Challenge

“You’re an idiot.”

“H-Hey! That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think!?”

Medrauta heaved an exasperated sigh as she placed a hand on her forehead. “You should be lucky that I bailed you out, fool. What the hell were you thinking, going after someone else’s knight?”

“I didn’t know they were already sworn... It was an honest mistake, and I apologized!” Viviane puffed out her cheeks in an expression of mock displeasure.

“Well... Whatever. It’s over and done now.”

The two of them were currently sitting in the academy’s infirmary. While Medrauta hadn’t been injured, she’d ended up hauling all ten of the defeated knights to the infirmary thanks to the dictates of chivalry.

While they were here, Medrauta thought it’d be a good idea to check out Viviane’s wounds as well, despite them being light.

“So... Um... What are we going to do about that?” Viviane asked. Although she was swinging her legs as she sat upon the infirmary bed in an effort to appear nonchalant, the nervousness in her words was more than evident.

“...That? Oh. You mean the match. Well, I—” Medrauta spun around as the curtain behind her was thrust open. When her eyes fell upon the person who now stood before her, she scowled.

Amelia Irvine.

Her pitch-black hair hung elegantly below her waist as if a cloak woven from the night sky itself. Her crimson eyes glittered like polished rubies. She carried herself with the grace and dignity of a noble, yet possessed the strength and intensity of a knight.

Her ample bosom and shapely figure coupled with her unmatched talent gave rise to unprecedented popularity within the academy, cementing her as the number one most attractive woman. However, beauty wasn’t the only thing she was number one in.

In all of Avalyne Academy’s history, there has only been one knight who has never lost a single match before.

And that knight is Amelia Irvine, Knight of the Umbral Tear. The knight who took the number one rank within her first week of entering the academy and has held the position for two years since then. In other words, she was Medrauta’s upperclassman, and a rather annoying one at that.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I came to laugh at you,” Amelia smirked.

“And here I thought you’d finally gathered enough courage to finish our duel.”

“I’m afraid I’m far too busy these days to be playing around with you, but I’m sure we both know what the outcome would’ve been.”

Viviane looked at them anxiously, helpless to intervene despite the sparks that flew between the locked gazes of the two knights.

The two glared at one another for a few more seconds before Amelia finally spoke again, this time adopting a much more serious tone. “I heard about what happened. You’re a fool, you know?”

“The fuck are you saying now? You itchin’ for a fight or something?”

“I’m serious, Medrauta. You might’ve been able to defeat ten knights, but a match is going to be different. You’ve lost enough of them to know, after all. Ritya’s nothing special on her own, but she and Bastiche aren’t defending fifth place on the rankings through sheer luck.”

“So what? Are you trying to tell me that I should withdraw? That I should run with my tail tucked behind my legs and dishonor myself?”

“...Of course not. I’ll speak to the Round Table and have them call the match off. You should fight against someone on your own level, after all.”

Medrauta stood up, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “...Are you looking down on me?”

Amelia remained uncowed, returning Medrauta’s glare with a passive expression. “I’m telling you this for your own good.”

“You bitch...!” Medrauta reached out to grab Amelia by the collar, but just as she was about to, she felt something tugging her backwards.

“P-Please stop, Dame Medrauta!” Viviane had gotten up from the bed. Her thin, untrained arms were wrapped around Medrauta’s torso in an attempt to pull the larger girl away from Amelia to no avail.

“Huh!? W-What the hell are you doing, Lady Viviane!?”

“Oh? How interesting.” Amelia leaned to the side, looking past Medrauta in order to get a clearer look at the blonde-haired creature that was uselessly tugging at Medrauta. “So this is the one you’ve picked this time around? I’m surprised.”

“Why do you care?” Medrauta grimaced, gently prying Viviane off.

“No reason, really... You didn’t strike me as someone who would break tradition when it came to serving a noble. Besides, you were only ever interested in strength, so I never would’ve expected you to pick someone that was so...” Amelia paused, searching her vocabulary for the correct word to describe Viviane. “...Rabbitlike.”

“R-Rabbitlike!?” Viviane exclaimed, her face flushing in embarrassment at that description.

“Hm... Actually, scratch that. ‘Mouselike’ would be a more apt descriptor.”

“That’s even worse! Uweeh~ What do I do, Dame Medrauta!? I’ve been demoted to a mouse!”

Medrauta heaved an exasperated sigh. “Alright. That’s enough fucking around. Is there anything else you needed me for, or did you just want to gloat some more?”

“Ooh, an excellent suggestion! Maybe I’ll do just that!”

“Fuck off.”

Amelia laughed. She was alone in her mirth for a good few seconds before Medrauta ended up joining in too, much to Viviane’s surprise.

“Good luck with the match, Medrauta. I’ll be watching the two of you, and especially you, little mousey. I’m expecting great things from the noble that Medrauta chose, you know?”

With that, Amelia turned on her heel and walked off. Rays of moonlight streamed through the infirmary windows as she left, illuminating her path and reflecting off her glossy black hair, creating an ethereal, almost heavenly aura around her.

“Tch. Even when she leaves, it’s flashy.”

“W-What do I do, Dame Medrauta?”

“Huh?”

“T-That was the very first nickname anyone’s ever given to me... And it had to be ‘Mousey’!”

Medrauta flicked her center of Viviane’s forehead lightly, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the noble girl.

“Glad to see you’re having fun, Lady Viviane.”

Viviane pouted, but she found her mock disappointment difficult to maintain and soon broke into a grin.

“It’s getting late,” Medrauta remarked as she looked out the window. “We should start heading back to the dorms. We’ve got a long day ahead of ourselves tomorrow, after all.”

“Nn! ...And, um... Thank you, Dame Medrauta.”

Medrauta smiled warmly.

“Of course, my lady.”