Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Holy Virgin Knight Rebecca
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“Captain, where are you headed?”
Rebecca delayed her response to the question from the subordinate knight riding alongside her.
What should she say?
Even when selecting the three attendant knights to accompany her, she hadn't explained why they had been chosen.
No, she couldn't.
She couldn't tell them she was searching for a missing Saintess candidate.
This matter needed to be known by as few people as possible—even her most trusted knights were no exception.
“This mission is to be kept strictly confidential. I can't disclose the details to you all, but I ask that you follow along faithfully.”
“Understood.”
Her loyal subordinates accepted her words without question.
Rebecca glanced at Roina, riding beside her.
With her blue bobbed hair fluttering in the wind, Roina rode in silence. She was Rebecca's most reliable right-hand woman, the vice-captain, and the second strongest knight in the Order of the Holy Virgins under Rebecca's command.
Roina, renowned as the most devout knight in the Order of the Holy Virgins, had followed without a word of complaint when Rebecca asked her to come along.
She had lived a life as harsh as Rebecca's in the past, but now, as a member of the Order of the Holy Virgins, she followed the words of the gods more sincerely than anyone.
“Sorry for dragging you into this too, Vice-Captain.”
“Not at all, Captain. It means it's that important, right?”
“Yes. I can't say more, but this mission came straight from the Bishop himself.”
“If it's an order from you, Captain, I'm always ready to obey.”
“...Roina...”
Rebecca's face lit up with emotion upon hearing Roina's pledge of loyalty.
And well it should—Rebecca and Roina shared a secret known only to them, unknown even to their subordinates.
It wasn't simply the bond between captain and vice-captain.
“So, how long are you going to keep talking so formally?”
“There are still eyes on us.”
“I want to hear you call me 'sister.'”
“Once we settle into lodging...”
“Got it. I'll wait for that moment.”
The two had become lovers.
To join the Order of the Holy Virgins, one must preserve her virginity. It was the order's rule to hone one's skills without ever sharing her body with a man.
In other words, all four of these female knights riding horses right now were virgins.
Losing their virginity wouldn't erase their mana or efforts, but the Church of the Saints—with its strict doctrines—forbade knights from forming relationships with the opposite sex.
But could human desire truly be suppressed that easily?
Even in an organization bound by such rigid rules, human love and passion burned brightly within.
A fair number of knights preserved their virginity while pursuing romance with fellow female knights in the order.
It was like tightrope walking over taboo flames from above.
The thrill and sense of immorality from maintaining a relationship shunned by the Church held an addictive allure like a drug for knights who couldn't have socially accepted romances.
Everyone kept it hushed, but such underground relationships were common.
Not every holy knight was like that, but quite a few had blossomed romantic feelings with comrades in their unit.
Just like Rebecca and Roina right now.
“...S-Sister...”
After agonizing shyly for a while, Roina whispered so softly only Rebecca could hear, her pale face flushing red.
Rebecca's ears turned bright red at her words.
“Captain, there's Lorangleble Village up ahead. Looks like we've arrived.”
At the report from the lead knight, Rebecca looked straight ahead.
A small village at the crossroads leading to Dibel Mountain.
The last place the missing Saintess had been seen.
“Then let's get to work.”
“Understood.”
“The village seems bigger than I heard.”
Rebecca thought the same.
The report had described it as a remote mountain village with no notable features.
A small mountain hamlet suffering from monsters before winter hit, relying on regular adventurer hires.
A place where farming and hunting made up most of the income...
“There are quite a lot of adventurers.”
“Maybe a mobilization order nearby?”
“No. The atmosphere's too casual for that. I don't sense the grim resolve of adventurers heading to battle.”
As Rebecca scanned the adventurers moving through the village, something odd caught her eye.
“Most of them are pairs, one man and one woman?”
“Yeah.”
What was this?
Everything was incomprehensible.
Rebecca dismounted upon reaching the village chief's house.
“Oh my, what brings holy knights all the way out here?”
The village chief came rushing out, breathless, and made the sign of the saints upon seeing them.
“Did a priestess happen to visit this village recently?”
“Priestess... Ah, yes! About a month ago, one came to subjugate orcs.”
The chief nodded.
They had come to the right place.
“Do you know where that priestess went?”
“Well... I remember the party including the priestess heading out to clear the goblins. But they didn't return to the village—seemed like they went straight back to the city.”
“Didn't return to the village?”
“Yes. The goblins stopped appearing, so we figured they'd completed the job and returned. Why do you ask?”
