The story of the black silk female knight

This plant is somewhat like the ginseng from Valencia's previous life. Its greatest value lies entirely in its roots, and the plant is located near a water source rich in magical elements. It's no surprise that its roots are incredibly nourishing now.

However, Valensa did not pick it, because this plant is quite unique.

Its name among professionals is unclear, but adventurers and herbalists prefer to call it the Self-Destructing Earth Root.

As its name suggests, if this plant is not harvested when it is in bloom, it will self-destruct by releasing the elemental energy stored in its roots when it senses danger. This will not only leave the harvester with nothing, but may even injure them with flying stones.

Judging from the current state of this self-destructing giant root, it should take about half a month before it blooms... The winged falcon probably built its nest by the waterfall to guard it just for it.

What would the Winged Blade Falcon need this for?

While the self-destructing earthen root can indeed make the root valuable by absorbing nearby magical elements, that's about it.

Not only are they difficult to harvest, but their effects are also inferior to various magic crystals, making them far less cost-effective.

Only certain special alchemical potions require this material.

But that requires absorbing fire or wind elemental self-destructing earth roots... This kind of self-destructing earth root that only absorbs water elemental can be described as utterly useless.

As far as Valensa knew, the Water-type Self-Destructing Earth Root seemed to be only usable for making healing potions.

But if we're making healing potions, wouldn't it be better to use the Sun Church's holy water, which has the same effect but is more effective and cheaper?

Ordinary holy water can be mass-produced simply by having ordained clergy pray to a natural water source. Melina, who is currently undergoing a seven-day nun's retreat, is probably doing this kind of work.

It can be said that the water-attribute self-destructing earth root is both expensive and useless. Unless it is given away for free, no alchemist would consider using it.

But... there is only one exception.

The holy water of the Church of the Sun is good in every way, but it only has a healing effect on the followers of the Sun Goddess. It will only cause harm to heretics. The same is true for most healing potions that use holy water as their core ingredient.

If someone is deliberately looking for this water-attribute earth root... it could only be those heretics who want to create healing potions.

The Beastmen, who have been at war with the Kingdom of Fran for many years, do not worship the Sun Goddess.

Combined with the information she heard from Melina last month, Valensa felt that she was very close to the truth.

The elite beastman who managed to break through the encirclement and annihilation by the church's paladins and the Farron elite soldiers likely possessed the ability to tame monsters and was also seriously injured.

The winged falcon that Valensa killed was most likely the pet of that elite beastman. It was searching for healing materials for its master, which is why it stayed here after discovering the self-destructing giant earth root.

Valensa pondered the matter several times, and the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that her guess was correct.

She had no intention of finding the escaped elite beastman herself; instead, she reported all her findings and speculations to the War Academy via scroll.

She hoped this behavior would earn her more points and make her assessment process go more smoothly.

By this time, Valensa had already been the focus of attention for some of the teachers at the War College. Before she reported the situation through a scroll, those teachers had already shared intelligence with the relevant pursuers.

Shortly after Valencia reported it, the scroll responded:

[Valenza Bader, you are not yet a top soldier, but you already have the qualities of one. We look forward to your outstanding performance in the upcoming assessment.]

[The task of pursuing the elite of the Wild Beast Clan has been taken over by a formal vanguard. Please proceed to the fourth assembly point in Suli City as soon as possible to begin the second stage of the assessment.]

[That plant that the Wild Beast Clan might use to make potions can simply be destroyed.]

"So, it really is to make me continue with the assessment and destroy this thing as soon as possible..."

This response did not surprise Valensa; she had been prepared for it all along.

At this point, she had retreated to a position about 30 meters away from the self-destructing earthen base, holding a short bow with some white phosphorus coated on the arrowhead.

Valensa planned to destroy the self-destructing giant earth root right here... In fact, the self-destructing giant earth root of the water attribute has little destructive power, but it will cause mud and water to fly everywhere.

Valensa didn't want her newly changed dress and black stockings to get dirty.

She drew the short bow to its fullest extent, aimed, and released her finger, causing the arrow to fly away. In mid-air, the friction with the air ignited the white phosphorus, turning it into a burning arrow.

boom!

Amidst the splashing mud and water, the herb that was most likely the life-saving weapon for the elite members of the Wild Beast Clan vanished.

Chapter 75 The female knight was immediately noticed by the dancer upon arriving at the assembly point.

Pat pat pat.

On the official road outside Suli City, a chestnut-red horse was trotting briskly toward the city gate.

