Broken Wings (3)

-Thud.

Something drops onto the grass.

And the one who had dropped it was none other than Mark Redeltain. The Vice-Captain stood frozen in place, his face drained of all color.

"M-Mark..."

"What did I just hear? The young master... what? You're saying it was your fault?"

"Mark..."

"Then explain it so I can understand. Huh? Radiel. At least tell me what the young master said to you!"

Mark had apparently stumbled upon the conversation here by pure chance, and forgetting entirely what he'd come here to do in the first place, he began to press Radiel for answers.

"Say something about fault or blame or whatever it was, Radiel! Look at this — it's obviously about you and the young master from that day, isn't it?!"

"..."

"And what's Head Maid Emma doing in this? She's the duchy's head maid. She's got almost nothing to do with our order — why does she keep coming up? What's your relationship with her?"

But he hadn't heard everything. Vaguely, incompletely, all that had reached his ears was Radiel saying it was her own fault.

'No. Maybe he heard a little more than that.'

Otherwise, his face wouldn't have turned that pale.

"So you refuse to tell me everything."

"...Mark? What are you — why are you heading toward the young master?!"

"Let go. If you won't talk, then I'll have to ask him myself!"

"Mark!"

"Don't stop me, Radiel. I need to hear it straight from him now. There's clearly a story between you two that I know nothing about, and I'm sick to death of being kept in the dark!"

"It's not like that! The young master has nothing to do with—"

"If there's nothing, then why were you crying in front of him?!"

Radiel's lips were sealed tight, and no answer would come from them. Mark advanced on us like a charging bull, intent on demanding the truth.

Radiel tried to wrestle him back, but Mark was beyond reason — an enraged bull in human form. With one arm refusing to obey her, Radiel could do little more than throw herself in his path and hope to slow him down.

Before long, Mark had bulldozed through her and closed to within ten paces of us.

"..."

"Tell me, young master. You promised me you wouldn't run away this time, didn't you?!"

His eyes begged for the truth. His face demanded answers to what he had just overheard. He put the word promise in his mouth again, and with each step he drew closer.

And then—

I couldn't take my eyes off the object Mark had dropped — or off the Status Window.

Lying on the grass where it had fallen, one object was glowing with a bright light. It was a sword — and at the same time, a Memorial. The very sword that had cost Radiel the use of one arm. The very sword Karsein had once wielded.

Confinement. Again.

It was the punishment I received so routinely it had become a part of daily life, and by now it felt utterly sickening. Which meant that, ironically ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough, Karsein was growing used to it.

Whether a day passed or a week, it made no difference. Even when a confinement ended and he could finally step outside, the mansion was no longer a place where he could hold his head high. And so the boy wandered the grounds relentlessly — searching for spots where he wouldn't cross paths with his family, or even the lowliest of the maids, drifting aimlessly from one hidden corner to the next.

It was a bright, sunny day like any other. But unfortunately, the sky was slowly beginning to darken.

As the clouds swallowed the sun, the gloom gave way at last to pouring rain — and the boy wandering outside was soaked to the bone in moments.

'Rain...'

Even in the slums, it was common sense to take shelter from rain. Stay out in it long enough and you'd fall ill — he couldn't just keep standing there.

He could turn around and head back to the mansion to get out of the downpour. But instead, the boy pulled his gaze away from the direction of the house and bolted straight ahead. He couldn't go back there. Not ever.

"Hah... hah..."

He had to find shelter from the rain somewhere near a building, somehow. Sprinting down one narrow passage after another, he finally found a space barely big enough to huddle in. With no one else around, none of the adults would show up to snarl at him to get lost. All he had to do was wait for the rain to stop.

But his body had begun to shiver violently. He'd found shelter, yes — but he'd already caught far too much of it.

"C-cold..."

Heat gradually flooded the frail boy's body. His ragged breaths came hot and feverish, and soon a rattling cough set in, its rhythm quickening by the minute.

"Hm? Why is such a young child all the way out here...?"

Just then, a woman approached him. By then Karsein had no strength left to resist — even his vision was going blurry at the edges.

"Wait — young master? Oh heavens, you're burning up! Are you all right?!"

After a brief look at his clothing, the woman realized he was the young master of the ducal house. She pressed a hand to the feverish forehead of the clearly ailing Karsein and flinched at the heat radiating from it.

