Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 121 - Pride & Love

"I see you still haven't forgiven Dame Medrauta."

"Hmph! Of course not!" Viviane crossed her arms haughtily in mock anger. The noblewoman was currently riding atop her mount, Medrauta. Though the knight's shoulders certainly weren't as comfortable as a saddle, Viviane had resolved to ride this particular steed for the rest of their march on Revelo Castle.

"...Y'know, it's been three days, Vivi." Medrauta complained. Sure enough, Baron Dietrich's forces and the Castellia Unit had been making excellent progress throughout the past few days as they blazed an impressive trail through Revelo fief, capturing cities rapidly as they made their way to the capital where Bastiche's castle lay. In fact, they were only an hour's march away from the castle now, and though tensions were high, the soldiers' morale was through the roof thanks to the consecutive string of victories that they'd racked up.

Unfortunately, Medrauta wasn't exactly sharing in the joy and festivities of the soldiers despite being one of the largest contributors to their winning streak. Ever since she brought Cassandra back as a prisoner of war, Viviane had been sulking and complaining about how Medrauta had never given her a piggyback ride or been carried on the knight's shoulders.

Of course, Medrauta had protested that she would've given Viviane a piggyback ride anytime if the noblewoman had only asked, but it hadn't been enough for her. Immature as it was, Viviane's complaints had led to the knight acting as her "steed", an arrangement that continued even now. At first, Medrauta didn't see it as much of a problem, especially when it allowed her to stay so close to her beloved lady constantly. However, it was now hurting her reputation amongst the soldiers and even Albert, Krista's lord, had ridden from the nobles' entourage just to witness the scene today.

"I just can't get enough of this sight!" Albert guffawed. "Are you seeing this Krista? Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to witness such a thing during my lifetime! The proud Medrauta, the so-called 'strongest knight,' reduced to nothing more than a lady's mount!"

"Albert..." Krista warned. Based on the look in Medrauta's eyes, she could tell that the knight was slowly beginning to reach her breaking point. Krista had never seen what Medrauta looked like when she snapped, but she sure didn't want to find out.

"Keep mouthin' off and this 'lady's mount' is gonna kick your ass, buddy." Medrauta clicked her tongue in annoyance. Honestly, the knight wasn't exactly opposed to having Viviane ride on top of her, but the constant attention that she was drawing slowly wore away at her mental faculties. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it together, but Albert sure wasn't helping.

"...Alright. I think that's enough, Medrauta." Viviane had relented at last upon seeing Albert's treatment of her knight, dismounting from Medrauta's shoulders and crossing her arms. This time, her anger was genuine.

While their antics had drawn the attention of the soldiers who marched behind them, the large majority of those men had seen Medrauta fight and weren't exactly in a rush to openly poke fun at the knight. That wasn't to say that they enjoyed seeing the knight being used as a mount, but none of them loudly commented on the fact at the very least.

Unfortunately, Albert wasn't exactly familiar with the knight's true prowess. As a second-year noble who cared little for duels, most of his knowledge regarding Medrauta had been second-hand during his stay at the academy. Besides, he certainly hadn't been anywhere close to the battlefield during this campaign. It was only because of this that Albert even had the courage to laugh in Medrauta's face.

"Come on now, Lady Viviane. There's no need to be so upset." Albert protested upon seeing the noblewoman's upturned lips. "I'm simply having a jest."

"At my knight's expense," Viviane retorted. "I wouldn't have asked her to do this if she had a problem with it, and it hasn't been an issue until people started throwing remarks her way. People like you."