Despite her best efforts to put on a calm and confident mask, Eirlys could wear nothing but worry on her face as she stood in front of the three pairs and their three carriages which were preparing to depart at the academy's front gate.
"You will all begin departing within the next four minutes. Please ensure that you have packed everything that you will need for the journey," Eirlys said stiffly. It wasn't the first time she'd dispatched troops or even knights on missions, but the ones who stood before her weren't soldiers.
Of course, Medrauta, Leticia, and Rosette were technically fully-fledged knights. They had been formally knighted and were legally permitted to serve as combat personnel, but that was only on paper.
They're just students... Eirlys bit her lip, shaking her head. The disappointment that she held for herself was immeasurable. ...How the hell did we reach the point where I would have to send my own damn students to the battlefield?
Indeed, none of them were supposed to see live combat before graduation. In fact, the empire's laws actually forbade ungraduated knights from serving in the military outside of extreme circumstances like the one that they were facing right now.
Of course, Medrauta wasn't worried at all. She raised an eyebrow, leaning on the side of the carriage that was supposed to take her and Viviane to the Revelo duchy. "That's the fifth time you've said that this morning, Dame Eirlys."
Eirlys clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Because I'm worried about you, Medrauta. And everyone else too, the noblewomen especially. Nobles aren't even supposed to step foot on the battlefield even in the military."
"Really?" Viviane looked at Eirlys with a curious gaze. "My father tells me all sorts of stories about him fighting on the front lines, though!"
Eirlys sighed, the look in her eyes wistful as she recalled fond memories of the past. "Yes, Duke Castellia is quite the... special case. He never could leave your mother's side even for a second. Though we knights looked down on him at first, none of us could ignore the efforts that he put in to achieve the physique he possesses today."
"I'm sure he'd be glad to hear that from you, Dame Eirlys!" Viviane grinned.
"Perhaps. Though, I gave him quite the hard time during our first war with Kaslavna whenever he came back from the front lines covered in countless wounds. I'm sure if he was born a knight he would've been quite strong. After all, he certainly trained like one."
Viviane smiled. "Is that so? Maybe I'll have to ask my mother a bit more about that. Father would never tell me how he trained."
"Perhaps because he was afraid of that." Rosaline remarked, joining in the conversation.
She was standing in front of her carriage which had been parked next to Viviane's, and despite the nervousness that she felt in her stomach, she couldn't help but be bored as Leticia was figuring out how to stuff everything they'd packed into the carriage's storage compartment.
Due to the nature of their mission, Leticia and Rosaline would most likely have to meet Lady Scarlet in a formal setting, meaning that Rosaline wouldn't be able to forgo proper dress befitting of a noble unlike Viviane.
"What do you mean, Lady Rosaline?" Viviane asked, confused.
Rosaline gestured at Viviane's outfit as if the problem was obvious. "With all due respect, you aren't seriously thinking of visiting Duke Revelo's castle in that, are you, Lady Viviane?"
Viviane looked down at herself, inspecting her clothing. She was wearing a plain and simple shirt with a leather chestguard on top coupled with shorts and leggings that afforded her mobility while still preserving her modesty as a noblewoman. A quiver full of arrows hung at her hip while her bow was looped over her shoulder.
In other words, Viviane was virtually indistinguishable from a common archer aside from the signet ring that she wore on her right hand.
"Well, I don't really mind it. Plus, Medrauta picked it out for me!"
Rosaline shook her head in disapproval. "You're going to be negotiating Lady Sakura's capture, aren't you? I'm fairly certain your outfit is going to raise questions."
"Actually, I don't think we'll be negotiating much if at all. Dame Marilyn's letter described something of a violent situation in the duchy, but we'll confirm the situation once we arrive."
"...I see." Rosaline seemed to understand that there was more at play in the Revelo duchy than what the official report stated, but she still worried about Viviane's blatant disregard of etiquette as a noblewoman.
Sensing that Rosaline was only trying to help, Viviane flashed her a grin. "It'll be alright, Lady Rosaline. We've packed a dress, some heels, and a parure just in case!"
"That should do in a pinch at the very least, but I do suppose more combat-oriented equipment takes priority if you're expecting to fight."
"Rosie!" Leticia said as she finished shoving the last piece of luggage into the carriage. "We're all set!"
It seemed to be good timing as the coachmen called out to Eirlys, letting her know the horses were ready to depart just a few seconds after. The senior knight nodded in response to the nearest coachman before inspecting the other carriages and ensuring that they were reading to embark on their journeys.
