Reward - 1
The door exploded with a deafening BOOM!
“Catch them all! Kill any who resist!”
The soldiers possessed magic power that fell far short of a knight’s but roughly matched a low-ranking adventurer’s. Even so, compared to ordinary people or commoners, they displayed abilities that could only be called superhuman.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
The people inside the building—the Red Blood members who had been preparing to withdraw on orders—screamed the instant they saw the barricaded door shatter into splinters under a massive war hammer. They turned tail and fled.
Watching them, the female knight Selene Poena swung her blade without hesitation. The ankle of a Red Blood member scampering away like a rat was severed cleanly.
“Graaaaaah!”
“S-spare me! Please, spare me!”
“You bastards, drop to your knees and press your foreheads to the ground right now!”
“Move an inch and I’ll beat you to death!”
In truth, the Red Blood’s notoriety had only recently begun to spread, but they were fundamentally a gathering of the powerless. It was rare for such a group to pose any real threat to even a single properly trained soldier, let alone an elite one.
Selene, having scouted the site thoroughly beforehand, confirmed there were none of the so-called executive-level figures her lord had warned about, and immediately ordered the raid.
“So they really wereRed Blood…!”
“This appears to be the end of the matter for this village, but please remain vigilant in the days ahead. I am not overstepping my authority; the lord is genuinely furious about this affair, so caution is strongly advised.”
“I-is that so? Understood!”
“We’ll be careful! We place our faith in you, Sir Knight!”
At Selene’s words, the middle-aged man—face drained of all color—and the village chief watching fearfully from behind nodded with equally pale expressions.
“Then I leave the rest to you.”
After confirming the remaining tasks were completed, Selene judged the village matter settled and set off toward the next one.
Her superiors had no intention of eradicating every last Red Blood member across the entire southern region. Their goal was at least to scour Muller clean.
Selene and the other knights regrouped at the assembly point, double-checked their remaining schedule and plans, then began carefully infiltrating the final village.
With that, the settlements under her responsibility were finished. Trailing at the rear of the column, Selene discreetly spread her fingers.
She slowly folded two of them.
‘Emergency formation for special circumstances—castle security duty, second month: 20 points.’
Three more fingers.
‘This Red Blood eradication mission—three villages under my command: 30 points.’
One by one, she carefully folded each finger.
Nine fingers in total.
She was still one short.
The final village required linking up with a knight on a separate route, making the count ambiguous.
Staring at the single outstretched finger, Selene wore a heartbroken expression.
At this rate, she would have almost no chance to earn more points until the next special mission.
Just then, the knight walking ahead glanced back and met her eyes. It was her senior—a female knight who had transferred from Franz alongside her.
In fact, quite a few female knights had come from Franz to Muller, just like Selene.
It was only natural.
The greatest reward for distinguished service was land. Accumulating wealth through territory and building a lasting history to solidify one’s bloodline was every knight’s dream.
Yet while land was the ultimate prize for male knights, female knights had one additional path.
The highest opportunity to elevate the quality of the bloodline that accumulated that history.
Grace.
While Franz was more open about carnal matters than other houses, the other noble families were hardly free of such inclinations. Even so, they were busy enough directing those desires toward fellow nobles; opportunities to grant Grace to female knights were exceedingly rare.
But their lord, now master of his own lands—Leoric Franz—was different.
“I believe those who produce results and achieve merit must be given fitting rewards.”
“I have no desire to exploit your loyalty and passion simply by demanding obedience to your lord’s words for my own convenience. Therefore, I shall prepare performance bonuses for your loyalty.”
“Henceforth, knights who undertake missions shall receive… let us call them Loyalty Points. I will award Loyalty Points.”
“These are not points granted for routine duties or obligatory tasks. Urgent missions, special infiltration operations, life-risking dangerous assignments—missions one cannot simply volunteer for at will. That is precisely why they require initiative and resolve. Loyalty Points shall be granted to knights who carry out such missions with the passion to risk everything.”
