The story of the black silk female knight

Valensa spoke with great certainty, and as she spoke, she actually began washing Tia's hair:

“You didn’t go through three years of living as a poor village girl like I did… How could the young lady of the prestigious Britannia family possibly need to wash her own hair and scrub her own back? You’ve always had maids serving you, right?”

But you're not allowed to bring a maid to the War Academy's entrance exam, so you probably haven't had a proper, comfortable bath in the last few days... because you can't.

"Woo~~ Glug glug".

Tia blew a bubble into the water, her voice sounding both shy and joyful:

"You... you get it over with such trivial matters... humph."

"So be good and don't move!"

Valensa took all of Tia's long silver hair in her hands and gently washed and combed it:

"We're escorting that batch of high-end ingredients to the capital tomorrow, so we probably won't have many opportunities to stay in luxury hotels along the way, right? Don't you want to take a nice, relaxing bath tonight?"

Don't worry, I really will only wash your hair and scrub your back. I won't do anything else to you, unless you want to...

"I wouldn't think that! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Wow!

Tia turned around angrily and splashed water on Valensa, soaking her towel and black stockings.

After a few moments of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and simply reached out and pulled Valensa into the bathtub.

Given Valensa's skills, she shouldn't have been so easily dragged down by a spellcaster.

But at this moment she seemed incredibly fragile, and with a splash, she fell into the bathtub, the towel wrapped around her body completely falling to the ground, and her black stockings were soaked through.

As Valencia mentioned before, the bathtub is so big that even two girls could fight inside it without any problem.

"You, you, you...don't come over here!"

Looking at Valensa's extremely aggressive gaze, Tia felt a pang of regret. She wanted to jump out of the bathtub and escape the bathroom back to her room, but there was no way to escape now.

"You think you can just leave after bullying me? Pay the price, Tia!"

Valensa grabbed Tia and subdued her best friend without even using half of the close-quarters grappling techniques she had learned from a painting.

"Lie down properly!"

Then she had Tia hold onto the edge of the bathtub with both hands and turn her back to her, and began to... wash Tia's hair and scrub her back carefully, and remained very well-behaved throughout.

...Idiot, idiot, idiot!

Tia glanced back at Valensa a few times, a hint of resentment in her eyes.

Nothing happened in the bathroom in the end.

Valensa carefully washed Tia's hair and dried her back. Tia quickly felt tired, lay down next to Valensa, chatted for a few words, and then fell asleep in her arms.

Valensa also cuddled with Tia and slept for a while, but woke up about two hours before dawn and found it difficult to fall back asleep.

Because Tia seems to be having some kind of dream, she's becoming restless and keeps talking in her sleep about launching various attacks on Valensa.

Valensa, who already had a strong liking for Tia and had become even more enamored with her, could hardly resist, and her soft body quickly became hot.

But she couldn't bear to actually wake Tia up and do anything, so she could only get up in her pajamas and stand by the window to enjoy the cool breeze.

Valensa had an idea when she thought about what she had planned to do before going to the bathroom to help Tia take a bath. She thought, why not do it now and give Tia a surprise when she wakes up.

Valensa tidied up Tia's messy sheets and blankets, stuffed a pillow into her arms to replace herself, and then secretly kissed her cheek before getting off the bed and sitting down at the table.

She activated a small light-attribute magic crystal that had the effect of a desk lamp, then took out paper and pen from her magic storage bag before taking a deep breath.

The power of the mind, enhanced thinking!

In her previous life, Valencia had read those famous ancient books on military strategy, but she only read them and did not study them.

I can't remember the content at all, and even the title is a blur.

But in a state of enhanced mental power, none of this is a problem.

As long as Valencia truly remembered something, even if she couldn't recall it at all over time, the power of her mind could make her memory clear again.

In her past life, Valencia actually memorized a famous military treatise word for word in order to show off on certain occasions.

Now, this military strategy book is once again clearly presented in her mind, and gradually appears on the paper as her pen moves.

Initial planning, combat, strategic attack, military formation, military strength, strength and weakness, military struggle, nine variations, marching, terrain, nine terrains, fire attack, using spies.

The thirteen articles may not seem long, but they are all written in classical Chinese, and the actual content after a full translation would be at least several times longer.

There was a lot of content that Valensa herself didn't understand; she just memorized it without really understanding it.

No matter, Tia is the daughter of the chief strategist. We can just say that this is a military treatise that I obtained from an exile in the Eastern Continent, and let Tia study it slowly on her own.

This kind of mental reinforcement, which forcibly recalls memories that have been forgotten in a previous life, consumes a considerable amount of mental energy.

After Valencia finally managed to write down all thirteen chapters of military strategy, she felt exhausted and sleepy, yawning incessantly.

Worried about disturbing Tia if she went back to bed, she had no choice but to fall asleep on the table, just like she used to cram for final exams in her past life.

When I woke up again, it was already bright outside, and Tia was dressed and ready to go.

Chapter 95 The Morning of Departure

"Are you awake?"

Seeing Valensa open her eyes, Tia walked over:

"You know, why don't you sleep in your nice, soft bed? Why do you get up in the middle of the night and lie on the table? Do you think I'm going to devour you in my dreams...? Huh? What's this?"

She seemed to only then notice the papers that had been pressed against her chest when Valensa had been sleeping on her stomach, and curiously picked them up and began to examine them:

"War is a matter of vital importance to the State; a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected..." What strange words and grammar are these? How could you write something like this? Is it a modern love letter? Who is it for?

"If it really is a love letter, then it must be written for you, Tia~~"

Valensa stood up with a grin, stretching:

“Weren’t you reading a book on military strategy last night? I thought these few passages might be of some use to you… Anyway, take your time reading them. The grammar and wording are a bit strange, but I think with your abilities, Tia, you can still understand them eventually.”

