Interlude
“Sorry for taking up your time.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all. I still don’t know the city.”
Two eye-catching beauties walked down the streets of Liberis’s greatest city—Baltrain. One was the Liberion Order’s commander, Allusia Sitrus. Despite her youth, she occupied the highest rank among the nation’s esteemed knights. None looked at her with scorn. She possessed a charm that could be described as a peerless combination of dignity and tranquility, which was only matched by her good nature and incredible skill with a blade. She was immensely popular among the populace. Many even looked at her with envy.
The other beauty was the Holy Order of the Church of Sphene’s lieutenant commander, Rose Mabelhart. She was a calming woman whose graceful manners took the fore. The pure white kite shield on her back drew people’s eyes, but her nearly transparent blue hair combined with her gentle and affable countenance stood out even more.
It was a few days before the royal sightseeing tour of Baltrain for Sphenedyardvania’s first prince. Rose was the lieutenant commander of the Holy Order, and there were anxieties about her not having a sufficient grasp of Baltrain’s geography. So, at Allusia’s recommendation, the two women were taking a walk through town.
Rose maintained an affable demeanor. After all, it wasn’t polite to show discontent when the Liberion Order’s commander had offered to show her around.
“It really is a nice city,” Rose commented. “I’m jealous.”
“Thank you. I’m glad to hear it.”
Despite being the one to invite Rose, Allusia’s mental state was somewhat complex. Naturally, she had no objections to forming a rapport with the Holy Order’s lieutenant commander. Considering the future benefits for diplomatic relations, it was a good thing. However, the words “Beryl’s favorite pupil” stuck out in her mind far more prominently than any other thought. She did, of course, know that Beryl had taught many pupils. She also wasn’t conceited enough to claim to be his best one—she did have confidence that it would be faster to count her rank from the top down, though. At the same time, she couldn’t possibly declare herself as Beryl’s favorite pupil.
Faced with a woman who could make that declaration so boldly, Allusia harbored an interest in both positive and negative ways.
“So, ummm...Lady Mabelhart.” Allusia wasn’t sure how to refer to her, so she went with the formal option.
“Yes?”
“I hear you studied under Master Beryl.”
“That’s right. It wasn’t for all that long, though.” Rose put a finger to her chin as she reminisced. “At the time, I was traveling through many nations and their towns. I just so happened across...Beaden, was it? When I saw him, I thought, ‘Wow, his swordplay is amazing,’ and was charmed by it immediately.”
“I see...” Allusia couldn’t deny also being charmed by Beryl’s swordplay. Anyone who aspired to master the blade would acknowledge his skill. “When was this?” she asked.
“Hmmm... About five or six years ago, I think? By the time I met him, he already had that white patch of hair.”
In that case, Rose was technically Allusia’s junior pupil. A portion of Beryl’s bangs were white. Allusia had immediately recognized it as a sign of aging, and it had given her a sense of how long she’d been away from him. She hadn’t been able to witness the change for herself.
Five or six years ago was just around the time Allusia had enlisted in the Liberion Order. During that period, she’d wielded her blade while thinking only of making Beryl’s swordsmanship known across the world. She hadn’t given a single thought to her own prestige. Allusia wasn’t sure how much of her goal she’d achieved—she was still in the process of striving for it—but things weren’t looking bad. If Beryl could use this momentum to rise to the ranks of a peerless master swordsman, it would be enough for her. But there was still a lot of work to do.
As Allusia thought over her plans once more, Rose’s smile deepened.
“By the way...”
“What is it?” asked Allusia.
“I suppose you must have also studied under Master Beryl, yes?”
“That’s right. Though it was quite a few years ago.”
Rose had emphasized that Allusia must have studied under Beryl, and she’d done so with a neutral expression and tone. Allusia wondered why she’d asked like that. It wasn’t clear how aware Allusia was of being observed, but her love for Beryl was easy to identify. Rose had met her for the first time at the Liberion Order’s office, but that short interaction was all she’d needed to largely figure out Allusia’s feelings.
“Tee hee hee. I sure would like to hear stories of Master Beryl’s past,” Rose said.
“Well...as long as you’re fine with what I know.”
Allusia wasn’t opposed to reminiscing. Actually, though she was prone to being misunderstood because of her appearance and tone, Allusia wasn’t bad at speaking with others, nor did she dislike it. On the contrary, she enjoyed a good bit of conversation. She usually chose her words carefully depending on the time and place but was rather talkative when allowed.
