Have You Heard the News? (3)
Have you heard the news? (3)
He met his ex-girlfriend again after three years. And when he greeted her for the first time in three years, he stuttered. For the first time in Maxim Apparte’s life, the urge to kill himself surged up like a tidal wave. If he could, he wanted to dash into a bamboo grove and let out a hideous shriek of “Kyaaaaack!” Or slam his forehead against some massive oak tree until it split. It would almost be a relief if she just laughed at him.
But all Maxim heard was the wind rustling through the grass. As a result, Maxim Apparte’s face flushed crimson at an alarming speed. If this had been morning instead of late afternoon, he would have looked like a man already deep into his cups. Maxim struggled to clear his blurred vision.
A few steps away stood Theodora Benning.
Ah. This must be a dream. If someone told him it was, he could probably accept it.
The flush that had burned across Maxim’s face slowly receded. “Nice to meet you. I am Theodora Benning, newly appointed as Commander.”
Theodora paid no attention to whether Maxim had stuttered or turned beet red. He felt both relieved and bitterly disappointed. It seemed he was the only one conscious of it.
She extended her hand. Maxim stared blankly at the white-gloved fingers. They were still as slender and delicate as ever. Several seconds passed before he realized she was asking for a handshake.
“I look forward to working with you, Vice Commander. Your name?”
Maxim’s face, which had only just begun to cool, flared red again. He quickly thrust out his own hand and clasped hers.
“…Maxim Apparte. I look forward to working with you as well.”
A handshake. That brief contact of skin and glove. Yet for Maxim it was more than enough time to summon a flood of memories. He released her hand at once and snapped back into a rigid posture.
Theodora turned to Christine, who stood with relative composure beside Maxim. Christine took the offered hand and introduced herself with a smile.
“Mage Christine Watson.”
“A pleasure, Miss Watson.”
“Please, just Christine is fine.”
At Christine’s bright smile, the frost in Theodora’s demeanor thawed the slightest bit.
“Very well. Christine, then.”
While they spoke, Maxim pulled himself together. How long was he going to stay lost in his own head? Personal feelings had to be shoved into a corner. Right now he was the Vice Commander of a knight order. He swallowed hard and stepped forward. Theodora and Christine had just finished their exchange.
“I’ll show you around the headquarters.”
“Please do.”
A cold smile bloomed across Theodora’s face. Seeing that ice-rose of a smile, Maxim felt himself shrink a little. With the resolve that showing his emotions now would leave him with no future at all, he led the way into the Raven Knight Order’s headquarters.
“This way.”
No reply came. Christine walked a little ahead of Theodora but slightly behind Maxim. The two soldiers serving as escorts fell in behind her.
The headquarters building, thickly overgrown with ivy, came into view. Maxim burned with embarrassment at its shabby exterior. Before entering, he indicated the training ground in front.
“This is the Raven Knight Order’s training field.”
Theodora blinked, then turned her head and scanned the area as though appraising it.
“It’s cleaner than I expected…”
She lifted the visor of a helmet hanging on a training dummy, then let it fall shut. The hinges squeaked from lack of oil.
“There’s also a rear yard, an armory, and a riding ground…”
“We don’t have much time, so I’ll look around later. For now, please show me the interior.”
Even as she spoke, Theodora did not walk ahead of him. She was being considerate of the guide’s position. Her words were curt, but her actions showed no disrespect. Maxim breathed an inward sigh of relief at the confirmation that her nature had not changed. At the same time, a quiet longing stirred in the corner of his heart. He forced the feeling down and opened the headquarters door.
A needlessly spacious lobby appeared beyond it. The floor, swept and polished for the first time in who knew how long, held a respectable sheen. Both Maxim and Christine felt a small surge of pride at how much more presentable it looked than they had feared.
“This is the lobby. The corridors on either side lead to the dormitories for knights in the preparatory course. There are no preparatory knights at the moment, so the rooms are empty.”
No answer. Theodora merely swept the lobby with that same cold gaze.
“…I’ll show you the second floor.”
Even while climbing the stairs, Theodora remained silent. From the subtly heavy atmosphere alone, Maxim could guess her mood. She was irritated. He couldn’t fathom why. Was the cleaning unsatisfactory? Did she dislike the building’s interior? Or perhaps it was his very presence that displeased her.
A trickle of cold sweat slid down his back. He quickly tried to lighten the mood by explaining the second floor’s layout.
“The second floor is where we handle most of our administrative duties. There’s the Commander’s office, the Vice Commander’s office, and an archive for old documents.”
The group walked slowly along the corridor. The old floorboards creaked loudly beneath their feet.
“This is the Commander’s office.”
Maxim opened the door. The room held almost nothing of note. Bookshelves crammed with unread tactical manuals and swordsmanship texts, an unnecessarily expensive desk, and a carpet—that was all. The previous commander, that old man, had left behind only items that had since been hastily packed away into storage.
“Thirty commanders have occupied this room over the years. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the history of the Raven Knight Order.”
Still no response. At this point, Maxim would have welcomed even a sarcastic remark. A curse would have been better than this silence. Scolding himself not to mind, he led them to the archive.
Though called an archive, there was little to see. Just shelves lined with ancient documents that smelled of mildew and decay. The final stop was the Vice Commander’s office, located at the far edge of the second-floor corridor with the archive between it and the Commander’s room. Even the door looked different.
“This is the Vice Commander’s office.”
