And So, Once More (3)
Theodora ultimately did not accept the pouch of gold coins. “It’s fine. You don’t need to carry any guilt over this.” With those words, Pierre turned and left. Theodora remained seated in that spot for another two hours, motionless, before she finally rose and exited the guild.
Adventurers cast glances her way, their eyes gleaming at the sight of a knight, but the heavy aura of killing intent that clung to her soon forced them to avert their gazes and turn away. Theodora walked. She walked, paused to sit near a low wall for a while, then stood and walked again. Dawn broke, and she entered a nearby inn, locked the door behind her, and spent the hours curled up on the bed without moving.
Then she walked once more. There was no clear destination in her mind, yet her feet carried her with unnatural certainty toward the old grounds of the Raven Knight Order. ‘Theo.’ Maxim’s voice pierced her like a nail driven into flesh. Her steps grew heavier. The uphill path leading to the old site felt impossibly long.
“...”
The once-monstrous building now stood utterly empty, showing no signs of life. Theodora stared at the vacant structure with eyes even emptier than the building itself, then sank onto a bench in the training yard where weeds had grown thick. The deep orange light of late afternoon, just before evening, bathed the grounds.
Theodora sat with her head bowed, platinum hair cascading down as she gazed at the ground. Her hair shimmered beautifully in the sunlight, indifferent to her mood or circumstances. Strands fell across her vision. Cicadas cried loudly. In a dry, hollow voice, as if speaking to someone unseen, Theodora murmured.
“It’s summer.”
Just as she said, it was summer. The season announced its full arrival with the shrill chorus of cicadas. Yet what rose first in Theodora’s mind was not the heat of summer. There were many memories tied to this training yard. Like reading a story, she recalled another day from the past.
Strangely, the first memory that surfaced was not of summer. It was spring—or rather, a time that could barely be called spring, more like the tail end of winter. The fields had not yet sprouted, and frogs freshly awakened from hibernation leaped into streams. That kind of weather.
Theodora had not first met Maxim, nor first spoken to him, in this training yard. If she wound the music box of memory all the way back to the very beginning, like the first turn of a crank, there stood a girl named Theodora Benning with a sharp expression and a boy named Maxim Apparte with confident eyes. It was the day of the academy entrance ceremony.
The girl who saw the entire world as her enemy and the boy who possessed nothing but a sword had crossed paths by chance. Or perhaps it wasn’t chance at all—it was like two people meeting head-on upon a single-log bridge. The placement test for prospective cadets.
Theodora had already gone through several of these seemingly meaningless competitions. Whether one called it a lack of tact or strict adherence to principle, the Knight Academy had no intention of letting her slip by easily. They seemed determined to drag out the contest to the very end, even if it meant holding examinations over several days.
Theodora sat among the waiting group and let out a sigh. Only thirty-two prospective cadets remained in the training yard behind the main grounds. The test of the cadets’ stamina and endurance was finally nearing its conclusion.
She hadn’t bothered to wonder who her next opponent would be. That she would claim first place in this placement test was an unchangeable, predetermined future. The cadets knew it, the instructors knew it, and even Theodora herself knew it. As a result, the other cadets’ attention was focused far more on Theodora’s presence than on the contest itself.
“Theodora Benning...”
“What rotten luck, ending up in the same entrance class as a child of the Benning family...”
“Isn’t that actually good? If you build a connection with her...”
The cadets stole glances at her and whispered among themselves. Some looked at her as if she were a monster, others with admiration, and still others with eyes gleaming with greed and ambition. Theodora received all those gazes with calm indifference. Her hand brushed over the hilt of the sword at her waist.
She always found her heart steadied by that familiar, stiff, well-worn texture. It was the sensation the girl who had held a sword since before she turned ten had touched instead of dolls. The cadets’ matches proceeded all at once. The instructor lined up the prospective students with a solemn voice.
“Rest time is over. We will now begin the matches for the remaining cadets. Those whose names are called, step forward.”
The instructor read the list in an unnaturally indifferent tone that sounded almost rehearsed.
“...And finally, Theodora Benning and Maxim Apparte. These two will face each other. Everyone else, step back and prepare for your matches. The instructors will judge fairly.”
Theodora waited with her arms crossed for her opponent. Whoever it was, they would surely resent the fact that they had been paired against her. Every opponent she had faced so far had done exactly that. They say the seeker of the Way is lonely. How was she supposed to feel, standing alone in such isolation when she wasn’t even seeking anything?