The chief looked puzzled.
Rebecca watched his face intently throughout.
She searched for signs of lying, but her instincts told her the village chief spoke only the truth.
“Why didn't you report it?”
“Report? It's such a small village, we thought she just left without much to see... Is something wrong?”
“Nothing major. We're just looking for someone.”
“Ah...”
Rebecca glanced lightly around the village.
“Adventurers are plentiful, though. A dungeon nearby?”
“Ah, yes! Groups of adventurers have been coming to tackle it. Not sure what kind, but heh heh.”
“I see.”
A dungeon...
Could Amy have gotten trapped in the new dungeon?
It was entirely plausible.
'High chance she died inside.'
The Bishop's words echoed: bring her back alive.
Even if she had to make a fake one.
With the Bishop's command, she had no choice but to obey.
“Thank you for the information.”
“It's only natural as a creation of the gods. Heh heh.”
Rebecca, making the sign of the saints, asked,
“Any lodging available? Somewhere for four of us.”
“Hm, we have many guests now... But for holy knights, we can make room.”
“Thank you. May the gods' blessings be with you.”
The holy knights followed the chief's guidance to a small house.
A modest home with two rooms.
Not luxurious, but decent for an overnight stay.
“We'll stay here just one night and move out.”
“Yes, understood!”
The knights unpacked in their respective rooms.
Rebecca and Roina shared the relatively larger one.
As she removed her armor and wiped away the flowing sweat,
“Captain, if it's a priestess who came to this village, isn't it Lady Amy?”
“...”
“Something happened to Lady Amy.”
“I can't say.”
“Did the Saintess candidate go missing or something?”
Rebecca shook her head.
Knowing too much wasn't good.
As Rebecca changed into her curve-revealing undergarments,
A soft sensation pressed against her back.
“Eek!”
“You can tell me. Why do you always try to shoulder it alone?”
It was Roina hugging her from behind.
“R-Roina? I haven't washed up yet...”
“Same here. You'll let the subordinates bathe first anyway, right? Sis-ter?”
“Roina...”
Rebecca's strength melted away at Roina's voice tickling her ear.
“Tell me. What happened? Is the Saintess candidate really missing?”
“Sorry, Roina. I can't even tell you... Mmph!”
Rebecca's body spun around, and something soft touched her lips.
Roina's tender tongue slipped between her slightly parted lips.
“Hah... Hn... Mmm~.”
The two female knights exchanged saliva and breaths for five full minutes.
“Still not telling me?”
Rebecca gazed at her vice-captain with a completely relaxed face.
“No... I can't say.”
“How disappointing, Sis-ter... I thought you'd tell me.”
“Hah...”
“You don't have to. I just wanted to see that troubled look on your face.”
Roina climbed atop Rebecca, who had fallen back onto the bed.
“You should only show that troubled side to me, right?”
Roina began licking Rebecca's sweat-dampened fingers.
The moans of the two female knights were loud enough to carry outside the room.
The subordinate knights who heard them hurried off to bathe in embarrassment.
The two lovers noticed none of it.
“The holy knights have arrived in the village.”
“How many?”
“Four. They'll come straight to our dungeon tomorrow after hearing from the chief.”
Four holy knights.
Not too few, not too many.
A number worth being cautious of—and one they could beat if fought well.
“You okay with that?”
“With traps ready, and you and Amy here, no reason we can't.”
“...Thank you for trusting me.”
Yulia bowed her head.
“But they seem to be looking for Amy. For adventurers searching for a single adventurer, their level is suspiciously high.”
“Yeah. Unusually strong ones.”
Why?
Who in that party were the holy knights after?
'Amy, most likely.'
She was the prime suspect as the priestess.
Her deduction gained weight from the immense divine power she once held in her lower abdomen, her womb.
“Planning to send Amy to the front lines?”
“Of course. That's why I corrupted her.”
She'd been a devout priestess not long ago, but now she was a perfect dark priestess.
I didn't think her resolve would waver even if holy knights appeared before her.
“And we need to test her once.”
To see if Amy was truly fully corrupted.
“Understood. So, will you sleep alone tonight?”
“Call Amy. Before facing the holy knights, I need to imprint on her once more who her master is.”
“Yes. Then...”
Yulia bowed her head.
Her heaving cleavage stole my gaze, but it was still sour grapes—grapes I couldn't eat yet.
Shortly after Yulia left my room,
“Demon King...”
Amy came to my room.
Her face flushed as she looked at me.
“Come here.”