Have You Heard the News? (2)
The first time they spoke was on a winter night years before either of them reached adulthood, in the academy training hall. Maxim had been alone, swinging a wooden sword with single-minded focus. This was before the spark he once carried in his blade had burned down to cold ash.
Theodora’s visit to the training hall had been pure chance. She had been on her way back to the dormitories when she noticed the lights still burning inside. Without thought, purpose, or intention, she drifted toward the glow like a moth drawn to flame.
“Because I’m not good enough yet.”
When Maxim looked back on that time, he would describe it as the period when he had been obsessed with the sword. He had been captivated by his master’s blade and begun to swing his own, but he had never truly lost himself in it the way others did. While his peers were already manifesting Aura Blades, Maxim stubbornly clung to nothing but fundamental sword forms. Looking back now, he knew how foolish it had been.
He had shown no interest in others, especially the opposite sex. His social life had been limited to a handful of friends. After that, there had only been the sword. He stayed in the training hall until late, tracing invisible paths through the air. Few people knew about it.
Which was why Maxim never imagined that the person opening the door would be one of the academy’s most famous students.
He only realized it when the voice that reached him sounded far too familiar.
“...Theodora Benning?”
Maxim lowered his sword for a moment, the low murmur slipping from his lips. Seeing him like that, Theodora’s mouth curved into a faint smile.
“So you finally notice me, Maxim Apparte.”
That was the first time Maxim truly looked at her. He remembered the striking way her platinum hair swayed. He remembered the ash-gray eyes that seemed to swirl with storm clouds. He had lived his entire life believing only the sword was beautiful, yet in that moment he realized there were other kinds of beauty in the world.
She had been his first girlfriend. His first love outside his own family. They had admired martial prowess together, swung blades side by side. They had held hands, embraced, pressed their lips together and tangled their tongues. In the end, certain events had driven them apart, but that was all.
And now, their situations could not have been more opposite.
Theodora Benning had risen to become a promising talent watched by not only the kingdom but the entire continent. A warrior maiden who wielded an Aura Blade as beautiful as her flowing platinum hair. The family that supported her was the illustrious Benning County, renowned for its swordsmen. Her name was already being mentioned as a candidate for the next generation of corps commanders. Her stature was that high.
In contrast, Maxim Apparte had no titles attached to his name. His specs were nothing that could even be called those of an ordinary knight. The only thing he could boast about was that he had learned a unique sword style from a wandering adventurer—and even that was usually dismissed.
He had been told he possessed talent for swordsmanship, but his mana aptitude was worse than average. The first battlefield he had been assigned to was not the front lines but the remote border region. After drifting through the borderlands, he had been transferred to the Raven Knight Order.
“Haa...”
“Vice Commander, how long are you going to keep sighing like that? You’ve been at it for minutes now, all by yourself.”
“You wouldn’t understand how I feel.”
“How could I understand when you won’t even tell me what’s going on?”
Christine tossed the rag into the bucket with a snort. Dirty water splashed across the floor. The cleaning of the office had nearly reached its end. Maxim had mobilized the few members who would actually listen to him and practically torn the knight order headquarters apart in the process of scrubbing it down. It was fortunate that Theodora’s messenger had at least given them advance notice of her visit time.
“What on earth are the higher-ups thinking? I can’t read their intentions at all,” Christine said, running her finger along the windowsill with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“Appointing Theodora Benning—the Theodora Benning—as commander of this knight order.”
The words twisted like a knife in Maxim’s gut. The Theodora Benning. He felt the urge to sigh again but held it back, mindful of Christine beside him.
Even setting aside his personal circumstances, the appointment was bound to cause controversy. They had placed a knight whose name shook the continent in command of a knight order that was essentially a lost cause. Even if it was part of the order’s reformation, it seemed excessive.
“Maybe they’re finally serious about reviving this knight order.”
“That must be it. Otherwise there’s no way someone of Theodora Benning’s caliber would come here.”
A trace of bitterness seeped into Maxim’s voice.
“Isn’t that good news, Vice Commander? At least we won’t have to quit knighthood on bad terms with the new boss.”
“Yeah. She’ll definitely be far more competent than the current commander.”