When he opened it, a small sigh escaped. Maxim stopped himself from turning around. The thorn-covered introduction of the headquarters was finally over. Theodora turned her head this way and that, examining the room.
“That covers the general layout of the Raven Knight Order headquarters… I understand you’ll be visiting again Monday morning.”
Maxim addressed Theodora directly. Their eyes met. She did not avoid his gaze.
“Yes. I plan to arrive a little earlier than the rest of the members. I’d like to begin the handover immediately.”
Her voice was cold. Maxim chose to keep his own expression blank.
“Understood. I’ll make sure the handover procedures are completed over the weekend.”
Theodora gave a faint nod. The fact that she hadn’t asked for the current commander suggested she already knew exactly what kind of state this order was in. Maxim decided that now that the tour was finished, dismissing everyone would be best for his mental health.
“Thank you for your hard work…”
Of course, Maxim was not destined to look after his own peace of mind.
“I have something to discuss with the Vice Commander. Alone.”
At Theodora’s words, Maxim’s mouth tightened. Her ash-gray eyes passed over everyone in the room before settling on him.
“Since this concerns only the Commander and Vice Commander, the rest of you may leave. It’s already past quitting time, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”
The two escort soldiers murmured in confusion. After a moment they seemed to reach a decision.
“How could we leave before you, Commander?”
“Exactly. We’ll wait downstairs.”
Theodora shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. You’ve already worked hard following me after your regular duties. Please go home.”
The soldiers hesitated once more, then saluted and turned away.
“Thank you for your service, Commander.”
“Yes. Good work.”
Once the two soldiers had left and the Vice Commander’s office door closed with a heavy thud, silence descended.
The yellow afternoon light had turned to the deep crimson of sunset. Outside the window, blue-tinged clouds drifted across a sky stained rose-red. Maxim hesitated. He found it difficult to speak. He didn’t even know what he should say or how.
“…It’s been a while, Theodora.”
So he simply offered a greeting. As casually as he could manage.
“Yes. It has been a while, Maxim. Three years?”
Theodora returned the greeting. The chill in her voice remained. Three years. For Maxim, it had been an excruciating stretch of time. He nodded slowly.
“Three years. It doesn’t feel that long, somehow.”
He didn’t ask if she had been well. After what happened three years ago, he knew she couldn’t possibly have been. It was entirely his fault.
Maxim looked directly at her face. The passage of three years seemed to have granted her nothing but blessings. The same platinum blonde hair—though no longer the long tresses he remembered. It had been cut short at the nape, now a neat bob. A refined jawline. Pale skin like white jade contrasted with vivid red lips, and above them, a straight nose. And those large ash-gray eyes fixed on him. Eyes that held not the slightest trace of past affection.
Maxim could accept that much.
“Why did you suddenly come to a worthless order like this?”
When Maxim spoke with a touch of self-mockery, Theodora narrowed her eyes.
“It was a decision from the Central Knight Order.”
“Are they saying they’ll actually make this order useful?”
Theodora did not answer right away. She simply pressed her lips together in clear displeasure and stared at him. Maxim did not press her. In the background, birds sang against the fading sunset.
“You’ve changed, Maxim.”
The words she finally uttered had nothing to do with the topic, yet Maxim could only nod in agreement. He had changed, even if he hadn’t meant to.
“No one stays the same forever. You know that, Theodora.”
If those painful three years had been a blessing for her, they had been a curse for him. Maxim clenched his teeth and continued.
“I’ve been different ever since three years ago.”
“I know.”
Her voice cut like a blade. The irreversible current was growing stronger. Painful as it was, Maxim had no choice but to let it carry him.
Silence fell again. Theodora broke it with another question.
“Is your fiancée doing well?”
The words were spoken with deliberate indifference. Maxim’s eyes flickered for an instant. He forced himself to answer.
“She is. We see each other from time to time.”
“…I see.”
Theodora ran her fingers along the office wall. Silence settled once more. There was no natural flow between their exchanges. Maxim waited for her to speak again.
“I’m going to reform the Raven Knight Order.”
The conversation returned to its proper track. Theodora had closed her eyes. When she opened them again, even the icy aura around her had receded.
“Reform?”
“…His Majesty and the Central Knight Order wish to restore the Raven Knight Order to the glory it once held.”
Maxim let out a small, bitter sound.
“And you’re leading the charge?”
“Yes. At the same time I assume command, there will be a large-scale personnel overhaul. Most of the knights who do nothing but loaf around here will likely be removed.”
As expected. Maxim clicked his tongue bitterly.
“However, I was also ordered to retain any knights who seem usable. We cannot completely disregard the existing roster.”
As Theodora said, completely dismantling and rebuilding a knight order was no simple task. The real question was how to choose who would stay.
“There will be a selection test. Those who wish to withdraw… I have no intention of forcing them to remain.”
Theodora’s gaze held a clear warning.
“That includes you, Vice Commander. If you wish to give up, the conversation changes…”
Her eyes rested on him, steady and unblinking. It was painful to meet them.
“No.”
Maxim shook his head.
“I will take the test.”
It wasn’t for Theodora. If he gave up here, the knight named Maxim Apparte would be as good as dead. It was not lingering attachment to her, but lingering attachment to himself as a knight that drove him to declare his intention. Absolutely—no trace of feelings for Theodora was mixed in. He repeated it to himself again and again in his mind.