Theodora slowly watched her opponent walk toward her. His name was… Maxim, wasn’t it? The instructor acting as judge glanced between the two of them. Normally, Theodora’s matches weren’t of great interest to the instructors. The winner was already decided.
“All right, are you both ready? You know you’re not allowed to use aura, correct?”
But the judge overseeing this particular match seemed to anticipate something quite interesting. Theodora paid no mind to that expectant gaze. She simply faced the man who had stepped forward as her opponent. He nodded at the instructor’s question without taking his eyes off her.
Sharp. That was Theodora’s first impression of Maxim. The man standing across from her possessed eyes that could indeed be called sharp. They gleamed golden. Those eyes read her posture and breathing without missing a single gap. Light brown, slightly curly hair. A mouth that looked relaxed yet never careless.
Was he different from the mediocre opponents she had faced so far? Even so, it wouldn’t change anything. She had fought swordsmen who looked at her with that same probing gaze before. And usually, their analysis proved useless. They crumbled miserably under her blade before they could even make use of it.
That was why Theodora held no expectations. She regarded Maxim with emotionless eyes. His face was refined, more suited to working at a desk than to being a knight.
“All right, step back for now.”
The instructor extended a palm between them to create distance. Theodora drew her sword and lowered her arm. Her opponent, Maxim, did the same. She tried to gauge his momentum, but she couldn’t read anything. The aura he gave off was almost nonexistent. It didn’t seem as if he was circulating mana in any special way. Then…
Theodora, who had not been thinking much about her opponent, furrowed her brow. This was the first time she had faced someone whose skill level she couldn’t assess at all. The instructor’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Begin.”
A sharp wind brushed past. Theodora decided not to charge in but to wait. Perhaps her opponent would also refrain from rushing forward. With that thought, she adjusted her grip on her sword. The first stage would be a probing exchange, circling each other on the training ground to assess skill.
But the moment the instructor raised his hand, Maxim’s form blurred.
“...!”
Theodora blocked his attack with a hint of panic. The clash of blade against blade rang out with a metallic screech above her arm. It wasn’t an attempt to exploit a gap. Instead, he had driven his sword straight into the space she had been guarding most carefully, challenging her head-on.
Theodora frowned at the arrogant approach. Their swords scraped against each other with a metallic ring. In a cold voice, she said to Maxim,
“How arrogant.”
At her words, Maxim’s face, still pressing his sword forward, twisted into a frown.
“The arrogant one is you, openly allowing the first strike.”
Theodora looked up at that frowning face and let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
“I’m allowed to be arrogant. But you shouldn’t have acted that way.”
Theodora circulated mana through her body. A fierce, platinum-colored aura surged from her. Maxim did not push her sword away. Enduring the repulsive force rising from her vast mana would not be easy, yet he refused to retreat, sliding his blade along hers instead. He received the power with which she tried to shove him and let it flow past.
Their swords clashed back and forth. Maintaining a precarious advantage in reach and angle of attack, Maxim swung his blade. Theodora dodged the strikes that came at her from her blind spots. He mixed thrusts and slashes without pattern. The sword paths he drew were not crude. They were sharp and fast.
The sword style she had never seen before was difficult for Theodora to block on instinct alone. How long had it been since she last felt overwhelmed while defending against attacks? Theodora deliberately put more strength into her sword to shake Maxim off. He did not persist stubbornly and withdrew lightly.
Then he kicked toward Theodora, who had made a large motion to throw him off.
“A kick…!”
Theodora twisted her blade to block his foot. Maxim, who had kicked her mana-reinforced body, was instead thrown back more forcefully. She wanted to press the attack, but she held herself back, planting her feet firmly on the ground. He was a swordsman skilled in tactical exchanges. Rushing in at what seemed like an opportunity might instead play into his intentions.
Theodora reset her stance. She needed to focus more on the match.
“Have you finally decided to take this seriously?”
Maxim leveled his sword and spoke in a provocative tone. An entangled feeling. A certain pressure she had never felt in all her years of competition began to weigh on Theodora’s shoulders. She steadied her breathing and began to analyze Maxim more deeply, sword raised.
Male. Taller than her by a considerable margin, but not overly muscular. Not particularly flexible, yet his understanding of the sword was exceptional. Theodora drew up her mana. If she could not compete with skill, then with power. His use of mana did not seem particularly good.
