The Road to Becoming a Holy Knight
The centipede-type monster was taken down with ease.
Neither Lord Doyle nor Lady Alyssa sustained any injuries, and the mana ore vein was unaffected. Just to be safe, Amira reinforced the barrier magic to make it even stronger, taking preventative measures against further monster intrusions.
In any case, that should have been the end of it—but it doesn’t seem like we’re quite done yet.
There was still one remaining issue.
“Have you calmed down, Latasha?”
“… Thank you, Senior.”
It was the emotional state of my other junior, Latasha.
As someone also striving to earn the title of Holy Knight, this failure had hit her hard. She was deeply discouraged, fearing that it might ruin all the achievements she’d worked so hard to build.
Now that I think about it, ever since she was assigned under me, Latasha had been very ambitious.
Back then, her desire to get stronger was genuine and pure, but somewhere along the way, that goal shifted to a desire for promotion.
If she had truly focused on fulfilling her duty, she wouldn’t have rushed the monster alone—she should have prioritized staying near Lady Alyssa, their protectee, and finding a way to ensure her escape.
Still, she must’ve thought that taking down a large monster here would be another feather in her cap, bringing her closer to the position of Holy Knight.
But even Holy Knights don’t have to mow down every enemy that comes their way.
What’s expected of us is—*victory*.
And there are many forms of victory.
In this case, victory meant protecting Lord Doyle and Lady Alyssa from the monster.
That objective should have been the highest priority.
Latasha misjudged that, and as a result, ended up nearly getting herself killed.
“Aiming to be a Holy Knight… Honestly, I’m ashamed I ever said that.”
Latasha had completely lost confidence.
I wanted to say something encouraging, but I wasn’t sure if that would help—or even make things worse. Just then—
“Latasha.”
The one who called out to her was Lady Alyssa.
“Wh-What!? L-Lady Alyssa!?”
Latasha’s face went stiff with shock.
She probably thought she was about to be reprimanded for her failure. But Lady Alyssa’s actions were completely different from what Latasha expected.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
With those words, Lady Alyssa gently embraced Latasha.
“L-L-Lady Alyssa!?”
Her voice cracked from the sheer surprise, but she quickly realized that Lady Alyssa had truly been concerned for her well-being.
She bowed her head and apologized with a quiet, “I’m sorry.”
All things considered, it seems their bond of trust was firmly intact.
And so, despite a bit of trouble, the mining—no, *the mining inspection*—came to a peaceful end.
The revival of the Goethel Mines was now within close reach.
What do you think about this chapter?
