CH 195

Chapter 195

Those Who Take Each Other's Hands : Three Dragon Knights, Part 2 — Reunion with the Female Swordsman

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「If this continues, I think the mercenary corps that Alfie will create will have more women in it. If the leader is a woman, female mercenaries will feel at ease to come to you. Then a problem arises. As I’ve talked a bit about before, women tend to be preyed upon on the battlefield. Of course, it’s not surprising when you lose, but when you win, you can be attacked by an uplifted ally, and it’s even more miserable during a losing run. After being gang-raped by an ally in a bad mood, they were left on the battlefield on the spot. And it’s not unusual for them to be caught up with by enemy soldiers again.」

「Uwah…」

「Don’t look at me like that. Of course not, okay? The military has military regulations that guarantee the safety of female soldiers to a certain extent, but there are no rules that protect female mercenaries. We have to protect ourselves.」

「The Church of Arnelia is no different. We often receive requests to send Sisters and priests to the battlefield as healers, but Sisters who don’t have the means to fight are easy prey. Therefore, the Templar Knight must accompany the expedition, and in the event of such an incident, the Church of Arnelia is required to sign a pledge that it won’t provide any further assistance to the said country.」

「I see. What should I do in my case?」

Lisa answers Alfiris’ question.

「Come to think of it, I heard that there are women-only mercenary groups in the world. What was they called again?」

「That’s the『Friedelinde Heavenly Knight Order.』」

Miranda says.

「You know it well, Miranda.」

「Well, they are a mercenary group that has been active since I started as a mercenary. We have fought together when I was a mercenary in the past, and we have also been enemies. I’ve seen them a few times while working at the Arnelia Church. They’re one of the most famous mercenary groups in the whole continent. If it were only for their history, they would be longer than any other mercenary group.」

「Even though they’re female mercenaries? What kind of mercenary group are they?」

Alfiris asks Miranda.

「They’re an all-female band of mercenaries who ride winged horses and live only in the Rockhayer Snowfields in the northeasternmost part of this continent.」

「Winged horse?」

「Yeah. It’s a little bigger than a normal horse, and it has wings. Of course they can fly, you know? They lack endurance due to their smaller size than dragons, but they are extremely agile. But since the rider is a woman, they’re not a good fighter, but above all, Friedelinde has a lot of people with good eyesight. They are good scouts. It’s also said that a winged horse itself is a very intuitive creature and never wants to go to a place of death, so taking a few Friedelinde mercenaries with you on the battlefield will greatly increase your chances of survival. I guess that makes them a goddesses of victory.」

「Heh, I’d like to meet them.」

Alfiris nodded, perhaps intrigued.

「But why women alone again?」

「It is said that winged horses only carries women. Also, the climate in Rockhayer is one of the harshest on this continent. The men are too busy migrating and maintaining the land. So the women came up with the idea of doing something for themselves, and that is how the mercenaries came about. Now in Rockhayer—— The women earn more than of the income.」

「But how do they maintain not only their own corps, but their own land as well? I don’t think a women-only mercenary group would be paid that much.」

Nia looked at her curiously. It was Lisa who answered that question.

「This is what I have heard, but these women also did prostitution. They must be high-class prostitutes that competes with the faces from Tarlam, right?」

「Eh!?」

At those words, everyone looks at Lisa.

「No. It’s just a rumor and I don’t want to hear about it.」

「No, it’s accurate. If it hadn’t changed, the unit known as『Aphrodite』would have taken on that role.」

Miranda answered flatly. Nia seemed to swallow the situation at those words, but Alfiris was not convinced.

「Why would they do that? How can they imitate prostitutes by themselves? They can fight on the battlefield, can’t they?」

「You can say that, Alfie. But this is a necessary sacrifice. This is what I heard from the guys of the Heavenly Knights when I was a mercenary. There was a time when it was said that female Heavenly Knights deserved to be comforted. They are just like weak women once they get down to the ground. It was common for them to be raped regardless of their age. They said that since women were coming to the battlefield, of course they were prepared for it. There were actually prostitutes and others who specialized in warfare, so they were seen in the same way. Still, these women had to earn money as mercenaries to feed the children and old people waiting for them in Rockhayer.

