Rosaline's Crest

“Haah... In the end, I still lost.”

“Maybe so, but your blade did reach me.” Medrauta said as she sat still on a large piece of debris that used to be part of the academy building.

After the duel, the two knights and their noblewomen had migrated to the academy’s still-ruined garden. As an area that served no other functions than to improve the appearance of the campus grounds and serve as a location for recreational activities, cleaning it up was quite low on the priority list.

While not exactly the most aesthetic location on the campus anymore, the garden still possessed a unique charm thanks to the various pieces of littered stone and metal competing with the resilient flora that still clung on to life. However, that charm still served as a grim reminder of the witch’s attack, making most students steer clear from the area.

In other words, it was an isolated location where Rosaline could unveil the full power of her Crest and mend the wounds of the two knights.

“Please do not speak of this with anyone else,” Rosaline said with a shaky voice. Despite being surrounded by friends, she still wasn’t very confident about revealing the true extent of her Crest’s abilities.

Leticia gave her lady’s hand a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be alright, Rosie. Lady Viviane and Medrauta know the importance of secrecy, isn’t that right?”

Viviane nodded. “O-Of course! I’d never do anything to trouble Lady Rosaline!”

Medrauta simply shrugged. “I already have a general idea of what it is, especially since Lady Rosaline’s actin’ so nervous about it. There’s really only one ability that can do everything she usually does in matches and produce an effect similar to healing.”

Rosaline pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. It was true that her ability was pretty easy to guess once it was seen, but she’d done a fairly good job of hiding it up until now. I’m sure she already knows, so there’s no point in waiting any longer, is there...?

The noblewoman let out a sigh before gathering her courage. “Alright. Dame Medrauta, please hold still. We’ll treat you first.”

“Sure thing,” Medrauta said as she pulled off her breastplate to allow for easier access to her wounds. The place where Leticia’s sword had stabbed her was still open and bleeding, causing Medrauta to wince as she moved. “Damn. Looks like I was the only one who stopped shallow.”

“S-Sorry!” Leticia blurted out as she approached Medrauta after receiving Rosaline’s Crest.

Medrauta shook her head. “It’s fine. Not like I haven’t been stabbed before. Besides, I nearly did you in.”

The ghost of a smile touched Leticia’s lips as her hands hovered over Medrauta’s largest wound, causing it to slowly knit together. “Yeah, that’s for sure...”

The end of their duel had been undoubtedly close.

Medrauta and Leticia had charged at each other with blinding speed, both knowing that only one of them could emerge as the victor. They had called upon every vestige of their true selves. Their dreams, their aspirations, their loves, and even their fears.

The knights had infused everything that they amounted to within their blade and forged it into an unparalleled attack that was unique only to them, achieving the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Yet, when two heavens collided, only one remained at the end.

Leticia’s blade had been that of a knight’s. It thrust straight and true, aimed directly at Medrauta’s center mass. Its shining steel conveyed the resolve behind her thrust and the straight line that it traveled spoke of the future that she desired with Rosaline.

No matter how insurmountable the obstacle, she would pierce through it with all her might.

Meanwhile, Medrauta’s blade had been the exact opposite. More than a mere strike intended to pierce her opponent’s heart, her thrust had weaved through the air like a coiling serpent, describing a path that curved around the obstacles that barred its way in an effort to reach its intended destination.

It was not a path of avoidance, but a path of change. It was Medrauta’s bold declaration to the world that if there wasn’t a future where she could stand by Viviane’s side, then she would weave one with her own hands.

Neither knight had wavered in their resolve, and their strength was both acknowledged in one way or another. But in the end, Medrauta’s blade stopped just shy of Leticia’s neck whereas Leticia’s sword protruded from Medrauta’s shoulder.

It was by no means a small wound, and Leticia’s blade had certainly reached the heights that she sought, yet... In the end, that duel could not be called a draw, for Medrauta’s blow would have been fatal had she intended it to land.

Even if the silver-haired knight had offered a draw, Leticia’s pride would never allow her to accept such a slipshod concession when it was clear she would have fallen had they been fighting on the battlefield.

