"I must first apologize for calling the two of you here so soon after you've both suffered through such harrowing events."
"Well, you did it anyway, Dame Eirlys, so it's best to get it over with." Medrauta shrugged.
Eirlys nodded, conceding the point. She sat in one of the few intact chairs they'd managed to find inside the main building and several bricks had been stacked around them in an effort to create the makeshift room that they now occupied.
Viviane had been provided with a chair as well, and though she sat, Medrauta stood. The silver-haired knight's hand rested against the pommel of her sword, her eyes flitting around almost nervously.
"You can relax, Medrauta. The other knight-instructors are patrolling the academy's perimeter."
"Yeah, just like they were during Amelia's attack," Medrauta remarked. Her verbal jab had thrust at a sore point which caused Eirlys to click her tongue in annoyance.
"...Yes, I'll admit that none of us expected an attack to come from the inside. We certainly need more guards, and we'll be addressing that issue moving forward. However, there is something far more pressing that we must discuss at the moment."
It had only been a few hours since Trista's funeral concluded. Though the fire that the students had lit together and the hope that it inspired was still fresh in their minds, the atmosphere surrounding the academy was still quite heavy.
Medrauta nodded in response to Eirlys' latest statement. She had an inkling of what the senior knight wanted to discuss, but she would let Eirlys explain for herself.
"I'm sure you're already aware of it, but Lady Viviane's particular circumstance is largely unheard of. Lady Viviane, you know what I'm talking about, correct?"
Viviane nodded nervously, her shoulders trembling slightly as she met the senior knight's gaze. Though there was no hostility in Eirlys' eyes, she couldn't help but be intimidated by the senior knight's sheer presence.
Noticing this, Medrauta laid a hand on Viviane's shoulder, sharing her strength with her lady. The two exchanged a glance before Viviane's gaze flickered back to Eirlys'.
"This is about what happened with my Crest, yes?"
Eirlys nodded. "Indeed. Do you know what the phenomenon is called?"
"Crest Metamorphosis, right? I read a little about it in the archives when I was researching methods to resonate properly with Medrauta. Even though I seem to be able to do it at will now, I'm still not really sure why or how..."
"That makes two of us," Eirlys grinned. "Medrauta's strange resonance issues aside, we're here to address the matter of your Crest's transformation. I'm not exactly very informed about this phenomenon myself, so I hope you don't mind if I bring an expert in."
"Of course not, Dame Eirlys."
"Excellent." Eirlys turned to the makeshift door to her left. "Lady Rose, please enter."
A small girl walked into the room as a guard opened the door for her, clutching a thick tome to her chest. She wore a flowing dark blue dress that complemented her youthful features quite well.
"...I still can't get over the fact that she's actually the librarian," Medrauta murmured.
"W-What did you say!?" Rose exclaimed angrily, glaring at the knight who towered above her.
"Medrauta!" Viviane chided. "Apologize!"
"...I'm sorry," Medrauta lowered her head. "I didn't think you would hear."
"Fufu! Since I'm so merciful, I'll forgi—W-Wait! What do you mean you didn't think I'd hear!?"
Eirlys cleared her throat rather loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, that's enough from the peanut gallery. Medrauta, remain silent from now on. Lady Rose, please proceed with what you've prepared."
Rose curtsied in gratitude before turning to Viviane. "Lady Viviane, I have been informed that you experienced Crest Metamorphosis. Can you please confirm this fact for me by bestowing your Crest upon your knight?"
"Of course, Lady Rose! Please give me a moment!"
Viviane stood and closed her eyes, recalling the feelings that allowed her to resonate with Medrauta. The thrill of battle, the desire to win, and... her love for her knight, of course. Twin spots of crimson dotted Viviane's cheeks as she consciously recalled those emotions for the first time.
A bright silver light burst from her position as she bestowed her Crest, allowing Rose to inspect its manifestation as intricately as she liked. After a good minute or two, Rose nodded and instructed Viviane to dismiss her Crest.
"Yippee!" Rose thrust both arms upwards in a celebratory gesture. "Congratulations, Lady Viviane! You've officially become the first person in recorded history to have successfully undergone Crest Metamorphosis!"
Everyone in the room just stared at Rose in confusion.
"Um... Thank you?" Viviane managed to say.
"No problem! Now then, I'll be returning to the archives and finishing up my reading!" Rose announced as she turned on her heel and moved to leave the room. Unfortunately for her, she wouldn't be getting away so easily.
Eirlys erupted into a blur of movement, standing from her seat and making her way to Rose within the span of a single second. She laid a hand on the noblewoman's shoulder firmly, preventing her from taking even a single step further.
"Lady Rose," Eirlys intoned. "You seem to have forgotten that you were summoned to explain what exactly Crest Metamorphosis entails."
"O-Oh..." Rose laughed nervously, her eyes sliding away as she pointedly avoided the senior knight's severe gaze. "I suppose I did forget, ahaha..."
Rose's shoulders slumped as she sighed, resigning herself to her fate. Crest Metamorphosis was a highly theoretical subject even amongst the empire's greatest scholars, and no actual examples of it had occurred prior to Viviane's case. Because of that, most of the information pertaining to the phenomenon itself was unreliable at best.
However, that certainly wouldn't stop Eirlys from holding Rose hostage and away from her beloved books. The noblewoman had no doubts that the senior knight would continue to interrogate her on the subject even after Viviane and Medrauta were dismissed.
"Very well..." Rose began, turning back to Viviane. "I will speak only on what are absolute facts, Lady Viviane. However, Dame Eirlys is free to question me about theoreticals and hypotheticals afterwards. Is that alright with you?"
