Chapter 45: Chapter 45
Just as there are brigade commanders and battalion commanders in the military, there are female and male knights among knights.
The existence of female knights wasn't strange.
This was a medieval fantasy world, after all, and there was no law saying women couldn't be knights.
But the reason Ian was surprised was because 'she', the black knight, was a woman.
The owner of tremendous martial prowess, who had crushed the central forces of the Count's army and charged into enemy lines to kill the Count!
...But why a woman?
It wasn't that Ian was sexist.
It was a matter of biological characteristics.
It's a scientific fact that men are generally stronger and have greater physical capabilities than women.
Being a knight is a profession that can be said to be the pinnacle of physical utilization, and among them, a woman who stood out for her exceptional strength was nothing short of admirable.
There was a character like this, far away in France, the protagonist of a famous novel, [Joan of Arc].
It was a novel with a gloomy, busty, beautiful young female protagonist who received God's grace and swept away the English army.
The author was... someone called Earth, or something like that.
Thanks to the overwhelming credibility and name value of the author, the absurd content of that novel was called [History] and even taught in schools.
Anyway.
Ian nodded, recalling the existence of Joan of Arc.
That author, who ate plausibility for breakfast, would often throw out crazy, far-fetched settings when bored.
A world where a blonde, beautiful young female knight plays an active role could exist anywhere.
...The problem was that this world was unfolding right in front of his eyes.
Ian clasped his hands together and prayed for the blonde, beautiful young knight's soul.
If she had been alive, he would have liked to hear the whole story.
It was a bit disappointing since she was already dead.
...Or so he thought.
"Cough."
"???"
The black knight spit out a mouthful of water and made a pained expression.
Ian was shocked.
A corpse was coughing!
"...No, that's not it."
Ian came to his senses.
It looked like a corpse, but it wasn't actually a corpse.
The black knight was alive.
For now.
If he didn't make her spit out all the river water, she would truly die.
Ian immediately took action.
Placing his hands on the chest of the black knight, Ian forcefully pressed on her abdomen to make her vomit out the water that was in her stomach.
While saving the black knight, Ian thought.
Was it really okay to save her?
Just like how one's mindset changes when entering and leaving a bathroom.
Even if she would be grateful for Ian saving her life, she might try to kidnap Lucy again.
But it was a needless worry.
The solution was simple.
Ian took out a rope and tied up the hands and feet of the black knight.
Not for outdoor bondage play... but obviously so that she wouldn't be able to move.
Surely she wasn't an ogre in human form who could break free from the restraints with sheer strength.
Before long, the black knight regained consciousness.
"Are you awake?"
"...?"
The black knight, struggling to grasp the situation while alternating glances between her bound hands and feet and Ian, suddenly screamed out loud.
"You... you! My, my armor...!"
"I took it off."
"!!!"
Ian wondered for a moment if it would have been better to leave the armor on.
The black knight's appearance was a bit...
No, significantly indecent.
She was dressed in a short, thin cloth top, practically a sleeveless shirt, and similarly thin cloth pants.
Both were soaked with water, revealing her skin embarrassingly through the fabric.
It was possible to see the cloth wrapped around her chest and her undergarments below with the naked eye.
If Ian had been the type to be easily tempted, he might have impulsively touched the black knight.
But Ian was not Sung Yu-jin.
"I don't trust you, so I disarmed you."
Ian's explanation made sense logically, but not emotionally.
The black knight's face turned red with embarrassment.
She knew too well the state she was in.
"To be seen by the enemy in such a state...!"
The black knight, her expression stained with shame, glared at Ian and spat out as if humiliated.
"Kill me!"
"???"
Ian doubted his ears.
Did she really just say 'that line'?
It was as if the female knights of creative worlds were connected by an invisible thread.
He never imagined he would witness a female knight in a medieval fantasy world spout "Kill me!" in real time.
Surely there wasn't a handbook of norms that female knights had to recite when captured?
But as strange as it was, it was strange.
"Why would I?"
"Why? Then... could it be!"
The black knight looked at Ian with a horrified expression.
Ian was even more flabbergasted.
What in the world was she imagining?
"Don't you understand why I saved you? Is the water still not fully drained from your ears?"
"That, of course..."
The black knight mumbled with her head bowed and her face flushed.
