[Vol. 8] Chapter 270: The Missing Leader of the Holy Knight Order
What Frederica said earlier might indeed be a strict army rule. But rules are dead, while people are alive, there are always exceptions. With her position as the Judgement Saintess and the Supreme Commander of the Eastern War, not to mention her authority, it wouldn’t be surprising if she drove a carriage right into a military base or even held an open-air party there, no one would dare to complain. That’s the kind of privilege that comes with status.
But Frederica not only followed the rules herself, she even insisted on keeping them now, when they were hosting important guests. Even though these were small details that didn’t really matter, they still showed her consistent style.
As expected, the others, especially the Sword Saint, looked at her with more respect.
These two really are the same kind of people.
Since they had arrived in such a noticeable way, the guards outside the camp quickly spotted them. Frederica’s face might not be well known to every citizen in the Holy Empire, but every soldier, especially members of the Holy Knight Order, would recognize her. Soon, a high-ranking Holy Knight with a four-winged silver badge on his chest hurried over, respectfully bowing to her.
“Your Holiness the Saint, I apologize for not greeting you sooner. Please forgive me.”
Frederica seemed to know this Holy Knight commander. She nodded calmly.
“You’ve worked hard. Is Commander Fienne here? I have important matters to discuss with her.”
“This…”
The Holy Knight instinctively glanced at the unfamiliar faces behind the Saint, clearly hesitating. But she gave him a look that erased all his doubts.
“It’s fine. These people can be trusted.”
“Yes. Commander Fienne was called to the temple by your summons to attend an important meeting. She returned afterward, but it seemed something came up. She left in a hurry by herself and hasn’t come back yet.”
“She left?”
The young woman frowned slightly at this unexpected answer.
“Do you know where she went?”
The commander gave a helpless smile.
“Commander Fienne doesn’t tell me such things. But judging by the direction she went, she should have headed east.”
“The east… could it be the military camp outside the city? Strange… what would she be in such a hurry to do there?”
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing the Saintess’s unusual expression, Violet stepped forward. But Frederica only shook her head thoughtfully.
“Earlier, during the meeting, Her Holiness the Pope personally gave all high-ranking commanders a Holy Order, urging them to quickly handle matters related to the Flesh Curse. By reason, as the person in charge of the city’s garrison, Commander Fienne’s first task upon returning should have been to pass on the order to her officers and have them spread it down the chain of command.”
“This job isn’t extremely long or short, but at least gathering the officers takes some effort. And since we arrived only shortly after her, how could we have missed her?”
Ayra, known as the Hero of Wisdom and Knowledge, was skilled in observation and intelligence. After hearing Frederica’s brief explanation, she understood what the Saint was implying.
“So, Your Holiness believes Commander Fienne ran into some urgent or unexpected situation, so urgent that she left immediately without even carrying out the most important Holy Order?”
“That’s the only explanation we have right now.”
“Sorry if I’m being rude, but… can we trust Commander Fienne?”
Frederica glanced at Ayla. After what happened in the Theo Province, she understood why the other person was concerned. She nodded.
“Fienne is the highest leader of the [Hand of Judgment], one of the four main Holy Knight Legions directly under the Holy Capital. She’s from the same generation as my mother and actually fought in the Fourth Demon War. She is a strong warrior with an unshakable will, far beyond the average person.”
“In a way, the [Hand of Judgment] can be considered directly under the Judgement Saintess. Commander Fienne is one of my most trusted aides. I know her well, her faith is pure, and in her younger years she was a strong contender for the position of Saintess herself. She even received the Goddess’s blessing during the Hero’s Trial. Betraying the Church is absolutely impossible for her.”
“Otherwise, I would never have handed the [Hand of Judgment] to her.”
Speaking in a low voice so that only their small group could hear, Frederica then turned back to the Holy Knight officer in front of her.
“Since Fienne is not here, who is in charge of the camp now?”
“Your Holiness, it is Vice Commander Arlin Ulysses. He should be at the training field right now, overseeing the daily drills.”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes!”
Without wasting a word, the officer turned around, ordered the soldiers to open the camp gates, and took the lead.
It was clear that Frederica’s authority in this Purple Mist City, and especially in this camp, was absolute. Even though she was bringing several strangers into a highly restricted military area, the guards along the way didn’t show the slightest objection. Instead, when they saw her approaching, they all placed a hand over their chest in salute, their attitudes full of respect.
As they walked, Violet looked around curiously. The camp’s buildings and arrangements were ordinary, nothing worth special attention, but she soon noticed something quite interesting.
In this camp, more precisely, among the Holy Knights serving under the [Hand of Judgment], more than 80% were women!
She had already suspected this when she saw the wall guards outside, but now it was clear this wasn’t just a coincidence.
From what the priestess knew, the ratio of men to women among the Holy Empire’s clergy was roughly equal, so at first glance it seemed normal. But actually, it was not that simple.
The word “clergy” was a broad term covering many roles. Some, like the Holy Knights or Inquisitors were combat professions, often fighting on the front lines, facing strong enemies up close, and sometimes taking heavy hits themselves. These jobs were mostly done by men.
Other roles, like priests or holy ritualists, rarely fought directly and were usually protected on the battlefield. They almost never saw bloody combat, which made them the more common choice for women.
In short, over 80% of Holy Knights were male, just as about 80–90% of priests were female. This had long become the “normal” balance.
Female Holy Knights were rare. And if they were also skilled and beautiful, they would be treated like treasures anywhere else.
So why were there so many here? Was this a camp full of women warriors?