Heller's Street, Sechille

Ink pens and anxious breathing was a symphony in the Seminary’s main testing hall. Hundreds of third- and fourth-year scholars had gathered for their final examinations, and only a few minutes remained until they were over.

Only a few minutes remained for Alice to follow in her Instructor’s footsteps.

Alice placed her ink pen down beside her test answers, gritting her teeth as she reviewed them a final time.

“A ritual diagram should be prepared in counts of threes and nines… otherwise it will have no effect…” She whispered underneath her breath. She then eyed the clock in the corner, tapping her foot nervously on the floor.

Testing was never her strong suit; it was her Instructor’s. After two years, she felt it hadn’t rubbed off on her at all. She would much rather repeat the practical examinations than sit for hours on end scrawling notes into the margins of a stack of papers.

She caught a glimpse of her Instructor through the window of the testing hall, causing her heart to flutter slightly, and that was enough to alleviate her nervousness.

After all, what would her instructor think if Alice were to fear an examination of all things?

“Fear should be reserved for battle.” She mocked Instructor Astalette under her breath, smiling. She leaned on her hand as she stared at the copper-haired woman, content. Alice had no longer a need to worry over the examination.

Liel sat on a bench outside of the Seminary’s main testing hall, listening to the wind chimes dance with the breeze. She had that same familiar expression of blankness equipped, as if she were eternally lost in thought.

That she was, but they weren’t of any real significance.

‘Ah, the weather is nice.’ Or ‘I will miss days like these’ — — Alice imagined those were the sort of things that her Instructor would think about. She never displayed any sort of attraction to men or women, and rarely did she venture outside of the Seminary unless it was for business. She buried herself in her studies, or busied herself with swordsmanship and formal dancing lectures.

Of course, those were the sort of things an Astalette should do. She should study hard, be at the top of her class, and then fight against Horror until she drew her last breath. Someone like Liel should be expected to achieve wonderful things.

And because of that, a daughter of such a renowned family taking on Alice as a page was without precedent, and so Alice knew she should at least put her best foot forward so as to not be a burden to her Instructor.

As soon as Meister Sif, an elderly man at the head of the room called the end of the examination, she was released from the shackles of such a daunting endeavour. He was gaunt-faced, yet still gentle in appearance, with a faded silver rune on the left side of his face.

She handed the man a stack of papers, letting out a satisfied exhale as she did so. Before she turned to leave, the man called out to her, continuing to accept examination answers from other scholars.

“Miss Winter, I trust that you put your utmost effort into your thought processes?”

Alice nodded her head. “Yes, Meister. In truth, I found some of the concepts a lot easier in practice than in theory. However, I remained nervous, even if I was confident in my abilities…”

Meister Sif laughed.

“That’s quite alright. Fear is a saving grace, sometimes. Some people are blinded by the idea of chasing courage, and forget the dangers around them. Remain cautious in all endeavours, and I’m sure you will succeed wonderfully.” The elderly man’s expression was calm, and the inviting and endearing tone of his words were subtle, but they filled Alice with determination and satisfaction. He only intended to offer words of encouragement, but taking her position into consideration, he wished to drive his point further.

“To be honest, we Meisters once feared too. We feared that our actions and sacrifices might mean nothing if we were the last to hold the line. But the truth remained that there were always stars waiting to shine, given many years. When we see you all, we do not fear any longer.”

“Do you really mean it?”

With each passing moment, the stacks of paper in Meister Sif’s hands grew taller and taller, until they eclipsed his height completely. Still, under the weight, he remained composed, spiting his frail age. That much was certain of a Meister, a Paladin who had survived this long.

After all the examination papers had been collected, he set them down on a desk behind him, his bones creaking as he moved.

“I am not the only one who thinks you have great potential, Miss Winter.” He chuckled wryly. “If this were the case, would you have become a page so early into your scholarship? Well, such an opportunity won’t last forever, will it? You should go enjoy your youth, young miss.”

He glanced out the window towards the copper-haired woman sitting on the bench outside.

“No, certainly, things will never stay the same…” Meister Sif whispered under his breath as Alice bowed slightly before adjourning from the main testing hall. She waltzed through its doorways, leaving her previous anxieties behind.

There was a slight wind brushing through the arches of the courtyard, causing her hair to become untied and free. She didn’t mind this, much. Tying up one’s hair was the elegance of a woman training to be a Paladin, and it was certainly more useful during combat, but Meister Sif had told her to enjoy her youth. There wasn’t a need to worry about such things.

Alice stopped before her Instructor, who had leaned her head on her hand, her face suggesting that she had grown bored. This was quite characteristic of Liel, who always had an urge to chase down information in the scrawled lines of textbooks. It was one of her traits that Alice ascribed to her, one that often betrayed her composed attitude.

“Good morning, Instructor Astalette.” Alice smiled warmly.

Liel stood up from the bench, replying in kind as she stretched, muscles worn to fatigue from sitting down for so long.

“Shall we go?”

They began to walk through the main testing hall’s courtyard, gazing at the bluebirds perched atop the blackstone tiling of the rooftops. Red archways adorned the courtyard, inviting the decorative stone pathways in, and various bells and chimes hung from ancient iron nails hammered into their curves, sounding out along with the wind.

“Do you think you did well?” Liel glanced over towards her page, her gaze moving about Alice’s facial expressions as if trying to determine her answer before she even spoke it aloud.

Alice nodded her head. “Yes, I think I improved slightly.”

“Good, then I will reward you. Let’s go to the bakery on Heller’s Street one final time.”

There was obvious excitement in Alice’s eyes when she heard this. That bakery served delicacies that weren’t common in the Seminary’s dining hall, which focused on foods rich in nutrients for the sake of the scholar’s physique.