A beautiful and alluring female knight rides on horseback, wearing only light armor that barely covers her vital parts. Beneath her pleated skirt are alluring black pantyhose, and her feet are encased in leather boots.

The person who arrived was Valensa.

After completely resolving the issue with the Winged Falcon, she changed horses and rode nonstop, covering 500 kilometers in just one day.

They had finally arrived at their destination, but night had not yet fully fallen. The scenery of the outskirts of Suri in the sunset was beautiful, and Valensa couldn't help but slow down to take a few more glances.

Suri was considered a large city in the Kingdom of Fran, roughly equivalent to the provincial capital of Valensa's previous life.

The permanent population exceeds 50, and the number would only be greater if you include traveling merchants, travelers, and adventurers.

The development of Suri was due not only to its status as a transportation hub in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Fran, but also to the crucial role of its surrounding natural environment.

The terrain here is slightly lower than the surrounding area, barely qualifying as a basin. The air is humid and the temperature is suitable, making it a habitat for various beasts, plants, and monsters, resulting in a very thriving ecosystem.

Starting about 30 kilometers outside of Suri City, Valensa could sense a significant increase in the number of wild beasts and monsters roaming near the official road, many of which she was seeing for the first time.

Among them was a large white cat resembling a leopard that pounced on Valensa. The horses were startled, and Valensa was about to draw her sword to accept the food that had been delivered to her door.

It turned out that the big cat wasn't attacking at all, but was begging for food... Clearly, this wasn't the first time it had done this on the official road.

Valensa petted the big cat quite lavishly before feeding it some roasted antler venison, which she had casually prepared during her confrontation with the winged falcon and hadn't finished eating yet.

After leisurely enjoying the scenery for a while, until most of the sun had sunk below the horizon, Valensa once again cracked her whip and sped towards the city gate.

Normally, one would be questioned by the gate guards when entering the city at this time, but the privileges of noble status were still very useful.

The gatekeepers of Suri not only didn't question Valensa, but also welcomed her and answered many of her questions respectfully.

After all, this was Valensa's first time in Suri City, and there was no mobile phone navigation in this world. Without asking for directions, it would be difficult to quickly find the meeting point in the city.

Fortunately, the assembly point set up by the War College was quite well-known locally, and the guards knew the way well and gave Valensa detailed instructions.

Following the instructions of the gatekeeper, Valensa first went to the nearest horse rental shop to return the horse, and then went directly to the assembly point arranged by the War College.

This is a tavern, and it's quite quiet inside; you can't hear any noise from outside.

Upon entering, the store is spacious enough to accommodate over a hundred people without feeling crowded.

It seems the entire place has been booked by the War Academy. There are only about 30 people present, all of whom look very young, around the same age as Valensa.

As she looked around, she noticed that people were also secretly observing her.

Unlike the gazes in the Adventurers' Hall that often focused on the black stockings under her skirt, these people, while occasionally glancing at her stockings, were mostly observing her weapons, equipment, and gait.

This can be considered a prerequisite for the second stage of the assessment.

Everyone present had passed the first round of the exam, yet none of them knew each other's identities, or even which department they belonged to.

Everyone relies on their own judgment. Command major candidates need to recruit outstanding elite soldiers and logistics personnel to join the team. Elite soldiers and logistics personnel can also choose the captain they want to follow.

The War Academy is supposed to train the most outstanding young people in the Kingdom of Fran. If you don't even have this much insight, you should go home and train for another year, or wait until you get married.

Therefore, in most cases, it is easy to identify which department the candidates belong to at a glance.

Needless to say, the logistics department, whether doctors, craftsmen or alchemists, all have very distinctive appearances and demeanors that can be easily recognized by an average person of normal intelligence.

The most difficult to distinguish are the command system and the elite soldier system.

Those who apply to the command department are not necessarily lacking in martial arts skills; on the contrary, there are many strong individuals among them, because leading the charge is also a development direction for the command department.

Similarly, not all elite soldiers are dressed as warriors or mages. Many elite soldiers like to disguise themselves as inconspicuous civilians, only revealing their sharpness when they take action.

In addition, in order to explore each other's strengths and weaknesses and find truly reliable teammates, candidates from the elite and command departments also like to disguise their identities, switch roles, and deceive each other.

At this moment, everyone in the tavern was speculating about Valensa's true identity.

She was clearly a noblewoman, and more likely a commander, but she was also armored and carried a shield. Her steps were steady and powerful, not just for show. She was a female knight who had actually experienced a lot of battles.

