Chapter 54: Interlude of Personnel Matters (One)
Let’s rewind the clock back to a fortnight ago.
At the end of September in the year 1189, Ethanbel Royal City had already jumped headfirst into winter. The cold wind howled through the streets, and while there was no snow, light drizzle fell relentlessly, soaking the chaos-stricken streets and turning them into muddy puddles. War chariots trundled by, and despite the thick overcoats and cloaks worn by passersby, everyone was shivering and rubbing their hands like a bunch of frozen penguins.
Zooming out, we see a bird’s-eye view over the neatly stacked blue-and-white buildings, gliding past the ceaselessly flowing river. Before long, that majestic stone bridge appears, flanked by the towering Krist Castle, which boasts its own four imposing towers.
Since it was a rest day and given the dreary weather, the Royal Academy was a bit ghostly. The trees lining the roadside had shed all their leaves, and the soft patter of rain dampened the trunks and soil. Occasionally, you’d spot students scurrying by under umbrellas, all looking like they were racing against time. The classrooms were empty, the training grounds barren, but oh boy, the sounds coming from the four towers? They were positively a riot!
“Phew, phew… phew!”
In the stairwell of the tower by the shores of Xi Lake, Sarah was lugging a seemingly heavy storage box while Daisy was towing along a thick blanket. Both were perspiring to the point of resembling watermelons, gasping as they trudged down from the fifteenth floor to the sixth. On the way, they bumped into a familiar guy who cheekily teased, “Hey, Sarah, head honcho! You’re actually moving stuff yourself? Need a hand?”
The girl rolled her eyes, ignoring him as she stomped her way to the dorm room marked “604.” With a kick, she burst open the door, staggered inside, and with a loud thud, dropped the box down. Cupping her waistband and panting, she finally exploded, “I can’t believe it! Why are we the only ones hustling here?”
After all those trips up and down, Sarah felt bad for Daisy, who wasn’t the sturdiest of folks—she was bearing all the heavy stuff! Catching a breather, she plopped down on the hard bed that hadn’t even been made yet, “Where on earth has that Sophia woman disappeared to? She skips the opening ceremony, hardly shows up for classes, and when we tanked that tower riding competition because she was MIA, she’s now avoiding this huge move? I swear she must be busier than Her Majesty the Queen! Maybe she should just drop out… I mean, what is this nonsense?”
“Now we actually have to help her move… What’s with this princess act? Is being noble that impressive? Just because her dad got a promotion—who cares? Mine’s a Captain of Knights!”
That was a little bit of sour grapes, and as Sarah ranted, her voice got a bit too loud. Daisy hurriedly set the blanket down to run back and shut the door, crossing her arms and turning to Sarah, “Okay, okay, cool it… Look, Sophia is now the first in line for her family’s inheritance. She probably is really busy, you know…”
“Pfft, inheritance schminheritance!”
Sarah scoffed with a look of disdain, “All that girl thinks about is busying herself with men. Why hasn’t some wealthy old coot set his sights on her? Then her daddy could just arrange a marriage for her, and she’d be all set with a rich, powerful geezer.”
“Sarah…”
Daisy could only manage a bitter smile, “I get it… you’re in a funk lately, but please don’t talk about Sophia like that… It’s just… not nice…”
“And hey, you’re the same! You two are always fussing about men…”
“Wait, wait, wait.”
Now Sarah certainly disagreed, “I’m nothing like that flashy harlot! I just want to be a knight!”
“Well, guess what? You already are!” Daisy scooted over and plopped down beside her.
“But she hasn’t even congratulated me,” Sarah pouted, flopping onto her back on the bed, looking like a sulking child. “She doesn’t consider me a friend at all…”
“Ah…”
Daisy blinked and stared at her, “So that’s what’s bothering you!”
“…I’m not!” Sarah denied vehemently.
It had been about two months since Sarah officially became a proud apprentice knight.
The title “female knight” was a rare sight in the entire Church Knights Order. Women aspiring to be knights needed to sweat ten times harder than men, and simply being a “woman” was already the biggest hurdle in their path.
Though it wasn’t written anywhere, usually, most knight orders in the Church had hardly ever accepted women into their ranks.
So, even with Sarah’s father being a captain in the Fifth Knights Order, and her dreaming of being like him one day, she still had quite a mountain to climb to achieve that dream, even as an outstanding student at the Royal Academy.
But that was two years ago.
Sarah’s knightly baptism took place in the royal district.
She scored far better than her male peers in assessments, proudly donning the badge of an apprentice church knight during the initiation ceremony—she couldn’t help but cry.
Before the tests, she hadn’t held out much hope since she had asked her father for help, only to be met with a staunch refusal and told to abandon her knightly aspirations for the time being.
Since last year, her father had stopped supporting her desire to become a knight. She understood some of his reasoning, but there were things he said he just wouldn’t discuss.
Proudly, she reveled in the fact that she had become a female knight solely through her own effort, without relying on anyone.
However, not long after, during her first knight training camp, she saw familiar faces training with her—some had notably lower scores, while others hadn’t even met the day’s standards. Yet there they were, all participating in the training camp.
Seeing the same badges on their chests that she wore, realization hit her like a ton of bricks, leaving her heart heavy with doubt and disappointment.
Later, she confirmed from her father that the recent batch of apprentice knights was simply a formality—the assessments were just for show. As long as one was healthy and willing to participate, they’d snag that honor without breaking a sweat.
This batch of knights was an urgent recruitment by the church, aiming for numbers over quality, planning to shove them into the “battlefield” after a brief training.
This was why Sarah’s father had refused her initially.
When she asked about the battlefield’s location and who the enemy was, her father just clammed up.
Two days later, Sarah received an invitation letter from the Fifth Knights Order.
Her father’s name was clearly marked on it.
“I had a fight with my dad, you know, Daisy…”
Lying on her back staring at the upper bunk, Sarah pondered, while a somewhat sleepy Daisy leaned against the bed frame and nodded gently, “Uh-huh.”
“My dad doesn’t want me talking to other apprentice knights about this. He’s adamant about me going there… I don’t even know who to discuss this with. I thought maybe Sophia would know more, but… ah, what am I supposed to do?”
