The Duke’s Welcome
Before Jeanne truly assumed command of the Second Knight Order and carved her name into the annals of war, Bluisol was sustained by two pillars. One of the land, and one of the sea. Laurent of Peale Castle and Mathias Flot Sujet La Rochelle. Two men who had turned battles that should have been lost into victories and kindled a flame of hope in a nation drowning in despair. Among them, Laurent had once fought beside Jeanne.
The lord of Peale Castle bore the name of an ancient hero. His parents had surely named him after the man they revered, and that name had etched itself into his soul. He was courageous, and his loyalty to the kingdom burned brighter than the sun. Through battles with him, Jeanne had learned why his subordinates fought with their lives for him, and she had come to hold him in her heart.
Laurent had faced the enemy for a full week at Peale Castle without any support from the kingdom, and a single stray bullet had taken his life. Though it was not the same as the profound brotherhood she shared with the knights of the Second Order, she could not allow a warrior of his caliber to be sent away so needlessly.
And then there was the other pillar, the sea itself. Mathias.
Jeanne had met him only once, through Divine at the age of seventeen, and had no other connection to him. She had simply heard news of him while traversing the land and fighting the enemy. An undefeated general, the disaster of Rotinzel. Rumors swirled around Mathias, all of them too grand to be believed. She had grown curious. What kind of man was he, and how could he fight so skillfully against the enemy?
She wanted to meet him. And so, her footsteps toward La Rochelle had grown lighter than they had any right to be.
“What do you think of following Heirtes up the mountain while he’s wounded?”
“It will be difficult. Once a raid has failed, they will be even more vigilant. And from now on, there won’t be a suitable ambush point along the path.”
“As expected. It’s a pity. If only I had a little more time, I would have killed him.”
Jeanne expressed her regret at failing to slay Heirtes. Divine soothed her.
“Even if Your Highness is right, the next major battle will be in La Rochelle, won’t it? We can defeat another enemy commander there.”
“That would be ideal.”
Jeanne reflected on the course of the war. After the battle of Ileang Castle, the enemy’s forces would remain divided. Large-scale engagements would come only later, when Arron gathered every soldier he had landed and prepared for the second and third northern advances. The nearest major battle would take place at sea. The Rotinzel forces in Plamont, allied with Mathias’s navy from La Rochelle, would clash head-on.
Of course, unlike at Ileang, Mathias would emerge victorious. Yet by aiding him, Jeanne could reduce her own casualties and inflict greater losses on the enemy. And if she could kill the enemy commander who had survived the original battle, she could steer the war in her favor.
“Hah!”
Jeanne shook the reins and urged her horse forward.
“This is La Rochelle.”
After seven days of hard riding from Beorhen Gorge without a moment’s rest, Jeanne’s party finally reached La Rochelle. The borders were marked on the map, and there were no signs, yet the moment they stepped through the gates, a change in the air was unmistakable. For six years of war, Jeanne had never set foot in La Rochelle. She had always planned to visit one day, but the endless battles left her no time.
She moved slowly through the city center. The residents’ faces were bright, as if they had no idea that war was raging outside. Farmers tilled the fields, merchants bartered goods, and craftsmen produced wares. Ordinary life filled every corner.
“Whoa. I thought it was just a coastal village. This place is bigger than I expected.”
Nael said it in a tone of genuine admiration. Divine patted his back.
“La Rochelle is the greatest duchy in the south. Its size is such that it borders the sea.”
Divine’s eyes, glistening with emotion, reached for his fan. The southern climate was far warmer than elsewhere.
“It’s just as I remember.”
“Have you been here before?”
“Well, I’m close to the Duke, after all.”
“I see. So how did the two of you meet? As far as I know, you’re from a middle-class background.”
“We met at the academy.”
Jeanne sounded surprised.
“Even so, why would the Duke of La Rochelle attend the academy? I heard that nobles of high rank never go.”
Bluisol’s largest academy, Rinel, accepted students from every class. But among the houses of counts and above, quality was considered lacking, so they hired private tutors instead of sending their children to the academy. Even lower nobles followed the same rule for their heirs. A duke’s eldest son attending the academy was therefore most unusual.
“Well, the late Duke may know, but if I had to guess, it was to meet many people and gain as much experience as possible.”
No matter how large the duchy was, spending one’s entire life there was different from coming to the capital. Divine added that explanation with a plausible reason of his own.
While he spoke, he drifted back into memories of the academy.
“Hah, even when Mathias first joined our group, he was a complete little brat. How did he grow so tall? Back then he was small, his skin was pale and his hair was messy. I thought he must be from a scholarly family.”
