The Female Knight of Doom - TFKOD 33: Inside the Inn

Alice stood for a while, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand and holding a box containing a crown in the other, as the earl entered the mansion.

He had previously imprisoned her in the dungeon before sending her to the underground temple. She only saw the light of day once more at this precise moment.

She took a moment to recover from the slight vertigo she was experiencing under the sun, reoriented herself, and walked to the inn where she had previously stayed.

Given that she had paid a deposit at the front desk prior to her departure, the inn shouldn’t have disposed of her luggage for the time being, but she wasn’t sure if the owner would rent her room to someone else because she had been missing for so many days.

When she got back to the inn, she inquired at the reception desk. She had been staying in a room that had been rented out by the owner after a few more guests arrived in the last few days, as was to be expected.

Her luggage had been packed and left at the reception desk.

When she arrived, the store clerk pulled out the package and gave it to her, “Your things are all here. No one has touched them, please check them yourself.”

Alice carefully opened and examined her luggage.

Along with the odds and ends, there were gold and silver coins. However, she sensed that something significant was lacking. She took another look at everything and felt all over herself before realizing what she had lost.

Etienne gave her a chainmail, but it’s not here.

Her face became pale.

She was unable to wear it underneath her dress, so she had taken it off.

She didn’t anticipate that it would be lost in this manner because she was rushing and hadn’t packed it in her luggage.

The inn assistant said he didn’t know when Alice called him over to ask.

In a panic, she pulled out her dagger and slammed it against the table.

The assistant was alarmed by this and swore as he raised his hand, “I put it in your bag because I noticed it while cleaning up, but a guest later saw it and reported it to the front desk. I would have perished horribly if I had stolen it.”

The owner heard the commotion and came downstairs from the upstairs to find out what was going on.

He knew right away that he probably couldn’t afford to offend this guest when he learned that an enchanted chainmail had been lost.

He smiled and quickly apologized, asked the shop assistant to remember the events of the previous few days, and then went to the room himself to search.

The guest rooms, of course, were empty.

Nowadays, there were too many customers, and the assistant couldn’t recall if there were any suspicious individuals.

For some time, the matter came to a standstill.

Alice was aware that operating an inn was a respectable business and that although dishonest employees might steal a few coins, they wouldn’t necessarily dare to steal a priceless chainmail.

The craftsman’s mark was engraved on the chainmail, and it could be identified by a unique enchantment, whereas gold and silver coins lacked a name or surname.

Ordinary shops wouldn’t dare pick them up if they couldn’t explain where they came from.

If you look at it this way, the individual who took the chainmail is probably a mercenary or just a thief who subsists by taking shortcuts.

Interrogating the assistants here would be pointless if the item were the target of some small-time criminal.

After a brief moment of reflection, Alice put her dagger away, “Have you seen any mercenaries or other armed guests these past few days?”

The assistant slapped his palm as if he remembered something at her question, “I got it. It must be that person who took it!”

Further investigation by Alice revealed that there had been a rather peculiar guest at the inn a few days prior. In addition to wearing light clothing appropriate for moving through the mountains and forests, that man appeared to have traveled and was carrying a pair of short knives.

While daggers are also carried by regular tourists for self-defense, twin knife users are obviously experts. Longer weapons are typically carried by soldiers or mercenaries to combat adversaries on the battlefield. Short knives would only be used by long-distance bandits who find it difficult to carry long weapons.

This guy is most likely the most suspicious person in recent memory.

The new visitor was probably eating dinner at the table when they noticed the chainmail being delivered to the front desk and just watched as the staff placed it in Alice’s luggage.

The owner and assistant both sighed with relief at having at last remembered such a person.

A young man under twenty, with brown hair that fell to his shoulders, a sly expression, a few freckles on his face, and a single earring in one ear, was the description the shop assistant gave Alice of the person’s appearance.

Given the twin swords, light clothing, and these physical characteristics, it didn’t seem too difficult to identify them.

For more information, Alice went to the stable, and according to the stable boy, who recalled the individual, he rode a white horse. It was probably going south, he remembered, but he had no idea of the exact location.

At least this is the only bright spot; after all, he is traveling in the same direction as Alice, who is returning to the royal capital. She might be able to learn something along the way.

She was desperate to go after him right away, but he had a good horse and had been gone for a few days. She would not catch up even if she started immediately.

Furthermore, she had used nearly as much energy as she had in the previous days to fight a battle. At this point, she was unable to wait any longer, so she asked the innkeeper to give her a new room and told him to feed the horse properly so she could leave early the following day.

