The Female Knight of Doom - TFKOD 44: First Update

Although the village chief announced that the new lord is a young woman, this declaration was met with the same skepticism as previous accusations labeling her as a monster or a demon.

After all, their former lord, Reynolds, bore a striking resemblance to a creature of darkness, and no one had yet laid eyes on the female knight herself.

Some villagers remain stubborn, unwilling to admit they were mistaken, even after observing Alice closely; they cling to the belief that her youthful appearance conceals a demonic disguise.

Nonetheless, it is likely only a matter of a day or two before the villagers realize that their new lord is simply an ordinary young woman in armor.

Fortunately, whether the “new knight lord” is a girl, a monster, or a demon, it ultimately holds little sway over their daily lives. When it comes time to settle rents, everyone will do so as usual, ensuring their continued right to farm the land and sustain their livelihoods.

As long as the land remains theirs to till, the true identity of their lord matters little—what matters is the continuity of their lives and the prosperity of their community.

Although it will require some time for everyone to adapt to the new lord, the Paige family has now come to understand that the new knight lord holds no interest in their daughter. With this reassurance, the luncheon can finally proceed in a warm and convivial atmosphere.

Lisa’s mother prepared a roasted chicken—a dish traditionally served to guests in the region. The preparation involves filling a generous roasting pan with potatoes, carrots, and other suitable vegetables, then embedding a whole chicken rubbed with rock salt among the vegetables, seasoning it generously, and roasting until the flavors meld and the chicken absorbs the sweetness of the vegetables.

This hearty, West Felix-style farmhouse meal was particularly to Alice’s liking.

Drawing from her former days as a mercenary, she eagerly consumed a large plateful, subtly challenging the villagers’ assumptions that “the lord is a woman.”

Once lunch concluded, an attendee informed them that Reynolds had already departed and that his residence was now being tidied. They requested the knight and the village chief to inspect the house together.

Alice was pleasantly surprised by the villagers’ efficiency.

She accompanied the village chief to Reynolds residence, an edifice renowned as the most magnificent in the entire village.

Originally the estate of Knight Martin, upon his passing, ownership of both the house and the surrounding land transferred into the Reynolds family’s possession. With Reynolds having since departed, taking all his belongings, the house has now automatically become Alice’s property.

Although he left her without a single copper coin, the task of relocating the substantial furniture—tables, chairs, benches, beds, and wardrobes—proved challenging.

Interestingly, the village’s land income ledgers, which were left behind as seemingly worthless relics, actually proved quite advantageous for her.

Surveying the house, she found its condition to be quite adequate; with a touch of tidying, it could be made ready for habitation. Were it not for her understanding that her long-term residence would be at Cloud Mist Castle, she would have eagerly wished to settle here.

Perhaps in the future, as she grows older, she might have the opportunity to make this place her permanent home, much like Knight Martin once did.

After inspecting the house, she turned her attention to organizing the village’s accounts. The ledger was prepared, yet the village accountant was absent.

The village chief explained that the sole accountant, hired jointly by several neighboring villages, was currently engaged in auditing accounts in a nearby settlement and would not return for another day or two.

This was really bad news; Alice hadn’t planned to stay so long at once.

The village chief suggested that she handle it herself. He said that the village accounts were not complicated and even a novice could handle it. Moreover, as the lord, she should have some understanding of the local accounting situation.

Alice had never thought of doing such a thing.

However, considering that the duchess had so many servants and they were busy with paperwork every day, it seemed necessary for her to check the accounts herself.

“Can you come and help me?” She asked the village chief.

“Although I know a little arithmetic, I’ve never done work like sorting out accounts before, and I always feel unsure.” The village chief scratched his head and chuckled, “Oh, this is really putting me in a difficult position. Although I am one of the few educated people in the village, I can only recognize a few common seals and documents. As for arithmetic… I’m really not good at it. If I help sort out the accounts, I’m afraid it will only make things worse.”

Although Alice had already assessed the villagers’ educational level, she hadn’t expected that even the village chief couldn’t read.

She asked him a few more questions, not really expecting anyone to help her, but in the end, all she got was this answer, “There are a few students in our village, but it’s not their holiday yet, so they’re still studying in the city. Other than that, there’s really nothing else I can do. Someone like you, who can read and count, is already considered the most educated person in the village!”

Since her mother had only taught her reading and arithmetic as a child, and she had never even gone to school, Alice instinctively despaired at the situation.

However, as the new lord of the village, she had to do the accounting. So she reluctantly sat down at the table and frowned as she opened the ledger.

The village chief wasn’t wrong; the village’s accounts were relatively simple and easy to understand, even for a novice like her.

However, after reading only two pages, she still could not concentrate and had to lie down on the table and call on her god, “Cecilion—”

The god, which usually appeared at the first call, did not appear this time.

It was unclear whether He had gone off to help someone else again, or was simply pretending to be somewhere else to avoid the question she wanted to ask.

Having received no answer from the god, Alice, feeling a little depressed, forced herself to focus on the ledger. But for her, who had never done arithmetic before, this process was incredibly painful.

Soon, she began to unconsciously pull at her hair.

Fortunately, a seventeen-year-old girl did not have to worry about hair loss yet; otherwise, she would have pulled it out by now.

Just as she was driving herself to despair by looking at the figures in the ledger, a sudden, uncontrollable giggle rang out from behind her.

If an ordinary person were faced with such a situation, they would most likely be startled by the sudden voice. But Alice had long been accustomed to Cecilion appearing from all sorts of strange places.

She rubbed her eyes, leaned forward again, rested her hands on the table and asked in a deep, resonant voice, “Where did you run off to again?”

