That day, I was a little excited from the morning.
Monster extermination!
As long as you're in the Knight Order, monster extermination was inevitable.
Therefore, no matter which group you were assigned to, it was a rule that you must accompany a monster extermination in your first year after joining.
Today, Fabian and I would be accompanying the Sixth Knight Order, who specialized in monster extermination.
Although we trained in sword skills every day, we were still a rookie who had only been with the group for a year and had no actual combat experience.
The main purpose here was to observe and learn from the senior knights' fighting techniques, and unless absolutely necessary, we wouldn't be taking part in the fighting.
Five platoons of 20 people each would be participating, and Fabian and I would be accompanying the 3rd Platoon.
The location was the "Starry Forest" located in the north of the royal capital, about an hour's ride away by horse.
As I rode my horse at the very rear of the 3rd Platoon, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
The townscape had changed in 300 years, but the forest remained the same.
The Starry Forest was the closest forest to the royal capital, and it was a place I visited occasionally in my previous life.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the forest, the platoons split up and received instructions from their platoon leaders.
At that time, each person was given a small bottle containing a sparkling liquid. It was a healing potion.
The division of roles was as follows: ten of us would fight monsters, five would guard the saints, two would be in charge of reconnaissance, and three would be on patrol to keep an eye on the surrounding area—Fabian and I were in charge of patrol.
Yes, today the saints would be accompanying us.
Speaking of the saints, in a sense, they were my colleague.
I had never met saints in this life yet, so I was very much looking forward to meeting them.
However, even when the preparations were complete, the explanations were over, and it was time for the subjugation to begin, the saints was nowhere to be seen.
On the contrary, all the knights were standing there lined up as if waiting for something.
...Umm. Does this mean we're waiting for the saints?
After waiting another 30 minutes, five carriages arrived at the entrance to the forest.
Then, from the carriage, a total of 15 women in white robes emerged.
The Vice Captain Ghai, the highest ranking among the gathered knights, quickly went to greet the ladies.
As soon as the remaining knights saw the woman, they made a fist with their right hand, placed it on their left shoulder, and bowed their heads in a knightly salute.
I hurriedly followed everyone else's lead.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am Ghai, vice-captain of the Sixth Knight Order. Thank you for your time today."
The saints nodded generously and walked slowly ahead of Ghai.
After that, three saints were assigned to each group.
Assigned to the third platoon were three saints in their twenties, thirties, and forties.
Apparently, the names of the saints were not generally disclosed, and they were all referred to as "Lady Saint."
However, the top ten most capable saints were numbered in order of their abilities: 1st Saint, 2nd Saint, 3rd Saint... and their names were widely made public.
"Well then, Lady Saint, would you like to join us?"
Hector, the third platoon leader, asks the saints for their opinions.
All three saints were wearing white robes that reached down to their knees and lace-up boots, and each held a staff with a magic stone in it.
Then, they silently nodded and handed the staff to a nearby knight.
...Um, so does this mean that you trust the knights enough to entrust them with your precious staff? Or that it's too heavy and you want them to carry it for you?
Two options crossed my mind, but when I saw the saints not even making eye contact with the knights or saying a word, I became convinced.
…Yup, the latter. It's heavy, so they'd just have someone carry it for them.
After that, we split into groups and went into the forest, but the knights guarding the saint seemed to be having a hard time.
Because we were in the forest, the branches and leaves of the trees were able to grow freely.
The saint's guards cut off the branches and leaves with machetes so as not to touch the saint's faces or hands. All the branches and leaves in the saint's path!
And the saints walked along the path that had been made for them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ah, yes. 300 years have passed, so I understood that values change.
I wouldn't say something childish like telling them to stay the same forever.
But...
"There it is!"
The knights walking in front of us could be heard. It seemed they had encountered a monster.
What appeared was a boar-type monster, a Violet Boar, with a body length of nearly two meters and a very aggressive look. Even now, it was tucking its nose in and baring its fangs.
However, they were active knights.
In an instant, they formed a formation surrounding the Violet Boar, and naturally split into decoys and attackers, attacking the monster with precision.
The knights gradually cornered the Violet Boar, but then, something strange happened.
The saints walked slowly away from the battlefield.
Then they sat down on a rock a short distance away.
……huh?
As I watched in amazement, the three saints began talking together while still seated.
They looked at each other and laughed, so it seemed their attention was elsewhere than the battle.
Five knights stood surrounding the three of them, continuing to protect the saints.
...Umm, what should I do? This is starting to make no sense.
Weren't saints supposed to join in battle and heal injured knights on the spot?
Am I doing something wrong??
Not understanding what was going on, I just stared blankly at the saints, and the battle ended while I was there.
An injured knight stepped forward in front of the saints.
Then, the three saints placed their hands over the wound and muttered what sounded like a spell... After they held their hands over it for about 30 seconds, the injury began to glow faintly white.
When the saints removed their hands, the wounds inflicted by the monster's fangs had healed.
...Well, it's true that the knight from earlier had a wound in his arm caused by a monster's fang.
It looked like he had been bitten, with a fang mark going all the way through his arm.
...But the injury was only minor. There's no need for spells. It's something that could be healed in an instant.
Oh, whaaaaat?
I had heard that the saints had been weakened, but to this extent?!
Author's Note
Thank you for reading.
[Thank you] Thank you so much for all your comments and for reporting typos. I really appreciate it.