She has no idea, but she needs one.

Ralli found herself fully dressed, including her lightweight, dark armor with helmet. She was walking down the hall towards her classroom with soft steps. This was Step One in the daily training regiment she was so proud of: approach the classroom noiselessly and interrupt whatever conversation was happening inside, chewing out any trainees who happened to be doing anything inappropriate and starting the day with loud, barked orders. "It is optimal. It tells the trainees to always be ready for a surprise on the battlefield. Expect the unexpected. How could I possibly improve it? How could they be any more satisfied?"

She paused outside the door, listening to the conversation she was interrupting, preparing for the right moment to strike.

"... and then she said the knights got an order to start doing it, too!" an anonymous young voice raved. "So, get this: we're holed up in this barracks with Hellknox the Demon barking orders at us and making us eat dirt, and meanwhile, everybody in town, especially the people who aren't knights, is gonna be getting laid!"

"Heh," she heard Liam laugh. "Your info's actually old. It took some time for your message to get here, right? But I've heard on the grapevine this stuff has already started happening. The captain of the knights herself, Montague... she was spearheading the charge. From what I've heard, you can't even imagine. It's like the wildest stuff out of your dreams, no kidding."

"This is too crazy!" a fevered young man's voice shouted, definitely belonging to Harvey. "The nuns too, right? Even the nuns!! Is Clara excluded? She's not, is she?! If we were in town, right now, Clara would be-"

"Hahaha, hold your horses, buddy!" Liam calmed him down. "Technically, until we get some confirmation, I would consider saying something like that heresy. Just saying... you don't want the wrong people to hear."

"Okay, well, forget her then! Some other, less important lady! Dammit, I don't care how powerful she is, all I want is a cute nun telling me it's okay to satisfy myself with her hot ass-"

"A cute nun, huh?!?!" Ralli suddenly shouted, kicking the door open and marching into the room. The students parted for her, rushing back to their seats as quickly as they could. Harvey alone was left to get grabbed by the scruff of his tunic collar. Behind them, Harley showed up late, squeezing through the shutting door and slipping into her seat with her books in hand. She was probably thanking Geod there had been a distraction for her.

"Gk! Ms... Ralli..." Harvey struggled. "I... didn't mean nothin' by it!"

"A cute nun with a hot ass. That is what all of you aspire to as knights, is it?!" she yelled, throwing Harvey back against the wall and rearing back as if to kick him. The large trainee scurried back to his desk and took up his quill pen, his posture begging Ralli to see his contrition. "Will she help you protect the kingdom better? Will she give you the strength it takes? Will you take her into battle with you? Can you hope to protect her and fight at once? Will you use 'Protection?!'" she shouted, referring to the spell soldiers of the church relied on.

She heard some scattered, stifled laughs and shot her steely gaze around the room. Everyone looked one of three ways: miserable; scared; or angry.

"... Hold on," Ralli muttered from behind the visor of her helmet, her blood cooling down as she remembered what Bella had told her yesterday and compared it to the current situation. "Let me ask earnestly. All of you: do you have unfulfilled desires?"

Everyone took stock of the strange way their instructor spoke and parsed it out. Ultimately, that was enough of a blanket statement that everyone could nod their heads. Many of their dirty minds wanted to think she was referring to sexual desires specifically, but with her, it was hard to tell.

Ralli surveyed the room and racked her brain. "...All of you worthless trainees. Do you believe a carrot would help balance my stick?"

Nobody knew how to respond. Well, Liam seemed to understand, but he was unhelpfully keeping his mouth shut.

"What I mean to say is... Hm. How shall I..." She placed her hands on her hips, speaking slowly as if the speed of her speech was the communication barrier. "For a year now, I have beaten you all ruthlessly with sticks. Do you feel... that a carrot... would be an... effective counterbalance...?"

Most of them, not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed to begin with, were still having trouble getting it. Finally, Liam spoke up. "Guys, I'll translate. Would you rather have something else to motivate you besides being ruthlessly beaten by Teach?"

Everyone nodded and murmured their approval.

"I wonder what kind of carrot you're talking about, Teach," Liam said with a smile, resting his cheek on his fist like he already had some good ideas.

Ralli paused. No one in the room could see how tightly she was frowning behind her visor, squeezing every ounce of her creativity out to try and think up an effective "carrot."