The Emperor and the Knightess - Chapter 15
Story 3. Getting Used to the New Life.
Chapter 15
Lucius the First accepted Poliana, but it was still undecided in which division she would belong to. Thankfully, her injury was so severe that she couldn’t have been allowed to work anyway. But as she healed and regained her strength, she began to get nervous. Would she come to belong anywhere?
Then finally, good news arrived, making her smile.
She was assigned to Sir Baufallo’s division, the war supply unit. Unlike Aehas, the Acreian army didn’t have an administrative unit. It was the supply unit who took care of it all. This meant that Sir Baufallo was the First Sergeant of Lucius’s army.
Sirs Baufallo and Ainno were forced to accept Poliana because they lost the bet to the emperor and his scribe. Sin Ainno absolutely refused her when the time came for them to decide who would take her, saying that he would kill her if she ever was assigned to his division. Therefore, Sir Baufallo had no choice but to take Poliana. Of course, Poliana had no idea that all these things have happened regarding her assignment.
Regardless of their feelings, the two knights had to accept Poliana as part of the Acreian army now. She was immediately notified of her posting. When she met with Sir Baufallo, he informed her, “His highness has asked either myself or Sir Ainno to take you as an aide and it has been decided that I will become your superior.”
“May I ask you a question?” Poliana became curious about which unit Sir Ainno led.
“Go ahead.”
“Which division does Sir Ainno belong to?”
“He is the head of his highness’s personal security unit.”
He’s the head of the emperor’s bodyguards, the knight who never leaves the emperor’s side. This gave Air Ainno the right to kill anyone who appeared to be a threat to his highness. It made sense, this was why he slapped her that day.
At the same time, Poliana could also understand why Sir Ainno despised her. The emperor ordered him to capture her alive when she escaped the Acreian attack. Sir Ainno was forced to leave the emperor’s side, which he was never supposed to do just to get HER. No wonder Sir Ainno hated her.
Poliana learned soon enough that Sir Ainno refused to accept her into his unit and she couldn’t help but understand where he’s coming from. Having a foreigner in the emperor’s security team was too risky. Poliana would’ve done the same thing if she was in his shoes.
Poliana then asked, “Is Sir Ainno strong?”
“He is the best night in the kingdom.”
And with his answer, Sir Baufallo almost asked her, “Why? Do you want to try fighting him and see if you can take him on?”
If it was any other knight, a male knight, Sir Baufallo would’ve asked in a half-jokingly manner, but he stopped himself because he suddenly remembered that he was talking to a girl. He forgot about it for a second, and for a moment, it felt like he was talking to a normal average knight.
He did hear that she served in Aehas’ army for 6 years and it made sense. She certainly acted like a proper soldier.
But there was no ambition in her eyes, no desire to gauge Sir Ainno’s strength like any other male soldiers would have.
‘She is a girl after all,’ Sir Baufallo thought to himself.
Poliana could tell what Sir Baufallo was thinking. Just until a moment ago, he was treating her like a soldier, but just now, his eyes changed and he was now looking at her like she was a stupid woman.
She was used to it. It wasn’t important to her at all. As long as she didn’t give up on being a knight, this was going to happen again and again.
‘Don’t get disappointed. Don’t feel weak.’ She exhaled deeply.
Poliana’s new position wasn’t unimportant. The supply division in any army was a very important unit. Without proper supplies, the soldiers wouldn’t be able to fight well and without strong well-fed soldiers, an army couldn’t win a war. The cases of deserters would increase the more their supplies dwindle, and there were some situations as well where a soldier would disobey their leader.
Proper and adequate supply was indeed one of the most important aspects of an army. This was why the First Sergeant of the supply unit was called “the mother” instead of a “father.”
But ironically, the supply unit wasn’t treated well compared to the other divisions. Many believed that a man was only a true soldier if they physically fought in battles. They considered those toiling in administrative and supply duties weak. The treatment of the supply unit was even worse in the Acreian army because the supply division took care of both the supplies and the overall general administrations.
When the soldiers found out that Poliana was assigned to the supply division, they became more accepting of her presence. A woman in an administrative position made sense to them.
In truth, Poliana was very disappointed. In a supply and administrative unit, one could not make any noteworthy achievements. Poliana wanted to stand out in this war. She wanted to become an accomplished knight. She wanted to become a big part of their battles, their victories, and most of all, she wanted to conquer lands.
In a supply unit, there was no need for strategies or tactics. One would just need to work hard with a detail-oriented mind. He/she must become a “mother” and take care of the army’s soldiers.
‘Don’t feel disappointed, Poliana.’
She knew she couldn’t be too greedy. Her life in the Acreian army was just starting so she had to take it slow. In addition, she knew that the supply division was a good place to learn the true condition of their entire army. She didn’t know much about this work which also meant that she was going to learn a lot while working in this unit.
She felt disappointed that her last 6 years of experience were being ignored and taken lightly, but even so, she now belonged to an entirely different kingdom and this was an expected consequence for something that changed her life.