“Damn it.”
She heard Maxim mutter. At the same time, an aura began to rise from him as well. Compared to his swordsmanship, it was not particularly impressive. Theodora vanished from her spot, leaving afterimages. The moment dust swirled upward on the wind, her blade suddenly appeared before Maxim’s eyes.
“Like a dog…”
Maxim’s sword had already moved to block her blade.
“You’re fast…!”
Theodora did not answer. A fierce pressure bore down on him without mercy. She resolved to keep the initiative and press the attack without yielding.
“It’ll get faster.”
Her form blurred again. Maxim clenched his teeth. Theodora thrust her sword. He blocked. She had drawn a large amount of mana at once, intending to end it quickly, but Maxim endured without breaking. When his eyes followed her blade, Theodora frowned.
He was strong. More than that, he was different from anyone she had faced before. Maxim was adapting. He flowed with and wrapped around her increasingly fast and powerful strikes, holding his ground. Theodora’s impatience grew. She had no way of knowing that even if the fight became a battle of endurance, she would still hold the advantage.
She was watching his eyes. It was as if he were aiming for something, observing the movements between her sword paths. She had to finish it before his counter came. Theodora pulled her sword back. Her blade came crashing down as if to hack him apart, and Maxim, as if he had been waiting, twisted his sword upward to meet it.
Clang—!
Metal exploded. Theodora felt a shard of steel graze her cheek. “I lost.” Her sword had stopped right in front of Maxim’s throat, while his sword was aimed at hers—but its blade had been severed in the middle. Maxim frowned and immediately withdrew his sword.
The instructor nodded with an impressed expression.
“Winner, Theodora Benning. Maxim, you may return to the dormitory.”
“Thank you for your guidance.”
Maxim bowed deeply to the instructor without any lingering attachment and shook his broken sword lightly.
“As expected of the Benning family’s promising talent. I’ve seen your skill well.”
Before Theodora could respond to those words, Maxim turned his back and left the training yard. Bright red blood trickled down Theodora’s cut cheek.
“Go to the infirmary first. To think a fragment could graze a body reinforced by mana.”
Theodora merely nodded and watched Maxim’s receding back. Maxim Apparte. From that day onward, his name was burned intensely into Theodora’s mind. And it became a name she would never forget.
“It’s hot now.”
Back then it was rather chilly. Snapped out of her recollection, Theodora stood up and swept the ground of the empty training yard with a hollow voice. She wanted to step through the forms just like back then. She moved her feet and turned in a circle. Just as if performing the footwork, she shifted her weight forward, then pulled her rear foot ahead.
But her injured foot refused to obey her will, and the Maxim who should have matched her steps was not there now. Perhaps he never would be again. Theodora stopped. She could not tell what had gone wrong, or where, or how. Her steps trembled violently.
Right now, the only thing Theodora could do was collapse onto her knees on the hard training ground and sob out everything rising from her heart. Ah. Tears flowed from her eyes. A wail like that of someone having their heart carved out with a knife leaked through her teeth. Aah.
Theodora scraped her fingers harshly across the ground. The stone floor of the training yard cracked and split under her grip. She slammed her clenched fist down onto the ground. Dust rose from the spot where her fist struck with a heavy thud. Theodora continued to pound the ground, sobbing as if her heart were being torn apart.
The indifferent sun was sinking in the west. Above the sunset sky, a cry containing one person’s everything spread out.
Benning family estate.
Summer nights were noisy. The cries of insects mingled with the calls of birds, filling the Benning lands. The Benning family residence was a very classical-style mansion built on a hill a short distance from the center of the estate. It was a night so dark that the moon was hidden behind black clouds, making it impossible to see ahead.
A brass lantern’s light slowly climbed the hill leading up to the Benning mansion. It was not yet extremely late. It was the hour when the chirping of insects was loudest, when an ordinary family would gather before the fireplace to chat.
At the mansion’s front gate, a servant of the Benning family was waiting to greet the man ascending with the brass lantern.
“Is the Count present?”
“He is, but… did you have an appointment?”
At the servant’s question, the man slightly lifted his hood. A man with a sharp jawline, cold eyes, and a prominent hooked nose.
“He will know if you tell him Roberto Miller has arrived.”
The member of the Raven Knight Order, Roberto Miller, spoke in a chilly voice.