Whether due to guilt or a desire to please, the innkeeper opened the most comfortable room for her and announced that the fee would be waived.

She agreed because the innkeeper was prepared to make things right.

Ultimately, she was a person who had lived and died; a restful night’s sleep was more important than the value of the chainmail. In just one minute, she was sound asleep after changing and lying on the suite’s big bed.

Alice was just about to wake up when she felt something touching her hand and attempting to turn the ring on her index finger. She had no idea how long she had been asleep.

She awoke abruptly.

The room has an intruder!

She was like a startled bird holding a priceless crown after losing her chainmail, her nerves suddenly tense.

How the intruder got in was not something she had time to consider.

She silently lunged, missing, and grabbed the dagger by her pillow.

She was so sure of her ability to see that she didn’t think she would miss her target. Without hesitation, she rolled out of bed, shielding her body with it, and looked up.

It was getting close to dusk now. The situation inside could still be seen despite the room’s dim lighting.

But she discovered the room was empty of other people.

A voice whispered in her ear as she was starting to feel anxious, “It’s me.”

Alice was so shocked and shook that she didn’t realize it was Cecilion until she regained consciousness.

Then, with a sigh of relief, she dropped the dagger casually, spun around, and fell to the ground, “Oh, it’s you. I nearly passed out from fear, thinking someone was hiding here.”

“Maybe there will be such things often in the future, so you should get used to it as soon as possible.”

Alice was both surprised and delighted when she heard that his words were out of the ordinary, “Are you saying that you have decided to stay by my side forever?”

He never seems to directly respond to questions, “I swore an oath. The dungeon ritual is more than just your one-sided vow. I won’t break my promise after everything I have said.”

She remarked, “But it seems you don’t have much energy these days. It must take a lot of prayer power to communicate in this way, right? Making a physical form like this, I mean?”

Her voice ended with a questioning tone because she wasn’t sure if Cecillion could now be said to have a physical form.

The way its “hand” touched was different from how it had felt in the dungeon. Though totally undetectable, it had a more human-like feel.

He, however, asserted that one could still see something in the dungeon if it hadn’t been so dim.

“It’s not as much as you might think.” He appeared to consider this response for a moment, “Through Olivia, I received a small message from the Great Mother about prayer. Even though it’s not much, it should be sufficient to give me a little more power over the mortal world.”

“The Great Mother?” Alice was a little taken aback because she didn’t anticipate her making this choice or offering assistance in this manner, “Can the power of faith be transferred like this?”

“In general, it’s not feasible,” Cecilion informed. “But the mother is her. I have a different bond with you than I do with the other gods. The power of hers is greater than that of the priestesses of any other god. By praying, she is able to give other gods the power of faith.”

After He finished elucidating the issues involving the gods, He shifted the conversation, “However, I didn’t come here to say this.”

The god’s invisible hand moved over her hand, caressing the ring and tapping her finger softly, “I wanted to tell you, don’t accept rings so easily in the future.”

“Hmm?”

“The God of Darkness’ power is the source of the mages’ magic. I can’t even easily refute it. This type of thing is too risky. The pact may ignite when you are totally unprepared if the mage who made it has malice toward you and clandestinely changes the terms. Maybe I can’t save you in time, too.”

Alice felt somewhat amused by his voice, which displayed an uncommon level of seriousness, “I thought you were capable of anything.”

Cecilian sighed, “The truth is, I can’t do anything. Do you think I’m a useless god?”

“How could I? My life was saved by you!”

“It’s only to seal the wound and stop the bleeding. Any potion made by a mage has that ability.”

“But only you can appear by my side in times of crisis.” Alice said, touching his invisible arm as she reached out to his direction.

The god did not move, but He shook slightly as though He had been electrocuted, as though He was unaccustomed to this type of contact.

Alice was unable to feel the bones because his arms were soft and round. Also, she was unable to determine his gender just by comparing bones and muscles.

She asked him abruptly out of curiosity, “Are you a man or a woman?”

This was what she had been hoping to find out, to determine the god’s gender. His voice was always too light.

He hesitated for a second after hearing her query.

“Would you like me to be a man or a woman?”

…

T/N

Back in Chapter 28, I know it said Alice wore a chainmail. I thought I was tripping, so I checked the raw, but I wasn’t. I guess it was a different one from what Etienne gave her. Or perhaps the author just made a small mistake.