“When accumulated Loyalty Points reach 100, a special reward shall be given. Of course, ordinary duties and merits are not disregarded—this is an entirely separate system. Neglect of regular duty will instead warrant punishment. Those who gather 100 Loyalty Points may request one wish of their choosing.”
Selene still remembered the day he had declared it before nearly every knight in Muller.
Performance bonus. A truly sweet, magical word.
Behind the lord, Chloe had stared at him with dead eyes, but Selene paid it no mind. She was probably just tired.
The knights, eyes sparkling with excitement at the words “performance bonus,” had gazed at their lord in anticipation.
Of course, not every wish would be granted. Laws had to be observed, and excessive demands would likely be refused.
But.
Selene had raised her hand.
“Yes. What is it?”
When Leoric Franz’s gaze turned to her, she fought down her pounding heart and shouted, “D-does the reward include Grace?!”
In an instant, every knight’s eyes locked onto her.
Wasn’t that asking for far too grand a reward?
Yet Selene had her reasons for confidence. She and Chloe—former classmates, now superior and subordinate—met often in private. Though Chloe never spoke of it openly and even tried to hide the truth, Selene had noticed the signs as her closest friend.
The clearest evidence was that ever since becoming a close aide, Chloe had almost never gone underwear shopping with her.
There had long been rumors.
That the lord Leoric Franz possessed an absolutely monstrous libido.
In the suddenly silent hall, feeling his gaze upon her, Selene’s face flushed crimson. She wanted to lower her head but forced herself to meet his eyes.
The faint smile, the beautifully shining golden irises.
Her heart thundered at the sight of her lord’s artistic beauty, the sound echoing in her ears.
“It would depend on the situation, but… that should be possible as well.”
At that moment Chloe looked at her lord with icy eyes. Clearly the situation was not what the others imagined. Chloe barely suppressed a sigh.
“Kyaa!”
“Oh my goodness!”
The female knights, Selene included, nearly screamed but quickly covered their mouths.
It wasn’t entirely without calculation, but to every female knight—and indeed every woman in the territory—Leoric Franz was the supreme masterpiece, the ideal man they all dreamed of.
He remembered the names of even the commoner maids, treated them with warm consideration, and there were maids who fainted the moment their eyes met his or he offered a smile.
Recently the maids of Muller whispered among themselves about wanting to see him up close at least once. Naturally, the female knights’ longing was no less intense.
From those who wished to serve him closely even once, to those who simply dreamed of a single night regardless of bloodline—the popularity was overwhelming.
“I will give it my utmost!”
“I pledge my eternal loyalty!”
Watching their eyes burn like those of hungry beasts, Leoric gave a bitter smile as the meeting drew to a close.
“Um…”
Finally one male knight raised his hand. Hesitating, eyes filled with faint hope, he asked, “By any chance… could the reward extend not to the knight herself but to her family? For example… could my wife receive Grace?”
“That… would depend on the situation?”
Leoric answered, barely hiding his genuine bewilderment.
* * *
The senior pointed at Selene then spread her hand wide.
‘You hit 100 points?’
Selene shook her head and held up nine fingers.
‘90 points. What about you, senior?’
Grin.
Her senior smiled brightly and spread her own hand.
‘100 points, obviously~’
So envious!
Selene hung her head.
Was there really no way to earn those last ten points?
Of course the lord had said that, since it was ultimately a bonus system, not every wish could be fulfilled. He had forbidden anything too excessive, but the warning was easier said than accepted.
“Grit!”
It was a tiny village on the very edge of the territory; there was no great merit to be gained here. She would simply crush every visible Red Blood member to vent her frustration.
Clenching her teeth, Selene slipped into the village.
* * *
“What is this powder?”
Selene stared at the strange substance.
She had charged in furiously and ended up picking up something odd. After cutting off the arm of the Red Blood member who had been desperately trying to hide it, she had retrieved a bottle filled with the glittering powder.
The magic power emanating from it felt distinctly unpleasant.
‘……A chance?’
It was clearly no ordinary powder. In other words, it counted as an achievement.
Selene’s eyes sparkled.
“Search even more thoroughly! Hey! What are you all doing?! Comb through every inch—don’t miss a single speck of dust!”
* * *