While she fretted over what on earth to do, the boy finally couldn't hold on any longer and lost consciousness. Right up until his eyes closed, the only thing left in his heart was the fear that he'd be scolded for this, too.

At some point, the rain stopped.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't lying on hard ground but on a soft bed, sunlight streaming brightly through the window below.

"Oh, you're awake."

Right in front of him was the face of the woman he'd glimpsed only dimly before blacking out.

"Goodness... you slept a whole day through. You must have been terribly exhausted."

A whole day?

He could believe a few hours, maybe — but a full day? At first he thought there was no way. But when he looked out the window at the rain-washed sky, it was true. The sun sat far higher along its arc than it had before the rain. Unless time had learned to flow backward, a day had genuinely passed.

Karsein asked the woman carefully.

"Where is this?"

"The lounge of the proud 1st Knight Order that guards House Bagrand. And I'm Radiel."

"Radiel... so you're the one who brought me here?"

"That's right. Goodness, when I saw how high your fever was, I nearly panicked. I sent word to the duchy right away, and the chief physician came."

The chief physician came. At those words, Karsein's eyes squeezed shut. If the news had reached Shayden, it must have reached the duchy as well. The moment he set foot back there, he'd be on the receiving end of someone's harsh words. Everyone's.

"By the way, young master — what brought you all the way out here?"

Radiel asked gently, seeing the resigned look on his face. What brought me out here. He couldn't exactly say he'd fled the mansion and been wandering aimlessly — not to a woman who'd just declared herself a knight of House Bagrand.

The word knight sparked something in Karsein's mind, and he decided to try ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a small ruse.

"I want to become a knight too."

"Hm? You want to become a knight, young master?"

"...Am I not allowed?"

Radiel considered it for a moment, then answered with a warm smile.

"Of course you're allowed. Someone like you could become a splendid knight, without a doubt."

"Really?"

"Yes. All it takes is hard work. Although — to do that."

Clank.

Radiel picked up a bowl of soup and held it out to Karsein.

"First things first — filling that belly of yours."

The boy ate, and he assumed that before long he'd be sent back to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mansion.

But no summons ever came. Instead, it was Radiel who called for him — and one more male knight showed up, and that was all.

"What are you doing, young master? Hurry up and follow."

"Uh...?"

"You said you wanted to be a knight, didn't you? Then you'd better learn to swing a sword. As you can see, I'm a woman, so..."

"His body's built differently — makes more sense for me to teach him. That's what Captain Radiel says, anyway."

"Hey. Mark."

"What? I'm right, aren't I?"

"To the young master, you— ugh. Forget it. If you don't teach him properly, I'll work you ten times harder, understand?"

"F-fine, fine."

Watching the two of them bicker, Karsein could only blink in confusion. All he'd done was spin a little lie to stretch out his stay here — he'd never imagined it would turn into this.

And yet—

-Whoosh! Whoosh!

Taking a sword in hand and swinging it under Mark and Radiel's instruction was, without question, fun. The other knights' glares were far from kind, but those two taught him with everything they had.

That day, for the first time in his life, the boy felt something called joy.

Time passed, and at last an order came down for Karsein to return to the mansion. He took the full weight of the scolding he'd been owed all at once — but it didn't matter. He had a refuge now, a place where he could learn what he wanted, and that was enough to endure life in the ducal house.

But then—

An unthinkable incident erupted.

One day, Karsein arrived at the training grounds as always, and headed straight for a particular spot.

"A strange place to summon me today."

Every time he slipped out of the mansion and came to the grounds, Radiel would be there waiting for him. But this time, a letter had been delivered directly into his hands — a letter from Radiel, instructing him to come to a specific location.

Deep inside the woods, a short distance from the training grounds. That was the meeting place.

He felt no particular suspicion. Radiel had always said that varying the location and training in different ways was good for him — so Karsein simply assumed she had her reasons for choosing a spot like this.

The forest was pitch-dark with the day dying away. Carrying a prepared torch, Karsein trudged step by step through the underbrush.

"Radiel, where are you?"

No matter how he scanned his surroundings, Radiel was nowhere to be seen. And Mark, who was usually right at her side, was nowhere in sight either.

Maybe I just haven't reached the meeting spot yet, he reasoned. Perhaps today they were trying yet another new style of training. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let himself believe that, and kept walking.

Then, as he made his way toward the agreed spot, Karsein realized someone was closing in on him from the silence at his back.

