The first round of assessments came to a complete close with Rita’s decisive battle, and what followed was the usual procedure: announcement of rankings, a summary speech from the examiners, and then the most anticipated—and nerve-wracking—two days of rest.
Cecilia rose from the examiners’ seat, took the ranking sheet that her attendants had organized, and slowly walked up to the stage.
“Candidates,” Cecilia raised her voice, though it remained soft, like leaves about to be scattered by the wind.
“The first round of assessments has successfully concluded. Although some incidents during the process sparked debate, as the organizer of this Holy Knight examination, I, Cecilia Julius, Fourth Princess of the Kingdom, solemnly guarantee that the entire examination was conducted fairly and justly.”
Then, Cecilia’s tone shifted sharply, and the cold, piercing gaze so familiar to Rita swept across the venue, causing many to twitch uncomfortably, as if afraid of being frozen in place by that look.
“However, a fair and just exam does not mean no one attempted to sabotage it. From the conspiracy against me on the very first day, to the blatant collusion with the demon tribe to attack candidates in Solus City, these are undeniable acts of disrespect towards the Kingdom. To those lurking in the shadows, the sword of judgment now hangs high above your heads. If you wish to avoid a disgraceful end, offer your heads willingly—I shall grant you a dignified death.”
Words that should have stirred a storm fell into a dead silence, and many present didn’t even dare to breathe.
S-So fierce.
Rita shuddered in her seat among the candidates.
So she was bathing and sleeping with someone like this?
It was only by Cecilia’s great mercy that she hadn’t been strung up at the city gates on their first meeting.
Thinking about it carefully, the reason she and Cecilia were aligned was because Cecilia had given a lot, and because Rita had witnessed some less dignified moments from her.
But truly, for this somewhat inscrutable girl, Rita didn’t know her at all.
If they were going to spend more time together, perhaps she should get to know her better?
Cecilia’s sharp gaze gradually softened, returning to the speech’s summary: “To all the future Holy Knights, throughout these days of assessment, I have witnessed your determination…”
“Sis, you did great, you really did,” Valfis patted Rita on the back. Over the past few days, Rita no longer minded such gestures from Valfis.
During those days when others gave her cold stares, Valfis was the only one who sat beside her despite the strange looks, and Rita was genuinely moved.
“What’s so great about it? I’m exhausted,” Rita said, hugging her spear and sticking out her tongue.
This wasn’t an exaggeration; after that battle, Rita’s stomach was growling loudly.
Thankfully, Momoka had dropped her spear, or else Rita couldn’t imagine how she would have won without revealing her identity.
“I’m not talking about that. If you had lost, would the princess still be able to say these things here? Would the people below be so quiet after hearing this? Have you thought about what you’d be like if you’d lost?”
No wonder Cecilia had said those things to her.
Before Valfis pointed it out, Rita hadn’t realized just how much responsibility she was shouldering—
“So, sis, this isn’t just about winning a test. You’ve completely turned the tide!” Seeing the understanding in Rita’s eyes, Valfis continued, then glanced at the spear in Rita’s hand. “By the way, when did you pick up that spear?”
After Cecilia’s speech came the announcement of rankings.
Specific scores were absolutely not to be revealed, but it was necessary for candidates to know their relative positions.
The undisputed first was the silver-haired swordswoman, Promi, whose performance over the past days was undoubtedly top-notch.
Second place went to the dual-wielding swordsman, Alber.
These two were among the only three candidates with five wins and zero losses, so their rankings were well deserved.
Third place was Momoka, who had just lost to Rita.
Though she lost once, Momoka’s overall scores were high, and her performance remained impressive enough to secure this position.
Fourth was Rita herself, also undefeated.
Despite winning all five matches, four of her scores were quite low, and without her last battle, her rank would have fallen much further.
Next was Johnson, who had only one loss, and Rita couldn’t quite remember the rest of the names.
She did hear Valfis’s name among those near the bottom.
Rita was exhausted today as well.
Now that everything was over, all she wanted was a proper meal.
Not just an ordinary meal, but a hunt befitting a succubus.
Unlike normal humans, succubi don’t need three meals a day.
Well, to be precise, they don’t need three meals, but they do need to feed daily.
Since the last accidental attack on Cecilia a week ago, Rita hadn’t eaten.
Cuddling with the princess or bathing together didn’t help replenish her energy.
If she were a machine, she’d usually be in low-power standby mode, consuming little energy, but just now, she had been running at full power.
With the city still rife with unrest, and having just shaken off suspicion of conspiring with succubi, she absolutely couldn’t afford to reveal her identity again.
But she couldn’t starve herself either.
She couldn’t possibly die from hunger just to keep her identity hidden.
Luckily, times had changed.
Rita had acquired a huge amount of gold coins from Cecilia, enough to spend a few coins on an all-you-can-eat buffet at a yuri-themed brothel filled with beautiful girls.
Using the money Cecilia gave her for “support” to sneak a meal felt awfully guilty.
Pah, pah, pah—what sneaking, what support!
This is survival!
As night began to fall, Rita pocketed several gold coins and, to keep her identity hidden, had a servant from the Lord’s Mansion lend her a cloak before stepping out.
She had the money and her identity covered, but where was this all-you-can-eat place?
From her experience walking the streets at night in her previous life, the kinds of places where flashy middle-aged women stop you with, “Young man, want a massage?” were probably tucked away in dark alleys.
Well, she’d just have to look around.
After turning a few streets, she quickly found a seldom-visited alley.
At least it looked that way.
Rita could clearly sense a dense human presence, though it wasn’t visible.
Moreover, the air was filled with a complex, strange scent.
Taking a deep breath and mustering her courage, Rita stepped into the alley and followed the source of the scent through winding turns.
Sure enough, after passing through what felt like a labyrinth, she discovered a hidden gem.
Behind this deserted alley was a small market.