What Cannot Be Abandoned (1)
Monday, after the weekend had passed. The old commander, whom everyone had loathed to look at, had finally retired. Even his farewell words were as plain and shabby as the man himself. The commander himself paid no mind to it. Even if someone had spat in his face during the retirement ceremony, he would have been too elated by the fact of his retirement to feel anger. He would spend his remaining days in the reserves before retiring for good. And so the commander was gone. Whether he was there or not had made little difference.
Maxim felt as though something that had been clogging his chest had suddenly cleared. With time now his to use as he pleased, he quickly grabbed a wooden sword and headed for the training grounds.
“Vice-Commander… You seem to be in an especially good mood today.”
“The commander’s gone.”
“Ah… right.”
Relieved of the commander’s duties, Maxim swung his wooden sword with a lighthearted expression. Even though the person appointed to replace that commander was his ex-girlfriend, for now he simply wanted to savor the fact that the man who had only been a nuisance was finally gone.
Christine sat on a bench at the edge of the training grounds, quietly watching Maxim’s practice. Her head moved slightly in time with the path traced by the tip of his sword. Over an hour had passed since she began watching, yet Maxim had not stopped moving once.
“It’s been a while since you last swung a sword, hasn’t it? Yet you’re still going strong.”
“You’re right… Though it doesn’t feel like I’ve been at it that long.”
“Anyone watching would think you were a knight who had only just begun training.”
“It’s fun, swinging it again after so long.”
Maxim paused, gazing at his own hand wrapped around the hilt. The hand that had once been covered in wounds that never healed had now recovered, leaving behind only a few unsightly scars. Since joining the Raven Knight Order, he had not experienced real combat. He had not swung his sword until the calluses on his palms split. It really had been a long time. Maxim chuckled softly and resumed swinging. For now, simply regaining his feel for it was enough.
“By the way, why did you suddenly decide to take out a sword?”
Christine asked, her tone curious.
“Are you trying to make a good impression on the new commander?”
At the words that followed the question, Maxim flinched.
“Oh, you reacted.”
“No, that’s not it. I have my own reasons. You’ll find out soon enough.”
Maxim quickly cut Christine off before she could start teasing him in earnest. She hummed thoughtfully, stroking her chin, but did not press further. Maxim focused once more on swinging his sword. But that focus did not last long.
“Um, Vice-Commander.”
A clumsy voice called out. Maxim turned his head to see one of the knights approaching with a sluggish gait. The knights of the Raven Knight Order could largely be divided into two types: those who could not accept their demotion to this order and remained perpetually angry, and those who lived without any thought or interest at all. Usually, the former eventually became the latter after spending enough time in the order. Their one common trait was that they were always drunk.
The knight, who looked at least five years older than Maxim, clearly belonged to the latter group.
“What is it?”
“The new commander is coming today, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. She is.”
Maxim nodded.
“Is the rumor true?”
“What rumor?”
“There’s a rumor going around among the knights. They say the new commander is an incredibly famous rising star in the kingdom…”
The knight looked anxious. Maxim suppressed the urge to click his tongue. He planted the tip of his wooden sword into the ground.
“It’s true. It seems the Raven Knight Order is going to be completely reorganized.”
The knight asked in a voice filled with dismay.
“Then what happens to us who are already here…? Are they just going to throw us away?”
“Not quite.”
Hope flickered across the knight’s face.
“Then…”
“They’ll take the ones who seem useful.”
Maxim pulled the wooden sword from the ground. The knight stared at him blankly, at a loss for words. Then he came to his senses and clung to Maxim.
“C-Couldn’t you put in a word for us, Vice-Commander?”
Maxim’s face twisted into a scowl. The knight looked as though he had abandoned all pride. Normally, Maxim was so accustomed to the knights’ behavior that he rarely grew angry, but this man’s words had struck close to his breaking point.
“What exactly do you want me to say? That they should take all of you?”
When Maxim spoke in a sharp voice, the knight shrank back and replied.
“This is tyranny. Suddenly dismantling a perfectly fine order…”
Maxim merely shrugged.
“Just make yourselves look useful.”
The knight muttered something in protest before giving up. Maxim watched the knight’s retreating figure as he slunk away.
“Vice-Commander!”
Now what? Maxim turned to see another knight running toward him breathlessly. This one was probably from the perpetually angry group.
“Is it true that the order is being reorganized?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s true.”
The knight asked with hopeful eyes.
“Then…”
“Just keep swinging your sword. Nothing’s been decided yet.”
Maxim sent the knight away with those words. They would learn everything soon enough during the inauguration ceremony, so he could not understand why they were in such a hurry. He could understand their reaction—it concerned their lives as knights—but cynicism rose more strongly within him.
After all, I’m no different.
Maxim mocked himself. The very notion that he was different from those knights was laughable. Regardless of circumstances, the truth was that he was floundering in the Raven Knight Order just like them.
“Vice-Commander, you’re quite popular today.”
Well, Christine at least was truly different. Maxim turned his gaze toward her. Her deep golden hair swayed gently in the breeze.
“That popularity ends today.”
Whoosh. Maxim’s wooden sword sliced through the air. A simple downward strike. Dissatisfied, he furrowed his brow and traced the sword’s trajectory in his mind. Its sharpness had dulled considerably. So this is what it’s come to, he thought inwardly. It was ridiculous to think he could stand up again and properly act as a knight now. Yet the ember he carried in his chest must still have been a spark after all. He had thought he had half-abandoned his identity as a knight, but perhaps the human heart was nothing but a bundle of contradictions. Lost in thought, Maxim suddenly asked Christine, who had been watching him from the same spot since he began training.
