She spent the night sleeping on a bedroll in Lady Helena's own private tent. She was the only woman here, so naturally they would have to share, since Lyra did not have her own tent. She had considered using her "Create: Shelter" spell but figured she had shocked the 7th Knight-Order enough already as is.
Besides, Lady Helena was actually good company. After a shared dinner, which was standard military issued rations consisting of dried meats and crackers that went into hot water to make a thick bread-stew, Lyra and Helena retreated to her tent to get ready to sleep. Lyra learned that Helena came from a noble family from the Capital City, which was called just "Capital City". Most nobles of the Revean Empire had mansions in the Capital, as well as their own territories which they oversaw, but the Dubroise family actually held no territory to manage. Instead, their family had always produced very skilled Fire Mages, or Pyromancers, which was how they had earned their title of nobility in ages past.
For over a hundred years, they had provided the Empire with Court-Mages and Mages for the military, and Lady Helena was no different. She was the first daughter of three siblings, one little brother and one little sister, and so while her brother was set to inherit the title of Count from her father, she and her little sister could either make a career of their own either within the Royal Court or in the Military, or they could just get married off to another noble family which was often the fate of many young noble women. As was custom in all human nations except one, only the sons could inherit titles and lands. The daughters were instead married off to further ties between noble families. That said, the Revean Empire was relatively progressive, at least compared to the other human Kingdoms. Here, women could own their own business, for example, which meant that women of any status could always make money and live on their own, if they wished. But for nobility, they would still need approval from the Head of the House, the family head of their family, before they could leave the family and start a business on their own.
If a daughter didn't want to get married off to further the agenda of their family, and had a nice and understanding family, the family head would often let them leave the family and gift them a business, to ensure they could live a nice and lavish life on their own. However, it was still the case that many women ended up in political marriages without any say of their own.
Lady Helena Dubroise had chosen very early on to pursue a career as a Court-Magus, which her father and brother eagerly supported. Her family was one of the few which did not engage so heavily in political marriages, since they didn't own any lands themselves. Rather, their value came from the Mages they raised and produced, which served the Kingdom that way. From the way she talked, Lyra learned that Helena held her family in very high regard. Despite being the oldest sibling, it was her little brother who would inherit the title, but she did not seem to mind. She loved her brother, and knew he would be a great count one day. Both he and her father had let her choose her own path.
They had been horrified to learn that she was to accompany the 7th Knight-Order into the Oberon Wilds, and it had taken her hours to talk them out of open rebellion. She and her family had declared support for the Second-Prince in the battle of succession, thinking he was better suited than the First-Prince to lead the Empire. Something her father had come to deeply regret when he learned she was now being sent to her death.
"I can't wait to get back to them, to show them I am still alive. Safe." she said, clutching a small locket which she carried around her neck in a silver chain. Lyra smiled and nodded. It felt nice, being able to save these people, even though it was done indirectly. She had only known them for half a day, but everyone here seemed like friendly and good people. Still didn't mean she had any intention of throwing her weight around in the battle for succession of a human nation though.
She bid Helena goodnight, and they snuffed out the candles. Lyra didn't fall asleep until much much later, as she had a lot on her mind, but eventually, close to midnight, she finally fell asleep. Come morning, it was time to break up camp and start to leave the Oberon Wilds. Not a single monster had attacked during the night, which was unheard of, but that also meant everyone in camp, including the sentries, were well-rested for once. Everyone sang Lyra their praises, now extremely thankful she was present, which was a far cry from how things had been initially when she had been discovered.
Before they left, she visited the Knight-Captain in the medic tent. He was awake now, with bandages over his chest and ribs, but he didn't seem to hold anything against Lyra. "That was a mighty punch, Lyra! Never experienced anything like it. Most impressive!" he had said, flashing her a thumbs up and a wide grin.
He wouldn't be traveling in armor, since his breastplate had been destroyed and he was still recovering. Lyra, on the other hand, was given a Knight-Uniform by the Prince himself. He explained:
"It is better if you wear this. Once we emerge from the Forest in a few days time, it would be strange if we traveled with a stranger. The Eyes of the Empress will likely be upon us, so if you could blend in with the knights that would be better for everyone. This is the ceremonial uniform, which everyone else will also switch into once we leave the Forest behind. You don't travel around wearing armor unless you are expecting combat."
Lyra nodded, and accepted the folded up uniform. She then got changed in Helena's tent, and later emerged in full uniform. Ankle-high black boots, white skin-tight pants, a corset with a simple linen shirt covering it, and then a navy blue jacket with golden threads and details on top of that, with cuff-links and insignias. As she emerged from the tent in full uniform, she garnered a few looks and even a handful of whistles from the other knights. She looked good in uniform, as it did nothing to hide her feminine figure and features, unlike the wool cloak and hood she had previously worn.
She was then given a belt with a scabbard and sword, to fully look the part. Once they left the forest, she'd also get her hat, but for now she was allowed to have her long, light-blue hair free. Once they were out, though, she would have to hide her elven features best she could, until they got to the capital.
Then, it was time to leave. Everyone finished their breakfasts, brought down the tents, and packed their bags. Lyra could have helped by taking things into her Sub-Space Inventory, but she didn't want to reveal too many of her tricks needlessly. And so, around 10 AM or so, she set out alongside the Knights. They traversed on foot, of course, through the thick forest. There was a vanguard of 6 knights taking the lead, keeping eyes on the front and to the side. Then came the main force, consisting of his Highness the Prince, the Court-Magus, the Knight Captain, and 16 Knights. A bit behind them was the rear-guard, consisting of 4 knights. Each of the three groups maintained visual contact with one another at all times.
