Chapter 25: Princess Anna (3)
Princess Anna, or rather, apprentice Anna’s first stop on her Academy tour was the dining hall. The king had taught that what trainees ate and where they slept was paramount.
“This is Lansed Academy’s dining hall. Cadets, Instructors, and we teachers eat here. We put great care into it.”
“I see. Anton, you must’ve eaten here a lot?”
“Yes, as the Head Instructor says, the food’s quite tasty.”
“Really?”
Anna entered the dining hall with an excited expression. Past lunchtime, the vast hall was empty, save for a few hired workers cleaning who occasionally glanced at them.
“Oh? It’s much bigger than it looks from outside.”
“Indeed. It can hold hundreds. Since you’re here, I’ll show you the kitchen.”
“Wow~”
Anna followed Everhart, her eyes sparkling. Anton, trailing quietly, looked around as if revisiting an old home.
This place hasn’t changed. I used to eat with friends over there.
Seeing him, Anna spoke.
“Anton.”
“Yes?”
“I’m fine, so wander as you like.”
It was her consideration for Anton, lost in memories.
“No need.”
“I’m saying it because I’m uncomfortable. You haven’t left my side once on this trip. It’s safe here; I’ll be okay alone.”
“But…”
Anton’s sole reason for leaving the palace was to protect the Princess. That was his only duty.
“It’s fine. I’m here. And this place is as safe as the palace, isn’t it?”
The Head Instructor reassured him.
“See? I won’t leave the Academy, so explore freely. It’s a rare visit.”
“No, I don’t really…”
“It’s an order.”
Anna’s stubbornness won, and Anton relented.
Fine. The Head Instructor will stick close, and the cadets here aren’t reckless enough to mess with outsiders. Even if they were, an Instructor would stop them.
Faced with Anna’s resolve, Anton, as always, yielded.
“Understood. I’ll step away briefly.”
“No, take the whole day off. It’s my special gift to you.”
Anna’s smile melted Anton’s steadfast heart.
“Understood.”
Since leaving the palace, Anton had been with Anna except when sleeping. Now, he was free.
“I’ll go then.”
Relieved of his heavy duty, Anton thought of the person he most wanted to meet.
Not a former teacher or a classmate who might be at the Academy.
Evan Lafard, was it? I’d like to meet him again. I’m curious how skilled someone the dean praises is.
***
That Princess Anna was at the Academy was top secret. Only rumors circulated that Anton, a royal knight, had stopped by to pay respects.
Thus, Lansed Academy was as usual. Grueling physical training continued from morning, and afternoons were for individual weapon practice.
“Hah!”
Among the many cadets filling the training hall, Jaina, alone in a corner, trained with such ferocity she seemed possessed.
“Hah!”
Others kept their distance, as if a magical barrier surrounded her.
Instructors overseeing the cadets watched from afar, talking among themselves.
“What’s got her so on edge?”
“It’s been worse since the Alraune incident. Like she’s being chased.”
“Chased? Her? She’s already far beyond cadet level.”
“You know. Evan.”
“Oh…”
The Instructors’ conversation. It was fortunate Jaina didn’t hear. If she had, she’d have swung her sword like a madwoman.
Swish!
Too slow! Too slow!
Her movements were like a storm, sharper and fiercer, but still unlike what I’d shown.
I don’t get it. How do I do that?
The image of me tearing through the Alraune. She tried to mimic the unpredictable Ritual of Bloodstorm that swept through the giant tree.
But her timing was too slow for variation, and speeding up made her attacks predictable.
Clang!
Jaina dropped her sword.
“Ouch…”
Snapping back, she saw her palm torn, blood dripping. An Instructor rushed over, concerned.
“Jaina, wearing yourself out this early won’t help, even for you.”
“I’m fine. I’ll bandage it and continue.”
“Just go to the Infirmary…”
“I’m really fine.”
The resolve in her eyes left the Instructor no choice but to shake his head.
“Do as you wish. But if you get hurt more, I’ll drag you there.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Jaina’s effort was truly admirable. But that was it.
Effort isn’t enough? Me, called my family’s greatest talent?
She didn’t want praise. She just wanted to reach a higher state, but the wall was too high.
Worse, the person she’d dismissed stood atop it.
What’s different between me and Evan?
To her, there was nothing but gender. That drove her madder.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Always calm, composed, kind yet guarded, she’d changed since getting entangled with me. She began showing her emotions openly, her words unfiltered. The ice-cold Jaina was now burning like fire.
“I won’t lose.”
Fueled by blazing inferiority, she gripped her sword again and performed the Ritual of Bloodstorm once more.
“Hah!”
As time passed and cadets left for dinner, Jaina remained alone in the training hall. Naturally, she hadn’t gained enlightenment and was sinking into despair.
“Haa…”
As she grabbed her sword and posed, a girl’s voice came from behind.
