Chapter 15

“An e-expedition?”

The next day, upon hearing about the protagonist’s upcoming expedition, Mina looked as if the sky had come crashing down.

“And for three months? That’s absurd! Do you absolutely have to go?”

“His Majesty wants to subjugate all the Magic Beasts in the northern part of the Empire through this expedition. It’s a crucial mission for the peace of our nation. As the Vice-Commander, I can’t possibly opt out.”

“Th-then I’m going too!”

“No.”

The protagonist refused firmly, though a gentle smile remained on his face.

“Why?! I heard that the Order needs servants to assist during expeditions. Why not me?!”

“I’ve never heard of a case where a noble lady’s maid was taken on such an expedition. It’s a rough and grueling path; you’d likely fall behind.”

A hint of awkwardness flickered behind the protagonist’s smile.

“Besides, Drott would resent me.”

Mina, who had been raising her arms to show off her strength and stamina, grimaced fiercely at those words.

“Why is Drott being brought up?! That traitor!”

“…Calling your own brother a traitor.”

The protagonist spoke calmly, but one could catch the underlying heaviness in his voice. Drott Ploca. He was Mina’s younger brother by one year and the protagonist’s squire. A squire is someone who follows their lord to train as a knight while also attending to their personal needs. However…

“I’ve never had a brother as ungrateful as him!”

“Drott doesn’t really owe me any favors. And he didn’t betray me. He just found a better opportunity.”

“Taking in a kid who was nothing and raising him is a favor in itself, isn’t it?!”

-Who’s Drott?

-He’s not important.

-Everyone just type “lol true.”

-lol true.

As soon as Robert died, Drott quit being Hereis’s squire and left after receiving a scout offer from abroad. He was branded with the infamy of being an ungrateful human who abandoned his lord the moment his connections vanished. His only real role in the story was providing the reason for Mina to visit the Knights’ Order to see her brother, leading her to fall for the kind protagonist.

‘He seems to be just a minor plot device.’

Having left like that, he never appeared in the main story again. At any rate, the protagonist left for the Order after dismissing her pleas, leaving Mina to stare blankly at his retreating back.

“Belita. Don’t you have any good ideas?” Mina asked abruptly, still staring at the door.

“Good ideas?”

“Don’t play dumb! Is there no clever way to follow Lord Hereis?!”

“No, there isn’t…”

If there were, I would have used it myself.

“I thought you’d have some brilliant idea like last time.”

I’m not some creative think tank. Mina didn’t hide her disappointment and shouted spitefully.

“Arianne… that woman is going, isn’t she? They said the entire Imperial Knights’ Order is going!”

That’s right. Arianne was also a member of the expedition. That was why Chapter 1 was considered Mina’s growth period, while Chapter 2 was seen as Arianne’s. Wait. Arianne is going too. The expedition.

“She’s going on a months-long expedition with him? They’ll be stuck together all day! Not on my watch! Absolutely not!”

While Mina’s eyes blazed, I grabbed a basket from the kitchen and threw on my coat. Mina watched me with a hollow expression.

“Where are you going?”

“Wait here a moment. I’m going to do some grocery shopping.”

“What? Now? Don’t you see me talking to you?”

“It’s a matter of the utmost urgency.”

“Since when is grocery shopping a matter of the utmost urgency…?”

After barely soothing Mina and leaving her behind, I stepped out alone.

‘Getting a recommendation letter from the protagonist isn’t the only way to join the expedition.’

I had been so obsessed with staying close to him that my thinking was narrow, but my conversation with Mina just now made me realize I didn’t have to be restricted like that.

“Did you hear the Imperial family is organizing an expedition?”

“Yeah, they said it’s a regular Magic Beast subjugation.”

“It’s already that time of year.”

“They say winter is the best time because the beasts become sluggish.”

The news must have been widely publicized. Even just walking down the street, the air was buzzing with talk of the expedition.

“Extra, extra!”

While listening to the surrounding chatter, the newsboy I had seen before passed in front of me.

“You, there.”

When I called him to a stop, the boy’s eyes sparkled as he approached.

“Want to buy one? It’s 20 Copper!”

…Wasn’t it 10 Copper last time? How has it already doubled in price in such a short time?

“It’s gotten expensive.”

“Prices these days are brutal! If I charged what I used to, I wouldn’t even make my base pay. Sigh. I had no choice but to raise it, even if it breaks my heart!”

‘I bet he’s lying…’

I felt like a bit of a sucker, but since I was rich now, I decided to be generous. Besides, gathering information was important.

“Give me one.”

“Thank you! Please buy from me next time too!”

The boy vanished with an excited skip after receiving the 20 Copper. Unfolding the newspaper, a certain notice caught my eye.

[Recruiting General Servants for the Expedition!]
Seeking servants to handle general labor during the expedition!
Those with professional service experience and good stamina are preferred.
This is your only chance to participate in the glorious Magic Beast subjugation expedition!
Tremendous rewards may await those who complete the mission!
For details, please visit the Temporary Recruitment Office.

A recruitment notice for general servants. The thought flashed through my mind: This is it. This was far more realistic than asking Arianne or Frederick to take me as a maid. Even if I wouldn’t be a noble’s private attendant, I could still go. Let’s check it out. The Temporary Recruitment Office.

The recruitment office was a tent temporarily set up next to the Imperial Knights’ building. Perhaps because the advertisement hadn’t been out long, the place was dead quiet both inside and out.

‘Did I find the right place…?’

The fact that such a question came naturally said everything there was to say.
Still, there was a female employee with permed hair sitting behind the counter inside.

‘She’s dozing off.’

Her head was bobbing up and down steadily. I approached cautiously and spoke to her.