“I was here the whole time,” He replied. “I’m just curious how the ledger will torment you, so I watched for a while.”

If a human had said that, Alice would surely have punched him twice, but Cecilion had no corporeal form. Even if He had, hitting him would likely bring divine retribution, so it was best to leave him alone.

“Don’t be angry. I just want to understand humans more.”

Alice wasn’t truly angry, but she had something to ask.

As she reached out toward the voice, feeling for his invisible fingers, she asked the question that had been nagging at her, “Earlier, when I was fighting with Reynolds, I suddenly called your name. What was it? I didn’t mean to summon you at that moment.”

It seemed to take a moment for Cecilion to find the right words to explain, “…This is a kind of synchronicity.”

“Synchronicity?”

“When the relationship between the god and the believer is close, such situations may sometimes occur. Signs of harmony may not appear, and it only happens randomly when the believer has a strong desire for something. At that moment, the god and the believer become one, and the full power of the god can be poured into the believer, for him to use.”

“…the full power of the gods?”

“In theory, that’s how it is. But in reality, the power of many gods tends to be infinite, and followers only have access to the portion they need. The ancient heroes recorded in your history often displayed amazing strength at critical moments. This power stems from resonance, but mortals don’t understand the principle; all they can do is record the phenomenon.”

“I thought these were just legends.”

“Myths all evolved from reality,” Cecilion explained to her calmly. “The human eye observes and records the world from different angles, but at the core of the world, there are constants. Some things never change.”

“For example, you.”

“For example, me.”

Whenever Cecilion talks about such matters, the conversation always veers toward metaphysics. He is a constant in the universe, but at this moment He is talking to her in this small study. Once started, there would be endless topics of discussion for a lifetime. It is easy to lose track.

Alice did her best to bring the conversation back to what she so wanted to know at the moment.

“I have never heard of anything like this synchronization in real life,” Alice said. “When I was a mercenary, I met many people, most of whom were followers of Bertucci. Some of them prayed constantly, and some claimed that the gods spoke to them, but none ever accomplished anything as amazing as the feats of the ancient heroes.”

“That is because the distance between the gods and humans has increased.” He told her, “The twelve gods worshiped in the temple today once wandered this world like humans. The gods personally recruited followers and spoke to them face to face… just like we do today. In those days, the distance between the gods and the human heroes was not as great as it is today.”

“Have you ever synchronized with anyone during that period?”

“Never,” Cecilion replied, his hand gently resting on her shoulder as he traced his fingers down her spine. “I was a sleeping god, with limited power to influence dreams freely, especially when the gods themselves roamed the earth in search of followers.”

This suggests that she was the first to truly attune herself to him.

Alice sat upright, thoughtfully biting her finger as she pondered, “So, what you just shared wasn’t based on your direct experience, but rather second-hand knowledge from other gods?”

“Yes,” He confirmed. “Like you, it took me some time to restore my energy and find balance again. The synchronicity occurred so suddenly that it was a bit overwhelming, but… I’m grateful for it.” His voice lifted subtly at the end, carrying a sweet, rare warmth.

The delicate joy in his tone touched Alice deeply, evoking the sensation of a feather tickling her heart or tasting a drop of honey mixed into her milk.

When she first perceived Cecilion’s voice within the temple, she was struck by its gentle, androgynous, and truly divine quality—so much so that she perceived no traces of emotional fluctuation within it.

Yet, over time, she grew increasingly perceptive, discerning the subtle nuances of emotion woven into his tone. Though these variations are delicate and barely perceptible, they reveal a depth beneath the surface, hinting at a profound inner life that gradually unveils itself to the attentive listener.

She didn’t know if it was intentional or accidental, but she was surprised to find something human about him, like finding a soft clam in an oyster’s rock-like shell.

It made her think He was rather cute.

“I’m glad I was on the same wavelength with you,” she said. “It was a little strange, but it was over so quickly that I didn’t have time to catch it… in fact, I wish you were on the same wavelength with me again.”

She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging at it, “If we were to tune in again and let me use your power as I saw fit, would I be able to understand all of these accounts in five minutes?”

“Synchrony is something that can only be experienced, not sought after,” Cecilion replied. “Even if we all wanted it very much, synchrony cannot happen at any time. At least, I have never heard of anyone or any god doing it. Moreover, synchronization can sometimes be dangerous. If a believer inadvertently calls upon energy that exceeds the body’s capacity, and the god fails to block the energy flow in time, this force will likely tear the human body to pieces.”

“Never mind. Even if we could Synchronize, my brain would explode from the overload,” Alice said with a hint of self-reproach. “Perhaps I should give up my faith and worship the Goddess of Commerce. Even if I can’t, at least she can help me understand these accounts… or rather, do you have the ability?”

She turned, gazing hopefully at the shimmering air, “Can you do it?”

She felt someone grasp her hand, “My arithmetic skills aren’t as good as the Goddess of Commerce’s. But the people in my former cult… they love numbers…”

“They often pray to you, so you must possess some kind of divine power in calculations,” she suddenly perked up.

She grasped Cecilion’s invisible hand with both hands and prayed, “Please help me, at least grant me some arithmetic skills, so I can get this done faster.”

Cecilion usually never let her down.

But now, for the first time, He refused her request and sincerely offered the best solution, “Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in arithmetic. If you want to improve your skills, the best way is to practice more.”

It seemed that even the god could not solve all of her problems with his divine power.

Alice sighed in disappointment, took his hand in both hers, and rested her forehead on his arm.

She hadn’t been there long when the surprised voice of the old village chief suddenly came from the door.

“What, what, what, what are you doing?”