"Alright... Before I send you all off, take these." Eirlys said, handing each noble a golden medallion with a sun symbol embossed on its surface. "They will serve as proof of your identity and your mission. Take care not to lose them."
The three noblewomen nodded. "We shall keep that in mind, Dame Eirlys."
"Then take care and return safely." Eirlys said before turning to the knights. "I want all your reports delivered to me in person, is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" The knights shouted in unison.
With that, the senior knight stepped back and watched the three pairs step into their respective carriages. An amalgamation of pride and worry swam in her eyes as she watched the carriages disappear into the distance.
Though they were mere students, the fate of the empire quite literally rested on the success of their missions as the empire's finest knights fought desperately against the superior numbers that Kaslavna had brought to bear.
"...You should've gone if you were so worried." A deep voice came from behind Eirlys.
"And what? Leave the capital to you?" Eirlys said, turning to face the tall male knight who was now approaching her. "You know I can't do that, Bradley. His Imperial Majesty requested that I protect this place."
"I know. It's just..." Bradley's voice trailed off. He didn't dare complete the sentence, but the dark look in his eyes was more than enough to tell Eirlys that he was worrying about the same thing she was.
"...They'll come back." Eirlys declared with as much conviction as she could muster. Even if she wasn't fully confident in her words, she would simply have to force herself to believe them. That way, she would be able to carry out her duties like a proper knight who devoted their all to their mission.
"I hope you're right, Eirlys." Bradley sighed. "I really do... But really, it's not Medrauta and Lady Viviane that I'm worried about..."
"...I know. It's Lady Estelle and Dame Rosette, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Bradley nodded. He grit his teeth, a mixture of emotions flickering across his face as he slowly brought them under his control. "The two of them only met days ago. Rosette... Rosette's in a class of her own, honestly. She's insanely strong, perhaps even stronger than Medrauta if she uses that, but..."
"You think Lady Estelle won't be able to support her, right? That she won't be able to pull her weight? I know. I think the same."
"If you knew, then why the hell did you let her go!? Why, Eirlys!?" Bradley suddenly shot forth, grabbing Eirlys by the shoulders, his shouts laced with anger and anxiety. He would have grabbed her by the collar, but she was wearing plate armor.
Eirlys stared at Bradley, meeting the other knight's wide eyes with an unwavering gaze. Even as Bradley released his grip and dropped to the ground on his knees, her lips remained shut.
"Please... Just tell me why..." Bradley pleaded, his voice barely more than a whisper now. He buried his face in his hands, unwilling to let the tears that were forming in his eyes dirty the ground.
"...There is something she needs to do, Bradley."
"...What could be more important than her life?"
"What does it mean to live? Is the line between life and death decided merely by whether one draws breath or not?" Eirlys asked. "...Of course not. There is something she must do not as a simple girl or even as a student, but as a noblewoman, else she will be bound by the shackles of regret forever and cursed with a living death as it weighs down on her mind even until her last breath."
"But..."
"She is reclaiming her right to live, Bradley. Will you deny your niece even this small act of defiance when fate has taken everything from her?"
Bradley's hands clenched into fists that he pressed against the side of his skull in frustration, letting out a roar of hopeless anger and desperation. "Even so...! Even so, it is because fate has taken everything from her that I worry! What makes you think that fate won't take her life next!?"
Eirlys raised an eyebrow, eyeing the knight beneath her wordlessly.
Bradley was descended from House Jovasca, a rather famous noble house in the empire despite only governing a mere barony inside the Rosenhall dukedom thanks to their reputation as the continent's best winemakers. Because of that, the family had accumulated a vast amount of wealth that was used to pamper Estelle when she was a child.
While the attention of her doting parents and relatives had once been a source of joy for young Estelle, the countless gifts that she was showered with soon attracted the attention of the ducal family, and by extension, Isabella Rosenhall who grew jealous at the fact that a mere baron's daughter received better gifts than she did.
Soon, those gifts were taken from Estelle, as were the friends she made, and the happiness she sought. In the Rosenhall duchy, everything that was great and magnificent should belong only to those who bloomed like roses. Everyone else were mere thorns on the stem, ready to be snipped away at any moment.
That was why Bradley should've been the one who understood Estelle's decision to go the most.
"Eir—"
"She won't die, Bradley. This time... She'll take everything back."
"How...? How can you say that with such certainty?"
Truthfully, I can't, but...
"...Because she has the knight who defied destiny itself by her side."