Chapter 16: Battle on a Bridge (2)

“After observing Lord Keter, I got the impression that he is quite feisty and hot-blooded.”

Panir immediately frowned at Prosciutto’s words.

“Are you suggesting that we use Katherine to seduce Keter?”

“How could I use Katherine for such a vulgar scheme? I raised her like my daughter. I mentioned it because I think that Lord Keter would feel an even greater sense of humiliation if he is defeated by Katherine,” Prosciutto said.

“Hmm. It would indeed be a tremendous humiliation for a feisty man to be defeated by a woman. However, to humiliate him, one must first win, and win very decisively at that,” Panir replied.

“That’s right.”

“I heard Anis was taken down by Keter. Are you confident that Katherine can beat him?”

Panir did not care that Anis was not in good condition or that it was a surprise attack. The only thing that mattered was the result: Anis lost and Keter won. Prosciutto thought the same way. Keter had defeated Anis, so to win against him, Katherine had to have also beaten Anis as a prerequisite to stand a chance against Keter.

“Wouldn’t it be enough that Katherine is a two-star knight?” Prosciutto said.

Panir rarely showed surprise, but his eyes widened when he heard Prosciutto.

“Katherine became a two-star knight? In just three years since becoming a one-star knight?!”

The gap between an apprentice knight and a one-star knight wasn’t significant. However, the gap between one-star and two-star was enormous.

It was a given that an apprentice knight would become a one-star knight, but it was different after that. More than sixty percent died of old age without being promoted to two-star. Becoming a two-star knight was not something that could be achieved by luck alone; the preparation period to take the two-star test took over ten years.

For Katherine, a woman, to become a two-star knight in just three years was an achievement that would go down in the kingdom’s history.

“Amazing. I knew that Katherine was extremely talented, but becoming a two-star knight faster than Anis...” Panir said.

“All of that is thanks to your keen eye for talent, my lord,” Prosciutto replied.

“Haha, that’s also true.”

It was Panir who recognized Katherine’s talent early on and brought her into the Sefira family. Although she wasn’t formally adopted, everyone in the family knew he cared for her like a daughter.

Panir, who was initially skeptical of Prosciutto’s choice, was convinced when he heard that Katherine had become a two-star knight.

“So this will be Katherine’s first mission as a two-star knight?” Panir asked.

“It will be, if you allow it, my lord,” Prosciutto replied.

“There is no doubt about Katherine’s skills. However, I don’t know if she can carry out the mission well. I will send Katherine if you guarantee it, Prosciutto.”

“I guarantee it, my lord. You know that Katherine is not like other women. She is a model for other knights, and I think she is entirely capable of handling everything about this mission.”

“I trust you, Prosciutto. Send Katherine in my name.”

Panir put down the bow and arrows he was holding.

“I’ll trust Katherine and wait, but she must deliver results before tonight is over. Nothing good will come from delaying this,” Panir said.

“I will keep that in mind, my lord.”

“Go ahead.”

With Panir’s approval, Prosciutto went to find Katherine at once.

* * *

There was no need to search around for Katherine, as she had a daily schedule that she lived by. At this time in the evening, she was always in the training room within the knight’s living quarters. There were dozens of knights training their strength, but among them, one stood out with a unique presence. With bronze skin, toned muscles, and her hair tied back, Katherine’s presence was overwhelming.

Prosciutto spotted Katherine and called out to her.

“Katherine! Can you spare a moment?”

Katherine, who was training her arms and shoulders by pulling a firmly fixed steel pole, turned her head to look at Prosciutto. Unlike her strong physique, her smile was bright.

“Of course! I’ll see everyone tomorrow!”

The knights said their goodbyes as well.

“Take your time. We’ll always keep your spot open.”

“The fourth break room should be empty. You can go there.”

“If you need any advice, feel free to come by anytime.”

She was not just the only woman in Sefira; she was a bright presence that brought hope and energy to the dull and rigid Sefira family. The knights who were training with her were seniors in terms of their years, but she outranked them. Still, Katherine treated them with respect as her seniors. Because of this, there were more people who secretly admired Katherine than those who were jealous of her talent or looked down on her for being a woman.

Soon after, Katherine and Prosciutto were alone together in a break room attached to the training room.

“It’s been a while since you came by, Uncle Prosciutto. How have you been? Remember the bow you gave me to celebrate becoming a two-star knight? I’ve been using it very well,” Katherine said warmly, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Prosciutto couldn’t help but smile whenever he saw Katherine, as she was like his daughter. However, he put on a serious face this time since this was an important matter.

“Katherine, I have a mission for you.”

“Hehe, just tell me what to do.”