It was only in the town around the Seminary where the scholars could indulge themselves.

The ‘town’ built around the Seminary of Silver was by most regards, a town. However, it wasn’t so in the sense that it provided a place for people to live, but rather to conduct their business.

It was a town meant for the scholars and Meisters of the Seminary to conduct their days with a bit of normalcy before risking their lives on a horrific battlefield.

In reality, Meister Sif and Meister Coreas weren’t retired Paladins, rather reserved soldiers of the Paladin’s Templar. If ever there was a dire need for swords, they would answer the call.

That was something that Alice’s Instructor might soon do. Liel Astalette was at the end of her fifth year, and tomorrow she would graduate.

That made it the last ‘normal’ day they would spend together.

The pair first visited the women’s dormitory in order to change into their casual attire, leaving their scholar’s garb folded neatly at the edges of their beds. Their swords remained tucked at their sides. Preparedness was the first principle of a Paladin.

Then, they set out for the town. In the midday hours, hundreds of scholars and merchants could be seen walking the streets bordered by tall white buildings. Large golden bells hung from stone towers, ringing at the top of every hour. Clocks couldn’t be widely manufactured, and this was the only means by which the townspeople could be informed of the time.

Scholars could be seen at stalls with their friends, conversing with the merchants that sold various delicacies. Smoke poured out into the open air from similar establishments, creating a homely and inviting atmosphere.

As they turned onto Heller’s Street, Liel smiled softly.

“You really have done well this whole time, young miss.”

Alice blushed, glancing the other way to avoid embarrassment. “Do you really mean it? Why say it now so openly?”

“Yes, I’m proud of you, I truly do mean it. I don’t wish to veil this fact. Some days, I wish I could be more like you.”

“You, like me? But I wish to be more like you. Isn’t this too cyclical…?”

Then, Alice heard her Instructor laugh.

“You’re scared sometimes, aren’t you…?”

The question confused Alice. Of course, she experienced fear. Wasn’t that obvious in the way she went about things? Shouldn’t someone as perceptive of her know that?

“I do get scared sometimes, why?”

“To overcome that fear, do you rely on others?”

Alice tilted her head as she seriously considered her Instructor’s question. Certainly, there had been moments in the past where she relied on others during combat training, where fighting truly did seem terrifying. However, that was how they were trained- to rely on their comrades.

Then again, during the earlier examination, seeing her Instructor gave her a sense of calm.

Alice nodded her head, smiling. “Yes, I rely on you, Instructor.”

Liel’s expression adopted a familiar blank look to it. More than that, it seemed a little grim. “And is that feeling positive or negative? Does it make you happy, or does it make you doubtful in yourself?”

“It definitely makes me happy to rely on you.”

Liel turned her head away from Alice. “Then, you’re definitely better than I am.”

Alice frowned, but there was no time for her to further question her Instructor’s strange inquiries. They had arrived at the bakery, Liel entering ahead of her page.

The two sat at a table at the edge of the bakery, waiting for the attendant behind the counter to approach them.

“Will it be the usual, Ms. Astalette?”

Liel nodded her head. “Yes please, Ms. Autreau.”

The attendant, a young woman dressed in a frilly apron, gradually produced a rough paper pamphlet from the apron’s pocket, presenting it to Liel.

“We’ve recently received a shipment of tea leaves from Alfheim. Due to this, there are quite a few new items that we’ve added to the menu. I wonder if you would care to try some today?”

Liel stared at the menu, puzzled. This wasn’t because she couldn’t make a choice, rather due to Ms. Autreau’s words.

Her thoughts raced, searching for the reason behind such a development. ‘Didn’t Alfheim recently experience an attack of Horror? His Holiness would have ordered an embargo on all goods from that world… how did they manage to get their hands on tea leaves? Is it the case that these goods were transported to Eddhet before Alfheim experienced the attack?’

Liel shook her head. “No thank you, Ms. Autreau. I’ll keep the offer in mind for my next visit.”

The attendant nodded her head with a polite smile before adjourning to the kitchen.

Of course, it was unlikely Liel would visit the bakery in Sechille again.

A Paladin wasn’t meant for a long life.

Liel glanced up at Alice, who had a lost look on her face.

“What’s wrong, young miss?”

“You really will leave, won’t you…?”

There was silence between the two of them. It was only interrupted moments later when the bakery’s attendant brought out two porcelain plates, each carrying a rounded loaf of soft bread glazed with honey.

It was the pair’s favourite treat to indulge in whenever they made their way into town. It was like a true reward for their hard work. Today, it seemed like Liel was rewarding herself for five years of diligence. But in truth, she never really cared for the bakery’s delicacies. She just wanted to see her page smile.

That was why even when the attendant went back to her busywork in the kitchen, leaving the two alone, Liel couldn’t conjure the courage to respond to Alice.

And Alice didn’t expect her to. She already knew the answer. She had known that answer from the very first day she had become her Instructor’s page that she would one day leave the Seminary.

The two reached into their cloaks, procuring small glass vials with swirling silver liquid inside. This was the lifeblood of the tree, Siltte, that the Paladins would weave in order to give them a better chance of defending themselves against their foes. In order to align with it, they would have to ingest a single drop with each meal, careful not to consume any more, as it was a poisonous substance, despite its usefulness.

The last silver droplet in Liel’s vial spilled out onto the baked good, causing her to sigh. She would have to visit an Estuary to renew her supply.

Alice bit into the soft honey-glazed bread. Such a flavour should have been sweet, but the tears dripping down her cheeks made it seem all the more bitter.