The story of the black silk female knight

Simply put, it's a combination of the public relations and legal departments of the Sun Church.

After saying that, Valensa muttered something to herself, while looking expectantly at Rika and Fran, waiting for their judgment on the matter.

"...I can see that your idea was initially driven by selfish motives. You just disliked the practice of most nobles forcing their daughters without talent into marriage and wanted to help those young girls, so you came up with this solution, right?"

After a moment of silence, Lika first rolled her eyes at Valensa, then nodded slightly with a smile:

"However... what you said makes some sense... even if you barely qualify, I'll discuss this with the high priests of Fran before applying to headquarters."

Considering your background and the great achievement you just made, I think the chances of you being accepted are quite high... At the very least, they shouldn't reject you outright; they'll at least give you a chance to try.

So you don't have to wait for me to do some preliminary work; you can start doing it now... For example, have a good talk with the noble ladies you like and see if they're willing to go."

"Okay, I understand, thank you so much, Rika! Love you~~"

Valensa was already very satisfied with this result. She nodded excitedly and pounced on Rika, giving her a quick kiss.

Lika's expression remained unchanged:

"Alright, save your tricks for fooling girls for someone else... Although I've been a good girl for hundreds of years, I was once a succubus lord, and these are all methods I'm tired of using."

"If you really want to thank me properly, then focus on your cultivation and strive to break through to the Star Glory realm as soon as possible, so you can take over the Inner Temple Knight position from me... I've had enough of working overtime every day."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely work hard in my training, don't worry, Sister Rika."

Valensa nodded quickly.

All three women are decisive; once a deal is made, they will act immediately.

Lika went to discuss Valensa's proposal with the local high priests of Fran, while Fran temporarily took over Lika's duties to oversee the daily work of the paladins in their team.

Valensa, following Lika's advice, went to talk to the noble girls first.

Three days have passed since the bombing of Iris Girls' Academy. Most of the noble girls in the capital have returned home, but many girls whose homes are outside the capital have not yet left.

Some of them went to stay at friends' homes, some booked rooms in hotels, and some stayed at the church to recuperate because their injuries were more serious.

For example, even though Ren miraculously awakened her Noble Phantasm after taking two hits from the air cannon, her body was still covered in wounds, even more so than Valensa's.

However, given the church's magical healing abilities, as long as the patient doesn't die on the spot, there's not much difference.

When Valensa found Lian, Lian showed no outward signs of injury, but her face was still slightly pale and she looked listless, her energy and strength not yet fully recovered.

But instead of staying put in bed to rest, Lian secretly ran to a place where paladins were training and looked at them with longing eyes as they wielded their swords and practiced divine arts.

"What? You want to learn too?"

Seeing this, Valensa couldn't help but smile, walked up to Lian from behind, and patted Lian's head.

"Teach... the instructor?"

Lian was clearly startled, but after seeing that it was Valensa, she breathed a long sigh of relief, which turned into joy:

"Instructor, are you alright?"

"Yes, thanks to the grace of Your Majesty the Goddess, I am alright now."

Valensa smiled and nodded, then pointed to the paladins who were training:

"Want to learn their swordsmanship and divine arts, Lian?"

"Of course I want to learn! Would you, instructor, be willing to teach me?"

Lian was overjoyed and hugged Valensa's hand, jumping and patting her.

But after a short while, Lian stopped again, gritted her teeth, and shook her head:

"No...no. Although my classmates often laugh at me for being stupid, I still know some common sense. The training of paladins can only be done by paladins, and it would be against discipline to teach it to outsiders without permission...Instructor, you have already been very kind to me, I can't cause you any more trouble."

"Yes, Lian, you really are a good girl. I didn't misjudge you."

Valensa was clearly in a great mood and patted Lian's head again:

"Don't worry, I'm the most obedient paladin, how could I break the rules? These sword techniques and divine spells can only be practiced by paladins. If you want to learn them, Lian, just become a paladin too, right?"

"Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Lian's eyes widened instantly, filled with unbelievable, ecstatic joy:

"Instructor, do you mean... I can become a paladin?"

"Of course."

Valensa nodded with a hint of pride:

"Because of this achievement, I got a promotion in the church... So I'm planning to recruit some people to help me in the church. I wonder if you'd be interested, Lian?"

Chapter 14 I'm so awesome

"Interested! Of course I'm interested!"

Lian nodded excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

But her joy didn't last long; a hint of worry returned to Lian's face.

"But... what about my family? The elders are all strongly against my cultivation and just want me to find a man and have a child as soon as possible."

"The church will notify the Skye family."

Valensa smiled faintly:

"Of course, the church will not use its power to intimidate you. We will only say that we respect your choice... So the key to this matter is still up to you, Lian."

Will you rebel against your predetermined fate and forge new possibilities through your own efforts? Or will you compromise with your responsibilities as the family heir, abandoning your spiritual practice to get married and have children?

"I……!"

Lian's eyes suddenly became somewhat blank:

"I don't know... I love training, I crave battle, I want to become a hero!"

But I am indeed the only young direct descendant left in the Skye family... If I were to die in battle, the Skye family's direct bloodline would be extinguished.

