Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 65 - Farewell in Flames

It was almost as if Aluvsha himself was crying.

Despite the torrential downpour that fell on the black-garbed crowd before a stark white pedestal, not a single umbrella could be seen. Though the rain fell heavily, it could do nothing to wash away the inconsolable grief that everyone felt.

"It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the death of Dame Trista Fairbright, a knight who added beauty to the world..."

After that, nothing Eirlys said reached Medrauta's ears. The silver-haired knight could do nothing but stare at the body that rested on the pedestal before her. An unfathomable emptiness gnawed at the center of her chest and even the warmth of Viviane's hand in hers felt insignificant to the cold that pervaded her body.

She thought she was going to be alright. She thought that after that fit of tears and emotional release yesterday, she had moved past the sorrow that lodged itself deep in her heart. That she would be ready for today.

She was wrong.

The sight that laid before Medrauta had forced her to confront the sickening reality that was now a part of her world. A smile had been taken from this world, and it would never return no matter how many tears she shed.

Trista's death would remain forever as a memory of her impotence. Of everyone's impotence.

Many of the knights who were in attendance had also been present during the witch's attack, yet none of them had been fast enough to save Trista from her fatal fate.

Just what was it that we endured our training for? Was it for this? For one of our comrades to die? Medrauta grit her teeth in anger and frustration as tears pooled in her eyes. She refused to let them fall. So many of us were there, yet none of us could lift a single finger...

Two knights now stood where Eirlys once did. Their countenance was dark and somber, and though all the knights shared a sense of anguish in Trista's passing, it was nothing compared to what these two knights felt. That much was evident just from a glance.

The knights introduced themselves as Emily and Loretta, Trista's roommates. They spoke of Trista's accomplishments and praised her amicable nature, but their voices were devoid of emotion. Both of them stared straight at the crowd of mourners, their eyes blank and lifeless as if they too had perished along with Trista.

Once they finished speaking, they dragged themselves back to the crowd while Eirlys promptly replaced them. Though there was undoubtedly sadness in Eirlys' eyes, she alone seemed the most unaffected by Trista's death.

It was natural after all. A senior knight who had witnessed the horrors of the first war against Kaslavna had no doubt witnessed more than a handful of her closest comrades die. It wasn't as if she had been desensitized to death, though. Rather, she was just far better at putting on a strong front before the grieving students who looked to her for guidance.

"...It is unfortunate, but we will not be able to send Trista off properly like this. As such, we will postpone the procedure until tomorrow."

Though the crowd had expected as much, those expectations did nothing to stop the already sullen mood from dropping precipitously. In the Avalyne Empire, it was customary that someone's corpse must be burned after death, the tradition stemming from the belief that it was the only way to 'release' someone's soul and allow them to return to Aluvsha after death.

However, given the state of the heavy rain that poured from the heavens, it would be impossible to light a fire under such conditions, much less burn a corpse.

"...You would deny her even this...?" A lone voice murmured from within the crowd. Though the speaker was by no means loud, the silence that suffused the air served to magnify his voice to be audible by all.