Once the battle was over two of the priests began work on purifying the mana in the field while the other two worked on providing any healing to the few soldiers injured but not killed during the skirmish. Stormglass and I met up with the village chief to give him the good news. Chief Donner attempted to give Stormglass a generous amount of gold for her troubles which she flatly refused. Saying she did not choose to help this village for mere gold but the fact that they were now safe was reward enough.

I eyed the gold with slight contempt in my heart. I understand she has her values or whatever but I could use the gold you know! Well, it’s not as if the Hunter’s Guild wouldn’t be giving me a generous amount but still.

After the corpses of the fallen soldiers were gathered and the remaining living ones were healed we soon left that small village behind. Leaving behind the priests who unfortunately had to continue purifying the forest and surrounding area. Fortunately they came in their own separate carriage so it was not as if they had no way to return to the capital.

So now, here we were again. Back in that silent carriage. However, unlike last time it was not I who attempted to speak first but Stormglass instead.

“It was… impressive what you did back there. To fell two tree ents on your own is no easy task.”

Oi, is she praising me? Does she possibly see me as more than just distrustful scum?! I feel this may be the first step to establishing some kind of friendship. Or well at the very least a better relationship than what we had before.

Still, even while admitting to my talents she couldn’t keep eye contact with me. Somehow her being too embarrassed to do that was really cute in my eyes. It's really a shame I couldn’t have been a human in this world…

“Is it so difficult for you to tell me I did a good job?”

“I-It’s not! I… You did a good job.”

Man, I really can’t help teasing her.

“I apologize for initially placing you in the back. You did far better than I had anticipated.”

She was no longer looking away as she said those words. I could tell she truly meant it. I wanted to gloat a bit but truth be told I couldn’t shake the feeling her initial thoughts were quite spot on.

“There is no need to apologize. Your intuition was not wrong. Though things turned out alright in the end, I did freeze up during the battle. I… Well I have no experience with these kinds of things but either way I’m happy to hear you say that.”

“I believe that is a normal thing to experience, especially when it’s your first real battle.”

“Were you like that once?”

“Of course, my first taste of battle was a skirmish against the orcs down south. I was a simple foot soldier back then. I wanted to experience what real combat was so I decided to join their efforts. It was a small group, no more than two hundred soldiers at least. The southern plain has but one Knight Commander under its control due to the orcs not being as severe of a threat as the elves and beastmen. Commander Price is his name.

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At that time we were entering the summer season which was a time known by the orcs as the “Festival of Might.” It was when they would attack the kingdom the hardest. More often than not they only attempted to pillage villages and towns for slave work and other resources but during the Festival they were all trying to prove their ‘might.’ The orcs are a barbaric yet prideful race.

Our unit had to take on a small army of orcs numbering in the upper three hundreds. It’s safe to say we were at a clear disadvantage. Before that fight I was so sure of myself. How could I be afraid? I was training to be a part of the Knights of the Old Order and succeed Commander Frost. Not to mention I’m the descendant of-”

She cut herself off trying her best to move on from what she was just about to say. I… I really want to know what she was going to say but I was also invested in her story. Hmm, maybe when we get back to the capital I’ll ask. It would give her time to forget she made her blunder which would make the teasing all the more fun. Yeah, I’ll do that!

“U-Uh, so… ahem. I was so arrogant. So sure of my abilities but when the battle started I started to get nervous. It was as if everything I’d been taught had been erased from my brain. There was so much going on. So much chaos that I simply stood there. To make matters worse…”

She looked out the window for a moment. I could tell this was a difficult story for her to tell.

“I watched as a fellow soldier was cut down in front of me. He… noticed I wasn’t moving and attempted to help and as I stood there I saw an orc approaching. I couldn’t… no, I didn’t say or do anything to save him. His death gave me the courage to pick up my sword and defend myself. I know, that isn’t a fair thing for me to say but it’s true. After that battle I vowed to never let something like that happen again. If I were to become a Knight of the Old Order I would never hesitate in the face of battle and always uphold my justice no matter what.”

Wow, to be honest I found myself at a loss for words. I’d never felt hardship in my life, especially before being reincarnated, so her story almost makes me feel even worse about freezing up. I never once thought about the soldiers that had died during the fight with the tree ents, unlike her.

I’m no good with these kinds of things so I just try to move on from the serious topic.

“I never would’ve guessed you’d ever freeze up, considering how you were out there. Although, I couldn’t help but wonder… if you were holding back at all?”

Considering her position as a Knight of the Old Order and the power of that sword she carried I found it hard to believe that was all she was capable of.

“I’m afraid to admit it, but it’s true. Unfortunately I have no choice in some cases. Had I used the full extent of my Holy Armament than I could’ve caused more distorting with the mana in the area. I couldn’t risk doing such a thing even if it meant holding back a bit. Though, to be clear, I will never hold back to the point where it would put innocents in danger.”

So that sword is called a “Holy Armament.” Was that the de facto weapon for all Knights of the Old Order? Having “holy” in its name would explain why it’s beyond anything I’d seen before. I was under the impression that humans weren’t capable of creating alchemic tools of that magnitude? It could be some tool created by “the gods,” which would explain that disconnect. Though, to be honest I wasn’t sure what kind of religion the humans in this world followed. I hadn’t asked nor really cared about such a thing.

Now that I was thinking about all this, was what I did seen as a bad thing? I mean, I’m not sure what tier that magic art I used was but there’s denying it was a powerful move.

“So, when I used [Storm Dragon’s Roar], does that mean…?”

“Fortunately, nothing came of it but you really should hold back in these kinds of scenarios. The priests have to work extra hard now. Hmm, it seems even when I praise you I can’t help but chastise you as well.”

And then, suddenly, she did something unthinkable. I never once in a million years expected to hear something like that come from her mouth.

The self serious knight chuckles which causes me to laugh alongside her. For once I feel relaxed as we continue on our way back to the capital.