“Doing it like that just makes it the same, doesn’t it? I’d think differently.”
No one dared critique Jaina. Beyond her Ducal Family status, she seemed ready to explode if provoked.
“Who… are you?”
Turning, Jaina saw a blonde girl approaching from the entrance.
“Me? Just an apprentice here to observe.”
It was Anna. After the Head Instructor’s tour, she’d convinced him to let her wander alone for the evening, her stubbornness and innocent smile winning him over.
Thus, she’d reached the training hall alone and had been quietly watching Jaina’s practice.
“An apprentice? What do you know to talk like that?”
Words Jaina would never have said normally, revealing her unstable state.
“Stop spouting nonsense and get lost.”
Despite Jaina’s sharp response, Anna tilted her head and approached slowly.
“Hmm. Your swordsmanship is powerful, but you’re dissatisfied because you can’t vary the attack’s timing, right?”
Anna pinpointed exactly what Jaina sought.
“You!”
“But do you really need to struggle to add variation?”
“You don’t even know, yet you keep—”
“How about this instead?”
Anna scurried to a rack and pulled out a sword.
“Ugh! Heavy.”
Struggling to hold it, she earned Jaina’s scornful glare. Who’s she to teach me?
But that thought vanished with Anna’s next action.
“No good. I can’t lift it with strength.”
A golden magic circle appeared in the air, and the sword floated. Using telekinesis, Anna held the sword and explained to Jaina.
“I mean, what if you swing the sword like this?”
Jaina felt a jolt at Anna’s following actions.
***
While Anna met Jaina, Anton finally found me, the one he’d wanted to meet again, at dinnertime.
“Evan Lafard, right?”
“Yes. And you are?”
I was heading back after eating when a man appeared before me. If Jack hadn’t made a fuss, I’d have passed him.
“Young Master! That emblem means he’s a royal knight!”
Jack whispered, but it was loud enough for all to hear. As he said, the man’s left chest bore an emblem.
A blue shield… Were those guys I fought before royal knights too?
As the Empire’s vanguard, I’d memorized notable foes. Among them were knights from across the sea with blue shield emblems on their armor. It wasn’t important now, though.
“I see.”
“But why’s a knight looking for the Young Master?”
Loud enough for Anton to hear, he cleared his throat and answered.
“Ahem, what’s your name?”
“Oh! I’m Cadet Jack Reed!”
“Quite a booming voice. Jack, I’d like to talk with Evan alone. Can you give us space?”
“Of course! Uh, Young Master, is it okay if I go?”
Jack answered Anton reflexively but sought my permission, as I was his master. I shrugged, signaling it was fine.
“Then I’ll go!”
After Jack left, Anton spoke.
“Let’s walk. Too many eyes here to talk.”
“Alright.”
We walked side by side, starting the conversation. Naturally, Anton, who’d sought me out, spoke first.
“No big deal. I was just curious since you were picked for the Executor program. Lafard family, right?”
“You know my family well?”
I got sensitive when my family was mentioned. But Anton wasn’t someone familiar with the Lafard family.
“No. I’ve only vaguely heard of it at the palace. I’m not from a noble house, so I know even less.”
“I see.”
“I was surprised. A noble’s heir chosen for the Executor program. Though it’s just the training. Most Executors aren’t nobles.”
“Because of status?”
Anton quietly shook his head.
“More because Executors are peculiar. Each has something special. That’s hard to manifest in formal, etiquette-bound noble houses.”
“Hmm…”
I was only outwardly a noble, so Anton’s words might not be wrong.
“Of course, some Executors are nobles. But they’re usually oddballs pushed out by their families.”
“I’m not like that, at least. Everyone else is gone, and I’m alone.”
“Oh. I know, but…”
Anton was flustered by my sudden self-deprecation.
“Ahem! I spoke out of turn.”
We walked, ending up in a quieter area.
“What intrigues me isn’t that you’re a noble but that you were chosen by the dean’s favoritism.”
“Favoritism? You think it’s unfair too, right?”
I brightened at his words.
“Normally, yes, but the dean’s judgment is so sharp it negates any controversy.”
“Sigh…”
“But we should verify.”
Anton drew his sword without warning.
Shing!
Faster than the sound, his blade reached my neck. I just stood there.
“Why didn’t you dodge? Don’t say you couldn’t react.”
“Because you wouldn’t really cut me.”
“What if I were a lunatic who would?”
“You’d have shown hostility. But I felt no intent.”
“Really? Impressive, reading my intentions.”
Anton smiled, satisfied, and sheathed his sword.
“That’s that.”
As the sword fully sheathed, I stepped forward, placing my palm on the hilt’s end.
“One test is enough, isn’t it?”
Just as he moved to draw again, I acted first. For a swift-sword knight, it was a first.