Chapter 9: Shields of the Priest

At night, Helena sits beside Isz, who was looking at the moon from the rooftop.

Helena: “The moon is so beautiful tonight.”

Isz: “Yeah… I like feeling the night breeze. When I was out on the battlefield and the fighting stopped, my pastime was always staring at the moon and enjoying that breeze.”

Helena: “I see… the view really is incredible from up here. What goes through your mind when you look at the sky?”

Isz: “I don’t know… maybe it’s the same feeling a wolf has when it howls at the moon. A sense of comfort, maybe. The moon also reminds me of your white hair.”

Helena blushes. Helena: “That’s… amazing. I didn’t know you thought about things like that… I heard you’re going back to the battlefield tomorrow…”

Isz: “Yeah. We’re about to start a campaign exercise to bring an end to this war. Volny will be sending support units too.”

With some hesitation, Helena asks: Helena: “What do you want to do once the war is over? Do you plan to have a family? A wife? Or just a normal life?”

Isz: “I’ve never really thought about it. I think I’ll always be a knight… I can’t imagine myself having a family. But I do want to travel, see places, and enjoy life.”

Helena looks at Isz. Helena: “If you go… can I go with you?”

Isz: “Of course. It’d be great to have someone with me.”

Helena smiles, rests her head on his shoulder, and whispers: Helena: “I hope this war ends soon.”

Isz checks the time and says it’s getting late, and the two head off to sleep.

The next day, Isz departs. He says goodbye to everyone and tells them they’ll meet again in six years. Helena sees him off with tears in her eyes, begging him not to die in battle. Anna watches Helena and remembers her own youth.

Four years pass since Isz’s departure. Helena and the others receive no news from the scouts. Helena trains, grows stronger, matures, and waits for any word about her friend.

The High Alchemist, Jako, summons Anna to his office and tells her she has an important mission.

Jako: “Anna, High Priest Grey will be traveling with Princess Zhofia to the countryside. They need high-level escort, and I know you’re capable.”

Anna hesitates, escort missions are usually extremely difficult for newly-graduated knights, but Jako explains they have no elite units left for the job.

Anna explains the situation to the girls, and they depart.

Mary: “Nervous, Helena?”

Helena: “No… just thinking.”

Mary: “It’ll be fine, relax. We’ve got Anna with us.”

Helena: “That’s true.”

She answered with a small, confident smile.

On the road to the countryside, they fall into an ambush set by bandits and Volny raiders. Anna orders the attack, even though the enemies this time are humans, not monsters.

Anna draws her Mercy Hooks and begins the assault.

Bandit: “WHAT? AHNHH—IT’S THE WOMAN WHO KILLED HER OWN HUSBAND AND CHILD!!”

Anna slices him clean in half with a single strike and hooks two others. Some raiders cast magic, but Helena deflects it and cuts off a bandit’s fingers—without killing him. Mary slits a sorcerer’s throat before he can finish chanting.

The princess and the priest are stunned by the women’s skill. The priest whispers: “I need a personal guard… and these girls are perfect.”

Anna wraps her hooks around her fists and punches a bandit in the face, then interrogates him.

Anna: “Leave this one to me. You two—head into the woods and eliminate the rest. They’re sneaky. They could cause trouble on the way back.”

Helena finds the man whose fingers she cut off. He pretends to feel remorse, then suddenly punches her.

Bandit: “You’re pretty, you know. Might fetch a good price! Hahaha!”

Helena immediately twists his arm and breaks it. Mary is already turning the forest into a bloodbath. Helena looks at the man with disgust.

Helena: “This is for everyone you sold.” She slits his throat.

Rain starts to fall. Helena pauses to breathe, her hands trembling from adrenaline, and from the heavy reality that she has just killed humans for the first time.

Mary watches her, but with a strangely playful, almost wicked expression, the sight of Helena covered in blood seemed to amuse her.

Mary: “Do you smell that? That sweet scent?”

Helena: “Now that you mention it… it really is nice.”

Mary tears open a dead bandit’s throat and licks the tip of her blade. Helena looks at her in shock and asks what she’s doing. Mary dips her finger in blood and presses it to Helena’s lips, who, strangely, likes the taste.

Mary: “Did you like it?”

She looks at Helena with a mischievous grin, placing one of her legs between Helena’s.

Anna: “Where are you two? Are you alright?”

Mary: “Come on, Anna’s calling.”

Still a bit confused, Helena gets up and the two continue the mission. After arriving in the countryside, the priest appoints them as Shields. They accept and move to the king’s castle, where they will now work as elite personal escorts.