Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 83 - Unfamiliar Territory

"We'll be stopping here for tonight, Lady Viviane. Dame Medrauta."

Although the sky was dark and the moon hung ominously above, the carriage had only stopped moving a few seconds ago. The coachman stood next to the carriage's door as he addressed the occupants, scanning the vehicle's surroundings. While he wasn't a knight, he was still a soldier and had been entrusted with transporting Viviane and Medrauta to the Revelo duchy safely.

"Understood," Medrauta replied as she surveyed the exterior through the carriage's windows before stepping outside herself. After ensuring that it was safe, she offered a hand to Viviane, helping her lady down onto the street.

Though it was late at night, the streets were still bustling with activity which wasn't too surprising given that they'd chosen to stop at Vargos, a medium-sized city situated near the edge of the capital's borders. Since it would take them three days to reach their destination, stopovers during the nights were inevitable.

A few of the passersby stole curious glances at the trio, but most paid them no mind. After all, the place that they had stopped in was considered the upper-class district in Vargos. As the coachman went to park the carriage in a more appropriate spot, Medrauta and Viviane stood in front of the large building that loomed before them.

Its surface was made of chiseled white stone that allowed it to stand out from its adjacent establishments, and its wide surface decorated with various engravings and ornamental columns reminded Viviane of home. Various mana-powered lights lit up the front of the building as well as its interior, a sign of the establishment's wealth and level of service.

"...Damn." The word had slipped out of Medrauta's mouth before she even realized it.

As an orphan who immediately became a squire, Medrauta had never even laid eyes upon such luxury before. Of course, she'd seen the imperial palace from afar while she was apprenticed to Padraig, but she'd never witnessed its glory up close, nor had she ever come close to stepping inside.

All her life, she'd eaten, slept, and bathed in the cramped barracks that were afforded to knights mainly because such spartan living conditions "built character", but now that she was about to spend a night in what pretty much looked like a palace, she simply couldn't help but stare in wonder.

"Is everything okay, Medrauta?" Viviane asked, concern creeping into her voice as she watched Medrauta stare at the building. "D-Do you not like it? Sorry... I should've chosen a different hotel to stay at..."

"H-Huh!?" Medrauta exclaimed, snapping out of her awe-induced trance. "No! T-That's not it, Viviane! I was just thinking... Am I even allowed to spend a night in a place like this? I mean, it's so... I dunno. It feels like a place that only nobles are allowed to enter."

"Of course you're allowed!" Viviane tugged on Medrauta's arm, pulling her closer. "Besides, who's going to protect me if you're not there?"

Medrauta grinned. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I've just grown so used to the barracks that I've forgotten people actually have mansions."

"I remember you were pretty shocked when you saw Lady Rosaline's room for the first time too."

"Honestly, I just wasn't expecting her room to be so damn big. I thought yours was the biggest they got since you're a duke's daughter."

Viviane laughed nervously, studiously avoiding the topic. While Medrauta was aware of how the Round Table ignored Viviane's complaints and requests, the knight certainly didn't know that they were insulting her lady by treating Viviane as if she were no more than a baron's daughter. Of course, Viviane had always avoided informing Medrauta of this, fearing that her knight might do something drastic out of sheer anger.