The Female Knight of Doom - TFKOD 48: Joining the Team

Alice looked at him calmly, “No.”

Kent had never thought she might say no, so he looked very surprised, like he had just been splashed with cold water. He looked sad and shocked.

Then she asked, “Can I take a break?”

Instead of walking away right away, Kent first looked stunned, and then his eyes started to fill with tears.

He grabbed Alice’s hand and shook it hard, crying out, “How could you do this?”

She felt like she might be shaken apart. She couldn’t believe that this wild, crazy guy was actually a page in a castle. Usually, pages are very calm and steady, but Kent didn’t seem like that at all.

She was worried about how the pages or young boys who work in the castle were being treated. But she was in a hurry and couldn’t think about that now.

Alice quickly pulled her arm away from him, who was holding her. She took out a small knife she had bought earlier when she was traveling from the North.

She didn’t think she would need it, but now she held it up and said firmly, “If you don’t let go, I’ll hurt you.”

Kent was surprised and let go of her hand, turning his head to the side and saying loudly, “You cold woman.”

Even though he let go, he didn’t take a step back.

Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, Alice sighed, “So, what happened to the team?”

Kent was waiting for her question.

With just one question, the dejected person regained his composure, his eyes shining again, “Her Grace said at dinner the day before yesterday that this tournament will be different from the previous ones. We’ll be participating in teams of three, to increase the sense of unity and cooperation among the knights.”

“So?”

“You, me, and Old Philo, that makes three.”

Alice looked at him with deep suspicion, “Has Old Philo agreed to teaming up?”

“Not yet.” His expression read, ‘I’ve been caught,’ and he said, “I was planning to go find you first. If you agree, let’s go and persuade Old Philo together!”

“I don’t want to go,” Alice said. “As if my plate weren’t already sufficiently full.”

She was indeed truthful. While the matter of Ronald Village had been temporarily settled, she found it necessary to return frequently to monitor the situation.

The village’s debt could not be fully settled by autumn, and there remained the possibility that the merchant might have further demands at that time. The debt was secured against the village’s land, and Alice was wary of transferring ownership prematurely, as doing so might cast doubt on her competence or reliability in the eyes of the duchess.

Moreover, her background was rooted in mercenary service. Rom had often reminded her that glory held little value for them—certainly not enough to justify risking their lives. This lesson was deeply ingrained in her, and even now, as a knight, it persisted.

In essence, regardless of Kent’s insistence, she would never participate in a knightly tournament—a perilous event that offered no monetary reward—preferring to avoid risking her life for fleeting fame.

She hadn’t expected Kent to get so angry, frowning, turning beet red, and after a long pause he finally squeezed out, “You shouldn’t say that, you’re a knight. Participating in a knight’s tournament is the best way to earn honor.”

“A knight who was a mercenary just a quarter ago,” she noted. “Forgive me, but someone who fought for money three months ago is not interested in games of honor where you, noble knights, risk your lives.”

“This is not a game.” Kent’s anger was noticeably growing, “When there are no battles, a knight’s tournament is our only hope for glory. Besides, Her Grace granted you a land, and I have nothing. The salary for training soldiers alone is not enough to even go to the tavern for a drink, let alone buy good equipment. I need to win the knight’s tournament and get the prize money for equipment.”

Alice keenly understood the essence of the matter, “Is there a reward for winning the knight tournament?”

“Certainly,” he replied with a hint of surprise.

“What are you implying?” She pressed.

Kent shot her a meaningful glance and explained, “The victorious team will be awarded a medal and prize money personally bestowed by Her Grace.”

The prospect of such a bounty was far more enticing than mere honor, yet Alice hesitated, lips moistening as she pondered.

Instead of accepting outright, she posed another question, “Speaking of which… you come from a noble family, so why do you lack the funds to acquire proper equipment?”

He met Alice’s gaze and realized that unless he articulated his circumstances clearly, she would remain unconvinced about partnering with him.

“Ah, you wouldn’t understand.” He sighed, “The differences between nobles can be quite significant. Although my family is noble, the inheritance we received was minimal. My eldest brother received a title with a fief, and my second brother received a full suit of armor. When my turn came, I was supposed to go to the temple to become a priest, but I hated the behavior of the temple priests since my youth, so I simply asked them to send me here as a page.

As a knight, I can finally hold my head up high, but my pockets are still empty. In any case, people like us had it easier when we were young than you mercenaries; we didn’t starve or freeze, and our families could at least find us a place as pages, but in reality, it wasn’t much better than yours.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Kent waved his hand dismissively. “Do you want to team up with me?”

“Why do you have to come to me?” His words had long convinced Alice, but she refused to give in, “You’re a knight of noble birth; these people won’t despise you. There are dozens of knights in the castle, so why are you targeting me?”