"To humiliate me..."
"..."
Ian couldn't understand where the misunderstanding had occurred.
He had no intention of insulting or humiliating the black knight.
"No. I just saved you because you were dying."
"You have no intention of humiliating me?"
"Well, if you really want, I could strip you right now..."
"Don't you dare! You madman!"
Ian clicked his tongue while looking at the black knight.
That one, that one.
Looks fine on the outside but is completely messed up inside!
However, the black knight thought the same about Ian.
'...Doesn't it bother him at all?'
Showing such a shamefully vulnerable side to an enemy...
And the response wasn't mockery or contempt, but calmness?
'Is it because he's a wizard?'
The black knight shook her head.
It might have been a trick by the wizard to let her guard down.
First, reassure them, lift their spirits, then enjoy watching them crash - such a wicked method!
The black knight, still not fully trusting Ian, shouted in a clear voice.
"Are you mocking me now! Even though I may have committed sins, I am an honorable knight! I denounce your vile mockery!"
If Ian was actually mocking her, a certain kind of reaction was expected.
But Ian's reaction was... truly unpredictable.
"Sin? What sin? Ah, the fact that you fought with me?"
"...?"
What kind of fresh nonsense is this?
The black knight, more dumbfounded than angry, retorted.
"Do you... not know and are asking? Or are you mocking me again?"
"What? Do you think it's a sin for a knight to confront an enemy?"
"..."
Huh?
Ian cocked his head in confusion.
Unlike the modern world, where violence was considered a sin, in this medieval fantasy world, violence was as natural as breathing.
In the modern world, even a fourth-grader caught stealing candy can say, 'What, you can't punish me because it's illegal? Annoying, isn't it? You want to hit me, right?' and mock the situation.
In a medieval fantasy world, doing such a thing would result in getting straight-up beaten, followed by applause from those around.
'Oh! To rightly educate such an ignorant child. How honorable!' would be the sentiment.
In short, violence was tolerated as long as it wasn't cowardly or unjust.
Of course, there were the priests of Heaven's Faith preaching about love and whatnot, condemning violence.
But most medieval people did not consider violence a sin.
"Then why did you bring up sin?"
"..."
The black knight couldn't continue.
It wasn't easy to confess your own sins out loud.
So, rather than explaining to Ian, she chose to remain silent.
Ian shrugged his shoulders.
"How boring."
Ian returned to the campsite with the black knight.
Lucy, who was waiting for Ian at the camp, was shocked to see him return with an unfamiliar woman.
"What, what the hell! Didn't you say you were going to get water???"
"Yeah."
"Then who is she!"
"Saved her from the river."
"???"
Saved a woman from the river?
So, is this woman a spirit of the river?
Lucy had many questions but patiently waited for Ian's explanation.
After Ian explained the situation, Lucy understood that the woman was the black knight.
"...So it's the black knight."
Lucy looked at the black knight calmly.
Ian was a bit surprised by her unexpectedly composed reaction.
He thought Lucy might hate the black knight who had crushed the Count's army...
"Is it okay?"
"What is."
"That I brought the black knight here."
At Ian's question, Lucy slowly shook her head.
"Ian must have had his reasons for saving her. Maybe you're planning to persuade her to switch sides, right?"
"..."
In reality, Ian had no other thought than that he had to save the person in front of him.
"I'm not foolish enough to get angry at a free knight."
"Oh..."
Ian admired Lucy's aristocratic demeanor.
For nobles, virtue is an important quality.
Virtue gathers followers.
To obtain knights who serve with genuine loyalty, rather than through contract, one must demonstrate the virtue of mercy.
"Since we have captured her, she won't be hostile."
"Why?"
"Because she owes us her life."
Lucy was right.
The black knight quietly played the role of a prisoner even in Lucy's presence.
"..."
She thought that flinching and trembling at the sight of Lucy was part of being a prisoner.
"What a mess, black knight."
"...Ugh."
However, Lucy's following words made the black knight's face turn red as if about to explode.
"Dressing as a man and wielding a sword... Are you the type who enjoys that kind of thrill?"
"Ugh!"
As Lucy harshly denounced her, the black knight looked as if she really wanted to bite her tongue and die.
"???"
The only one who didn't understand the situation was Ian.
"What's with that reaction?"