Far more? Even placing them on the same scale would be an insult to her. Maxim clicked his tongue softly.
“Why are you reacting like this, though?” Christine asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. “I don’t know. Is the cleaning finished?”
“I finished wiping everything ages ago. So why are you reacting so poorly when we’re finally getting a decent commander?”
Maxim frantically pieced together excuses in his head. Even if someone beat him to death with a club, he had no intention of telling the truth.
“Think about it. If they’re reforming the order, there’s a high chance they’ll overhaul the existing personnel. Do you really think we’ll be safe?”
“...At the very least, they wouldn’t carelessly dismiss the order’s only mage and its vice commander,” Christine replied in a slightly sulky tone. She perched lightly on the edge of the vice commander’s desk.
“Even if that’s true, something about you is off right now, Vice Commander. Can’t you tell me?”
Christine looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes. It was less the gaze of someone worried about him and more the look of a gossip lover who had caught the scent of juicy information and couldn’t contain her curiosity.
“Mind your own business. Thanks for helping with the cleaning. You can disband now and do whatever you want. I need to prepare to greet the new commander.”
Maxim stretched theatrically and practically shoved Christine out of the office.
“Ah, Vice Commander~”
“Shut up. Stop whining, it’s annoying.”
“Just answer this one thing, pleeease...”
Maxim’s eyebrow twitched. It looked like if he refused to answer this question too, Christine was prepared to camp out in his office until the end of time. He rubbed his forehead and looked at her.
“What is it?”
“Vice Commander, do you happen to know Theodora Benning?”
Maxim shook his head vigorously without thinking.
“How could that be possible?”
“Hmm.”
Christine narrowed her eyes and stared at his face. Her green gaze seemed to pierce right through him.
“I said I don’t. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Well, whatever. I’m satisfied as long as a good commander is coming.”
Faced with Maxim’s unexpectedly stubborn attitude, Christine gave up and opened the office door.
“Go rest for a while. Come back at four thirty.”
“...Do I have to be there too?”
“You’re essentially my adjutant. Wouldn’t it be better if we faced her together?”
Christine’s expression went blank for a moment, then she suddenly burst into bright laughter. While Maxim stood there dumbfounded by the abrupt change, Christine pretended to wipe the corner of her eye.
“Really... Vice Commander, you’re something else.”
“You’re laughing out of nowhere again. You’re making me dizzy.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll come back later then.”
The door closed with a thud. Maxim shook his head helplessly and began pondering what on earth he should say to the new commander—who also happened to be his ex-girlfriend.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone rapping on the office door echoed. Maxim carefully checked his neatly arranged hair in the mirror.
This should be fine...
Knock, knock.
Christine knocked again.
“Vice Commander, are you ready?”
“I’m ready. Come in.”
The door opened. Christine entered hesitantly, dressed in a crisp uniform. Her usual messy hair had been tied back neatly in a single ponytail, and she wore light makeup that gave her a natural look. The winged staff emblem on her chest announced that she was a mage. However, despite how well she had dressed up, the moment she saw Maxim her face crumpled as if she had witnessed something terrible.
“Vice Commander. No.”
“What?”
Christine let out a deliberately loud sigh.
“Shouldn’t a person’s unadorned appearance be better than their dressed-up one?”
The corner of Maxim’s mouth twitched.
“What, doesn’t it look okay?”
“Okay? Not even close!”
Christine closed the distance in an instant. If only she moved this quickly during training. Maxim didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, he watched with a frown as she reached out to touch his hair.
“Um... Mage Christine Watson?”
“Hold still. Why did you put so much oil in your hair? If you were going to apply it and style it nicely that would be one thing, but why did you make it look like a bushy mess that doesn’t even suit you?”
“I thought it looked cool...”
Christine shook her head vigorously.
“This calls for emergency measures. I’ll go get a comb.”
She quickly returned with a fine-toothed comb. Then, using a bit of magic in the process, she restored Maxim’s hair to its original state. He stayed quiet and watchful for a moment before cautiously speaking again.
“Christine... you don’t have to go this far...”
“I’m doing it because I’d be embarrassed. You want to go out looking like this and become the laughingstock of the whole neighborhood?”