My dream makes me want to accept your invitation, Instructor… but my responsibility keeps telling me I must get married as soon as possible to continue my family line… I… I really don’t know… Please help me, Instructor.”

"No, this is the only thing I can't help you with, and I absolutely cannot help you with, Lian."

Valensa shook her head and looked at Lian very seriously:

"Just as you said yourself, whether to obey responsibilities and obligations or to pursue dreams and freedom is a choice that only you can make."

"Instructor, all I can do is support you whatever choice you make."

"I...I understand."

Lian bit her lip tightly:

"Could you give me some time to think this over, Instructor?"

"of course."

Valensa smiled and nodded:

"There are still a few days until the start of the new semester at the War Academy. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be staying at the church for the next few days. You can come and see me anytime."

"Okay, I understand, thank you, instructor!"

Without rushing her, Valensa left Lian with some worries to ponder, then went to visit the other girls who were still recuperating before leaving the church.

There are over fifty students at Iris Girls' Academy, and Valensa certainly won't recruit them all.

It's true that Valensa hates forced marriages, but some girls have already developed feelings for their fiancés. Valensa wouldn't force them apart; she would only offer her blessings.

Noble girls who join the church may have to confront cult members... even verbal exchanges in social situations may not be without danger.

Therefore, this job requires a certain amount of courage and awareness... Some overly delicate girls are not suitable for this job.

The proverb "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" applies here. To put it bluntly, Valensa was simply giving a chance to aristocratic girls who wanted to defy their fate.

For those who lack the courage to resist and only seek comfort, obedient marriage might be the best option.

Moreover, arranged marriages are indeed an effective means for nobles to expand their networks and strengthen their connections, and Valensa could not possibly save every noble girl who was forced into an arranged marriage.

The only people she can save are those who yearn for freedom and want to save themselves.

That being said, among the fifty-odd girls at Iris Girls' Academy, there were two people Valensa particularly wanted to recruit.

One of them is naturally the lotus.

Lian's talent for cultivation is definitely not low. If she hadn't been forcibly restricted by her family, she would have had a very high probability of being admitted to the elite soldier department of the War Academy.

Even if she starts training now, it's not too late for Lian... At the very least, the fact that a damaged heirloom can fight again is absolutely a miracle.

Valensa had great confidence in Lian's talent for cultivation and her understanding of the world. She believed that with proper nurturing, Lian would definitely become a true powerhouse in the future.

Therefore, Valensa is grooming Lian as a future trusted and capable fighter.

Besides Lian, another person Valensa really wanted was Sofia.

Although Sophia's talent for cultivation is only average, her courage and perseverance are not to be underestimated.

She can stand up and try to negotiate when faced with vicious cultists, endure the torment of the sacrificial circle without fainting, and tell the paladins and scouts what happened in the first instance, so that Rika can make the right judgment in the shortest time.

It's fair to say that Sofia is the perfect model member for the new department that Valencia wanted to build.

If Valensa's proposal is fully approved, and the noble girls she recruits can reach Sophia's current level after training, Valensa will be satisfied.

Moreover, Sophia also enjoys high prestige among the students of Iris Girls' Academy, holding a position similar to that of a class monitor or even the student council president.

Once you've won over Sophia, recruiting other noble girls will be much easier.

However, Sofia was, after all, the daughter of the finance minister, and even if she was only a concubine's daughter, she was still considered a member of a high-ranking noble family.

Visiting Sofia's home alone would be a bit embarrassing.

So after leaving the church, Valensa didn't go to find Sophia immediately, but instead went to the Adventurers' Guild to find Melina.

The events at Iris Girls' Academy are currently kept secret, and Melina has no idea what happened.

"Miss?"

So when Melina saw Valensa, she was delighted, but also somewhat surprised:

"Didn't you go back to Sergintown for an investigation mission and a vacation? Kiri and Lulu wrote to me about it a while ago... When did you return to the capital?"

"Well... hehe."

Valensa smiled somewhat awkwardly.

She was very reluctant to lie to Melina, but she also didn't want Melina to worry about her.

So I can only pretend to be relaxed and gloss over it:

"Actually, I've been back for more than ten days... but I was on a secret mission before. Now that the mission is over, I came to find Sister Melina."

"Miss, you..."

But Melina was Valensa's personal maid and knew Valensa very well.

She saw through Valensa's thoughts at a glance:

"The mission must be very dangerous, right? Miss, you're badly injured again? Did you just recover at the church? I remember coming from the direction you came from, which is the church area."

"Uh……"

Valensa was slightly embarrassed that the truth was seen through so quickly, but she felt a warm glow inside.

"Nothing can be hidden from Melina, really."

She quickly stepped forward and hugged Melina's arm, smiling brightly:

"Don't worry, Melina, I'm fine... and I've gotten promoted and stronger too! I'm a Lighthouse level now! How about that? Pretty impressive, right?"

Chapter 15 I'm afraid I won't be able to control my voice and make it too loud.

"Is the young lady already a beacon?"

Melina's eyes first lit up with joy, then turned to worry:

"But how did you become stronger so quickly, Miss? Although I am not a cultivator, I still know some common sense about cultivators—the faster you become stronger, the more dangerous the battles you experience!"

"Young Miss, you... you really did mess around again, didn't you?"

"Ah this..."