Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 191 - A Knight's Reunion

"Welcome back!"

The sudden chorus erupted through the air as Medrauta opened the door, startling both her and Viviane. Standing before her was Melindra, Esmeralda, and Brigitte along with their nobles, their faces all brimming with mirth and cheer. Even from just their expressions, Medrauta could tell how much her friends missed her.

And she too had missed the warmth of their company and the frivolous moments of casual banter that they had once shared on a daily basis as nothing more than mere students at Avalyne Academy. Such days were long past, but that did not mean they could not return.

Tears of joy filled Medrauta's eyes despite her best efforts to fight them back. She made to step forward, but hesitated to leave Viviane's side until she felt a gentle push against her back from both her lady and Leticia, the two of them urging her to partake in the reunion she deserved.

With a tearful smile, Medrauta sniffed and nodded, stepping forward. The three lady-knights advanced in tandem, bringing Medrauta close into a tight group hug where they all began bawling their eyes out. Honestly, the sight of the academy's strongest and most respected knights standing huddled in a group and crying was rather strange, but no one could fault them after all they had been through.

Still inside the room, Eirlys smiled, glancing fondly at the sight of her students sharing a rare moment of pure emotion. To her, this sort of messy and tearful reunion was the epitome of knighthood and camaraderie, and such scenes always warmed her heart and reminded her of her own moments in the past.

Beside her, Bradley certainly didn't seem to share the same sentiments as he attempted to conduct a serious conversation with Rosette and Estelle in the midst of all the crying that echoed through the building's halls. He briskly strode toward the door and shooed Viviane, Rosaline, and Leticia out before closing it behind them.

"Lady Viviane," Jocelyn carefully stepped around the group of bawling knights as she approached the blonde noblewoman, offering Viviane a curtsy. "Or would you prefer being addressed as 'Duchess Castellia' given our current situation?"

Viviane nearly recoiled before she realized that Jocelyn was merely joking. Instead, she shook her head vehemently, offering Jocelyn a curtsy in return. "Perish the thought, Lady Jocelyn. It's not a title I wish to hold for long anytime soon."

Jocelyn nodded, smiling. "I would think not. How have you fared? I hear your quest was quite arduous."

"It was... difficult, that's for sure." Viviane replied. "But I had Medrauta by my side, so I suppose it wasn't too terrible. How about you? I haven't had the chance to hear much about the defense of the academy, but seeing as Dame Melindra was involved, you must have been quite busy yourself."

"Yes, I was quite overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do at first, but I quickly managed to acclimate to my new workload. As did Lady Shallie." Jocelyn added, knowing that Viviane was worried about the other noblewoman as well. "In fact, she's been rather taken by her work as of late. I do believe she's helping the logistics officers as we speak, preparing for tomorrow's final attack."

Viviane nodded, relieved to hear that her friends were doing well. As she went to respond, the sound of footsteps against the floorboards made their way toward her ears, drawing her attention to Levant's approach. Following closely behind him was Nicholas, Esmeralda's lord.

Viviane offered the two of them a curtsy. "It's been a while, Lord Levant. Lord Nicholas."

"That it has," Levant nodded. "You certainly look a lot stronger than before."

"I daresay she might even be able to beat me in an arm wrestling match," Nicholas joked.

"Of course not," Viviane laughed. "My talents lie in archery and archery alone."