Morning After the Nightmare
One morning, Kael wiped away the sweat dripping down his hair. His entire body was drenched beyond belief, to the point where even the thin, rough blanket felt sodden. Perhaps from losing so much fluid, his throat felt parched, and he glanced around instinctively. There was a cup of water, as if someone had just set it there, and his thirst was such that he downed it in one go.
"Haa..."
He emptied the cup completely and let out a ragged breath. Kael recalled the dream he'd just had—or rather, the future vision. A tale from a distant future that transcended his own abilities. It was a vision of utter devastation, too horrific to even speak aloud.
What were those tentacles? And why, of all places, the Knight Academy?
Kael usually analyzed his future visions intuitively, but for this vivid and gruesome prophecy, he could only fall silent. No, rather, he couldn't help unconsciously replaying that scene in his mind. The moment when those black tentacles tightly bound and entwined their bodies, making them tremble and despair. He shook his head vigorously, trying to scatter the images from his thoughts.
Just then, a sharp whoosh from outside snapped him to attention. He approached the window and opened the cheap paper covering instead of expensive glass. As the cool morning air rushed in, it felt like his unpleasant imaginings were blown far away.
At the same time, Kael identified the source of the whooshing sound.
Sky-blue eyes shimmering faintly in the sunlight, and short golden blonde hair gleaming more brilliantly than ripened wheat. Lucrecia von Loenheim. One of Kael's lovers, the heir to the once-mighty Loenheim Count Family—overlords of the empire's north, now fallen and reduced to a name.
She was dressed in comfortable clothes for easy movement, swinging her sword in the inn's backyard for her morning workout, just as always. Though her build was a bit larger than an average woman's, the massive sword she wielded was still big enough to require her full body to swing. With every swing, the top containing her ample breasts stretched taut, barely holding them in place. Any man would have whistled in appreciation, but fortunately, this was an inn reserved exclusively for imperial knights. And in this remote rural spot, there was no one around except their party and the innkeeper.
They had come to this out-of-the-way place for no special reason. The empire's vast territory showcased its might abroad, but internally, the expansive lands meant security was perpetually poor. When magical beasts—common everywhere—raided a nearby village, the group, passing by, had taken the request.
Kael gazed blankly down at Lucrecia training. She, in whom extreme beauty and sharpness coexisted—the woman once hailed as the "Wall-Eyed North Wind" at the academy, the object of men's desires and envy—was his lover. Of course, plenty had happened at the academy before she became his, but even now, he sometimes felt it was too unbelievable to be real, like a dream.
But this was reality, and she was his lover. In that fact, Kael felt a strange swell of self-esteem. The confidence he'd lost surviving the academy's harshness as a commoner with no great talent upon enrollment.
"Hoo..."
Lucrecia leaned her sword against the wooden fence for a moment, catching her breath and wiping her sweat. Due to her constitution that produced a lot of sweat, she often used her ice magic power—one of her abilities—to create ice and cool herself. So, during heat-generating exercise, she ended up soaked.
After steadying her breath for a while, she sensed eyes on her and turned to look up at Kael. A radiant smile graced her lips, one other men rarely saw.
"Junior. You're awake?"
Oddly, even from school days and now as lovers, she addressed him as "junior" and spoke formally. When asked why, she'd just blush and not answer, leaving Kael still curious. But what did it matter? Any man before this beautiful woman would accept whatever she did.
"Yeah... Lucrecia."
Kael had initially used formal speech and "senior" with her, but her dissatisfied reaction and his own desire as her lover to be equals led him to drop it—now only he spoke casually to her.
Meanwhile, Lucrecia noticed Kael's poor complexion as he looked down and spoke up.
"Junior? Did you have a rough night? You don't look well..."
"Ah... just a nightmare. Nothing serious..."
"That's a relief, then. You heard about today's plans from Eleonora, right?"
"Yeah. Tracking the magical beasts that raided the village this afternoon."
At Kael's words, Lucrecia nodded and picked up the towel draped over the fence to wipe her flowing sweat. As it brushed her chest, her large breasts strained outward, seeking space. Kael unconsciously swallowed hard at the sight.
And that small sound reached her, physically honed as she was. She blushed faintly and smiled at him.
"Such a pervert, my junior."
"Haha... no, that's not..."
