Chapter 15: The Golden Star Approaches

“Huh, so he was once an elite knight? Well, I still can’t believe it seeing him now. It seems like he quit his post so he could enjoy his life under a Sword Saint's protection,” Rikka said, reflecting on his behavior the entire time.

“Hehe… Well, he doesn’t look like an elite knight because he was only part of them for a year after all. Plus, he was handpicked by Vanguard Knight Captain Marvin from a slum area,” Aria said, pointing left for Rikka to follow.

“Slum area? Why? Isn’t he from a wealthy family? I mean, elite knights usually emerge from royal or honored knight families, don't they?”

“Well, I still don’t know much about him. Even though I’ve known him for about five years, whenever I bring it up, he changes the topic. Later on, I just stopped asking.”

“Hm… I think I can understand him better now. So, what happened next? I mean, I understand that you saved him, but did he approach you later, taking inspiration from you?” Rikka pressed, curious about what came next.

“Inspiration, huh?” Aria scratched her cheek as she continued the story.

Astravina Palace.

A few days after Aria saved Shawn.

While walking through the halls, Aria sensed a golden mana. Shawn stood in front of her, but ignoring his presence, she passed right by him. He whispered in a low voice:

“I am here to challenge you.”

Aria’s steps stopped for a second, but she kept walking.

“Wait!” He ran after her and grabbed her hand. Reacting instantly, Aria twisted her body and used his momentum to execute a judo throw, slamming him to the ground.

“Bwaa…” Pain slipped from his lips as Aria looked down and said, “I am ignoring this once, but if you keep following me, let me warn you: I will personally finish you off.”

Back to the present.

Pfft.

“How stupid he was back then! Challenging a Saint like that—of course he was going to get beaten down,” Rikka giggled, trying to hold back her laughter.

“He was… kind of stupid, but also different from the others,” Aria replied, smiling warmly.

“Different?”

“Well, after that, he kept challenging me even though I rejected him every time. He’d often appear out of nowhere. One day, I got so frustrated with him that I decided to teach him a lesson,” she paused before continuing. “I used force and beat him down until his body reached its limit. But no matter how many times he fell, he always managed to stand back up.”

“Hm… And then?”

“Yes, it was kind of stupid. Even though I could clear thousands of elite soldiers in the blink of an eye, I somehow felt like I lost to him every time he stood back up. So, to end things once and for all, I offered to let him train under me.”

“I see. That’s why he’s serving under you now,” Rikka said.

“Well, hehe…” Aria scratched the back of her head with an awkward laugh, adding, “He rejected my offer. So, I just told the King I wanted him as my attendant, forcing him into the position. But he rejected the King’s offer back then too! Instead, he was offered a role as a Celestia Knight, but he turned that down because he thought serving under Celestia's authority would ruin his skills. So he took the offer to be my attendant instead.”

“So that’s how it went.”

I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for Sir Shawn, Rikka thought to herself. He got squeezed into such a chaotic situation, but anyway, it seems like he’s enjoying his life now, and that’s all that matters.

“It seems like we’ve reached the location.”

“But isn’t this a park? Why is he waiting here?”

“I don’t know, but let’s go,” Aria said, stepping forward.

As they entered, Rikka saw Shawn sitting at a table, looking up at the sky and sighing deeply.

“Bwhaaa… Why do things always have to go like this?” he muttered to himself.

“Shawn…” Aria called out.

He looked over, his expression turning to surprise as he saw Rikka with her.

“Rikka?”

“It’s been a long time, Sir Shawn! I’m glad to see you’re doing fine,” she said, bowing to him.

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re in the capital? Don’t tell me you’re trying to steal the infinity Aria holds again!”

“What do you take me for?!” Rikka complained.

Aria walked past her, approached Shawn as he stood up, and—Hiyaaa!—kicked him right in the shin. He screamed in pain.

“Whaa… What are you doing?! You stu— I mean, Aria-sama!” He caught his slip of the tongue just in time.

“Why did you leave me alone back there? Do you know how much I struggled to avoid all those stu… I mean, followers of mine?” She caught her own slip as well.