A few hours into the walk, they passed by two hastily prepared graves along the side of the path. The Knight-Captain explained they belonged to two knights who had died here a few days prior, as they had been ambushed by monsters. They had never considered being able to leave the forest alive, so shallow graves had been dug. Now, however, a few of the knights dug up the corpses of their fallen comrades, and placed them in simple bags. Their bodies were to be returned home, and given proper burials with full honors.
Originally the 7th Knight-Order held 32 full-time Knights, along with a Knight-Captain and Vice-Captain. But now they were down to 26 Knights, having lost 6 of them to the Oberon Wilds, including the Vice-Captain. They'd pass by the other 5 graves tomorrow, the Knight-Captain explained. The idea made Lyra sad, that not everyone had survived. Sure, everyone was thankful to be able to leave these forests alive, but it was a relief underlined by the sadness and pain of loss from losing beloved comrades and friends in the process.
Still, the march through the forest continued. They didn't stop to eat lunch, but rather ate dried meat and nuts as they walked. The progress was fast, since no monsters dared show themselves with Lyra present. As they stopped to make camp for the night, the Prince even said:
"With this pace, we'll be able to exit the forest sometime in the afternoon tomorrow, I reckon."
The Court-Magus agreed, inclining her head. "I concur. To think we'd be able to exit in two days, when it took us five days to push this far in..." she said, and both she and the Prince looked at Lyra. Lyra still felt a bit uncomfortable with all the attention, but she also felt a little good about herself. She had only always been a burden to everyone around her in her past life, so this was a very nice change from that. Being useful and appreciated, it actually felt rather nice. So she looked down and to the side, a gentle blush present on her cheeks from all the praise.
The Knights themselves had quickly come to adore her, not just for her warding off the monsters, but because she was beautiful and gentle. So many had come up to her during the march with gifts of flowers they had found along the way, that the Knight-Captain had been forced to make a decree banning flower-picking. When they then changed to offering their handkerchiefs instead, the decree had to be changed to banning gift-giving to the elf. All of this gave the recovering Knight-Captain quite the headache, but both Prince Henry and Court-Magus Helena only found it funny.
"I wish I would be given that many flowers. I'm a woman too!" Helena had mused, much in jest, which had made some of the Knights a bit embarrassed. They had not meant to make Helena feel bad after all. Lyra had quickly made a flower-wreath from the flowers, which she placed on Helena's head with a smile and a nod, which actually drew out a deep blush from the Court-Magus. But she did not remove the wreath all day, which made Lyra happy.
She sat with the knights around the campfire at night, and listened to their stories, soaking up every bit of information she could about the outside world. It seemed most of the Knights were the sons of nobility, but always the second or third son. Thus, their elder brothers would inherit the family title and lands, meaning they, the younger sons, had to forge their own future. It was common for the younger male children to either join the church or the military, and everyone here had naturally opted for the latter.
A few of them did resent their lot in life, but most were actually content. Sure, they would not enjoy the same wealth and power as their older sibling, but in turn they had more freedom. They were free to act on their desires, while their older brother was forced into a path they did not choose. They could marry whoever they wanted, while their older brother would be forced into a political marriage. All in all, most of them were happy. One of the Knights was the first child of a noble family, but he had gambled with the family money and then, while drunk, harassed a woman with a powerful fiancé. Thus, he had been stripped of his succession rights, and forced to join the Knights.
But he too was thankful. It was the wake-up call he had needed. The Knights had set him straight, and he felt he was a much better man now than he was back then. Lyra's eyes gleamed as she listened, eagerly taking it all in as they ate their rations by the fire. So engulfed was she in their stories, that she didn't even register how bland and tasteless the food was.
That night, she fell asleep quickly, and slept like a baby. Come morning, they repeated the routine from before. Have breakfast, tear down the camp, pack everything up, and get a move on. They marched quickly, even earlier in the day than the previous day. Around noon, they passed by the place where the other five knights had been buried. Sadly, these graves had already been dug up by something and the bodies devoured, something the Knights had already expected might have happened. Still, it soured the mood for the rest of the march, until the trees began to clear, and just past noon, they emerged from the Oberon Wilds.
Sprawling fields of grass and wheat billowed in the winds before her, as the sun shone down on rolling hills and gentle grasslands. Off in the distance, she saw a settlement of some kind, smoke rising from chimneys well over 10 kilometers away. But her eyesight was good, being an elf an all. The Prince caught her gaze, followed its direction, and said: "That would be Brightfield Village, Lady Lyra. We'll stop and rest there tonight." before he put a navy-blue beret, a kind of hat, atop her head, smiling gently.
The knights were on their knees, crying and kissing the dirt, while their Knight-Captain tried to maintain order... but his attempts were halfhearted. He too could not deny this immense sense of relief, of leaving the forest behind. They quickly changed out of their armor, and put on their ceremonial uniforms instead.
As for Lyra, all she could do was marvel at the sight. Nearly 10 years since her transmigration and rebirth into this world, and she had not only found people, but she was also leaving the forest behind for the first time. It was with light and nervous steps, that she followed the Knight-Order towards Brightfield Village, excited and hopeful for what the future might have in store for her...