"Radiel, there you—"

He broke off mid-sentence. In that instant, he knew.

The one stalking him was neither Radiel nor Mark.

'The footsteps...'

Different.

Even if Radiel and Mark were running a surprise-attack drill, how could they leave such an elementary tell behind? In the hushed forest, whoever followed him could not erase their presence the way those two could.

Holding his breath, Karsein played dumb and began wandering in a slow circle. He didn't know who was tailing him — so, just as Radiel had taught him, he would circle his pursuers and strike first.

At a bend in the path, Karsein moved with sudden speed to confuse his tracker, and in that opening he brought the man down exactly as he'd been taught. When he peeled back the fallen hood, the face of a knight came into view.

"Ngh...! You little—!"

"You...?"

The apprentice knight who'd trained alongside him. Theo Ramstair.

The one who harassed him constantly during drills and, dodging the other knights' eyes, had quietly made his life miserable at every turn.

Where was Radiel? Why was Theo hunting him out here?

Karsein had plenty he wanted to say, and he moved to demand answers—

But then—

Crack!

"Ugh...!"

A blow slammed into his back, and Karsein crumpled to the ground. Theo, freed from his hold, scrambled up, and two more hooded figures emerged from the trees.

"Hey, you all right?"

"Fuck — this brat used a takedown on me? Let go. I'll take care of that little—"

"Calm down, you idiot."

The one who'd kicked Karsein scratched at his head in irritation.

"Hey. We agreed to handle this cleanly, remember? Why drag your feet?"

"Who knew it'd turn out like this? It was supposed to be an easy job — I figured we'd finish fast, so I figured I'd let off some steam while I was at it."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't gotten caught in the first place, none of this would've happened. Do you know how rare an opportunity like this is? Tch."

"Hey, hey. Now's not the time to fight among yourselves."

While the three of them scuffled among themselves, Karsein stirred and pushed himself up off the ground.

"Why are you chasing me? Out here, of all places?"

"You've got no need to know — not when you're about to be thrown out anyway, you commoner bastard."

"...What are you talking about?"

Seeing the blank look on his face, they apparently decided there was no point holding back any longer — so they recited their atrocity openly. After all, they said, he wouldn't be in any state to hear it after this.

"Hey. You actually believed that letter came from the Captain? You really thought she cared about you?"

"It's the opposite. She's been stuck in place all this time because she's saddled with dead weight like you."

"...What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know. Puhahaha!"

"That woman's got a nasty streak, I'll give her that. She never would have told you that ever since Captain Radiel took you in, the order's funding got slashed."

"Impressive woman, in a lot of ways. Then again — maybe that's exactly how she managed to pull off something that shady inside the ducal house."

"So what the hell are you talking about?!"

When the stunned Karsein shouted, they only laughed harder.

"Pfft. What an idiot. You think a letter from the Captain would actually reach you?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but the duchy put out a commission for us — to drive you out. The pay was pretty sweet, too."

"That letter's a fake. The Captain never sent you a letter in the first place."

"The seal, eh... how would you know? That old bat probably handled it properly, anyway."

"Either way, all you're good for is being dragged back by us and dumped in some back alley again where you belong."

"Thinking about swinging a sword — the nerve of you. Tch. At least this'll finally get the place cleaned up."

Those were the words the three apprentice knights left behind, snickering as they watched him.

He was being cast out. By a commission from the ducal house itself — kept from every ear, without a soul the wiser.

It didn't matter who had put out that order. All that mattered was that Karsein had to grit his teeth and lunge at them.

"Uwaaaaagh!!"

Even if it meant shattering Radiel's taboo — the command that he must never, under any circumstances, draw his sword.

"Oh-ho, he drew it?"

"Everyone stand back. That one's mine."

"Fine, fine. Venting's your share, after all."

As if to dismiss Karsein entirely, only one of the three stepped forward. It was Theo — the one Karsein had subdued earlier, whose pride still burned from the humiliation.

But—

CLANG!

The moment Theo's blade met Karsein's, Theo began to lose ground. Karsein, who had executed his training flawlessly for all this time, was no longer someone Theo could simply overpower.

And it wasn't just that.

Sh-sh-shak—

"Ngh?! Th-this bastard...!"

"Hey. Don't tell me that's..."

"Fuck, impossible...! How does a brat like that—!"

From the sword, mana was rising in a faint, steady haze. It was the power of a realm those three apprentice knights had not yet come close to reaching.