Viviane nodded. "Of course, Lady Rose. While I am quite curious about the development of my Crest, I'll admit that I haven't really thought about it much. Honestly, I'm just happy that I'm finally able to resonate with Medrauta normally!"
"Then I shall begin. Firstly, there have been experiments in the past that dealt with the transplanting of Crests. As evidenced by the name, these experiments attempted to grant nobles different, or even multiple Crests. All of these experiments ended in failure and Crest transplantation was deemed an impossibility as well as sacrilege due to the belief that it is Aluvsha who grants each noble their Crest."
"I see..." Viviane murmured. She wasn't sure what to make of this information, so the best she could do was follow along. Even so, she brushed her fingers against the back of her hand that bore the faint outline of her Crest's image, shuddering at the prospect of someone trying to remove it.
"However, there was one interesting interaction that was observed during an experiment where a noble's Crest was returned to them following a failed transplant. That noble's Crest experienced changes not in form, but in function. Many of the Crest's abilities differed from their original iterations. Some of these variations were minor whilst others caused the abilities to change entirely. However, all of these changes were detrimental as if Aluvsha himself was punishing those who participated in the experiment for daring to trespass upon his domain."
"...I suppose that's what led to the theory that Crest Metamorphosis would be possible?" Viviane guessed.
"You're quite sharp, Lady Viviane," Rose nodded. "It was theorized that since a malignant change was possible, a benign change must also be possible. Granted, there wasn't much evidence to support the idea, but... Well, you just proved it yesterday."
"Right..." Viviane paused, her brow furrowing as she pondered something for a second. "Lady Rose... I'm not going to become a test subject now, am I?"
Reacting instantly to the worry that had crept into Viviane's voice, Medrauta stepped in front of her lady protectively, ready to draw her sword at a moment's behest. Her rigid stance and unwavering gaze immediately caused a heavy pressure to settle over the room, shocking even Eirlys.
"Stand down, Medrauta." Eirlys commanded. "You're scaring the poor woman."
Medrauta looked at Rose, and she noticed that the lady certainly was shaking furiously in fear. She stepped back almost apologetically, though she never let Rose escape her gaze... or Eirlys, for that matter.
"Y-You certainly have a fine knight, Lady Viviane..." Rose laughed nervously.
"My apologies, Lady Rose... I think we're all a little on edge today." Viviane offered a smile.
"Of course, of course. But to answer your question, no. The church has already banned such experiments, not to mention the fact that the empire is currently at war and the heiress has gone missing. I think research will be the least of our worries."
Inwardly, Viviane breathed out a sigh of relief, and Medrauta visibly relaxed after seeing that her lady was in no immediate danger of being captured and experimented on.
"Well then, I suppose that will be all for the two of you, Lady Viviane. Dame Medrauta. You're both free to leave. However, I would suggest one thing for you particularly, Medrauta." Eirlys said as she walked over to a weapons rack, picking up a longsword and tossing it to Medrauta.
"What's this for?"
"Careful with that. It's sharp," Eirlys warned. "I took the time to think things over while Lady Rose was explaining what she knew about Crest Metamorphosis. We're working with a severe lack of knights at the moment, so I'm thinking we'll arm a few knights that we trust, starting with you."
For a second, Medrauta was speechless. "Well... I'm honored, Dame Eirlys."
"Don't be," Eirlys smirked. "I'm saying that you're going to be joining the morning patrols with the knight-instructors and you'll be in charge of various security matters. In other words, I'm dumping a load of work onto you."
Medrauta simply shook her head. "In that case, I'm grateful to be of aid. Plus, I can't complain about being given a more active role in ensuring my lady's safety."
"Haah... If only there were more knights like you, Medrauta."
"Oh, don't worry. I know a few other masochists I could recommend."
"Ah, that idiot Esmeralda and the even dumber Melindra, I presume?"
"Well, I was thinking Brigitte. She's responsible and a good fighter. Now that you mention it though, Esme might be a pretty good choice."
Eirlys rolled her eyes. "Good for you, maybe. By Aluvsha, she'll rot my brains. In any case, we'll iron out the details on a later date. You and Lady Viviane are free to go."
Viviane stood and curtsied while Medrauta saluted. After exchanging farewells, the pair turned left, moving to the exit. As Medrauta ushered Viviane through the door though, Eirlys addressed her once more.
"By the way, Medrauta," Eirlys began.
"Hm?"
The senior knight's gaze suddenly sharpened as she directed the full force of her war-honed killing intent at Medrauta. "Earlier... Did you really think you would stand a chance if we chose to take Lady Viviane?"
Medrauta received it with a nonchalant, almost lazy grin. After staring certain death in the face, not even the senior knight she respected so greatly could faze her. "Of course, Dame Eirlys. My lady is with me."
There was a brief pause as the knights locked eyes, the tension in the room rising so greatly that Viviane worried the two would actually begin to fight. Then, Eirlys' lips broke into a smile and she shook her head.
"Fair enough, Medrauta."
As the pair finally vacated the room, Eirlys turned her attention to Rose. "Well then, Lady Rose. Let's get down to business, shall we?"
"Um... By that, you mean I'm free to leave like Lady Viviane and her knight, yes? Ohoho! Your generosity is boundless, Dame Eirlys! Now, if you'll excuse—"
"No, Lady Rose. There is much for us to discuss, both about Viviane's circumstances as well as the future of the archive given the academy's current situation. Now sit."
"N-Nooooo! My precious reading time! Save meeeeee!"
Rose's hapless cry for help echoed through the halls of the academy's half-destroyed building, seeking to lure any soul unfortunate enough to actually attempt such a daring rescue and incur Eirlys' wrath.
Of course, Viviane and Medrauta wisely chose to ignore it.