Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 2 - A Knight's Reality

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Hm?"

"The Oathbreaker dropped another one."

"What? Really? Didn't she just pair up with them two days ago?"

"Shh! She can hear you!"

Medrauta rested her head on her palm as she sat at her desk. Her face was adorned by a supremely bored expression. Though her classmates had been gossiping about her in what they thought were hushed whispers, the moment her gaze flickered toward them, they'd instantly stopped and moved away.

Useless shitheads. If you don't have the guts to say that shit in front of me, then just shut the fuck up. Medrauta clicked her tongue in annoyance as she waited for class to start. Though she was annoyed, she wasn't exactly upset. After all, this was a common occurrence for her.

Ever since she enrolled in Avalyne Academy, she'd hopped from one lord to another after she'd failed to resonate with all of them and racked up an invincible losing streak. At first, she'd picked her lords based on their skill and strength of their Crest, but nowadays, she couldn't be bothered.

Every week or so, a lord would be drawn to her due to her status as the 'strongest knight' despite not having won a single match. In fact, this sort of thing had become something of a challenge for the lords of Avelyne Academy unbeknownst to her.

To them, she was like the legendary sword in the stone. Whoever managed to resonate with her would no doubt become one of the most formidable lords solely due to Medrauta's prowess.

However, not a single lord has had any luck thus far.

"Alright, that's enough chatter," Eirlys, a knight instructor, announced as she entered the classroom, the click of her steel-shod heels against the hardwood flooring of the academy heralding her arrival even before the sound of her voice. "Everyone, get seated and let's begin today's class. We'll be discussing the twelve foundational sword drills of Imperial Swordsmanship."

Medrauta heaved a heavy sigh and turned her attention to the front of the classroom.

...Not this shit again. Is there seriously anyone in this class who doesn't have them memorized already...?

                                                                      †

"...And that will be all for today's class. Please review the material over the week as we will be having both a written and physical examination before the weekend."

After a grueling hour and thirty minutes of boredom, Medrauta heaved herself out of her seat, eager to head to the cafeteria and get something in her stomach.

But before she could even begin to make her great escape, she was stopped in her tracks.

"Medrauta," Eirlys' voice was normally gentle and befitting of her role as a trusted mentor for her students, but this time, her voice carried a certain icy edge that was both harsh and biting enough to freeze even Medrauta mid-stride.

"...Yes, Dame Eirlys?" Medrauta turned, facing the senior knight and meeting her eyes.

While Medrauta rarely deemed anyone worthy of her full attention, she was not beyond respecting her betters, especially when that person was Eirlys Innesheath, a legendary knight who was once known as the 'Bloody Snowflower.'

Eirlys held Medrauta's gaze, watching the other students trickle out of the classroom and meeting any curious gazes with her own icy stare, preemptively discouraging any eavesdropping.