of Doom’s awakening because you are the only one who believes in him. Please swear to me that you will take Olivia away on the eve of the God of Doom’s awakening.”

She remained silent for a moment, not expecting him to ask her for such a thing.

He promptly followed up with an explanation, as if she didn’t understand what he was saying, “The Great Mother will probably die along with the other gods when the God of Doom awakens. Olivia is likely to pass away if she stays here.”

Despite their infrequent interactions, Alice was able to infer some aspects of the earl’s personality and character from their stories and subsequent encounters.

She became a little suspicious since she thought the warmth in his words didn’t quite match his general manner, “I thought you didn’t love her and didn’t really care about her well-being.”

“I don’t love her at all, but she wasn’t a follower of the Great Mother either, so she shouldn’t have passed away alongside me. This is a small token of my gratitude for everything I owe her.”

In actuality, this statement is pretty brutal.

What would Olivia think if she heard him say that? However, it would be a very lucrative deal for Alice if she could get him to release her if she agreed to such a condition.

“I promise you.”

“Then it’s settled. Don’t think that when the time comes, you can just brush it off because I might be dead,” he said, nodding and arching an eyebrow at her. “For the contract, I’ve already made an enchanted ring. Do you know such a thing?” He said this as he handed Alice the ring box he had previously prepared.

The Contract Ring was something she was aware of. She had also signed official contracts as a mercenary for some very specific missions. These typically needed to be sealed with a magical stamp by a mage, guaranteeing that the contract itself would never be destroyed.

In contrast, the Contract Ring served more as a tool for punishment than as a token for entering into an agreement. Should the wearer break the agreement, the ring would erupt in a magical fire that would burn them to ashes.

In order to bind both parties, betrothal rings are typically made in pairs. The ring with the earl, though, is a single one.

He is obviously unwilling to take the chance of wearing it. Alice doesn’t want to either, but it doesn’t seem like she has much of an option.

She took the ring, “You were quite early in preparing this kind of thing.”

“Bowen has my personal mage here. So, preparing a ring in advance isn’t too much trouble.”

With some enchanted runes engraved on it, the ring’s design was fairly straightforward.

Slipping the ring onto her index finger, Alice held it up to her hand. The enchanted ring gripped her finger tightly and tightened instantly.

The ring remained in place despite her attempts to pull it off.

It turns out that this ring is most likely irreplaceable before the agreement expires.

By this time, the carriage had already taken them to the Rachel mansion’s entrance.

When Alice and the earl disembarked from the carriage, he tipped his hat to her.

“When you give the crown to Duchess Felix, don’t forget to tell her that Claude sends his regards.”