There was a sharp edge to Christine’s words. Sensing that further protest would be useless, Maxim decided to keep his mouth shut. Once he fell silent, Christine’s hands moved even faster.
“There... done.”
After more than ten minutes of careful work, Maxim’s hair had been completely transformed. It was neatly swept back with a clean side part, fixed in place with just the right amount of product.
“How is it?”
Christine held up the mirror. At the sight of his drastically changed appearance, Maxim couldn’t help but laugh.
“This Christine Watson guarantees that you look much better like this, Vice Commander. Now you finally look presentable.”
Maxim couldn’t argue. The style Christine had given him was objectively much better. Since he was about to meet his ex-lover, it made sense to look as good as possible. Of course Christine didn’t know that, but he had certainly received unexpected help.
“Ack, Vice Commander, the time!”
Because Christine had been so horrified by his attempt at dressing up that she had taken extra time to fix it, they were now running late. Maxim and Christine hurried outside.
It was ten minutes before five in the afternoon. The strong early summer sunlight beat down on the streets. The grass lay flat. The breeze that blew past was still cool. The shadows cast by the reclining blades of grass were short.
At the entrance of the knight order headquarters, Maxim and Christine stood in the official uniforms of the Raven Knight Order, ready to greet the new commander. The current commander, naturally, was nowhere to be seen. He was the kind of person who slipped out of the order at exactly four o’clock every day without anyone noticing. Of course, today’s Maxim was so preoccupied with other thoughts that he hadn’t even registered whether the commander had left or not.
Maxim awkwardly touched the hair Christine had styled for him. He hadn’t realized he was so hopeless at grooming himself. Just as he was feeling a renewed sense of gratitude toward her, Christine added one last unnecessary comment while looking at him.
“You look like a puppy that desperately needs to poop right now, Vice Commander.”
Maxim pinched one of Christine’s soft cheeks as she began teasing him from the side, then nervously tapped the ground with his foot.
“Ow ow ow... it hurts, Vice Commander...”
“Stop provoking me.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop...”
Maxim released her. Christine rubbed her slightly reddened right cheek and glared at him with all her might.
“You pinched pretty hard.”
“Sorry. Still, you shouldn’t tease me at a time like this.”
“Yes, yes.”
While the two of them bickered, they sensed movement at the far end of the uphill path. They quickly straightened their postures and stood at attention.
“Can you sense the presence?”
“Yes. It’s incredibly strong.”
When Christine asked, Maxim nodded. There were three presences coming up the hill. The two walking in front felt ordinary, but the one following behind them was powerful. Sharp. Cold. It felt like icy needles pricking his skin.
“Quite intimidating,” Christine said. A faint tremor lingered at the end of her sentence. Maxim simply nodded instead of replying.
The sensation was all too familiar to him. The sharp gaze he had felt every time they sparred. The cold yet intense presence she had radiated whenever she burned with fighting spirit against him. It had grown far stronger than what he remembered, but the feeling itself remained exactly the same.
Maxim struggled against the waves of memories surging violently in his mind. This might be harder to endure than I thought. He let out a hollow laugh inside at his own weakness. He had thought the passage of time had erased these feelings, yet facing the approaching memories felt this overwhelming.
“...! I can see them, Vice Commander.”
The sound of footsteps reached them. Maxim lifted his head. The two soldiers walking in front were fully armed. The bright sunlight reflected off their silver armor, stabbing at the eyes. Behind them walked a knight without armor, moving with a dignified air.
Damn it.
His heart was pounding uselessly. His mouth had gone completely dry. He felt as if the moment he opened his mouth to speak, his voice would shake. Maxim deliberately blurred his vision so he wouldn’t have to clearly see the new commander’s face.
He hadn’t wanted to meet her. He hadn’t wanted to face her. And even if they did meet, he had never wanted it to be like this.
The group drew closer. Maxim cut off the endless cycle of thoughts. Instead of standing there frozen, he needed to at least deliver the first greeting normally and calmly.
It’s fine. As long as I don’t stutter.
Maxim took a deep breath.
“W-welcome to the Raven Knight Order.”
Ah, fuck. Fuck. Fuck.