Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 20 - Gathering Courage

But during those practice sessions with Medrauta and Viviane as they prepared for their match against Bastiche and his knight, Levant had gotten to know the noblewoman. She was kind and gentle. A bright, carefree sort of girl who was reminiscent of the spring, even if she was a little shy. Despite her ducal heritage, Viviane had always treated Levant as an equal.

No. More than that, she treated him with great respect, and Brigitte too. It was a novel experience for him. Thanks to his father's lust for status, Levant had grown up in high society and had been forced to participate in a dizzying number of events once he manifested his Crest.

He had grown used to being looked down upon by those of higher station, especially around members or relatives of the four ducal houses. Those who possessed no Crest or Crests generally deemed of lower quality often treated him with contempt out of jealousy.

Yet, even when that tender smile was being shattered into pieces before his eyes, he couldn't do anything.

"I-I don't care if you push me around! I don't care if you insult me, b-but don't you ever dare call Medrauta weak!" Viviane shouted. She had gathered all her courage and shoved Isabella in the chest, causing the other noblewoman to stumble backwards in surprise.

"You savage! So you've learned to talk back to your betters, have you!?" Isabella's eyes were wild as she nearly tripped on the hem of her dress, only barely managing to recover thanks to one of her friends catching her fall.

She reached out and grabbed a fistful of Viviane's voluminous golden locks, yanking the girl toward her before roughly pushing her onto the floor.

Levant flinched as Viviane's cry of pain tore through the air. His hands balled into fists.

...What am I doing? Am I really going to stand here and watch her suffer...?

"Hold her down! I'll show this bitch—"

"Stop!" Levant had finally found his voice. His heartbeat accelerated as Isabella's gaze rounded on him, but he pressed forward. If even the meek Viviane had managed to find her courage in such a trying time, then choosing to continue hiding would make him worse than a coward.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be? Haven't your parents taught you to mind your own business?"

"Indeed they have. But they have also taught me not to ignore an honest cry for help. Do you really think that this is behavior befitting of House Rosenhall's heir, Lady Isabella?"

Isabella laughed. "You seem to know who I am, yet you—a nobody—dares tell me to stop?" She took five swift strides toward Levant, bringing her close enough that their chests almost touched. With one quick motion, Isabella struck Levant across the face. "Get out of here, peasant. And never interrupt me again."

Levant staggered back. Though Isabella's slap had barely stung, he had hardly expected such a response. In retrospect, it wasn't something that was unlike Isabella's usual behavior. She was spoiled and treated those below her in status with utter disrespect.

"You—!"

"'You'? You ought to refer to me with the proper respect, peasant. What do you even think you're doing with that fist? An ant like you wouldn't dare raise a hand against me, Levant."

Levant's eyes widened. His hand dropped uselessly to his side as his gaze lingered on Viviane who was still restrained on the ground.

"Oh, yes. I know very well who you are. Did you really think I was that ignorant?" Isabella smirked. "My father will be hearing about this. Though... Perhaps I might be inclined to forget this whole incident if you knelt before me and begged for forgiveness."

Levant wrenched his eyes shut. Damn it! Can I really not do anything!? Am I really this useless!? If only I—

"Perhaps it is you who should beg for forgiveness."

Levant whirled around. "B-Brigitte!"

"Stay out of—"

"Silence yourself, Lady Isabella. I came here wondering why my lord was taking so long to show up for our daily training routine, yet I arrived to see you strike him. And not only that, I see you've been up to your disgusting habits once again." Brigitte nodded in Viviane's direction.

"What I do is none of your business, knight. Perhaps you should tell your lord not to meddle in the affairs of others before he encounters some unforeseen consequences beyond his control."

"Is that a challenge, Lady Isabella? In that case, I acce—"

"N-No!" Isabella shouted. For the first time during this entire exchange, a sliver of fear crept into her voice.

While she possessed a respectable ranking in the academy, Isabella knew her own limits when it came to matches. Her knight would never win against someone of Brigitte's caliber who was capable of crossing blades with Medrauta for at least a minute, a feat that any knight would be hard-pressed to achieve.

Though a noble's status depended not only on their ranking, but also on their pedigree, a knight did not have to worry about such things as birthright. While a noble lineage may grant a knight some degree of cachet, their ability to win matches and duels was far more important.

In other words, Isabella's status as the heir of House Rosenhall meant little to Brigitte here at Avalyne Academy, and the Round Table would most likely side with her in case of an arbitration thanks to her rank nearly breaking through to the top hundreds.

"Then get out of my goddamn sight, and don't ever let me catch you touching my lord or my friends again."

After Isabella and her two companions beat a hasty retreat, the pair approached Viviane, helping her off the ground. The blonde noblewoman had spent quite a while crying into Brigitte's chestplate, and by the time she had finished, the cold steel had become warm.

Ever since then, Levant had been a frequent visitor to Viviane's room thanks to a sudden series of practical examinations that kept Brigitte away. Levant guessed the knight instructors had implemented them in an effort to get the knights' mind off Medrauta's condition and to serve as a demonstration of the academy's exemplary instruction for the visiting imperial siblings.

Even so, that knowledge did little to help with his current conundrum.

Though he knew that Viviane preferred to stay in her room while she dealt with the anguish that came with losing her first friend and only true knight, the best he could do was promise to meet her elsewhere in places that were more public and would provoke less misunderstandings.

It left him with a bitter feeling in his mouth as he said his farewells and departed, but there was not much else he could do.

Viviane let out a sigh as Levant left the room. She looked at the empty teacup before her and then gazed out the window to the side. The sun was setting, and Viviane felt tears well up in her eyes as she recalled the times when she and Medrauta would try all sorts of things to resonate 'til the sun set.

"...Perhaps Lord Levant is right. Perhaps it would be healthier for me to start going out again." Viviane murmured to herself, wondering just how much work she'd missed from skipping class.

Gathering her courage, she stood up and made her way to the door. It was the weekend, and there would still be time before the sun fully set.

"...Yes. An evening stroll would be nice."

She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her with a click of finality.

"Are you finally finished running away?" A voice startled her from the left.

Viviane let out a yelp of surprise as she turned.

"D-Dame Amelia!?"