“Christine.”
“Yes, Vice-Commander?”
“Aren’t you going to train?”
Christine averted her eyes and turned her head away.
“Christine doesn’t know anything about that.”
…Perhaps this girl was no different from the other knights after all, Maxim thought, revising his assessment of her.
The high sun beat down on the training grounds. It was the kind of weather that heralded the true beginning of summer. Thirty knights of the Raven Knight Order, dressed in their pitch-black uniforms befitting the order’s name, had assembled on the training grounds. Of course, few had dressed entirely according to regulations. Most stood slouched with indifferent expressions or failed to hide their anxiety. Maxim, acting as the formation commander, did not bother to point out their behavior.
As the time for the inauguration ceremony approached, the door to the headquarters behind the training grounds opened, and Theodora walked out. An oppressive presence. Maxim realized that Theodora was deliberately radiating a certain pressure. Thanks to it, the noisy training grounds gradually fell silent.
As always, Theodora carried herself with dignity. Standing on the platform, she swept her gaze over the thirty knights filling the grounds. Maxim raised his voice.
“All units, attention!”
The knights assumed a sloppy attention stance. Theodora said, “At ease,” and took a step back.
“At ease!”
The knights stood with their hands behind their backs, lacking any semblance of unity. Theodora paid it no mind. Her voice, amplified by mana, echoed across the training grounds.
“Greetings. I am Theodora Benning, appointed as the new commander of the Raven Knight Order.”
The knights were strangely quiet. The pressure Theodora exuded was enough to silence even these troublemakers.
“The Raven Knight Order was once the Empire’s sharpest blade.”
When she mentioned the Empire era—a word akin to a taboo—the knights began to stir. Theodora radiated an even stronger pressure. The knights closed their mouths again.
“Though it has now fallen into a wretched state… I believe there is no one here who does not know the glory the Raven Knight Order once enjoyed.”
Theodora paused for a moment. It was her habit to issue a warning before speaking of something important.
“The kingdom intends to change the Raven Knight Order. To reclaim the glory of those days.”
The knights who had abandoned their pride as true knights and contented themselves with their titles while drowning in drink, the knights who caused trouble because they could not control their arrogant natures, the knights lacking skill, talent, and will—all of them fixed their gazes upon her.
“The order’s headquarters will be relocated to the kingdom’s front lines, and all personnel will be reassigned.”
As if on cue, the troublemakers grew noisy. Theodora did not silence them.
“However,”
she continued, knowing the commotion would die down at her next words.
“There is still an opportunity for the existing knights.”
At the word “opportunity,” the knights lowered their voices. Some had already given up at the mention of moving to the front lines.
“We will conduct a selection test for those who wish to participate.”
It was a cruel statement to make to dulled knights. But if they failed to seize even this chance, the only path left for them after being expelled from the order would be to become adventurers.
“The test will be held tomorrow. Anyone who does not appear at headquarters tomorrow morning will be considered to have forfeited the test.”
Theodora’s unwavering voice struck each knight’s ears like a nail. After one final sweep of her gaze over the knights, she concluded her inauguration speech.
“That is all. I wish every knight the best of luck.”
“All units, attention!”
The knights awkwardly corrected their postures. The inauguration ceremony felt less like a ceremony and more like the reading of a verdict. Theodora finished speaking and slowly descended from the platform. Her boots echoed with each step. Maxim watched her descend, and their eyes met. He could not begin to guess what she was thinking.
Theodora opened the main door of the headquarters and stepped inside. As the door closed with a creak of its hinges, chaos erupted among the knights in an instant.
“What the hell is this?!”
“Moving the headquarters to the front lines?! Where exactly are we going?”
“Don’t tell me it’s No Man’s Land. If that’s the case, I’d rather quit being a knight right now.”
Maxim immediately ordered the knights to disperse and change, then slipped away behind the noisy crowd. The training grounds would turn into a marketplace for a while. They would no doubt pester him with all sorts of questions. At least for now, he would not have to run into them.
Maxim turned his steps toward the main building. Though they were currently commander and vice-commander, their relationship remained awkward. There was no need to deliberately encounter her.
Ignoring the discomfort stirring within him, Maxim reached for the headquarters door.
“Vice-Commander.”
His hand stopped. Maxim turned toward the voice that had called him.
“Could I speak with you for a moment?”
Christine’s expression and tone were different from her usual bright demeanor. Maxim pretended not to notice and responded as he normally would.
“What is it now? If it’s something pointless…”
“Vice-Commander.”
But when he met Christine’s gaze, Maxim could not keep up his facade. He let out a long sigh.
“Shall we move somewhere quieter?”
Maxim and Christine relocated to the backyard. Christine, who had practically dragged him there, stood facing him in silence. Maxim asked the girl who was staring at him with a stern expression. He was determined to feign ignorance to the end.
“What’s going on?”
Christine shook her head at him.
“I don’t know if you’ll listen to what I have to say, Vice-Commander.”
She took a deep breath, like someone about to say something difficult. Her eyes closed briefly before opening again.
“The selection test the commander mentioned earlier—couldn’t you skip it? No,”
Christine’s green eyes met Maxim’s golden ones.
“Don’t take the selection test.”