“Weren’t you two friends? You sound like you’re looking at a little brother.”
“We are friends. It was I who was the older one. Even though I was three years older, I let him in. That just shows how generous my heart was.”
Divine basked in self-praise while Jeanne pondered something else.
“Then….”
It was a naive thought to assume that being younger meant he lacked something, but experience would still tell. Yet even back in her previous life, Mathias had been heard of as the kingdom’s protector. She realized anew that he was far more extraordinary than she had imagined.
Mathias’s daily routine was remarkably disciplined. Personal training in the morning, inspections of the soldiers’ drills in the afternoon, and strategy meetings with his staff and knights in the evening. Occasionally he would meet fishermen from the area to discuss naval routes. That was all. A simple, steady life.
When Jeanne arrived at the Duke’s residence, Mathias was still in the middle of a strategy meeting. He emerged upon hearing the news and greeted her.
“Why are you here?”
“I was on a solo mission and happened to be passing through the south. I wanted to offer my help.”
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I had lunch just before.”
“Then shall I show you the military training grounds?”
“Yes, please.”
“Kallen will guide the princess.”
Mathias gave the order to his adjutant. After the brief exchange, Jeanne followed him into the meeting room. Ethan, who had been frowning since earlier, finally spoke.
“How rude.”
She had not expected such a grand welcome, yet he had only glanced at her face and vanished. A knight who was nothing but proper, honorable, and utterly faithful to the chivalric code. Ethan’s words were exactly what such a man would say.
Divine fanned himself to cool his face. “That’s just the way he is. If the king himself came, he would still behave this way. You get used to it.”
It was not a lack of courtesy. He simply valued the time needed to plan victories and hold strategy meetings far more than the presence of someone of high rank. That trait of Mathias’s appealed to Jeanne all the more.
“It’s fine. It’s my fault for coming without warning.”
Still, Ethan could not contradict his superior and swallowed his discontent.
“Then come this way.”
Mathias’s adjutant Kallen led them. The training of the soldiers was excellent. Every movement with the spears and swords was precise, and no one was slacking.
Since most of the officers had already entered the meeting, the superiors who normally oversaw the drills were absent, yet the soldiers followed their instructors’ orders without fail.
“Training aboard the ships is not scheduled today.”
Kallen explained, assuming Jeanne had come to inspect the military force. As a navy, their training was more extensive on the water, but today was not the day for it.
Jeanne nodded and walked slowly.
After they had toured the entire training ground, Mathias emerged from the meeting and formally greeted her.
“Sir Mathias Flot Sujet La Rochelle. I greet Princess Jeanne Claretmer de Roire.”
Even this was unmistakably Mathias. His every gesture was flawless, so much so that several knights let out a soft “Oh.”
“I am not just a princess now. I am the commander of the Second Knight Order.”
“Understood, Commander of the Second Knight Order.”
It was only natural, yet after years of being ignored by people like Divine, Nael, and the others, the speed with which Mathias corrected their titles surprised Jeanne.
“It has been one year.”
“Exactly one year.”
Jeanne answered with a strange expression. In her experience, seven years had passed. According to the timeline, it was only one year. The difference felt strangely real, and she felt a sense of dislocation.
Mathias inspected the soldiers. Every one of them stared at him with eyes full of admiration.
“I will cancel today’s afternoon drills. But do not grow lazy. Be ready for the enemy to appear at any moment. Guard the lines.”
No sooner had the long-awaited words left his mouth than cheers erupted from all sides.
“Yee-haw~!”
“Wow, nice! The Duke is the best!”
The soldiers, not just the knights, shouted with joy.
Whatever kind of man Mathias was, he was a strict commander who followed military law to the letter and believed that even a drop of sweat shed in training was worth a drop of blood in battle. It was only natural that the soldiers would enjoy the rare moment of freedom.
At the same time, Jeanne felt a strange thought. She had assumed he was so strict that his subordinates could not easily approach him, yet their reaction seemed completely different. One soldier was speaking comfortably with a duke of far higher rank. The more she learned, the more new discoveries she made.
Mathias looked at her as if asking what she wanted after giving up so much time.
“I would like to see the battlefield where you fought.”
“I will guide you to Jede.”
Jeanne wanted to see the sea, but she did not want to sound like she was here for recreation. She disguised her words as if she had come for inspection or exploration.
“You and your knights may rest inside.”
Jeanne told the knights who had accompanied her.
“May we take a look around?”
“No trouble.”
“Hey, that’s not the kind of person I am. Come on, Dane!”
Nael dragged Dane away. The others either took rest or continued exploring the camp.
Jeanne followed Mathias with only Fabian as her escort.