Even so, Leticia’s loss in the duel still afforded her a victory. Her defeat had not catalyzed another descent into depression. Rather, it had given her the confidence she needed to move forward. At long last, her ability as a knight had been reaffirmed. Ultimately, Leticia had proven herself capable of reaching the strongest knight she knew, and that was enough to restore her confidence.

“So I was right...” Medrauta murmured as Leticia finished closing her wounds. “You truly do have such a blasphemous Crest, Lady Rosaline.”

“Don’t call it blasphemous,” Leticia clicked her tongue in annoyance as she began treating her own injuries. “You’re going to make Rosie think that you’ll report her to the church.”

“Fair enough,” Medrauta laughed. “Still, I never thought I’d ever see something like this in my life...”

“Likewise,” Viviane said, her eyes widening as she watched the cuts and scrapes on Leticia’s body all seal themselves up. “I’ve read about it in books, but I never thought time manipulation would be an act—”

Rosaline panicked, dropping all pretenses of decorum and slapping her hands over Viviane’s mouth. “D-Don’t say it out loud, Lady Viviane!” She stammered before removing her hands and bowing apologetically. “Ugh... I’m sorry. This is already quite stressful for me.”

Viviane shook her head with a smile of amusement. It certainly wasn’t common to see Rosaline so flustered. “It’s quite alright, Lady Rosaline. I will watch my words a little more carefully from now on.”

Rosaline returned Viviane’s smile and inspected her knight briefly, ensuring that Leticia’s wounds had fully closed before dismissing her Crest. While powerful, sustained usage of her Crest was a large burden on Rosaline, especially since healing so many large wounds in such a short period of time required an enormous amount of focus and mana.

Upon seeing that Leticia was fully healed, Rosaline breathed a sigh of relief before wrapping her arms around her knight in a warm embrace.

“...You idiot.” Rosaline murmured. “Don’t ever call yourself unworthy of me ever again.”

Leticia couldn’t help but smile as she patted her lady gently on the head, running her fingers through Rosaline’s soft pink hair. “I won’t, Rosie.”

Medrauta pushed herself off the debris that she’d been sitting on. While her injuries had been mended, there were still quite a few holes left in her uniform. “I’m gonna head back to my room and sew this up while the two of them make out or something. You comin’, Viviane?”

Viviane nodded, bidding Leticia and Rosaline farewell before following in her knight’s footsteps, catching up to Medrauta so that she could walk by the silver-haired knight’s side.

The two of them enjoyed a silent stroll through the rather large ruins of the garden, both of them seemingly content with only each other’s presence.

Viviane looked up at Medrauta. The knight’s hand felt warm and reassuring in hers, and looking closely, it appeared as though Medrauta had regained the sense of self that she’d lost ever since Amelia’s betrayal. Even so, I still need to talk to her about all that...

After making their way to the knights’ barracks, it didn’t take long for the couple to reach their destination. The hallways in the barracks were cramped compared to the noble dormitories which were wide and even had several chaise-lounges placed intermittently.

Not only that, but the complete lack of anything decorative gave the structure’s interior a very spartan and unwelcoming feeling, as if the building itself was constructed to tell the knights that they should be spending as little time as possible within its dreary bowels.

Medrauta opened the door to her room which contained nothing more than two bunk beds tucked away in the corners of the room, a desk in between, and a single stool.

C-Can you even live in a place like this!? Viviane thought as she cast her eyes through the room. Although she’d thought her own room was small, Medrauta’s room was tiny in comparison and it was shared amongst three other people. There isn’t even a wardrobe! No wonder Medrauta always wears her uniform!

Viviane simply couldn’t wrap her head around how someone could live in such cramped quarters without even a wardrobe or tea table, and the more she stared at her surroundings, the more she felt like she was going to go insane.

“Something wrong, Viviane?” Medrauta asked, concerned.

G-Get it together! Viviane shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Now was pretty much the best time to bring it up since they were together and alone.

Even though Medrauta had seemingly returned to her former self following the duel, she still needed to discuss what happened in Lady Rosaline’s room. The behavior that Medrauta had displayed back then was scarily uncharacteristic and so worrying that Viviane simply couldn’t forget about it.

...I don’t want her to lose sight of herself ever again. Gathering her courage, Viviane took a deep breath before reaching out and taking both of Medrauta’s hands into her own.

“Medrauta. We need to talk.”