IPMPBB 32

Chapter 32

When I returned home, it was already so late that everyone in the mansion had gone to sleep.

“Young Lady! I heard you pulled off another mission today!”

Mary was the only one still awake, greeting me with sparkling eyes.

“You’re amazing! These days, you’re truly a model knight!”

I felt a bit embarrassed by Mary’s fuss and my ears flushed red.

Was I… kind of cool today?

“Come on in. You haven’t had dinner yet, right? Shall I bring you something warm?”

“I had a light dinner at the Order. Just a cup of warm wine, please.”

“Of course!”

Mary dashed off to the kitchen and soon returned with a small tray and steaming wine.

I accepted the wine and chatted with her about what happened today before drifting off to sleep.

Having someone who listens eagerly to your stories and reacts with awe—there’s nothing quite like it.

* * *

The next morning at dawn, I stepped out with Carlos, as I had been doing for the past few days, to have breakfast outside the mansion.

“Elia.”

A familiar voice called out, and I turned to see the Marquis of Elvington.

“Skipping breakfast again before heading to work?”

It sounded less like genuine concern and more like a casual question just to start a conversation.

“I usually eat with the knights these days.”

I responded in an equally emotionless tone.

The Marquis stared at me for a moment, then cleared his throat and spoke again.

“…Glad to hear you’re eating properly.”

What? Was that actual concern?

As I stood there confused, the Marquis stepped closer.

He cleared his throat again, as if trying to bring up a difficult topic.

“I heard you busted an illegal auction at Murdin’s gambling house yesterday.”

I just stared at him, and after a long hesitation, he spoke again.

“Yes.”

I answered bluntly, recalling how I’d gotten scolded last time after dueling Cesare.

What now? Is he going to scold me again?

That was the automatic assumption.

“About that, well…”

There was a complex emotion in the Marquis’s eyes.

If you’re going to scold me, just get it over with.

“Well done.”

“…Excuse me?”

I thought I’d misheard and asked again.

“If you’re eating at the knights’ station, you’d better get going.”

But the Marquis neither repeated himself nor offered further kindness.

He simply gestured for me to head off and returned into the mansion.

I stood there dumbfounded, unable to move.

“Did… Did I just get praised?”

The Marquis of Elvington praising me, the infamous Elia?

Sure, cracking down on the auction was praise-worthy, but still…

“Huh. You really do live long enough to see everything.”

Muttering to myself, I mounted my black horse.

My mind was so preoccupied with the Marquis’s praise that I had no idea how I made it to the Order.

When I came to, I was already sitting in the dining hall, staring at a fluffy egg dish.

“You’re a bit late today.”

As I scooped the eggs into my mouth, Cesare arrived cheerfully.

“Oh, yeah. Had something to take care of this morning. By the way, where’s Sir Ivach? Haven’t seen him.”

“Ah, the Vice Captain…”

Cesare hesitated mid-sentence, then carefully sat across from me with his tray.

Why is he so hesitant all of a sudden?

“The Vice Captain started preparing for the Heretic Purge today.”

I was chewing on the bread that came with the eggs when Cesare spoke in a low voice.

“Heretic Purge? Oh, right—it’s that time of year again.”

Digging through Elia’s memories, I remembered and let out a small exclamation after swallowing.

‘For Elia, who couldn’t use her sword, the annual purge was the most dreadful time.’

But I’ve said this many times—I’m not Elia.

So there’s no need to dread it. If anything, I should be cautious.

Heretics are a powerful force that use mysterious rituals to kill citizens and cause chaos.

Back when Elia could wield a sword, she had no problem taking them down. But I’m not at that level yet.

“Will there be a lot of casualties again this time? What’s the scale of the operation?”

Recalling the frenzied heretics charging with war cries gave me goosebumps, and I asked cautiously.

Cesare looked surprised by my calm and sincere tone but then responded carefully.

“Are… Are you alright with this now?”

“I have to be. I decided to change. It’s time I pulled my own weight again.”

Cesare’s eyes quivered at my words.

“Captain… You really are…”

The look in his eyes—you could call it admiration—settled there.

“Amazing!”

Now that’s embarrassing.

Everyone’s been weirdly nice to me lately.

“Enough with the sappy talk. Tell me about the purge. Size? Departure date? How many troops can we mobilize?”

“The scale’s about the same as last year. For departure and troop details, you’ll want to ask the Vice Captain directly.”

Cesare answered as best as he could.

“And whatever happens, don’t worry! I’ll protect you, Captain!”

Didn’t I just say not to say sappy stuff?

I gave Cesare a vague smile and stood up with my empty tray.

After brushing my teeth, I decided to go find Carlos to get more detailed information about the Heretic Purge.

His office was in the opposite direction from mine, so I had to walk a bit.

“Oh! Captain!”

“Good morning!”

“Where are you headed—?”

On the way, I ran into several knights.

Some greeted me stiffly, others just asked where I was going.

Compared to the day I first started as Elia, things were clearly different.

Even those who were skeptical after I beat Cesare seemed to have changed their tune after the auction incident.

“Yeah, this is a good sign.”

Pleased with their reaction, I continued walking until I reached the door bearing Carlos’s name.

Knock knock.

I raised my hand and knocked politely.

“Come in.”

Carlos’s voice was as cold and businesslike as ever.

So he can speak like this when he’s not being emotional with me.

Feeling oddly sentimental, I opened the door.

“…Captain?”

Carlos looked startled and stood up so fast he wrinkled some papers under his large hand.

“Relax. Stay seated.”

I stopped him before he could rush over and took a seat in front of his desk.

“What brings you here?”

“I wanted to ask about the Heretic Purge.”

“Why are you asking about that, Captain?”

“I need to pull my weight too. Thought I should know what’s going on.”

Carlos looked stunned at my words.

‘So far, same reaction as Cesare.’

But the next part diverged.

Unlike Cesare, who looked at me with admiration and chatted enthusiastically, Carlos remained silent for a long time.

“Are you planning to participate in the Heretic Purge?”

He finally asked, voice cautious.

It wasn’t hard to understand what he was getting at.

Can you fight with your weak right hand? Is it worth the risk?

I’d been thinking about that too.

‘Can I survive the purge while still struggling to wield a sword? Wouldn’t it be better to sit back like Elia did?’

But after a lot of thought, I realized skipping it wasn’t an option.

The biggest reason was the very purpose of the 3rd Knight Order.

Unlike the 1st and 2nd Orders, which accepted only those of noble blood, the 3rd Order recruited based on merit—for one purpose: to fight heretics.

Its members earned titles and glory in return for slaying heretics.

So what would it mean if the Captain of the 3rd Order didn’t participate in the purge?

It would call into question her qualifications to lead— a potential disaster.