Without waiting for Tia's reaction, she took her storage magic pouch and went into the washroom, beginning the morning routine of dressing up that every girl does.

When the refreshed female knight in black stockings entered the room again, Tia seemed to be completely absorbed in those military treatises, her red eyes unblinking.

"So, did these things help you?"

Valensa asked, feigning nonchalance:

"You seem pretty focused... is that alright?"

"It's extremely useful!"

Tia couldn't contain her excitement and shouted out, her breathing even becoming a little rapid.

She carefully put the papers away before curiously looking up:

"Where did you see these things? They're not even in Father's library... Did you get up in the middle of the night last night just to write this for me?"

"Emmm... I obtained it in a very magical place. It was a special opportunity for me. That place also played a significant role in my rapid growth over the past three years."

After careful consideration, Valensa decided to push the offer to the Dimensional Hardware Store.

The claim about exiles from the Eastern Continent is unreliable, because there really are some exiles from the Eastern Continent in the capital, and Tia is capable of confronting them.

As for special places like dimensional hardware stores, they are actually easier for Tia to accept, because this world itself contains many secret realms with different spatial dimensions.

"Your special opportunity..."

Tia nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

She had actually suspected this for a long time... It would be strange if a noble lady who was powerless could become a Candlelight-level female knight in just three years without a special opportunity.

However, such opportunities usually have some strange rules, which cannot be explained in detail to outsiders.

For example, Tia herself would never bring up her experiences in the Sage's Tower unless necessary, not even to her father or Valensa.

"Well, it's said to be a very sophisticated military treatise. The wording and writing style are very similar to those from the Eastern Continent. I don't really understand it myself, so I can only memorize it by rote."

Valensa seemed a little embarrassed as she spoke, twirling a strand of hair behind her ear with her fingers:

"I guessed that you would most likely inherit the achievements of the Britannia family in military strategy, so I memorized these few articles by rote, intending to give them to you as an apology gift when I returned to the capital... Now that we have reunited ahead of schedule, I will give this gift to you."

"Hmph, you idiot, have you no conscience at all... I haven't worried about you for nothing these past three years."

The emotion in Tia's eyes was obvious, but she also seemed a bit arrogant:

"But it's okay if I get this gift later, right? Why did you have to stay up all night last night? You idiot, you idiot, you idiot..."

"Because I suddenly couldn't fall back asleep after waking up last night~~"

Valensa shrugged, indicating that Tia didn't need to worry, and took the opportunity to activate the favorability query function of the Dimensional Hardware Store member terminal, with her best friend as the target.

The target's current level of affection towards you is: Intimacy.

Are they really that close?

Valensa pondered for a moment, becoming even more convinced of her previous judgment.

This favorability detection system seems to have an invisible hidden value in addition to the nine levels that are clearly visible, similar to the favorability rating system with explicit numbers in games.

In order to increase the favorability level, in addition to meeting the numerical requirements, certain special conditions are also required.

For example, the intimacy level is quite interesting. As long as a romantic relationship is not developed, the level will not increase no matter how high the affection value is.

But those values ​​won't disappear. Once you break through the relationship barrier, it's possible for your favorability level to jump two stages in one go.

For example, Melina's affection level for Valensa should have been maxed out long ago, but she hasn't completed the relationship transition, which is why she's stuck at the intimacy level.

Until after that night.

Unfortunately, Valensa completely forgot about checking the favorability rating that night, and the next morning Melina went to the Church of the Sun again, preventing Valensa from checking the change in Melina's favorability rating.

However, even without investigating, she could sense that... on that night when emotions and bodies intertwined, Melina's affection level had likely reached its highest level, unwavering until death.

Let's find an opportunity to verify it after we get to the capital.

"Ok?"

Valensa was lost in thought when Tia suddenly gave her a suspicious look:

"What did you just do to me? Why do I feel like you've seen me naked... You don't happen to have some kind of lewd ability, do you?"

"Because Tia is really beautiful right now, I just couldn't help but stare at her in amazement."

Valensa smiled naturally, then sighed:

"It's a pity we won't be able to see him soon... Compared to the handsome Eugene, I actually prefer to pretend to be a couple with the beautiful Tia... By the way, Tia, why are you dressed as a man?"

"Because it saves a lot of trouble."

Tia shrugged, then took out a swaddling cloth and a white brocade robe, and began to change her clothes:

“If I were wearing a pretty dress like you, do you think no one would come up to chat us up or even pester us when we walk together? But as long as I wear men’s clothes, I don’t have to worry about that at all.”

"That's true... but I always feel like I'm losing out if things continue like this."

Valensa muttered to herself, and quickly helped Tia wrap herself in the cloth, so that she could put on the brocade robe neatly.

"Let's go."

Before leaving, Valensa linked arms with Tia again, striking a pose like an affectionate couple.

"It's almost time... As agreed with Mr. Luffy last night, we should head to the Gourmet Association's warehouse in the western suburbs to officially begin the second stage of the assessment."

"Do not worry."

Tia also reached out and wrapped her arm around Valensa's slender waist:

"With me here, you only need to watch the last two tests... I will absolutely not let you marry a man because of the forced marriage law."

Chapter 96 Melody Wants to Play a Prank

Valensa and Tia left the room, holding hands and showing their affection as they made their way to the second-floor restaurant.

Melody and Gillu were already there, having secured their spots. The newly joined couple, Asashi and Luca, were also among them.

Perhaps they had already performed for the young couple last night, or perhaps Melody and the others also despised Luca, this good-for-nothing, but simply didn't show it out of aristocratic etiquette.

In short, the three musketeers of Suri City did not pose to introduce themselves to the new team members this morning. After having breakfast quickly, the group checked out together.