Allusia deemed this to be one such situation where she was indeed allowed. She started talking, barely pausing for a breath.
“Let’s see... To go over one of my past blunders, there was a time I injured a pupil from another school during a bout. I fled the dojo, and Master Beryl came looking for me. He slowly went over my swordplay. He wasn’t angry, nor was he exasperated... He explained things with sincerity. At the time, he told me, ‘I’m sure you’ll become a great swordswoman.’ Even now, I treat that as one of my dearest memories.”
“Tee hee. You sure do love Master Beryl.”
Rose took this story in stride. Most people would be shocked by Allusia’s sudden rapid-fire speech, but Rose wasn’t perturbed at all. She even had the composure to keep up with Allusia. This was a part of her natural temperament, but the topic of their conversation also played a large role in her reaction.
“I suppose Master Beryl has always been like that, hasn’t he?” Rose said.
“Yes. In the past and present, his gentle nature remains unchanged.”
Rose was intrigued by this information about Beryl’s younger days that she wouldn’t have otherwise learned. She happily lent Allusia an ear, imagining what Beryl was like before he had white hair.
“I have several memories of Master Beryl at the dojo to share as well— Oh. Oh dear.”
Just as Rose was about to open up with stories of her own, she suddenly cut herself off. Her eyes were fixed on the side of Baltrain’s bustling street.
“Hm? Is something the matter?” asked Allusia.
Rose ran off without answering. She called out to a child who was anxiously glancing around the area.
“Is something wrong, little boy?”
“Hic! Who’re you, miss?”
“Tee hee, nobody suspicious.”
The boy was around five years old. As Allusia ran after Rose, she was reminded of the many children around that age who’d been at Beryl’s dojo.
The child was anxiously looking at the crowd of passing strangers and somehow holding back his tears. “I can’t find my mom...” he mumbled.
“Oh my, so you’re lost.”
It would be unbecoming of a knight to abandon a lost child. Anyone capable of ignoring a person in need wouldn’t have the temperament to become a knight to begin with. So, Allusia offered the most guaranteed and realistic way of resolving this situation.
“Let’s guide him to the nearby station.”
“No.” Rose shook her head. “By the looks of it, I doubt he’s been separated from his mother for very long.”
“Why do you think that?”
“His clothes aren’t dirty and he doesn’t look very tired. Above all else, he hasn’t cried yet. I doubt his mother could have gone very far.”
“Hmmm...”
That made sense to Allusia. A child separated from his parents in this hustle and bustle would eventually break down in tears. Allusia didn’t have any children, but she had experience dealing with them back at the dojo. Although, thinking back on it now, a lot of those children had been the rowdy type. The dojo was a place to learn how to swing a sword, after all.
“I’m sure his mother is also looking for him,” Rose continued. “She should be nearby.”
“I see.”
That meant it was wiser to look for her rather than take the child farther away to the station.
“What’s your name, little boy?” Rose asked.
“Ritter...”
“Okay. Ritter, do you know what kind of clothes your mother is wearing?”
“Ummm... Something red and fluffy...”
“Then let’s go looking for a lady in red. Is your mother’s hair long?”
“Mm. It’s long.”
Allusia watched as Rose quickly got the child to open up to her. She comforted him while gathering the information necessary to find his mother. She also maintained a splendid smile the whole time and spoke in a gentle tone, getting Ritter to drop his guard considerably. Allusia secretly admired Rose’s ability—she knew that she was incapable of replicating the feat.
“You seem accustomed to this,” Allusia said, casting her gaze over the crowd.
“Yup. I enjoy the company of children,” Rose said, now holding Ritter’s hand. “Now then... Is Ritter’s mom here?! Can you hear me?!”
Before Allusia could say anything in response, Rose raised her voice and started walking around slowly with the boy in tow. Behind Rose’s smile, her gaze was sharp. She was keeping a keen eye on her surroundings, making sure not to miss a woman in red with long hair.
“How impressive...”
Raising one’s voice in the middle of town was unexpectedly embarrassing. Naturally, Allusia had to do it every now and then. However, she couldn’t recall ever yelling in the middle of a crowd when there wasn’t an event or ceremony going on.