“Do you think it’s just a matter of birth?” Kent looked at her with a stupid expression. “Of the knights in the castle, only the three of us are from Her Grace’s faction. The others all belong to other factions and wouldn’t join forces with us. As long as the victor is a knight from Cloud Mist Castle, Her Grace won’t lose face in front of the other lords. However, if the three of us win in the end, she will be especially pleased.”

Winning the tournament could make the duchess happy.

Alice had never thought of it that way. But Kent was obviously right. The duchess absolutely wanted her loyal knights to be the strongest in the entire West Felix.

She had no intention of tangling with Kent either and nodded resolutely, “Okay, then I’ll join in.”

He sighed with relief, “If I’d known you were such an idiot and couldn’t even come up with something like that, I would have analyzed the situation for you sooner.”

Alice smiled, not taking his words seriously, and simply asked him, “Do you think we can win?”

Just look at Kent’s obsession with the tournament. He hadn’t visited the old knight Philo once while Alice was away from the castle, and he certainly hadn’t been idle. He must have had a plan all along.

“I’ve already thought of everything,” he said enthusiastically. “The tournament has three main events: archery, fencing, and mounted combat. Previously, there was one winner in each event, but now that it’s a team event, we’ll be counting the number of wins each team member has had and then tallying up the points. Although the criteria for determining victory is slightly different from the original method, if our team members can win the championship in all three events, and the other two don’t slow us down too much, that will be the same as winning the entire competition.”

Kent’s plan seemed too idealistic and unreliable, no matter how you looked at it.

She looked at him with a hint of suspicion, “Is that all?”

Alice’s gaze stung him, “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve thought it through.”

She crossed her arms, waiting for Kent to think it over.

He cleared his throat, “You’ve seen my archery skills. What do you think?”

Alice had been to the archery range with him before and knew that he was a skilled archer who never missed, “Although I don’t quite understand, I can see that you are indeed very good at this.”

He curled his lips and revealed a smug smile, “I’m not bragging, at least in today’s Cloud Mist Castle, no one can surpass me. As for the country knights in other parts of West Felix, let alone them. Don’t be fooled by old man Philo’s appearance, he is a master of riding and once won the riding competition in the royal capital. You are a mercenary, so your swordsmanship must be first-class. As long as the three of us join forces, I guarantee that no knight can defeat us.”

Kent exuded confidence, yet she harbored reservations, sensing that things might not be as straightforward as he believed.

Alice decided to temper his optimism with a touch of realism, “You raise a valid point, but it also hinges on whether Sir Philo is willing to join the team. He’s no longer a young man, and he may not be inclined to participate in fully armed horseback competitions.”

His face suddenly took on a pitiful expression, “Old man Philo is genuinely kind. If you asked him for help, he’d surely accept.”

The reason for Kent’s hesitation in approaching Knight Philo directly—and instead waiting for her—became clear: he found her easier to converse with than the elder knight.

Perhaps he believed that, as a young woman, Alice’s request would be more compelling, increasing the likelihood of a positive response, “So, you want me to go find Sir Philo and invite him to join the team?”

Kent nodded eagerly, eyes shining with anticipation.

It was evident that he possessed an astute mastery of the political machinations within Cloud Mist Castle, yet in moments like these, he regressed into juvenile behavior.

Alice exhaled softly, “Very well, after dinner, I will accompany you to seek out Sir Philo. May I take a brief respite now?”

Relieved by her concession, Kent let out a satisfied sigh, releasing her from his pursuit and returning to his quarters.

Alice sank onto the bed, but her mind remained restless, preventing her from finding the peace she longed for.

Knight Philo is no longer in the prime of youth, yet he remains vigorous enough to wield a spear or swing a sword with confidence. He faithfully accompanied the duchess from the royal capital to West Felix at the time of her marriage, and he has long been a steadfast supporter of her faction.

His loyalty to the duchess is profound, and it appears that she, in turn, regards him as a venerable elder brother—someone she trusts implicitly.

When Alice was knighted previously, only Knight Philo and Kent stood beside her, a gesture of sincere significance that she deeply appreciated. However, she has yet to converse with Knight Philo directly and remains unaware of his true temperament.

Given Kent’s solemn demeanor, it is evident that he still harbors hope of winning him over, of convincing him to join their cause.

Kent exudes a remarkable confidence in the plan he has crafted, yet Alice harbors a more cautious outlook.

Most of the knights at Cloud Mist Castle are in their prime—possessing both seasoned experience and peak physical condition—and they are undoubtedly formidable opponents not to be underestimated.

While she is somewhat uncertain about the intricacies of Knight Philo’s situation with Kent, her expertise in close-quarters combat is undeniable. However, she has never competed in jousting atop a horse with a spear, and archery remains a skill she is just beginning to develop. Despite her determination, she fears she might become a burden.

Even if they succeed in recruiting Knight Philo, she cannot help but wonder: can such a team truly emerge victorious?