Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 22 - Heartsworn

Hurriedly, Viviane made her way to the arena, only to find an already large crowd gathered outside. Though the academy's students usually formed orderly lines when attempting to enter the arena as spectators, the mass of people that crowded around the arena's entrances could only be described as pure chaos.

Left with no other option, Viviane joined the sea of students, attempting to squeeze herself through the crowd to no avail. Instead, she was knocked around and jostled by the endless waves of people who were attempting to witness what would no doubt be one of the most interesting matches ever held at the academy.

After all, it was the first time that Avalyne Academy had actually hosted foreign students. Usually, visiting students from other countries would attend the Imperial Academy instead which made this quite the rarity. Not only that, but it would be the princess' first match where her knight was someone other than the prince.

C-Can I not even do something as simple as seeing her!? C-Come on, Viviane!

Just before Viviane could attempt to push through the horde of people with all her might, a sudden and powerful force pulled her to the side. A force so strong, she never could've stood a chance at resisting even if she had put her all into it. And it reminded her of...

"Brigitte!" Viviane exclaimed as she was dragged out of the crowd and into a more open section of the stadium bleachers.

"That's me," the red-haired knight grinned. "It's been a while, so I thought I'd help you out since I saw you struggling in the crowd there. That aside, the princess is quite the taskmaster, eh? Med's only barely recovered and she's already being made to fight."

Viviane nodded, a tinge of worry in her eyes. She glanced at the wide-open arena before her, finding Medrauta and the princess easily. They had come out into the arena earlier than their opponents, and Medrauta stood near the arena's center dressed in her ever-familiar half-plate.

Her hair had regrown over the course of her treatment, but it still hadn't reached its former luminous glory yet. Instead, it was cut short, hanging just above her shoulders.

Viviane thought it looked nice and gave Medrauta a cool aura, but she vastly preferred the longer hairstyle that the knight wore before.

Meanwhile, Princess Gwenhwyfar stood on the dais with an imperious look on her face. She was clothed in a rather elegant yet still extravagant dress that was decorated with various jewels and accouterments. Viviane guessed that the princess' especially gaudy sense of fashion today was driven by her desire to show off the empire's wealth to the foreign students who she was about to battle.

"Medrauta!" Viviane shouted after managing to summon her courage. Even so, her voice was painfully weak in the midst of the crowd's incessant chatter. "Ahaha... She probably can't hear me..."

But Medrauta could.

The second Viviane shouted her name, Medrauta turned, her sharp vision searching the crowd before locking eyes with her former lady.

Then, Medrauta did something completely unexpected.

Shiiing!

The sharp sound of steel slithering against leather rang across the stadium, and the chatter of the audience fell to a hush. Though the match hadn't even begun, all spectators felt their eyes drawn to the glittering steel of the sword and the noble knight who held it aloft.

Medrauta shook off her gauntlet and brought the pristine blade of her sword to her unprotected palm, gripping it tightly and pulling to draw blood.

With her now-bloodied hand, Medrauta pressed against the left side of her breastplate, smearing it red before pointing directly at Viviane. Not once during this entire ritual did Medrauta allow her gaze to wander elsewhere.

"W-Whoa! Does Knight Medrauta have a secret message for someone in the audience!?" Trista, the arena announcer, quickly followed up before anyone could come up with any strange theories. "Now I'm kind of jealous! But honestly, I'm way more hyped to see what Knight Medrauta has in store for us this match! Will she be able to resonate with the princess? Remember to stay seated and keep your eyes peeled, everyone! This is gonna be one helluva match!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Trista quickly signaled for the trumpets to sound, urging the match to begin faster. It seemed that everyone was looking forward to seeing how this would play out.

Viviane, on the other hand, was thoroughly confused. She watched as Medrauta's gaze finally slid away when the gates on the other side of the arena slid open.

The princess had shouted something at Medrauta during that whole scene, but Viviane couldn't hear what.

All she could do was wonder what Medrauta meant as the match began.