Ignoring his excuse, Lucrecia grinned and gathered her things, heading inside the inn. While she finished her morning routine, Kael prepared to leave his room. He tossed his sweat-soaked undergarments into the laundry and changed into his knight uniform.
The Knight Academy operated on a unique cohort system: three grades enrolled sequentially, trained for a period, and graduated together. Thus, first-, second-, and third-years graduated simultaneously, maintaining their relationships within the cohort. Kael wore the first-year blue uniform.
By now, Lucrecia would be in her third-year white uniform, and Eleonora in her second-year black one. On the right breast of their uniforms gleamed small gold badges signifying top graduate. They were exceptional talents who had never once lost the top spot in their grades since enrollment.
And though the academy was for commoners and fallen nobles, their statuses stood out. Lucrecia von Loenheim: once the north's overlord, vanguard of the anti-emperor faction in the civil war. Now fallen after defeat, her family barely survived, and she served the emperor loyally.
Eleonora von Valtern: from the ducal house of Valtern Duchy, the empire's foe and first shield of the allied forces. Defeated and annexed, now just a name with lost lands.
Though their pasts were dark, their positions and honors were beyond a mere commoner like Kael. He'd entered with low scores, worked tirelessly to reach the upper ranks, but never claimed top graduate—still a lingering regret and scar on his self-esteem. Thus, his uniform bore no commemorative decorations, pristine and plain.
Kael bitterly eyed his reflection in the mirror, then grabbed his gear and stepped into the hall, heading to the left room. The right was Lucrecia's, where she'd be washing and changing; the left was Eleonora's, unseen all morning.
She slept longer than the others, often needing Kael to wake her. Assuming she was still asleep, he opened the door without knocking.
"Oh my!"
A voice tinged with embarrassment burst out.
There stood Eleonora, half-dressed in an awkward pose. Kael blankly stared at her body for about three seconds before flushing and turning away. Though his beloved lover's form, its voluptuous allure always packed a punch of embarrassment.
"Jeez! Kael-kun, what if you just barge in like that?"
"Sorry... I thought you were asleep."
"You perv. Were you that desperate to see me?"
Suddenly, a soft sensation pressed against his back. Half-dressed Eleonora had snuck up and hugged him from behind. She blew gently into his ear, then gazed at his flustered face with a sultry laugh, like a noble lady.
"Hohoho. Kael-kun, aren't you being too shy? Where did that wild beast from last night go?"
"S-stop teasing me so much, Eleonora."
"But this reaction just makes me want to tease you more?"
Eleonora toyed with him a few more times from behind, then slipped inside to finish dressing and emerged. At her waist hung a small wand—her weapon.
Knights divided into two main types: physical and magic. Both used mana, but differently. Physical enhanced the body for melee; magic cast spells directly. Eleonora was the latter, Kael the former, and Lucrecia—fitting her third-year top graduate status—a genius handling both. But she favored magic in battle, simply because her large breasts got in the way during physical combat.
"Alright, Kael-kun. Let's go eat breakfast."
The two descended the stairs amiably to the first floor. There sat Lucrecia, already in uniform.
"Not too late today."
"Hoho, I can't be late every time, right, Kael-kun?"
"Yeah... though it'd be nice if it happened more often."
The three chatted warmly and began the breakfast Lucrecia had ordered. Despite the grand title of imperial knights, the empire's vast lands and numerous knights meant rewards were stingy. Thus, the two nobles funded the party. Still, they scrimped: their meal was no different from commoners' fare.
Eleonora soaked the rock-hard bread in lukewarm soup, gripping it with both hands and gnawing fiercely.
"Urgh! Too tough."
Unlike her, Kael and Lucrecia, with physical-type strength, ate without issue. Irritated, Eleonora listed her cravings.
"Steak! Meat stew! Fresh veggies! Seasonal fruit! I want it..."
"Eleonora, nothing like that in this backwater."
"But I want it... Kael-kun."
The party's strategist, seemingly the most mature, she occasionally acted spoiled like this. Kael couldn't help laughing heartily at her antics.
After finishing, the three checked their gear and left the inn. Kael watched the two walk ahead amid the sunlight filtering through distant trees, feeling the nightmare prophecy fade away. Though that grim horror might one day approach, he wasn't too worried.
Because...
His lovers were the strongest knights imaginable. Kael approached the two gazing at him quietly and headed toward their mission destination.
