Vol 1 Chapter 15 (1/2)

Night Before (1)

The group arrived at the fort to spend a night preparing for the next day’s expedition.

Instead of staying in the fort, they camped in front of the fort, since the mission was also a training opportunity.

Although they had moved by horse, the student’s faces reflected their fatigue.

However, not one person laid down.

It was understandable.

Though they were a stone’s throw away from the knights in the fort, n.o.body knew whether atrocious monsters lurked within the forest covered in shadows.

Of course, near the imperial capital, no powerful monsters existed, but while that was true, the fear had not faded.

Everybody understood that the had better lie down for a little rest for tomorrow’s expedition, but the tension prevented their eyes from closing.

Beside the several campfires set up, acquaintances sat together.

The food had been provided by the fort, and the students ate to their heart’s content, and pa.s.sed their time as they pleased.

It was particularly noisy around several of the female apprentice knights.

In such a somber environment, to the men, they were refres.h.i.+ng existences.

If there are many boys seeking to be knights, regardless of family status, then there are also many girls who are attracted to knights, of low status.

In many cases, they could be daughters of a family of knights.

The daughters would be able to interact with children of upper cla.s.s n.o.bles, with even a chance to marry into riches, so they actively socialized.[1]

However, during military movement, they stood guard while the knights patrolled the surroundings, so there was no strange atmosphere. (TL: really unsure…)[2]

Even Cornelia was approached by a single male student, unlike usual.

It was unusual for her to be approached by a student.

Since she was even avoided by those of the same gender, Wynn, who had known her for at least a month, couldn’t remember her being approached by somebody of the opposite gender.

She, Wynn and Locke were gathered around a fire, when an apprentice knight named Regin[3] suddenly approached her.

“Such amazing beauty. Your face, illuminated by the flames, looks exactly as if it had come out of a painting of the G.o.ddess Anastasia-sama. To have met you this place, it must be the work of G.o.d. How about it? Won’t you come and talk with us over there?”

“I’m sorry.”

She replied immediately.

Cornelia gazed at the campfire’s flames as if entranced, and rejected Nigel, who had knelt down and held his hand out in a theatrical manner, without even looking at his face.

“…Pu…ahaha….”

Locke’s back curled, and his shoulders shook, but he was unable to resist bursting into laughter.

“Stop laughing!”

He didn’t even consider the possibility that he would be immediately rejected. [4]

Regin, who displayed a dumbstruck expression, shouted at the laughing Locke.

“I’m sorry.”

Locke stopped laughing for a moment and imitated Cornelia’s tone to apologize to Regin, then, being unable to endure it, he held his sides and burst out into uncontrollable laughter again.

“s.h.i.+t, for the likes plebeians…”[5]

Regin, red-faced, glared at Locke, who was laughing, then s.h.i.+fted his attention to Wynn, who was seated.

“Hey, you’re Wynn. right? Last year, I beat you black and blue, but you still haven’t given up?”

“Ah…”

Regin was the previous year’s top student.

During the examination, Wynn and Regin had a match, and defeated Wynn.

“Hmm, Even though it’s a waste of effort. Shouldn’t you hurry up and return to a place fitting for you?”

“What the heck are you saying. Wynn’s swordsmans.h.i.+p is decent, if not better, weren’t you his opponent?”

Recovering from his laughter, a red-faced, teary-eyed Locke talked back.

“Don’t say such stupid stuff. He lost because of his swordsmans.h.i.+p, as expected of a plebeian. There is a limit to being a sore loser.”

“Nevertheless, that is the truth.”

His smile fading, Locke spat out.

“Anyhow, it seems like the examiner was bribed with money and the sword was switched. Then, after the examination, the sword Wynn used was immediately disposed of to hide the evidence.”[6]

“Why would I do something like that?”

“Isn’t it to accommodate Jade’s wishes?”

“Stop talking.”

Amazed, Regin shook his head, and glanced at Jade, who was sitting at a place away from them.

Jade wasn’t sitting with the other students in his clique[7], but sitting alone.

During the trip, it was strange that Jade wasn’t leading his lackeys.

On the mission, did Jade’s lackeys not partic.i.p.ate?

“My house, the House of Reinhardt[8] and the Cliffdorf house are political rivals. I don’t have a reason to accommodate that guy.”

“Guh…”

Locke was silent.

It was correct.

Regin’s House, the Reinhardt Marquis house, were political opponents of the Cliffdorf Marquis House.

Both families produced many generals, causing many power struggles in military circles.

Regin was also surrounded by lackeys of his own.

Especially during this mission, he had many followers partic.i.p.ating in the mission, unlike Jade, who seemed to be alone and isolated.

Since both families had that sort of relations.h.i.+p, Jade van Cliffdorf wouldn’t need Regin van Reinhardt to accommodate him.

When Locke had pressed the instructor, it hinted at by the instructor, but then he was sent away.

“Even then, after the match, my eligibility as the top student didn’t change.”

This was also true.

Even among the apprentice knights, Regin’s swordsmans.h.i.+p was top cla.s.s, even when he took the examination, his ability had already guaranteed his success.

He had no reason to cheat in order to become the top student.

“You understand? If you do, let go of unrealistic dreams, and return to where you belong.”

Unrealistic dreams.

Wynn’s eyes fell to the knight sword on his waist.

It was lent to him by the equipment department only for the duration of the mission, it was a second-hand good.

It was his dream to be officially awarded this.

Despite it being borrowed, after three years, he was able to wear it,

It was the first step towards that unrealistic dream.

“That reminds me…”

Cornelia, who had rejected Regin’s invitation and then remained silent, had moved her gaze from the flame to Wynn.

“Why does Wynn-kun not give up on becoming a knight?”

Wynn was looking down at the sword at his waist, ignoring the quarrel between Regin and Locke as if it were somebody else’s problem, when Cornelia’s question brought him to his senses.

He recalled the time when he received that question before.

It was at the time he had reunited with Leticia.

‘After attending for four years, how can you still hope to be a knight?’

He had thought that it was merely a question from a lost kouhai[9], so he had responded:

‘I swore to myself that I would become a knight, without fail.’[10]

Even if it were an endlessly long path, he would surely arrive if he didn’t give up.

Wynn swung his sword every day believing that.

‘Furthermore, an close friend in the past is still trying her hardest alone in a distant place. Even if I don’t become a knight, I want to be able to proudly say that I have worked hard..’

Due to the incident merely a month ago, Leticia felt even further away than those days, thinking on those days now.

However–