This left many people uncertain. Neither those looking for the captain nor those looking for teammates made any moves; they were all still quietly observing Valensa.

However, the eagerness in the eyes of many young men was hard to hide. After all, Valensa was really hot and beautiful. Even if her skills were lacking, her looks could boost morale.

Besides, how bad can someone be if they can pass the first test so quickly?

Thinking of this, someone finally couldn't sit still any longer. Two young men stood up at the same time, clearly intending to strike up a conversation with Valensa.

Unfortunately, they were all a step too late. Before they could act, a young woman dressed in a long, flowing gown as a dancer approached Valensa, accompanied by two other young women.

"Hello."

The woman dressed as a dancer greeted Valensa very warmly.

"Would you be interested in joining my team? I'm Jacqueline, a candidate in the Command Department, and I plan to develop into a morale support officer."

I've been drawn to your beauty. If you join the team, I guarantee you'll pass the second round of assessments smoothly.

Because the test I received doesn't require much physical force, but focuses more on social skills and communication abilities, your joining us will definitely be a great help to us.

Of course, if you're also in the command department, I can only express my regret.

"The official command system for maintaining morale..."

Valensa glanced at Jacqueline thoughtfully for a few moments, then nodded to herself.

Indeed, this young dancer has a great figure, a beautiful face, and is very confident. She is the kind of person who is suitable to stand on the stage as an idol.

Jacqueline's two female companions were clearly inferior to her; they both seemed to be in support roles, one a medical worker and the other an alchemist.

They must have been attracted by the test that Jacqueline mentioned didn't require much force, which is why they chose to follow her.

If Valensa were to join, it would not only add another elegant and beautiful girl to the team, but also make up for the team's only weakness... lack of combat power.

It seems like a good choice, but...

"Feel sorry."

Valensa chose to refuse.

Chapter 76 The Female Knight Became a Leftover Woman

Valensa was quite familiar with the position of Morale Support Officer.

Students at the War Academy who are developing in this direction, although still belonging to the command department, also need to take many courses in the logistics department.

They were also the main non-aristocratic students in the command department.

The duties of the morale-boosting officer are very broad.

According to Valensa's understanding, it's probably a combination of positions such as military idol singer, military attaché, and psychological counselor.

Morale support officers use various methods, including singing, dancing, speeches, and heart-to-heart talks, to help soldiers resolve their ideological confusion and maintain high morale in the army.

Although theoretically the position of Morale Support Officer does not require much personal combat strength, most excellent Morale Support Officers will practice some auxiliary or healing spells.

The best morale-boosting officers can even combine support magic with song and dance, just like in some of the song-selling anime in Valencia's previous life, where a song and dance performance before battle can double the soldiers' combat power.

In some extreme cases, morale officers would even use themselves as prizes to motivate soldiers to fight bravely even in their most desperate moments.

Because of the nature of their work, morale-boosting officers are usually young and beautiful girls, while male morale-boosting officers are as rare as gold coins in a gacha pool.

Most beautiful commoner girls actually aspire to this position, because the morale guarantor is also a formal military officer in the Kingdom of Fran, and can receive rewards after winning battles.

In addition, this position rarely requires one to personally rush to the front line, resulting in a high survival rate. The probability of a beautiful young woman achieving success and becoming a noble as a morale guarantor is far higher than that of a male officer.

However, not all beautiful young women are good at socializing and singing and dancing. Sometimes, morale officers who lack talent will use their beauty as a tool to ensure the smooth running of their work, or even make them shared lovers.

In Valensa's memory, when her mother and father argued when she was a child, they would often stand with their hands on their hips and yell: "You've been hanging out with that sly fox, the morale guarantor, again, haven't you?"

Valencia, the morale-boosting officer her mother mentioned, had actually met her father a few times. She was indeed a charming woman who was particularly good at winning men's hearts.

However, according to Valensa's secret observations, the morale officer and her father probably had nothing going on; they were just comrades-in-arms.

It's just that due to her occupational habits, that charming morale-boosting officer always speaks to any man in a flirtatious manner, so it's normal for her to be misunderstood.

This is also the main reason why Valensa rejected the dancer Jacqueline.

Perhaps the test Jacqueline received did not require much in terms of combat skills, but it would most likely require team members to sacrifice their beauty to seduce men, which is why Jacqueline prioritized looks when recruiting team members.

Valensa would never actively seduce a man.

"I see... That's a real shame."

Jacqueline not only expressed regret at Valensa's rejection, but her eyes also revealed genuine regret, as well as a sense of resentment and unwillingness to give up.