It was then that a Heavenly Knight, who was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the troop, started talking about it. She said,『If you’re going to be attacked anyway, just use your own body as a shield.』She then offered herself to the soldiers. By offering herself as a prostitute, she prevented the sacrifice of many other knights of their Heavenly Order. If you say clearly that you’re going to work as a prostitute, you can raise the wages. The Heavenly Knights who agreed to this idea are said to be the origin of the Aphrodite troop.」

「But that doesn’t mean that other jobs…」

「You say that, but how many professions in this world can a woman do as a migrant? Many women have no education and no special skills. Even today, the women with the most money in this world are said to be either noblewomen or high-class prostitutes in Tarlam. Alfie may not really feel it because you have been holed up in the mountains for so long, but the world is not kind to women. So being a Sister of Arnelia is actually a popular profession among women. If you ask me, it’s a bit stifling with all the rules and regulations.

By the way, don’t make the mistake of saying that in front of the Friedelinde girls, okay? Many girls respect troop Aphrodite more than anyone else, and in fact, people say they have the most applicants. They say their stipend is many times more than other troops, and they are the symbol of beauty. In fact, I saw several members of Aphrodite about 40 years ago, and even I, a woman, was dazzled by their beauty. It seems that there are many beautiful women in that area to begin with.」

「I guess that’s just the way it is……」

Even though Alfiris had listened Miranda’s story to that extent, something didn’t feel right. Alfiris couldn’t imagine the life in Rockhayer and could only realize it as an event in some faraway country.

But Miranda continued her story.

「Of course, there are also units that apply sanctions, such as the Arnelian Church. I believe they’re called『Athena?』If a member of Aphrodite’s unit is mistreated or dies during an act, the unit will sanction the person with or without saying so. It’s called “candy and whip.”」

「Then, uhh… Do I need people to do that Aphrodite thing in the mercenary corps I’m creating?」

「I didn’t say that… but, that’s a difficult question.」

Miranda also gave a brief explanation, but didn’t seem to have thought through what to do. They all fell silent. Then Nia slowly opened her mouth.

「Alfie, well, it means that it’s very difficult to be the only woman on the battlefield. That’s why, Alfie must know a lot more than a regular mercenary leader. Before accepting a request about a battlefield, you would need to do some preliminary research to see how dangerous it might be, and information and strategy are important anyway.」

「Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that as well.」

「Yes, yes, well, there’s a lot to think about even before that… Nhn?」

Miranda looks at the entrance to the bar. It doesn’t look like much from this secluded part of the bar, but it looks like a smart guy has entered.

「Wait for me, A–NE–SA–N!!!」

「…I’m not waiting.」

「Well, I apologize for the fact that I sent away all of my own rewards. Even Miss… you had a fight with your own employer and paired up your compensation, didn’t you?」

「He asked me to share a bed with him, so I just poked him in the face and told him to mind his own business.」

「A poke in the eye won’t get him three months of total recovery. If we weren’t Blackhawk, they would have cut us down on the spot.」

「Hmph. I’d kill every single person who was there, all of them, every single one of them.」

「Well, that’s true. The real question is, how are we going to pay for today? I mean, we may have money for lodging, but dinner…」

At that moment, the man’s stomach made a gurgling sound. Then, the man cowered in place, not daring to be seen.

「Ah, I can’t no more～ I don’t want to walk～」

「…Then I hope you won’t be able to walk forever.」

The woman pulls out her sword with ease.

「Geh, you’ll pull out your sword again just like that! I’m against violence!」

「You know the term “no questions asked”…?」

「Wa–wai— stop!」

「No questions asked!」

The man dodges the woman’s sword with nimble movements. It’s a nuisance in the tavern, and the surrounding patrons are beginning to flee. Alfiris and the others are watching the scene from a distance from their seats at the end of the tavern.

「…I’ve seen their face before.」

「Wouldn’t it be better for us if we didn’t get involved? Wait, Alfie?」

As soon as Lisa said so, Alfiris had already started to walk toward them. Then, Alfiris calls out to the scene where a man is wrestling with a woman’s sword with a white blade.

「Rui? Is that you, Rui!?」

「Don’t get in my way, I’m currently busy… mhm?」

The woman called Rui looks at Alfiris with a puzzled look. But there’s no sign of any weakness from the sword she is about to swing at the man.

「Is that you, Alfiris!?」

「Rui! Long time no see!」

Yes, the two noisy people were Rui and Lexus. They were the captain and second-in-command of Blackhawk’s 2nd Squad and mercenaries who had helped Fenna in the Dulcass Forest when Alfiris first tried to send her back.