Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 153 - The Other Fronts

"Oi, Lady Scarlet." Medrauta called out to the black-haired noblewoman as she affixed a new longsword to her belt. "Where—"

Shiiing!

Eris' dagger flew out of its sheath almost on its own accord, its tip moving to point straight at Medrauta. It was an impressive display of speed and skill, but what shocked nearby observers even more was how the silver-haired knight had reacted instantly, grasping the dagger's blade with a single gauntleted hand and crushing it with unfathomable strength.

"M-Medrauta!" Viviane cried. Though she was helping a few nearby tacticians sort out some logistical problems, the sound of shattering steel drew her attention instantly.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Eris?" Medrauta's eyes narrowed. Shards of metal fell from her hand, but she was otherwise unharmed. "If you want another fight, I'll—"

"You...! You dare address Lady Scarlet in such a boorish manner!?" Eris snapped, her eyes blazing with indignant rage. As the strongest knight in the Imperial Academy, she held herself to a rather high standard.

While her time as a squire had been rough, her days as a knight were quite the opposite. Boasting an unbroken streak of victories in both duels and matches, she was a knight who never experienced the humbling losses that Medrauta suffered in the arena while also being emboldened by her victories outside of it. Normally an affable individual, Eris was someone who conducted herself in a manner befitting of her role as Scarlet's knight, making Eris' current outburst something of a rarity despite her devotion to her lady.

The reason behind her hostility to Medrauta was simple. Several hours ago at the top of the tower, Eris had challenged Medrauta to a duel after discovering the silver-haired knight's reputation as the strongest knight in Avalyne Academy. Bursting with desire to show off her strength to her lady after failing to execute Scarlet's orders and slay the Walpurgisknight, Eris had dove headfirst into combat against Medrauta without ascertaining the silver-haired knight's skill beforehand, leading to a rather embarrassing loss.

It had been the very first time Eris had lost ever since she was officially knighted, and to make it worse, she had been defeated right in front of her beloved Lady Scarlet. Not only that, but there weren't even any excuses she could've made after failing to properly evaluate Medrauta's abilities. It was truly a humiliating moment for Eris, and though she knew it was completely her fault, she simply wasn't ready to admit it yet.

"Stand down, Eris." Scarlet commanded, interrupting before the situation could escalate any further. As far as she could tell, both knights looked like they were ready to hurl themselves at each other without warning. "Lady Viviane's knight is an orphan commoner and unversed in the art of civilized conversation. It would be boorish of us to expect an elegant greeting from a plebeian."

"...What did you say?" Medrauta's left eye twitched, her irritation only growing from Scarlet's veiled insults. Part of her understood that Scarlet had probably spoken in such a fashion to lessen the embarrassment of her knight being rebuked, especially after the shameful display Eris had shown to Scarlet just a few hours ago. However, Medrauta certainly wasn't just going to stand there and allow Scarlet to insult her regardless of how Eris felt.

"L-Lady Scarlet! I'm not sure what's going on between you two, but that was excessive!" Viviane frowned. "Besides, was it not your knight who drew her blade first!?"

To both Viviane and Medrauta's surprise, Scarlet flashed them a dazzlingly disarming smile in lieu of responding in kind. It seemed that she was trying to smooth things over now that she had finished defending her knight. At least, that was what it looked like to the others who were observing the verbal scuffle.