Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 159 - Eris' Resolution

"...Well, that sure is one helluva way to become her knight, even if only temporarily." Medrauta remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Although Eris' story certainly sounded more than a little embellished, the silver-haired knight was sure that its core components were true at the very least. Thinking back on it, Eris did seem like the impulsive type to Medrauta, particularly when she had suddenly issued a challenge after learning of Medrauta's status as Avalyne Academy's strongest knight.

"It sure was." Eris nodded in agreement, a nostalgic smile on her face as she stared off into the night sky. "I can still remember how I felt at that moment. Jubilant. Triumphant. Joyous. I wanted to do nothing more than celebrate the fact that I had been recognized by Lady Scarlet not as the most illustrious noblewoman in the empire, but as the noblewoman I longed to serve."

"And then that one victory went to your head?" Medrauta asked, speaking in a deliberately conversational tone to reinforce the casual mood despite the heavy topic they were about to delve into.

Eris nodded again, pressing her lips into a thin line as she recalled the expression she had seen reflected in Medrauta's sword. "Yes... I suspect this began ever since then. Why Lady Scarlet still kept me by her side or continues to do so despite that is beyond me. In truth, I've had my own doubts even before I left the Imperial Academy to follow her into battle, but I always pushed them aside, unwilling to face such an ugly part of me. It was only after I saw myself in the steel of your blade that I had no choice but to accept these twisted feelings in my heart."

"You couldn't have known your opponent would be Kail though," Medrauta shrugged.

"No," Eris admitted. "But Lady Scarlet probably did. Perhaps that was the only reason why she allowed me to fight in Sir Lucas' stead. As a test. How I managed to pass is beyond me, but ever since then, I'd only fought for my own victory."

Kail was the name of a knight who had been a part of Eris' order when she had still been serving as a squire. A boy of impressive stature and build, Kail had regularly taken part in bullying Eris or simply mocking her presence in the order. Although rude, his comments hadn't exactly been inaccurate either as Eris was mostly deadweight when it came to sparring, physical training, or anything having to do with brute strength.

When Eris stepped into the arena and found that she would be testing her newfound skills against one of her old tormentors, she had forgotten the very reason why she had taken up her weapons, wielding them for the sole purpose of revenge. Although she had managed to win that match, her reputation as a knight had suffered due to her status as a knight-errant and she had failed to secure a lord or lady after Lucas' recovery. Not only that, but Eris' use of daggers and hidden weapons didn't do her any favors either.

"Isn't that what a knight should fight for? Victory?" Medrauta asked. In the end, victory was all that mattered when it came to the arena. Despite the chivalric codes that knights touted around, the arena was a violent affair designed to decide a victor in order to settle disputes.

"...Yes, but the victory that I sought was not the type that a knight should seek. When you swing your blade, you hope to carve a path for Lady Viviane, isn't that right?"

"Of course." Medrauta nodded.

"And when I swing my blades, it is Lady Scarlet that I must carve a path for. Not myself. That was my dearest wish, and the desire I held in my heart when I first volunteered to become Lady Scarlet's knight, albeit temporarily. But... After that day, I'd lost that wish. I'd lost it to the whispers around me, and I began fighting merely for my own sake. I'd worked so hard only to be ridiculed again, so I fought desperately, not for Lady Scarlet's glory, but to prove to everyone that I was strong. And that they were wrong."