“C’mon, you too, Lady Allusia.”
“Huh? Oh, right... Umm... Is Ritter’s mother present?!”
Allusia raised her voice at Rose’s urging. Their calls started resonating through the crowd. One of those yelling was the Liberion Order’s respected commander, after all. Word spread rather quickly.
“Aaah! Ritter!”
It took about ten minutes for news of the lost child to propagate through the crowd. Since the knight commander was seeking a woman in red clothes and long hair, the citizens felt compelled to spread the word.
Suddenly, a woman came running toward them, gasping for breath.
“Mom!”
The boy’s expression brightened in an instant. The mother was a woman with homely features and freckles. She must’ve been searching desperately for him this whole time. Large beads of sweat trickled down her brow.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” the mother repeated over and over, hugging her child tight.
“It’s fine, there’s no need to thank us,” Rose responded, smiling as always.
Despite being from a different nation and order, she acted exactly as a knight should. Allusia believed that none of Beryl’s pupils would be so impudent as to act in any other way, but she still saw Rose in a better light now.
“Thanks, miss! Bye-bye!” the child yelled, waving vigorously to Rose.
“Bye now,” Rose replied cheerfully. “Make sure not to get lost next time.”
She continued waving until the mother and child were completely out of sight, then sighed in relief.
“Hee hee... It truly is a wonderful city.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The people here have such warm hearts. They all raised a huge fuss over a single lost child.”
Allusia nearly commented that it was because Rose had shouted across the crowd to search for his mother, but she didn’t. Allusia had visited other nations for diplomatic reasons because of her job, but she hadn’t ever spent any time sightseeing or taking a good look around. She couldn’t compare the people of Liberis, or Baltrain specifically, to those in other nations.
Was the Holy Order’s lieutenant commander evaluating Baltrain by the right standards? Could she really take such a rosy view of the city after just one heartwarming incident? It was also hard to tell what kind of place she might be comparing Baltrain to.
“Shall we continue our tour?” Allusia asked.
“Yes, please do,” Rose answered, clapping her hands and nodding.
These two had been born in completely different environments. Nevertheless, they both looked up to the same master and were in positions to make use of his teachings. Allusia could respect that in Rose.
“You really do like children, don’t you?” Allusia asked.
“Yes. Just watching them heals the soul.”
A part of her behavior could be attributed to her duty—which had to be the same for both the Liberion Order and the Holy Order of the Church of Sphene. However, Rose had gone a step above that. Normally, a knight would only go as far as delivering the child to the garrison’s station, just as Allusia had initially suggested.
“My parents contributed to an orphanage,” Rose explained, lowering her eyes a little. “Because of that, ever since I was little, I’ve had many opportunities to interact with children.”
“I hear Sphenedyardvania treats orphans well.”
“Yes, they do,” Rose replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Children are a nation’s treasures. It is our duty as adults to protect them above all else.”
“Agreed.”
No matter the nation, adults were responsible for molding the present. However, children would shape the future. Allusia understood that too.
“And that’s why my body moves all on its own when I see a child in need,” Rose said.
“That’s a good thing. I wasn’t able to act so quickly in the spur of the moment.”
“Tee hee. Thank you.”
Ideally, no child would ever know hunger, and in a perfect world, everyone would be raised without issue and provided an equal education. Allusia understood that this was a dream of a perfect world, though. That girl Beryl was taking care of now was a prime example of how reality differed from the ideal. Despite being a budding wizard, scoundrels had manipulated her. No matter what measures were taken, some children always fell out of a nation’s protective bubble. It was only a question of how many and to what extent.
“Oh, one more thing,” Allusia said, changing the topic cheerfully.
“Yes?”
“Please tell me your stories of Master Beryl.”
“With pleasure.”
Allusia was still a little caught up on Rose’s claim of being his favorite pupil, but she hadn’t judged Rose to be a bad person. Besides, no one who’d studied the blade under Beryl could possibly turn out to be a bad person.
“This happened a little after I started attending his dojo...”
“Mm-hmm.”
Allusia set all her thoughts aside for now and listened intently to Rose’s story. These were precious tales of Beryl’s recent life that she couldn’t really get out of him. Allusia was very excited to hear them.
And so, their bragging session about a certain master—which was masquerading as a walk through town—continued all the way into the evening.
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