Katherine spoke with a smile, which could make it seem like she was taking the mission lightly. At first, Prosciutto misunderstood her as well, but that wasn’t the case. Her cheerful demeanor was meant to put others at ease; she was more meticulous and thorough than anyone else in her missions.

“You know Keter, right?” Prosciutto asked.

“The patriarch’s illegitimate son, right? I heard he arrived today.”

“Do you also know that he’s been causing trouble since he arrived?”

“What? I’m sorry, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Keter caused trouble faster than the rumors about him spread. The fact that Sefira’s knights were talkative played a role as well.

Prosciutto briefly recounted the incidents Keter had caused. Katherine looked puzzled after hearing about Keter’s actions.

“Did Lord Keter do something wrong? I can understand him.”

Everyone had flaws, including Katherine; her critical flaw was that she was overly tolerant. The reason she was favored by Panir despite this was because she always followed orders, even if she didn’t understand them.

“Elder Panir believes Keter is a harmful presence in the Sefira family. We cannot just let him run wild. Katherine, you need to stop Keter.”

“Yes, I will do it.”

Katherine was truly a model knight. Even if she didn’t understand it, she followed the orders of her superiors without question.

“What should I do?”

Katherine thought that Prosciutto would have a plan. However, he shook his head.

“This mission is yours alone. You must think and decide for yourself.”

“A solo... mission?”

Katherine’s eyes widened.

Prosciutto nodded and restated, “You’re a two-star knight and a commander responsible for other soldiers; you can’t just keep following others’ orders forever. Besides, you are the future of our Sefira family.”

“Oh...!”

“This isn’t just my decision. Elder Panir thinks the same way.”

Katherine’s eyes slightly welled up with tears when Prosciutto mentioned Panir. Like a parent, Prosciutto wondered if she could do well, as she was quite emotional.

“Be brave. Even if you fail, we’ll step in. Elder Panir and I will support you no matter what.”

“I won’t disappoint you, just like always.”

“Elder Panir said to finish the job before nightfall. Keter is at the Second Shooting Range now, so take this as your opportunity.”

Although Katherine should have found this information on her own, Prosciutto couldn’t help but want to help her a bit more anytime he saw her.

“Think deeply, act swiftly.”

With that, Prosciutto left quickly before he could soften.

Katherine, who was now left alone, just blinked slowly, as if lost in thought. It wasn’t the first time she had received a mission, but it was the first time it was assigned to her from start to finish. This was a sign that Panir fully acknowledged her.

Elder Panir...

Katherine grew up in an orphanage supported by the Sefira family. While other children were busy living their own lives once they came of age, she was different. She wanted to repay the orphanage that took her in and cared for her with love—a goal she set as her life’s mission.

When the head of the orphanage learned of her intentions, they said the orphanage was able to operate thanks to the support of the Sefira family. So, they advised her to repay the Sefira family instead of the orphanage.

Katherine then went straight to the Sefira family and spoke to the butler.

“Please let me work at the Sefira family.”

At the time, the butler gave her the opportunity to work as a maid. Katherine thought that she wouldn’t mind spending her life as a maid if it meant being of help to the Sefira family.

She worked diligently as a maid for about a year, but she happened to overhear that the Sefira family was short on knights. It was around the time when the Sefira family began to suffer from external pressures, resulting in a sharp decline in the number of external cadets.

Unable to ignore Sefira’s crisis, Katherine went to the butler and expressed her desire to become a knight. Although she had always been dedicated to her work as a maid, that alone wasn’t enough to become a knight.

The butler coldly rejected her request, but it wasn’t because she was a woman. Women could become knights, but the standard for female knights was four times higher than male knights. There are over five thousand knights in the Lillian Kingdom, but only two hundred twenty of them were women.

Even women born and raised in master families couldn’t endure knight training and would give up. As such, the butler thought Katherine, who came from an orphanage, wouldn’t be able to succeed. The resources and costs required for knight training were significant, so the butler firmly told Katherine that she couldn’t be trained as a knight.

That was when Panir, who happened to be passing by, intervened.

“Katherine, was it? Even though you come from a humble background, we must not ignore your desire to contribute to our family. I will support you. I will give you the opportunity to become a knight of Sefira.”

When everyone else said it was impossible, Panir was the only one who believed and supported Katherine.

To her, Panir was not just a sponsor; he was like the father she had long dreamed of since her time at the orphanage. Even though she couldn’t call him “Father,” she thought of him as one and followed him. As such, she could not afford to fail the mission.

After careful consideration, Katherine stood up. Following Prosciutto’s advice to think deeply and act swiftly, she gathered the soldiers under her command and headed to the Second Shooting Range.

Usually, the Second Shooting Range was a deserted place. Katherine judged that now, when Keter was there, was the right time and decided to settle things quickly and decisively.