“Excuse me.”

“Gaaah!”

If I’d spoken any louder, she might have actually had a heart attack. The employee pulled her overturned chair back into place and sat back down…

“Ahem! Hello! Don’t tell me—are you an applicant?!”

“Yes. Is this the place for the expedition…?”

“That’s right! It is! You’ve come to the right place!”

Before I could even finish my sentence, the employee grabbed both of my hands and shook them enthusiastically.

‘She’s welcoming me a bit too much.’

It actually made me feel uneasy. Sensing my darkening expression, she quickly urged me to sit in the chair in front of the counter.

“Which track are you here for?”

“I saw the notice for general servants.”

“I see!”

She handed me a sheet of paper. It looked like an application form.

“Are there many applicants?”

“Oh, no~. Perhaps because there was a casualty accident during the last expedition, the application rate has dropped by more than half! That’s why we’ve expanded our search to civilian volunteers.”

So there were circumstances like that. This was background knowledge that hadn’t appeared in the game. But as someone currently volunteering, it made the blood drain from my face…

“They even tried to cover up the accident by calling it a ‘noble sacrifice,’ so most people are trying to avoid it.”

I wondered if it was okay for her to speak like this about an expedition organized by the Imperial family.

“Even if we wanted to force people to go, it’s difficult because of the Commoner Rights Act that His Majesty the Emperor personally initiated this time.”

The employee clapped her hands together lightly and continued.

“So, volunteering in a situation like this is truly a noble decision on your part!”

Whether the expedition was dangerous or not, I didn’t really have the option of not going, so I just let her words slide. A wave of anxiety washed over me because I was participating as an extra servant rather than a supporting character next to the protagonist.

‘I’d better stop listening.’

While she chattered on, I pushed the completed application across the counter.

“I’m finished.”

“Ah, yes, yes! You’re all signed up!”

The application only required basic personal information: name, date of birth, current residence, and place of birth. Since I had memorized Belita’s basic details from the employment contract I got back when I left the mansion, it wasn’t difficult. Was it over now? Or were there other procedures? Just as I was about to ask, I sensed someone behind me.

“I see there’s an applicant today, Claire.”

“Oh! Priest Kalat! What brings you here personally…?”

Kalat? That name sounded familiar.

“I had some business nearby and was curious about the applicant status.”

“Ah, yes! If you wait just a moment, I’ll show you right away!”

The employee stamped my application a few times and then handed me a thick booklet. What was this?

Safety Rules for the Expedition. (Must read…)

“You absolutely must familiarize yourself with this. it includes basic safety rules and manuals for unexpected situations!”

The employee grabbed my hand tightly as I took the booklet and pleaded with me again and again. Her next words carried a strange hint of sorrow.

“Because this is the fruit of the labor of our fallen members…”

For some reason, I felt like I could see a hallucination of the booklet being stained with blood.

“Now, now, Claire. You’re making the applicant tremble.”

“But it’s an important part!”

“That is true. But… that back looks familiar…”

The priest approached to catch a glimpse of my face, and I turned to look at him as well. I remembered him the moment I saw him.

“Ah! Belita, it’s been a long time!”

It was the priest who had been dispatched to oversee my Oath. No wonder the name sounded familiar… To think I’d meet this priest here. It’s a small world.

“Good to see you…”

“Do you two know each other?”

A priest and a maid. Claire looked puzzled by this unexpected connection. Kalat cleared up her confusion with a bright voice.

“Of course! We know each other very well. We’re comrades who faced a life-threatening moment together!”

He might have cleared up Claire’s confusion, but he just added a new one to mine. I was the only one who was in a life-threatening situation. “Comrades” my foot.

“Is Belita participating in the expedition too? What a coincidence! I’m also part of it.”

A priest on an expedition? Usually, in fantasy novels, priests treat the injured with healing magic, so I would have accepted it, but this game was a bit different. Whether it was to highlight the protagonist’s role as a knight, concepts like aura and Swordmasters existed, but magic did not. So why were priests needed? When I gave him a puzzled look, Claire added a supplement.

“The priests handle funeral rites when there are casualties and conduct services to boost the knights’ morale. If necessary, they also assist the medics. Priest Kalat will be overseeing the overall ceremonies.”

Come to think of it, I felt like I’d seen priests in the illustrations during the expedition events.

“Claire. If you’re finished, could I ask for the current status report of the expedition members?”

“Ah! My apologies! I’ll bring it right away.”

Claire headed toward the back of the counter, and Kalat only continued after confirming she had disappeared.

“I’m glad I ran into you here; there was actually something I wanted to say.”

“Something you wanted to say…?”

What on earth could he want to say that required sending Claire away?

“Do you have any idea how much the prestige of our faith has risen thanks to you, Belita? Thank you so much! You have no idea how well the Archbishop has been treating me lately! Ahahaha!”

Ah… so that was it. I guess he was conscious of the fact that I’d made everyone present that day at the Duchy sign a confidentiality agreement. Still, if he was so thankful, he could have at least offered a reward. He was all talk. Moreover, unlike the timid person I saw last time, he had become quite boisterous. His shoulders were held high; it seemed he had benefited quite a bit from me.

“I’m the one who should be thankful; I saved my life thanks to Lord Ralphican.”

“As expected, you are a very devout follower of Lord Ralphican! There was a reason why Lord Ralphican watched over you!”

“Haha. I simply had faith.”

I’d never been religious in my life, but I recalled related dramas and movies to play the part of a plausible believer.

“Belita…”

It seems it was effective, as my fake, enthusiastic faith even got Kalat registered in the affection window… And perhaps that influenced him? Kalat blurted out something completely unexpected.

“By any chance, would you be interested in joining our Order?”