"What?"
Realizing Ian was clueless, Lucy was incredulous.
Even for a wizard who had been training in the mountains...
Shouldn't he have some basic common sense?!
"Do you... really not think anything of it?"
"...Should we get her some clothes?"
"No, she's wearing men's clothes!"
"Ah."
The mystery was finally solved.
The reason the black knight talked about sin.
Why Lucy looked down on the black knight.
It was all because the black knight was dressed as a man.
Unlike modern society where unisex fashion is common, in this medieval fantasy world, 'men's clothes' and 'women's clothes' were strictly defined.
For a man to wear women's clothes, or a woman to wear men's clothes, was considered a sin.
This is something even modern people can somewhat understand.
Socially, while women wearing men's clothing was somewhat accepted, men wearing women's clothing... was frowned upon, wasn't it?
To put it in perspective for Ian:
Let's say Ian secretly admired maids.
He dressed in drag and then worked at a maid café in a maid outfit, only to be caught by a customer.
'This guy wooow~ A man wearing wo- men's. clo- thes.~ So funny woow~'
'Eek~ a man~ wearing women's clothes~'
Overcome with shame, Ian would say with an embarrassed expression.
'Ugh. Please kill me...'
"..."
Only then did Ian understand the black knight's situation.
It was as if she was forcibly outed.
It was somewhat pitiable.
If it were Ian, he would have bitten his tongue right there.
"Is cross-dressing your preference? Or is there a reason for it?"
"..."
"What. It probably doesn't matter anyway. Soon the rumor that the black knight dressed as a man will spread, won't it?"
"...!"
Threatened by Lucy, the black knight glared at her with venomous eyes.
Despite the knightly fury in her gaze, Lucy did not avert her eyes.
"I demand that you protect my honor, Talian."
"Honor? Is there such a thing as honor for a mercenary knight who flits from one side to the other for money? You're no better than a bandit."
"What did you say?"
Their voices grew louder.
Before things escalated further, Ian cut off Lucy's words.
"Stop it, Lucy. You're getting worked up."
"No. I need to press on. Now that we've found a weakness...!"
Before Lucy could shout further, Ian gently pressed down on her shoulders.
Lucy's face turned slightly red.
"I'll handle the rest of the conversation, so go and rest. You'll feel better after you've calmed down."
"I'm fine..."
As she spoke, Lucy realized her hands were trembling.
Ian was right.
She was overwhelmed.
After experiencing too much and everything spiraling to the worst...
Her anxious heart was manifesting as aggression.
"...Sorry."
Lucy left after a brief apology.
Ian trudged over and sat next to the black knight.
"Ah, all this noise over nothing, right?"
At Ian's words, the black knight looked incredulous.
"Do you truly think that?"
"Yeah."
"...You don't believe in God, do you?"
Ian cocked his head in confusion.
"No? I do believe."
"...?"
The black knight was even more dumbfounded.
Believing in the God of Heaven but not finding cross-dressing strange?
Does this guy not know the doctrine?
Is he a casual believer?
But it wasn't over yet.
The black knight was truly at a loss for words at what Ian said next.
"Damn it, a woman can dress as a man if she wants. There are plenty of guys walking around in drag."
"A man dresses as a woman? Have you actually seen that?"
"Of course, I have."
"Why? What's the reason?"
"Something about cosplaying for a game."
"???"
The black knight couldn't understand a word Ian said.
Men walking around in drag?
If such a thing truly existed, it would be like bringing hell on earth.
But for Ian, a modern person, the issue of cross-dressing or the like wasn't something to be strictly judged as it was for medieval people.
In an era where even the Pope tells homosexuals to love beautifully, what's the big deal?
The wizard's words were complicated.
It was hard to understand.
But she grasped one thing for sure.
Ian was speaking sincerely.
"So don't be too down about it. Just because you were caught cross-dressing."
"..."
Was it because he was a wizard that his way of thinking was so peculiar?
Or was it just Ian's nature?
She couldn't tell.
However...
The feeling of being comforted by Ian wasn't too bad.
"You're as eccentric as you are skilled, wizard."
"Ah, yeah. Let's go with that."
Ian, growing tired of being called weird, responded nonchalantly to the black knight's comment.
Unknowingly, the black knight let out a small laugh.
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